Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Alliance
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-To all participants. The selection trials will now begin. The doors to each room will soon open, so please remain vigilant.
The moment the announcer's voice echoed throughout the ruined city, Lee Si-woo confirmed the magical presence on the exit door had vanished and shot out like an arrow.
Throwing the door open, Lee Si-woo headed up the stairs next to it.
Si-woo was on the second floor.
Using a search spell, he located other mages on the fifth and seventh floors.
'The fifth floor first.'
The reason Lee Si-woo quickly targeted his next opponent was to steal their food.
He guessed there were at least several hundred wandering mages participating in this survival game.
Some were from within Granada, but most had come from outside.
In such a situation, what would happen if, as Si-woo predicted, only ten servings of food were provided each day?
In a survival game where maintaining stamina was key, failing to secure food meant elimination.
'With no idea how long this survival game will last, securing a minimum amount of food isn't an option—it's a necessity. Besides... I'm in a situation where I desperately need even more food.'
Si-woo had already secured a day's worth of food, but there was a problem.
The caloric requirement of his Mineralization ability, which had reached the gold level, was beyond imagination.
This was because the Mineralization ability was based on his physical body.
'A day's worth of food is practically a single-use item for me. So right now, the most important thing isn't a weapon or an artifact, but food.'
Arriving on the fifth floor in an instant, Lee Si-woo turned the doorknob of the room where he suspected the mage was.
And then, the door shattered, and a wave of intense heat washed over Si-woo.
Boom!
A trap.
A control technique that sealed a spell in a specific location, set to detonate upon stimulation.
The cat-folk mage's ears twitched as he shouted triumphantly.
"How about that! Pretty hot, isn't it?"
Like a wandering mage who had been through all sorts of incidents and accidents in the outside world, the cat-folk mage had heard the loud noises from Si-woo dealing with other mages and had reacted immediately.
He had judged that his opponent would strike first, so he set a trap and waited for Si-woo.
However, unfortunately for him, he celebrated his victory too soon.
Whoosh!
A golden fist shot out from the black smoke and struck the cat-folk mage in the chest.
The impact, like being hit by a speeding car, sent the cat-folk mage flying backward into a wall.
Despite having deployed a mana shield, it seemed he couldn't deflect the entire shock, as the cat-folk mage let out a dry cough.
"Cough, wh-what kind of fist is like a lump of iron..."
The cat-folk mage was proficient in combat, but that didn't mean he was exceptionally skilled.
This was because experience did not affect everyone equally.
Some people improve by leaps and bounds after a single experience, while others remain stagnant even after three.
And in most cases, those in the former category were in the minority.
Yes, people like Harman.
-On the battlefield, you must control your groans, your breathing, everything. Every little thing can act as a hint for the enemy. Silence and composure. Those are the fundamentals of combat.
Recalling Harman's combat motto, Lee Si-woo silently approached the cat-folk mage.
His movements were so agile and quiet that the cat-folk mage only noticed his presence when Si-woo was right upon him.
"Wait! Spare me! I-I'm a survivor! I was just planning to hide in a corner and get lucky enough to make it into the Top 10..."
Crack.
The cat-folk mage was clumsy to the very end, and for that, his head was crushed.
To survive on the battlefield, one had to struggle desperately, not beg.
Looking down at the collapsing corpse of the cat-folk mage, Lee Si-woo scanned the area.
There were no items, and no food.
'A dud, huh.'
Thump, thump, thump.
Hearing footsteps echoing from the stairs, Lee Si-woo's ears perked up.
There was no time for disappointment.
To hunt prey, one had to be diligent.
* * *
The announcer took out a handkerchief and wiped his damp forehead.
The VIPs were staring intently at the hologram screen, but their uncomfortable gazes felt like they were piercing his heart, not the screen.
As the heavy atmosphere became so suffocating he could barely breathe, the announcer finally couldn't bear it and spoke.
"Should I switch to another participant's channel?"
Rios, who was drinking beer like water as befitting a dwarf, spoke in an irritable tone, as if his throat was dry.
"How many is that now?"
It was an unrelated question, but the announcer quickly caught on and answered immediately.
"Exactly eight, Chairman."
"The time?"
"It's almost 10 PM."
"The day is almost over. Eight people in that time..."
Isabelle, who had been wearing a wide grin for some time, spoke excitedly.
"Eight people? Wow, that's no joke. Hey, isn't this a new record? Amazing."
Rios glared at Isabelle.
He didn't like the fact that a mere daughter, not even a Tower Master, was running her mouth so carelessly.
Just as expected of a reckless wench.
Seeing her act without any sense of propriety, it seemed she thought this was her own living room.
It seemed Rios wasn't the only one who looked at Isabelle with displeasure, as Hirkhus spoke with a sour expression.
"Miss Isabelle, considering where we are, please refrain from such flippant remarks."
"Yes, yes. Well, you're no match for our Senior, but if the great Tower Master of the Wilderness Magic Tower says so, then of course I should watch my mouth."
Hirkhus, who was about to burst out with a curse at her sarcastic tone, barely managed to hold it in after seeing Kenyon watching him intently from her side.
Staring intently at the silently fuming Hirkhus, Rios took out his smartphone and sent a message to the head of the selection trials management team.
-The matter I instructed you on? Did you look into it?
-Lee Si-woo. A 1st Circle beginner, registered as a VIP of Wasp. His recommender is Alma Graves, the youngest of the Demon Country's Graves family.
Rios sighed and covered his eyes with his palm.
'The Graves family? This is driving me crazy.'
Barely holding onto his sanity, Rios sent another message.
-Their relationship?
-We couldn't dig too deep for fear of upsetting the Graves family, but circumstantially, their relationship doesn't seem to be very close. It makes sense; if they were close, she would have sponsored him directly, not through the Senior Magic Tower, right?
Rios let out a sigh of relief.
'Yes, that must be it. If they were close, there's no way she would send him into a selection trial where he could die without sponsoring him. Phew, that's a relief, at least.'
-What about the magic that turns his skin gold and maximizes his physical abilities? Did you find anything?
-No magic of this type is registered in any school. There are self-defense artifacts with similar functions, but as you know, Chairman, artifacts are not allowed in the selection trials...
'His identity is a mystery, and his skills are extraordinary? Tsk, where on earth did Kenyon find a guy like this? Of course, our own ace, who hasn't been revealed yet, is no pushover either... but at this rate, it's a given that guy will make it into the Top 10. A proper check is needed.'
Rios, who had been lost in thought for a while with his arms crossed, tapping his bicep with his index finger, picked up his smartphone again.
-Open the arctic phase starting tomorrow.
-What? Already? But our aces haven't even been properly allocated their food supplies yet.
-Do it anyway. The other aces aren't the problem right now.
-Ah, you intend to keep Lee Si-woo in check.
-Yes. Magic that strengthens the body inevitably requires a large amount of calories. Normally, it wouldn't be an issue since he could carry a bunch of energy bars in an inventory ring, but he won't have that option in the ruined city. In that situation, what happens if the weather gets colder and his required calorie intake increases?
-Then naturally, it will be difficult for him to use his power properly. A brilliant idea.
-It would be a shame to call it a 'check' if we stop here. In the list you sent me earlier, there was information about a Beastfolk wandering mage, Dimdim.
-He's one of the few unique cases among participants in the history of the selection trials. Should we sic him on Lee Si-woo?
-Send him a spirit note with Lee Si-woo's location, and convey my message. If he succeeds in killing Si-woo, I'll send a large donation to the Beastfolk, even if his group fails to make the Top 10 and all die. I hear their situation isn't great, so this should be enough to make them risk their lives.
-Understood. I will handle it. However, it's not easy to handle things discreetly during a 24-hour live broadcast. Chairman, will that be alright?
Rios gave a sly smile.
-Start the work now, and cut the broadcast feed during the early morning. Say there was an error during the phase-opening preparations that makes broadcasting difficult. What can Kenyon do unless he sees it with his own two eyes? Right?
-I will begin work immediately.
Thirty minutes later, the hologram TV screen went black as the broadcast was cut.
After asking for the murmuring VIPs' understanding and finishing a short call with the management team, the announcer spoke.
"My apologies, everyone. I've just spoken with the management team, and it seems a problem occurred with the spirit relay system while they were preparing for tomorrow's phase opening. The work is expected to take about four hours, so it would be best to take a short break in the guest rooms prepared upstairs."
At the announcer's words, the VIPs began to rise from their seats one by one without any particular protest.
Since the participants would be sleeping during the early morning anyway, they didn't seem particularly disappointed.
Watching Kenyon head to the guest rooms—who glanced at him suspiciously but ultimately said nothing—Rios smiled silently.
* * *
Lee Si-woo, who had found a derelict building with a relatively intact exterior that was also easy to escape from in an emergency to get some sleep, was startled awake by a shivering cold.
'Cold? So suddenly? I thought winter was still a long way off.'
When Si-woo opened the window, which had a blackout coating, a frigid wind and a world of pure white greeted him.
Powdery snow, carried by the biting cold, tapped against his cheeks.
With a hardened expression, Lee Si-woo closed the window.
The arctic phase, which controlled the temperature using a weather magic circle spread across the entire ruined city, had begun.
'They opened the arctic phase on the second day of the selection trials? They always used to start it in the middle of the survival game. Huh... look at this.'
Was it because he was naturally suspicious?
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't shake the suspicion that opening the arctic phase this time was an act to keep him in check.
Anyone with a decent knowledge of magic would know that the Mineralization ability was closely related to calories, and they would also understand what a huge penalty the cold was for him.
As outside forces kept trying to shake him, Lee Si-woo scowled with rising irritation.
'They're crossing the line. I have no choice. If they're going to play like this, then I'll have to start making a scene myself.'
Turning around with a frosty expression, Lee Si-woo checked yesterday's haul.
Yesterday, he had tracked down and killed eight mages, obtaining five lunch boxes and over ten bottles of water.
Unfortunately, all his targets were wandering mages, so he didn't get any items, but replenishing his lunch boxes was a meaningful gain.
However, the problem was that despite that, he had still suffered a net loss.
This was because Lee Si-woo now had only two lunch boxes left.
This was the result of devouring a whopping six lunch boxes to replenish the calories he had consumed after yesterday's battles.
'And even that just barely staved off hunger. This is a mess. I lost one lunch box in a single day... Phew, this is a headache. If I don't get any lunch boxes today, I might have to seal my Mineralization ability for a while.'
It was difficult to subdue opponents quickly with Magic Arrow, leaving a lot of room for variables, and he had to save Omagi as a trump card, so he had been using his Mineralization ability boldly. But now, overuse was out of the question.
'So, I absolutely can't miss the food supply crate that drops in the ruined city once a day. One crate is the minimum, and if possible, I need to secure two or more. Whatever it takes...'
Just then, someone knocked on the door of Si-woo's shelter.
Knock, knock.
"Hey, human mage. Let's talk for a minute."
Tense at the arrival of someone who knew he was human, Lee Si-woo lowered his stance and approached the door.
He clenched his fists, looking ready to kill the person in an instant if necessary.
Did the person outside read his mind?
The person outside slipped a note through the small gap under the door.
"I have no intention of fighting, so read this and give me an answer, will you? It probably won't be a bad proposal for you either."
Seeing the white note that had appeared from under the door, Lee Si-woo's eyebrows twitched.
After debating whether to take it, Si-woo finally picked up the note.
After all, killing the enemy could wait until after his curiosity was satisfied.
I received an offer from a VIP to pay a hefty price if I kill you. However, after coincidentally witnessing you fight yesterday, I concluded that I have no chance of winning and decided it would be better to side with you instead.
After reading the entire note, Lee Si-woo snorted with interest.
Hearing this, the uninvited guest—or perhaps just a visitor—outside the door spoke.
"The selection trials may be a survival game, but since ten people can survive, not just one, I think there's room for alliances depending on the situation... What do you say? How about recruiting a useful and clever Beastfolk mercenary while you're at it?"
At the early appearance of an alliance proposal, a highlight of the selection trials, Lee Si-woo narrowed his eyes.