Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: B-Rank Tournament (1)
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I was in top condition.
Feeling unstoppable, I strode confidently toward the tournament venue.
I had a feeling everything would go well.
The main tournament might be a different story, but I’d pass the preliminaries with ease.
A crowd of students had gathered up ahead.
It looked like they were checking the tournament brackets.
“Ugh! You've got to be kidding me!”
“Haah, what kind of rotten luck is this? I’m screwed again.”
Complaints. Frustration. Rage.
“Hmm, if I can just get past this one hurdle…”
“Not bad. If I play my cards right, I might even make it to the main tournament!”
Hope. Premature celebration. Wishful thinking.
It was a state where despair and hope coexisted.
I didn't join the crowd.
I skipped the process of checking the brackets altogether.
No need to look.
Even if I did, I wouldn't know who was who.
These were just the preliminaries, after all.
I could start checking my opponents in the main tournament.
“Good morning.”
Chloe approached stealthily, but.
I had already sensed her presence.
That alone made me realize how much I’d grown.
“I have something to tell you.”
She lowered her voice to a whisper.
Had she uncovered Cedric and Gale’s plot?
“They intentionally dropped the rankings of some A-Rank students and put them in the B-Rank tournament. They were ranked 91st and 87th, respectively. Their names are…”
“Huh??”
Hm? I didn’t expect this.
I really didn’t think they’d go that far.
Those sons of bitches…
I know they hate me, but to pull such a pathetic stunt…
Two A-Rank students…
Even if they were low-tier, A-Rank was A-Rank.
Skilled enough to be deployed in a real battle right now without any issues.
Objectively speaking, I wasn’t at that level yet.
If I had more time, I could catch up quickly, but the tournament was already here.
Well, it wasn’t like I had no chance of winning.
The gap wasn’t that big, so it was worth a shot.
‘Most importantly, they don’t know my true strength.’
If I used that to my advantage, I wouldn’t be at a disadvantage at all.
A fight is often decided by the momentum of a single moment.
Yeah, this was actually for the best.
I should use this opportunity to see for myself.
If I could defeat those two, I’d consider myself worthy of being the Hero.
If I couldn’t even beat A-Rank students.
It would mean that was the limit of my potential, and I should just give up.
Not too easy, not too hard.
It felt just right, which calmed my mind.
“Will you be okay?”
“Of course.”
“Even with two A-Rank students?”
“Well, it’s not like I’m fighting them both at once.”
Perhaps she was pleased by my composure.
She broke into a wide smile, as if she’d been waiting for this.
“As expected, you’re the coolest.”
No, wait a minute!
Don’t look at me with those eyes! It’s troubling!
Chloe was gradually becoming a girl in love.
I wish it were just a misunderstanding…
But thanks to my heightened senses, I couldn’t mistake her sincerity.
“…”
Should I deliberately act disgracefully?
Maybe that’ll make her lose interest?
“What are the rules of the tournament?”
“Hmm, they’re not too strict. You just have to make them declare their surrender…”
“So I could gag them and break every bone in their body.”
I threw out a slightly unreasonable suggestion.
If she realized I was a cruel man, maybe…
“It seems you have no intention of forgiving them. I like that side of you even more.”
“…”
Ah, I forgot.
Chloe was quite the viper herself, wasn’t she?
I’d have to deal with this problem later.
If I coldly rejected her now, I might get poisoned without anyone knowing.
There was nothing I could do.
I’d just have to endure this strange atmosphere until I was stronger than her…
“I was just kidding. Anyway, I should prepare.”
She must have investigated the two A-Rank students.
As I held out my hand, meaning for her to hurry up and give me the information, Chloe absentmindedly took my hand.
“Huh??”
“Ah, is this not what you wanted?”
“You must have done your research. That…”
“I didn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I believe in you.”
“…”
Aah, our Chloe has changed!
They’re just low-tier A-Rank students. Easy, right?
She looked at me with sparkling eyes, as if to say just that.
Hey, not you too! I need worry, not faith!
“If you need it, I can still…”
It’s too late. It would look bad now, wouldn’t it?
Setting aside my dignity, it was a matter of pride as a man…
“No, it’s fine…”
“I knew you’d say that.”
“…”
She gave me a refreshing eye-smile.
Then, leaving words of encouragement, she withdrew.
What was I supposed to say?
It wasn’t a bad feeling, but faith doesn’t put food on the table, does it?
Whatever, let’s just eat.
During the tournament, they served special meals every day.
Which meant I could save on my little cutie’s food expenses.
‘Hmm, on a day like this, I should be having a hearty soup…’
It was a shame this world didn’t have Korean food.
The food here was delicious, but sometimes I missed it.
And I couldn’t live without chicken.
I should try making some things later.
Of course, I didn’t plan on making it myself.
I’d hire a bunch of top-tier chefs and give them homework.
I had plenty of money, so I could spend it however I wanted!
It wasn’t my money yet, but in ten years, I might be the family head.
I wanted to quickly put a chicken leg in each of Aruru’s hands.
I looked forward to the sight of the fox beastkin expertly stripping meat from the bone.
If only to achieve that grand dream.
I had to win this tournament.
Om nom nom.
When I arrived at the dining hall, Aruru was already filling her belly.
As if she’d been waiting for that very moment, Ceria was beaming beside her.
The girl who took every opportunity to enjoy that luscious tail fur.
Watching them, I thought about after we were married.
It seemed we wouldn’t have any disagreements over pets.
I naturally joined them at their table.
Ceria greeted me with a warm smile.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, thanks to you.”
“That’s good. Aruru and I decided to cheer for you together.”
The A-Rank tournament started after the B-Rank tournament was over.
She had some time, but she still took care of me as if her fiancé was her top priority.
Look at this. How sweet was she?
There was no room to even look at another woman.
Considering my social standing,
it wouldn’t be strange for me to take a concubine, but I’d live my whole life looking only at her.
“Hmm, you don’t have to do that. You should be preparing too…”
I was just saying that.
Ceria didn’t care about rankings.
She could aim for the top 20, but she stayed in the top 50, didn’t she?
I was aware of that, but.
I needed to show concern appropriate for our relationship.
“The A-Rank tournament? What’s so important about that? I’d rather spend that time looking at your face one more time.”
She clasped her hands, rested her chin on them, and beamed.
My heart fluttered at her pure innocence, and my body reacted on its own.
Here we go again…
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to,
but my body stirred against my will, as if wanting to hold her.
I tried hard to calm my excitement.
We were already engaged, so what was the rush?
Just as I was hers, she was mine.
Once I reach A-Rank…
No, once I reached the relatively stable top 50.
From then on, I’d take her on a date whenever I had time.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“Memories of our dates are just flooding back to me.”
My mouth moved on its own, but I wasn’t flustered.
We were lovers, so what was the big deal? Jace used to say similar things often.
“Aah…”
The girl blushed, looking slightly shy.
As if unable to contain her happiness, she sat Aruru on her lap and buried her face in her fluffy hair.
“Just wait a little longer. When my ranking is a bit more stable…”
“What if I can’t wait until then?”
“Huh??”
“After all the tournaments are over… wouldn’t once be okay?”
This month’s schedule was roughly as follows.
Week 1 was the B-Rank tournament. Week 2, the A-Rank tournament. Week 3, the S-Rank league matches.
Since it was the end of the quarter, the fourth week was scheduled to be a festival.
Not only could we play freely, but we were also allowed to go out.
Even though this place was more like a military academy, we still needed time to rest.
Anyway, it wasn’t a bad idea.
For me, of course, the sooner the better.
Maybe this time, she’d do something I’d like?
“…”
“…”
We exchanged a warm gaze.
Like a fiercely burning flame, the passion of youth grew hotter.
Just as the air around us was turning pink,
Aruru puffed out her cheeks, as if she couldn’t stand it any longer.
Hmm, what was she going to do this time?
She’d probably say something absurd like last time, right?
Just as I was getting anxious, Ceria’s hand moved in a flash.
Her eyes were still fixed on me,
but she stabbed a piece of meat from her plate with a fork and popped it into Aruru’s mouth.
Indeed, it was swift and precise, just as you’d expect from an A-Rank.
That naturalness deserved a round of applause.
Our little cutie gobbled it up without hesitation.
It seemed she didn’t care about anything as long as she was being fed.
Yeah, eat up.
You’re cutest when you’re eating.
And so, the cozy atmosphere continued.
I inwardly renewed my resolve.
I would win the tournament, even if I had to overdo it.
If I could just get past this immediate hurdle, things would be smooth sailing for a while.
* * *
Finally, the tournament began.
My first match was a bye, so my turn was still a ways off.
The number of participants wasn’t a perfect power of two, so there were quite a few cases like mine.
Munch, munch.
Our little cutie tore into a bag of popcorn as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
She was watching the matches, but they seemed to be nothing more than a snack accompaniment.
Well, as a Hero candidate, the matches between B-Rank students must be boring for her.
“Hmm…”
Ceria was peering intently at the tournament bracket.
Soon, she muttered quizzically, as if something was off.
“There are a few students who used to be A-Rank. Something’s suspicious…”
“I heard they’re targeting me. They supposedly lowered their rankings on purpose.”
“Ah, so that’s what it was.”
“Huh??”
Hey, why are you so calm?
It means your fiancé is in danger, you know?
The girl mumbled nonchalantly while munching on strawberry-flavored popcorn.
“They’re low-tier at best. It might be a little tough, but I think that’s all it will be.”
“…”
Yeah, I kind of expected this.
There was a precedent, so I just went with it.
At this point, I was getting confused.
Are low-tier A-Rank students really not a big deal?
Maybe I was overestimating them?
Soon, a different thought countered that one.
Would Cedric and Gale send some weaklings?
They must have decided on them because they thought they could crush me.
But…
Those guys didn’t know my true strength, did they?
In fact, neither did I.
I’d been talking like I knew everything, but most of it was just guesswork…
It had been pretty accurate so far, so my confidence was high, but I should still wait and see.
Assuming there were no variables.
It looked like I’d face one of them right before the main tournament, and the other one in it.
If I watched their matches before then, I’d have my answer.
Of course, they’d win easily, but I could get a rough idea just by looking at them.
‘I can figure out the rest with my Mind’s Eye…’
They’d probably be watching my matches too, but I didn’t need to worry about that.
[Contempt for the Weak]
[Deal with targets weaker than yourself more effectively]
[Lv 1/10 All stats +12% & Damage taken -12%]
The time had finally come to use it.
I’d try despising every opponent I met.
It had its restrictions, but the performance itself was S-Rank.
In a real fight, victory and defeat were decided by the smallest of margins.
12% might not seem like much, but the reality was different.
If my power was 100 and my opponent’s was 80,
it would normally take about 10 minutes, but if I crushed them with 112 power, it would become a 3-minute fight.
The effect would increase as the level rose.
After examining it from all angles, I concluded it was surprisingly good.
There was even a way to overcome its restriction.
I just had to get stronger. The stronger I got, the more targets it applied to.
Then it would become a god-tier skill that surpassed Mind’s Eye.
The premise seemed a bit strange, but logically, it was sound.
Just how amazing was it, you ask…
Jace once fought every Hero candidate and achieved a win rate of over 50%.
In other words, with Contempt for the Weak activated,
that 51% win rate would become closer to 99%.
Assuming that,
he would have a chance of winning even against two S-Rank students at the same time.
In other words, he would become the one and only Hero candidate…
Listen up, world.
The age of Contempt for the Weak will soon begin.
“…”
Well, that was all on the condition that I regained my original power. First, I needed to reach A-Rank.
Munch, munch.
Until my turn came, I munched on popcorn just like Aruru.