NOVEL NEXT Chapter 33
I spoke with Lena when she returned to the waiting room.
I’ve started to get used to the dissonance caused by her maid outfit.
She’s undoubtedly the most famous person in the tournament.
“You could’ve told me you were participating. I wasn’t in the cheering section, so I was a bit disappointed. Wasted disappointment.”
“Sorry, Master. Misha and I planned to surprise you. We tried not to meet during the tournament.”
“I see that now.”
“You know, sometimes I want to show off my adventurer skills too. I’m quite spirited, to say the least.”
Well, I can’t say I don’t understand.
Especially since there aren’t many opportunities for adventurers to fight each other outside of brawls.
“Misha said my actual abilities are probably higher than my level suggests. My old job was pretty intense, so if I keep dodging attacks, I could go far.”
“You’re good at dodging attacks, that’s for sure.”
I think Misha’s assessment is accurate. Thieves focus all their energy on dodging each strike. Since they also have low defense, they must be extra careful.
Perhaps this is more valuable experience than just defeating monsters and earning experience points.
“Switching the topic to you, Master, you’ve really gotten stronger.”
It’s a little embarrassing to be praised by someone close to me.
“I felt like I was getting stronger, so the tournament was a good opportunity to confirm that.”
“You might actually have a shot at winning.”
“Well, I’d like to hope so.”
Luck plays a role in that too.
“And this might be wishful thinking, but…”
Lena flashed a somewhat provocative smile.
“I’d like to face you in the finals.”
“That would be great. Then the prize money would end up in our household either way.”
I joked in response, but I thought I should aim for the finals.
I don’t want to show Lena an embarrassing defeat, nor do I want her to be disappointed if I lose before her.
Maybe that renewed determination was a good thing; I steadily advanced through the rounds.
Whether it’s because I’ve been fighting deeper-level monsters or not, I can clearly see my enemies’ movements and anticipate them.
I suppose it’s due to the battles I’ve fought; I can sense the enemy’s intent better than before.
I can properly defend against the enemy’s attacks with my sword.
And that defense is timely.
“What!? He blocked it!?”
Some opponents looked shocked, but to me, it was nothing extraordinary.
The damage from deeper-level monsters is considerably high if you take even one hit.
So you focus on stopping or dodging those attacks.
Honestly, I can still fight 15th-floor monsters half-heartedly. Getting careless rarely results in a fatal injury.
I’m qualitatively stronger than those who fight at shallower depths.
Thanks to that, not only did I win my battles, but I also finished most without taking much damage.
In the second round, my opponent conceded after taking a one-sided beating.
In the quarter-finals, I downed my opponent with a sword strike to the head, securing a KO victory.
The semi-finals were a bit challenging; my opponent was a Lv 25 veteran.
“Your name was Keiji, right? I remember you used to fight more naively.”
The opponent, Sylvan, a long-haired, bearded warrior of some renown, struck up a conversation in the waiting room.
I’m familiar with his name, too. At this point in the tournament, only well-known people from the guild remain.
“You could easily become a higher-ranked adventurer with Lv 25.”
“If I became an A-rank, I’d be swamped with national quests and be no different from a soldier. I want to remain a free adventurer. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Well, I’m here to level up because I’m too low.”
Most adventurers aim for A-rank for the sake of their own honor; it’s a sort of career progression.
In sumo terms, it’s like reaching the rank of Ozeki or Sekiwake.
Becoming a Yokozuna would require a lot of factors to align, much like reaching S-rank as an adventurer. You can’t be recognized as S-rank unless you get significant quests.
“I’ve lived my life seeking strength as an adventurer, and this is where it’s gotten me. I don’t need to explain this to someone like you.”
“Frankly, I get it.”
Both Sylvan and I are exceptions.
“But you’re B-rank. If you win this, you’ll become A-rank. So you’re okay with that?”
Sylvan scowled a bit, maybe because he felt I’d seen through him.
“I’ve done about everything there is to do at B-rank, so I’ve started to think it might be okay to move on to the next field.”
Sylvan is in his mid-30s. His body might start to decline from here, so he’s probably thinking of doing as much as he can before retiring.
Then, we were called for our match.
I absolutely don’t want to lose.
After all, Lena is still in the tournament.
If possible, let’s face each other in the finals.