Free Web NovelChapter 20: The news
The bald man’s face brightened up immediately, the bored and irritable expression vanishing instantly from his features as a massive, welcoming grin took its place. He waved his thick hands frantically in front of him, trying to smooth things over as fast as possible.
"Come on, bro..." the bartender said, his voice completely changing into a friendly, desperate tone. "I was honestly just joking with you... it was just a little joke, there is absolutely no need for you to actually leave!"
The man shifted his gaze downward, his eyes widening slightly as he glanced intently at the common grade items resting on the counter, before snapping his head back up to look at Leon. A sudden wave of confusion hit him, and he couldn’t help but think to himself in utter disbelief:
’Am I actually seeing this right... isn’t this Leon? That total loser that always follows Ran around like a lost dog?’
Leon was actually very popular in this specific area of the city, but it was absolutely not for a good reason.
As someone who had suffered a massive, tragic fall from grace, his name was widely known by almost everyone in the lower district.
He had gone from being the highly anticipated, promised heir of the powerful S-rank Roaring Lions guild, all the way down to being a completely trash player with zero prospects.
Everyone in these slums knew his entire story, gossiping about his misfortune for months.
It was exactly the same with the bald man standing in front of him right now, who had recognized Leon’s face the moment the initial annoyance wore off.
The bartender smirked slightly, his curiosity getting the absolute best of him as he leaned closer to the counter, muttering his thoughts out loud. "But how... how on earth were you actually able to get your hands on these monster drops?" freeωebnovēl.c૦m
They might only be common grade weapons, but actual monster drops were still quite rare and difficult to obtain for ordinary citizens.
Since the bald man was only a small-time black market trader operating out of a dusty, empty bar, even simple common grade drops like these were incredibly valuable to his business and could fetch a decent profit.
Leon hissed loudly under his breath, his eyes narrowing into a cold, sharp glare as he stared back at the nosy bartender.
"How is that any of your damn business?" Leon snapped, his voice filled with deep irritation. "Are you actually buying these items from me or not? Stop wasting my time."
The bald man flinched slightly at the harsh tone, quickly forcing a bright, compliant smile back onto his sweaty face to keep the deal from falling through.
"It was just a simple question..." the man said quickly, raising his hands defensively as he chuckled nervously. "There is absolutely no need to get so angry about it, my friend. I was only a little curious, haha..."
Leon only scoffed loudly at the man’s nervous laughter, completely dismissing his pathetic attempt at an apology.
Instead of responding, he turned his sharp gaze away from the counter and looked up toward the old, dusty television set that was hung precariously at the top corner of the bar.
The screen was only showing a boring bunch of commercial advertisements at first, the bright colors flickering weakly in the dim room.
The advertisements played one after the other, filling the empty bar with annoying music.
However, the mundane broadcast was abruptly cut off as the regular programming stopped completely, and a breaking news alert suddenly flashed onto the screen.
Leon’s eyes widened significantly as he saw the contents of the news report. His entire body went completely rigid as he stared at the glowing monitor.
The television screen was now showing a massive, terrifying video clip of a giant golden flame surging violently up into the sky.
The golden fire was incredibly bright, forming a massive, billowing mushroom shape that tore through the clouds and illuminated the entire surrounding area.
The raw power of the blast looked absolutely apocalyptic even through the small, low-quality monitor.
The scrolling news topic running right under the chaotic footage read: "Dungeon Explosion caused by a mysterious player, resulting in the death of A-rank talent, Ran and the rest of his party."
The text flashed in bright red letters, drawing immediate attention to the tragedy.
Teo, who was the one standing right by the counter counting the items, also noticed the sudden shift in the broadcast.
He stopped what he was doing and looked up at the television set, his eyes widening in complete shock. His face twisted into a deep, confused frown as he processed the shocking words on the screen.
"Wait a minute..." Teo said, his voice dropping into a stunned whisper as he pointed a trembling finger at the monitor. freewēbnoveℓ.com
He looked back and forth between the screen and the young man standing in front of him. "Isn’t Ran your official party leader? He’s... he is actually dead now?!"
Leon frowned deeply at the direct question, his expression hardening instantly into a cold mask. A heavy silence settled over him, but he didn’t respond a single word to the bartender, keeping his mouth tightly shut.
’As expected...’ Leon thought.’The news picked it up pretty quickly.’
He knew the media would go crazy over something so massive. An entire dungeon being completely vaporized along with a rising A-rank star was enough to send shockwaves through the entire region.
The fact that they were looking for a mysterious player made him realize just how careful he needed to be.
After the dramatic news segment about the violent dungeon explosion finished playing, the screen changed again to a live broadcast from a completely different location.
The camera footage now showed a young, remarkably handsome man with short, neatly styled blonde hair and piercing black eyes walking through a crowded terminal. He wore expensive clothes that showed his high status.
He was completely surrounded by a massive, chaotic horde of loud reporters and media journalists.
The eager crowd kept frantically stretching their microphones and flashing cameras directly at his face, blocking his path entirely.
They were pushing against each other with full force, as they were all incredibly desperate to hear exactly what he had to say about the massive incident.
The flashes from the cameras were completely blinding, reflecting off the dark eyes of the handsome young man.
He maintained a calm, collected expression despite the intense pressure from the crowd around him.
Every single person in the room was waiting for him to speak, hanging on his every movement.
