Volume 4 Chapter 3 Start Of The Main Selection
"Haah..."
Elk wakes up.
He doesn't feel good. The reason is that he met Sarissa last night.
Honestly, he didn't think she would approach him. So, he couldn't hold back his excitement and ended up being rougher than with Rosho. Of course, he has no regrets at all.
The problem is that by getting involved with both of them, Duke Kinesis might take action.
Duke Kinesis in the Deo Kingdom can't really do anything to Elk in the Galatinne Kingdom, but if he finds out that Elk is the one who beat up his successor, Rosho, he will definitely do something.
"Well, if that happens, I'll just crush him. Haa... more importantly, the main selection starts today."
Elk gets dressed and heads to the cafeteria in the student dorm for breakfast.
There, he runs into Nickes, who looks surprised.
"Hey, Nickes."
"Hey, wait... why are you here?"
"Well, I'm going to eat breakfast."
"That's not what I mean. You see... students who are confirmed to participate in the main selection usually don't come back to the dorm, right? There's a chance of getting attacked by someone seeking revenge or by friends of other competitors."
"Hmm. Oh, today's breakfast is French toast. I really like sweet bread."
"...Whatever."
As he munches on the French toast, Elk asks.
"Nickes, who are the competitors in the main selection?"
"You, Gambo, Merry, Fine, Lord Elwood, and Lolo, plus Ms. Yato... that's all I know. Sorry."
"That's fine... wait, what about Rosho?"
"Ah, he wasn't even participating in the first place. Not long ago, everyone was buzzing about whether Lord Elwood or Sword Saint Rosho would win."
"...Is it my fault?"
"You know it, right?"
Nickes laughed loudly and drank some milk.
Wanting more milk, he put down his glass.
"Instead of getting all hyped up, maybe you should just eat in the dorm and relax."
"Yeah, that might be true."
"Well, good luck. Emmy and I are cheering for you."
"Thanks."
"Oh!! But the biggest cheer is for Merry. Hey, if you hurt my little sister, I'll twist your neck, so be ready!?"
"Scary... You're scarier than the actual competitors!!"
Elk and Nickes laughed together.
* * *
Elk headed to the arena.
Emma and Nickes said they would cheer from the stands.
In the individual tournament waiting room, Elk changed into his competition outfit and did some stretches.
It seemed like the venue was already buzzing with player introductions and entertainment. The cheers were so loud that they shook the waiting room where Elk was.
Then, images appeared on the glass panel hanging on the wall of the waiting room.
'Now, let's announce the matchups for the main tournament!!'
"Oh, the matchups."
'First match!! Gambo vs. Merry!! It's the battle between Gambo, the team leader who won the team competition, and the noble swordswoman who fought with lightning in the qualifiers. This is going to be exciting!'
"Gambo and Merry... they're facing each other right away."
While looking at the glass panel, there was a knock on the door.
"Hey there!"
"Oh, Senior Elena!"
"Hehe. Looks like I'm your caretaker again, Elk."
"Thanks for that... ahaha."
"Hey? You're blushing. Cute."
"S-Senior!"
While dodging Elena's teasing, Elk watches the player introductions.
'Match 4!! Elk vs. Marks!! It's a battle between Elk, who uses mysterious powers, and the fighter Marks!! Elk's skill is said to be 'Telekinesis,' but... it's not uncommon to hide one's true skill behind another. I'm really curious about what kind of skill it actually is.'
"No, it really is Telekinesis..."
It seems like people think he's lying.
When registering, you have to write down your skill name, but it doesn't say you have to write your real skill name. Faking your skill is something only advanced players do, and it's praised.
'With a creepy battle outfit, an eye patch, and a mask. There's an embroidery of a 'crow' on the back. It seems they call him "Scarecrow" because of the hidden blades on both hands. Haha... that's cool.'
"Are they making fun of me...?"
"Hehe, it suits you, right?"
"Even you, Senior Elena..."
Elk felt embarrassed to go out into the arena like this.
The player introductions continued.
Yato, Fine, Elwood. And then Lolo, along with some unfamiliar participants.
After all the introductions were done, the headmaster Poseidon spoke last.
'Participants!! It's okay to get hurt and even die!! But... don't forget to fight without fear of death. Fight with the intention to survive!! Now, let the first martial arts tournament, individual battle championship, begin!!'
The venue erupted with excitement.
In this place, Elk and the others would fight.
Elena patted Elk on the shoulder.
"Do your best, Elk."
"Yes. I'll do my best!!"
The individual battle, the championship match has begun.
* * *
First match, Gambo vs. Merry.
On the stage, they glare at each other.
They have hardly spoken before, but they can sense each other's strength.
"You're my brother's friend, but I won't hold back."
"You know that's not necessary, right?"
"Well... I just wanted to say it."
Gambo has spiked knuckles in both hands, and Merry draws a longsword.
Then, the referee signals────.
'First match, start!!'
The fight begins.
Gambo strikes with both fists.
"Steel Form!!"
Gambo's Full Body and equipment turn steel-colored.
'Full Body Steel Form'───Gambo's true power.
In response, Merry says.
"'Rising Turbulence'."
With a crack, purple lightning wraps around the Full Body.
"Lightning user..."
"Yes. To be precise, it's 'Thunderbolt'... a skill evolved from 'Lightning Magic'."
"Heh, not bad."
"And one more thing───Sword Technique, 'Air Blade Slash'!!"
"What!?"
It's not just an air blade.
A blade of lightning comes flying.
Gambo crosses his arms to defend... but.
"Ugh, ohhhhhh!?"
No matter how hard the Full Body is, the shock from the lightning is different.
Full Body gets electrocuted. Gambo makes a grim face.
"Y-you combined lightning with the Sword Technique...!!"
"Exactly. My original Sword Technique is a double move... 'Thunderbolt Sword' This is a Sword Technique at level 78 and Lightning Magic at level 30. Now, let me show you the power of 'Thunderbolt.'"
"Interesting...!!"
Gambo laughed.
Fighting a strong opponent – there's nothing more exciting.
He slammed his fists together and charged at Merry.
* * *
In the waiting room, Elk and Elena watched. Elena looked at Merry with a bit of pity.
"To reach Sword Technique level 78 and Lightning Magic level 30 at that age... she must've gone through hell. She probably leveled up by going into dungeons with adventurers."
"Merry... is amazing."
To Elk, Nickes and Merry were just siblings from a famous merchant guild.
He guessed they'd had their own struggles and continued watching the projection board.
Merry's thunder sword clashed against Gambo's Full Body Steel Form. He could block the sword, but not the lightning, and his face showed pain.
Elk murmured,
"Merry is stronger."
"Oh? You think so?"
"Yes. Merry... isn't even using her full power. If she wanted, she could slice through Gambo's Steel Form body in one hit."
"Hmm..."
Elena tilted her head thoughtfully.
Gambo seemed to realize this too. After a few clashes, he raised his hand, and Merry stopped.
"I surrender. With my current strength, I can't beat you."
"...I see."
"You could've finished this quickly if you'd wanted. How annoying."
"The winner is... Merry!"
The crowd cheered as Merry sheathed her sword and waved to them.
"There's no doubt you're strong. I was planning to knock you out with the first strike, but I didn't think you'd endure it."
"Tch..."
Merry smiled, while Gambo looked away, a bit annoyed.
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