Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem-Chapter 631: Lowlife Chump

The following morning, Zach was distracted from his training by an increasingly noisy gathering outside Vera's forge. He frowned. Even without looking, he could tell it was related to Rienne. He stepped out and looked around curiously.

It didn't take long for the crowd gathered on the large testing ground just outside the forge to notice his presence. The five maids weren't exactly discreet, even when standing behind him.

"Is that the guy? The one who said any lowlife chump who thinks they're the shit can come and take a swing at him if they want one of Friebel's Hammer's treasures?" A burly guy with a mean face asked while glowering at Zach.

Zach tilted his head and looked at the man before finding Rienne in front of the crowd. She avoided his gaze.

"I guess that makes you the lowlife chump," Zach answered, stepping forward and sizing up the crowd.

The man had conveniently revealed the purpose behind the group's visit. There were a dozen people who looked like they were ready to fight, and more were approaching from a distance.

However, they were almost all carrying, dragging, or pushing something like a bag or a cart.

Rienne took a few steps and gestured at the crowd for Zach.

"These are the brave fighters who accepted your bet, Zach. They are willing to pay a lot for the chance to earn one of Vera's treasures by defeating you in a simple duel."

Zach nodded. He had already guessed as much. What they paid would be his donations to Friebel. Simple enough.

"No reason to waste any more time then. Let's get started," Zach said, looking at the aggressive man who spoke first. But to his surprise, another person stepped forward and asked for the first beating.

The burly man didn't say anything, and neither did anyone else. They were happy there was a soul brave, or foolish, enough to step up first.

Zach's entourage had walked side by side with Vera when she returned to the city after a mysterious outing yesterday. Rumours had spread. A few with better connections even knew that Vera had taken Zach's odd group straight to the center of her forge.

They were a bunch of youngsters accompanied by a few weird monsters and breathtaking maids.

Anyone with a head on their shoulders only needed one look to tell that they were not ordinary.

However, it remained to be seen whether that meant they were strong. Still, some didn't want to take that risk.

They only paid if they fought Zach. If he was so strong that it was impossible from the start, there was no need for them to even try.

Fortunately, the first guy tested the waters. He did a decent job at it, too.

The first guy was a straightforward swordsman. He had worked hard to earn the money to buy a sword from a blacksmith on the main street. But it was technically from a forge in one of the alleys.

It couldn't compare to something born of Vera's hands, blessed by the Goddess of Smithing. This time, he had paid everything he owned. That was how much one of Vera's treasures was worth. If he had more he would have paid more.

He went all out from the start.

The skills he had honed sparring with other swordsmen and slaying monsters proved themselves as he pushed Zach backward step after step. His sword just barely missed each time. It kept him pressing harder and further.

The swordsman gritted his teeth in dawning frustration.

It was like trying to catch a mosquito. It just barely slipped past the edge of his hands. Even when he thought he caught it, it danced away with an annoying ease.

However, Zach wasn't a mosquito. He had a human face, one he could use to flash a cocky smirk to just the swordsman.

The rising frustration instantly turned to anger as he realized what had been going on.

Zach wasn't narrowly dodging his sword in a panic. He was dodging with minimal margin for the sake of it. Zach was toying with him.

"Graah!"

Spurred on by anger and humiliation, the swordsman took a large lunge forward and lashed out with his sword like he was trying to cut the rising sun in half.

Zach sucked in his stomach and became a banana to dodge the sword, only to take a quick step forward as soon as it passed.

He tapped the swordsman's front leg on the inside of the knee with the tip of his foot, making his leg buckle and give out from under him. Already out of balance from the poor form of his mad swing, the swordsman faceplanted. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Red dyed his face. It wasn't blood. It wasn't that bad of a fall.

His face flushed red with embarrassment. He was completely outmatched. And his defeat had been humiliating. He wanted to melt into the ground and disappear.

However, a shadow covered him before he could become one with the dirt and stone. Worried that it was Zach who was going to finish the job or something, the swordsman glanced up.

He hadn't been entirely wrong. Zach had moved toward him with his hand outstretched. But it was not to strike. It was to help him up.

It was like the swordsman could feel an invisible force wrap around him and help him to his feet.

Zach patted the swordsman's shoulders and dusted him off.

"You fought well. You almost had me a couple of times. If you hadn't gotten impatient and given me that lucky hit, I'm not sure I would have won." Zach smiled. "This win was just a fluke. I'm sure you'll have better luck next time."

"Wha—" The swordsman blinked, stupefied. He knew better than anyone that it hadn't been close at all. Zach saying that much was plain disrespectful.

Zach tightened his grip on the man's shoulder and grabbed his hand in a firm handshake. He leaned in close.

"What you felt just now…Do you want to be the only one?" He asked quickly before letting go and winking.

The man stared for a moment and blinked.

"You're right. I'm sure if I try again, the result will be different. How long will you be doing this challenge for?"

Zach shrugged.

"A while. So, remember to tell your friends and family," He said, turning to the crowd.

He was going to squeeze Emberise dry.