Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Who Hunts the Most? (2)
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Even when we first entered the Red Rock League's territory, I'd felt it resembled a mini pioneering zone. It was a basin tucked away in the mountainside, after all.
The terrain here was quite similar too. Strictly speaking, it felt a bit more chaotic since the mountains and flatlands were mixed together in small, jumbled patches rather than large swaths.
However, the basin area—aside from the initial entrance—was pure wilderness untouched by hand.
In simple terms, it meant that every spot where you descended from rugged mountains expecting a flatter stretch was studded with forests, wastelands, swamps, and the like.
"This must be what a pioneering zone looked like before development began, right?"
"Looks like a great place for fiends to thrive."
"That's exactly why they hold the event here."
Akanksha spoke up after overhearing the two murmuring.
"Think of it as a sort of dumping ground."
"A dumping ground?"
"You have to empty a full trash bin every now and then, don't you?"
"Right."
"Like you said, it's a prime spot for fiends to live. They know it too. So even if you wipe them out, new ones keep nesting here."
"Ah, so they gather on their own, and we just come clean house?"
"Exactly. There are a few other places like this. The event rotates between them."
Chatting as they descended the ridge line, the group arrived at the basin's entrance.
The one spot that clearly showed signs of... well, not quite human hands—fairy hands? Anyway, it was a vast clearing neatly maintained.
Countless tents were already pitched there.
"Akanksha! Sachet!"
An earth fairy who looked like a council staffer seemed to know our escorts.
For reference, just like during the ruins expedition, we had two escorts: Akanksha and Sachet.
After a brief, friendly catch-up, the staffer handed over a map.
"You guys... over here, this area. You know where, right?"
"Yeah. Thanks!"
Apparently, each league had its designated camping spot.
Once at their destination, the group scattered and set up their tents.
Galen and Lilia joined in too. For the record, theirs were custom-ordered. Off-the-shelf earth fairy tents just wouldn't fit their size.
They'd gained plenty of tent-pitching experience camping long-term in the Dawn Archipelago last winter. It came together in no time.
Relaxing with a quick chat with Akanksha inside the finished tent, Radica came by.
"You made it safely."
She greeted them warmly with a mature smile that belied her youthful looks.
"You two were the last to arrive."
"We're the farthest out."
Akanksha grumbled. Being on the human border meant they were among the most remote earth fairy settlements.
"A big turnout this year?"
"Including the Red Rock League, nine hundred and thirty-three in total."
"About the usual."
The sisters conversed casually, but Galen listening in felt a slight chill run down his spine.
A festival with under a thousand participants might seem small—like a middle or high school event.
But if every single one was Silver-rank, that changed everything.
A thousand Silvers charging in... even a city of tens of thousands would turn into a ghost town in a couple hours. Most folks there were civilians; what chance did a hundred of them have against one earth fairy?
And this was just a fraction of the earth fairies, not all of them. No wonder they were called humanity's superiors.
What the hell were those Steelwall bastards thinking, picking a fight—going to war even? Just bluffing?
Sure, up until full-scale war, it might've been limited to Red Rock League vs. Steelwall family.
Even so, if real war broke out, they'd win but be ruined in the process.
Probably acted without knowing the earth fairies' full strength—or noble pride got the better of them.
"Anyway, we've already checked with all the other leagues. No objections to your participation."
"Great! I was starting to feel bad about dragging you all the way here just to twiddle thumbs."
Akanksha beamed. Galen and Lilia exchanged happy glances. Radica smiled warmly.
"Now that you're here, we'll hold the pre-event assembly. Around sunset."
"Pre-event assembly?"
"You'll see when you get there."
It was already afternoon when they arrived, so sunset came quickly.
When the summons arrived, Galen and Lilia headed to the event HQ tent. Akanksha and Sachet came along.
The massive tent, big enough for dozens, was packed with earth fairies.
"Oh, humans."
"Must be them."
It felt like they'd stumbled into an elementary school classroom as awkward parents.
As soon as they entered, dozens of eyes locked on. Whispers rippled around.
Awkwardly clearing their throats in response to the curious stares, they stood there awkwardly for a bit.
Then a boy with a slightly weary face entered with Radica.
The boy climbed the pre-set podium. Even then, his eye level was almost the same as Galen's.
"Ahem, ahem."
With a slightly hoarse voice, he cleared his throat a few times before slowly speaking.
"Thanks for joining this year's event without fail. You all know who I am, so... ah, the humans don't. I'm Lushad. Chairman of the League Council."
He glanced at the two as he introduced himself, then continued.
"Anyway, this year, the humans invited by the vice-chair will participate. All seventeen leagues agreed, so they'll be treated the same as everyone else."
"What about affiliation?"
"Separate from Red Rock League. So for this event, that'll make eighteen teams competing."
Lushad answered the question. No one objected, so it seemed settled.
He nodded slightly and gave a signal.
Waiting staff pulled small scrolls from a box and handed one to each team. They outlined the event rules.
"No changes from last time, so read it over and dispose as you see fit. Humans, ask Red Rock League if you have questions."
"Ah, sure."
"Alright, now for the draw. Order by last event's rankings... oh, what about the humans?"
"Why don't you go first, and we'll take whatever's left last?"
"Hmm, yeah, okay."
No one complained about them yielding. The draw began soon after.
Meanwhile, Galen and Lilia huddled and read the scroll quietly.
"Teams of two, one per league."
Leagues were like small nations, so this was like national representatives.
Seventeen leagues forming the council naturally meant seventeen teams.
"...Event eligibility was Gold-rank, right?"
"Yes."
"Whoa, so all these people are..."
You couldn't gather this many bishops from a single diocese. And they never would anyway.
Barring a world war, seeing this many Golds in one place was rare.
Tongue-tied, they kept reading.
"Event lasts ten days total. Goal is to rack up as many points as possible. Points from hunting fiends, tallied daily at dusk."
"Fiend heads required for points. See below for scores. When the sun starts turning red, climb a high spot nearby and plant your flag. We'll find you before sunset..."
"What does this mean? Sounds like a riddle."
"It's literal."
Akanksha, back from the draw, overheard Lilia and explained.
"They'll hand out flags by draw number later. Stick it on a hill or something, and staff will come tally that day's points. They follow participants from afar."
"Ah, got it."
"While you're here, one more question."
"Shoot."
"This score chart—fiends without names get zero?"
"Yep. Only the noteworthy ones are listed. Grunts don't count, even a thousand of 'em."
Skimming the chart made the system clear.
Simple: weaklings low points, strong ones high.
Even "weaklings" were at least Silver-level—not truly weak among fiends.
These didn't swarm in hordes; they traveled in small packs.
In short, tactics like bagging eleven 1-pointers to beat one 10-pointer were mostly impossible.
1-pointers didn't roam in elevens. In real hunting—not a respawning game—prey numbers were finite.
"So, bad luck meeting few strong fiends means low score?"
"Bingo."
Akanksha grinned at Galen's question.
"Draw's for hunting zones. No hard borders, but a direction to advance and hunt. Stray too far, staff stops you."
"Hm."
"That's why skill alone doesn't decide. Depends on luck for high-score fiends in your zone. Even a good zone, poor tracking loses prey."
"Explains why they let us join so readily."
Some earth fairies might've dismissed tales of their feats as exaggeration.
Even acknowledging strength, it wasn't pure power contest—so bring it attitude.
"We'll do our best anyway!"
"Of course."
Lilia winked with a grin. Galen nodded with a smile.
Neither had grand ambitions.
Different reasons, but they joined to smash fiends.
Smashing strong ones would naturally yield high scores and maybe victory.
Win? Great. Lose? Whatever. That vibe.
"That's it."
The draw wrapped during their chat.
Last one left: number 7. Theirs by default.
Lushad clapped lightly to refocus everyone.
"Zones assigned. Event starts in four days, at dawn on the first day of late summer. Rest up freely till then. But!"
He paused, turning to the two.
"No messing with the humans."
"Huh?"
"Why not!"
"Your moves are obvious. 'Curious about their skill? Let's spar!' Chaos."
"Eek."
"One for you, thirty-four for them. How'd they cope?"
"Do it by draw then!"
"Good! Pick three a day!"
"Get the draws back!"
"Enough now."
A soft voice cut clearly through the excited earth fairy clamor.
"It's not fair to keep them from resting before the event. If you're that curious, ask after it's over."
Radica's smiling eyes held no coercion.
Respect for a Gem? Or fear? Either way, the earth fairies went silent instantly.
In the awkwardly tense air, Lushad cleared his throat again.
"Oh, right, forgot to mention. About this event's grand prize."
"R-right."
"Yeah."
"Why haven't they announced it yet?"
"We got something rare. First in ages."
Radica answered with a meaningful smile.
"Star Shard Dust."
"What?!"
Akanksha choked in shock.
She was better off for making a sound.
Other earth fairies froze with jaws dropped, faces stiff... various flavors of stunned.
Galen and Lilia stayed unfazed.
First time hearing the term. Star Shard Dust? What?
"Hmm, to make it easy for humans..."
Radica's smile deepened at their head-tilt.
"It was once the material for a holy sword."