Chapter 59

I logged in at exactly 6:00 AM.

After equipping myself, I decided to head for breakfast first.

I summoned Crescent, Helix, and Obsidian and headed towards Regius Village.

On the way, I saw some passive monsters, but today's priority is movement.

I ignored them.

Arriving at Regius Village, everything looked the same as yesterday.

Mio's food stall and Feina's market stall had already started business in the same spots.

I'm grateful for that.

Several players were already lining up to buy, so I joined the back of the queue.

Today's menu was the same horse meat dish as yesterday.

【Food Item】Aromatic Horse Meat Sandwich+ Fullness +35% Quality C+ Rarity 3 Weight 0+

Effect: Slight increase in vitality for about 1 hour

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

It's very filling.

Hmm, something seems to have been added to the effects.

A slight increase in vitality.

If I'm going hunting today, I'd like to take it with me.

I didn't pour it down with a vegetable and egg soup but savored it instead.

Mmm.

It's good, but I want more of the fatty flavor.

Understand, please.

After all, horse meat is best eaten as sashimi.

"Good morning. How is today's dish?"

"Ah, good morning. It's pretty good."

Yuka greeted me with a smile.

Did something good happen to her?

"That's the meat from the wild horse, by the way."

"Hmm."

So that's why it had some effects.

That makes sense.

Reina, who was serving customers, interrupted.

"How did the preliminary results go?"

"Well, I managed to win somehow."

"Wow, that's great!"

The conversation turned to casual chat.

Yuka mostly listened, while Reina bombarded me with questions.

Shouldn't she be helping Fudo, who's manning the stall?

Reinforcements arrived.

Feina and the usual group.

"Good morning."

"Good morning."

"Good morning. Hey, Keith, how did the preliminaries go?"

I had to start from the beginning again.

Well, that's to be expected.

"Today is the second round, right? Don't interfere too much, okay?"

"Ah."

Before I knew it, Yuka and Mio had switched positions.

I didn't notice.

"Ah, right. I have something I want to ask Reina."

"Huh? What what?"

"About arrows."

I spent some time learning how to make arrows from her.

There are two types of arrow shafts: a single piece of wood and a composite shaft with a hard wood tip.

However, the latter is expensive and not widely available.

The arrowhead is inserted into a groove cut into the shaft, and there are small grooves to secure the fletching.

I watched her make one.

She used thread and glue to secure it.

The groove was cut into the material to secure the arrowhead.

The fletching was split in half and arranged to avoid interfering with the rotation during flight.

The process itself is simple.

"Thread and glue aren't available in Regius Village, so you'll have to buy them in Remto Town!"

"Got it."

I was planning to go to Remto Town anyway.

I'll buy them before the match.

"By the way, do you have the Woodworking skill?"

"Yes. I needed it to complete a quest."

"You were also doing Glassworking quests, right?"

"Uh, yeah. How did you know?"

"You can't escape the production skill network!"

Ah, I see.

It must have been Feina.

Well, it's not something to get upset about.

Oh no, I can't do this.

I'm interrupting Reina's breakfast.

"Thank you for teaching me. I'm sorry for interrupting your meal."

"It's fine! And today is the tournament, right? Good luck!"

"Thanks."

I laid out yesterday's loot on the table.

The usual items: ant needles, carapaces, silver chicken eggs, and striped raccoon skins.

I kept the bat fangs and obsidian for making arrows.

I also kept the silver chicken wings and prairie hawk wings for the same reason.

The amount Feina calculated after breakfast seemed fair.

The quantity was small, after all.

"Seems like the wild horse meat from yesterday was a rare hit."

"Huh?"

"It was the last of what you ate just now. It started selling at noon yesterday, and there was quite a commotion by evening."

"Really?"

"Support effects from food are valuable. The fact that they can stack with spell effects is a big plus."

"True."

By the way, have Feina and the others cleared the forest dungeon?

"How's the forest interior?"

"Nope. We can't clear the consecutive battles. But it's a good place for leveling up, so it's not bad."

"I see."

"We're production specialists, so we'll take our time."

By the time we finished chatting, it was already past 7:30 AM.

I need to get going.

I want to watch other players' matches as well.

I'll leave and head to Remto Town.

As I entered the grassland area, many players were heading to Remto, and there were also many hunting wild dogs.

It seems many players are advancing their quests during the tournament.

So many players are thinking the same thing.

Thanks to that, no monsters are attacking me.

Even the Step Hawks didn't attack.

Hmm.

It's kind of lonely.

In the end, I arrived in Remto Town without any battles.

It was past 8:30 AM.

To my surprise, the matches had already started, and the cheers made it feel like the ground was shaking.

It's quite lively.

I left Crescent and the others at the horse post and headed to the player entrance.

After being identified by the staff, I entered the waiting room.

Today, I decided to watch the matches from near the wall next to the waiting room.

A few staff members gave me strange looks, but they probably realized I was a participant and ignored me.

Hmm.

I'll enjoy watching the matches.

Continuing from yesterday, there were many matches between players with similar combat styles.

Especially the dwarf melee battles were incredibly intense.

A true melee battle.

No, they were hitting each other with one-handed axes and shields.

Yeah, it was a melee.

The shields were crushed, and the axes were dulled, turning into blunt weapons.

In the end, they were hitting each other with their bare hands.

The match was decided by a 10-minute time limit.

The audience's cheers were amazing.

I wonder if they're selling alcohol in the stands?

The female bard I saw yesterday put up a good fight but lost.

Her opponent was an elf woman.

At first, she tried to gain the upper hand with songs and music, but it seems they were resisted.

She took a direct hit from a Wind Cutter spell and was overwhelmed from there.

Even strong characters aren't always in a favorable position.

That's what the match looked like.

Other matches were also exciting.

Watching them, it seems all players are somewhat battle-crazy.

I hope that's just my imagination.

The matches were scheduled to start at 10:30 AM.

After placing my hand on the crystal to fully restore my HP and MP, I stood in the arena.

My opponent was diagonally across from me.

Judging from their equipment, they were another mage.

And a handsome one at that.

How dare he be so cocky, not being an elf!

My first opponent used fire magic, but what about this guy?

I used the "Identify" skill to check.

???, Level 7

Sorcerer, waiting

Same as the first match.

But the contents are clearly different.

I waited for the referee in the center to signal the start.

Before that, I should finish what I need to do.

We bowed to each other.

"Begin!"

"Meditate!" "Breathe!"

"Mediate!" "Breathe!"

We both used staff combat techniques and started casting spells.

The only difference was that I charged straight in.

Just past the center of the arena, my spell completed first.

"Mental Enchantment Light!"

The expected attack spell didn't come.

What's going on?

"Water Shield!"

A wall of water blocked my path.

No, this spell should create an oval shield.

I saw it yesterday.

Naturally, I couldn't avoid it and charged through.

If I had stopped halfway, I would have taken more damage, but by charging through, the damage should be minimal.

Still, I took some damage.

Ah, you did it.

I aimed a thrust with my rod at the throat.

It was easily dodged.

No, it was a feint, so it's fine that it was dodged.

I pressed the rod against the temple and kicked to stop the movement.

A direct hit to the stomach.

From the feel of it, it wasn't much damage.

I could see the head in front of me, completely unprotected.

I released the rod and wrapped my right arm around the neck.

My left hand reached under the right armpit and grabbed the right elbow.

Using my right arm and wrist, I applied pressure to the trachea.

It's a standing front choke.

Lifting slightly, the opponent's weight helps crush the throat, making it easy.

No, the hold might be too loose.

I loosened the choke for a moment and kneed the stomach.

"Ugh!"

I heard something like a ghost's voice but ignored it.

I adjusted the position of my choking arm and applied pressure to the carotid artery, then leaned my weight on it.

The opponent's HP bar steadily decreased.

There was no sign of giving up.

One more push.

I used my weight to slam the opponent's head into the ground.

I transitioned to a ground technique, maintaining the front choke.

I passed my legs and adjusted to a deeper angle, bending the neck.

What do you think of that?

But there was no reaction I was hoping for.

Huh?

He had passed out without me noticing.

The match is over! Stop fighting!

Your "Mental Fortitude" skill has leveled up!

Oh.

I didn't know skills could level up from winning matches.

I think I saw something about that in the tournament rules.

You have advanced to the third round of the preliminaries! The third round is scheduled for 9:40 AM tomorrow at the Old Training Ground B.

The schedule for tomorrow also came in.

I bowed and left the arena.

I had my HP and MP fully restored at the crystal and returned to the waiting room.

It was good that I had seen the Water Shield spell before.

I might have been confused if I hadn't.

No, I had seen it, but actually taking the hit was different from what I imagined.

I took more damage than expected.

Also, after taking the Water Shield, my body felt heavy for a while.

I can't let my guard down.

I might be tripped up by something invisible.

What should I do next?

Of course, I'll watch more matches.

The new training ground is full, so I'll check out the old one.

But, you know.

The gray markers are a bit annoying.

Listening to the staff and guards, it seems there are pickpockets.

It seems my "Perception" skill is also effective against theft.

Of course, skilled thieves won't be detected by my perception.

It's a never-ending chase.

The old training ground was a bit more crowded than yesterday.

There was no problem watching.

Today, there were many matches worth watching.

Each match had something to learn from.

I even forgot lunch while enjoying the matches.

After a late lunch at a stall, I continued watching.

The afternoon matches had some unique combat styles, which was interesting.

For example.

Probably a fisherman.

I think this is the first time I've seen a Fisher.

His equipment was unique.

His armor was obviously light, almost like regular clothes.

He held a spear.

But what caught my eye was something on his back.

A fishing net.

In the match, he quickly closed the distance, used the net to immobilize the opponent, and stabbed with the spear.

That's all.

He took a direct hit from a spell but didn't flinch.

It was a manly, dignified way of fighting.

If I faced him?

How would I fight?

It's a bit of a dilemma, but just imagining it is fun.

For example.

A dwarf warrior.

But he used two one-handed axes.

No, I have doubts about calling them one-handed axes; they were heavy.

The dwarf was almost being swung around by the axes but still won.

A brute-force way of fighting.

Strength overcomes all.

That's what it's called.

No, since the opponent was also a power-fighter dwarf, it should be "strength overcomes strength."

What a reckless guy.

If I faced him?

I'd just laugh.

I continued watching until the second day of the preliminaries ended.

No, that's not right.

I purely enjoyed the matches.

It was around 5:00 PM.

I had a quick dinner at a stall and left Remto Town.

I suddenly felt the urge to move my body.

I need to calm down somehow.

I should release it through hunting.

After passing the forest watchtower, I tried using a call monster.

The wild horse didn't respond.

It's probably the same pattern as the Horned Rabbit.

As a substitute, I guided a stray horse and fought as if releasing all my pent-up energy.

Hmm.

With a rod, I can attack while mounted.

It feels good.

But such a fun time passed quickly.

It's almost dark.

I have no choice.

I returned Crescent and Helix and summoned Wolf and Oni.

Then I entered the forest.

I'll do it as usual.

The usual way is fine.

But today, I felt unusually aggressive.

I continued with some bad hunting.

I'm sorry, Evil Ant.

I was just twisting off heads. How cruel.

I'm sorry, Wild Silver Chicken.

I was just breaking necks, which is really inhumane.

And I was also stealing eggs.

I'm sorry, Bloody Wood.

Even though you usually practice with me, I was just throwing and breaking you.

It's really repaying kindness with ingratitude.

Parallel Raccoon.

You don't need to run.

Here, I'll fight you gently, so don't run.

Wolf and Obsidian chased and hunted you, though.

Hmm.

I don't regret it.

After a mad time, it was almost 10:00 PM.

Did I get too absorbed?

Thanks to that, I didn't pick up any wound grass or obsidian.

I have a match tomorrow, so I should call it a day.

I reached my master's house at 10:30 PM.

I must have gone too deep into the forest.

But I didn't get lost on the way back.

I used the lightning spell, Magnetic Compass, to return south.

The direction is displayed on the virtual window for about 30 minutes.

It's a handy spell that saves time.

It will be quite useful during exploration.

I returned the summoned monsters and sat on the bed upstairs.

Hmm.

Watching matches is fun, but the urge to fight is a problem.

A little bit of regret.

I took off my equipment, got into bed, and logged out.

Main Character: Keith

Race: Human, Male, Race Level 7

Class: Summoner (Summoner) Level 6

Bonus Points Remaining: 3

Set Skills:

Staff Level 6, Strike Level 4, Kick Level 4, Joint Lock Level 4, Throw Level 4

Dodge Level 4, Block Level 4, Summoning Magic Level 7

Light Magic Level 3, Wind Magic Level 4, Earth Magic Level 4, Water Magic Level 4

Fire Magic Level 3, Dark Magic Level 3, Ice Magic Level 1, Lightning Magic Level 1

Wood Magic Level 1

Alchemy Level 4, Pharmacist Level 3, Glassworking Level 3, Woodworking Level 3

Coordination Level 6, Appraisal Level 6, Identification Level 6, Perception Level 1, Cold Resistance Level 3

Grapple Level 5, Horsemanship Level 5, Precision Operation Level 6, Jump Level 2

Heat Resistance Level 3, Climbing Level 3, Dual Wielding Level 3, Mental Fortitude Level 3 (Up 1)

Fast Casting Level 2

Equipment:

Kay's Rod x2, Kay's Tonfa x2, Snow Leopard Hidden Claw x3

Wild Rabbit Chest Guard + Series, Snow Monkey Arm Guard, Wild Horse Boots +

Snow Monkey Leather Helmet, Backpack, Item Box x2

Items:

Skinning Knife, Complete Set of Woodworking Tools

Titles:

Apprentice of the Old Summoner, Proof of Forest Guardian, Seeker of Balance

Spell Catalog

Summoned Monsters:

Wolf, Wolf Level 6

Crescent, Horse Level 4

Helix, Hawk Level 4

Obsidian, Owl Level 4

Jean, Bat Level 4

Jerrick, Wood Golem Level 3

Oni, Oni Level 2