Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem-Chapter 632: Two Piles

As the day progressed, Zach built two piles. One was of the 'narrowly' defeated challengers lying down to rest and watch their future comrades suffer through fates similar to theirs.

The other pile was built from the offerings those defeated challengers had brought to buy a shot at earning one of Vera's treasures. It was already as tall as a human. It was a mix of currency, monster materials, and ores.

After the first five people were defeated, the rest started getting a little doubtful. Although Zach had made it look like he won by a fluke or narrow margin each time, the crowd wasn't full of idiots.

Zach didn't look tired at all. And those five challengers hadn't been on the same level. Things didn't add up.

This challenge wouldn't be as easy as defeating a cocky, unknown youngster from who knows where.

The people in the crowd started asking themselves if it was worth it.

They only had to pay what they deemed one of Vera's treasures worthy. Technically, they didn't have to give up their life savings. But paying that amount was just the first step. It would only take them into the ring.

They then had to defeat Zach and get Vera's approval.

What if she noticed and didn't like how they only paid a pitiful amount?

Either don't pay at all or pay in full. Those were their only two options if they didn't want to leave completely empty-handed.

For that reason, people started growing hesitant about challenging Zach.

That was until Vera brought out a sword. It was simple. A double-edged, straight, dull grey blade, a brass crossguard, and a leather-wrapped hilt. It looked well-made but nothing special.

Even if someone got their hands on it, they wouldn't be killed and robbed over it, not when there were so many great and flashy swords in Emberise.

The only thing that made the sword special, appearance-wise, was the golden stamp of a hammer on the pommel. It was Vera's signature. She had made it well enough for her to mark it as hers.

Without saying a word to Zach or the crowd Rienne had gathered, she strode over to one of the boulders on the training ground. A crude testing dummy for the newly crafted weapons of all the smiths in the compound.

It already carried dozens of scratches and markings from all the weapons tested on it.

Vera lightly raised her arm.

No divine energy. No strength. No effort.

She let the sword fall.

A few moments later, the boulder's two halves also fell.

That demonstration whipped the crowd into a frenzy again.

Who needed money when they could have a sword that good in their hands?!

It didn't matter whether they used swords or not. For a weapon that good, they were more than willing to learn and dedicate the rest of their lives to mastering the craft. If necessary, they might even search for the Sword God's traces and teachings.

Letting such a weapon fall into the hands of common people, unable to control it or wield it, was not exactly part of Friebel's teachings.

But Vera wasn't worried. She had fought Zach.

It would take more than the common rabble Rienne scrounged together from the streets of Emberise to defeat Zach. A lot more.

Over time, that became evident.

The crowd of eager challengers thinned while the two piles grew.

The ones left were the insecure or the patient ones. The more challenges Zach accepted, the more tired he would end up at the end of the day. He would be weaker. They would have a better chance.

Unfortunately, the challengers had no idea what they were up against.

Far from their expectations, Zach wasn't weaker than when he started. He was stronger.

Only a few of the challengers managed to actually push him. The rest didn't even scratch his barrier.

But those who did reach him drew him into fights where he had to use his strength.

They weren't as strong as Vera. But they fought differently from her. They used tactics and skills they had learned fighting for their lives.

From them, Zach learned and understood more about his current strength.

He had trained with his world essence energy and strengthened his body to such a degree that he didn't perfectly grasp his own strength. He desperately needed to spar against his familiars sometime soon. He just hadn't found the time.

'I guess we'll be taking a trip to Haven after this,' Zach thought to himself as he was getting ready to round off for the night. He could check the vault for anything extraordinary while also sparring with his familiars in peace.

But before he could get ready to call it for the day, his gaze fell on a burly man getting ready to fight. It was the same man who spoke up in the morning. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Zach was a little surprised that the man hadn't challenged him yet, but shrugged off the unease he felt as he prepared for another fight.

However, as the man stepped forward, the rest of the crowd faded from Zach's eyes. He could no longer shrug off the feeling of something being wrong. At the same time, his maids stepped forward, unsheathing their weapons and preparing their magic or powers.

The burly man, whose hair turned crimson in the setting sun, wasn't street rabble or a lowlife chump.

He was strong enough to make the hair on the back of Zach's neck stand on end. He was also crafty enough to deceive his Eyes of Truth. Not even Mandra's eyes had seen through him.

Yanael, Alzara, Soara, and Vidri also hadn't noticed anything off about him.

The man grinned, revealing pearly white teeth.

"Seeing as you're a summoner, I suppose this doesn't go against the terms of the challenge. But I was looking forward to your strength, Zach," The man said, a pair of sabers appearing in his hand.

The edges of those blades glimmered dangerously as he gripped them loosely, his arms hanging by his side.

Zach's spine tingled.

All the nerves in his body were screaming at him.