Chapter 101 [Bonus Chapter] Know Your Place [4]

"Damn, he's a hardcore pervert, an open one at that. Miller, this is why they say 'A pervert a time will ruin your day thousand times'."

I spoke while facing the Vile Reaper. At my feet were 4 corpses.

"Which hole did you pop up from?"

At his question, I pointed to, a few feet away, the hole in the ground. From his expression, it seems he hadn't thought I actually came out from a hole.

Back when I had used flashbangs I had also used the <Sink> spell in the grimoire.

<Sink> creates a hole in the ground and is often used to set traps. I used the hole to hide underground with Miller.

Before coming, I had checked the rules to make sure what I was going to wasn't prohibited.

I specifically bought <Sink> as it has a short chant and by hiding in the hole, we would be able to pass the test by hiding.

Though if I had to guess, the absence of rule was because the championship was still a small tournament and proper rules had yet to be formed.

After hiding, I had hidden the hole with a scrap board I picked from the shop. It wasn't anything grand, but because everyone was busy attacking each other; we weren't discovered.

"You pray that you don't meet me in the next round."

Vile reaper said to me solemnly and then vanished.

'haaa.... I made one heck of an enemy, if I say so myself.'

(I'm sorry)

The gates opened, and a woman, wearing a grey robe and black mask, rushed into the ground. She picked the girl, whose head had been smashed into the ground by Vile Reaper, and then bolted toward the boy who was on the verge of dying from mana exhaustion.

She then carefully laid them down and fed them potions, probably a healing potion to the girl and a mana potion to the boy.

Looking at this scene, I sighed.

I had been planning to keep hiding and, when only a few contestants remained, to use my art while hiding underground to eliminate others.

But I had to scrap that plan and enter early when I heard what the girl and the boy were calling each other.

Yato and Sie.

In the Goliath Unit, everyone calls Seer, Sie, in public and she uses a sniper. What a coincidence someone very similar had entered the tournament.

But Eth forced me to face the reality.

Wasn't Yato the codename of Leon? And wasn't he going on a mission with Seer and Huntress?

I kept denying everything as a coincidence, at least until Yato used that golden lightning.

I had to accept the truth. That duo was Leon and Seer, aka Isabell.

"Haaaa....."

I had messed up big time.

Vile Reaper had made me a target because I hindered him. And, as my good luck, he was also one of the big villains in the future, the 11th of Round Table.

I could have left Isabell and Leon to their own devices and they still would have made it out alive.

In the novel, the only person whom even Leon couldn't match in terms of luck and plot armor was Isabell. In the novel's fandom there was a famous joke that explained that Isabell was a hidden protagonist.

There was no way she was going to die here with her absurd luck.

Moreover, Huntress would've intervened if they were about to die. I was sure of this because, in the novel, Isabell had said that she and Huntress were like sisters to each other.

The only reason I intervened was that Eth started going wild when I said that Isabell had to go through pain for Huntress to be forced to intervene.

It was funny how this guy had no memories, yet he couldn't let harm come to her. After all, he shouldn't remember how much Isabell had looked after him in those years when he was solely focused on training.

"Thank You. They only lived thanks to you."

The woman who was looking after Leon and Isabell thanked me. Looking at the enormous sword at her back, I concluded that she was Huntress.

I snorted and also left the stadium.

While leaving, the irregularities about the tournament kept bugging me.

Sword Maiden, the 1st seat of the Round table and its founder, should have recruited Vile reaper under her already.

Under her Vile reaper should have no shortage of resources. Why was he participating in the tournament? One which was held by the Underworld at that.

I knew I wouldn't find the answer to this anytime soon, so I tried to look for answers that were available to me.

Vupp-

A black diary appeared in my hands.

'Why the hell is the Goliath Unit here?'

*

Thup-

I closed the black diary and inadvertently sighed.

Leon, Isabell, and Huntress were here to steal the prize for the competition.

'The attackers in the novel were Goliath Unit.'

I couldn't help but groan.

The details I got to know about their operation weren't much, as Leon wasn't told many things due to being a newbie, but it was clear that they had been planning this attack for a long while.

I felt cheated at this revelation.

I mean, I know it was my fault that Leon was here, but seriously? Why can't that idiot just keep his ass in one place?!

Although I was feeling frustrated, I didn't do anything.

Even if it was the Goliath Unit, my plans didn't change much. Rather, although he barely knew any useful information about the operation, Leon's presence made my plans easier.

Knock- Knock-

"Sirs, please come onto the stage. We are going to hold the lottery for matches line-up."

Listening to the receding footsteps, I turned to Miller.

"Will you stop shaking? There is no danger of death in the 2nd round as Surrendering is allowed. You won't die."

"But boss, the match-ups will be based on luck. Yo-I mean, we've already pissed Viler reaper, *gulp* what if I have to fight him next?"

After we completed the 1st round, they explained the 2nd round in detail.

There were two points worthy of notice: Now 1v/s1 matches will happen in a tournament format and the first line-up will be based on a lottery, and surrendering was now allowed.

I patted Miller on the back and reassured him to not worry about facing Vile reaper.

The chances of facing Vile reaper were only 1/15. One has to be extremely unlucky to get those odds.

We walked in silence to the stage.

-PLEASE WELCOME THE LAST 16 PARTICIPANTS WHO HAVE SURVIVED THROUGH THE HELL OF THE 1ST ROUND-

Wooooooooo- Woooooo-

Following the host's announcement, the crowd cheered passionately.

The commentator described the participants with great enthusiasm.

"A woman with a large physique carrying a halberd. She is a famous mercenary hailing North Sokovian Plains. Mother Mash!"

"An assassin with the ability to turn invisible. It is said that he has never failed to assassinate a target once he turns invisible. Silent Creeper!"

"Their mixed blood might have stopped them from awakening their stigmas, but their strength is nothing to scoff at. The trio of the three battle slave siblings!"

"A young man who is as pale as a sheet and frail. One might mistake him for a patient on his deathbed. But with his ability to turn his blood into weapons, he dominates the battlefield. The unmatchable Kaiser Tristen!"

"A notorious criminal who has escaped the Aegis time and again. If he comes after you, then wherever you run, he will always reach you. The Vile Reaper!"

The shouting of the crowds only increased as time went by and it reached an all-time high with the Vile Reaper.

True, people hated his nasty nature of torturers, but who were they to complain when they also enjoyed his silent killings whenever he massacred everyone?

The air carried the enthusiasm of the spectators and it felt that the cheer wouldn't get any more deafening. But that was proven wrong when the next participant was called out.

"A young man wearing grey robes and a black mask. His attire makes one doubt his capabilities. But fear not, for he is a skillful master of katana and the god of destruction himself. The Golden Rumbling Yato!"

Woooooooooo-

The commentator praised Leon to the heavens. He was the dark horse who fought Viler reaper to a stalemate.

(Do they not realize that Vile reaper was going easy on Leon?)

'It's not like that. They are praising him so that more people bet more money on him.'

More betting money meant more profit for them.

The authorities must be happy that someone has appeared who can fight Vile reaper, even if it was only in the eyes of the audience.

A few more participants were called out and at last, only Miller and I were left.

(What's happening?)

The cheering that kept thundering till now had gotten very low. If I focused on my ears, I could hear some booing too.

Because so many people were shouting different things altogether, only incomprehensible exclamations reached me.

Slowly, the crowd became organized and began chanting together.

"BAN THEM! BAN THE COWARDS! BAN THE RULE-BREAKERS!"

It didn't take a genius to understand what was happening.

Among the crowd were hundreds of participants who had given up because of Vile reaper.

They didn't like the fact that I used the loopholes in rules- hiding underground- to reach the 2nd round.

"BAN THEM! BAN THE COWARDS! BAN THE RULE-BREAKERS!"

I could only shake my head.

'How..'

"...childish"

Who were they to ask about my elimination when they didn't even enter the tournament?

"BAN THEM! BAN THE COWARDS! BAN THE RULE-BREAKERS!"

"Sir, please wait. We'll calm the crowd shortly."

The commentator told me and channeled aura into his throat to raise his volume.

"It has already been decided that Mr. P-"

I placed my hand on the commentator's shoulder.

"Let me take over."

"But sir-"

"Let me take over."

Incomprehensible shouts came from the crowd, but I knew what they were saying.

I stood in front and channeled ether to my throat.

"It is correct that I cheated."

The volume of the crowd's yells suddenly plummeted, unable to understand what I was getting at.

"But won't it create problems if I leave the tournament now? How about this..."

I looked at the crowd that was jeering at me. Most of them were probably participants who were sour about how I passed the tournament.

If so, they won't be able to refuse my offer.

"All of you come at me. Whoever takes me down can take my place."

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