Unlimited Sparring Event
The main event on the fourth day of the academic festival was the unlimited sparring matches, and the true protagonists were the nobles. They had to sit through presentations from at least several dozen research teams, each one offering significant benefits to the North’s future, so they needed to stay focused until the very end. But no matter how noble they were, maintaining concentration for half a day was impossible. So a break was scheduled in the middle.
Still, they couldn’t just leave the crowd waiting while the nobles judged the presentations. That was why a small event had been prepared for the fourth day. This year’s event was an unlimited sparring tournament featuring skilled fighters. Preparations wrapped up in the morning, and the real action began in the afternoon.
“It’s such a shame I can’t watch a fun event like this.”
“The stars of the fourth day are Lord Veil and the nobles, so it can’t be helped.”
When lunchtime arrived, Veil emerged from the judging hall and came all the way here just to grumble. He must have really wanted to see the unlimited sparring matches, because he let out a deep sigh at the thought of having to return to the judging hall once the break ended. There was nothing he could do about it. The purpose of this event was to keep the festival’s excitement alive while the judging continued. Knowing that, Veil simply came over to vent his frustration.
More importantly, why did he come to us? The question crossed my mind, but I swallowed it. If I asked, he’d probably give some trivial answer anyway.
“Still, I’m glad I got to see the opening.”
“I’ll make sure it’s not boring while you watch.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m the first fighter.”
I had become an adventurer after all. My body had been itching to move after sitting still throughout the festival period.
“Then let’s begin! The unlimited sparring event starts now! Who will claim the honor of being the very first participant?!”
The moment the host’s voice rang out announcing the start of the event, I kicked off the ground and leaped into the center of the grand plaza that had been turned into an arena. Several adventurers who seemed to share my thoughts were already standing there.
The host spotted us on the arena floor and shouted with delight.
“Aha! We have quite a few passionate adventurers stepping up right from the start! The first battle is going to be electrifying!”
Even though multiple adventurers had entered the arena, the host didn’t stop them. That was only natural. The charm of this unlimited sparring format came from its complete lack of rigid rules. The more participants there were, the more chaotic it became, and the winner who survived the melee would advance to the next round. It was a rule unique to the North, and because it let fighters prove their strength the longer they lasted, it was incredibly popular.
“There is only one rule here! From the first to the fifth match, only up to Bronze-rank adventurers may participate. From the sixth to the tenth match, Silver-rank adventurers may join! And naturally, starting from the eleventh match, Gold-rank adventurers are allowed to enter!”
While the host explained the sole rule for those seeing the unlimited sparring for the first time, I lightly loosened my body and finished my preparations. I glanced at the adventurers around me. Every single one of them radiated refined aura. No matter how I looked at them, they weren’t novices who had only been active for a year or two. Compared to me, they were veterans with several times more experience, so on paper I seemed at a disadvantage.
But this is going to be fun.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t imagine losing. I was confident that the density of experiences I had gone through wouldn’t lose to theirs.
The adventurers who had stepped onto the arena seemed to be thinking the same thing, because they openly stared in my direction. Judging by their expressions full of fighting spirit, they didn’t need anyone to tell them who the main character of this match would be.
“That guy over there looks like the strongest among the participants.”
“A heavyweight showed up right from the first match.”
“This is going to be interesting, huh?”
The participants grinned at the unexpected appearance of a strong opponent. They had assumed only mediocre fighters would show up for the opening match, so the sudden variable made them excited.
To entertain them, I decided to put on a little performance.
Snap!
When I flicked my fingers lightly, more than a dozen summoning circles appeared in the air. Ikelos and the Rune Golem materialized. At the same time, Umbra slowly rose from my shadow. The eyes of both the participants and the spectators changed instantly.
“Is that a new species of monster?”
“What? It’s real?”
“No, they’re summons. Put your weapons away.”
The appearance of unfamiliar summons made the watching adventurers’ eyes sharpen. But once they realized they were summons, they quickly calmed down. It was only natural—every adventurer’s basic instinct was to lose their minds at the sight of a new monster species. One adventurer had even drawn his weapon for a moment, so Ikelos quietly moved closer to me. It must have remembered what Grid did to it; bad memories seemed to be resurfacing.
I gently soothed the creature through our soul-bound contract and snapped my fingers again.
Snap!
This time, a crack formed in the air just like when I summoned the Lesser Dragon. From beyond the darkness-filled space, a giant Laserdon with pure white fur emerged. Thanks to the taming contract, it immediately understood the situation. It strode forward with a majestic gait, radiating overwhelming pressure.
The tremendous aura made the spectators from other regions break into cold sweats without realizing it. But it didn’t work on Northerners.
“A Laserdon… but with white fur…?”
“It’s an Irregular Laserdon!”
“Krrgh. Never thought I’d see such a beautiful Laserdon in my lifetime.”
“Grr… grrr?”
Although it wasn’t a new species, the appearance of an extremely rare Irregular monster made the adventurers drool as they stared at the Laserdon. The sticky gazes pouring in from every direction made the beast flinch in terror while it was still trying to look intimidating. Since it had been tamed, it hadn’t expected its life to be threatened by humans, but the sudden realization that it might actually die made it quietly press itself against my side.
I held back the laughter threatening to escape and looked at the participants with amused eyes. The ten or so Iron and Bronze-rank adventurers stared at the summons standing beside me, then naturally took up positions as if facing off against us.
“Does that mean you’re planning to take on all of us?”
“Of course. That’s exactly why I stepped up for the first match.”
“That’s an honor.”
The words could have sounded arrogant, but none of the participants here thought so. Not only did the summons radiate an extraordinary presence, but they had instinctively sensed my own ability as a summoner.
Even so, the adventurers on the arena floor didn’t look afraid.
“So you’re that famous summoner from Edenberg. From the looks of it, your skills have already reached Silver-rank.”
“That’s right. If it’s too much pressure, should I step down?”
“On the contrary, I welcome it. Having a strong opponent like you is an honor for us.”
Just as I expected. The participants standing on the arena were thrilled simply to be here. They raised their weapons with bright expressions.
Before the fight began, the young man who stepped forward as their representative thumped his chest in greeting.
“Pale, Bronze-rank adventurer from the Libertas branch.”
“Argo, Bronze-rank adventurer from the Edenberg branch.”
I thumped my own chest and finished the introduction. After that, there was no more conversation. The rest of the story would be told with their bodies.
“Are you all ready? Then—three, two, one, begin!”
The moment the referee’s whistle echoed across the arena, adventurers and summons collided violently in the center. While they clashed at speeds too fast for ordinary eyes to follow, the three strongest participants slipped through the gap between the summons and charged straight at me.
They had found the perfect opening and passed before the summons could block them. Their eyes were locked on me. I was impressed by how quickly they had divided roles and decided who would face me. I stopped Umbra, who was about to step forward.
“I’ll take these guys. I came up here to fight too, after all.”
Umbra nodded. After I explained the reason to the questioning summon, it understood and stepped back. I gave it a silent thanks, then pulled my sword-spear out of my inventory. Feeling its familiar weight after so long brought a smile to my face as I lightly kicked off the ground.
But while the action was simple, the result was anything but.
In an instant I slipped between the adventurers and swung my sword-spear from left to right. The air split apart with a shockwave. It was an attack that would be fatal even if it only grazed them. The three adventurers naturally dodged or deflected it. Among them, only Pale managed to fully deflect the blow. Even though he had wrapped his weapon and armor in aura, he couldn’t completely neutralize the force. He steadied his trembling arm and looked at me.
“Sword art? Your proficiency is incredibly high.”
“I tried to deflect it just in case, but it looks like my skill is still lacking. Besides, I learned the technique to use against monsters, so of course it’s strong.”
“What? So you’re saying I’m a monster?”
“Against someone as strong as you, I have to fight like I’m facing a monster.”
I couldn’t deny it. I shrugged at Pale’s words and swung my sword-spear again.
Despite it being their first meeting, the three adventurers showed excellent teamwork and fought hard. They used rotating attacks to prevent me from swinging freely, and one would draw my attention while the others targeted my blind spots. I accepted every move they made. Once I confirmed that the participants fighting in the center had been taken down by my summons, I finally got serious.
Weapon Master’s Technique — Crescent Slash
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
In a single moment my sword-spear blurred, sending over a dozen slashes tearing across the arena. Thanks to the Weapon Master’s knowledge and my past-life memories, I executed the technique effortlessly. It was far too much for Bronze-rank adventurers to handle. I blocked only the dangerous strikes by laying my sword-spear horizontally like a shield, while ignoring the rest by covering my entire body with aura. The three adventurers couldn’t endure and collapsed.
“We lost. It was such a clean defeat I don’t even feel regret.”
“You were incredible. Let’s grab a drink together next time.”
“I was pretty confident in my skills, but I guess I was still lacking.”
The moment the three adventurers admitted defeat, the people gathered in the grand plaza erupted in cheers. Praise for the spectacular battle from the very first match, along with thunderous applause and the sound of fists thumping against chests, echoed from every direction.
At the enthusiastic reaction, the host smiled and stepped onto the arena.
“We have our winner for the first match! It was incredibly fierce right from the start! Now, who will be the warrior to challenge this powerful champion…?!”
But before the host could even finish speaking, adventurers poured out from the spectator seats.
“So that was the Edenberg summoner!”
“His reputation is well-deserved!”
“Then fighting him will give us plenty of experience too!”
The host looked flustered and tried to restore order, but I stopped him.
“Let them all come! I’ll win all five rounds and take on the Silvers too!”
I had come up here to cut loose for the first time in a while. There was no way I would settle for something half-hearted. Besides, for the sake of the festival atmosphere, I had no intention of rejecting the challengers rushing forward.
I smiled at the adventurers approaching with intense eyes. By the fifth match I would probably get crushed among the Silver-ranks, but at least for now, I would burn as brightly as I could.
As I leveled my weapon at the new challengers, I didn’t notice the nobles watching from the VIP seats wearing intrigued expressions.