Chapter 5: Tryouts

Words : 2517 Updated : Jun 12th, 2025

"Alright, everyone, quiet down! If you're over twenty-five, please step out on your own," an older man in a suit shouted, his voice booming across the crowd, flanked by five similarly dressed men in sunglasses maintaining order. As soon as the elder spoke, a wave of sighs rippled through the square. Heads hanging, people trudged away one after another, looking dejected. "Damn, if only I'd been born a few years later." "Man, I literally just turned twenty-six today. If only my mom had held out one more day…" Hearing all the whining around him, Adam just shook his head in exasperation. These guys weren't really here to be butlers. They just wanted a shot at the three women. After a while, only a few hundred people were left in front of the mansion: glasses-wearing artsy types, scruffy slackers, trust-fund kids decked out in designer labels, and, of course, regular guys like Adam. "Alright, first round of eliminations starts now. The five men next to me are all former military personnel. Beat any two of them, and you're through to the next round," the elder announced. He didn't have to speak loudly. Everyone instantly went quiet. Sure, you'd expect some test for a butler, as every gig had interviews and whatnot. But nobody expected the first test to be an all-out brawl with five ex-soldiers. This was way out of the league for the nerds, rich kids, and wannabes in the crowd. "I'm up." A jacked guy in a tank top swaggered up to the five suited dudes and flipped them off. The five guys took off their shades, giving him a hard stare with eyes sharp as razors. The one in the middle barked, "Felix, handle him." Adam wandered over to the flowerbed, plopped down, and got comfortable to watch the show. At first, the tank-top guy had the upper hand, but he started gassing out pretty quickly. Felix, the suited man, landed several sweeping kicks, leaving the young man on the ground, whimpering in pain. "Next." Felix scanned the crowd with a piercing gaze. "Screw this, I'm heading home to watch some adult movies." "That's nuts. I'm outta here. Gonna grab a beer and crash. Guess butlering's not my thing." "Whoa, this is for real? Forget it, I'll just go home and swipe on Tinder." Nearly half of the crowd left, giving up on the butler position. They had hoped for a stroke of luck but were unprepared for such an ordeal. If they couldn't beat one person, how could they defeat two? Faced with a choice between risking their lives and chasing girls, most guys opted for self-preservation, choosing to live and flirt another day. Some stuck around, hoping the others would wear out the five before they jumped in. "Man, these guys are so weak, and not a single one's got the guts to step up." Adam snorted, stretching out with his legs crossed under the blazing sun. "What, nobody's got the balls?" Felix sneered at the crowd. He was only in his mid-twenties, but his military training had honed him into a formidable fighter, capable of taking on ten at once. Yet these young people, only interested in pleasure, were pitifully weak. "I'll take you on," Adam said, strolling up to face Felix. "No way, even a laborer is trying out to be a butler for the Cassons?" Not a single cheer for Adam. Instead, the other guys just folded their arms and smirked, waiting for him to make a fool of himself. Adam ignored the jeers. He knew talk was cheap. He'd let his fists do the talking. Felix sized up the guy dressed like a laborer. With a faint scar on his face, Adam's eyes had the same cold, dangerous vibe as his, like he'd seen some real stuff. Definitely not someone to take lightly. "If you're not gonna make a move, I will," Adam drawled, eyeing Felix. "It's just a fight. No point dragging it out in this heat." Felix threw out a sweeping kick, testing the waters. Adam didn't hesitate- he met it head-on with his own leg, didn't even flinch, and just grinned. Felix, meanwhile, stumbled back a couple of steps, barely staying on his feet- his leg visibly shaking. The whole place went dead silent. Everyone's eyes were glued to the showdown. "Again." Adam waved him on. The four men beside the elder looked on with serious expressions; they had met their match this time. Felix didn't move, not because he didn't want to, but because his leg hurt way too much. "Then here I come..." Adam suddenly accelerated, like a beast breaking free from its cage. In an instant, his entire demeanor shifted—gone was the lazy air from before, replaced by the overwhelming presence of a rampaging predator. Felix threw a hook punch, but Adam caught it with one hand. As Felix raised his other hand to strike back, Adam gave him no chance—his knee shot up and slammed into Felix's lower abdomen. "Ugh!" Felix doubled over, clutching his stomach, eyes wide in pain, collapsing weakly to the ground, looking indignant. "That was fast." Only the elder and the four suited men beside him could clearly see Adam's movement. It wasn't that Felix didn't try to fight back—he simply didn't have time. Adam's knee had already taken him down before he could react. "Next." Adam glanced at the four suited men and said something astonishing, "All four of you, come at me together." "Cocky bastard. Teach him a lesson." "Yeah, beat the hell out of him. Just a damn laborer, acting all tough." The young men around were unsettled. They were afraid that this guy, dressed like a laborer, would pass the first round. If they failed and this guy ended up getting close to their goddesses, they wouldn't be able to accept it. "Sigurd, take him down." One of the suited men gave the order, and a man stepped forward to face Adam. "State your name." Sigurd looked at the still-downed Felix and felt a surge of anger. The five of them had served in the same unit and left the army together to start a business in Jorwick. Now they'd become bodyguards under Loretta Lyson. Seeing his buddy lying flat like that was a blow to their pride. "Adam Lyson." "Make your move. I specialize in defense. Come on." Sigurd's voice trembled slightly, veins bulging on his forehead. Though clad in a suit, his physique visibly swelled. "Titanhide Technique." Adam's eyes narrowed. It was an advanced defensive art—by filling the body with internal energy, the muscles turned to steel, allowing them to rebound from incoming attacks. He hadn't expected to see it here. Sigurd didn't respond. Once the technique was activated, speaking or losing focus was forbidden. Despite its strength, mastering it required extraordinary determination and discipline. "You sure you want me to strike first?" Adam asked. Sigurd said nothing, only nodded, his gaze unwavering. "Alright then, here goes nothing." Adam shrugged, stepping up to Sigurd, who looked way too confident for his own good. Bam! Sigurd went down like a sack of potatoes, just like that. As Adam approached, he let loose a sudden kick, catching Sigurd right in the groin. He dropped, clutching himself in agony. The whole crowd just stared, jaws on the floor-dude played dirty, but damn, it worked. "Dude, you can't just kick a guy down there!" "Man, you busted his junk! How's he supposed to use that now?" The elder and the three suited men eyed the cunning Adam with a mix of horror and disdain, wishing they could tear him apart. "Next!" Adam called out, eyeing the last three. "How about you all come at me at once?" "Bro, this guy's a menace. Get him for me!" Sigurd groaned, face twisted in pain. "Say one more word and I'll kick you again," Adam shot back, giving Sigurd a look. "Please, no more... you'll kill me," Sigurd muttered, staring at the ground. "Alright, kid, you're cocky, but you beat two of us. You're through to the next round," one of the bodyguards said before the elder could even open his mouth. "So, can I head inside and chill now?" Adam asked, nodding toward the manor. "Yeah, go on in. Someone'll show you where to go for round two," the elder said, squinting at Adam. Adam glanced at Sigurd, still writhing on the ground. "He'll be fine. My kick just knocked the wind out of him. Next time, tell him to protect his goods when he's using the Titanhide Technique. Don't just stand there in horse stance, begging to get hit." Hearing that, the three bodyguards broke out in a cold sweat.

Chapter 5: Tryouts

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