Crew walked to the chessboard and saw that the white pieces were in complete disarray, while Callen wore an expression of utter defeat.
He had truly lost!
“Master, I’m sorry. I’ve disappointed you,” Callen said in anguish.
He never expected someone whom he didn’t even bother to consider could be this strong. Throughout the match, Callen felt an immense pressure, almost as if he were being ground into the ground.
Crew gritted his teeth and coldly said, “I warned you not to be careless. Did you take my words for granted?”
In Crew’s eyes, Callen must have been too careless, leading to his loss against Leo. However, Callen was well aware that even if he had given his 200% effort, winning was impossible.
“Mr. Holland, I wonder if you can give me some guidance?” Leo suddenly spoke.
Leo’s words caused a commotion in the entire hall. Even Andy’s face turned pale. Leo had just won against Callen; wasn’t saying this tantamount to challenging Crew?
“Young man, how can you be so disrespectful? Is everyone capable of being Mr. Holland’s opponent?”
“You won against Mr. Holland’s disciple by luck and now dare to be so arrogant.”
“Young man, restrain yourself, or you’ll only be disgracing yourself.”
Onlookers expressed their dissatisfaction with Leo’s bold words.
Unlike others, Kieran looked at Leo with appreciation.
“Mr. Holland, I hope you can give me this opportunity,” Leo said.
Crew’s face turned cold. For many years, no young person had dared to challenge him. It was a display of ignorance.
Callen lost face, and Crew had no intention of letting things rest. Now that Leo had actively sought trouble, how could he let it slide?
“My disciple carelessly lost to you, and you actually think of yourself as a master. Fine, I’ll teach you a lesson, you arrogant young man,” Crew said.
The spectators, using disdainful glances, looked at Leo. They had no optimism for his audacious behavior of challenging Crew.
Leo still played as black, making the first move.
Crew, true to his reputation as a grandmaster, placed his pieces with agility. Each move was exquisite, and by the middle of the game, Crew had already gained a significant advantage.
The outcome seemed to be decided, and the onlookers’ disdainful gazes towards Leo intensified.
“You can struggle for how long?” Crew said indifferently.
Leo kept a calm face and remained silent. The speed of his moves slowed down, and to others, it seemed like he was struggling in vain, delaying time.
“It’s already a settled loss; concede defeat. Why waste time?”
“Mr. Holland’s time is precious. You really don’t know your limits.”
“Mr. Rossetti, your disciple’s character is lacking.”
Leo frowned and coldly said, “Watch the game in silence. The match isn’t decided yet, and you’re talking about conceding. Is this your idea of character?”
This retort left the crowd speechless, staring angrily at Leo.
Crew sneered. If this persistence were shown by Callen, he would appreciate it. However, seeing it from Leo, he considered it foolish behavior.
As the game entered the endgame, people noticed Crew’s expression gradually becoming serious. The situation on the chessboard became unclear. While Crew still had an advantage, Leo seemed to be slowly recovering, astonishing the onlookers.
Having won against Callen was shocking enough; could Leo possibly defeat Crew too? Crew was a giant in the world of Go. If he lost to this young man, wouldn’t it be a shock to the entire Atraria Go community?
Andy widened his eyes. Even when he played against Crew, he had never seen Crew so serious. Leo’s strength was truly remarkable!
It was only at this moment that Andy truly understood the vast gap between himself and Leo.
The onlookers’ breaths involuntarily quickened as they watched, their tension building as if they were the ones playing the game.
Suddenly, there was a glimmer of hope among them that Leo might win. It would undoubtedly be a major news event, and Langstel could benefit greatly from Leo’s newfound fame in the world of Go.
However, Leo, aware that exposing too much of his edge could be detrimental, chose to deliberately lose the match.
Crew, the victorious player, didn’t show any signs of joy. In his eyes, he should have won convincingly, but the margin was only a small victory by ten points. This kind of win was shameful to him because Leo was just a young man, not his seasoned apprentice.
To possess such formidable strength at such a young age, Crew knew that Leo would likely surpass him in a few years or even a decade. Leo smiled and commented, “To keep it within ten points is an effort, Mr. Holland truly lives up to the title of a master.”
His words seemed modest, but in reality, they were a slap in the face to Crew.
Through gritted teeth, Crew retorted, “Andy, he’s not your disciple, is he? I didn’t expect you to bring in an outsider.”
“Crew, I know your intentions are not pure in coming to me this time. Rest assured, I won’t publicize this matter,” Andy said with a smile. He was elated to have pushed Crew to this extent.
“Let’s wait and see. If he’s capable, let him participate in this year’s Go competition and compete with Callen,” Crew coldly declared.
“I won’t participate in any competitions, and as for him… I don’t consider him a challenge,” Leo calmly replied.
Crew, almost infuriated, left with Callen in tow, leaving the spectators in awe of Leo.
“He actually said he doesn’t consider Callen a challenge in front of Crew!”
“Who is this guy? So arrogant.”
“I’ve never seen someone like him before, not even respecting Crew.”
“He’s not just arrogant; pushing Crew to this extent is no easy feat.”
“I never thought there’s such a formidable figure in Langstel; he’s truly giving face to our Langstel Go community.”
Leo, noticing people eager to engage with him, quickly said to Kieran and Andy, “Mr. Browne, Mr. Rossetti, I have some matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave.”
Leo finished speaking, brushed off his clothes, and departed discreetly. On the other side, Sophia was on the phone with Karen.
“Sophia, Amaya is coming back, did you know?” Karen said excitedly.
Sophia replied, “Yes, Amaya told me. She also mentioned that she plans to stay in Langstel for some time.”
“We three probably haven’t seen each other in almost three years. I’m really looking forward to meeting Amaya,” Karen said joyfully.
Sophia shared the same sentiment as Karen, reminiscing about their college days. During their university years, Sophia, Karen, and Amaya McGuire were known as the three beauties.