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It was Group C today. The Adventurers who would be fighting were Rank B. Daniela and I were around that level in Replant. That meant that these guys would be strong enough to kill a wyvern solo.

 

“No, I believe that was because of your skills, Asagi.”

“Oh, really?”

 

I had had a pretty bad start, and besides, Rex and the others had weakened it for me.

 

We watched these strong fighters battle it out in the arena. But was it just me? Or did there seem to be a lot more today…

 

“Ah, it is not just you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. There are a higher number of B-Rank Adventurers. It’s harder to break through to A-Rank. Some people will never even make it. And so there are up to eighty Adventurers here today.”

“Ouch…”

 

According to Lemon, there were not many Adventurers who could reach A-Rank. Indeed, your rank was affected by your level, but it was also affected by quest completion rates. You could have a really high level, but if you didn’t complete quests, the guild could refuse to raise your rank.

That being said, you couldn’t just complete a bunch of lower-ranking quests either. It was a matter of trust. However, A-Rank quests tended to be very dangerous, and so B-Rank became a kind of pool where many B-Rankers collected.

 

“People enter the tournament for the chance of fame. It will also help you get better quests and raise your rank… A final desperate attempt of B-Rankers, you might say.”

“I see… So in a way, it’s a relief measure.”

“Yes. After all, it’s best that there are a lot of high ranking Adventurers.”

 

Well, winning the tournament alone wouldn’t mean much by itself. It was really about how many moves and tricks you could steal. That’s what B-Rankers needed to do.

I had been blessed in a way. Beowulf had made me his thrall, and I had received special skills. Of course, it didn’t hurt to have someone like Daniela next to me as well. I would have likely stayed at G-Rank…had I been alone.

So I had to be thankful to them… Beowulf. I wonder what he was doing now.

 

I thought about such things as the fight continued. A battle royale of eighty fighters. They may not have had enough experience and skill for the guild, but they looked pretty capable to me. Perhaps it was sheer desperation. They wanted it so bad. Winning was the only thing they were thinking about.

 

However, it tended to make you lose sight of things. If you aren’t fully aware of your surroundings, you end up losing fights that you could’ve won. But how many of them would realize this…

 

“Ahh…”

“Did you see that, Asagi? The woman with the spear.”

“I did. Impressive…”

 

One spear-wielder was expertly taking down opponents, front and back, left and right. She pulled back from a forward thrust in order to attack the person behind her, then she blocked a sword without killing her momentum. The spear then twirled above her head and came crashing down. Yes, it was great. I took notes with Jack of all Trades, Master of None.

 

And she could defend quite well too. Her flexibility was especially impressive. She could even lower herself into the splits… I would scream in pain if I had to do that.

She dodged attacks by crouching, all the while, swinging her spear. It was hard to attack a target that was close to the ground. And just like that, another enemy had their legs fly over their head and was defeated.

And there was more. Once, she evaded attacks from both sides by jamming her spear into the ground and lifting her body high into the air. Then she swung her spear, drawing a circle and throwing the two attackers off of their feet.

 

It really was quite a sight, seeing so many opponents fall, one after another. I felt like I was watching a martial arts film. The audience loved it.

It was as if one person fell with every swing.

 

“That one is clearly on the rise. Not like these others who are stuck in B-Rank.”

“Indeed. She will be A-Rank soon enough.”

 

Lemon and Daniela nodded. I agreed. Imagine how deadly she was with her real weapon…

 

“However, she does not seem to use magic.”

“Do you think she really got this far with that spear alone…?”

“Perhaps. She certainly has the skill for it.”

 

This was the kind of battle that felt good to watch. And it also had the bonus of being educational for me.

 

However, it was about to come to an end. She blocked swords and dodged magic as if a dancer on stage. Her enemies dwindled until there was just her and one other person left. However, this was the Imperial Sword Tournament. And there were two winners.

In other words, the fight was finished. The winners of Group C were the spear-wielder and one lucky guy.

 

“His face… He looks as if he has already lost.”

“Yes, Miss Daniela. You can see that he’s already hit the ceiling.”

 

You had to be greedy for victory. Lemon added. I suppose that was her motto in life. I didn’t know if I agreed with it, but I understood her. You could say that it was also an important trick to living. I thought this as I stared at the spear-wielder.

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