12. tournament
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Many cadets and few instructors gathered around Doyoon and Thorn’s arena.
Unlike the cadets who did not know the details, the instructors’ interest in this game was not so great.
The instructors expected a close fight. Thorn is a promising prospect with a bright future, while Doyoon is an Earthling with mana crippled.
In the battles of this world, mana has an absolute status. Doyun is mana crippled, but Thorn and the others have been practicing mana for the past three weeks.
In addition, Thorn is a person who is evaluated as a considerable talent. It was expected that the current Thorn would have reached the level that Doyoon showed on the day of the mana test.
Talent with good cost-effectiveness and immediate sense of power suitable for small and medium sized guilds. That was the evaluation of Doyoon at this point.
At the time of the 1st week, Do-yoon was at the highest level in the cradle, but he was mana crippled. And Thorn, a promising player who has grown terribly in the meantime.
It was a very interesting big match. But it was just interesting, nothing more, nothing less.
If it was another rider, most of the instructors would have flocked to them, but now they were focused on another much more important task, finding the boss monster. In particular, many instructors were gathered in the match of swordsmanship cadets.
That’s why there weren’t many instructors in Doyoon’s stadium.
“Would you like to place a bet on who will win?”
“100 to Torn.”
“Then you can’t bet. I am also Thorn.”
“You guys don’t know the thrill of a reversal, don’t you? 10. Attack Cadet Han Do-yoon all at once.”
“Is the amount too small for a man who enjoys thrills?”
The only people who watched Doyoon’s match were countless cadets and instructors from small and medium-sized guilds who couldn’t even dream of super talented people like boss monster killers. They, too, did not watch seriously, and were enjoying a trivial gamble.
Thorn stomped the ground with his legs strong, and entered the abbreviated arena drawn on the floor.
Doyoon also sighed, corrected his eyes, and trudged into the arena.
‘…okay. Let’s not think too badly of it. Rather, it may have worked out.’
It is also funny that Do-yoon, who has lived for over 200 years, harbors resentment toward a new-born chick like that. Rather, Doyoon had a positive mind toward Thorn.
No matter how much he harassed himself, it didn’t cause any real damage, and it just looked like a childish prank. Thorn was so stupid that he couldn’t harass people intelligently.
However, Do-yoon’s heart was constantly bothered by Sophie, who was suffering from Thorn.
It wasn’t a problem to bully him, but he didn’t want to see the talented person who was determined to continue to grow in the future suffer.
Do-yoon calmed down, feeling the annoyance.
I’ll take this opportunity to make sure the order is clear, so Sophie doesn’t suffer any more.
The instructor in charge of refereeing asked Thorn.
“What are you going to arm yourself with?”
“hammer.”
At the short tail of the horse, the instructor frowned. But he just shook his head, not taking issue. he’s such a guy If you check it, you’ll only bother yourself.
Another assistant instructor brought a hammer that had been prepared in advance. It was a huge two-handed hammer that fit Thorne’s physique.
Do-yoon was quite reminded to see him being armed. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to hold a sword.
Possession of weapons is strictly prohibited inside the cradle. It was all the practice windows received during class time for each position.
However, free weapons are available in this tournament. It was the reason Doyoon had been waiting for this day.
“Cadet Han Do-yoon. What will you arm yourself with?”
It was a formal question. Just as Thorne’s hammer was already prepared, in fact, the weapons used by the cadets were already decided as their usual armaments.
There was no way Thorn would suddenly ask for a dagger. The same was true of Doyun, a member of the spear class.
So even before the tournament, the weapons to be assigned to them were prepared in advance.
An assistant instructor entered the ring with a cloth-wrapped spear. Up to the throwing spear for Doyoon, there were a total of three.
“Ah, I…”
Before Doyoon could answer, the instructor unwrapped the cloth covering the spear. And his body hardened.
Doyoon, who was about to ask for the sword, also stopped talking when he saw the appearance of the spear.
“Uh, huh? Why is this?”
The assistant instructor, who had not much experience, stuttered in embarrassment.
The half-exposed window that was meant to be given to Doyoon. It was, in a word, trash.
It was hard to find a rust-free spot throughout the window. The blade was half broken, and the remaining blade was full of teeth.
It wasn’t a spear, it was just an old club. If it touches Thorn’s hammer, it will be shattered.
“Hey, wait a minute…!”
The assistant instructor untied even the cloth of the two javelins. But it was the same.
If it was a spear, even the two javelins that were supposed to be given to Do-yoon were in rotten condition. In comparison, the weapons of the other spear cadets were quite intact. It was hard to see it as a coincidence.
The cadets who were watching this were agitated.
“Why is that state like that…?”
“Isn’t it something that needs to be changed?”
“…what. Are you running a contest like this to promote Torn?”
The instructors’ faces hardened. It was a mere utterance of words from one person, but the weight was significant. The fairness of the cradle is being questioned. This was not a matter to be taken lightly.
The moment the instructor in charge of refereeing opened his mouth to rectify the situation.
“Puhuhhhh.”
A strange laugh, like a cow sneezing, came from somewhere. The eyes of those who watched the ring turned to Thorn.
“Good. It’s a very poor spear, just like your baggage. It suits you, human.”
uh huh black. Thorn continued to laugh, ignoring the gazes around him.
Only then did the sound of the handgun go away.
Thorn, who usually expressed jealousy towards Doyoon for things like mana tests and Sophie. And his reaction, not at all surprised, as if he knew it in advance.
No matter how ignorant he was, he could clearly see how the incident had progressed. The situation was very clear.
Thorn messed with Doyoon’s spear. Most likely, he threatened the goblins and other tribes that specialized in stealing.
‘…was he that kind of guy?’
Do-yoon felt that the slight fondness he had for Thorn was fading away at the childish tricks.
“How strong males win great females! Whoever wins gets Sophie!”
At the public declaration of not caring about Sophie at all, all eyes were drawn to her. Doyoon also looked at Sophie’s complexion, only slightly averting her eyes.
‘…You must be very angry.’
Sophie’s expression was cold as ice. Seriously, the cadets around him flinched at the unusual appearance.
‘Was she a woman who could make a face like that?’
It’s a very unexpected look. Even though Thorn flirted with her, she didn’t react much.
Apparently, he seemed very resentful that he had messed with Doyoon’s weapon.
Belatedly, Sophie and Doyoon’s eyes met. Startled, she quickly loosened her icy expression and waved her hand with a grin. Doyoon nodded in response.
“Ha, Cadet Han Do-yoon. sorry. It looks like there was a problem on the management side. I’ll bring you a new window soon…”
“Just give me a sword.”
“Yes? A sword?”
Doyoon calmly recited with cold eyes. It seemed that this situation was not a problem at all.
The assistant instructor tilted his head. Thorn and the cadets and instructors who were watching were puzzled by Doyoon’s request.
“Uh… Then, I’ll bring it quickly, delaying the game for a while…”
“What do you mean! He received the spear, so we must fight with that spear!”
At Thorn’s cry, the assistant instructor looked at him with bewildered eyes.
“Changing arms! It’s a privilege! I’m going to file a problem!”
It didn’t sound like words. There is no reason not to change your armament before the match starts, and Doyun never said he would choose a spear in the first place. Yo-ram predicted Do-yoon’s weapon in advance and prepared it separately.
The eyes of the onlookers were cold. It was like watching a kid get away with it.
The instructors gnashed their teeth at the absurd sight.
‘Problem? That’s a lot of shit.’
I wondered if the cradle had lost its discipline due to the turbulent atmosphere in the cradle these days, but the cradle went crazy and passed away. When this contest is over, I will roll the cadets tight.
At the sudden silence in the air, Thorn frowned. The reactions around me were strange. It wasn’t the mood to celebrate his own scheduled victory. The cadets looked at him with pitiful eyes and whispered.
The moment when Thorn, who was overcome with anger, was about to shout at the people around him.
“It’s ugly.”
An exceptionally calm and cold voice pierced Thorn’s ears.
Unlike the other cadets, quietly whispering, he openly told Thorn to listen.
Thorn’s head turned towards it.
It was the vampire, Debussy.
“…what did you just say?”
“I said it was ugly, cow.”
Thorn’s teeth were grinding. He looked at Debussy as if he were going to kill him and muttered bloodily.
“I am… not a cow.”
Thorn didn’t like that bat either. Contemptuous eyes and attitude that looked at him as if he were an aristocrat. When he said the word cow, his teeth trembled. I wanted to break my head.
Besides, it was also annoying that he was being kind only to Han Do-yoon. No, I didn’t like the current atmosphere itself.
A negative gaze toward herself, a gaze mixed with sympathy and pity toward that human. Everyone was on the side of the human baby.
Thorn glared at Debussy with bloody eyes.
“bat. Do you want to die?”
“If you want me to kill you, I will kill you.”
When he replied without backing down a bit, Thorn grabbed the hammer. He was ready to throw it out of the ring to Debussy.
Debussy also got ready for battle. Unexpected tension flowed around the stadium.
The moment the instructors shouted and tried to mediate.
“stop.”
As in the mana test, a voice loaded with mana stopped them.