Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Pop-!

One by one, the gray elves, enveloped in bright light, gathered in the waiting room.

Most were battered and exhausted, but a few looked surprisingly calm.

“Hey, look over there. That tiny guy in the robe? He’s pretty good, huh?”

“About thirty gathered? Still, it’ll be tough to make it to the finals.”

When Dojae arrived, there were already 32 gray elves present, and the waiting room quickly filled with more.

However, as time passed, fewer and fewer Grey Elves returned, and soon the sound of a trumpet echoed through the air.

Puuu-!

“The first preliminary round is over! After a short break, we’ll start the second preliminary round immediately!”

Of the nearly 300 participants who started, only 100 remained after the first preliminary round.

With the densely packed participants reduced to a third, the surrounding view became clearer. Dojae spotted the man with the headdress standing at the very front.

Dojae immediately headed toward the man to take the leaf of Actria.

But then.

Thud.

Someone grabbed Dojae’s robe.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t touch that guy.”

Turning his head, he saw the female Grey Elf who had helped him enter the tournament.

She was smiling faintly at Dojae.

“What about you?”

“Hey? Lee Dojae. Made it through the first round, huh? How about we chat during the break? We can put that guy on hold for a bit.”

She looked at the man Dojae was watching.

Her smiling face turned serious.

But soon, she turned back to Dojae with a smile.

“I’m Catania from the Pinecone Forest of the West Wind. I came to win this tournament and make our village famous!”

“I’m Dojae. I’m from the Nightingale Forest. Thanks for helping me earlier.”

Dojae introduced himself to her as well.

Earlier, they hadn’t had time to talk because she had to enter right away, but he didn’t forget to thank her for her help.

“Lee Dojae from the Nightingale Forest! You’re not lying, are you?”

“It’s true. Why would I lie?”

“Anyone would be suspicious looking like that.”

Dojae nodded in agreement with her words.

After all, the robe draped from head to toe was passionately declaring he was hiding his identity.

“I have my reasons.”

“Hmm. So that reason is that guy, huh?”

“That’s right.”

Katania’s gaze shifted back toward the man.

Her expression was clearly tense.

Yet, there seemed to be something beyond that as well.

“If you’re after that guy, then you’ll be my rival, right? Like I said, my goal is to win!”

“No, I’m not interested in the tournament.”

“What? Then why did you come here?”

“The leaf on that man’s headdress. I just need to take that. I had no choice but to enter the tournament because that man came here.”

“Really? But what can we do? It won’t be easy. Heh heh heh…”

Katania smiled meaningfully and continued.

“Do your best. That guy is incredibly strong! He’s a top contender to win this tournament.”

Dojae looked at the man.

Even after the first preliminary round, the man showed no change whatsoever.

His expressionless, utterly composed demeanor indirectly hinted at his extraordinary nature.

“I don’t really feel like fighting. My sole purpose is that leaf. If you just hand over some gold, I’ll gladly give it to you.”

“Do you really think it’ll be that easy? I hear Salta has an incredibly strong possessive streak. He makes whatever he likes his own by any means necessary and never lets anyone take it from him.”

“So that’s the man’s name, Salta. Well, then, we’ll just take it by force.”

Dojae’s strong confidence drew Catania’s interested gaze.

“What exactly is that leaf decoration? It doesn’t seem ordinary, does it?”

“Probably just an ordinary leaf. But it’s something I absolutely need.”

“Well, fine! If you plan to fight Salta anyway, you’ll have to make it to the main tournament. Give it your best shot!”

After cheering Dojae on, Catania started to leave.

But this time, Dojae stopped her.

“Wait, I have something to ask.”

“What is it? The second preliminary round is about to start.”

“I’d like you to explain the gladiatorial tournament to me. I don’t know anything about this competition.”

“Huh? You don’t know the rules? You came here just to see Salta?”

“It’s about to start. Are you going to tell me or not?”

“You’ve got some nerve…”

After giving Dojae a dismissive glance, Catania began explaining the rules of the tournament.

***

The tournament proceeds as follows.

Tournament applications are accepted for three days, and from this point, the kingdom enters its festival period.

Participation is accepted until just before the first preliminary round, and Dojae was fortunate enough to be able to participate.

The first preliminary round is an individual skill assessment, requiring participants to defeat a designated monster. The monster’s difficulty level varied depending on the number of times a participant had entered the tournament.

First-time participants faced the weakest monsters, while stronger monsters appeared as participation count increased.

The second preliminary round follows immediately. This round involves all first-round qualifiers gathering in one location for a free-for-all battle.

There was no time limit for the matches; combat between participants continued until exactly 16 remained.

The 16 who survive until the end earn qualification for the main tournament.

The main tournament then takes place on the fourth day. This is a 1-on-1 tournament.

Victory is achieved by either knocking out the opponent or forcing them to surrender.

Killing opponents is absolutely not permitted.

On the first day, a total of 12 matches are held: 8 Round of 16 matches and 4 Quarterfinal matches, determining the semifinalists.

After a day of rest for the remaining four, the final day (Day 5) culminates in the championship match to crown the ultimate winner. Following this, a grand celebration is held for the victor.

Held once every fifty years, this tournament also served as a gathering for the Grey Elves scattered across the continent.

‘Arctria must have deliberately sent that leaf to that man, Salartan. And she must have known I’d barely make it to the tournament. Even a lesser god is still a god…’

Dojai secretly looked down on Aktria.

In a world where humans could attain godhood and become deities themselves, it seemed petty for a being who was originally a god to praise those humans as great.

But seeing how she’d managed to get him to enter the tournament at just the right moment, he had to admit… a god is still a god.

‘I wasn’t interested in the tournament, but seeing the prize for winning… well, that changes things, doesn’t it?’

Katania also informed him about the tournament’s championship reward.

The winner received various benefits, the first being a prize of 10,000 gold.

Since a family of four in the village needed 100 gold for a month’s living expenses, 10,000 gold was an enormous sum.

Next was the title of Royal Guard Knight.

While a knight of the guard came with many perks, it wasn’t a particularly popular reward. Given the strong village-centric nature of the Grey Elves, knight of the guard wasn’t a highly sought-after profession.

Finally, the prize coveted by most participants: the royal bow.

King Tuvarn had skilled dwarves kidnapped and forced to craft a bow over fifty years, right up until the next tournament.

Because the dwarves devoted their entire lives to crafting a single bow, the resulting weapon was truly magnificent, worthy of being called a divine bow.

Pwoo-!

“The second preliminary round is about to begin. All participants, please prepare.”

The sound of a trumpet heralded the judge’s voice.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the waiting room froze solid. Soon after, accompanied by a bright light, they were transported somewhere else.

***

The venue for the second preliminary round was an enormous stadium.

The square-shaped stadium towered overhead, its expanse as large as two football fields combined.

“Whoa! Catch this!”

“Waaah! I’ll knock you out!”

The moment the participants entered the stadium, they began a fierce melee.

The sight of 100 people mixed together, swinging weapons wildly, was truly spectacular.

Of course, during the chaos, it was common to sneak attacks on participants already engaged in combat or for groups to join forces and push opponents out of the arena.

But no one considered it cowardly.

After all, the competition was designed with that intent from the start.

And even amidst that chaos, a few stood out.

“Guh… the killing intent…”

“That guy’s no good…”

Right in the center of the arena.

A circular ring formed around Salta.

Amidst the chaotic tangle of the arena, like the calm eye of a storm, the participants, intimidated by Salta’s presence, hesitated to approach.

“Attack him together! Knock that bastard out of here!”

One participant shouted and charged toward Salta.

But he was sent flying by Salta’s massive sword, unable to muster any strength before collapsing unconscious.

Seeing that participant eliminated in a single sword strike, enveloped in light, the others halted their charging steps, hesitating to advance recklessly.

“Grrrgh.”

Elsewhere in the arena.

There, participants were being eliminated in yet another way.

Crack-!

“Kraaah!”

With each flash of light, participants drop like flies.

Those who fell had their hair standing on end, their eyes rolled back, trembling violently before vanishing along with the light.

As time passed, eliminations continued to occur elsewhere, and Catania, wielding his twin swords and cutting a swath through the arena, played his part.

So, what about Dojae’s side?

“Damn it, I can’t get close!”

“Referee! Isn’t summoning monsters a foul?”

Near Dojae, several Grey Elves were battling the Golems.

Those slightly stronger managed to withstand the golems’ attacks, but the weaker ones were grabbed by the waist and flung out of the arena.

“In this tournament, everything is permitted as long as it doesn’t involve killing—weapons, magic, summoned creatures, anything goes.”

The referee declared firmly to the participants struggling against Dojae’s golem.

“Who’d have thought the weakest-looking guy would have such a troublesome ability.”

“Exactly. Underestimating him was a mistake.”

Immediately after the match began, Dojae became the target of the surrounding Grey Elves.

He was short and slight, so they figured they could eliminate Dojae with ease.

What’s more, they happened to be from the same village. Dojae naturally became their prey.

However, after Dojae summoned four golems and blew away all the surrounding participants, the competitors who had been rushing in like mad suddenly hesitated to approach.

“Look at that bastard! He’s just sitting there resting!”

“What can we do? We can’t even get close because of those golems! Instead, I’ll take you out first!”

Dojae sat comfortably, protected by his golems, watching the fight unfold.

He thought it convenient that the weak ones were being weeded out for him.

Beep-beep-beep!

After about an hour, the number of people standing on the arena had noticeably decreased, and the referee signaled the end of the second preliminary round with a whistle.

“Second preliminary round over!”