The Counterattack Plan of A Villain With Ten Thousand Fans - Chapter 55 (Patreon)

Chapter 55

Rod couldn't sit still on the spot. Although General Kurus was only twenty-three this year and still a ninth-grade student at the Imperial Academy, he had already inherited his title early and had been on the Empire's frontline for two years. He had only returned recently, so logically, he shouldn't have deliberately come to watch the academy's competition. 

Fidgeting for a few moments, Rod suddenly had a revelation. "What's the name of the student who placed the bet? What department is he from? What does he look like?"

The lackey earnestly described Bru's appearance to Rod, "He's a third-year student, a Level Three swordsman. He registered under the name Bru, and he looks... quite fierce."

With a loud bang, the table in front of Rod shattered into pieces. Both the lackey and the sister duo were startled. Seeing Rod's ferocious expression, they dared not approach and could only silently retreat.

Taking a deep breath, Rod muttered to himself, "Bru is one of the Third Prince's men. This must be the Third Prince's doing. I need to seek advice from the Second Prince." However, just as Rod was about to set off, there was another knock on the door. "Boss, something's wrong! General Kurus's men are here to collect the money from you."

As soon as Ed Lintle emerged from the crowd, he spotted the man who had been lurking in the corner for who knows how long. He walked briskly over, not bothering to ask when he had arrived, and the two of them walked back side by side.

"Counterattack value +20%, current counterattack value is 50%, please continue your efforts, host."

As they entered the room, Ed Lintle heard 098's voice just in time. He raised an eyebrow, revealing a hint of a smile.

"Is the darling happy?" The giant dragon gently placed his hand on Ed Lintle's waist.

Turning around, Ed Lintle tiptoed to kiss the man on the lips. "Yes, very happy."

The next day, Ed Lintle received a crystal card containing twenty million gold coins from the Kurus family. As promised, he gave Bru one-fifth of it and then waved the crystal card in front of the giant dragon, exclaiming boldly, "Go back and fill your treasure trove with this!"

The giant dragon blinked, seeming initially unresponsive, but then his eyes filled with joy. He excitedly hugged Ed Lintle. "Darling, are you saying you'll come back to the Dragon Valley with me?!"

"In the future, when you marry me, you'll naturally visit your parents' home." Ed Lintle said, then seeing the man's dumbfounded expression, couldn't help but chuckle. He was about to say something more but was cut off by the man's lips.

098 had already prepared to shield his perception as soon as Ed Lintle uttered the first word. Seeing the two of them kissing, he couldn't help but think to himself, "As expected."

In the following battles, Ed Lintle never encountered opponents as formidable as Ogude again. Moreover, after his performance in the match against Ogude, he became famous at the Imperial Academy, and no one dared to challenge him directly. Therefore, Ed Lintle easily made it to the top four.

The rewards for the top three were ten thousand gold coins, five thousand gold coins, and two thousand gold coins respectively. One gold coin was enough for an ordinary family to live on for three days, so for commoner students, this prize money was indeed a fortune.

Previously, Rod didn't care much about this amount of gold coins, considering he had earned quite a bit from various channels. After all, he used to be a millionaire. But now, with Ed Lintle taking away twenty million gold coins, even the fixed assets he had acquired earlier were depleted to raise money. He was now penniless, so naturally, this prize money meant nothing to Rod anymore.

What frustrated Rod the most was that the Second Prince had unexpectedly dropped the ball at a critical moment. Upon learning of Ogude's failure, the Second Prince shelved the cooperation plan that had almost been settled between them and adopted a wait-and-see attitude once again.

Rod knew that if he didn't defeat the Third Prince this time, he probably wouldn't have any chance of interacting with the Second Prince in the future.

However, Rod was very confident. He had been able to overwhelm the Third Prince four months ago, and now, regardless of his level as a swordsman or mage, he had risen by one level again. No matter how formidable the Third Prince was, he wouldn't be able to beat him.

Coincidentally, the two of them had never met before the showdown. Rod knew that the Second Prince had long abandoned the plan to target the Third Prince in the competition, so it definitely wasn't him who was meddling.

In the end, Rod could only attribute this matter to coincidence.

Before the final match, 098 asked, "Host, why are you only facing the male lead in the last match?"

"Because the male lead loves the championship title, and he really needs the money," Ed Lintle replied, "and he seems very confident."

"...Being hit like this by you, the male lead will collapse sooner or later."

As it was the final match, half an hour before the start, the stands outside the arena were already packed with people. Rod, brimming with confidence, sat in the rest area, with the sister duo on either side of him, serving him tea, water, and massages.

Many noble students looked down on them, but Rod thought they were just envious. His expression became even more confident.

When Ed Lintle arrived, he immediately spotted Rod and averted his gaze before the latter's provocative eyes could meet his.

"Host, this male lead looks like he deserves a beating," 098 remarked.

Ed Lintle restrained the eager giant dragon and said to 098, "I'll beat him up later." 

In the final match, Ed Lintle did not stop the giant dragon from following, so he appeared here now. Ed Lintle's current appearance was already very outstanding, and the giant dragon in human form was no less impressive. As soon as the two appeared, they attracted the attention of most people.

Ed Lintle walked straight towards the eldest prince who was waving to him in the center of the crowd.

Seeing Ed Lintle, the eldest prince greeted him warmly, "Third brother, I just bet on you to win. Don't let me down later."

Karalana stood beside the eldest prince at this time, still hesitant to speak, but after a long while, she managed to force a smile, "Third brother will definitely win."

Ed Lintle nodded at the two of them, exchanged a few words, and soon the drums sounded on the platform, signaling the start of the match.

Rod stood up confidently from amidst the sister duo, striding towards the platform.

Ed Lintle squeezed the giant dragon's hand, who was reluctant to part with him, and ascended the platform under his gaze.

"I used to think Senior Rod was very handsome, but now, in front of the Third Prince, why does Senior Rod suddenly seem to lose his luster?"

"You shallow people who only judge by appearances, Senior Rod is the only one who practices

 both martial arts and magic. There have been cases of him winning battles against opponents of a higher level before. Although he's one level lower than the Third Prince, I think he still has a good chance of winning. It's not about looking down on the Third Prince; it's just that ultimately, the competition will speak for itself."

"That's a reasonable point."

...

Hearing the series of praises and affirmations from below, Rod's eyes flashed with an imperceptible sense of satisfaction. His attainment of Level Six in both martial arts and magic was already awe-inspiring. If he were to display his Level Seven abilities later, he could imagine the expressions on those people's faces.

"Host, the male lead may have a plot. Please be careful," 098 reminded.

"Based on his energy capacity, he should be a Level Seven Sword Mage now. So, following the cliché plot, he must be trying to play dumb and attack fiercely, aiming to shock everyone and provoke my questioning," Ed Lintle's voice was light, "Seeing through without exposing it, 098, you still have much to learn. Just wait and see my performance."

What bad idea is the host plotting again? 098 felt a chill down his spine.

After exchanging pleasantries peacefully, Ed Lintle stood upright with no fluctuation in his tone and a cold, icy voice, "Rod, as a senior, I don't want others to say I won unfairly. I'll give you three moves."

"Host, what are you doing?" 098 was startled.

"To defeat a braggart, one must defeat him from within," Ed Lintle replied earnestly, "By shattering his confidence from within, he won't be able to stand up again."

The host's reasoning makes sense, 098 felt some admiration in his heart.

However, in the next instant, 098 heard Ed Lintle say, "No wonder everyone likes to show off. It feels so good to do so."

"...”

Rod was almost stunned by Ed Lintle's words. His expression seemed somewhat peculiar for a moment, and he didn't come to his senses for a while before finally replying, "What did you just say?"

Deciding to carry out the show to the end, Ed Lintle patiently replied, "I said, as a senior, I'll give you three moves."

At this moment, not only Rod, but also the crowd couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Is the Third Prince joking? Originally, Rod's chance of winning was higher than the Third Prince's. If he gives away three moves, I think the Third Prince might lose on the spot."

"Arrogant and conceited. If the Third Prince wins, I'll strip naked and run three laps around the school!"

Ed Lintle glanced at the student who said he would streak, saying to 098 in his heart, "I'll remember him."

Given Ed Lintle's current performance, if he were to lose, he would definitely become the butt of jokes at the academy for a long time to come. But would he fail? Obviously not.

However, he would still make the appropriate performance.

So when the male lead's first move came crashing down like a broken bamboo, Ed Lintle seemed stunned, stumbled under his feet, and moved aside, coincidentally evading Rod's sword attack.

"The Third Prince is really lucky."

"Don't you notice? Rod's swordsman level has already reached Level Seven! The sword energy he just used is clearly something only Level Seven can achieve."

"Heavens, then isn't it almost impossible for the Third Prince to win?"

After steadying himself, Ed Lintle also looked shocked, "You, you're Level Seven now?"

Rod looked modest, "Thanks to the Third Prince's care, I reached Level Seven as a Mage Warrior a month ago."

"Host, I think he's better at showing off than you are," 098 remarked.

"Wasn't this move the same as the one I learned from Ogude before? It seems he still lacks a bit of practice," Ed Lintle concluded, "I'll pay more attention next time."

In the next two moves, Rod almost exerted all his strength to try and corner Ed Lintle.

However, Ed Lintle's luck seemed always to be on his side, as he narrowly dodged Rod's attacks each time.

The audience below watched with bated breath.

Just as Rod was about to unleash his fourth move, Ed Lintle straightened his body and spoke, "Three moves have passed, now it's my turn to counterattack."

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