179 – Salty & Sweet (1)
The [Artifact Contest] Is over.
For the participants, the real start begins after the contest is over. Because you have to attract sponsors.
When producing artifacts or items, indispensable expenses such as development costs, labor costs, and material costs occur.
Since it is too much for a normal student to handle, most of them open their hands to sponsors.
No matter what kind of item you sell, you can make money. No income before that.
From the point of view of the sponsor, it is like investing in future cotyledons.
I got up from the audience with a calm expression.
‘Seria and Piel went to support them.’
Unlike them, there is currently no specific character I want to support.
If I had to pick one, it would be the party, but the timing isn’t good right now. Because she will lose all of her donations this time.
I’m going to conduct a clinical trial of [Feng Yu Huan] With the donations I received, but the product won’t get permission because of the big side effects.
This is a specification in which water is poured into a bottomless dock.
That’s how I was about to get out of the arena.
Weiying, weiying, weiying──
The contact crystal orb placed in his chest vibrated.
I carry two crystal spheres for communication. Received from Amy and Taylor, respectively.
Hmm. Let’s see.
Judging by the vibration speed, it’s Amy.
I quickly moved to a quiet back alley near the venue, took out a crystal ball, and received a call.
─Hello. Hello. This is Amy. Can you hear me, Bocchan?
Amy’s voice came through the crystal ball. Her voice was plain to hear at first glance, but there was a tremor in it.
I put my mouth to the crystal ball.
─······Yes, Amy. What’s going on.
─You must be busy, so sorry for contacting you first, Bocchan. Because the matter is the matter.
─No. What’s the matter
─That’s what… Knuckles said.
─Isn’t that what you said yesterday too? You may feed salmon once a day. Did you say you didn’t like the meal again?
Fist can speak once a day. Yesterday, I heard from Amy that I said, “I don’t like the taste of rice.”
Amy’s voice came through the crystal ball again.
─No, young master. Salmon snacks have already been given. I don’t think what you said this time is something to just listen to and pass it on, so I contacted you.
─·······What is it?
─You said you wanted to go to a place with a lot of people. That’s what I said right after taking a walk… I think you want a crowded place.
─······Hmm.
Did you say that Shinsoo resembles his owner? It seems that Fist is also a servant like Theo.
Jeop. It’s good, but what can I do? Because Shinsoo grows faster the more he feels happiness.
I continued.
─Then will you come to where I am?
─······Are you okay with that, young master? I’m a bit worried because Knuckles likes strangers.
······To be precise, I like unfamiliar ‘female’ people.
Amy’s concerns were justified. If he sees a woman he doesn’t know, he’ll run at him.
Well, I thought it would be okay.
Today, I have already talked and the fist looks like Teo, so I feel excellent. There’s no woman who doesn’t like a cute bundle of white hair asking for a hug.
─It doesn’t matter. I’ll be near the Knights Faculty, so call back when you get to the Knights Faculty’s Roundabout Station.
─······I understand, young boy. We’ll set off right away.
─Okay, I’ll hang up.
I put the communication orb back into my chest.
To Amy, the word ‘straight’ really means ‘straight’. As soon as she ended contact with her, she would walk out of the dorm.
It’s a short time to go to the training ground. If this body sweats even a little, it is forced to take a shower.
While I was thinking about it for a while.
─Wow, crazy! Are you a fish or a human?
─Both of them are already past 10 minutes!
A loud roar was heard.
The epicenter of the shouting was the audience at a tournament.
At the entrance of the venue, there were signs and banners that read [Breath Holding Contest Venue].
Hmm, maybe I should pass the time watching that.
I entered the venue straight away.
* * *
Theo took a seat in the audience and watched the competition.
Suddenly, [Breath Holding Contest] Left only the finals.
The presenter said. He also hosted the [Snowball fight] In the morning.
─······Let’s start the long-awaited Ellinia Academy Festival [Breath Holding Contest] Finals! Hey, following the [Snowball fight], The final is again the Civil War of the College of Bravery. As expected, the Department of Bravery!
After the presenter raised his hand and elicited a positive response from the audience, he continued.
─Two future warriors who came up to this position by defeating formidable opponents one after another. Please give everyone a round of applause!
As the audience applauded, the host introduced the finalists in turn.
Theo looked at the stage with nonchalant eyes. A short girl and a tall, skinny boy stood with the presenter in the middle.
‘It must have been Jang Woo-hee and Lee Silder. Somehow, the reaction from the audience was unusual.’
The intertwined narratives of the two are known to everyone within the academy, and are famous outside.
The audience shouted loudly.
“Wuhee-chan, show me the power of the Eastern Empire!”
“Win, Isilder! Practical Dalian Evaluation Revenge Battle Kazuah~!”
The host announced the start of the match with a satisfied voice.
At the same time, Jang Woo-hee and Lee Silder slammed their faces into a glass container of water in front of them.
1 Minute,
3 Minutes,
5 Minutes,
10 Minutes,
15 Minutes·······.
Time passes.
“Wow… Don’t they both have gills? Is that possible?”
“I don’t think he uses magic.”
“Crazy… It’s already been 20 minutes. Isn’t one of you going to die while building your pride?”
From now on, only interjections erupted from the silent audience.
Both of them were completely in control of their breathing.
At that time, a hypothesis popped into Theo’s head.
‘The reason why the speed of learning the swordsmanship from the [Observer’s Eye] Is slow and much weaker than the original version… Might be because of the breathing method.’
In this work, Jang Woo-hee’s father – the head of Equilibrium – and the sword demon of Daesu-rim alluded to the concept of inner strength.
‘This is it.’
Geniuses like Nike and Piel must be unconsciously using their internal energy even if they don’t learn it.
Those two use geomki·geomgang at some point after time has passed.
But it wasn’t him. Aside from swordsmanship, it is questionable whether he will be able to use swordsmanship for the rest of his life.
‘Still, it’s better than nothing.’
············Jang Woo-hee’s father mentioned the concept of ‘inner air’, so Jang Woo-hee must also know about it.
While Theo thought so, the finals were over.
Jang Woo-hee won. Unlike Isilder, who had her face contorted and was breathing heavily, she was calm. Her breathing was also steady.
The presenter said.
─Jung-speak is amazing, Jang Woo-hee! I didn’t breathe for 24 minutes and 33 seconds, but my expression didn’t change at all! After all, this is the dignity of the 5th rank in the College of the Brave! Maybe there are gills hidden somewhere in her diminutive frame like this – I seriously wonder!
At the words of the host, the audience laughed, but Jang Woo-hee did not laugh. Rather, her expression hardened.
‘What is that person doing? Is it something about Hyoyeon?’
Because she found Theo in the audience.
*
*
*
Amy was embarrassed.
─Come to Naru’s Garden, a cafe inside the Faculty of Engineering.
From noble mtl dot com
After she arrived at the Knights Faculty’s roundabout station, she contacted Theo and it was because of the reply she received.
‘Naru’s Garden is a cafe famous for its desserts.’
Amy is a gourmet. Of course, she knows about good restaurants.
She wanted to revisit the ‘Naru’s Garden’ that Theo asked her to come to because there was a new menu, but she kept putting it off because she was raising her knuckles.
‘Did you know about this? ······No, no way. Let’s not lean on it.’
Although Theo has changed a lot lately, wanting that kind of sense is greedy.
She’ll never get dessert into her mouth.
But her body was honest.
Burr.
When she thought of the new dessert, her body trembled slightly.
─Kiyiying, gong?
The fist in her arms tilted her head.
“It’s nothing, fist.”
Amy brushed her knuckles and headed for ‘Naru’s Garden’. Her steps were very quick.
Eventually, Amy arrived at ‘Naru’s Garden’. Her interior was bustling with her guests, but she quickly found Theo. It was because of the smell of his cologne.
Theo was with two women.
‘Well, Jang Woo-hee … Seria.’
Jang Woo-hee was sitting on a chair with her back straight.
Seria was in a comfortable position with her back and neck bowed. However, there was something classy about it.
Amy quickly glanced at the two of them.
‘What kind of combination is this…? The point of contact between Seria and the young master must have been at the end of the Knights Faculty’s Idaei Tournament last time.’
Her head was full of curiosity, but her body worked.
She looked up at Theo, in her familiar gesture, and bowed her head.
“Brother, we have arrived at the place you commanded.”
“Yes, Amy. Sit where you are comfortable.”
As she sat down, Theo handed her the menu.
“We have already ordered. The story can be long, so let’s do it. “
“·······! Thank you, Bocchan.”
Amy’s eyes widened.
‘What is it?’
Her eyes returned to normal. She was as fast as an assassin.
But her eyes weren’t dead as usual, they were shining.