Chapter 217. Knockout Tournament (4)

They say that a person leaves behind a name when they die, and a beast leaves behind its skin.

However, the gruesome actions of the Beast were events that lingered in people's minds, making it hard to forget. In t he end, the Beast left behind not just its skin but a vivid name. People, unaware that it had already been defeated and killed, were left trembling in fear.

‘Ugh...’

And as she pondered the identity of the Beast, naturally, the face of ‘that man’ also came to mind.

‘Creepy!’

At one point, Brooklyn Morgan had joked on a TV show that perhaps the Beast was just an S-rank Hunter whose abiliti es hadn't been revealed yet. However, if they consider someone with ambiguous awakening trails and a ruthless pers onality capable of killing the same person multiple times...

Why does one person keep lingering in her mind?

‘No way.’

Blonde hair. Sambaean eyes. The sound of boots following behind. Cold skin. A dragging longsword...

‘Heuk.’

Sophia shook her head forcefully, trying to shake off the terrifying thoughts.

Right. No matter how much she thought about it, it seemed like a completely unnecessary path. Right now, she neede d to focus on what was at hand, not worry about that Eastern Hunter. To pay off her gambling debt easily, she had to place high in this tournament, where the prize money was massive. And the good thing was, she wouldn't have to run into that terrifying Asian person herd in the list of confirmed S-rank Hunters China promoted, the name Kim Goryeo wa sn't there.

‘If it were me, I would have rushed to sign up, even if it meant getting distracted by the item box. Hm. Well, anyway, I guess it's a relief.’

Sophia relaxed her body with a much more relaxed expression.

Of course, at this time, she didn't know yet. The reason China hadn't used Kim Goryeo's name in their promotion wasn' t because of anything else, but simply because that individual had taken longer than others to make a decision. He rea lized, just as he had thought earlier, that the basic reward of the item box was such a big and sweet prize...

The neatly paved road. The wide open sky. And the distant sounds of cheering spectators, or the annoying buzzing of drones flying overhead.

[The 5th match of the Yellow Dragon Battle-I]

Sophia listened to the announcement being translated into three languages by the organizers and thought to herself.

[This is a commemorative match of the Six-Star Awakened from Korea-I]

God is dead. More specifically, the goddess of fortune, Tyche, has undoubtedly died and disappeared from this world. If that weren't the case, there's no way her prayer for a good draw would have resulted in something like this. She ca n't believe it. At this point, she was in such despair that she was on the verge of falling into nihilism.

‘Whoaaa~’

‘Amazing!’

‘S-rank Hunter. S-rank Hunter!’

These days, the resolution of drone cameras keeps improving day by day. By now, these trembling pupils of mine are probably being broadcasted into every living room across the world.

Sophia, drenched in cold sweat, barely managed to lift her head. What greeted her was the very sight she had feared t o see again, even in her dreams.

‘- -’

At that moment, the man standing across the arena finally seemed to recall Sophia's identity. Fiddling with the cufflink s of his dress shirt, he raised one eyebrow as if something had just come to mind. But that was the only visible reactio n. The blond man soon fell back into silence.

Since all magic-infused equipment had to be removed before entering the arena, there was no point in trying to comm unicate. The Ploy Translator had also been taken away due to regulations—what conversation could they possibly hav e now?

[Then, get ready...]

[10]

[9]

Unlike the S-rank Hunter, who was completely prohibited from using items, Sophia was granted permission to use her main equipment as a slight handicap.

[1]

However, as the countdown on the arena's digital clock continued to tick down, all she could think about was throwing away her weapon and running for her life.

[Start the match]

‘God...’

As expected, she really should have never gotten into gambling...

***

Now, let's take a look at how Sophia ended up in such a dire situation.

Four hours earlier. Goryeo was on a plane to China with Kang Changho. To be precise, it was the contractor's private je t. During their previous trip to Japan, they had all used a commercial airline. However, Kang Changho had found that e xperience particularly uncomfortable, which ultimately led him to finalize his long-considered decision to purchase a p lane.

“You're saying you're not going there to win?”

But after a moment, the S-rank Hunter sitting across from him casually spoke while opening a bottle of champagne. H e said he had no interest in things like “Triana.”

“What I want is a completely different item. That thing is practically essential for illegal trades, so it rarely appears on t he black market. The sellers just won't let go of it.”

“Ah.”

“It seems relatively easy to obtain in the regular Hunter market, though.”

Goryeo unconsciously asked a question befitting an Alphauri.

“Really? Then couldn't you just have someone else buy it for you...?”

“That's right. I'm already doing it.”

“Yes?”

“I'm already having people buy it for me, of course. So if I really wanted to, I could get my hands on the item.”

However, the more answers he received, the more the conversation seemed to spiral into uncertainty.

“Then why on earth are you going to China?”

As he remained silent with a blank expression, Kang Changho seemed to understand his confusion and elaborated furt her. In truth, he hadn't decided to participate in the tournament just for the sake of the item rewards. Well...

“But China is so vast, and people are scattered all over the place.”

The tall Hunter tapped his index finger against the corner of his eye.

“If the Awakened are gathering on their own, there's no reason not to check it out.”

“Ah.”

“The item is just a kind of souvenir. My real goal is this. Now you get it, right?”

Goryeo quickly understood as he saw the magic tool rolling under the man's eyelid.

“Well, even a Dragon's Eye must have its range limitations...”

A gathering of high-ranking Awakened must feel like a fresh produce section in a massive supermarket to someone w ith [Improvement]. But wasn't there a limit to the number of times that skill could be stolen? Besides, he had already se cured another offering to replace his previous contractor. And yet, here he was again, looking for more Awakened...

“An Earthling who never knows satisfaction.”

Goryeo inwardly clicked his tongue at the greed of the man before him. However, he couldn't let it show on his face. K ang Changho was busy at the nuts on his plate.

Crack.

Then, Kang Changho effortlessly crushed the walnut shell in his bare hand. Goryeo felt silent for a moment as the expo sed nuts like beans in a lightning flash, but once again he acted as if nothing had happened. He had already se cured another offering to replace his previous contractor. And yet, here he was again, looking for more Awakened...

He then crushed the walnut shell with his bare hands. Goryeo felt silent for a moment as he stared at the exposed nut i nside. Honestly, even if Kang Changho hadn't awakened, his basic muscle mass alone would have made cracking a w alnut possible, which made Goryeo involuntarily adopt a more humble attitude.

And around this time, the Awakener across from him began to make a rather problematic statement...

“By the way, Kim Goryeo, are you really sure you don't want to participate?”

“What?”

“The tournament.”

Kang Changho spoke again.

Since they had already gone through the trouble of flying a private jet, it would be more economical if Goryeo also mad e an appearance at the event, considering the cost of fuel. They probably wouldn't end up facing each other in the tou rnament anyway—though Kang Changho sounded oddly certain about that. But even in the unlikely event that they di d, he promised he would forfeit the match right away. And so, the S-rank Hunter continued to encourage Goryeo to par ticipate in the tournament.

To be honest, it was an utterly transparent form of persuasion. Just like when they were at the Kagoshima Gate, Girye o had sensed E-Kang Changho frequently wanted to verify the true abilities of his contractor.

He's absolutely desperate to watch some magic.

Asking if he had any intention of entering a tournament for superhumans.

‘Hmm.’

Of course not. He was just about to give that answer when he suddenly hesitated. Come to think of it, the participatio n reward for S-rank Hunters was an [Item Box Rare].

‘Item Box.’

A rare-grade Item Box had a minimum value in the tens of billions. After swindling Jung Haeseong, he had somehow gr own bolder, but upon reconsideration, wasn't this an amount far too significant to ignore?

‘With my lungs healed, if I were to go up against an A-rank, I feel like I could at least win the first match.’

If the organizers had any sense, they wouldn't let an S-rank Hunter be eliminated in the first round, as they are the key to the viewership ratings.

‘If I were to face an A-class...’

Ten billion. Ten billion. For the sake of easy calculations, let's set the minimum at 10 billion. If we do some quick menta l math based on a part-time job paying 12,000 won per hour, that's roughly 83,333 hours, 3,472 days. In terms of year s, that's 9.5 years. An amount of money that, under normal circumstances, would take a staggering 9.5 years to earn —yet with S-rank status, it could be made in just a three-minute match.

‘Hmm.’

Ssssk.

Goryeo leaned against the metal frame of his seat, lost in thought. Kang Changho had long since given up trying to per suade him to participate and remained silent. But for some reason, the numbers that had come to his mind wouldn't le ave him. 9.5 years and 3 minutes.

Three minutes. Three minutes, huh...

And that's why I'm standing here in this situation now.

‘- -’

Things had already come this far—what was the point of making pathetic excuses? Yeah. I was blinded by the particip ation gift China offered and ended up stepping into this Earthlings' entertainment.

[Item Box (Rare)]

That magic pouch, which was several times wider than the regular one I was using, wasn't a reward that could be easil y overlooked.

‘In the end, I broke both my promise to stay home and my plan to not be greedy...’

Damn it. If not only the registration period had already passed, I could have preserved my dignity as an archmage. But sin ce S-rank hunters are the core of the topic, it was a situation where I could have entered the event a minute befo re the start of the match.

‘An archmage like me, deciding to participate over mere money... This is truly the downfall of an intelligent being.’

Due to Kang Chang-ho's intervention, who wanted to see the skills of the contractor, I ended up going through the pro cess like this. Honestly, even without awakening, Kang Changho probably could have cracked a walnut with o rationalize this choice by thinking of all sorts of excuses in my head.

‘I can't help it.’

This could also be a good opportunity to bodily showcase the effects of the [Sacred Tree Seedling] and conceal the fa ct that I was once a weak F-rank. Even if not for such intimidation tactics, I had recently had my respiratory issues as well.

It might be a good opportunity to circulate mana properly through my once-unused lungs. While I'm at it, experiencing a real battle stage wouldn't be such a bad idea either.

‘Somehow, the more I make excuses, the more ashamed I feel of my own greed.’

Well, anyway.

But the opponent I ended up facing after all this... was unexpected.

‘Her name was Sophia.’

It felt like I had seen that face somewhere before. What a perfect coincidence. I had now met again the one responsibl e for the summoned beast attack incident. They claimed to be a freelance hunter, but with my transcendent sensing a bilities, I had already noticed that she had been conversing intimately with Enzo from Spectrum.

‘Hmm.’

Her connection to Spectrum. Combined with the curiosity that certain healer had toward me, everything from the past finally made sense. I had occasionally wondered why that attack had happened, and now that the mystery was solved, I felt a strange sense of relief.

But that's that. I may have hastily signed up, blinded by the allure of the Item Box, but honestly, I didn't expect this mu ch attention to be focused on me...

“Whoaaa!”

In the distance, beyond the audience stands, which were secured with several layers of barriers, excited cheers could be heard. This was the crowd of planetary gallery attendees to watch the battle between awakened individuals. Moreo ver, just before my appearance, some unnamed A-rank hunter had put on such an intense performance that their bon es were visible, and the crowd's expectations were soaring high, all reaching for the sky.

‘Is there really a need to go that hard in this kind of entertainment?’

Meeting an A-rank Hunter as my opponent was fortunate, but the match order was anything but ideal.

‘Those barbaric mammals...’

Both Jung Haeseong and Esther. Earthlings always seem to react poorly whenever I show blood. Honestly, until now, I t hought they must have some sort of aversion to the blood of their own kind.

However, unlike before, the Earthlings gathered here grew even more excited, cheering louder with satisfaction when ever someone got injured. Seeing how much they enjoyed the fight, the concepts of Earth that I had painstakingly inte rpreted so far were starting to blur...

‘Hmm.’

Well, anyway. Apologies to the spectators who paid for expensive tickets, but my match was essentially going to be a n intermission.

With my Hydra taken away and the surprise box confiscated, what could an F-rank Hunter, who's practically thrown o ut empty handed, possibly do?

[Basic Rules]

① Victory is achieved by either targeting and destroying the pendant on the opponent's necklace or rendering the op ponent incapable of fighting.

[Detailed Rules]

① If you step outside the golden line of the arena, it is a disqualification.

② If a contestant fails to get up within 10 seconds after the referee blows the whistle, they lose by KO.

③ The healer will decide if you are seriously injured.

If you're an S-rank hunter, just showing up for the match will earn you an incredibly valuable item box. However, this i s only granted after you successfully complete one match without losing!

‘Keugh.’

In other words, if I wanted the item box, I had to secure a victory in this first match no matter what. And with F-rank m ana, there was only one way to win. I raised my right hand and grasped the pendant of the competition necklace restin g against my chest.

Sasuk.

Fortunately, the effect of the Sacred Tree Seedling wasn't considered item usage by Earthlings. This kind of toughnes s would quickly reveal its limits in front of a true powerhouse. But the opponent before me wasn't some crazed beast swinging a battle axe.

If a true S-rank had been matched up, I would've immediately forfeited, disregarding the basic rewards and everythin g else. But you can't take on a summoner who's rumored to be weak in direct combat. Moreover, at this point, I'm ready to able to break through the Sacred Tree's protection, a summoner with physical weaknesses. So, I executed the plan I'd been thinking about since the flight to China.

‘Let's hold on!’

I trusted the epic-level [Protection] effect and prepared a certain spell.

The magic had the characteristic that the longer the casting time, the proportionately less mana it consumed.

‘There's a reason why magicians have the concept of chanting.’

Of course, this method can't infinitely reduce the mana, but it simply allows me to use the spell more efficient ly. And that's enough. I planned to use almost the entire 3-minute limit of the match to execute the strongest and most precise telekinesis spell.

‘I've ended up trapped in the vessel of an F-rank, so I can't take out a person, but with this method, I should be able to target and destroy the match pendant without a problem.’

[The match begins]

But what's a bit worrying is that no matter how much I think about it, I don't think the audience will be too fond of such an obvious delaying tactic...

‘Hmm.’

As a sorcerer who enjoys the splendor of magic, I also feel sorry for the current situation.

But what can I do? As I said, having lost Hydra, I'm nothing more than a sturdy punching bag. I'm even in a position w here I can't even take on a summoner who's rumored to be weak in direct combat. Moreover, at this point, I'm ready to hear all kinds of criticism, whether it's about not showing enough enthusiasm for the match or lacking conscience.

‘Anyway, since body swapping is just around the corner, there's no need to fear small reputational losses.’

I muttered a brief apology to my body's owner and then cleared my mind. The short-haired Asian standing across from me was still sweating, obviously unsure of what to do. Honestly, the longer this standoff drags on, the more advanta geous it is for me, so I'm not really planning to stop it...