Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

When Osha finished presenting her poetry challenge, silence followed.

Then somebody clapped and Osha received her applause. With expectations in mind, the Sage ranker turned around and looked at her audience. But it looked like no one was eager to challenge her.

Osha sighed in her head, thinking it was natural. Her audience would have some inhibitions about interacting with her because of her rank after all. The moment she decided to move on, an arm was raised from one corner of the grand hall.

The raised arm caught everyone's attention. Some of the rankers in the audience frowned and focused on the courageous owner of the raised arm. One had to note that the raised hand held a Stellar Sativa Stick between its fingers.

'Hm. The curse of long and lonely lives turns Sages into talented poets, it seems. At least some of them.'

Eren thought to himself as he processed Osha's words in his head. He answered Osha's challenge for a simple reason– the potential rewards.

"Hm? Let's see who has received my challenge…"

Osha's interest was piqued as she found someone in the audience who could take on her challenge. Although she had left her formalities behind for the night, she didn't think anyone from the youngbloods would try to compete with her.

"Oh, it's Grimdawn!"

Osha immediately recognized Eren when the hall's lights focused on Eren's table. The butcher took another puff of his Sativa Srick and made it disappear. He didn't want to come across as rude after gaining Sage's attention, after all.

Eren exhaled a cloud of smoke through his nostrils and mouth before speaking up.

"Osha, can I reserve the right to claim my reward from you for later use if I win?"

Eren's emerald green eyes sparkled as he looked at Osha curiously. The latter was impressed by the way he had taken her name. She found no hesitation in his voice or body language.

Osha could tell that he respected her rank but was not suppressed into inaction by it. She pondered a bit and nodded before responding.

"Yes, you can claim your reward later on, Grimdawn."

The crowd watched in anticipation as Eren closed his eyes and thought for a bit. When he opened his eyes, he seemed ready to answer Osha's challenge.

Eren's voice was filled with confidence and determination as he spoke his next words.

"I was broken by my past.

The pain and trauma, it did last,

But I refused to be a victim of fate.

So I reinvented myself in order to create.

My struggles are endless, it seems.

But so are my ambitions, my dreams.

I will not be held down by defeat.

My pride is boundless, my spirit replete.

The pantheon of infinity beckons me.

A realm of boundless possibility.

I'll scale its heights, reach its apex,

My destiny is not to be perplexed.

Your summit is only a stepping stone for me.

My ascent is a foregone case.

I'll push beyond known limits.

My deeds etched in the annals of greatness.

For I am not defined by my broken past.

But by my unwavering spirit, steadfast.

My ambitions and pride are my guides.

My journey to eminence, my personal tides.

So let the pantheon of infinity call,

I'm ready to rise and stand tall.

For I am reborn, with a new lease on life.

And I'm ready to take on any strife."

A short silence was observed in the audience before the crowd cheered for Eren. The rankers were happy that someone among them could answer Sage's challenge brilliantly.

Osha was stunned by Eren's answer to her challenge. She realized Grimdawn was a very ambitious man. Not just his body language, but even his words hinted at the fact that he didn't consider the Sage rank his true limit.

'My pride is boundless…

Your summit is only a stepping stone for me… these lines…

Did this guy just mock me for having low ambitions?'

Osha looked at Eren curiously as she processed his words in her mind. She had to say that Grimdawn had come with a befitting reply to her challenge. His words contrasted some of her lines. And they flowed perfectly, making his piece a standalone creation as well.

The ladies who sat around Eren's table were also impressed by his words. They started creating their own challenges in their heads while applauding him.

Osha smiled bitterly when she saw the response Eren received from the audience for his creation. It was clear to her who won the round between them.

"Well… what do you know, huh? I was defeated. It pleases me to announce that Grimdawn won the round."

Osha smiled at Grimdawn before asking in a playful voice.

"That being said, I would like us to continue. Let's have two more rounds to see who wins. What do you say, Grimdawn? Dare you to go for two more rounds with me?"

The graduate rankers turned to Eren and hinted at him not to accept Osha's offer by shaking their heads in denial. They knew all Sages were petty like that. They would not let youngbloods like them win over them so easily no matter which field it was. Osha would most likely raise the stakes if she was given two more rounds to compete with Eren.

The butcher could only smile at the response he got from the fellow batchmates around him. He ignored their signals and accepted Osha's challenge by nodding at her.

Turns out, Eren wasn't faking it. He won two more rounds with Osha easily, prompting her to accept the defeat. She sighed before announcing it to the audience.

"Yeah… I lost. I must say I didn't think Grimdawn could beat me so easily. He is as skilled with his words as with his weapons." Osha raised her hands in defeat and looked at Eren before asking him.

"Since you have won all three rounds, it is only fair to offer you three distinct rewards. Say it, Grimdawn. What do you want?"