Once they collected the rewards, Barry and Jasper left the room with overwhelming joy. Barry was delighted that he had finally obtained his Achievement Points, while Jasper was nearly speechless after realizing that another 25,000 gold had been added to his share. With that much money, he could travel across the country for an entire decade before running out of wealth.
Inside the room, the old man watched the backs of the two young men as they left. He couldn't wait to see the great things they would accomplish in the future. Mr. Marek quickly wrote a few additional entries into the documents before returning them to their proper place.
"Mr. Marek, what do you think?" the old man asked, unable to suppress his curiosity. "Do you believe the kids' claim that they captured the Golden Orange Snakehead themselves, or do you think someone else is behind it?"
Marek didn't answer immediately. He leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.
If he judged purely based on history, then a third party must have been involved. After all, capturing that fish was something unprecedented.
However, if he judged based on the behavior and composure of the two youngsters, then the impossible might truly have happened.
"I believe they did it themselves," Marek finally said. "You saw it too. They withstood my pressure, and neither of them has even reached the first grade yet."
"Yes, indeed… they were capable youngsters," the old man nodded. "I can't wait to hear about their journey under Captain Font Handler."
Marek simply nodded while staring at the door through which the two young men had just left.
—————
Barry and Jasper stepped out of the cook-house, both beaming from ear to ear. Barry had already placed the two reward boxes into his bracelet before leaving the room, and he had handed the additional bracelet given by the old man to Jasper to wear.
As they walked along the street, they decided to rent a private room somewhere so they could divide the money safely.
However, before they could reach the center of the street, a group of people blocked their path.
They were none other than Barry's former teammates.
After their boat sank into the lake earlier, they had been too terrified to sail again for fear of being devoured by the Golden Orange Snakehead. Instead, they had clung to the rock wall for safety. After waiting for a long time without seeing the fish reappear, they eventually escaped the lake using another boat, abandoning their attempt to capture the legendary creature.
They had come directly to the cook-house afterward to search for Barry. They suspected he had been the reason the fish appeared before they could deploy their traps, ruining their chance to capture the legendary fish and earn any Achievement Points.
Barry noticed the group and immediately gave them a mocking smirk. He tried to walk past them, ignoring the bastards who had beaten him earlier.
But before he could leave, the tall man rushed forward and blocked their path.
"Where do you think you're going, fatty?" the tall man asked as he stood in front of Barry, looking down at him.
Soon the others gathered behind him, glaring at Barry with open disgust. When they noticed Jasper standing behind Barry, their gazes shifted to scrutinize him as well.
Jasper recognized them as the same people who had stomped Barry earlier and left him lying on the ground. However, he didn't understand why they were confronting him again.
Judging from their expressions, they had come here to cause trouble for Barry.
Jasper personally didn't care about them—or about Barry either. As long as they waited until the money was divided, he could go his own way. He had no intention of making enemies with these people.
"What do you want, Cedric?" Barry asked irritably.
"Did you lie about the secret path to the inner lake?" Cedric, the tall man, demanded through clenched teeth.
They had spent nearly half an hour searching the lake for the underground tunnel Barry had mentioned. Yet they couldn't find any such path.
Now they wanted confirmation.
"Why would I lie? The secret path to the inner lake is real," Barry replied calmly.
The path truly existed—but it was incredibly difficult to locate, and even harder to travel through. That part he had deliberately kept secret. Looking back now, he was glad he hadn't revealed everything.
Otherwise, he might never have discovered their true nature.
He might still have believed these people were his friends.
When they heard that the path was real, they didn't know how to respond. They had expected Barry to admit it was fake so they could use that as an excuse to beat him again.
But now his answer left them in an awkward position.
"Were you the reason for the commotion on the lake earlier?" the diver suddenly asked as he stepped forward. He had been the one who searched underwater for the tunnel and had sworn to beat Barry for luring the Golden Orange Snakehead.
"What are you talking about?" Barry scoffed. "You guys were the ones who caused that commotion. You're the ones who lured the fish out. Because of that, we failed to capture our prey—the Giant Orange Snakehead. Our boat was destroyed, and we're lucky to still be alive."
Barry lied without hesitation, shifting the blame onto them.
He had no intention of revealing that they had actually captured the legendary fish. If word spread, people would start targeting them.
Too many people had already witnessed the event inside the cook-house.
It was better to stay quiet and avoid drawing more attention.
"We only caught a few Red Parrotfish and sold them in the cook-house. So leave me alone. I'm already furious about the betrayal—and about you people laying your hands on me earlier. It's unacceptable for you to come here and cause more trouble," Barry said firmly before walking away.
Jasper followed him closely.
Cedric and the others stood there silently.
They had come intending to confront Barry and beat him again. But after hearing his explanation, doubt began creeping into their minds.
Perhaps someone else had truly caused the disturbance on the lake.
Meanwhile, Barry and Jasper continued walking quickly, leaving the busy main street and entering a quieter one.
Soon they found an tavern, entered it, and booked a private room for a few hours.