1,000,000 Karma: My Reward Is a Quiet Life-Chapter 62: The Champion’s Stride, Part One

"Noah! Noah! Noah!"

All at once, the cheers began as Noah looked up towards the standards, waving back to the plethora of new fans he gained. He looked around, doing his best to find his friends in the sea of unknown faces.

"Wooo! Hell yeah!" Celebrating harder than anybody else, Rain pumped her fist in the air as the glimmer of gold coins shined in her eyes.

Noah picked up on the woman’s cheers, seeing her stick out like a sore thumb as he waved towards his companions. It wasn’t until he walked through the tunnel that he properly felt the weight of his victory, literally–

"That was so, so awesome!"

Otto practically leapt onto him, greeting him with enthusiasm as if it was the archer himself that won. While Noah wasn’t entirely expecting that kind of reaction, he laughed it off, sharing a high-five.

"Was it? I didn’t really do much," Noah said, looking back.

"Are you kidding me? You made short work of a total badass like Lacian! The crowd loves you! Well, I’m sure there are some people mad about the underdog winning, but screw them!" Otto excitedly said, clapping his hands together. "That’s a thousand gold in your pocket!"

"Oh yeah–"

As he remembered the prize for making it past the first round, somebody else walked into the exclusive waiting room. Clapping followed footsteps as the orange-hair revealed itself foremost of the well-dressed man.

"Congratulations, Noah," the Concierge congratulated with a smile. "You’re already the talk of the place! You’ll be compensated at the front desk at your leisure, but the question is–do you plan on continuing?"

The question took a moment to answer, though seeing the giddy fan of his in the archer beside him, he only had one response, "Sure thing. You still haven’t revealed what the grand prize is, though."

"Ha-ha, and it’s still a secret!" The concierge raised a finger to his lips. "Until the Grand Finals, that is. Only then will the two finalists know what they’re competing for."

"Interesting," Noah said. "Guess I’ll have to stick to it."

The manager of the luxurious inn clapped his hands, "The next fight is about to start. This will be an interesting one. I’d suggest watching it quite closely."

Taking the advice of the Concierge, he decided to take advantage of exclusive seating outside of the waiting room. Of course, Otto was allowed to join him, bringing them just a row away from the battlegrounds itself.

"Look at these seats! We can see everything up close!" Otto said ecstatically before turning around, looking up a dozen rows where the others were. "Hello, up there!" He teased.

"Don’t be that guy," Noah mumbled with a quiet sigh, keeping his eyes on the arena.

Though he was in "VIP" seating, there were still some rows just a few meters behind behind him, with people leaning over the railings to try and get his attention.

"Noah! You kicked ass out there!" A bearded man heartily complimented.

"You were sooo cool!" A brunette woman said with her hands on her cheeks.

"Hey, you bastard! I lose five gold ’cus of you!" A disgruntled man complained, though was properly pushed back by more favorable members of the audience.

Noah did his best to appease his new fans with a smile and wave, briefly looking back, "Thank you for your support. I’ll definitely need it next match! Bet responsibly, please!" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Just the simple act of addressing the crowd made them cheer louder. Beside him, Otto bashfully scratched his own cheek, feeling a bit out of place next to the sudden star.

"GET READY, FOLKS! IT’S TIME FOR A TITANIC SHOWDOWN! IT’S NOT A STRETCH TO SAY THIS IS THE BOUT WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! COME ON OUT, SYLVAN–THE SCARRED BEAST!"

An uproar followed from the crowd after the announcer’s words, with even the archer beside him getting on his feet to cheer.

"A fan favorite?" Noah questioned.

"You really did just stay tucked in the woods, didn’t you?!" Otto said in surprise. "Sylvan is super famous in this region! She helped repel the Black Calamity–a total badass!"

From the right tunnel, the introduced participant walked out in a suit of scratched-and-dented, scarlet armor. It left her abdomen exposed, though the rock-solid muscles she had hardly made it seem necessary to be protected.

From his assessment being in the stands, the renowned, female warrior had to be over two meters in height with enough muscle to put most dedicated gym goers to shame.

’She could definitely crush a watermelon with her thighs alone,’ he analyzed.

"Let’s just get this started, yeah?" Sylvan said, smiling with her shark teeth while leaning her chain-handled claymore on her shoulder.

From above, the announcer with slicked-back, gold hair took in a large breath, preparing to expel the next words that left his mouth, "AND NOW...THE REIGNING, DEFENDING CHAMPION OF THE CLASH OF STARS! THE RADIANT BUTCHER, THE WIND OF SOUTH HANDRA, THE UNCROWNED SAINT...TEDERICH!"

It was unlike any energy he felt from a crowd before, just about every single person present cheered with their utmost. Noah could only watch, curious of what kind of person would arrive from the other tunnel, and who could such reverence belong to.

"Nnn..." Sat in the stands, Redrum watched while swallowing his bitter memories.

From the opposing side of the arena, a figure clad in a simple, beige cloak that sat over a tan tunic and trousers stepped out onto the battlefield. A head of snow-white hair and a face covered in scars and wrinkles; a veteran, undeniably.

Sylvan shouted from her side of the arena, "Hey, Gramps! Didja forget your sword, or what?"

The old adventurer rolled his shoulders and yawned, picking at his ear while taking his time to address the question before looking over, "Oh, right. I didn’t bring it."

"Hah? Why not!?" Sylvan asked with a raised eyebrow, scrunching her nose at the offense.

"Didn’t think I’d need it, is all," Tederich boredly answered.

Like a kettle running hot, the scarlet-haired woman’s face went red as she clenched her teeth, driving her blade into the stone at her feet as it hissed with black strands of electricity, "I don’t care who you are...That kind of disrespect will get you begging for mercy, Old Man!"

Tedrich wielded a dry smile wearing his age, unveiling his right arm, inked in tattoos, from beneath his cloak, wielding a swirling wind around his limb, "Don’t take it personally. The Lunar Cleaver is a picky gal. She only likes cutting up big game."

The tension was already palpable as the audience couldn’t seem to wait any longer, only anxious for the announcer’s blessing:

"THIS IS A BATTLE OF HEROES KNOWN ACROSS THE WORLD...BEGIN–!!!"