Kai followed the voice.

It belonged to a plump man, with a heavy beard and heavier mustache. He was glaring at Kai as if he wanted nothing but to eat him alive.

But the moment Kai's eyes matched his dull brown pupils, the fat man smiled.

Kai knew it was his Charisma that was working wonders for him. "Pardons!" he said, smiling back. "I was lost in my thoughts."

"Ha!" the fat man laughed or at least tried to, slapping his big belly. "Big Waldo likes you, don't worry. Follow me."

Kai followed Big Waldo to the stable behind the inn. Five boys were already there, sneering at each other. As they saw Big Waldo coming towards them, they lost all will for japery.

Three of the boys were like Kai, lightly armored with only a vest. They were of the same age as that of Kai and one of the three had a little stubble, the other two being cleanly shaven.

The remaining two were older, but still less than 20. They had breastplates for armor, and their expression didn't betray their battle-hardened nature.

"I have called you all for a vital task,” Big Waldo said, sounding mysterious. “The one that can make you rich overnight."

He gestured to Kai to stand among the others.

The sellswords were giving Kai a measured look, but he ignored them, already knowing their weaknesses from their postures.

The oldest sellsword took a step forward, then. "I am not here to play, Big Waldo," he said in a hard voice. "Tell me what it is required of me, and how much money we are talking about."

The others nodded in agreement.

Big Waldo lost his cheery expression then. He gave a stern look to the two stable boys, and they scampered off, closing the fence, cutting them off from any interference.

"A big figure needs shit like you to do some honest work for seven days," Big Waldo said, looking at everyone but Kai. "He is coming here to select one of you. You will see dragons by the time you are done, that I can promise."

From the Stags mentioned by the System, while giving him coins, Kai immediately guessed that the man was talking about money, and not actual Dragons.

"So," Big Waldo said, eying everyone menacingly, "if any of you scum wants to back out, this is your time. Once I bring him here… Haha!"

The moment Big Waldo finished, a notification appeared in front of Kai.

…

[

Congratulations Contestant Kai Stormborn

You have triggered a Side Mission

…

Main Mission: Thwart the Assassination of Jon Arryn

Side Mission: Get chosen by Jon Arryn for the job

Side Mission Summary: Jon Arryn had ordered his trustworthy man, Big Waldo, to find him a young Sellsword who can effectively save him from assassinations. Big Waldo has gathered six Sellswords, including you, suitable for the task. There is only one way to stand out in Big Waldo's eyes, and that is by killing the rest

Side Mission Objective: Show your potential by defeating the other Sellswords

Side Mission Time Limit: Not Applicable

…

Do you accept the Side Mission?

]

…

Kai saw the irony oozing out of the Side Mission.

On one hand, the Systems did ask every time if he wanted to accept a Mission or not. On the other hand, there were some Missions which he just couldn’t reject even if he wanted to. Because rejecting them was equivalent to rejecting the Main Mission itself.

Just like handing the Proof Letter to Arlen, Kai reflected, accepting the mission.

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"Very well," Big Waldo nodded, getting no response. "May the Warrior give you courage, then."

A tense silence engulfed the six men. Seconds by seconds, the six kept taking steps back, creating a distance between each other.

Big Waldo returned as soon as he had gone. He wasn't alone, though. Kai's eyes squinted as he saw a gray hooded man followed by two well-armored soldiers.

The presence of those armored guards made the sellswords uneasy, Kai could tell.

The guards didn't have helms, and there was a piece of cloth over their upper body, hiding the shine of metal underneath. Yet, from this distance, the clanking of the armor couldn't be hidden. Much less needed to be said about the longsword at their waist.

Roland had already told him about the absurdness of the Random Worlds like Game of Thrones, which, at first look, didn’t seem abnormal at all.

It was all a game of the Mission Grades, Kai had found out.

With the rise in the Mission Grade, even the most normal guard would become a disaster for the Contestants.

Kai’s Mission Grade was E, so the danger his Perception was picking up from the guards was still acceptable. If he were to just drop into a Random World with Mission Grade of D-, without any change in his Stats, then even he would be pressed hard to block a blow from the same guards.

"These are the best of their kind and their age under me," Big Waldo said, addressing the hooded man. "When I am done with them, you can select one of the remaining three."

The hooded man nodded.

"Tim," Big Waldo spat, "You will have at it with the pretty one."

Tim gave Kai a look and chuckled. The laugh couldn't have meant anything other than a sure victory. The fat man then paired the rest in pairs as well.

Soon, the oldest sellsword and one of the younger ones took the center stage.

The young boy was nimble and ran around the other, dodging one slash and another. But the older one had a breastplate, and that restricted the attacks to his legs.

For a few minutes, they danced with each other, sweat trickling down their chin. But it was only the younger one who was panting. A sudden charge! The younger sellsword dashed to the opponent's calves from behind.

He is gone, Kai thought, shaking his head.

The older sellsword suddenly sat down, and the longsword hit the metal on his back. Simultaneously, he thrust his sword up, and it bit into the leather over the younger sellsword's shoulder.

Blood showered, and the boy screamed. The longsword dropped out of the younger boy's hand, and the older sellsword stood up, his face emotionless. He lifted his sword, going for the kill, and he would have separated the younger one's head if it weren't for the Big Waldo.

"Enough!" Big Waldo roared. "You won Rock. Now move aside. Tom, Jerry, it's your turn." None came to help the boy with the bleeding shoulder. He stood up and moved aside, whimpering all the time.

Kai had been eying the movements of the hooded man along with the fight. He didn’t miss the slight shake of Jon Arryn’s head before Big Waldo stopped the older swordsman from killing the younger one.

Hmm, Kai’s eyes narrowed.

Tom and Jerry stood facing each other, their swords in their hands. Jerry was taller than Tom, but they were of the same age. Their dance lasted even longer. Both were fast, and both were laughing all the time. Their dance was filled with feints and light scratches. But one slip of Tom's foot, and Jerry plowed the longsword into Tom's thigh.

Jerry didn't wait for Big Waldo's cry. He snatched the longsword out and was about to thrust it into Tom's belly when Kai suddenly charged and kicked him.

Jerry went tumbling on the ground, and Tom fell, clutching his thigh.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Jerry blazed, swishing his sword at Kai. "Big Waldo, I'll have his head for this."

Kai ignored Jerry. His back was already drenched in sweat. I… almost failed the Side Mission…

From his last observation, Kai had already confirmed there was something wrong with the mission itself. Then there the slight shake of Jon Arryn’s head.

It was then an idea struck him, making him face the hideous reality of his Side Mission, which he had already considered passed before.

The Side Mission said to get chosen by Jon Arryn, Kai analyzed. It meant even if he won all the fights, he could still get rejected. Not only that… if he just waited like an idiot, standing on the sidelines, then the chances of getting selected were also slim.

Jon Arryn’s approval was paramount here, not killing your opponent. Sure strength mattered, but that was only a criteria.

These Side Missions are getting trickier, Kai took a deep breath, saying nothing as if what he had done was his natural disposition.

Jerry marched murderously toward Kai.

"You will have your own head before that," Big Waldo said, smiling wickedly at Jerry. The guards reaching for their swords. "You've won, right? Now bugger off!"

Big Waldo whistled. Three gaunt men came and took away the two bleeding sellswords.

Kai was already in the middle of everyone.

Tim came striding out, unsheathing his sword. "Yield, boy," the older sellsword said. "Yield, and spare me from seeing your maiden blood."

Jerry and the other winner, Rock, laughed.

"I don't need a sword to kill," Kai replied, laughing along with them. "Come! Come whenever you are ready. I don't have all day for the likes of you."

That angered Tim, and he charged. Kai could see the hooded man whispering something in Big Waldo's ear, but the fat man only shook his head in return.

A hidden smile surfaced on Kai's lips.

Tim slashed, and Kai slithered. The older sellsword followed with another cross slash, but Kai ducked, his hands still behind his back. Tim was swift too, but not near enough to Kai's swiftness.

Tim took a step forward, bringing down the sword in a powerful arc. Kai's eyes narrowed.

What happened next was too fast for the normal eyes to see.

One moment, the sellsword was coming at Kai. In the other, Kai had sent the longsword whirling high in the air with a kick on his wrist. A second kick on Tim's chest sent the poor guy flying back towards a wooden pillar. A muffled grunt escaped Tim's throat, and when all thought it was over, Kai spun and lashed out with a third kick. It landed on the hilt of the sword before it could fall to the ground.

Swish!

The air shrieked as the sword became an arrow and blasted itself into the pillar. The wood splintered, sending small and big chunks flying here and there. Drops of blood streaked down from Tim's chin, his face pale as if he had seen a ghost. The sword-arrow had cut his left earlobe.

Kai brought his hands forward and gave the hooded old man a deep bow. "My Lord," he said. "I don't need a sword to prove that I am better than these fools, nor do I need to kill to show what I am capable of."

And none can lie better than me; that part Kai left unsaid.