Chapter 98: Barbarian Trophy (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98: Barbarian Trophy (5)
Unfortunately, my opponent in the semifinals was not the last of the three piggies. He lost in the second round, and I got the feeling that he lost on purpose.
In the end, one of them didn't get to receive my physical therapy.
Anyway, there was no more need to aim for the head, so as soon as the match started, I hacked at my opponent with the double-edged axe.
"N-Not yet!"
But I guess this guy didn't want to lose to a barbarian. My opponent showed his determination to continue the duel with his bare hands even after losing his sword. And so, I also threw away my axe, charged, and snapped his spine.
"Th-the winner is Bjorn Yandel of the House of Baron Martoin!"
It was a bloodless victory, but the crowd's reaction wasn't bad.
"Woahhh!"
"Knight Crusher, Little Balkan, Bjorn, son of Yandel!"
It seemed the sight of a person being folded in half was also quite stimulating for them.
The baron wasn't all that different. As soon as I returned to the barracks, he looked at me with wide eyes. "That match! It even gave me goosebumps! Throwing a person into the air and catching him with your knees? Where did you learn such a skill?"
Hmm, if I had to answer that, it would be from a cartoon I watched a long time ago, although it was only today that I learned it was physically possible. Nothing was truly impossible for a barbarian.
"I'm going to take a little break until the next match."
"Hmm? Oh, yes."
With the baron's permission, I closed my eyes. Not because I was sleepy or anything.
Only one more to go.
With the finish line now in front of me, my heart began to pound.
***
The long-awaited finals had begun.
"Sir Albatross of the House of Count Ferdehilt and Bjorn Yandel of the House of Baron Martoin, please stand!"
My opponent was an apprentice knight under the command of Count Ferdehilt, the host of the banquet and the one who had invited me to participate in the tournament. I didn't know about the consequences I'd be dealing with in the aftermath, but I wasn't very concerned about the duel itself. From watching the previous matches, I had a good understanding of my opponent.
"Nice to meet you." The gigantic knight holding an enormous greatsword bowed a bit. Looking at him, I smirked.
I think I know what the count's personality is like.
A knight was different from an adventurer. To them, an essence was nothing more than a way of boosting their swordsmanship. Therefore, most of them tended to choose essences related to physical stats, but the combination of essences used differed from house to house. After systematic research, I determined that a few effective combinations were the standard, but each character was bound to have a theme.
Mighty Orc Warrior, Giant Golem, and Cyclops, huh?
My opponent was a typical strength-type knight. His build had more of a focus on physical resistance than regeneration, perhaps designed with the assumption that there would always be a priest nearby, and his high level of muscle strength was paired with a full set of armor made of lithinum, a second-grade material. He was practically a walking tank.
He's spent a shit ton of money on a mere apprentice knight.
As I started to get an idea of the count's tastes, I was once again surprised by his wealth. One seventh-rank and two sixth-rank essences. He must have bought them in Magic Vials. I wondered how much they had cost.
If you add in the equipment he's wearing, he's far beyond the level of a third-floor adventurer.
For a second, I had the thought that the count may not have even considered that I had a chance at winning. That was how unmatched this man was. The other participants were mostly level twos and had only seventh-rank essences at best.
"Where is your equipment?" my opponent asked as we stood there facing each other right before the match was to begin. He must have been confused as to why I was on the stage with nothing but a single axe, unlike my previous matches.
"It's uncomfortable," I replied bluntly. This wasn't meant to provoke him—it was the truth. Heavy-plated boots, a helmet with excessive decorations, a belt, shoulder guards, etcetera. If I couldn't rely on it to protect me, it should at least not interfere with my movement.
"I see. Well, with equipment like that, I'm sure it is difficult to fight like you normally do." Fortunately, my opponent didn't misinterpret my words, but that was all. "I was worried that this would end too quickly, but I'm relieved that you seem to be serious about this match." That relaxed expression and manner of speaking displayed a confidence that no matter what I did, he would be the one who won.
I didn't feel the need to prolong this conversation. "I'm glad." If my opponent wanted to lower his guard, that was all the better for me.
I pulled back my weapon, which had been touching my adversary's, and widened the distance between us. He did the same. When the distance between us was about fifty feet, the referee raised the flag. That meant we could attack each other now.
"Come." My rival took a basic stance and flicked his sword.
With that, it was like I could see the exact scenario he was hoping for unfolding in my head. A savage with overwhelming strength, enough to earn him the new title of Knight Crusher, and the true knight who then secured his victory with sophistication and grace. The crowd would cheer and his master would acknowledge him. A rosy future would open up before him like a solid road.
Smirk.
I could tell just how easy this bastard's life had been. Whether my theories were right or not, when there was something you wanted, you had to be more desperate. You should always think of how much better things could have gone when they went well, but the opposite too.
Still, seeing how careless he's being, it's a good thing I hid it 'til the end.
"Behelaaah!"
This tournament the count had organized marked the first time I was using this combo.
[You have cast Giantization. Your level and physical stats increase in proportion to your increase in size.]
[You have used Wild Outburst. Your Threat Level temporarily increases by x3, and your physical stats increase in proportion to that value.]
Giantization and Wild Outburst—when these two skills were used in conjunction, the user's Threat Level rose tremendously. In proportion to that, their physique stats also increased dramatically. The downside was that Wild Outburst only lasted thirty seconds. But so what? At least for that time, I got to experience what it was like to be on top-quality drugs.
But I didn't expect it to be pointless.
I wondered if this was a side effect of the excessive increase in threat level. Whether competitiveness or otherwise, the threat level effect was applied regardless of the target's personality.
"Uh, uh, uh..." And in this case, an overwhelming sense of fear enveloped my enemy.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
If you add in the equipment he's wearing, he's far beyond the level of a third-floor adventurer.
For a second, I had the thought that the count may not have even considered that I had a chance at winning. That was how unmatched this man was. The other participants were mostly level twos and had only seventh-rank essences at best.
"Where is your equipment?" my opponent asked as we stood there facing each other right before the match was to begin. He must have been confused as to why I was on the stage with nothing but a single axe, unlike my previous matches.
"It's uncomfortable," I replied bluntly. This wasn't meant to provoke him—it was the truth. Heavy-plated boots, a helmet with excessive decorations, a belt, shoulder guards, etcetera. If I couldn't rely on it to protect me, it should at least not interfere with my movement.
"I see. Well, with equipment like that, I'm sure it is difficult to fight like you normally do." Fortunately, my opponent didn't misinterpret my words, but that was all. "I was worried that this would end too quickly, but I'm relieved that you seem to be serious about this match." That relaxed expression and manner of speaking displayed a confidence that no matter what I did, he would be the one who won.
I didn't feel the need to prolong this conversation. "I'm glad." If my opponent wanted to lower his guard, that was all the better for me.
I pulled back my weapon, which had been touching my adversary's, and widened the distance between us. He did the same. When the distance between us was about fifty feet, the referee raised the flag. That meant we could attack each other now.
"Come." My rival took a basic stance and flicked his sword.
With that, it was like I could see the exact scenario he was hoping for unfolding in my head. A savage with overwhelming strength, enough to earn him the new title of Knight Crusher, and the true knight who then secured his victory with sophistication and grace. The crowd would cheer and his master would acknowledge him. A rosy future would open up before him like a solid road.
Smirk.
I could tell just how easy this bastard's life had been. Whether my theories were right or not, when there was something you wanted, you had to be more desperate. You should always think of how much better things could have gone when they went well, but the opposite too.
Still, seeing how careless he's being, it's a good thing I hid it 'til the end.
"Behelaaah!"
This tournament the count had organized marked the first time I was using this combo.
[You have cast Giantization. Your level and physical stats increase in proportion to your increase in size.]
[You have used Wild Outburst. Your Threat Level temporarily increases by x3, and your physical stats increase in proportion to that value.]
Giantization and Wild Outburst—when these two skills were used in conjunction, the user's Threat Level rose tremendously. In proportion to that, their physique stats also increased dramatically. The downside was that Wild Outburst only lasted thirty seconds. But so what? At least for that time, I got to experience what it was like to be on top-quality drugs.
But I didn't expect it to be pointless.
I wondered if this was a side effect of the excessive increase in threat level. Whether competitiveness or otherwise, the threat level effect was applied regardless of the target's personality.
"Uh, uh, uh..." And in this case, an overwhelming sense of fear enveloped my enemy.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Even when I made a sound like a large monster and dashed forward, the knight stood frozen, stupefied.
"E-Eek!" Right when I lowered the axe, he evaded it by rolling on the floor and began running away in a hurry. But he couldn't run forever on this tiny stage. Like we were boxing, I skillfully drove him into the corner and reached out to grab him. That was the moment.
"O-Out of bounds!" The final round was decided without a proper fight when the bastard ran off of the stage entirely.
That makes things easier for me, but...
The crowd's reaction was cold. Fortunately, there was no criticism directed at me, but the knight who showed dishonorable behavior was sharply booed.
"I-I didn't realize... A-Again! I can fight properly this time!" Coming to his senses, the knight climbed onto the stage again, demanding a rematch from the referee, but it was too late.
"How much do you plan to embarrass me?" the count said coldly. The knight hung his head.
"The winner is Bjorn Yandel of the House of Baron Martoin!"
Dang. Maybe I shouldn't have used Giantization, I suddenly thought. I claimed an easy victory as a result, but even I was starting to get uncomfortable. Somehow, it seems I've angered the count too...
This was bad news for me, as someone who was actually more worried about the aftermath than winning the tournament. I never thought that my trick of hiding my full power until the end in order to eliminate even the slightest of unexpected variables would lead to this variable emerging instead.
Fuck, I didn't know he was going to run away like that.
He wouldn't try to get revenge, would he? I was inwardly a bit worried, but the count climbed the stage himself and laughed cheerfully as he presented the prize, the necklace and the trophy.
"Haha! Today's performance has impressed me." Unable to reach my shoulder, the count patted my forearm. I couldn't tell if he really held no grudge against me or if he was just acting. While I was trying to figure him out, the count whispered something so that only I could hear: "I will call you privately when you are more ready."
"...Call me?"
"You don't need to know the details. Until then, ignore the other nobles. Do you understand?"
I didn't, but I nodded my head because it was obvious I should nod here.
Look at those fierce eyes...
It seemed that if I refused, something bad would happen. Anyway, the long banquet officially came to an end with the ceremony. There were a lot of people who stayed and enjoyed their seats until the break of dawn, but not Baron Martoin.
"I am tired. Let's return."
Heading back to the mansion with the same people I traveled there with, I got all my equipment back. I was also paid for my hard work, as promised.
"You did well today. I'm certain my name and yours will be the talk of the town for the next few months. So, if you ever get into trouble, don't hesitate to come to me." Even if it was just an empty offer, the fact that he was making it in the first place seemed to suggest that the baron liked me quite a bit.
Well, considering everything I've done, I'm sure he must be pleased.
"Then go home now. I'm tired as well. I've prepared a wagon for you, so you can take that home."
"Thanks!"
It was past two o'clock in the morning when I left the royal capital of Karnon and returned to my lodgings in Ravigion. I was physically and mentally exhausted from all the things that had happened that day, but...
Shall I get started?
I sat not on the bed but at the table and commenced my final calculations. The cost of labor was one million stones, as promised at the start. Two million stones for entering the tournament. An additional one million stones for winning. A reward of three hundred thousand stones for transferring the championship trophy to the baron.
A total of 4.3 million stones in cash.
Was this what having a wealthy client got you? It was hard to believe that this large sum was the result of a day's work. And that wasn't all. The new nickname of Knight Crusher or not, I didn't expect to get this thing so soon: no. 7777, Garphas' Necklace. I now had in my hands an item that, if you had bad luck, you could never get your hands on in the latter half of the game. Of course, a huge amount of money would need to be burned to awaken the hidden element, but you couldn't deny that this was an incredibly lucky acquisition. So I made up my mind again.
How many luck points have I already accumulated?
From now on, I'd have to be careful about even breathing wrong.
***
The morning after the banquet, one question was answered at least halfway.
What call...?
As soon as I woke up, mail started arriving nonstop. All of the letters were sent by nobles asking if I could attend different banquets. For reference, the letters also contained promises to pay me for attending. It was an amount of money that almost convinced me that I could just do this as my job for the rest of my life.
So this is what the count was talking about.
His statement that he would call me once I was ready was still ambiguous, but I was sure this must have been what he meant when he told me to ignore the summons of the other nobles.
Huh, how much of a loss is this?
So, I replied to all of the letters with words of refusal. If I just ignored them, the proud nobles might retaliate, but if I attended their banquets, that might also incur the count's wrath.
What the hell is the count thinking?
To be honest, he scared me the most. Although he was still treating me favorably, it was always guys like him who went nuts when things went awry. The fact that his intentions were unclear made me uneasy. Why would someone like the count be interested in a mere barbarian adventurer?
The next time the community opens, I should investigate the count.
With a new quest logged in my head, I hurriedly finished getting ready and headed for the Magic Tower.
This is the last month of research.
My three-month promise with Raven was coming to an end. The purpose of today's visit had nothing to do with that, though.
"Oh, you're here?"
When I arrived at Raven's private laboratory in the morning, she greeted me like a normal person, unlike usual.
"So, where is the senior I need to help with research today?"
"Ah, well..." Raven trailed off. For some reason, I got a foreboding feeling. And at that moment—
"Long time no see." As if he had been waiting, an old man with white hair popped out from behind the door. It was the Master of the Altemion School, whom I called "Old Man."
"Hah..." Even without any explanation, I understood the situation right away.
"I thought you said it would be your senior."
"I'm sorry. Master insisted."
So, he had been the one to force this change. I glanced over at the old man, who laughed benevolently. "Haha, don't be so nervous. It's not such a grandiose experiment."
That's for me to judge.
As I turned to him for an explanation, the old man opened his mouth, his tone strangely ominous. "It's an experiment to test whether my new magic tool can identify an evil spirit!"
Fuck. You've got to be kidding.
Even when I made a sound like a large monster and dashed forward, the knight stood frozen, stupefied.
"E-Eek!" Right when I lowered the axe, he evaded it by rolling on the floor and began running away in a hurry. But he couldn't run forever on this tiny stage. Like we were boxing, I skillfully drove him into the corner and reached out to grab him. That was the moment.
"O-Out of bounds!" The final round was decided without a proper fight when the bastard ran off of the stage entirely.
That makes things easier for me, but...
The crowd's reaction was cold. Fortunately, there was no criticism directed at me, but the knight who showed dishonorable behavior was sharply booed.
"I-I didn't realize... A-Again! I can fight properly this time!" Coming to his senses, the knight climbed onto the stage again, demanding a rematch from the referee, but it was too late.
"How much do you plan to embarrass me?" the count said coldly. The knight hung his head.
"The winner is Bjorn Yandel of the House of Baron Martoin!"
Dang. Maybe I shouldn't have used Giantization, I suddenly thought. I claimed an easy victory as a result, but even I was starting to get uncomfortable. Somehow, it seems I've angered the count too...
This was bad news for me, as someone who was actually more worried about the aftermath than winning the tournament. I never thought that my trick of hiding my full power until the end in order to eliminate even the slightest of unexpected variables would lead to this variable emerging instead.
Fuck, I didn't know he was going to run away like that.
He wouldn't try to get revenge, would he? I was inwardly a bit worried, but the count climbed the stage himself and laughed cheerfully as he presented the prize, the necklace and the trophy.
"Haha! Today's performance has impressed me." Unable to reach my shoulder, the count patted my forearm. I couldn't tell if he really held no grudge against me or if he was just acting. While I was trying to figure him out, the count whispered something so that only I could hear: "I will call you privately when you are more ready."
"...Call me?"
"You don't need to know the details. Until then, ignore the other nobles. Do you understand?"
I didn't, but I nodded my head because it was obvious I should nod here.
Look at those fierce eyes...
It seemed that if I refused, something bad would happen. Anyway, the long banquet officially came to an end with the ceremony. There were a lot of people who stayed and enjoyed their seats until the break of dawn, but not Baron Martoin.
"I am tired. Let's return."
Heading back to the mansion with the same people I traveled there with, I got all my equipment back. I was also paid for my hard work, as promised.
"You did well today. I'm certain my name and yours will be the talk of the town for the next few months. So, if you ever get into trouble, don't hesitate to come to me." Even if it was just an empty offer, the fact that he was making it in the first place seemed to suggest that the baron liked me quite a bit.
Well, considering everything I've done, I'm sure he must be pleased.
"Then go home now. I'm tired as well. I've prepared a wagon for you, so you can take that home."
"Thanks!"
It was past two o'clock in the morning when I left the royal capital of Karnon and returned to my lodgings in Ravigion. I was physically and mentally exhausted from all the things that had happened that day, but...
Shall I get started?
I sat not on the bed but at the table and commenced my final calculations. The cost of labor was one million stones, as promised at the start. Two million stones for entering the tournament. An additional one million stones for winning. A reward of three hundred thousand stones for transferring the championship trophy to the baron.
A total of 4.3 million stones in cash.
Was this what having a wealthy client got you? It was hard to believe that this large sum was the result of a day's work. And that wasn't all. The new nickname of Knight Crusher or not, I didn't expect to get this thing so soon: no. 7777, Garphas' Necklace. I now had in my hands an item that, if you had bad luck, you could never get your hands on in the latter half of the game. Of course, a huge amount of money would need to be burned to awaken the hidden element, but you couldn't deny that this was an incredibly lucky acquisition. So I made up my mind again.
How many luck points have I already accumulated?
From now on, I'd have to be careful about even breathing wrong.
***
The morning after the banquet, one question was answered at least halfway.
What call...?
As soon as I woke up, mail started arriving nonstop. All of the letters were sent by nobles asking if I could attend different banquets. For reference, the letters also contained promises to pay me for attending. It was an amount of money that almost convinced me that I could just do this as my job for the rest of my life.
So this is what the count was talking about.
His statement that he would call me once I was ready was still ambiguous, but I was sure this must have been what he meant when he told me to ignore the summons of the other nobles.
Huh, how much of a loss is this?
So, I replied to all of the letters with words of refusal. If I just ignored them, the proud nobles might retaliate, but if I attended their banquets, that might also incur the count's wrath.
What the hell is the count thinking?
To be honest, he scared me the most. Although he was still treating me favorably, it was always guys like him who went nuts when things went awry. The fact that his intentions were unclear made me uneasy. Why would someone like the count be interested in a mere barbarian adventurer?
The next time the community opens, I should investigate the count.
With a new quest logged in my head, I hurriedly finished getting ready and headed for the Magic Tower.
This is the last month of research.
My three-month promise with Raven was coming to an end. The purpose of today's visit had nothing to do with that, though.
"Oh, you're here?"
When I arrived at Raven's private laboratory in the morning, she greeted me like a normal person, unlike usual.
"So, where is the senior I need to help with research today?"
"Ah, well..." Raven trailed off. For some reason, I got a foreboding feeling. And at that moment—
"Long time no see." As if he had been waiting, an old man with white hair popped out from behind the door. It was the Master of the Altemion School, whom I called "Old Man."
"Hah..." Even without any explanation, I understood the situation right away.
"I thought you said it would be your senior."
"I'm sorry. Master insisted."
So, he had been the one to force this change. I glanced over at the old man, who laughed benevolently. "Haha, don't be so nervous. It's not such a grandiose experiment."
That's for me to judge.
As I turned to him for an explanation, the old man opened his mouth, his tone strangely ominous. "It's an experiment to test whether my new magic tool can identify an evil spirit!"
Fuck. You've got to be kidding.