Chapter 58

Logging in, the weather was good.

Sure enough, the operators didn't make it rain.

On the bed, I stretched out to confirm the sensation in my body.

Is it the tournament today?

I prepared my equipment, picked up the bag I had prepared the day before, and left my master's house.

It was around 6 a.m.

I decided to sell yesterday's catch in Regias Village and have breakfast there.

The formation I would summon was Crescent, Helix, and Obsidian, prioritizing movement.

Let's move right away.

The situation in Regias Village was clearly strange.

The number of players hadn't halved, but it was clearly fewer.

The tournament is formidable.

"Good morning."

"Good morning!"

Today, it seems that Fina's group is almost fully assembled.

I can also see Rick and Ren-Ren doing maintenance on weapons behind the stall.

"Ah? Keith, you're starting the tournament today, right?"

"Yes. After having breakfast, I'll head to Remto Town."

Fina had taken my breakfast from Mio for me.

I'm very grateful.

The morning menu was horse meat.

It's clearly a heavy dish.

【Food Item】Aromatic Horse Meat Sandwich: Fullness +35%, Quality C+, Rarity 2, Weight 0+

A dish made by marinating sliced horse meat in fish sauce, vinegar, and herbs, then sandwiching it between bread.

It's very filling.

I've had this before, but it seems to have been upgraded.

Combined with vegetable soup, my fullness level exceeded 40%.

【Your appraisal skill has leveled up due to your past actions!】

Hmm.

Not only is it delicious, but my appraisal skill has also leveled up.

That's two good things.

After finishing my meal, I lined up yesterday's catch on the table.

There are many logs, but also a lot of mushrooms.

And a small amount of limestone.

"From today, we also plan to take turns going deep into the forest. Saki will be holed up in the workshop."

While calculating, Fina spoke to me.

"Finally?"

"Yes. We have all the clues for the puzzle, but it seems we'll be leveling up for a while."

"Against mushrooms and Branche Golems?"

"Yes. It will probably be a series of battles and then a boss battle. It looks like it will take a long time."

"Please do your best."

"Of course. By the way, this limestone, can you get it if you go beyond that forest?"

"Yes."

"Summoners are really strong, aren't they?"

To be precise, it's the summoned monsters that are strong.

Even now, without Jerico, it would be a tough battle.

I was paid, but it wasn't a significant amount.

Well, with just logs and mushrooms, it can't be helped.

The real benefit is in being lighter.

"I'll go to the tournament now."

"Good luck."

"I might cheer for you if you make it to the finals!"

Mio said this with a wry smile.

To advance to the finals, you need to win five consecutive matches.

What are the odds with a 50% win rate?

I bowed and left the scene.

I arrived at Remto Town just before 8 a.m.

Sure enough, the area around the training ground was crowded.

The entrance for spectators was so crowded that it was unbearable.

Too many NPCs.

I didn't know there were so many people.

Looking at the map I received from the event information, I went to the entrance for participating players, which was moderately crowded.

They were sizing each other up with their gazes.

This atmosphere is somehow nostalgic.

"Mr. Keith, there's still some time before the match. You are free to go outside, but you must be in the waiting room before the match."

I was identified by a staff member I had seen at the Adventurer's Guild and received a warning.

I must have arrived too early.

"Do you want to watch the preliminary matches from the spectator seats?"

"Players can freely enter and exit the match venue. It should be fine to watch from the corner."

"Thank you."

I was led to the waiting room by another staff member.

It was a room I had seen before, a shooting range.

It was the place where I had been making chairs until recently.

For some reason, I felt a little more at ease.

It's just a familiar place, after all.

In a corner of the waiting room, I checked my equipment.

The main weapon is Kay's Rod.

I'll use the Tonfa as a secondary weapon.

I decided to carry both on my back, hidden by the shield of the Guardian.

I put the hidden claws in the small item holder on my belt.

The training ground, which would be the match venue, was packed with people.

Not only the green markers indicating players, but also the yellow markers indicating NPCs filled the area.

My vision was almost overwhelmed.

Hmm?

I saw a gray marker for a moment.

The person was in the audience.

I squinted, but the distance was too great to see anything other than the gray marker.

It seemed like the person was disguised in some way, even from a distance.

I saw four NPC guards moving through the audience.

The gray marker started to move slowly.

The guards quickly surrounded the area.

The spot where the gray marker character had been was where their circle tightened.

The gray marker was already out of my sight.

My line of sight was cut off.

It seems that NPCs who patrol to apprehend suspicious people, such as those in disguise, are on duty.

The guards must be busy.

Oh, there's another gray marker in the audience.

This time, the NPC guards noticed it early and it quickly disappeared from the audience.

What's going on?

Just watching is interesting.

I'm cheering for the NPC guards in my heart.

The opening ceremony had already started.

While the guild master read the opening declaration on the podium, a quiet chase was taking place in the audience.

Is it really more interesting than that?

Oops, not good.

As soon as the opening declaration was over, the matches began.

I also wanted to watch other players' matches.

The new training ground had eight match arenas.

It wouldn't make sense to try to see all the matches at once, and there wasn't a place to do so.

I decided to watch from a spot where I could see two arenas, with my back to the wall.

One match was between warriors, and the other was between mages.

There is a concept called "observation training."

In general, it refers to the technique of learning practical things from others' battles.

In a more straightforward sense, it also means stealing others' techniques.

Even in a match between people with abilities and skills that I don't have, it's not meaningless.

As a hypothetical enemy, imagining how I would fight is important.

I was really looking forward to seeing what kind of matches would unfold.

"Mr. Keith, your match is about to start. Please wait here."

I was called by a staff member who seemed to be in charge of the event and moved to the arena for my first match.

I wanted to watch the match I was watching until the end, but I obediently followed.

There are several common points in the preliminary matches.

It's clear that players with similar tendencies are deliberately pitted against each other.

There was a line in the tournament guide that said as much, and it made for an enjoyable viewing experience.

It was a series of matches where each player's strengths were pitted against each other.

Especially the battle between heavily armored warriors used the full 10 minutes of match time in a heated battle.

If both players have the same strengths, it would naturally be like that.

There's a lot to see.

If the players are equally matched, the one who makes a mistake loses, which is a self-evident truth.

It's almost impossible to make no mistakes at all.

The one who makes the bigger mistake loses.

The preliminary rounds seemed to have this characteristic.

It was 9:20, and the scheduled match time was 9:30, but it was my turn to fight.

Just before the match started, I was prompted to touch the crystal.

I tried to appraise the crystal but couldn't identify it.

It seemed to be a high-level magical item.

When I touched it, my MP bar was fully restored.

What is this? It's amazing.

Oops.

There's no time to be surprised.

There was a player who seemed to be my opponent on the diagonal side of the match arena.

He was dressed in a typical mage's outfit.

It was the expected opponent.

Several of the previous matches were also between mages.

My class is Summoner, and it's easy to imagine that it falls under the mage category.

That said, just knowing that the opponent is a mage is something.

I couldn't tell what elemental magic they were good at.

Actually, when I identified the opponent, it looked like this.

???

Sorcerer, Level 7, Waiting

The player's name is not visible by design.

That's fine.

I'm not fighting a name.

The level 7 is quite high.

I don't know what kind of opponent it is.

I don't know what methods they will use.

Such an opponent is scary.

But the same can be said for the other side.

I had one thought.

How to act in a way that defies the opponent's expectations.

That's all I had.

Mutually.

Bow.

"Start!"

The referee, standing in the center, declared and left the arena.

Immediately, the opponent began to cast a spell.

"Meditate!" "Breathe!"

Anticipating a major damage, I used staff techniques in succession.

Since no spell casting is required, there's no reason not to use them.

I quickly selected and cast a spell.

I was already dashing towards the opponent.

The match arena is 40 meters square, and the starting positions are at the opposite corners.

No matter how quickly I moved, I was prepared to take a hit from the spell.

My conclusion was quite natural.

The summoning magic is level 7, but it's sealed.

In that case, I can use a number of spells, but the highest level is 4.

I would be at a disadvantage in a spell duel.

Then I shouldn't engage in a spell duel.

"Mental Enchant Light!"

"Fire Shoot!"

The opponent's attack spell was coming.

I managed to boost my mental power just before it.

My upper body was enveloped in flames.

It's hot, man!

You really did it.

Anger raged inside me, but I managed to calm it down.

The next move.

"Huh?"

The opponent didn't seem to read my sudden approach.

They were casting a spell with a staff that had a knobby tip, but their eyes showed a look of panic.

I held Kay's Rod in a low stance and charged.

Would I make it in time?

I aimed for the throat by raising the tip of the rod.

"!"

The spell casting was complete.

My attack interrupted the spell casting.

I then swung the rod horizontally, but the blow was blocked by the staff.

But it was a feint.

The real move was the kick that followed.

The opponent lost their balance from the direct hit.

The opponent's face showed shock.

Their gaze was vacant.

It was a good opportunity.

I let go of the rod and moved to the side.

I wrapped my arm around their torso and threw them.

It was a back throw.

I mounted the rolling opponent and started punching them with both fists.

Calmly.

I continued to deliver precise blows to the face.

The opponent, who had let go of their staff, tried to use a secondary weapon.

Unable to withstand the punches, they tried to guard their face with both hands.

Guard?

Even if you guard, I won't