Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Chapter 67
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: 1st Arc - 3 (10)
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The short but intense psychological battle between me and Eok.
However, this was a fight between just the two of us, and not a single person in the arena noticed that subtle tension.
They focused solely on the one remark Oheon had uttered, as if acknowledging the 2nd place.
Ranking 1 publicly agreeing with the words of 2nd place.
With Eok's statement that viewed power as the foundation of all logic, now an even greater force had joined to check him.
That alone was enough to solidify the atmosphere here in an instant. No one could recklessly speak up anymore.
Among them, the Sword King's expression had frozen into something even more complicated.
If things continued like this, he realized that the clear hierarchical structure based on rankings—the very thing he had feared—would solidify right from their first meeting.
He was already speculating on what political form the entire Transcendence World would take going forward.
Whether the exchanges between dimensions would end with this event or continue indefinitely, no one knew.
But the atmosphere formed if not properly corrected in this ultra-early stage would undoubtedly have a profound impact on future relationships.
The Sword King thought he had to break this flow right away.
Fear stirred within him at the thought of shattering this taut tension, but it was something that absolutely had to be done.
It was right at that moment, as he opened his mouth to speak.
The system message cut him off.
At the same time, the 16 preliminary qualifiers were enveloped in light and scattered to various spectator seats in the outer field.
Their sudden appearance startled the surrounding audience.
"Huh? Aren't those the preliminary qualifiers?"
"Why'd they suddenly come over here...?"
All eyes turned toward the preliminary qualifiers in unison.
The strongest contenders, whom they could only watch from afar until now, had appeared at arm's reach.
Mingled in those gazes were awe, curiosity, and a hint of fear.
People no longer reacted to them as mere common rankers.
Everyone knew that each one was someone nearing the pinnacle.
"Sword King! I'm a huge fan!"
"Clearing Stage 4 was incredible!"
"I'm a swordsman too. Could you maybe teach me...?"
A massive crowd swarmed around the Sword King like clouds, drawn to his positive image.
But the situations for the other qualifiers were different.
The people around kept their distance, not daring to approach, merely watching from afar.
To ordinary folk, rankers—especially top-tier ones—were untouchable existences.
Beyond just being strong, they felt like an entirely different species.
This perception had deepened even further after witnessing the overwhelming power of numerous rankers in the tournament.
Most people gathered at the tournament venue regarded all rankers except the Sword King—who was hailed as a hero in the community—as potential threats.
Powerful strength commanded respect, but it also functioned as a source of terror, capable of harming them at any moment.
On top of that.
It was now common knowledge that most rankers were close to being villains.
Celebrity-like reactions were reserved solely for the Sword King; no one else got them.
While the other qualifiers chatted only with people from their own dimensions.
A strange empty space persisted around Oheon alone.
Like the miracle of Moses, a radius of dozens of meters around me was completely vacant.
After being revealed as 1st place, Oheon had decided not to hide his presence anymore.
His aura was so extraordinary that no one dared even pass nearby.
They merely whispered from afar, speculating about his identity.
"That guy's got some insane presence. Isn't he maybe 1st place?"
"Nah, no way. 1st place wouldn't just walk around so casually."
"Still, he's gotta be one of those monsters who could take on hundreds without a scratch."
Of course, no one dared curse him outright. It was common knowledge that rankers had exceptional hearing.
All their murmurs reached him clearly, but he paid them no mind.
At that moment, Siron pushed through the crowd and cautiously approached me.
Following him were the Dimension 64 administrators, led by Rabupan.
"Oheon-nim."
Siron stood before me and bowed politely at the waist.
The others behind him bowed in unison, as if on cue.
Their sudden group action drew bewildered reactions from the surroundings.
The murmurs grew louder, but I ignored them.
Instead, I cut straight to the point.
Siron's report was far more deferential than before.
Was it because of the onlookers? Or...
After finishing his report, Siron hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"We've gathered most of Dimension 64's personnel. Would you like to speak with them?"
"No need."
At my firm refusal, Siron said nothing more and stepped back.
Yet, unlike usual, there was confidence on Siron's rejected face.
The other Dimension 64 folks behind him felt the same.
"He's... 1st place?"
"No way... We had 1st place in our dimension?"
"Then our dimension's winning for sure!"
Somehow, the rumor that I was 1st had spread.
The newcomers, in particular, couldn't hide their admiration and expectations toward me.
It wasn't as if their dimension's ranker winning brought them direct benefits, but that fact alone seemed enough to fill them with pride.
Already, the community was abuzz nonstop with boasts from those in dimensions with qualifiers.
This was it.
Unlike the rankers' stark atmosphere,
Another side of the massive tournament event's vibe.
But those excited voices halted instantly at Rabupan's icy remark.
"Can't you be quiet?"
Warning glinted in Rabupan's eyes.
The newcomers hurriedly shut their mouths.
In the meantime.
A system message appeared, drawing everyone's attention.
First Match: Severance [6] vs Dominator [11]
Second Match: Sword King [4] vs Earth [14]
Third Match: Eok [2] vs Nickname [19]
Fourth Match: Love [9] vs Hende [15]
Fifth Match: Monster [7] vs Regeneration [8]
Sixth Match: Lord [5] vs Descent [35]
Seventh Match: Transcendence [1] vs Assassin [22]
Eighth Match: Afterglow [3] vs Iron Wall [13]
As the bracket was revealed, enormous cheers erupted from the spectator seats once more.
I was in the 7th match.
My opponent was 22nd place, Assassin.
Having made it to the preliminaries meant he was no pushover.
But unluckily for him, his rank was far too low compared to mine.
I quickly moved past thoughts of my opponent.
Scanning the bracket, I began predicting the next foes.
If I beat Assassin,
And if Afterglow beats 13th place...
Then in the 2nd Round Preliminaries, I'd face Afterglow.
That sparked some real anticipation.
However.
'Hold on.'
This was the standard tournament format I'd imagined.
I examined the bracket more closely once again.
The preliminaries consisted of 1st Round, 2nd Round, and Finals—a total of three rounds.
16 players in 8 matches leave 8 winners.
Those 8 in 4 matches leave 4 winners.
So the Finals would be a 4-way battle?
Maybe byes or other variables?
The qualifiers hadn't been a standard tournament either, so I stopped with the ordinary guesses.
Afterward.
Looking at the bracket revealed more facts.
The top 10 rankers had luckily avoided each other in the qualifiers.
And the preliminaries wouldn't start all 8 matches simultaneously; they'd proceed in sequence, allowing spectators to watch everything.
I shifted my thoughts to the first match about to unfold.
6th place Severance versus 11th place Dominator.
I vaguely remembered seeing Dominator mentioned a few times in the community.
His reputation was high, and he seemed to have strong pride as a powerhouse.
Would he live up to his fame?
His opponent, 6th place Severance.
The name suggested sword use,
But unless it was someone like Lord openly wielding a spear or the Sword King who'd been public from the start.
No fool would put their ability straight into their nickname.
After the break ended.
With the system message, the first preliminary match began.
On the arena stage.
Dominator, a somewhat lean build wielding a hammer, and Severance, holding no visible weapon, appeared.
Was Severance the type who fought barehanded?
Both Dominator and Severance had scant public info.
Rumors said Severance had punched through the qualifiers, dropping everyone in one hit.
Dominator was speculated to have chosen Fighter, the base job for Stamina stats.
His hammer proficiency led most to conclude he definitely had the Fighter's [Blunt Weapon Mastery] skill.
I refocused on the arena.
Dominator moved first.
He charged at Severance with his massive hammer raised.
Severance didn't dodge—instead, she advanced.
Her speed was beyond imagination.
It looked like she'd collide head-on with the hammer,
But with astonishing movement, she narrowly evaded, letting the hammer slice empty air.
In that gap, she slipped into Dominator's guard,
Sfhhlk!
A deep gash carved into Dominator's chest, blood spraying like a fountain.
Only then did everyone see it.
The translucent greatsword in Severance's hand slowly revealing itself.
Weapon transparency.
Dominator had been completely caught off guard.
Severance's ploy of feigning no weapon since the qualifiers paid off perfectly in the first preliminary match.
Just as the match seemed ended by Severance's hidden ace.
Hm? No way...
Despite a far graver wound than in qualifiers, the match hadn't concluded.
Did preliminaries allow fights to the death?
At that instant, Dominator's fallen body far away began glowing red all over.
And the deeply wounded Dominator staggered back to his feet.
Ferocity ignited in his eyes.
His wounds healed in a flash, and his build swelled massively larger than before.
'So this is the preliminaries.'
The match didn't end.
And at the monstrous sight of him rising despite the wound.
The audience was stunned by the qualifiers' level.
Severance faltered briefly at the unexpected turn but quickly regripped her greatsword.
On her greatsword condensed a power fiercer than any Heavy Strike aura seen so far.
Dominator bellowed a roar, ignoring it, and charged for revenge on his wounder.
Just before Dominator's hammer met the Heavy Strike-charged greatsword.
Heavy Strike aura swirled around her greatsword as its size ballooned several times over.
Dominator panicked at the sudden change, but it was too late.
The gigantified Severance greatsword clashed with the hammer.
The clash of the two powerhouses shook the entire arena, but.
Dominator couldn't withstand Severance's additional trump card this time.
After watching the first match, I pondered the winner, Severance.
Weapon transparency and gigantification.
Plus a Warrior job.
I couldn't know her exact stats, but at 6th place, the weight of a greatsword would feel like air to her, allowing her to feign carrying nothing from the start.
And then the second hidden card: gigantification.
In that moment, Severance was etched in my mind as a formidable opponent.
The second match followed immediately.
It was 4th place Sword King versus 14th place Earth.
Earth spoke first.
"Please take care of me."
"Likewise."
Unlike the previous pair, they didn't fight right away.
They exchanged words first.
That brief courtesy showed their grace, but the world of competition was ruthless.
Moments later, the Sword King drew his sword.
Shaaa!
A massive blue sword aura shot vertically from the Sword King's blade.
Earth hastily raised a barrier, but the sword aura shattered it outright and pierced his body.
The match ended in a single attack.
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