Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: The Tournament Begins
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*Flash!*
One by one, Gray Elves enveloped in bright light gathered in the waiting room.
Most were covered in wounds and looked exhausted, but a few seemed perfectly calm.
"Hey, look over there. That little guy in the robe is pretty good, huh?"
"Are there about thirty of them now? Still, it'll be tough to make it to the main tournament."
By the time Do-jae appeared, there were already 32 Gray Elves, and the waiting room continued to fill up quickly.
However, as time passed, the number of returning Gray Elves dwindled, and soon, the sound of a trumpet echoed.
*Bwooo-!*
"The first preliminary round is now over! After a short break, we will begin the second preliminary round immediately!"
The nearly 300 participants who had started were reduced to just 100 after the first preliminary round.
As the densely packed crowd thinned to a third of its original size, the surroundings became much clearer. Do-jae was able to spot the man with the hair ornament standing at the very front.
Do-jae immediately headed toward the man to retrieve Arcturia's leaf.
But just then.
*Tug.*
Someone grabbed Do-jae's robe.
"If I were you, I wouldn't mess with that guy."
He turned his head to see the female Gray Elf who had helped him enter the tournament.
She was smiling brightly at him.
"You are?"
"Hello, Lee Do-jae. I knew you'd pass the first round. How about we chat for a bit during the break? You can deal with that guy later."
She glanced at the man Do-jae had been watching.
Her smiling face turned serious.
But she quickly smiled again and spoke to Do-jae.
"I'm Katania, from the Pinecone Forest of the West Wind. I came here to win this tournament and make our village famous!"
"I'm Lee Do-jae, from the Nightingale Forest. Thanks for your help earlier."
Do-jae introduced himself as well.
He hadn't had a chance to thank her before since she had entered right away, but he didn't forget to express his gratitude.
"Lee Do-jae of the Nightingale Forest! You're not lying, are you?"
"It's true. Why would I need to lie?"
"Anyone would be suspicious, seeing you like that."
Do-jae nodded, acknowledging her point.
The robe covering him from head to toe practically screamed that he was hiding his identity.
"I have my reasons."
"Hmm. I'm guessing that guy is one of your reasons."
"That's right."
Katania's gaze shifted back to the man.
Her expression was tense.
Yet, there seemed to be something more to it.
"If you're after him, then we're rivals. Like I said, my goal is to win!"
"No, I'm not interested in the tournament."
"What? Then why are you here?"
"The leaf on that man's hair ornament. I just need to get that. I had no choice but to enter the tournament because he came in here."
"Really? Well, what are you going to do? It won't be easy. Hehehe…."
Katania laughed with a meaningful expression and continued.
"Good luck with that. He's incredibly strong! He's a top contender for this year's championship."
Do-jae looked at the man.
Despite having gone through the first preliminary round, the man showed no change.
His expressionless, perfectly composed demeanor indirectly showed that he was no ordinary individual.
"I don't really want to fight. My only goal is that leaf. If I offer him a decent amount of gold, he'll probably give it to me willingly."
"You think it'll be that simple? I heard Salreuta is extremely possessive. He'll do whatever it takes to make something he likes his own and never lets anyone take it from him."
"So that man's name is Salreuta. Well, if that's the case, I'll just take it by force."
Seeing Do-jae's strong confidence, Katania watched him with interest.
"What's so special about that leaf ornament anyway? It doesn't look like anything ordinary."
"It's probably just a normal leaf. But it's something I absolutely need."
"Well, alright! In any case, if you plan on fighting Salreuta, you'll have to make it to the main tournament. Do your best!"
Katania cheered Do-jae on and was about to leave.
But this time, Do-jae stopped her.
"Wait, I have a question."
"What is it? The second preliminary round is about to start."
"I need you to explain the tournament to me. I don't know anything about it."
"Huh? You can't read, and you don't know the tournament rules? Did you really come here just for Salreuta?"
"You said it's starting soon. Are you going to tell me or not?"
"So shameless…!"
Katania shot Do-jae a glare before starting to explain the tournament rules.
***
The tournament proceeds as follows.
Registration for the tournament is open for three days, during which the kingdom enters a festival period.
Applications are accepted right up until the first preliminary round, which is how Do-jae was lucky enough to participate.
The first preliminary round is an individual skill assessment, where participants must defeat a designated monster. The difficulty of the monster depends on the number of times the participant has competed.
First-time participants face the weakest monster, and the monsters become stronger with each subsequent entry.
The second preliminary round begins immediately after. In this round, all who passed the first round are gathered in one place for a battle royale.
There is no time limit; the fight continues until only 16 participants remain.
The final 16 survivors earn the right to advance to the main tournament.
The main tournament takes place on the fourth day and consists of one-on-one matches.
Victory is achieved by knocking out an opponent or forcing them to surrender.
Killing an opponent is strictly forbidden.
On the first day, a total of 12 matches are held: eight in the round of 16 and four in the quarterfinals, determining the semifinalists.
The remaining four contestants rest for a day before competing in the finals on the fifth day to determine the ultimate champion. Afterward, a grand party is held for the winner.
This tournament, held once every 50 years, also serves as a gathering for Gray Elves from all over the continent to unite.
‘Arcturia must have sent the leaf to that man, Salreuta, on purpose. And she must have known I would barely make it into the tournament. Even a lesser god is still a god, I suppose….’
Do-jae had been inwardly dismissive of Arcturia.
He found it pathetic that a being who was originally a god would praise humans as great, especially when humans themselves could attain divinity and become gods.
But seeing how she had perfectly orchestrated his entry into the tournament, he had to admit that a god was a god after all.
‘I wasn't interested in the tournament, but seeing the prize for winning is making me change my mind.’
Katania had also told him about the rewards for winning the tournament.
The winner of the tournament received various benefits, the first being a prize of 10,000 gold.
Considering that the monthly living expenses for a family of four in a village were 100 gold, 10,000 gold was an immense sum.
Next was the right to become one of the king's royal knights.
While being a royal knight came with many perks, it wasn't a particularly popular reward. Due to the village-centric nature of Gray Elves, becoming a royal knight was not a desirable profession.
Finally, the prize most coveted by the participants was the treasured bow.
The king of Tuvaln had abducted skilled dwarves and forced them to craft a bow over the course of 50 years, right up until the next tournament.
Because the dwarves dedicated their entire lives to creating a single bow, the resulting weapon was so magnificent it could be called a divine bow.
*Bwooo-!*
"The second preliminary round will now begin. All participants, please prepare yourselves."
Along with the sound of the trumpet, the referee's voice rang out.
The atmosphere in the waiting room instantly froze, and moments later, they were transported elsewhere in a flash of bright light.
***
The second preliminary round took place in a massive arena.
The square-shaped arena, towering high, was as wide as two soccer fields combined.
"Hyaah! Take this!"
"Waaaaah! I'll eliminate you!"
The moment they were transported to the arena, the participants began to brawl.
The sight of 100 people mixed together, swinging their weapons, was truly a spectacle.
Of course, it was common to see people sneak-attacking opponents already engaged in battle or ganging up to push someone out of the arena.
But no one considered it cowardly.
After all, the match was designed with that very intention.
And even in such a chaotic situation, a few individuals stood out.
"Kugh… that killing intent…."
"I can't take him on…."
In the very center of the arena.
A circle had formed around Salreuta.
In the middle of the chaotic, tangled battlefield, there was a calm space like the eye of a storm, where participants, intimidated by Salreuta's presence, dared not approach.
"Attack him together! We have to knock him out of here!"
One participant shouted and charged at Salreuta.
But he was sent flying by Salreuta's massive sword, knocked unconscious without being able to put up a fight.
Seeing that participant enveloped in light and eliminated with a single sword strike, the others halted their charge, hesitant to approach.
"K-kgh."
In another part of the arena.
Participants were being eliminated in a different manner.
*Crackle-!*
"Gyaaaah!"
With every flash of light, participants dropped one by one.
The fallen ones, their hair standing on end and eyes rolled back, trembled uncontrollably before vanishing in a flash of light.
As time passed, more eliminations occurred elsewhere, with Katania, who wielded twin daggers and dashed across the arena, contributing her share.
So, what about Do-jae's corner?
"Damn it, I can't get close!"
"Referee! Isn't using monsters against the rules?"
Near Do-jae, several Gray Elves were fighting his golems.
The slightly stronger ones managed to withstand the golems' attacks, but the weaker ones were grabbed by the waist and thrown out of the arena.
"In this tournament, weapons, magic, and summons are all permitted, as long as you do not kill."
The referee stated firmly to the participants struggling against Do-jae's golems.
"Who knew the weakest-looking guy would have such an annoying ability."
"I know, right? It was a mistake to underestimate him."
Right after the match began, Do-jae became a target for the surrounding Gray Elves.
They thought they could easily eliminate him because he was short and had a small frame.
To make matters worse, they were all from the same village. Do-jae naturally became their prey.
However, after Do-jae summoned four golems and sent all the nearby participants flying, the ones who had been rushing him hesitated to approach.
"Look at that bastard! He's just sitting there and relaxing!"
"What are we supposed to do? We can't even get near him because of the golems! In that case, I'll just eliminate you first!"
Do-jae sat comfortably, watching the fight under the protection of his golems.
He found it convenient that they were weeding out the weak ones for him.
*Peeee-!*
After about an hour, the number of people standing in the arena had noticeably decreased, and the referee announced the end of the second preliminary round with a whistle.
"The second preliminary round is over!"