Volume 4 Chapter 5 Don't Look Down On Me
Elk vs. Marks.
The venue was buzzing with excitement at Elk's appearance... well, half of the crowd was excited, while the other half looked confused.
The defeat of Sword Saint Rosho. An unknown skill.
After revealing his face, Rosho's behavior changed.
No student knows the answers to these questions.
Elk thinks that the academy is trying to figure out his true identity, at least a little. There's still a chance that he might be called in by the academy soon.
But for now─── he looked at Marks in front of him.
A long stick... a 'staff' must be his weapon.
"Then, let the match begin!!"
And so, the match started.
Elk tried to use his signature stone-paving technique... but.
"What are you, anyway?"
"Huh?"
"Do you think that battle outfit looks cool? It's super lame."
"...What?"
"You're like a pitch-black crow. Ha ha... do you know what they call you?"
Marks twirled the 'staff' in his hand as he spoke.
A provocation.
Elk understood. But he replied.
"Scarecrow, right?"
"Yeah. The Death Crow... but that's not really it. Death Crow means 'Scarecrow,' you know. Just standing there and only moving your hands, that's perfect for you."
"Hmm..."
"With that lame battle outfit and you moving like a scarecrow. Ha ha, it fits perfectly."
"...Lame, huh?"
"Yeah, it's lame. A battle outfit is like a symbol of an adventurer. And you... who made that outfit? It must be a really terrible designer to make something so lame!?"
Suddenly, Marks clutched his throat.
Elk's right hand was pointed at Marks.
Eye patch and mask hide the expression. But... the visible left eye was filled with anger.
"My important person made this battle outfit. Don't make fun of it anymore."
"But, ugh..."
"You're annoying. I thought I'd make it a bit more exciting since it's the main event, but... I changed my mind."
Elk pointed his left hand at the ground where Marks stood.
Then, a huge crack appeared on the stage, closing in on Marks.
Bam!! Like a door slamming shut, Marks was caught in the stage.
It was as if he was trapped in the jaws of a giant monster, or eaten by a creature that emerged from the ground.
A different kind of silence enveloped the venue compared to when Yato was there.
'The winner... Elk'
And as expected, the victory call was subdued.
* * *
"It'll take an hour to fix the venue, they say."
"I'm so sorry..."
Elk bowed his head to Elena.
Elena was laughing cheerfully.
The stage had split in half and then slammed shut... normally, stages don't bend like that.
By the way, Marks, who was caught, had a full-body fracture but seemed to be okay. After receiving treatment and fully recovering, he was reportedly crying out, "I will never make fun of scarecrows and crows again!"
Elena said to Elk.
"Hey, Elk."
"Yes?"
"Um, how did you break that stage?"
"Uh, it was a skill."
"Not that. You see... that stage was a special one created by 'Cave King' Sir Rocks, one of the Five Stars. They say it was made to withstand all kinds of skills..."
"......Oh."
He messed up.
For Elk, it was just like any other day.
The cobblestones were probably fine. But breaking the stage was a big mistake.
"Looks like the teachers are really interested in Elk's skills. Hey, can you tell us? Elk... what kind of skills do you really have?"
"Um, I actually have Telekinesis."
"Come on! My guess is spot on! Elk has 2 skills, right? One is definitely Telekinesis, and the other one is an amazing skill! Am I right?"
"Um..."
Elk was only telling the truth.
He had max-level, unmeasurable Telekinesis.
Then, there was a knock on the waiting room door.
When Elena opened the door, she said, "Huh, no way..." in confusion.
Walking in was none other than the academy principal, Poseidon. And the vice principal, Elshi, was with him.
"Sorry about this. I need to talk to you for a bit."
"Oh, okay."
"Wow... that's an incredible skill. I'm really surprised."
"Th-thank you."
Elk thought it was strange for the principal to say "really."
Elshi told Elena, "Sorry, but you need to step outside," and Elk saw Elena leave.
Then, Elshi pushed Poseidon aside and said.
"You don't need to be scared. But I want you to tell me what skill you used to destroy that stage."
"Uh..."
"Wow, I'm really surprised. That stage was made by Rocks, the 'indestructible stage,' right? Even I could only manage to make a crack in it. And you just waved your hand and completely broke it..."
"Um, my skill... is, well, Telekinesis."
Elshi narrowed his eyes slightly.
"...Are you going to keep hiding it?"
"No, um..."
"It's bad manners to pry into someone else's skills. If you want to keep it a secret, that's fine..."
"Um..."
"Well, fine. So, from the academy, just one thing... There are quite a few people who, like you, declare themselves as single even though they are double, or hide their skills when enrolling. Those kinds of people always have some trouble... In your case, it's Sword Saint Rosho and Magic Saint Sarissa, right?"
"......"
"The academy is a place for learning. I won't pry. But... I hope you won't disturb the order of the academy."
"Order in an academy that makes us fight like we're killing each other...? How many people have died in this tournament? Even if they say you can come back to life in a day, it's still scary."
"The adventurer's job is high risk, high reward. If you're afraid of death and want to back down, that's fine. But you need the courage to move forward and face it. The tournament is the first step to taming that fear. If you almost die and give up, that's okay. But if you keep going, then that's good."
"......"
"This has gone on long enough. The first round is about to end."
"What!? No way, huh!?"
Looking at the projection board, the last match of the first round had ended.
That can't be right.
It hadn't even been 5 minutes since he talked with Poseidon and Elshi.
In just 5 minutes, did they fix the stage and finish the remaining 4 matches?
"As an apology for that silly talk, I showed you my skill."
"...No way, is it Time Manipulation?"
"Yeah. I control the time of any living being that enters my domain. It's 'Time Manipulation'."
"Seriously...?"
"There are various restrictions, so it's not easy to use."
At that moment, Poseidon raised his hand.
"Hey, hey~! Els-Els uses that skill to keep her body youthful, you know. Normally, she'd be an old lady over 70."
Hyu-ga!! Something flew, and a knife stabbed into Poseidon's feet.
"Next time, I'll hit it."
"Hiihhh!? S-sorry!!"
"Ahem. So, that's how it is. Elk, keep your secrets to a minimum."
"Ah, okay."
Elshi dragged Poseidon out of the waiting room.
Looking at the projection board, the first match was over, and after a break, they announced the second match.
Then, Elena walked in.
"Is it over? Are you okay? It seems like you talked for about 3 hours."
"Really...?"
"The first round is already over, you know?"
"Is that so?"
"Hey, what were you talking about?"
"..."
Elk stared at his hands and pulled the water bottle from the table closer.
"I swear, I was only saying the truth."
That 'Telekinesis' is just too strong... It seems hard to believe.
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