Chapter 62

I increased the amount.

It's a clear day today.

I'll log in and pray to the beautiful sunrise.

To the sun.

I'm sorry for all that happened yesterday.

But please forgive me for hunting Evil Ants.

I'll summon as usual today.

Crescent, Helix, and Obsidian.

It's true that today is the main tournament, but I'll keep a calm mind.

For that, I just need to act as I usually do.

I head out to the street and make my way to the town of Remto.

Somehow, the closer I get to Remto, the more players I see.

Perhaps many players want to see the tournament live.

On the other hand, there are also many players hunting stray dogs.

That hasn't changed.

The town of Remto was more crowded than ever.

I wonder how crowded the match venue will be.

I looked for a food stall, but they were all incredibly crowded.

This is unbearable.

I lined up at the nearest stall to secure breakfast.

I'll eat it in the waiting room later.

I head to the new training ground.

There's a sense of excitement in the air throughout the town.

It was there before, but today it's even more intense.

I left Crescent and the others at the stables, completed the registration at the entrance for contestants, and entered the venue.

Then I was led to the waiting room by a staff member.

There were already five people in the waiting room.

The players' gazes, sizing me up as I entered, were painful.

I don't think they'll see anything impressive even if they use "Identification."

I sat down against the wall and satisfied my hunger with the food I bought, and drank water.

It seems no one is staring at me anymore.

Players who are likely to be contestants started gathering in the waiting room one by one.

Some of them are probably using "Identification" on each other.

There are also players who are calm and composed, with their eyes open and not blinking.

On the other hand, there are players meditating.

Some are checking their equipment.

I observed the actions of these players.

People watching.

It's also fun.

You can see their combat styles from their equipment.

And they all made it through the preliminaries.

It's natural that they are all tough opponents.

I've seen several players from the preliminaries.

There are also dwarves and elves I recognize.

They have a variety of weapons.

Some are lightly armored, while others are heavily armored.

Today's main tournament will likely feature battles between players with different playstyles.

It's interesting.

If I weren't participating, I would have spent the day watching the matches.

My mind was filled with enjoyable fantasies.

No.

It's just image training.

Before I knew it, the waiting room was full of players.

Then, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance to the waiting room.

It's Lady Gertha.

As always, she's intimidating.

"It's time. Please gather at the match venue."

Players were led out of the waiting room one by one by a young staff member.

I was the last to leave the waiting room.

Counting, I was the 16th.

There were about half of the main tournament participants here.

The other half is probably in another waiting room.

The appearance of the match venue had changed.

There were supposed to be 8 arenas, but there were only 4.

They must have arranged the seats to accommodate more spectators.

They built temporary stands by stacking stones.

Did they do this overnight?

Strange things do happen.

And the cheers and applause.

I was taken aback.

We, the contestants, were left in the 4 arenas.

I could see other contestants being led in from the opposite side of the waiting room.

There are 32 of us.

The applause didn't stop until all the contestants were in the match venue.

It gradually became quieter.

Before I knew it, the guild master was standing on a higher platform, looking around.

He seemed to be making an opening declaration, but I couldn't hear it.

My attention was fixed on the VIP platform.

The person sitting next to the guild master is undoubtedly my master.

I used "Identification," but it's definitely my master.

Our eyes met.

Why did you look away, Master?

The opening declaration seemed to have been made.

The surroundings were in a whirl of applause.

I followed a young female staff member who looked familiar.

It seems I'll be in the opening match.

The same goes for the other 3 arenas.

I touched the crystal to fully recover my HP and MP.

And my opponent?

He was right there on the diagonal.

He's big.

And his equipment looks heavy, like full plate armor.

It's probably leather armor, but most of the surface is reinforced with metal plates.

His shield is also big.

It reaches from the ground to his shoulder.

His main weapon seems to be a mace.

A heavy warrior, I guess.

I haven't seen him in the preliminaries, but I've seen similar players.

It's not far off from what I expected.

I might as well use "Identification."

??? Lv.8

Fighter Waiting

Lv.8.

Is he a higher rank?

My equipment is leather armor, which has improved my defense.

My main weapon is a rod.

I have two tonfas as a secondary weapon, which I carry on my back, hidden by my shield.

I have hidden claws attached to my belt.

If it comes to a proper close-quarters fight, the outcome is clear.

That's right.

I never intended to fight properly from the beginning.

"Start!"

The guild master's voice echoed strangely around the area.

Here we go, the start of the battle.

"Meditate!" "Breathe!"

I immediately use my usual martial arts and then select and cast a spell.

I don't move from my spot.

The first spell is the key.

I had a strategy and tactics in mind, so there's no hesitation.

My opponent?

He's walking towards me.

He's not dashing.

My opponent reaches the center of the arena.

"Physical Enchantment Wind!"

I immediately select and cast the next spell.

My opponent doesn't seem to be doing anything.

He gets closer.

He crouches and holds his shield in front of him.

He stands sideways, hiding behind his shield.

It's good to know what he's going to do in advance.

"Mental Enchantment Dark!"

'Physical Enchantment Earth!' 'Shield Rush!'

The imposing presence of the approaching giant is intense.

But I've seen more terrifying monsters.

I'm grateful that my body didn't tense up.

Still, it's a martial art.

It looks like I avoided it, but I took some damage.

My HP bar was reduced by nearly 10% from just a graze.

He's impressive.

I run slightly to the edge of the arena and try to stab his ankle with my rod.

It hits directly.

But he doesn't budge.

That's within my expectations, but it's still frustrating.

I avoid his mace attack by stepping back and prepare for the next attack.

Come on.

I'll do it.

I charge again.

If the opponent only retreats, I should pursue.

'Shield Rush!'

Here it comes.

This time, I couldn't avoid it completely because the distance was close.

I endure the pain in my shoulder and secure a position on the opponent's side.

I then perform a body check.

The goal isn't to deal damage.

I had another aim.

My opponent managed to maintain his stance despite the body check, but he ended up outside the arena.

As planned.

"Get back into the arena!"

A staff member acting as a referee outside the arena warned my opponent.

Two more times.

If I can get the opponent out of the arena two more times, I win.

It's good that I saw a match in the preliminaries where the winner used the same strategy.

It would be too troublesome to reduce the HP bar of such a heavy opponent and win.

I don't want to do that.

"Physical Enchantment Earth!"

This strengthens my defense.

I immediately select and cast the next spell.

I take up a position in the center of the arena, and my opponent has returned to the edge.

He still seems to have some room to spare.

He doesn't seem to be rushing to attack.

That's actually a relief.

I give up the center of the arena and slightly retreat to the corner.

He doesn't pursue.

Did he notice my intention?

"Darkness Stare!"

I cast a dark attribute attack spell.

It might cause a darkened state, but what happens?

Unfortunately, no status abnormality occurred. That's a shame.

I select and cast the next spell while circling around my opponent.

Of course, I keep my distance and stay out of range.

I circle around to the right side where he holds his mace.

Why?

If I go the other way, I'll be in the shadow of his shield and won't be able to see the signs of an attack.

The initial movement of an attack always shows some kind of gesture.

How quickly you can read an attack.

Since my chosen strategy is to outmaneuver the opponent with agility, this is essential.

My opponent slowly closes the distance, trying to corner me within the mace's attack range.

He's like a moving fortress.

But I'm not afraid.

Will he charge?

If he doesn't, there's nothing I can do.

"Confuse Blast!"

I cast the spell when the distance is slightly closed.

My opponent tried to avoid it, but the distance was too close.

He seems to have taken a direct hit.

I select and cast the next spell.

At the same time, I circle around to his right side.

There was an opportunity to attack with my rod, so I stabbed his knee.

It seems the joints aren't reinforced with metal.

Danger.

Is the corner of my mouth curling into a smile?

The marker indicates that he's in a status abnormality.

Looking closely, it says "Confused."

But he can still move.

He's just wildly swinging his mace.

"Stone Bullet!"

I cast the spell from a relatively close distance.

My opponent, who took a direct hit, loses his balance.

I don't miss this opportunity.

I hit him with another body check, sending him flying out of the arena.

He would have held his ground if he had braced himself.

But it seems the combination with the spell worked.

'!?'

My opponent, who rolled out of the arena, returned to the center.

He didn't seem to understand what had happened.

He seems to have recovered from the confused state, but it might be because he went out of the arena.

I check his HP bar.

It hasn't decreased by 20%.

No, it's only decreased by a little over 10%.

How much has his vitality been enhanced?

"Get back into the arena!"

The referee staff member warned my opponent again.

This opponent will lose if he goes out of the arena one more time.

What will he do?

Will he charge with the intention of going out of the arena?

Or will he gradually close the distance and launch a close-range attack?

"Earth Heal!"

My HP bar is fully restored by the healing spell I had prepared.

Hmm.

I have a bit of leeway now.

Of course, I can't be careless.

If it comes down to close combat, I might be quickly reversed.

I select and cast the next spell while retreating to the corner of the arena and wait for my opponent's reaction.

He started running, shaking his heavy equipment.

Great!

It wouldn't be fun if he didn't.

'Brain Smash!'

The mace passed through the space where my head was just a moment ago.

I had already sidestepped, but it was scary.

For the first time, my opponent showed a movement to circle around in the opposite direction.

He tried to circle around to the shield side.

Come on.

Fall for the bait!

'Shield Rush!'

Sure enough, he came.

That's what a man would do.

The large shield, held sideways, was approaching.

At the same time, I slid under his feet.

I reaped his left ankle with my left foot.

At the same time, I kicked the sole of his left foot with my right foot.

He rolled over with the momentum of his charge.

I was also dragged along.

It seems I locked his left leg, which backfired.

And I was too light.

Before I knew it, we both rolled out of the arena.

《Match Over! Stop the battle!》

《You have won the match and your job level has increased!》

《You have won the match and your race level has increased! Please add 1 point to any status value.》

Why did I level up at this moment?

I stared at the virtual window, lost in thought for a while.

Hmm.

Should I align my status values in multiples of 4?

I'll start by increasing my dexterity.

Base Status

Dexterity 16 (↑1)

Agility 15

Intelligence 20

Strength 15

Vitality 15

Spirit 20

《2 bonus points have been added. The total is now 7 points.》

《You have advanced to the second round of the main tournament! The second round is scheduled for 10:30 AM today at the new training ground E.》

《2 bonus points have been added for advancing to the second round. The total is now 9 points.》

My opponent, the warrior, seems to be exhausted outside the arena.

When I stood up and moved to the center of the arena, he hurriedly ran over.

We bowed to each other.

My opponent approached me and offered a handshake.

His outstretched right hand.

Without thinking, I also extended my right hand to shake.

What is this?

It feels strange.

"I was completely defeated. I'm the warrior Shervi."

"Eh?"

Shervi.

Isn't that a female name?

Now that I think about it, the feel of the handshake was strangely soft.

"I'm sorry, you're a woman?"

"Looks like you didn't notice."

She took off her helmet to show me.

Indeed, she is a woman.

She is more than a head taller than me, but she is a woman.

Her long hair is cut short, and her face is so stern that she could pass as a male actor.

Wow.

She has a very imposing presence.

I'm being quite rude, aren't I?

"Excuse me. I'm the summoner Keith."

"You're a summoner, right?"

"Yes, I guess so."

"Is that true?"

Got it.

It's probably payback for my rude comments earlier.

I'm being laughed at with a smirk.

I can only feel embarrassed.

I can't win against a woman with words.

I'll keep to myself that I thought she was manly in my mind.

I wanted to watch the other matches at the edge of the training ground, but I wasn't allowed.

Two out of the three other matches were still ongoing.

After fully recovering my HP and MP with the crystal, I was urged to return to the waiting room.

I was looking forward to watching the matches.

I also saw Lady Gertha as I left the training ground.

My opponent, Shervi, who had lost, seemed to be receiving some kind of spell from Lady Gertha.

A carpet-like material on the floor glowed faintly.

"Repairing weapons and armor is fine with this."

"Yes, thank you."

Wow.

So this can repair weapons and armor.

"Mr. Keith, please return to the waiting room."

"Ah, sorry."

I guess I should quietly return to the waiting room.

In the waiting room, all the other contestants looked at me at once.

Then they turned their gazes away.

It's scary.

I sat down with my back against the wall.

I could see a blinking icon in the lower right corner of my field of vision.

It wasn't there before, was it?

When I maximized it, it turned out to be a battle log.

I thought it was just from my previous match, but it was also showing the battle logs of ongoing matches.

It seems to be something that is publicly available to all players.

Hmm.

This is useful.

But I'd prefer to see the live action.

It would be great if they streamed videos.

I reviewed my own battle log for reflection.

I started with past logs.

In the public logs, my unique name isn't displayed.

It just says "Summoner."

I looked at the logs of the Fighter vs. Summoner match and also glanced at the battle logs of other matches.

I see.

Even though I won, the strategies I used are now known.

But that's mutual.

The tricky part is not knowing who I'll face next.

But it's not something to worry too much about.

No matter who my opponent is, they will be tough.

Only the players who won their first matches return to the waiting room.

There were supposed to be 16 players, but now there are only 5.

The matches of the players currently in the arena just started.

I was informed by a staff member that the start time for the second round would be moved up because the matches were progressing faster than scheduled.

I was busy reviewing the battle logs of other matches.

I knew they would all be tough opponents.

I had my eye on a player who I thought would be the worst match-up.

They are front-line pure combat players, and some of them had unusually short match times.

There are two such players, excluding the four matches currently ongoing.

One of them was in this waiting room.

Lumberjack.

He's supposed to be a woodcutter, but his first match only lasted a minute.

He won with only axe attacks.

He didn't even use martial arts, so there's no data to be seen in the log.

It's scary that he could one-shot a warrior opponent.

Fisherman.

He's also supposed to be