Chapter 117
Chapter 117
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: The Martial Arts Tournament (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I should have paid more attention to the summoners from other regions.
I was so focused on my own turn that I didn't even realize a summoner from the Tower of Kershna was up first.
“I should watch this closely.”
Although the truly skilled, seeded contestants have already advanced, I could still get a grasp of their styles.
They bowed to the emperor once more and took their positions at opposite ends of the arena.
A small flame erupted from the referee's fingertip, signaling the start of the duel.
Kalstein was the first to move.
He charged toward Kim Yoon-jeong, longsword held high.
“He’s pretty fast.”
No, he was more than just pretty fast.
An ordinary person wouldn't be able to follow his movements with their eyes.
I feel a little bad for Chil-seong, but at this speed, it's almost a relief he was eliminated in the preliminaries.
In terms of level, Kalstein had to be at least level 100.
Kim Yoon-jeong seemed flustered, unable to react proper—
*Boom—*
Kalstein, who had closed in and was about to swing his sword, was sent flying back by an explosion.
Was she a mage?
No, it might be a skill.
I didn't feel any flow of mana.
Kalstein seemed fine, though his armor was slightly scorched.
He regained his posture and prepared to attack again, but Kim Yoon-jeong started moving toward him.
*Boom— Boom— Boom— Boom—*
With every step she took, an explosion erupted from thin air.
Kim Yoon-jeong soon stopped walking, but the explosions didn't stop, continuing to chase after Kalstein.
Kalstein hastily retreated, but it was useless.
The explosions, which initially had a radius of only one meter, had instantly expanded to over ten meters.
*Boom— Boom— Boom—*
The relentless blasts eventually cornered Kalstein and engulfed him. After about five more explosions, the referee shouted for a stop and intervened.
Kalstein was completely charred.
But judging by his movements, it seemed he wasn't dead.
He was quickly carried away, and the referee stood in the center with Kim Yoon-jeong.
“The winner of the first match is summoner Kim Yoon-jeong from the Keten region!”
The fiery explosions seemed to have captured the audience's hearts, as cheers and applause erupted.
“How strange. It doesn't seem to be mana.”
It seemed the lord couldn't sense the flow of mana either.
“I believe it’s a skill. It could also be an ability tied to a trait.”
“For someone who isn't even a seeded contestant to be at that level, I'm a bit concerned.”
“Well, I’m not particularly…”
“Haha, your confidence is something to be admired.”
It wasn't arrogance.
I hadn't felt any trace of Will in that duel.
Relying solely on skills like that, one could never stand against Will.
“That's right. Trivial tricks like that are nothing to our Hyeon-ung.”
We’re not a good match.
Ah, not me, of course, but that Miss Kim Yoon-jeong.
Explosions are a fire-based attribute, after all.
Considering my fire resistance, I probably wouldn’t take any damage at all.
“Still, Hyeon-ung, it’s not good to be too careless…”
“I know.”
Milli was right.
Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit.
****
“Looks like it’s starting to wrap up.”
Just as Lord Almondeu said, the Round of 128 was nearing its end.
Although there were 64 duels to get through, it progressed much faster than I expected.
And my opponent had already been decided.
As expected, Kang Ji-seon defeated Endrif Cloud to advance to the Round of 64.
Her opponent put up a good fight, but Kang Ji-seon was clearly a cut above.
She was superior in speed and situational judgment, and crucially, there was a significant difference in their equipment.
Unlike conventional weapons like swords, spears, or bows, Kang Ji-seon used a red whip.
Her opponent tried to slice it in one go, but his sword broke, and his armor crumpled under the whip's monstrous power.
I couldn't make out the color of her equipment from this distance, but it had to be at least Unique, possibly even Legendary.
Still, she was no threat to me.
I think she's about on par with Chil-seong...
Ah, of course, it's been a while since I was with Chil-seong, so I can't be sure, but I think they're similar.
“It's ending sooner than I thought.”
That was because the next contestants were told to be on standby well in advance.
There were only a handful of duels that lasted over ten minutes, and even if the arena was damaged, mages on standby would quickly repair it.
“Contestants for the 63rd match, please come forward.”
A familiar face walked out at the referee’s call.
“The 63rd duel is between Epenheim from Kuras and Misha Valentine from Kramis!”
They didn't call Misha a summoner. It seems former summoners, or those who gave up the title, weren't treated as such.
Like the other summoners before, she bowed her head toward the emperor, distanced herself, and the duel began—?
“Aaaaaargh!”
Or so I thought, but it seems to have ended instantly.
The moment it started, both arms of the man named Epenheim went flying.
Blood dripped from Epenheim’s shoulders as he collapsed, screaming.
Even the referee looked bewildered.
Not to mention the audience.
The nobles near us were murmuring amongst themselves.
“What was that?”
“What did she even do?”
“Unbelievable…”
Everyone was utterly shocked, and honestly, I was a little surprised myself.
It wasn't because she'd said she would only take off one limb but took two; it was because Misha had used her Will.
I had considered that someone who reached the 81st floor might have awakened their Will, but she seemed far more proficient than I’d imagined.
The referee hastily lowered the barrier, and mages came up to carry Misha's opponent away.
Of course, they also picked up the two arms lying on the ground.
“The winner of the 63rd duel is Misha Valentine from Kramis!”
Perhaps because the crowd was still in shock, or because the fight was so one-sided, there was barely any cheering or applause.
Of course, Misha didn't seem to care at all. She gave a slight nod to the emperor and walked back the way she came.
The most shocked person of all seemed to be that man over there.
Duke Eferli, the Supreme Commander of the Aurelia Subjugation.
He looked like he had just swallowed something foul.
Misha had said it would be better to show an overwhelming difference in skill to avoid future trouble, but I worried if that was truly the case.
Though, of course, it wasn't me who fought her.
And the least surprised person… was probably the lord.
“Just like in the preliminaries.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, this must be your first time seeing Misha fight. From the start, she’s been cutting off a limb from each of her opponents. She took two this time.”
I hadn't asked how she lost because I thought it would be rude…
...No wonder Chil-seong seemed so dejected.
“I see.”
“You two won't face each other for a long while, but I'm a bit concerned.”
“It’s alright.”
Will can be blocked by Will.
Besides, I'd gone through countless sparring sessions with Bio, whose Will was dozens of times more skillful and hundreds of times stronger than Misha's.
The final match concluded, and the emperor was the first to depart, followed by the nobles rising from their seats.
As they left, many stopped by our section to offer a word.
“That contestant from Kramis was no joke.”
“I think the winner this year will come from Kramis.”
“Did you secretly send in a seeded contestant?”
Even though another match had taken place, Misha’s fight had clearly left the deepest impression on people.
The lord gave some noncommittal replies. Just as we were about to get up, Rachel Marte, the lord of the Shuten region who had picked a fight with us earlier, approached.
“What on earth is with that woman? She doesn't even seem to be a summoner.”
“And why would I need to tell you that?”
Her expression immediately hardened. Serves her right.
“Hmph, true. But the fact that this year's victory is mine will not change.”
She said with overflowing confidence before walking away. She really lives in her own world.
“She’s a really strange person.”
“Never mind that. Let's go have a meal.”
“There are so many people, I’m worried we won’t even find a seat at a restaurant.”
Just as Timi said, considering the enormous crowd, just getting around would be difficult, let alone finding a restaurant.
“I've made a reservation. It's right in front. Will you be joining us for the meal?”
The lord asked, looking at me.
“What? Of course. I have to eat to fight.”
Breakfast was good, but I had just woken up and didn't have much of an appetite, so I ate lightly.
“I thought you might skip it, worried it would be a distraction.”
“Nah, I’m not at a level where something like that would affect me.”
We exited through the same passage we came in and walked for about three minutes before the lord pointed to a building.
“There it is.”
It was a tall building, well over ten stories high.
“Is the whole building a restaurant?”
“I heard three of the middle floors are used as an inn. It's the most highly-rated place around here.”
The first floor was already so crowded there was no room to move.
After stating we had a reservation and revealing our identities, we were immediately guided to the top floor.
It was equipped with a mana elevator like the one in the Mage Tower, with glass walls offering a view of the outside.
It was hardly different from an elevator on Earth.
When the elevator doors opened, a narrow hallway appeared, and a staff member in a crisp suit, different from those on the first floor, guided us to a room.
“Misha?”
“The butler showed me the way.”
The room wasn't that spacious, but it was large enough for all of us.
One wall was made entirely of glass, offering a direct view of the colosseum below, giving it the feel of a sky lounge in a luxury hotel.
“If it's not enough, feel free to order more.”
The staff brought out food in what felt like a course meal, and there were quite a few interesting things I'd never tried before.
The most memorable was the Egg of Elpira.
There were small, black eggs, like caviar, that were incredibly rich and smooth.
Even the bread, soup, and butter we always had were on a completely different level.
The finishing touch was when a chef in a white uniform came in, showed us a large, flapping fish, and performed by catching and grilling it on a brazier right there.
“Wait a minute. Hyeon-ung, can’t we record this with a video recording crystal? I want to show the others.”
Timi requested, but I had a feeling it was less about sharing with the others and more about showing off.
They'd probably ask me to bring them along next time, but I took out the video recording crystal anyway.
After the performance, everyone gulped as they looked at the perfectly grilled, golden-brown fish.
It was glistening with oil. Wouldn't it be more delicious raw?
No, grilled is better.
No matter how fancy the restaurant, they wouldn't have gochujang or wasabi soy sauce.
To finish, we had a very smooth ice cream that tasted like green tea. Looking out at the scenery, I couldn't tell if I was in Elsia or a luxury hotel restaurant on Earth.
“Was the food to everyone’s liking?”
“Yes! It was amazing!”
“I've never eaten anything this delicious before!”
Elaine and Timi answered enthusiastically, and though Milli didn't say anything, she looked very satisfied.
Even Misha, a picky eater, had silently cleaned every plate.
“Is that so? Then we shall come again tomorrow.”
After finishing our meal, I asked on the way out and found out that only nobles could make reservations, and it cost a whopping 30 gold per person.
That was equivalent to a 10-year veteran summoner's annual tax. It was ridiculously expensive.
We returned to the colosseum, but this time I parted ways with my companions and followed Misha to the contestant waiting room.
I left Nix with Milli.
“It’s quite a walk.”
“We’re here.”
She opened the door to a rather large hall.
So they gather everyone together.
There was still some time before the next round, but there were surprisingly many people here already.
Some were maintaining their weapons, while others were meditating with their eyes closed… Huh? I saw some familiar faces.
Kang Ji-seon and Jeon Shin-wook.
Since we had to fight soon, she glanced at me briefly and then looked away, so I approached her first.
“Hello. Did you have a meal?”
“No. I thought… it might interfere with the fight.”
“I didn't eat either.”
“Koreans fight on the strength of rice.”
Though it wasn't rice that I had eaten.
By the way, Miss Ji-seon looked much more nervous than when she told me to forfeit.
I thought it was because we had to fight soon, but looking closely, I saw her constantly glancing toward where Misha was sitting.
She seemed more wary of Misha than of me.
In fact, it wasn't just Miss Ji-seon; most of the contestants were sneaking glances at Misha.
It seemed they had all seen Misha's earlier fight.
“Um, we have a duel later, so talking like this…”
“It’s not like we have a grudge against each other, right?”
“Still, if it gets reported to the Supreme Commander, it could become a problem…”
“I understand.”
If she felt burdened, there was no reason to pester her.
I thought about looking for the summoners from the Tower of Kershna, but maybe they weren't here yet?
Just as I scanned the room and saw no sign of them, the door opened.
An immense amount of attention poured onto Kim Yoon-jeong.
Not as much as Misha, but she too had won her match in the Round of 128 in a very flashy and overwhelming manner.
The man behind her must be the seeded contestant…?
It was a face I knew very well.