Raven hailed from a backwater city, with no name or clout to back her up. Troy didn’t hold back, tearing into her with venomous words, itching to crush her underfoot.
He was so caught up in his tirade that he missed the dark looks on the faces of the executives nearby. Their expressions twisted, sour and grim, as his insults landed.
Is this guy for real? Calling Lady Valor weak? Is he blind, or did his brain take a swim?‘ Timothy thought. The nerve of him, spouting such garbage without a shred of truth.’
Timothy caught the patriarch’s eye and felt a chill. The man’s gaze burned with murderous intent when Raven’s name came up.
Timothy’s gut twisted–something was seriously off. He whipped his head toward the massive screen dominating the room.
On it, Raven and the guy at her side, Mick, had barely stepped into the secret chamber when a pack of competitors closed in, circling them like vultures.
Anastasia’s orders were clear, and these goons were ready to act. They crept closer, their faces split with nasty grins.
“So, you’re Raven from the lower realm, huh?” one sneered, cutting straight to it. “You pissed off Miss Larsson, and now you’re gonna pay.”
Another snorted, folding his arms. “Think a nobody like you deserves a shot at a promotion? Get real.”
“Raven Valor, climbing to a second–tier city? Keep dreaming, sweetheart,” a third chimed in, voice dripping with scorn. “A lowlife like you belongs in the gutters of the lowest tier. You’ll never amount to squat.”
“How do you wanna go out?” another barked, smirking. “Play nice, and we might be kind enough to leave your body in one piece.”
The selection event’s rules were loose–no ban on scrapping–so these thugs had no fear. They swarmed Raven, ready to end her right there in the
chamber.
Mick, standing shoulder–to–shoulder with her, got caught in the crosshairs, trapped as her ally in the tightening noose.
The moment “Raven Valor” kept popping up in conversation, a shadow flickered in his eyes. He clamped it down fast, though–no way he was letting that
show.
As the crew closed in on Raven with bad intentions, he took a quick step back, throwing up his hands like he was done with her. “Yo, whatever beef you got with her, take it up with her. I’m out!”
Raven just stared, speechless. ‘Why do I always end up dealing with spineless jerks like this?‘
One of the goons smirked. “Heh, at least you know to stay in your lane, punk.”
Nobody gave Mick a second thought. All eyes were locked on Raven, their real target.
“You’re all alone now, loser,” one of them sneered. “Time to send you packing!”
“Everyone, let’s do this! Take her out!” Anastasia’s voice dripped with venom as she rallied the group to charge.
Up in the judges‘ booth, the executive’s face went pale, his eyes glued to the screen in horror. ‘This is bad.‘
Meanwhile, the host was practically bouncing with excitement, his voice booming over the mic. “Here we go, folks! The action’s heating up! Five contestants are ganging up on contestant 135, Raven Valor.
“The leader’s a major general, and even the weakest of the bunch is early–stage Advanced Level. How long’s she gonna last? Place your bets!”
The host wasn’t even pretending to be neutral. He’d been hyping Anatasia and her crew from the jump, tossing shade at Raven every chance he got.
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09:48 Tue, 24 Jun
Chapter 964
He said, “I mean, come on–an ordinary nobody with zero cultivation signing up for an event crawling with pros? Talk about clueless!”
“Look at those killer vibes from the others,” he went on, smirking. “Bet you contestant 135’s the first one outta here!”
The camera zoomed in on Raven, who hadn’t budged an inch. “What’s she doing? She frozen or what?” the host cackled, egging on the crowd.
AD
