The Ten-Board Challenge
The tournament hall was packed to the brim. The 131st Elian Cup Kingdom Memorial Baduk Tournament. Boasting a tradition of over a century, this prestigious event was a place where status was cast aside, and nobility and commoners alike were judged solely by their skill.
While filling out my registration form, I noticed Sarne standing nearby. When I gave her a look asking why she wasn't filling one out, she scratched her cheek sheepishly.
"Well... since I made it to the quarterfinals in the last tournament, they said I was automatically registered without needing a form."
As I handed in my form, a sudden thought occurred to me, and I spoke up. "Did you enter because you were lured by the grand prize too, just like me?"
Sarne pursed her lips before shaking her head. "...Actually, there's a special reward if you win here."
"A special reward?"
"Yeah. There are about ten elders in our family. All of them are past champions of this tournament... and there's a tradition where they personally bestow their teachings upon the winner."
"So you entered because you wanted to receive their teachings?"
Sarne paused for a moment. Avoiding my gaze, she muttered softly, "...To be precise..."
"...?"
"Recognition."
Her eyes curved into a soft smile. "They... treat me as a bit of an 'exception.' They say I'm not qualified to receive their teachings yet. So I thought if I won here... maybe they'd finally recognize me..."
Sarne let out a sheepish chuckle and waved her hand. "Anyway, the tournament is starting. I'm off!"
With those words, she strode away. Watching her back, I found her strangely cute, yet also a bit pitiful. She, too, was marching off to fight her own war.
The tournament bracket was revealed. My first opponent was a middle-aged man. A veteran of the Kingdom's army, he was currently an instructor at the Royal Academy, teaching Baduk as a form of character education.
Before the match, he bowed politely to me and spoke. "You see, Baduk..."
His tone was gentle and refined, and a calm, soft smile graced his face. "...is a reflection of one's character. The placement of the stones, the order of the moves, the timing... Only those who respect their opponent can play truly beautiful moves."
He looked like a man of genuine virtue. And yet, when the match ended...
"What is the meaning of this?! I cannot accept this! ...J-Just one move! Let me take back just one move! There must be some cowardly trickery here...!"
He behaved exactly as a man of character would. His face flushed red with anger, he ended up grabbing my arm and clinging to it. ...Where did his noble character end, and where did his desperate wailing begin?
My second opponent was a woman of noble bearing. She looked like a countess, with two servants following behind her like shadows.
"Fufu. Participating in the Elian Cup, youth is truly a wonderful thing. I once had those days as well... Ah, the passion of youth."
She tilted her head back elegantly and smiled. And yet, when the match ended...
*Thud.* Her hand clamped down on my shoulder. "...Student? Where do you think you're going? After setting my heart ablaze like this!"
It wasn't in a romantic sense, but quite the opposite. Forcing my body down with heavy pressure, she spoke. "Hmm? Can't you see my passion hasn't died down yet?"
Was this really the same woman who had just been waxing poetic about the passion of youth?
My third opponent was an elderly gentleman wearing a fedora. Sporting an Imperial-style uniform and a white beard, he was the epitome of dapper. Sitting down, he pulled out a pocket watch and showed it to me.
"I have no time to spare, young man. Please understand. I cannot afford to waste a single second. Do not call my hands heartless."
He exuded the aura of a final boss. At least, until the match neared its end.
"...Elder, I also have—"
"Ah! I don't care about that! One more game! I've got nothing but time anyway!"
Please don't clutch your pocket watch and make up excuses, old man.
My next opponent was a young boy around Yerin's age, looking like an elementary schooler. His mother had boasted that he was a famous Baduk prodigy. This little brat?
"Pfft, who are you, mister? I've never seen you before. Did you only start learning Baduk at your age? Pffthahaha. Don't cry later, mister. I'm too young to know how to go easy on people."
And then, three minutes before the match ended. After staring blankly at the board with hollow eyes for a long time, the boy finally burst into tears. "Waaahhhhh!!!!"
...I wasn't the one who made him cry.
My fifth opponent was a stylishly dressed young woman. Apparently, she was the successor to a massive merchant guild.
"Baduk is ultimately like a merchant's transaction. There is a time and an opportunity. If you fail to seize that moment, gracefully accepting the result to leave a good impression on your opponent is also part of the trade."
Having suffered through my previous opponents, I felt relieved by her words. Judging by her philosophy, at least this match would end cleanly.
"...Let me take it back."
"...Excuse me?"
"That was a mistake! It's different now!"
"But you just said failing to seize the moment—"
"Ah, I don't care! Just let me take it back!"
She wailed so loudly that she became a nuisance to the matches next to us. Every single one of them started with such noble words, yet threw a tantrum the moment they lost. Had the word 'resignation' been deleted from the dictionary of this Baduk tournament? I felt less like I was playing Baduk and more like I was participating in a contest to see who could be the sorest loser.
Winning one match after another, I somehow made it all the way to the finals. Jiri was the one playing the games, so why was my own stamina being drained to the dregs? I already felt utterly exhausted.
And then, my opponent for the long-awaited final match was none other than Sarne. She must have been placed on the opposite end of the bracket, as we hadn't crossed paths until now. Now, we stood side by side in the center of the arena.
"Hmph. Doyunes."
Her shoulders were squared, and her eyes shone with fierce confidence. "I'm different from before. Look at where I am! I couldn't even make it past the quarterfinals last time, but now I'm in the finals!"
"...If we're going by that logic, this is my first time entering, and I'm in the finals."
Completely ignoring my words, Sarne thrust her hand high into the air. "Be prepared. From this moment on, I am no longer just Sarne. I have shed my old skin and evolved. I am Super Sarne!"
At that moment, her eyes flashed with a luminescent glow, looking exactly like a scene from a certain manga. Her eyes were literally glowing. How on earth did she do that? Her momentum was definitely different from my previous opponents. I felt like I shouldn't let my guard down.
As my gaze shifted, a response came from Jiri.
What is it, human? Are you nervous?
Even if an ape evolves, it is still just an ape, human.
...Though, this tournament does have quite a few talented individuals.
Oh. That's the first compliment she's ever given.
To think there are so many talents suited for manual labor like loading and unloading cargo.
It is truly terrifying, human.
...Of course.
"Let's begin," Sarne said, and the arena instantly fell dead silent. The moment she sat down, she didn't spare me a single glance, staring intently at the board. Her fingertips pinched a stone. She placed it on the board immediately. *Click.* Without a moment's hesitation, she pressed the chess clock. Then, without raising her head, she spoke resolutely.
"Doyunes. I will show you. My divine move."
The curtain rose on her divine move. And then, it was over.
Sarne stared blankly at the board. One move, two moves. Her hand, which had been calculating her next plays, froze, and her silent gaze merely darted back and forth. The divine move she had boasted about never came. She had simply been beaten to a pulp from start to finish.
Perhaps she really had evolved. Though I couldn't tell for sure. Her tactical calculations seemed smoother than before, and her vision somehow felt broader. Roughly speaking.
The only problem was that Jiri was an opponent she couldn't beat even with a ten-point advantage. And now, she didn't even have those ten points. No matter how remarkable her evolution was, there were limits to biological evolution.
But Jiri evolved once every hour.
Update complete.
The moment the winner was decided, the entire plaza erupted in cheers. Applause thundered, and the trumpets held high by the Kingdom's knights pierced the sky. *Blare—!* A majestic sound announcing the champion. And amidst that sound, a group of people marched across the plaza.
They walked with majestic strides. Wearing antique robes adorned with breastplates embroidered with Baduk board patterns. Ten of them. Seeing them lined up, I knew instantly. Ah, so these are them? The elders of the family Sarne had mentioned.
Among them, the white-haired elder standing in the center spoke. "A fine match." He chuckled, but there was a thorn hidden in his voice. Dragging out his words slightly, he immediately continued. "If only you adjusted a few of your moves. Deviating from the standard joseki like that will ultimately lead to a dead end."
"...Excuse me?"
"Black's third and fifth moves in the early-to-mid game, the reckless attempt at an atari in the center, and the push in the lower-right corner life-and-death struggle. None of those moves would ever exist in orthodox Baduk."
The other elders beside him nodded in agreement, chiming in. "It seems the youth of today mistake gambling for actual strategy."
"Tsk, tsk. That is not ambition; it is pure, unadulterated bravado. Bravado."
"I felt as though I were watching a theatrical play rather than a game of Baduk."
I nodded quietly. Well... I didn't actually know anything about Baduk. Beside me, Jiri was already throwing a fit.
Black 3-5 was an enticing trap, and the central atari is the very cornerstone of forcing a resignation! O primitives, do you not even have an analysis program? This isn't even the ancient era!
Yeah, I get it, so quiet down.
Such absurd back-seat driving... Ignored.
Just then, my gaze swept past Sarne, who sat frozen like a stone. The refreshed expression she had worn just moments ago was gone, replaced by a face that was gradually, steadily darkening.
I remembered. She had said she sincerely respected these elders. That she 'wanted to be recognized by them.' That was everything to her. Should I help her? I quietly spoke up.
"Excuse me. Sarne is also here."
At my words, the ten pairs of eyes finally shifted toward her. "...Indeed." Just a single word. The lukewarm response felt as cold as bone.
"In this tournament, Sarne reached the finals. Do you have nothing to say to her?"
"Ah. Of course we do." At those words, Sarne raised her head with eyes full of anticipation. The elder spoke. "Sarne."
"Y-Yes!"
"...You have participated in this tournament twice now, and yet you still haven't won even once?"
"Well... that is..."
A brief silence ensued. What broke it was a harsh, blunt condemnation. "You truly have no shame. How thick-skinned of you."
"...!" Sarne flinched, her head dropping powerlessly. One of the elders clicked his tongue loudly. "An Elder Dwarf, and you couldn't even win? Forget skill, you lack the most basic aptitude."
"Furthermore, to be swayed by such simple moves. Pathetic."
"Indeed. What kind of teaching should we bestow upon a loser?"
I let out a quiet breath. Anger welled up inside me. After chattering amongst themselves, the last elder spoke as if delivering a pre-scheduled announcement.
"In any case, though it was unorthodox, a win is a win."
"Yes. Well, though your style of play is heretical... you possess talent, so you might be of some use if we guide you properly."
"So—" He spread his hands. "With whom do you wish to play a game?"
As if it were an honor only the chosen could receive. A privilege. I was about to speak, but she beat me to it.
"...Doyunes's Baduk..." It was Sarne. Biting her lower lip firmly, she said, "...is not heretical."
Silence. At her words, the faces of the ten elders stiffened simultaneously. Their expressions made it clear they never expected her to dare talk back to them.
"A mere disgrace to the family dares—!"
"A mere fledgling in Baduk dares to lecture us?!"
"We must forbid you from even uttering the word Baduk for the next fifty years—!"
Fingers pointed at her, and a torrent of rebuke rained down. Sarne flinched, but she did not back down. ...I can't just stand by. I quietly spoke up.
"Teachings, you say?"
The white-haired elder, who had been watching the scene unfold leisurely with his hands behind his back, nodded at my words. "Indeed. Choose who shall guide you."
I nodded slightly. "In that case..."
The elders looked at me with expectant eyes. I raised my finger and pointed to the one on the far left. The designated elder spoke. "Haha, a wise decision."
Before he could even finish his sentence, I slowly swept my finger all the way to the far right. "All of you."
Silence. "...What?"
"I'm a bit short on time. I will play all ten of you simultaneously."
"...!"
"Don't worry. To keep things fair, I will limit myself to the same ten minutes as each of you."
A commotion broke out among the elders at my words. Soon, their simmering emotions exploded. "Are you mocking us?!" "To call this rude would be an understatement! You've completely lost your mind!"
...Now things are finally getting interesting, human.
Conveniently, I saw setups prepared for immediate matches right in front of them. A total of ten Baduk boards. I casually picked up a stone. Then, walking up to each of their boards, I placed a stone down one by one. Finally, I pressed the chess clock placed beside them. *Click.*
"Shall we begin, then?" Oh, and one more thing. "Are you perhaps scared?"