The next day, we returned to the arena.
I was worried that Yena might escape or not show up, but she casually took a seat beside me.
Seeing her like that was pretty adorable, and when I patted her head, she let out a little snort.
BOOM!!
– The winner is! Yena, the Sorcerer of the Blue Gate!
Wow!!
The main event of the arena features a total of 16 players.
To reach the finals and seize the champion’s title, one must win 4 fights, and Yena’s match had just concluded.
Her opponent was one of the top contenders among the Level 4 Sorcerers, but he found himself rolling on the ground, unable to defeat her.
KuoOoo…!
– Yena! Yena! Yena!
– Hahahaha! No one dared to challenge that woman, right?
– Ah! Akuna! You trashy thing!
– Summoning that nonsensical ghost, that guy.
– That woman is going to win.
– I don’t know about that…
– Why not? She’s already that strong with just the front legs; imagine how strong she’d be if her main body came out!
The audience buzzed with excitement over Yena’s victory.
Unlike before, this buzz wasn’t disbelief but rather the excitement of a powerful contender.
Looking ahead, she should easily advance to the finals.
‘As for me…’
[Lily’s opponent…]
[Ugh]
[I can’t deceive you any longer, Lily?]
[??]
– The next match is… Ah! One of the championship contenders! Level 3 Sorcerer! Akal of the Red Gate!
Wow!!
A man with dual swords swaggered into the arena, wearing a confident expression.
He was among the formidable contenders known as the Top 5.
Level 3 Sorcerer Akal.
Akal wielded a Level 3 jewel that was almost equivalent to a Level 2, and it’s said that even sorcerers of the same level wouldn’t dare challenge him.
On the other hand, I barely managed to defeat a Level 5 Sorcerer.
Defeating Akal would mean I couldn’t get a higher payout anyway.
‘Guess I have no choice.’
I also entered the arena and grasped my hammer tightly.
If possible, I aimed for the Top 8. Ideally, I’d gather Spirit Stones up to the Top 4, but I should wrap things up this time.
All the Level 3 Spirit Stones I had were entrusted to Yena, so she should take care of the betting.
– Now! Both fighters, please prepare… and place your Spirit Stones!
Akal and I faced off.
He took out his dual swords, glanced at me, and then chuckled.
“Ah. Just a Level 6?”
“Yep.”
“Ha… This is hilarious. I don’t know what kind of confidence you had to join, but I’m just not ending this.”
“I don’t know why, but I’m just not finishing things.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. You know that in the main event, you can’t surrender, right?”
Sre.
“At least you have to take a serious injury to end it. It’s to prevent the likes of you from participating without knowing the rules and ending up in vain.”
“That’s a bit disappointing.”
-Start!
“First, I’m going to rip that outfit to shreds.”
“……”
“Spell deployment.”
[What?]
[Lololololol]
[How cocky]
[Let’s kill him]
[Whoa]
[You’re crossing the line, ah lololol]
[That might be good…]
[?]
Woom!
Sharp blades shoot up around Akal.
Each blade is infused with spiritual power equivalent to a Level 4 Sorcerer, and the twin swords Akal wields radiate enough force to feel quite formidable.
Given the abnormal rise in power compared to what he possesses, it’s momentarily like watching a ‘Level 2 Sorcerer’ unleash their energy.
“I can’t. Opponent. Flying Throw!”
Kwagagaga!!
The swords fly chaotically, targeting me precisely.
It seems the targeting is so accurate that evasion is impossible; the only option left is to defend.
‘The leaves will probably get pierced. Ushi’s arrows are weaker than swords.’
Fundamentally, since there’s a difference in spiritual power, the spells used by subordinate sorcerers come at a disadvantage.
‘Using the same spell.’
“Spell deployment.”
“?”
“I can’t. Opponent. Flying Throw.”
Kagagang!!
Identical swords fly towards me, deflecting the incoming ones.
Of course, if we just collided given the power difference, only my side would have been destroyed, but it’s not just a simple deflection.
It’s the way Yena parries swords with swords.
As Akal’s eyes widen in shock, I gather the spell of Flying Throw and target him.
He rushes in and hastily gathers his dual swords to counter the attack, glaring at me with trembling hands.
“…You. What are you? How can you use my spell?”
“I aimed for it. Pretty much.”
This attack drew upon the spiritual power sealed within me.
Since I didn’t simply absorb it but unleashed raw spiritual power as if it were my own, its effect was considerable, but the weapon he possesses is quite formidable as well.
‘With this much, Ryuin will have an even tougher time.’
The Iron Soul Sword must be a much higher-grade weapon than that.
“Ugh.”
Blood flows.
This is the price for forcibly using raw spiritual energy without absorption.
In magical terms, it’s like casting spells using someone else’s mismatched mana, experiencing the side effects throughout my whole body.
There’s a reason sorcerers refine gemstones with their spiritual power and absorb them for a long time.
It’s far more stable to take the time to absorb rather than doing something so dangerously reckless.
As I wiped away the blood, I was about to launch another attack when a thought suddenly occurred to me.
“Wait a minute.”
[Lily?]
[Check out the blood pouring everywhere.]
[So much blood!]
[If someone saw this, they’d think Akal did it, lol.]
[Lily, why did you stop?]
No matter how capable I am at controlling my power, absorbing all of this spirit stone will take a long time.
It’s flashy, and what’s more, high-grade stones are that much harder to come by.
“But what if I don’t absorb it?”
If I don’t waste more than 80% of my spiritual power due to absorption and pack the entirety of one stone’s power into a single spell?
“…?”
“It’s worth a shot.”
For a moment, I might be able to muster the firepower of a ‘Level 2’ Sorcerer.
Screech!!
■
‘…What is that?’
A boy, concealed in the shadow of the arena, was watching the match.
The boy wielding the Iron Soul Sword, the sword sealing the primordial demon and the mightiest demon, blinked in disbelief at the duel unfolding below.
It was a match between a Level 3 Sorcerer and a Level 6 Sorcerer.
The Level 3 Sorcerer was Akal, a strong contender known as the 5th strongest, but to the boy, it looked all the same.
He wielded a pair of famed twin swords called the “Fearsome Snake’s Blades,” but compared to the Iron Soul Sword, they were just scraps of iron.
To make matters worse, his opponent was a Level 6 Sorcerer who barely managed to climb up the ranks without merit.
The outcome was so obvious that he was just waiting to take his turn, nonchalantly observing the fight.
‘But…’
“Are they out of their minds?”
The Level 6 Sorcerer, a woman named Lily, began mimicking Akal’s spells, and the situation turned bizarre.
Copying a spell is one thing; however, the attack she launched afterward emitted a power equivalent to a ‘Level 3′ Sorcerer in an instant.
But Lily hadn’t used any spells to amplify her power nor did she hide the spiritual energy she had.
With all the spirit stones measuring the energy within their bodies in the arena, it was clear as day.
Her spirit stone was unimpressive, so there was only one conclusion.
“…She was storing the energy without absorbing it?”
How could a mere Level 6 Sorcerer manage that?
If she tried something like that, she wouldn’t last long before the damage from within would kill her.
Even more astounding was that she didn’t just store it but managed to ‘use’ the energy as well.
“…Is she one of them?”
The Six Stars of the Sorcerers’ Association.
The strongest Sorcerers, undeniably powerful, who handed me the Iron Soul Sword.
Among the Level Sorcerers, they are undoubtedly the strongest sorcerers with formidable power.
Among them, someone is clearly participating in the tournament in the body of a Level 6 Sorcerer.
Just like I, ‘Ryuin Aban’, am participating in the tournament.
“This is bad. I can’t be discovered yet…”
It’s a secret that the boy came here.
I know well the danger of the ‘Iron Devourer’, but life there is just too boring.
It’s way more fun to rampage and fight like this than to be trapped in a Safe House with nowhere to breathe comfortably.
Above all, there’s something I need to obtain here.
I intentionally joined the arena tournament for that, and I was planning to seize what I wanted at the Auction House before the Underground Market closes.
“I barely avoided old Ryoko’s gaze, and now another is coming…”
This is troublesome.
If I’m discovered, I might be forcibly moved to the Safe House.
Of course, a Level 1 Sorcerer is nothing, but if the fight extends, the ruler of this place, Ryoko, will show up.
No matter how much of an Iron Soul Sword boy I am, it would be unreasonable to face two stars.
Huff.
As the boy was lost in thought, a shadow flickered behind him, and someone appeared.
The arena’s master and an unofficial Level 1 Sorcerer managing the area.
“Geomhon.”
“Iron Soul.”
“Don’t call me by that name. It’s already annoying with how similar our names are.”
“…I’m sorry, Ryuin Aban.”
“Tsk. What do you want?”
“It’s about time to prepare for the match. Let’s head down.”
“Got it.”
Let’s observe the situation a bit longer.
It seems there’s no intention of revealing identity yet, so I’ll have to remain cautious for now─
BOOOOM!!!
“?!”
“!”
-Wow, that’s a lot of power.
Explosion.
With the explosion of the sword, Akal was blown apart and Lily, with a dazed expression, let out a stunned noise.
Healers rushed into the arena, casting spells.
With just a bit more firepower, it wouldn’t have been surprising if someone died.
The boy, Cheolhon, swallowed hard.
“That was just now…”
“Yes. That’s right.”
That woman emitted a spiritual power equivalent to a ‘Level 2 Sorcerer’ for a brief moment.
I’m sure of it.
“This isn’t good…”
One of the Six Stars has come here.
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