Adam had no intention of lingering like a fool.
Seated in the arena's outermost section, it would've taken ages to exit.
Even so, leaving the massive, ancient arena still ate up twenty minutes.
The recent duel between Gazef and Brain had left the spectators awestruck, and the fervent discussions showed no signs of fading. If anything, they grew more heated as people spilled out of the arena.
Adam thought escaping the cramped arena would bring relief, but stepping through the gates, he found an even larger crowd outside.
Clearly, these were folks too poor to afford arena seats yet eager for the outcome.
Both Gazef and Brain had amassed sizable followings.
This was, after all, the first time since the Royal Tournament's inception that two commoners, not nobles, had reached the final showdown.
To nobles, it was a disgraceful match; to commoners, a triumph.
"Look, it's Red Drop!"
Sudden gasps rippled through the crowd.
In an instant, the relatively open space around Adam turned chaotic as people parted, clearing a wide path for an approaching team.
Red Drop?
Adam's brow arched. He looked toward the path, focusing on the figure leading the way.
A man with shoulder-length light blonde hair, a striking streak of red at his forehead, caught the eye first.
He wore a black jacket over a red shirt resembling noble attire, paired with silver-black trousers, exuding a relaxed elegance.
With an aristocratic grace, he occasionally waved to the crowd, sparking waves of female cheers. His flair was undeniably flamboyant.
Azuth Aindra!
The name surfaced in Adam's mind, his gaze sharpening.
One of the Re-Estize Kingdom's two Adamantite adventurer teams, Red Drop's captain, and a noble with the "Knight" Title.
Adam's eyes shifted to the four figures trailing Azuth, likely Red Drop's members.
A middle-aged man in silver armor, his face cold and impassive, carried a massive greatsword on his back.
Another, dressed as a mage in a light blue robe, lacked a staff. His loose robe concealed most details, revealing only that he was male.
The other two were also men.
One bore a longbow that faintly shimmered with gray light, while the other, shorter and unremarkable in both appearance and attire, blended into the background.
Compared to the others, he was practically invisible.
But common sense suggested the less conspicuous, the more dangerous.
Adam pegged him as a thief-class, though he wasn't sure if these were Red Drop's full roster.
In both the anime and novels, Red Drop was a mysterious team. Aside from Azuth's appearances, its members rarely surfaced.
Seeing them here was unexpected.
While the others intrigued him, Adam's focus lingered on Azuth Aindra.
He didn't know the other members' levels but guessed they hadn't reached the Heroic Domain, level 29 or higher.
The real threat was Azuth.
His personal strength was modest, likely the weakest in the team, yet he was Red Drop's core.
Not because of his noble status, but his possession of a roughly level 51 Powered Suit!
This armor elevated Azuth's mediocre abilities to the top tier of human combatants.
"A Powered Suit isn't something this world's humans could craft. It's likely a Player's legacy." Adam mused silently. "But whose? The Six Great Gods? The Eight Greed Kings? Or the Thirteen Heroes' leader?"
Only Azuth himself likely knew.
Beyond him, the Platinum Dragon Lord also possessed a Powered Suit, around level 85, and possibly more than one, per the novels.
The Platinum Dragon Lord held more than just that Player relic.
Other True Dragon Lords, too, were aware of Players and YGGDRASIL.
This world's waters ran deep.
Without Nazarick's overwhelming might, they could've stumbled badly.
The Thirteen Heroes' leader, a confirmed Player, had met a grim end.
Not only had the Platinum Dragon Lord extracted all his knowledge of Players and YGGDRASIL, but he'd also spread a lie: the hero, devastated by accidentally killing a comrade, died young and refused resurrection.
New World natives might buy it.
But as a transmigrator, Adam knew Players' true nature.
Refuse resurrection? Laughable.
The Platinum Dragon Lord was a cunning liar.
Red Drop passed through the cleared path, followed by several other adventurer teams, eliciting more crowd gasps.
Adam had hoped to spot the other Adamantite team, Blue Roses, but they weren't among them.
He didn't recognize these teams, but their warm reception suggested Copper or Mithril ranks.
Clearly, Gazef and Brain's duel had drawn many powerhouses.
"Time to go. Gonna fast leveling and job building." Adam thought, turning to leave.
Hm?
His peripheral vision caught the last adventurer team trailing behind.
Just four members, yet they stood out vividly.
Two men, two women.
The women leading the group drew immediate attention. One, clad in full armor, had long black hair, blue eyes, and a strikingly cold demeanor.
The other, with long pink hair, wore cleric garb.
Her outfit, meant to be holy, was slit like a dress, revealing black boots and silk-stockinged thighs.
Their appearance instantly captured the gaze of nearly every man present.
Adam recognized the team.
"If I'm not mistaken, that's Four Armaments. Almost didn't recognize them." He recalled, his eyes lingering on the pink-haired cleric. Her outfit made his brow twitch.
"This world's fashion is baffling."
"But it's tied to the Six Great Gods or Eight Greed Kings. Players' influence on clothing, at least, isn't bad."
The thought flickered through his mind.
Four Armaments would become a Mithril-rank team in the future, but they likely weren't yet.
"Black hair? No wonder I didn't recognize her at first." Adam noted, eyeing the armored woman's stern expression.
In the future, her hair would be white, not for any special reason, but dyed.
Closer inspection revealed golden roots beneath her black locks.
She was naturally blonde!
Blonde hair was common in the Re-Estize Kingdom. She dyed it black to stand out, boosting the team's fame.
Later, she'd dye it white due to Ainz.
To gather intel, Ainz formed the Adamantite team Darkness. To avoid confusion and because "Darkness" became synonymous with Ainz's team, she switched to white.
Adam wondered if Four Armaments' Mithril rank was inflated.
Still, their future ability to tangle with a Death Knight suggested some real strength.
In short, neither the pink-haired cleric nor the dye-happy blonde were entirely serious types.
As for the two male members? He had no recollection of them.
***
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