“All right.”
Rigdith didn’t seem to be the sort to go overboard, and he knew that Zehmet would be a good ally. It wouldn’t make sense to execute him.
As we left the Blue Cat encampment, Fran was in high spirits. She was motivated before, but now it had transformed into firm resolve.
We have to get to the third round, now.
“Hm! We have to go all out, Teacher.”
The tournament was no longer a hypothetical test.
You’re right.
“We’ll definitely win!” Fran said under her breath, the flames of resolve quietly roaring inside her.
Chapter 3:
A Fierce Opponent
IT WAS THE DAY after our strange encounter with the Beast King, and the first match of the second round began while we were standing in the waiting room. Fran would be up in a little under an hour.
Despite everything that happened yesterday, Fran was in perfect condition. In fact, she felt more driven than ever. She was stressed out from having to talk to Blue Cats, but thanks to Rigdith, she was back on her game and more aggressive than ever. Dealing with Blue Cats was a special kind of stress she couldn’t work off, even after beating the living daylights out of them. Then again, maybe the atmosphere of the tournament was just getting to her.
I didn’t take her aggression to be a bad thing. If anything, I thought she did a good job of converting negative energy into fighting spirit. Still, it would be better to keep her cool if she had to fight several matches in a row. The way she was now, she’d easily make it past the third round.
“Hup! Haa!”
“Woof!”
“Hrmph!”
Fran warmed up by working on evasive maneuvers, swinging me around and having Jet come at her from multiple angles.
You know your match is gonna start soon. Don’t tire yourself out.
“Hm.”
“Woof.”
They nodded, but their game of tag only got faster. The normal human eye could no longer keep up with them. I let them carry on. This only amounted to light footwork for Fran. Soon, a knock came on the door.
“Fran? The second match has just finished. Please get ready.”
That was fast. We had only been waiting for thirty minutes. The tournament official told us that Gaudartha made short work of his opponent. He was definitely the one to beat in our block. He hurried us along to the arena.
“Please make your way into the ring.”
Cruise, the adventurer who beat Old Radule, was our opponent.
Fran, remember this isn’t your first time meeting him. Don’t say “pleased to meet you”.
“Hm?”
Just tell him “it’s been a while” or “good to see you again”.
“Got it.”
If memory served, Cruise was a C-Rank swordsman. He was more of a leader than a fighter, and his stats showed it. He was probably promoted to C-Rank more for his managerial skills than his fighting prowess. I remembered him being a cheerful man, though one with a weight on his shoulders.
I didn’t expect him to look at all like the man waiting for us in the ring. The fierce warrior stared at Fran quietly as she entered. “I didn’t think I’d see you here of all places.”
“Hm.”
Is that really Cruise? He’s a lot rougher than I remember.
Name: Cruise Riouselle
Age: 28
Race: Human
Class: Berserker
Level: 37/99
HP: 256; Magic: 175; Strength: 183; Agility: 219
Skills: Evil Sense 3; Stealth 4; Evasion 6; Royal Etiquette 2; Frenzy 4; Presence Sense 5; Sword Arts 6; Sword Mastery 8; Self-Defense 4; Command 2; Blink 8; Cold Resistance 4; Poison Resistance 5; Trap Sense 2; Dull Pain; Spirit Manipulation; Health Regeneration; Last Stand
Title: Giant Killer; The Upright; Survivor of a Hopeless Battle
Equipment: Mad Tiger Fang Longsword; Mithril Full Plate; 100-legged Spider Mantle; Bracelet of Sacrifice; Evasion Ring
The handsome face of the young noble was now marked with a scar that ran from the top of his right eye all the way to his cheek. It looked like the claw mark of a great monster. While he seemed to have retained his vision, the wound was deep.
It wasn’t just his looks, either. His Class had changed from Duelist to Berserker, and with it, his Strength and Agility were drastically increased. He was now heavily focused on offense.
Fran finally remembered the young man from Alessa, but everything about him was so different that she doubted herself. “What happened to you?”
“Ha ha ha. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Doesn’t look like it to me.”
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since I saw your match with Lady Amanda. I changed my fighting style. I just got a little roughed up trying to perfect it; that’s all.”
Fran’s mock match with Amanda had been intense enough to make anyone rethink their life choices. One look at Cruise’s face told me that he’d taken it seriously enough to train almost to the point of death. I thought that was going a little too far, but at least he was trying.
“I don’t think I’m as strong as you were back when you challenged Amanda…but I’d like to see how far I’ve come.” Cruise drew his sword, and powerful mana emanated from it. It was definitely an enchanted weapon. The longsword was crafted out of the fangs of a Tyrant Sabertooth. We would have to be careful about the Vibrofang within.
“We’re at the same rank now. I need to put up some sort of a fight.”
“I’m still going to win. I have my reasons,” Fran said as she readied me.
Before, the menacing aura she emitted would’ve been enough to make him cower. Now, he only smiled as he readied his sword. Cruise had definitely grown stronger psychologically as well as physically.
“And now, a duel between swordsmen! First, the dark horse who eliminated Ulmutt’s own elder mage Radule: the C-Rank adventurer, Cruise! Up next, the youngest C-Rank in town, and the youngest combatant in the tournament: the Swordceress Fran! We’re in for an exciting fight today, folks!”
Cruise had yet to receive a nickname, but he definitely got some props for beating Radule.
“Third match of the second round…begin!”
“Here I go! Frenzy!”
Cruise opened the fight by immediately
