Chapter 3:
A Fierce Opponent
IT WAS THE DAY after our strange encounter with the Beast King, and the first match of the second round began while we were standing in the waiting room. Fran would be up in a little under an hour.
Despite everything that happened yesterday, Fran was in perfect condition. In fact, she felt more driven than ever. She was stressed out from having to talk to Blue Cats, but thanks to Rigdith, she was back on her game and more aggressive than ever. Dealing with Blue Cats was a special kind of stress she couldn’t work off, even after beating the living daylights out of them. Then again, maybe the atmosphere of the tournament was just getting to her.
I didn’t take her aggression to be a bad thing. If anything, I thought she did a good job of converting negative energy into fighting spirit. Still, it would be better to keep her cool if she had to fight several matches in a row. The way she was now, she’d easily make it past the third round.
“Hup! Haa!”
“Woof!”
“Hrmph!”
Fran warmed up by working on evasive maneuvers, swinging me around and having Jet come at her from multiple angles.
You know your match is gonna start soon. Don’t tire yourself out.
“Hm.”
“Woof.”
They nodded, but their game of tag only got faster. The normal human eye could no longer keep up with them. I let them carry on. This only amounted to light footwork for Fran. Soon, a knock came on the door.
“Fran? The second match has just finished. Please get ready.”
That was fast. We had only been waiting for thirty minutes. The tournament official told us that Gaudartha made short work of his opponent. He was definitely the one to beat in our block. He hurried us along to the arena.
“Please make your way into the ring.”
Cruise, the adventurer who beat Old Radule, was our opponent.
Fran, remember this isn’t your first time meeting him. Don’t say “pleased to meet you”.
“Hm?”
Just tell him “it’s been a while” or “good to see you again”.
“Got it.”
If memory served, Cruise was a C-Rank swordsman. He was more of a leader than a fighter, and his stats showed it. He was probably promoted to C-Rank more for his managerial skills than his fighting prowess. I remembered him being a cheerful man, though one with a weight on his shoulders.
I didn’t expect him to look at all like the man waiting for us in the ring. The fierce warrior stared at Fran quietly as she entered. “I didn’t think I’d see you here of all places.”
“Hm.”
Is that really Cruise? He’s a lot rougher than I remember.
Name: Cruise Riouselle
Age: 28
Race: Human
Class: Berserker
Level: 37/99
HP: 256; Magic: 175; Strength: 183; Agility: 219
Skills: Evil Sense 3; Stealth 4; Evasion 6; Royal Etiquette 2; Frenzy 4; Presence Sense 5; Sword Arts 6; Sword Mastery 8; Self-Defense 4; Command 2; Blink 8; Cold Resistance 4; Poison Resistance 5; Trap Sense 2; Dull Pain; Spirit Manipulation; Health Regeneration; Last Stand
Title: Giant Killer; The Upright; Survivor of a Hopeless Battle
Equipment: Mad Tiger Fang Longsword; Mithril Full Plate; 100-legged Spider Mantle; Bracelet of Sacrifice; Evasion Ring
The handsome face of the young noble was now marked with a scar that ran from the top of his right eye all the way to his cheek. It looked like the claw mark of a great monster. While he seemed to have retained his vision, the wound was deep.
It wasn’t just his looks, either. His Class had changed from Duelist to Berserker, and with it, his Strength and Agility were drastically increased. He was now heavily focused on offense.
Fran finally remembered the young man from Alessa, but everything about him was so different that she doubted herself. “What happened to you?”
“Ha ha ha. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Doesn’t look like it to me.”
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since I saw your match with Lady Amanda. I changed my fighting style. I just got a little roughed up trying to perfect it; that’s all.”
Fran’s mock match with Amanda had been intense enough to make anyone rethink their life choices. One look at Cruise’s face told me that he’d taken it seriously enough to train almost to the point of death. I thought that was going a little too far, but at least he was trying.
“I don’t think I’m as strong as you were back when you challenged Amanda…but I’d like to see how far I’ve come.” Cruise drew his sword, and powerful mana emanated from it. It was definitely an enchanted weapon. The longsword was crafted out of the fangs of a Tyrant Sabertooth. We would have to be careful about the Vibrofang within.
“We’re at the same rank now. I need to put up some sort of a fight.”
“I’m still going to win. I have my reasons,” Fran said as she readied me.
Before, the menacing aura she emitted would’ve been enough to make him cower. Now, he only smiled as he readied his sword. Cruise had definitely grown stronger psychologically as well as physically.
“And now, a duel between swordsmen! First, the dark horse who eliminated Ulmutt’s own elder mage Radule: the C-Rank adventurer, Cruise! Up next, the youngest C-Rank in town, and the youngest combatant in the tournament: the Swordceress Fran! We’re in for an exciting fight today, folks!”
Cruise had yet to receive a nickname, but he definitely got some props for beating Radule.
“Third match of the second round…begin!”
“Here I go! Frenzy!”
Cruise opened the fight by immediately increasing his offensive capabilities at the cost of his defense. As its name implied, the skill also threw him into a state of frenzy, making it more difficult for him to make rational decisions. He wanted to be on the offensive from the get-go, even if it did cost him. Against someone as powerful as Fran, a good defense wouldn’t do him much good, anyway.
“Haaaaa! Down Break!”
He made a great vertical leap and brought his sword down, his own weight amplified by the force of gravity. His attack was much more refined than it’d been in the dungeon at Alessa.
“Haaa!”
“Too slow,” said Fran.
“Gah!”
She saw through his attack and parried it, then followed up with a counter to his sword arm. If she could disable him, that would net her the win. There were too many holes in Cruise’s offense. Frenzy prevented him from properly dodging. He twisted his body, letting his left arm take the hit. Fran cut it off right below the elbow, but Cruise only smiled triumphantly.
“Do you give up?” she asked.
“Hee hee. Of course not. I’m not even left-handed.”
“I thought so.”
It was Fran’s turn now.
“Urk!”
I had to applaud him for dodging two of Fran’s attacks, but his missing arm shifted his center of gravity. Her third strike cut deep into his side. She carried on her assault, knowing that Cruise was still fully conscious. She twisted me up, going for his sword arm again, but he managed to activate his skill faster than she could cut.
“Last Stand!”
His body glowed. I checked out his stats and found they were all dramatically increased, but his life force was reduced to a critical state. He’d also acquired Pain Immunity. This was a high-risk skill he could only use at the brink of death!
“Aaaaaargh!”
“Hm!”
Cruise blocked Fran’s attack with what remained of his left arm, and immediately went after her. I felt my blade cut through his bones and nerve endings. The pain would’ve been excruciating without Pain Immunity, but Cruise only let out a menacing roar.
His Bracelet of Sacrifice ensured him a second chance, allowing him to counter his enemy’s offense even when he was at death’s door. Cruise’s strategy involved letting his enemies tear him apart, only to beat them with his exposed bones. It was a good strategy in a tournament, since there was no real threat of dying. Free of that risk, he could punch an entire weight class higher.
“Gah!”
“Too slow.”
Unfortunately, Fran saw through it. She redirected his attack by deflecting the flat of his sword with the back of her hand. Cruise certainly had grown stronger, and had developed a new fighting style to prove it. But Fran hadn’t been slacking off, either. She wasn’t going to pull her punches just because Cruise was willing to put his life on the line. She threw him completely off balance, taking away his only chance at avoiding her kick.
“Hngh!”
Fran’s high kick took the wind out of him and sent him flying. He was still in the arena when he landed, but he wasn’t getting back up. Even if he couldn’t feel pain, he was out cold.
“And it’s over! Fran the Swordceress takes the win and remains the true dark horse of the tournament!”
Cruise had been the favorite to win the match—he was the senior C-Rank, after all. He had beaten Radule, too.
“That’s the second time Cruise put his life on the line, but it didn’t work this time!”
After fighting Cruise, we got seats to watch the rest of the fights.
This is the last time we can watch Colbert fight before facing him. I hope whoever he’s fighting can last a few minutes.
“Hm.”
People around us were staring at Fran, even though she had pulled down her hood. Still, no one dared to talk to her.
“Woof.”
If nothing else, Jet was at her feet, glaring at everyone around us. I had given him specific instructions to be our guard dog today, and he was doing a great job of it.
“We now come to the fourth match of the second round! The eldest son of Baron Stoneriver, he learned the way of the lance from his father and is no stranger to the battlefield: Hilden Stoneriver!”
Colbert’s opponent wasn’t an adventurer, but he sounded like a famous knight. A figure walked out, spear in hand, looking very much like a knight from the Middle Ages. His armor certainly had an aristocratic look to it, but underneath was a thickly muscled body decorated with scars. Hilden Stoneriver looked more bandit than noble. His eyes had the look of a predator who had just spotted its prey.
Apparently, he was twenty-three years old. That couldn’t be right. He had to be in his late thirties, at least. He exuded an air of confidence which bordered on arrogance. He had probably never lost a battle in his life. Hilden eyed Colbert, measuring him up and looking down on him at the same time.
“So you’re the famous adventurer?”
“Our commentator seems to think so.”
“I don’t remember giving you permission to speak, low rank.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think to ask.”
“This is the problem with you damn adventurers…”
Hilden was an arrogant aristocrat through and through. Colbert impressed me by not snapping back. No wonder he made it to B-Rank.
“I’ll beat you today, and I’ll show everyone that an adventurer is nothing more than an amateur in the face of a real knight!”
Colbert kept his peace, but raised his eyebrows at the challenge. He was the clear winner when it came to stat sheets, but did Hilden have an ace hidden up his sleeve? I hoped this would be an interesting match.
“Taste the steel of my lance!” Hilden spun his spear. His heavy weapon could be used both to pierce and to slice. It was really quite intimidating. “Raaargh!”
He opened the match by dashing towards Colbert. He wanted to bring the fight to a close with a single stab. His weapon gave him better reach compared to the bare-handed fighter, who didn’t even have anything to block with. He was confident that whatever Colbert had could be easily overpowered by the sheer weight of his lance. He swung his great spear at Colbert’s side, and a swoosh of air rang through the stadium, but that was the only thing his spear cut.
“Tch! Yaaargh!”
“Hah. That’s a mighty sharp point you got there.”
“Hurrgh!”
“Come on, you’ve almost got me.”
After Colbert dodged his first attack, Hilden intensified his assault. His rapid stabs were powerful and violent, and I could easily see him perforating an ogre. But the crowd went wild when Colbert dodged Hilden’s stabs with a single step. You would think that Colbert was pressured into playing a defensive game, but you would be wrong.
Colbert was still completely calm, while Hilden looked more frantic with each missed strike. As stuck-up as the aristocrat spearman was, he knew that he was outmatched. Understanding this, Hilden shouted with rage.
“Aaaargh! You damned adventurer!”
“Huff.”
“What?!”
Hilden brought his spear down on Colbert’s head, but his frustration made him easier to read. Colbert blocked the tip of his spear with his right elbow. He didn’t even need to dodge to begin with. Their difference in ability was like the difference between an adult and a child. Colbert used the momentum of Hilden’s spear to drop into a fighting stance. The knight had nowhere to run.
“Doesn’t matter if you’re a knight or an adventurer. Strong is strong,” Colbert stated before driving his fist right into Hilden’s solar plexus.
“Oomph!”
The punch sent the larger man flying across the arena with a loud thwomp. Impressive, considering that Hilden was decked out in full plate armor. The scene was familiar to us. We did it all the time.
“Get stronger before you start talking trash, punk.”
“Urk…”
Colbert won the match with a ring-out and a knockout.
He really is strong.
Yeah. Fast, too.
Aside from that, he fought like an orthodox martial artist.
He focused on dodging his opponent’s attacks instead of blocking them, and exploited the gaps in their defense with his fists. Our main problem was going to be figuring out a way past his evasion.
Amanda was up next.
“She has annihilated all her opponents with a single stroke so far. Will Amanda the Hariti do it again?! Her challenger is a hulking mass! His body is his introduction! The C-Rank with the strength of a B-Rank: Wicked Arm Shin!”
The crowd applauded the giant of a man. Gaudartha was big, but Wicked Arm managed to be even larger. At over three meters tall with muscles bulging all over his body, he looked more ogre than human. He might actually have been, too, since he was apparently a half-beast. Perhaps one of his parents was a rhino beastman like Gaudartha. As his nickname suggested, his arms were as thick as tree trunks.
“Bwa ha ha ha! Puny woman. I can crush you with my bare hands!”
“Are you saying you want to touch me? What a nasty thing to say.”
“Hah! That’s what they all say! They all call me big and slow! Well, I’m big, but I’m a lot of other stuff, too!”
Shin wasn’t exaggerating. He had high HP and Defense and was decked out with Harden, Regenerate, and Rush—there was no stopping him once he made his charge. Shin could rush his opponent, knock them down, and bring them to a swift end with his gigantic hammer. I couldn’t imagine how much that hammer weighed. The groove it left as he pulled it off the ground was as deep as a ditch. Even an A-Rank would have trouble dodging that, but Amanda maintained her calm smile.
“Well, you sure sound confident.”
“Har har! I can’t wait to hear your screams! All the women I’ve fought squeal good when I crush them!”
“Ugh…why do I keep getting matched up with weirdos…?” Amanda groaned as she readied her whip.
She maintained her cool, but a storm was building up behind her words. I didn’t think any woman could keep her cool for long after being mocked like that.
The commentator signaled for the start of the match. “Begin!”
“Ha ha ha! You think that tiny whip can penetrate my thick muscles?!”
Shwoop! Thwack! Poof!
“Wha?”
Shin was dumbfounded. He looked at his hands, wondering where his giant hammer had gone. A heavy thud came from the stands followed by the panicked screams of the audience. Amanda had sent the hammer flying right into the wall. A single crack of her whip was enough to fling it all that way! I knew Amanda was good, but this was ridiculous. Then again, she was able to deal significant damage to the giant Linford back in Bulbola, so this wasn’t even close to her full strength.
“Wh-wha—”
“Now, let’s see how long you last.” As Shin was still processing what had happened, Amanda cracked her whip.
“Gah! Ack! Oof!”
“Come on, now!”
Ten seconds passed, and a bloodied mass of meat lay twitching in the center of the arena. Amanda hadn’t moved an inch. She was whipping up a Mach Five storm. Shin had no way of escaping or blocking her lashes. He was forced to take all of them head on.
“I guess you really are big and slow.”
Amanda was strong. That was not news.
Amanda’s so good!
She is.
The match lit a fire in Fran’s heart, but considering her love for battle, it only added fuel to the blaze. The round continued to the final match of the day.
It’s between Elza and a guy named Jakusho.
Amanda hadn’t won her block yet. Elza was still in play. Now there was a fight we wouldn’t miss.
“Our next contender comes all the way from the far eastern continent of Capur! Hailing from the Hagane archipelago, a swordsman who has dedicated his life to battle: Jakusho!”
Hagane archipelago? I’d never heard of it. Jakusho looked like a samurai. I had seen people clothe themselves with something like a hakama, but Jakusho looked like a ronin right out of a Kurosawa Akira film. He was thin-faced, wearing a long sleeved haori over his shoulders. The black haori looked quite dashing paired with the light blue kimono underneath.
He’s using an actual katana, too. That 500 Attack value is no joke.
His blade was still in its sheath at his waist. It wasn’t enchanted, but its power suggested that it was made by a master swordsmith.
“He cut his opponent’s sword in two during the first round. Can he do it again?! He’ll be up against Ulmutt’s own perfect storm: the Maelstrom, Elza!”
Elza the Maelstrom? That was her nickname? How fitting.
“Well, aren’t you a handsome young man,” Elza remarked.
“…?”
“You’re going to burn me up with that fiery stare of yours.”
“E-excuse me for asking, but…you are a woman, yes?”
“How rude! How could you ask that of a fair lady?”
“I-I apologize…”
Jakusho sounded like a decent fellow. The poor guy probably didn’t know what to think, let alone focus on. Still, he proved his mettle when the match started. He discarded all confusion and treated Elza like any other foe, drawing his blade, which was as sharp as his battle aura.
“Prepare yourself!” he said.
“Oh, I’m ready any time you are!”
“Ergh!”
Well, maybe he hadn’t completely gotten used to Elza yet.
“Yeeeaargh!”
His fighting stance reminded me of the Satsuma Jigen-ryu I’d seen in comic books. The people here probably had a different name for it, but that was the image that came to my mind. Jakusho kicked the ground and charged forward, bringing his sword down on Elza. The samurai had become one with his blade. Even Elza didn’t have time to react. The crowd gasped with anticipation as Jakusho’s sword buried itself into her shoulder, but Elza proved herself to be one of Ulmutt’s finest. The blade should’ve cut her in half, so everyone was shocked to find that it stopped midway through her collarbone.
“What…!”
“Tee hee. Gotcha!”
That was the result of a perfectly timed Barrier and Steel Body, but that wasn’t all. She also braced her muscles, tightening her body’s hold on Jakusho’s sword. Try as he might, the samurai couldn’t pull the blade out of Elza’s body. Elza pulled him into a submission hold, and Jakusho immediately surrendered. Elza’s enjoyment was on full display for the audience to see. The contrast between Jakusho’s drained look and Elza’s revitalized appearance was a terrifying sight.
Best to keep your distance if you have to go up against her.
Hm. She’s strong.
Sure, but…uhh, never mind. Just don’t let her grab you.
“Hm!”
Two days after Fran fought Cruise, the third round of the tournament was upon us. As expected, Fran was going up against Colbert.
Despite predicting our opponent, I was quite nervous, but Fran seemed calm. I’d taught her some meditation exercises, and she took to them immediately. I was no expert, but I knew what it was supposed to look like. Sit on the floor, close your eyes, focus on your breathing. She had been sitting in this meditative state for well over ten minutes.
“Zzz…”
Wake up!
“Bwuh!”
Look, if you’re going to sleep, you might as well lie down.
“Didn’t mean to.”
At least she wasn’t nervous. Still, Gaudartha sure was taking his time. Usually he’d be done by now, and an attendant would be telling Fran to get ready, but it was another five minutes before Fran got her summons.
“Fran, please make your way to the arena.”
“Hm!” Fran fluffed Jet for good luck and got up. She grinned as she left the room. “Let’s do this.”
She wasn’t overly tense or overly relaxed. Perfect.
Teacher, we have to give it our all today.
Should I help from the start?
Hm. I want to finish the match as quick as possible.
The request was unusual for Fran. She wanted to skip the pleasantries of gauging her opponent and go right on the offensive. I agreed with her. Battle junkies tended to watch the opponent’s movements to gauge their ability. It allowed them to understand what their foe was capable of, but it came at the cost of their defense.
Colbert was likely to engage in this same practice. Fran would gladly exploit that for the sake of a formal audience with the Beast King. She had no more reason to hide from Rigdith. He wouldn’t mind her showing how strong she really was.
We walked down the familiar hallway and entered the arena. The crowd greeted Fran with more intense applause this time. I finally understood what people meant when they said an atmosphere was electric.
“The dark horse enters the arena. After claiming victory in the previous two rounds, will she continue her blaze of glory?! The rising superstar: Black Cat Fran!”
Fran was the first to enter the ring. The roar of the crowd echoed through the stadium. I could pick out a few distinct voices. Some of them were angry about money they’d lost on the first two matches. Even more cheered her on, having supported her from the start. Then there was the loud applause of her fellow adventurers.
The last group surprised me, but it made sense when I saw that they were Elza’s underlings. They probably got direct orders to support her. But the sight of macho adventurers cheering on a little girl was still odd, and the people around them watched with slightly disturbed looks.
Fran smiled back, clearly not minding the attention. The audience cheered at her display of cuteness. Why yes, she was cute indeed, thank you very much.
The crowd greeted her challenger with as much fervor as they had Fran.
“And now, the Swordceress’ challenger. He made a name for himself beating things up with his bare hands: Steelclaw Colbert!”
I checked Colbert’s stats again and found that they hadn’t changed from the last time we met. Of course, part of it might be concealed under the Dimitris Seal, and we couldn’t rule out the possibility of Fake Identity, either. We had to be on our guard.
“Hey, little lady,” he said. “Been expecting you.”
“Hm. You too.”
“Ha ha ha. I can’t go around losing to the lower ranks. I’m a B-Rank, remember?”
“Do I count as lower rank?”
“Not really, I don’t think… Still, I won’t lose to you on principle.”
“Agreed. I need to win this, too.”
“Guess we’re in the same boat.”
Sparks flew from their stares. While it wasn’t enough to create a fireworks display, their fighting spirit was heavy enough to quiet down the raucous crowd. They watched with bated breath as Fran and Colbert took their places.
“Second match of the third round. Begin!”
“Here we go…”
As we predicted, Colbert dropped into a defensive stance and waited for Fran to make the first move. He was confident that she would open the match with measured strikes here and there, but we had every intention of kicking right into high gear. No hard feelings, Colbert!
Stone Wall! Fire Wall! Wind Wall!
I cast three spells immediately. The walls of stone, fire, and wind formed a cramped tunnel around Fran and Colbert.
“Tch!” He reacted immediately and broke through the ceiling, but I had anticipated that.
“Inferno Burst.”
Inferno Burst.
We both cast a flame spell this time. Fire filled the tunnel and chased after Colbert as he made his escape. The intense heat was already melting the stone walls, but the inner reinforcement of fire and wind prevented the tunnel from collapsing. This attack served a two-pronged purpose: It kept Colbert from escaping, and focused the flames into a backdraft. His escape path was already consumed by bright red fire.
We kept the pressure on. We knew that our opener wasn’t enough to incapacitate the B-Rank adventurer.
“Wind Bullet!”
Stone Bullet!
Since Fran and I couldn’t see Colbert through the flame and smoke, we aimed for his aura. The shots of stone and wind would confirm his location, and then we could begin our real attack.
“Haaa!”
Let’s go!
I couldn’t remember the last time I used Telekinetic Catapult. While I couldn’t reach maximum velocity in the short tunnel, it would be enough to deal significant damage…or so I thought.
“Nryaaaa!”
Whoa!
Just as I was about to lodge myself in his trunk, Colbert punched the flat of my blade, deflecting me. It threw off my trajectory, and for a moment I was convinced he had knocked me into the day after tomorrow. He blocked Telekinetic Catapult—the finishing move of our opening combo—with ease. Colbert was burnt in some places, but the spells didn’t seem to have slowed him down.
He was strong. We needed to end this fight before he got serious.
I used a wind spell to adjust my trajectory, and Transmogrified my blade into a spiked ball. I used Elemental Blade, too—Thunder element.
“Whaaat?!” Colbert shouted.
He wasn’t expecting a sword to come to a full stop and turn into a spiked ball of electricity. How much Defense did he have?! My spikes could easily penetrate steel, but Colbert’s leather armor was not having it. Fortunately, the thunder element gave my blade a shocking quality.
“A-a-a-a-a-a-a!” Colbert screamed as electricity coursed through his body. Lightning still worked.
“Stun Bolt!” Fran followed up with another thunder spell. Good! Colbert was glowing and shedding blue sparks.
“Urgh…!”
“Time to end this!” Fran shouted. “Gale Hazard!”
She used a wind spell, intent on taking the win while Colbert was at a safe distance. If we learned anything from the Cruise fight, it was that fighters had an insane tendency to make comebacks. The spell blew Colbert a good twenty meters, and he was on trajectory to hit the stands.
Fran kept watch, waiting for the impact. If Colbert somehow changed directions, she would force him back with another spell. We stayed on our guard…
“Hrmph.”
Did he…use a Return Feather?
Colbert was gone. That much was clear, but where was he? I looked around, but couldn’t spot him anywhere.
“Up.”
Above?!
Colbert was in the air above the ring. He didn’t have to worry about getting knocked out from up there, and he could watch all of his opponent’s movements. It was a good spot to make a tactical retreat, and a good use of a disposable item. That said, it opened him up to attack as he fell.
“Hm!”
Fran wasted no time in exploiting Colbert’s descent and shot off some wind spells, focusing on speed and range instead of raw damage. Meanwhile, I launched some flame spells to confuse him. The fire would end the match if it landed. Our combination should have knocked him out of the air, and we hoped it would knock him outside the ring, but Colbert crushed our expectations. He punched our spells out of the air, dissipating them into energy.
He’s charged his fists with mana!
Colbert accelerated down towards Fran, probably with a movement skill like Air Hop.
“Haaaa! Raaagh!”
He punched the air, forming waves of impact that shot towards us. While each blast was relatively weak, there were many of them, and Fran prepared herself by casting a wide-area barrier.
Our blast of flame was enough to block Colbert’s shockwaves, but he saw it coming. He was trying to stop Fran for long enough that he could recover.
He landed safely and stared at Fran as he dropped into an impenetrable stance. Fran met his gaze with equal intensity.
“Phew,” he said. “That was dirty.”
“I saw an opening and I took advantage. That was all.”
“I guess you did. I didn’t expect you to be such a good mage. Honestly, I’m kind of shocked that you hid it from me for so long.”
“I could say the same for you. You have more mana now?”
Fran was right. Colbert did have a higher Magic rating than before.
Name: Colbert
Age: 38
Race: Human
Class: Steel Fist
Level: 41/99
HP: 381/508; Magic: 330/452; Strength: 299; Agility: 253
Skills: Disassemble 4; Martial Arts 6; Martial Arts Mastery 6; Danger Sense 3; Advanced Punch Mastery 2; Punch Arts 9; Punch Mastery 10; Breath Control: Harden 4; Brute Force 8; Blink 9; Swim 4; Ocean Resistance 2; Throw 4; Dimitris Combat Arts 8; Dimitris Combat Mastery 8;
Physical Barrier 4; Mana Thruster 5; Sleep Resistance 3; Paralysis Resistance 4; Cooking 3; Hawkeye; Beast Killer; Split Thinking; Spirit Manipulation
Class Skill: Steel Fist
Titles: Bear Killer; Tiger Killer
Equipment: Water Dragon Leather Gloves; Aged Water Tiger Gi; Aged Water Tiger Shoes; Red Maw Bear Bandanna; Red Maw Bear Cloak; Bracelet of Pain Resistance; Bracelet of Physical Resistance.
Was this his unleashed state? His stats were greatly increased, and he’d gained the skills Dimitris Combat, Physical Barrier, Mana Thruster, and Split Thinking. Brute Force and Blink were at higher levels, and the boost in Colbert’s stats was nothing to scoff at, either. A hundred points for HP and Magic, and fifty for both Strength and Agility. His Dimitris Combat skills were on display now. Colbert felt like a completely different person.
Careful. He took off his seal.
“You took off your seal?”
“So you noticed.”
Colbert let out a resigned sigh. Taking off the Dimitris seal for personal gain was forbidden. The act might be enough to get him expelled from his school. I should press him on that point.
Fran, repeat after me.
“Hm.”
We could take advantage of this opening.
“Won’t you get expelled for removing your seal for personal gain?”
“It’s happened to others in the past, yeah.”
“So are you going to get expelled, too?”
“Maybe.” Colbert frowned.
“Why did you do it, then?”
Fran’s question made him grimace. He shook his head. “I might get expelled, yes. But there’s something more important than that!” Colbert shouted as he returned to his stance.
“Like what?”
“Simple. The honor of the Dimitris Combat School!” he declared confidently.
But “honor,” you say?
“Will unleashing your full power against a child bring honor to the school?”
That got him. “I…”
“Well?”
“Sorry,” he said. “I was getting ahead of myself.”
“You were.”
“Ugh…you’re right. I have no business spouting idealistic nonsense now.” The conversation took a somber turn. I might have gone too far. “I’m sorry. I admit that I’m doing this for my own selfish reasons. I won’t let my beloved Dimitris style be defeated by a C-Rank. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself. The Dimitris Combat School is the strongest in the world.”
Colbert’s mana wrapped around his body. Its sheer density made it as thick as full plate armor.
“I could never forgive myself if people thought ill of the Dimitris style! I’ll risk excommunication if I have to!”
Colbert was determined to prove the strength of his school. I had to give him props for it. But his declaration only steeled Fran’s resolve.
“I see.”
Fran was going to enjoy this match to the fullest now. She didn’t much care about winning as much as she loved battling a strong opponent.
“Gale Hazard!”
Fran cast another area-of-effect spell to slow him down, then charged right at him. Colbert was stronger now, but his Advanced Punch Mastery was still the same. Fran had the upper hand in a straight melee. The only thing we had to look out for was his Dimitris Combat skill. I kept an eye open as Fran rushed in…
“Haaaa!”
“Dimitris Combat Arts! Asura!”
“Ugh!”
Two arms emerged from each of Colbert’s shoulders, stopping Fran’s attack. He was able to manipulate this condensed mana like his own limbs, making him the spitting image of the six-limbed god who was his attack’s namesake. His magic arms were strong…strong enough even to stop me with my Elemental Blade.
“Grah!”
“Urk!”
Colbert’s counterpunch blew Fran away. Like Cruise, he could block and attack at the same time, but Colbert was far more dangerous. Fran managed to block in time, but I took a huge hit to my durability. Colbert’s punch would’ve severely injured Fran if she had taken a direct hit.
“Let’s go!”
“Haaa!”
Fran handled her sword better than Colbert did his hands, but he had six of them now. The arms snaked about, blocking Fran’s strikes as they came. What was worse, although Fran managed to damage his mana arms, Colbert could repair them instantly. They were the perfect shield.
The perfect shield was also the perfect weapon. Unlike human hands, they didn’t follow the laws of physics, and could stretch and make impossible strikes from odd angles. Colbert’s Advanced Punch Mastery only multiplied this effect. He was used to attacking with his bare hands, and now he had more hands to use.
“Raaah!”
“Urgh!”
The mana arms finally caught up and punched right through Fran’s lungs.
Greater Heal!
The spell instantly healed her injury, but she was still reeling. Colbert exploited this gap in her defense and rushed her with a flurry of blows. It didn’t take long for an even larger gap to form.
“I’ve got you now!”
What?!
Colbert’s mana hand engulfed me. It wrapped tight around my blade and refused to let go. I managed to Telekinesis my way out, but he was only trying to stop me for a second. Exploiting the tiny gaps in his opponent’s defense was Colbert’s game plan.
Fran managed to avoid his blows, but she was clearly hurting. Elza said that the Dimitris Style used Spirit energy to destroy an opponent’s insides with some kind of reverberation. All of Colbert’s attacks had this effect. Fran was still getting hurt even when she blocked his blows. Her barrier was doing its best, but it wasn’t quite enough. It wouldn’t take long for her to collapse.
Fran, Colbert’s attacks aren’t your normal physical attacks. I’m putting points into Physical Resistance!
Hm. Got it!
I put eighteen points into Physical Resistance. It was enough to rank me up. Our strategy involved me saving up a sizable amount of EP that I could distribute during the fight. It was a hard gamble, but it allowed us to adapt to whatever opponent we were up against.
Physical Resistance is at max level. Skill has been upgraded to Physical Immunity.
Well, I got the Immunity skill…but I could worry about that later. This would give us the upper hand.
Go, Fran!
“Hm!”
“What the—?!”
Colbert was shocked as Fran charged right into him. His attacks had no effect on her. She abandoned all attempts at defense in her mad dash. It seemed like a reckless maneuver, but Fran took all of Colbert’s blows head-on without suffering damage. The skill made her look invincible, but I was panicking the entire time.
Lumina was right! Physical Immunity is a huge drain!
The slightest hit took a thousand points of my mana. The Immunity skill was powerful, but it came at a high cost. Lumina had warned us about its double-edged nature a few days ago…
“Teacher, while your ability to absorb skills is powerful, there is something you need to be wary of.”
What do you mean?
“The Immunity skills, for example. Very few monsters possess these skills, but you must be careful about absorbing them.”
“Why?”
“Using them consumes a large amount of mana. They are also difficult to manage, since they never turn off. You could end up draining your entire pool if you fight the wrong enemy.”
Basically, if you used Flame Immunity in a volcano, you’d drain all your mana in a second. Among the Immunities, Lumina warned us about Physical Immunity in particular. The skill naturally occurred in ghost- and spirit-type monsters, so she couldn’t imagine what would happen if a creature with a physical body came to possess it. Just walking might be enough to trigger it.
Lumina also warned us about skills that nullified the effects. The gods had balanced this world so that there were skills which could overwhelm Immunity. Skills with the word Penetrate—or Godflame, which the gods themselves possessed—were capable of this. The Flame Sword Ignis had the Godflame skill, and there were records of it completely burning those with Flame Immunity to cinders. The Beast King’s Class Skill, Golden Flame of Extinction, was likely also of this kind.
“You’ve grown stronger through my training. But remember there are people stronger than you out in the world, Fran.”
“Hm.”
“And do not let your guard down just because you have an Immunity skill.”
“Got it.”
Fortunately, we had the ability to equip and unequip skills as we pleased. The Immunity skills would make a fine addition to our arsenal, as long as we used them at the right time and place.
But I’m definitely not going to unequip it when fighting Colbert!
I used Absolute Barrier, just in case. It was a high-level skill I got from maxing out both Mana Barrier and Physical Barrier. I thought it would nullify all attacks, but apparently it could only block magical and physical attacks. It decreased the damage of Colbert’s strikes, though, further reducing the maintenance cost of Physical Immunity. But I couldn’t say that things were going in our favor.
Fran, we need to finish this, quick!
“Hm!”
Fran held me above her head, looking to end the fight in one strike. Her stance left a hole in her defense, which Colbert was eager to exploit.
“Dimitris Combat Ultimate! Internal Rupture!”
Colbert charged his mana arm and corkscrewed it toward Fran’s torso. It landed, but she didn’t even wince.
“Damn it! How did that not work?!”
The attack was nullified, all right, but only at the cost of almost a thousand mana. I couldn’t imagine the damage the corkscrew would’ve inflicted without Physical Immunity. Colbert really was worth his salt, but now we were prepared to go on the counterattack!
“Hm!”
Fran jumped high into the air and prepared her strongest attack. She used Elemental Blade and added it to mine. Then she readied a Pressurized Quickdraw imbued with Vibroblade, Venomfang, and Increase Weight. Her form was perfect because of Sword King Mastery, and her signature move was deadlier than ever.
Colbert could easily dodge such a telegraphed vertical, of course, but I wasn’t going to let him. I locked him in place with Telekinesis and Wind Magic. My hold wouldn’t last long, but Fran only needed a second. Colbert crossed his mana arms in front of him to form a shield…
“Haaaa!”
“Gaaaargh!”
But Fran cut through all of them. She cut through his physical arms as well, and dragged me through all the way from his left shoulder to his waist. Although she didn’t manage to cut his physical arms off entirely, the damage to his lungs was apparent. My flaming blade singed his organs, filling the air with the smell of cooked flesh. His lungs were pretty much dust.
Still, we couldn’t afford to let our guard down. Colbert was strong, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a trick or two that allowed him to come back from the brink of death. Our mana reserves were almost dried up.
Keep going, Fran!
“Hm!”
She shifted me to her waist and launched a horizontal slash with the force of Pressurized Quickdraw. Shockingly, Colbert still attempted to dodge. He focused his mana and stretched out his phantom arms to strike back. Our mana would be finished if we nullified this attack. I elongated my blade. We had to end this fight right now!
“That’s not going to—”
You’re not getting away!
“Aaagh!”
I felt my blade cut through Colbert’s trunk just as his mana arms reached Fran. His belly opened up, spraying blood all over her face. The mana arms dissipated as their master lost his concentration.
“Dammit…” Colbert gurgled as he collapsed to his knees.
He keeled over, absolutely still. Blood rushed from the open wounds, flooding the arena with red. His insides, in their heavily poisoned state, followed suit. It was an awful sight, and we couldn’t minister to him since we had expended the last of our mana in our final attack. Fortunately, the guild was there to intervene and immediately tended to his wounds. The Healing Mages were old pros, curing the poison with magic and liberally applying healing potions over his fatal injuries. Fran was announced as the winner, and the crowd exploded with applause.
“And she does it again! What a finish! Swordceress Fran pulls through! The dark horse of the tournament seems unstoppable! Will Diamond Wall Gaudartha stop her winning streak?! Tune in next time!”
She threw one last glance at Colbert before leaving the ring.
Will he be okay?
Don’t worry. He’s in good hands.
Hm. Good. I want to fight him again someday.
That was her only reason for worrying. B-Rank he might be, but I didn’t think Colbert would be able to shake this off so quickly.
We decided to check in on him, and asked the tournament attendant where the infirmary was. Colbert was lying in bed when we came in. The Healing Mages had done their jobs, but he still needed to recover.
“How are you feeling?”
“Little lady…you killed me out there.”
“It was either you or me.”
“Fair enough. Can’t believe I lost after taking off the seal…ugh!” Colbert held his head in pain.
“You sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah…I just went a little crazy. But this always happens after I use Asura.”
That was the skill which sprouted his mana arms. The skill probably improved his reaction time as well as improving his sight. His heightened senses allowed him to cope with Fran’s Sword King Mastery. The way he manipulated the mana arms would’ve taken up a lot of brain power. No wonder he was getting headaches.
“You’re strong. Strongest I’ve ever fought.”
“Thanks.”
“You’ll be up against an absolute beast next, but I think you can win.”
“Of course.”
Colbert had Gaudartha in mind. Fran responded with a grin that said she couldn’t wait. A normal person would think her crazy, but Colbert only chuckled. “That’s the spirit.”
“Hm!”
They chatted for a while, and Fran eventually left. She didn’t want to place undue stress on Colbert while he was still recovering. As she walked away from the infirmary, I could make out his faint cries.
“No! I definitely got carried away! Am I gonna get kicked out of Dimitris…? Knowing Master, I’m definitely getting expelled…!”
I could picture him holding his head in distress. The warrior in him wanted to spare Fran the sight of his embarrassment. I chose to pretend I hadn’t heard that.
All the best, buddy.
“Hm?”
Nothing. Let’s get going.
We left the infirmary and headed for the seats. We could learn a thing or two from the fights today, assuming we beat Gaudartha tomorrow. There were six matches left to go. The first of them was already wrapping up. Yet again, Amanda made quick work of her competition.
“I wish we could’ve seen it.”
Well, you know Amanda. Elza’s up next.
She would be fighting a C-Rank adventurer—a technically proficient lancer. I was looking forward to this one. The seats were completely filled, though… Could we just make our own seat with Earth Magic? As I weighed our options, a voice called out to Fran.
“Hey, are you the Swordceress?” a middle-aged man asked.
“Hm?”
The man had a shish kebab in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other—the picture of a sports fan enjoying the show. Although Fran had pulled down her hood, he was sitting and could still see her face. That was how he recognized her.
“I-It is you! Are you here to watch the other fights?”
“Hm.”
“Well, in that case, feel free to take my seat!”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course! Your wins have made me a lot of money. Enough that I don’t have to work for the rest of the month!”
That was good to hear. Apparently, the man had been betting on Fran since round one. Maybe it was just in case Fran caused an upset, but the fact remained that he had supported her since the beginning. That was nice of him.
“Just shake my hand and we’ll call it even. I can’t wait to tell the boys!”
“Sure.”
“I’ll keep rooting for you. Good luck!”
“Hm.”
And that was how Fran legally secured a seat for herself. She shook the man’s hand and he left looking like a million bucks. He would still watch the fight, albeit standing.
Good for us.
“Hm.”
Fran sat down just as Elza’s match began. In line with what we’d heard about him, Elza’s opponent was agile. He wasn’t fast enough to create a gap in Elza’s defense, but he chipped away with his spear regardless. Unfortunately, chipping damage wasn’t going to work against Elza’s rock-hard defense. Elza charged at the spearman without so much as pausing to feign pain.
The lancer managed to dodge, but he saw the great hole the blow left behind. The sight of it was enough to chill his blood. His movements grew more awkward after that. He escaped unscathed, but one wrong move would be the end of him. We’d also had battles where this was the case, but this match was looking particularly grim. The lancer needed to be more aggressive to have any chance of winning, but Elza’s terrible mace kept him away.
Even so, the lancer made up his mind and leaped toward Elza. He slipped past the awful mace and launched multiple strikes in the hopes of breaking Elza’s balance. The crowd roared with anticipation as the lancer’s spinning spear made contact with Elza’s bare chest, but her skin stopped the spear dead in its path. As with the fight with Jakusho, it was like plate armor. The fight came to a dreary end after that. Elza pulled the lancer into a chokehold, and the spearman could only flop about as the last of his will was strangled out. Elza enjoyed his surrender even more than Jakusho’s.
We don’t want to end up in that position.
“But we can deal a lot of damage up close.”
Sure, but…
Was I going to let Elza put Fran in a chokehold? Absolutely not.
We have to avoid close quarters at all cost. Especially her ground game.
“Hm. Very dangerous.”
The rest of the fights weren’t worth watching—they ended too fast to be useful. Forlund took the fourth match in about five seconds. Even the crowd complained about that. Phillip Christon made a good showing in the fifth match, but he didn’t show us anything we hadn’t seen in Bulbola. He hit hard, fast, and strong, and his defense was difficult to penetrate. As for the sixth and seventh matches, Phelms and Royce fought for barely more than a minute. We only caught a glimpse of their full power, but that was enough to know how strong they were.
The third round was filled with powerful combatants. A-Rank adventurers really were more terrifying than the monsters and criminals they hunted down.
We’ll be going up against that kind of monster tomorrow.
“We’ll win.”
I have every intention of it.
The day’s tournament came to a close, but instead of returning to our inn, we went to the dungeon to train. We had just acquired some new skills, and we wanted to prepare for our fight against Gaudartha.
It’s taking up a lot of mana.
Nullifying attacks from weak monsters with Physical Immunity took anywhere from a hundred to two hundred mana per hit. Walking about didn’t trigger it, but the motions of battle were enough to be a significant drain, even without taking any hits. Anything from killing a monster to blocking its attacks triggered it. Half my mana was gone by the time I’d even noticed.
The skill was strong, though, that was for sure. Unlike Barrier skills, Physical Immunity nullified the shock and inertia of an attack. Even a direct hit from a giant ogre didn’t faze Fran. It allowed her to power through even the deftest of feints. The skill nullified everything from the sharp edge of a sword to the crushing weight of a hammer. Barrier would be our mainstay, but we could use Physical Immunity when push came to shove.
That should do it for skill training. Now, how to deal with Gaudartha?
Physical Immunity was our core skill against the rhino. While it wasn’t feasible for long dungeon expeditions, the Immunity skill could last an entire tournament match.
We didn’t know how much stronger Gaudartha would get after Awakening, but I could imagine him using his greataxe for defense as well as attack. What most frightened me was his general toughness. He had over a thousand HP, further bolstered by Fast Regeneration and Tough Hide. Trying to claim victory through chipping damage was a fool’s errand.
“We’ll use our trump card if it comes down to it,” said Fran.
Yeah. We didn’t get to use it against the Beast King, so it’ll come as a complete surprise. It should throw him off, at the very least.
“Hm!”
I think that’s enough training for today. Let’s head home so you can rest.
“Hang on. I wanna go see Lumina.”
Fran had gotten familiar with the old Black Cat during our stay in Bulbola. Lumina seemed fond of her, too. Their relationship was like a loving grandmother and granddaughter.
You’re right. We should check in with her while we’re here.
“Hm.”
We hopped over to the teleportation room Lumina had made for us. I had acquired a spell called Beacon after maxing out my Dimension Magic. It created a kind of landmark which allowed us to amplify a teleportation spell. For example, a Short Jump usually had the maximum distance of ten meters, but with Beacon it could go all the way up to thirty. Beacon would disappear after a few days, but you could extend its lifespan by charging it with mana. I was sure I could make my Beacon last an entire year if I spent all my mana casting it.
We’d asked Lumina if we could set up a Beacon in her dungeon. With the amplification it provided, we should be able to meet her from any part of the world using Dimension Gate, so we’d asked about it a few days ago.
“Hello again. Are you here to chat, or is there something on your mind?”
“We want to suggest something.”
You see…
I explained Beacon to Lumina, and asked if we could set the spell up to allow us to travel there quickly. She’d learned of my existence a few days ago, and Fran was quite happy about it, since it meant she had one fewer thing to hide.
“By all means. I’ve been wanting someone to set one up, but…”
But?
“Never mind. Give it a shot. It shouldn’t be dangerous.”
Lumina sounded like she had reservations, but I decided to cast the spell anyway, since she assured us it would be safe.
Beacon.
I placed a Beacon in a corner of the room. We should be able to teleport there from the outside now.
Okay, let’s go up one floor.
“Hm.”
We returned to the fourteenth floor to cast Dimension Gate, but it didn’t work. I spent the mana, but the spell fizzled into nothing. I felt Beacon respond, but we were still in the same spot. It should’ve worked. I was sure I’d fulfilled all the requirements. But no matter how many times I tried, something stopped me from opening a gate.
“No good?”
Yeah. It feels like there’s something blocking me.
Some kind of magic barrier, in all likelihood. The effect was similar to when we were trapped in Linford’s force field. We returned to Lumina, and she nodded with a knowing look.
“I guess you couldn’t break the Goddess’ protection.”
I understood immediately that some kind of barrier was to blame. Clearing dungeons was tough work, and D-Rank dungeons were known to claim more than their fair share of victims. There were monsters and traps that could kill even experienced adventurers on a bad day. Now, what was the easiest way to clear a dungeon? Learn all you can about it? Explore with a balanced party? Stock up on potions and other emergency provisions?
No. The easiest way was to clear the dungeon without setting foot in it. For example, teleporting immediately into the Core Room and destroying the core, opening a gate and blasting it with magic from the outside, and so on.
The strategy wasn’t unreasonable, either. You could technically teleport right there by maxing out Dimension Magic, or with the help of some other manatech. There were also the Godswords—weapons which surpassed all common sense. Lumina knew about one such weapon: Nuclear Sword Meltdown. The blade no longer existed, but the name was enough to convey its immense power.
A spell of protection was imbued in the dungeons to protect them from this sort of abuse. The dungeons were a gift from the gods for the training of man, and it was much better for everyone involved if you couldn’t cheat your way through. If the gods were in on it, no wonder the barrier was so absolute.
“You only need to prevent your mana from being disrupted, yes?”
“Hm.”
“Then hang on.”
Lumina retreated to her room. A few minutes later, we heard a rumbling as a cave formed in the wall in front of us. We peeked inside and found that it was a long passageway.
“I’m back. I’ve set up a room at the end of this hallway that allows you to teleport to it as long as you have Teacher with you.”
Lumina used her powers as a Dungeon Master to create a room just for us. Although the room was built in mere minutes, it was decorated with small details, showcasing the authority of her office.
“Thanks.”
“Likewise. As I said, I’ve been waiting for someone to come along and set this up for me.”
We tried Dimension Gate again and a portal immediately opened to the room Lumina had made. The inn where we were staying was quite near the dungeon, so we could quietly and easily visit her whenever we wanted. Fran nodded with satisfaction.
“Feel free to visit me whenever. You are always welcome here.”
“Hm.”
We’ll come again soon.
And so we used that very room to visit Lumina today. She felt our arrival and personally welcomed us.
“Hello there.”
“Hm.”
Hey.
“I see you’ve won again. You’re at the quarterfinals now. I hear you’re going up against an A-Rank adventurer next.”
Yeah. One of the Beast King’s elite guards.
“Do you really plan on winning? I thought passing the third round was enough to grant you an audience with him.”
“I’ll win to show everyone that Black Cats can be strong.”
We’re pulling out all the stops tomorrow.
“I see… Very well. Go and claim your victory.”
“Hm!”
We talked skills and spells with Lumina for a while before returning to the inn. We had the privilege of fighting in the first match tomorrow, so Fran had to get up earlier than usual.
“Good luck!”
“Thanks.”
We’ll go out and win!
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