Unfortunately, my opponent in the quarterfinals was not the last of the three little pigs. He lost in the second round, giving the impression that he lost the round on purpose.
In the end, one of them did not receive my physical therapy.
Anyway, there was no need to aim for the head anymore, so as soon as the fight started, I hit the opponent with the double-edged axe.
«Not yet!»
But I guess this guy didn't want to lose to a savage. The opponent showed his willingness to continue the duel with his bare hands even after losing his sword. So I also threw my axe, charged and broke his spine.
«The winner is Bjorn Yandel of the House of Baron Martoin!»
It was a bloodless victory, but the crowd's reaction was not bad.
«Woahhh!»
«Crusher Knight, Little Balkan, Jorn the son of Yandel!»
It seemed like the sight of a person folded in half was quite exhilarating to the crowd as well.
That impression was not very different for the baron. As soon as I returned to the barracks, he said with wide eyes: «That game! I even got goosebumps! Throw a person into the air and catch them with your knees? Where did you learn such a skill?».
Hmm, if I had to answer that, it would be from a cartoon I saw a long time ago, although it wasn't until today that I knew it was physically possible. Nothing is really impossible for a barbarian.
«I'm going to take a little break until the next game».
«Hmm? Oh, to.»
With the baron's permission, I closed my eyes. Not because I was sleepy or anything like that.
Only one was missing.
With the goal now in front of me, my heart began to beat strongly.
***
The long-awaited finale had begun.
«Sir Albatross of the House of Count Ferdehilt and Bjorn Yandel of the House of Baron Martoin, please stand!»
The opponent was a knight's apprentice under the command of Count Ferdehilt, the host of the banquet and the one who invited me to participate in the tournament. I didn't know the consequences of the aftermath, but I wasn't too worried about the grief itself. Having seen the previous fights, he knew the opponent well.
«Nice to meet you.» The gigantic knight holding a huge sword bowed briefly. Looking at him, I smiled satisfied.
I think I know what the count's personality is like.
A knight was different from an explorer. For them, an essence was nothing more than a means to aid their sword skill. Therefore, most of them tended to choose essences related to physical characteristics, but the combination of essences differed from house to house. After systematic research, a few effective combinations had been established as standard, but each character was required to have a concept.
Orc Warrior, Giant Golem and Cyclops, huh?
The opponent was a typical strength knight. Perhaps thinking of the priest, he focused more on physical endurance than regeneration, and combined his great muscular strength with full armor of lithinum, a second-class material. It was practically a walking tank.
He had spent a fortune on a simple apprentice knight.
As I understood the count's tastes, I was surprised once again by his wealth. One essence of the seventh rank and two of the sixth: You must have bought them in test tubes. I wondered how much they cost.
Plus the equipment he carries will be well above the level of a third-rank scout.
For a second I had the idea that the count might not have even considered my chances of winning. That's how incomparable this man was. The other participants were mostly level 2 and only had seventh rank essences at best.
«Where is your team?»
The opponent asked as we were face to face just before the fight began. I must have been confused because I was on stage with only an axe, unlike the previous fights.
I answered concisely: «It's uncomfortable». I didn't mean to provoke him, it was the truth. Heavy plated boots, a helmet with excessive designs, belt, shoulder pads, etc. If I couldn't trust him to protect me, at least he shouldn't interfere with my movements.
«I see. Well, with a team like that, it sure is difficult to fight like you normally do». Fortunately, my opponent didn't misunderstand my words, but that was it. «I was worried it would end too easily, but I'm relieved that you seem to take this fight seriously.». That relaxed expression and way of speaking were signs of confidence that, whatever he did, he would be the one to win.
I didn't feel the need to prolong this conversation. «I'm glad». If the opponent let his guard down, it was better for me.
Deslick.
I threw back my weapon, which had been touching the opponent's, and widened the distance. The opponent did the same. When the distance between us was about 15 meters, the referee raised the flag. That meant we could attack each other now.
«Come on» The opponent took a starting position and brandished his sword.
With that, it was as if I could see the scenario he expected drawn in my head. A savage with overwhelming strength enough to earn the new title of Crusher Knight, and the true knight who secures his victory with sophistication and grace. The crowd cheers and the teacher recognizes. A promising future unfolds as a solid path.
Smile.
I realized how easy this bastard's life had been. Whether my predictions were correct or not, if there was something you wanted, you should be more desperate. You always have to think about how well things can go when they go well, but vice versa, too.
Even so, seeing him so careless, thank goodness I hid him until the end.
«¡Behell-aaaaaaaaaaah!»
In the tournament organized by the count, he used this combo for the first time.
[You have launched Gigantization. Your level and physical value increase in proportion to growth in size].
[You used Wild Burst. Your threat level temporarily increases three times, and the physical value increases in proportion to that value].
Gigantization and Wild Burst: When these two abilities are used together, the threat level increases greatly. In proportion, physical statistics also increased dramatically. The downside was that Wild Blast only lasted 30 seconds. But so what? At least during that time, I was able to experience what it was like to be under the influence of high-quality drugs.
But I didn't expect it to be in vain this way.
Could it be a side effect of the excessive increase in threat level? Competitiveness or not, the threat level was applied regardless of the subject's personality.
«Uh, uh, uh...» An overwhelming sense of fear gripped the enemy.
¡Bang! ¡Bang! ¡Bang!
Even when I made a sound like that of a great monster and lunged, the knight stood still, dumbfounded.
«E-eek!» Just as I lowered the axe, he dodged it by rolling on the ground and began to flee in a hurry. But I couldn't run forever in this small setting. As if boxing, I skillfully led him to the corner and reached out to grab him. That was the moment.
«Offstage!» The final round was decided without a proper fight as the bastard ran off the stage.
This makes it easier for me, but...
The crowd's reaction was cold. Fortunately, there was no criticism directed at me, but the gentleman who displayed dishonorable behavior was abruptly booed.
«I hadn't realized... Again! I can do it right!» Coming to, the gentleman took the stage again, demanding a rematch with the referee, but it was too late.
«How ashamed are you?», the count said coldly. The knight lowered his head.
«The winner is Bjorn Yandel of the House of Baron Martoin!»
Dang. Maybe I shouldn't have used Gigantization, I suddenly wondered. I won easily as a result, but even I was starting to feel uncomfortable. Somehow, it seems that I have also angered the count...
It was bad news for me, who was more worried about the aftermath than winning the tournament. I never thought that the trick of hiding all my power until the end to eliminate even the smallest of variables would lead me to this instead.
Damn, I didn't know I was going to run away like that.
I wouldn't try to recover, would I? She was a little worried inside, but the count took the stage himself and laughed happily as he handed over the necklace prize and trophy.
«Hahaha! Today's performance impressed me». Unable to reach my shoulder, the count patted me on the forearm. I couldn't tell if he really didn't hold a grudge against me or if he was just acting. As he tried to read his behavior, the count whispered so that only I could hear him: «I will call you separately when you are more prepared».
«...Call me?»
«You don't need to know the details. Until then, he ignores the other nobles. Understood?»
I didn't, but I nodded my head because it was clear that I should nod here.
Look at those fierce eyes...
It seemed like if I refused, something bad was going to happen. Anyway, the long banquet came to an end with the ceremony. There were many people who stayed and enjoyed their seats until dawn, but not Baron Martoin.
«I'm tired. Let's go back».
Returning to the mansion with the same people as on the way there, I recovered all my equipment. They paid me for the hard work, as I had promised.
«You did well today. I'm sure my name and yours will be the talk of the town for the next few months. So if you ever have problems, don't hesitate to come to me». It seemed that the baron liked him quite a bit seeing how he said that, even if they were just empty words.
Well, considering everything I've done, I'm sure you must be happy.
«Then go home now. I'm tired too. I have prepared a cart for you, so you can take it home.»
«Thanks!»
It was after two in the morning when I left the royal capital of Karnon and returned to my accommodation in Ravigion. I was physically and mentally tired from everything that happened during the day, but...
Start?
I didn't sit on the bed, but at the table, and began the final calculations. The cost of labor was one million stones, as he had promised at the beginning. Two million stones for registration in the tournament. A million more stones to win. A reward of 300,000 stones for transferring the champion trophy to the baron.
A total of 4.3 million stones in cash.
Was it the result of having a rich client? It was hard to believe that this large sum was a daily wage. And that was not all. Knight Crusher's new nickname or not, I didn't expect to receive this so soon. No.7777, Garphas Necklace. Now I had in my hands an item that, with a bit of bad luck, you could never get in the last half of the game. Of course, it would take a huge amount of money to awaken the hidden piece, but there was no denying that it was a huge fortune. So I decided again.
How many piles of luck have I already accumulated?
From now on, I would have to be careful even with my breathing.
***
The morning after the banquet, a question was resolved at least half-heartedly.
What letter...?
As soon as I woke up, the mail started coming non-stop. All letters were sent by nobles asking if he could attend a banquet. For reference, the letter also contained a promise to pay a reward when participating. It was an amount of money that almost convinced me that I could dedicate the rest of my life to this.
So this is what the count was referring to.
His words that he would call me once he was ready remained ambiguous, but he was sure that this must be what he meant when he said to ignore the calls of the other nobles.
Hey, how much of a loss is this?
So I responded to everyone with words of rejection. If I just ignored them, the proud nobles might retaliate, but if I participated, it would also provoke the count's wrath.
What the hell is the count thinking?
To be honest, he was the one who scared me the most. Although he continued to treat me with a favorable attitude, they were always the ones who went crazy when things went wrong. The fact that his intention was unclear worried me. Why would someone like the count be interested in a simple barbarian explorer?
The next time the community opens, you should investigate the count.
With a new quest etched in my head, I hurried to finish preparing and headed to the magic tower.
This is the last month for research.
The three-month promise with Raven was coming to an end. However, the purpose of today's visit had nothing to do with it.
«Oh, are you here?»
When I arrived at Raven's private lab in the morning, she greeted me like a normal person, unlike usual.
«So where is the senior I need to help with today's research?»
«Ah well...» Raven interrupted herself. Somehow, that gave me an ominous feeling.
That was the moment. «How long without seeing each other». As if waiting, a white-haired old man came out from behind the door: The Master of the Altemion School, whom I called «Old Man».
«Ugh...» Without any explanation, I immediately understood the situation.
«I think you said he was your superior».
«I'm sorry. The Master insisted.»
So he forced this change. I looked at the old man, who laughed benevolently. «Haha, don't be so nervous. It's not that great an experiment».
I must judge that.
As I looked at him to explain, the old man opened his mouth in a sinister tone. «It's an experiment to test if my magic tool can distinguish an evil spirit!».
Fuck. It has to be a joke.