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Chapter 57
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“Finally! The competition you’ve all been waiting for is here! I’m Clona, your commentator for today’s event!”
A woman with a voluminous orange bob and round glasses excitedly raised the tension.
“Joining me to help with today’s commentary is none other than~!”
Drumroll, drumroll, drumroll!
A background of drumbeats, which she had thoughtfully prepared, played.
“Ta-da! The Sword Demon, Professor Karen Orbon!”
“Hello~.”
When Karen appeared at the commentary box, the crowd’s reaction was overwhelming.
“It’s Karen!”
“The Hero of the War!”
“Blood Sword Punch! Blood Sword Punch! Blood Sword Punch!”
“Aah! She looked at me!”
The roar of cheers erupted from the audience.
Clona could feel Karen’s immense popularity seeping through her skin.
“Phew~ The energy is on fire! Let’s keep this momentum going as I introduce the rules for today’s competition!”
As Clona spoke, a data screen appeared in the centre of the arena.
“This competition takes place on the second floor of the Ten-Thousand Demon War—an area known as the Gathering Demonic Forest!”
The Gathering Demonic Forest.
A forest where monsters gather.
As the name suggests, this place is teeming with all sorts of monsters lying in wait for prey.
The vegetation, nourished by the corpses of these monsters, is filled with toxins.
Even the most skilled adventurer’s life could be at risk here.
However, the main opponents in today’s competition aren’t the monsters.
“Today, the participants will be competing against each other in this place!”
The theme of the competition is inheritance and unity.
The emphasis lies on two people working together.
“Hidden throughout the forest are ‘relics,’ which are the key to today’s competition! There are a total of four types of relics!”
These relics were pre-hidden by the competition committee.
They are the keys to victory.
“The condition for victory is simple! If one person wears all four relics for 10 minutes, their team automatically wins! Simple, right?!”
“Of course, you can also steal relics discovered by other teams~.”
Karen lazily added an explanation.
“If a relic is stolen before the 10 minutes are up, the timer resets! The team must recollect the relics and endure for another 10 minutes!”
But.
“Wouldn’t it be boring if that was all? Each relic comes with its own curse!”
The reason this competition values unity so much.
It’s because, as one gets closer to victory, one person becomes incapacitated.
“Handling the curses of four relics is quite burdensome~.”
“Ah, even you’d have a hard time, Professor Karen?!”
“I can push away the curses with my strength, but it might be slightly harsh for the students, don’t you think?”
To win, one person must bear the curses of all four relics.
The other must protect them and endure for 10 minutes.
“High-level strategies will be required!”
“Or~ you could just sweep them all away with overwhelming power.”
“Haha! Such a funny joke!”
“…….”
“It… is a joke, right…?”
Clona swallowed nervously as she glanced at Karen, who wore a meaningful smile.
“A-anyway! Let’s get started!”
Drumroll, drumroll, drumroll, boom!
A small fireworks display erupted in the centre of the arena.
“The Relic Capture begins now!!”
***
“Are you sure we should go this way?”
“Sigh! Fresh rookies should just listen to their seniors.”
“Fresh and rookie doesn’t really go together, does it?”
A freshman partnered with a fourth-year senior held back the words and followed her lead.
“You see, the key to this kind of event is to perfectly understand the organizers’ intentions!”
The senior struck a pose and pointed dramatically.
“So, my dear junior, where do you think the relics are hidden?”
“I’m guessing… the centre of the forest? Since that’s where most monsters would be.”
“Sigh. You’re such a rookie.”
The senior replied in an overly exaggerated tone.
“This competition is about the students competing against each other! Do you think they’d host such a grand event just to watch us hunt monsters?!”
“Could you just get to the point without dragging it out?”
“You’re eager to learn from your senior’s wisdom. Alright, I’ll tell you quickly.”
Just as the junior began regretting not rejecting this partnership, the senior answered.
“The relics are hidden where competition between students is most likely to occur. In areas that are great for hiding!”
“By hiding, you mean….”
“Caves, pits, densely wooded areas, or crevices between large rocks.”
“Wow….”
This person actually seems to have a logical thought process.
The junior clapped lightly.
“But how do you know where those spots are?”
“Aren’t you lucky to have a senior like me?”
The senior smirked and shrugged.
“From the moment the competition’s location and theme were decided, I studied the geography and ecosystem of the Gathering Demonic Forest! This place is practically my backyard now!”
“Ah, so that’s why you kept skipping training whenever it was time to practice.”
“And according to my information….”
Pushing aside some bushes, she took a few more steps forward.
“There’s the largest cave in the forest right around here!”
As it turned out, her boast wasn’t entirely empty.
The pair soon found the entrance to a massive cave.
“Wow! This is amazing, senior!”
“Waaaaa! It’s real?!”
“…Excuse me?”
“…Ahem. Never mind. Let’s go inside.”
The moment they entered, cold, damp air rushed at them.
Ke-rek!
And soon, the sound of monsters followed.
“Monsters guarding the treasure! Come at me!”
“Maybe it’s just their habitat.”
Three goblin huts.
A single goblin may not be much of a threat, but once they form huts, the difficulty of eliminating them rises significantly.
“Five goblin warriors, three archers, and no shamans!”
“Let’s take them down quickly and search.”
The two students drew their swords.
Despite appearances, participating in this competition meant they had skills.
Swish!
Slash!
A few goblins were easily taken down.
“Keh-heh-heh! Easy, so easy! At this rate, we might win the whole thing!”
.
.
.
“Shi— I’m dying here….”
“See? I told you not to overdo it… Who uses advanced sword techniques against goblins?”
The senior panted heavily, trudging along with heavy steps.
“It feels like we’ve been at this for thirty minutes already, so where are the relics?! I must’ve killed over a hundred goblins by now!”
“…Could it be a mistake? Maybe there were never any relics here to begin with….”
“No way! There’s definitely something here!”
The senior huffed and strode forward with exaggerated vigor.
Just as uneasiness began creeping into their minds.
“…Huh?!”
They saw it.
A golden chest embedded in the corner of the cave.
“Hey, hey, hey! That’s…!”
Actions spoke louder than words.
The junior sprinted forward and opened the chest.
Swoosh!
A dazzling light poured out of the chest.
Inside was a necklace adorned with a large blue gemstone.
“It’s a relic…!”
“It’s really here!”
They found it.
One of the four relics, discovered already!
“This is amazing!”
Overwhelming joy and pride washed over them.
“We must be the first ones to find one, right?!”
“Of course! It’s only been an hour since the competition started!”
“Ha-ha-ha!”
Their feet tapped the ground in pure delight.
But then came the real question.
“So, who’s going to wear it?”
“Huh?”
“One of the rules said, ‘To move with a relic, it must be worn.’”
Hmm.
Hmmm.
“Obviously, it should be you.”
“Why me?”
“Because I’m stronger than you. Isn’t it more efficient for the weaker one to carry the curse while the stronger one protects them?”
“…You’re stronger than me?”
“What did you just say?!”
As a small quarrel was about to erupt.
Rumble!
A strange aura swept through the space around them.
“What, what is this?!”
Suddenly, from a distance.
Whoosh!
A blade of blue light swept through the air.
「Magic Sword Style」
「Stone Rain」
From the cave ceiling, stone swords formed and rained down.
“Whoa!”
“Ugh!”
The two of them dodged the attack by splitting apart.
Boom!
The space filled with thick dust.
The junior quickly gathered themselves and shouted toward the senior’s direction.
“It’s an ambush by another team! Let’s run…!”
“You’re not going anywhere.”
Thud!
In that brief moment.
Someone had approached their location and dropped something on the ground.
“Ugh….”
The senior had already been subdued and was unconscious.
“Ha…!”
A bitter smile formed on the junior’s lips.
“Thanks. You saved me the trouble of using my energy to get the relic.”
“Jane… Rune, the head of the disciplinary committee….”
Jane Rune.
She smirked mischievously.
“Since when?”
“From the beginning, maybe? Why would you make such loud noises before checking your surroundings?”
Could it be that they had been tailed all this time?
From the moment they fought the goblins to when they retrieved the relic.
“So, we cooked the meal, and now the dog gets to eat it.”
“Don’t worry. This dog will bring back the championship trophy.”
Without a word, the junior handed over the necklace.
Picking a fight they were bound to lose and exhausting themselves further would have been foolish.
“Thanks~.”
Jane accepted the necklace with a wink.
“Wait for me, Elma, Lan.”
The defeat from the practice duel would be thoroughly repaid.
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