Volume 13 - CH 13

The one who came into the ring was a gray, burly guy with a full plate. It's a big guy.

But their face is also covered with a helmet that covers their eyes and mouth, so it's unclear whether they'are a man or a woman.

This is the ...... Mad King?

「GUOOOHhhh!」

He barked in a thick voice. He's intimidating the audience.

「He's a man!」

I complained to Sarah, who was hugging me next to me.

「Ahahaha, well, that's what his voice sounds like.」

I was fooled. I was a fool for expecting to find a cute loli beauty in that armor.

「All right, Mad King!」

「Get them!」

「I bet all my money on you, so you better win!」

The cheering got louder and louder, but then again, he was the main contender for the championship.

His opponent was an unknown warrior, but he already looked intimidated and prepared himself.

I think the Mad King is going to win this one. The warrior is a big guy with a big hammer, but he's bit coward.

In a battle, the one who is frightened will loses.

That's what I've learned from dungeon diving and PK in this world.

When it comes to winning or losing a battle, pure strength and ability are secondary.

Because if you are too frightened to act calmly, you will make more mistakes and miss your chance to attack.

This will surely reduce the damage your opponent receives and reduce your attack power.

This is why you need to condition yourself first, rather than your opponent, to ensure victory.

「Then......Let's get started!」

The big gong rang out, and it was the "Mad King" who took the lead. He held a halberd in his hand that was larger than he was tall. He swung it and swung it around with a side-swipe.

「Eeekkk!」

The warrior hurriedly held his mallet vertically to catch it, but the game was already decided there.

「Guahh!」

The Mad King's halberd snapped the handle of the mallet and bent the warrior's body sideways. It was a tremendous amount of power to do that much with a single blow to his iron armor.

And it wasn't the axe part of the halberd. It was the handle that did it.　

「T-That's it! Oi! Stop that!」

The referee stopped him, but the Mad King continued to attack, swinging and poking his axe and spear.

A number of armed warriors from the management came out and finally stopped him.

「Ugh, what the hell is he doing? It's almost as if he's enjoy tormenting his opponent.」

Saki said this in disgust, but I didn't see it that way.

It was as if the Mad King was frightened and was waving his halberd frantically.

Why?

「Hmm, having fun, huh? Then he doesn't have to defeat his opponent with a single blow.」

That's what the King said, isn't it? The Mad King was fighting in a way that showed no signs of letting up. Even now, he is in a state of excitement, and his gaze is still locked on the "enemy" being carried away.

「Sarah, you've met him before in the dungeon, haven't you?」

「Yeah, he was calmer then than he is now, but he was a bit more peaceful.」

「Did he speak at that time?」

「No. It was like he couldn't speak.」

「He couldn't speak. ...... Saki, do you have a profile on the Mad King?」

I asked the well-informed Saki.

「No, I didn't have it. I've done a lot of canvassing, but I can't find anything on him except that he made his debut two years ago. I don't even know who he is or where he's from. Sorry I can't help you.」

I'm curious.

If the management is selling him as a mysterious warrior, I can understand why he wouldn't take off his mask, but I don't think they would keep his hometown a secret. For example, if you're a mysterious magician, you should be from Austin, the holy land of magic. It doesn't have to be true because it's a profile of a show for entertainment. No one would be too upset.

Or maybe he was a wanted criminal in some country and needed to hide his face and name.

I tried to [Appraisal] the Mad King, who hadn't gotten out of the ring yet.

「Tsk, it's interferenced, huh.」

I couldn't even view his name, but it seemed like some kind of skill was at work rather than the opponent being too high level.

Even the level 86 "Immortal King" was able appraised by [Appraisal] its name.

「Are you curious about him, Alec?」

The king asks me.

「Yeah. A little.」

「I'm curious, too. I've looked him up before, but I couldn't even get his name. If he's that big, one of the soldiers would have remembered him when he entered the country, but he's probably from here.」

「That would be strange. If he was from this country, someone would have seen him in the neighborhood.」

「Well, that's true, but people from the slums don't cooperate with soldiers, and neither does the thieves' guild.」

The king seems to think that they are from the slums. Well, I suppose that is a possibility.

However, ...... usually, if someone becomes famous for winning a series of match, there will always be someone who will say that "I am his best friend".

If his childhood friend is not in this country, he or she is probably from outside the country. This country doesn't have many customs, and the immigration control is not very good.

「Oh, it looks like Ione and Jake are next.」

When Lily said that, I looked at the ring and saw a light blue haired Jake coming out, dressed up and waving to the crowd. He's as vulgar as ever.

「Jake, don't lose.」

「I'm betting on you! Don't let your guard down.」

「Fight like you mean it!」

The crowd was cheering for him, as if to warn him.

「Hey, hey, hey, I got this, I got this. All I want today is to become champion! Whoo! YEAH!」

He says it with a wink, but he's even more annoying than usual. His movements are 50% more restless.

「Uwahh, he's got a bit of a temper tantrum, that Jake.」

Saki said.

「I'm starting to feel that way.」

「This is bad, there are so many people here today, I don't know what they'll say if I lose. Ah, I have to go to the bathroom.」

Nene says, but I'm pretty sure it's in Jake's mind.

「Let's begin!」

The referee called out, and Ione took the lead. She bends down and lunges at Jake, who is still smiling and waving at the crowd.

「Oops, that's dangerous!」

However, Jake reacted quickly and used his shortsword to repel Ione's longsword.

Ione immediately launched a second strike.

「Whoo-hoo! Ohoh! Aaah!」

Jake dodges, making a dumb sound like he can't afford it, but he's managed to avoid all of Ione's attacks. He's a great guy.

「Ahahaha, oh by the way. Ione is also very good, even though she're bit slow.」

Sarah said, but I couldn't help but notice the words "slow". Ione is the quick one, well, maybe slower than Sarah's speed.

「But her attacks aren't hitting. He only let her take the first blow with her sword. I think we might have a winner here.」

Hannah said, but her prediction was right on target.

「Waterfowl sword! 【Tsubamegaeshi】」

Ione unleashed a fast move, but Jake dexterously rode on top of the sword.

「Now, young lady, will you please surrender? I don't want to hurt your beautiful face.」

Jake said, pointing his sword at Ione. If she get into this position, I'm sure she'll be cut down before she can attack Jake.

「Phew, yeah, I give up.」

Ione seems to have given up and surrenders as well.

「The winner, Jake! I knew it was going to be a winner! At first I wondered what would happen, but even if it was rotten, it was A-rank Jake! The name "Black Dragon Slayer" wasn't a fluke! The battle between the A-rankers went to Jake! The Black Cat of the Wind is defeated!」

Hmph, a black dragon is just a lowly black dragon around here anyway. Jake is no match for the dark dragon we fought.

「Uwaaahhhh, 10,000 gold gone! Ione's an idiot!」

Letty slams her pointy hat on the floor and stomps on it in anger, but I bought her a new one and gave it to her as a gift. It's not an evil god. Well, it's cheap, so she can take it out on all she want.

「Now it's time for the semifinals! Will it be revenge for Jake, the winner of the previous round, and the Black Cat of the Wind? Jouga, the power rookie!」

「Eehhh, Jake was so strong, even Ione was no match for him, but uwahh, he might get wiped out!」

Letty was distraught, but Sarah and I smiled at her.

「Well, Letty, we won't know the outcome of the match until we open the lid.」

「What? How is Jouga going to beat that guy?」

「I've given him a winning strategy.」

I say this with confidence.

「Heeey! I helped you too!」

Sarah says.

「Seriously?」

「Yeah!」

Jake's speed is light years ahead of Ione's. Of course, he's much faster than Jouga.

But there are several ways to make an attack inevitable against a speed fighter enemy.