In the moment after Kael said that, the air, time, space, everything seemed to freeze.
The temperature in this cafe also became frighteningly cold.
The cafe owner was trembling, both shocked by his words and afraid that a battle would break out and his cafe would be destroyed.
He hadn’t even insured it yet.
The four Guild Masters were all petrified, stunned by what they heard.
Thinking that she had misheard, Seraphina, the elf, spoke up:
"What did you just say? My ears were a bit damaged just now, so I couldn’t hear it very well."
Kael still maintained that smile on his face.
"I mean, I won’t join anyone’s Guild."
For these four famous Guild Masters, this was nothing more than an insult, a slap in the face.
They were famous people, people who didn’t need to look at anyone’s face when talking, people who were used to being flattered.
When talking to Kael and Hans, Alaric, Adam, Seraphina, and Kaede had tried their best to be as humble as possible.
And at the same time, broke out to offer extremely attractive conditions, just to invite the two of them to join their Guilds.
And yet they were still rejected.
By two people who weren’t even Rankers yet.
Under the table, they were clenching their fists, trying to restrain their anger so as not to rush up and punch Kael right now.
And above, the four of them were still forcing smiles that didn’t look sincere at all.
Kael - knowing that he was about to be blacklisted by all four, was still able to leisurely enjoy his cup of milk tea.
Meanwhile, Hans, who was beside him, was trembling, not daring to say a word.
"However, I have an idea, do you guys want to hear it?" He suddenly spoke up.
Kaede raised her eyebrows, but this time, her voice was a bit gentler.
"That’s right. To be honest, I don’t like the idea of joining one of your four Guilds. But if it’s about cooperating with all four Guilds, then I’ll agree."
The four Guild Masters spoke in unison, their pupils wide open, unable to hide their shock.
From the very beginning, Kael had not agreed to the idea of having to choose one of the four Guilds to join.
Because that meant he would no longer have any connection with the other three Guilds.
It was a huge loss, and Kael didn’t like it at all.
Only children would choose, while adults would take everything.
What he had really aimed for from the start was to build a cooperative relationship with all four of them.
Not to become the possession of any of them, but to become someone who could stand on equal footing with them.
All of this was to prepare for the day when the 50th floor opened, and that Hellspawn-ranked Tower Creature appeared.
Kael knew better than anyone that these people and their Guild alone wouldn’t be enough to defeat that Tower Creature, but at the very least, they could minimize the destruction it would bring to the maximum extent.
"...Hey Kael, do you know how absurd what you just said sounds?" Adam spoke up.
The guildmaster of the Shadow Viper guild opened her mouth:
"You may not know, but the four of us never had any intention of working together from the beginning."
"And now, you, who has only become MVP once, are saying that you want to work with all of us?" Seraphina looked at Kael with an appraising gaze.
Her favorability towards him had definitely decreased quite a bit.
And finally, Alaric finished:
"Do you really think we will fulfill your wishes?"
The milk tea in Kael’s cup was gone.
It was time for him to answer all their questions.
"Of course not. I didn’t think everyone would take my idea seriously."
"If that’s the case, then why?"
He cut off Alaric’s question.
"The reason is because right now, I’m just a Climber, I’ve only become MVP once, and I don’t have a solid foothold in the Tower, right?"
They didn’t say anything.
But the eyes of the four of them said it all.
"Let’s make a bet, shall we? If from now until the 30th floor, I continuously become the MVP, then I want everyone to agree with my opinion."
Proving his own worth was the way he would build trust with these four Guild Masters.
Just like what he did to gain a foothold in the protagonist’s heart, forcing him to trust him, to realize how valuable he was.
After those words were uttered, time seemed to stop, once again.
All eyes were on him.
There was disdain, there was ridicule, there was disbelief, there was amusement, there was worry, ...
"What a big mouth... And I really hate people like you. They make me extremely uncomfortable."
"Aren’t you afraid that we will kill you, Kael Draven?"
He curled his lips, instead of answering the elf’s question, he asked another one.
"Honestly speaking, if I had to compare myself, I would choose a cockroach. Do you know why?"
"They are extremely good at running away, and can even survive a nuclear explosion. Just like me."
"You can survive a nuclear explosion?"
...Kael was a little speechless at the elf’s intelligence.
"No, I mean I’m very good at running away, and you guys can’t kill me no matter what. All I have to do is stay in the safe zone, and when the next floor opens, I’ll teleport there and continue running away."
He was an angel, just like his Guild name, except his wings were black, not white.
Maybe a lot of things had happened, but whatever.
"You really are the most interesting and courageous person we have ever met, Kael Draven."
Then, he turned to look at the remaining three.
"So, what do you guys think? For me, I have decided to go with this bet."
"Alright, if you are going with it, then I guess I will go with it too."
Kaede said nothing, still cold as ever, only nodding her head.
She had also decided to take the bet.
Now, only the top 1 Ranker - Alaric Valthor, remained.
"Just like Adam, I am quite interested in you. But, what if you lose the bet?"
Kael didn’t seem flustered, he had already thought of the answer from the beginning.
With a smug smile, he said:
"In that case, I will work for free for your four Guilds, just like a slave."
The Azure Crown Guild Master stood up, extending a hand towards Kael.
"In that case, I hope you don’t pretend to not know anything when you lose the bet."
With a friendly smile, but actually calculating a million things in his head, Kael grabbed Alaric Valthor’s hand.