## Chapter 778 – Kingdom Martial Arts Tournament

The day of the tournament.

I woke up before dawn, immediately sat up, stretched my neck to focus, and then got out of bed to do some simple stretches using the Secretary Kwon martial art.

ㅡPapat!
ㅡBoongtseboongtse!

I had just woken up, but my mind was clearer than ever, and my body was overflowing with energy. My extremely healthy physique always had an inhuman vitality bubbling within it.

“…Kui kui.”

Today, I’m in “tip-top” condition.

“Ah… are you awake already…”

As I was about to leave, Risha opened her mouth with difficulty. She must have woken up sensing my presence.

“Yeah. Sleep more. I have to leave early anyway.”
“Have a good trip… I’ll come to cheer you on…”
“Hehehe, alright, alright.”

I stroked Risha’s head and ears for a moment.

“Haa… there’s a tonic on the dining table on the first floor, so drink it before you go.”
“Tonic? Ah, you made it? Thanks a lot. I’ll drink it.”

I pressed Risha’s shoulders to make her lie down again and went down to the first floor. There was a potion bottle-like thing on the table. I decided to wash up and eat first before drinking it.

I immediately went to the bathroom to wash my body clean, then went to the kitchen for a simple meal. Bread with cheese, jerky, and nuts. After calming my mind with my most familiar meal, I drank the tonic Risha had made.

ㅡGulp.

I didn’t feel anything particularly special.

Anyway, since I ate, I brushed my teeth, went to the bathroom, and then put on my clothes and equipment. I had been importing these like crazy for the past two days, so they were gleaming.

After getting dressed, I went outside.

ㅡHaa.

Even though it was winter, the air wasn’t that cold. It was dark because the sun hadn’t risen yet. In any case, it was perfect weather for fighting.

I immediately headed to the Grand Arena.

* * *

A rather long line was formed at the north entrance of the Grand Arena. All the guys here were participants in the tournament. Participants were told to come to the north passage.

As I stood there waiting, it was soon my turn.

“I am Kim Kat, Paladin directly under the Saintess of the Brass Holy Angel Order.”
“Pa, Paladin Kim Kat? Just a moment…”

When I revealed my name, the employee sitting at the window muttered my name and quickly flipped through various documents.

“Ah, yes. Please verify your identity.”

It seemed they had found my name.

“Understood.”

I immediately took out my ID card and participation confirmation certificate and showed them. The employee checked them, nodded, and wrote something on the document.

“Yes, confirmed. Paladin-nim, please go inside and wait in Hall F. They will provide you with a schedule there, so if you have any questions, please ask the staff there.”
“Understood. Good work.”

After saying goodbye, I immediately entered the arena.

Their handling was quite skillful, wasn’t it? Well, this tournament has been going on for decades, so of course, they would have a manual.

Anyway, it seemed that this entrance was connected to the basement. Of course, “as befitting the Grand Arena,” the scale of the basement was also quite large. It was a building where otherworldly architectural technology was concentrated.

The doors of various waiting rooms were spaced wide apart, and since I was told to go to Hall F, I immediately grabbed the doorknob.

There were so many participants now that they seemed to be dividing them up like this.

ㅡCreak.

As I opened the door and went inside…

“…”
“…”
“…”

The inside was, to put it nicely, a waiting room, and to put it badly, a special prison for heinous and vicious criminals. As soon as I entered, dozens of guys who looked like professional serial killers glared at me with ominous eyes.

After glaring at me for a moment, they soon lost interest and returned to the task of polishing their weapons.

“Shit.”

These guys are in their twenties?

If these hideous bastards are in their twenties, it’s no exaggeration to say that the world is already on the path to destruction.

ㅡSwish, swish.
ㅡSwish.

But looking at the weapons they were polishing, they were quite diverse. There were swords, of course, but also maces, and even a weirdo with ten knives attached to his back like claws.

ㅡ…

But… it’s so quiet.

Not a single one of the dozens of guys was chatting.

No matter how you look at it, this could only be explained as a place where incorrigible human trash with antisocial tendencies were gathered.

Still, they all seemed to have some skill.
Just not as much as me.

“The person who just came in?”

A warden with a vicious and dominant personality… no.

The staff member who was standing called me. I immediately approached him and told him my name. He wrote something on the document and gave me a brief explanation.

“Ah. Paladin-nim, you are assigned to this Group F. You can check the bracket over there, and when the tournament starts, we will call your name according to the schedule. Please go and compete each time.”
“Understood. By any chance, do you know when it starts?”
“Probably… when the sun rises, the opening ceremony will begin first. Until then, you are free to do whatever you want, but please return to Hall F before the opening ceremony begins. Whatever you do, just stay inside this Hall F.”
“I will keep that in mind.”

The system is quite well-established.

He told me that a guide map with the locations of the restrooms and snack bar was also hanging on the wall and told me to check it out. Soon, another person opened the door and came in, and the staff member began to explain to him again.

Anyway, the inside was quite spacious, so I roughly found a seat and sat down. I wasn’t particularly interested in my opponent. There wasn’t a single guy here stronger than me.

I’ll close my eyes and rest for a bitㅡ

“ㅡAlright, alright! The opening ceremony has begun!! Everyone, please stand up! You must go to the tournament grounds according to my instructions!!!”

Suddenly, the staff member clapped loudly and shouted, waking me up. Was it already that time?

I slept like a log.

“Ugh.”

When I got up, all the other guys stood up and lined up awkwardly. Still, they all looked nervous. They look like serial killers, but they have a cute side.

Anyway, after lining up, we went to the stadium under the control of the staff member holding a flag.

“The contestants are entering!!!!!”

ㅡWaaaaaaaaah!
ㅡUooooooooh!
ㅡYeeeeeeeeeeah!!!!!

As soon as we went out, cheers erupted.

ㅡIt’s wide.

It was twice as wide and tall as the Isvant Arena. It was literally a “Grand Arena.” The Grand Arena was now filled with expectant cheers. I saw that the sun had already risen, and the seats were almost full.

Is this the World Cup?

I quickly tried to find my women, but… this is a bit difficult.

“This way! Stand in two lines and follow me!”

The staff member of Group F shouted at the top of his lungs, and we followed him.

“Group E is this way!!”
“Group G is this way!!!”

Next to him, staff members holding flags of other groups were doing the same thing. The contestants from the other groups followed them.

Wow, even though they’re not soldiers, hundreds of people are all being controlled. This is a rare sight. It’s usually quite difficult to control people.

“Wait here!!!”

The procession stopped when we reached our location. I immediately jumped high to look around, and roughly, the number of contestants seemed to be over 500 in total.

So, assuming that two people fight in pairs, simple calculation shows that if I fight and win about four times, the preliminaries will be over and the main round will begin. I tried to find a strong person, but… there were too many people to feel it.

Damn, there are so many.

Anyway, the contestants were all lined up here as a group. It’s quite noisy. I could clearly feel the audience’s gaze fixed on this side.

So, is the opening ceremony about to begin?

“Helloㅡ!!!! I’m Reas, who is hosting again this year!!! Nice to meet you all!!!”

As I was thinking that, I suddenly heard a shrill female voice. Reas is hosting?

ㅡPueoooooooong!!

At that moment, a large green explosion occurred, and a black cloud was rapidly created, covering the sky above the Grand Arena.

“Waaaaaaaaaah!!!”
“Waaaaaaaaaah!!”
“Oooooooooooooh!!”

Cheers erupted from all directions. The black cloud that was created covered the sky like a lid, and the background quickly darkened.

ㅡChwaaang!!

At the same time, a huge hologram appeared right in the center of the Grand Arena.

“Can you see me wellㅡ!!!!!”

The main character of the hologram was the upper body of a cute redhead woman wearing a clown hat and red heart-shaped paint on her face.

She used some kind of magic to create a hologram-like effect.

Anyway, the clown girl, who had become gigantic in the darkened background, was smiling and making a fuss while holding something like a microphone.

“As expected, this year’s magic is perfect! Great Magician Deinchel’s skill is undoubtedly the strongest in the kingdom!!! The darkening of the sky and the fact that my appearance is so large are also the work of the Great Magician-nim!! Everyone, please applaud!!! Waaah!!!”

ㅡClap clap clap clap clap!!!!
ㅡClap clap clap clap clap!!!!
ㅡClap clap clap clap clap!!!!

Thunderous applause erupted from all over. Of course, the contestants also clapped, looking at the giant hologram with beaming faces.

“Then, right away!!! There will be a congratulatory speech from Deinchel-nim!!!”

ㅡTsuzzut.

The hologram flickered once and soon changed to another person.

“Ah, can you see me? Ahem. I hope you enjoy this year as well, commemorating the prosperity of the Karga Kingdom.”

It was a woman with long, light green hair. This person is the kingdom’s strongest Great Magician Deinchel?

“Huh?”

Wait a minute.

“I was going to make it long, but it’s actually a festival for warriors, so what can I, a magician, say? Of course, I’m not drawing a line between magicians and warriors, but a Sword Master would be more suitable for this kind of thing than me. So, I’ll stop here. I’m sorry if you’re disappointed. Then, dear everyone, see you at the next Kingdom Beauty Contest~.”

As Deinchel waved her hand, her appearance soon disappeared, and the host’s appearance reappeared.

ㅡThe long, light green hair was definitely something I remembered. And that face. That beautiful face was also a face I had seen before.

“…The library?”

She looks exactly like the woman who recommended that red book there.

Could it be that that woman was a Great Magician?

“Holy shit.”

What the hell is going on?

I felt a momentary dizziness in the face of this incomprehensible and confusing situation. Who the hell did I do that with… no. Maybe I just mistook her for someone similar… no, that’s not it.

It’s possible that I just mistook her because her hair color was similar.

“…”

ㅡThump thump.

Oh, shit, my heart.

As I was worrying about that.

“Next is the congratulatory speech from the most noble «Einpel Gainsha Karga!!!» Princess!!!!!”

ㅡWaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!
ㅡOaaaaaangaaaaaah!!
ㅡWaaaaaaaah!!!!!

The order was quickly passed on to the princess.
As expected of a princess, they put an accent on her name to emphasize it…

“My beloved citizens.”

…What appeared was, to put it nicely, a beauty.

Her first impression was “decadent.”

The decadent-looking beauty had long eyelashes, making her look languid.

“And warriors.”

Above her head, with her long, brilliantly and neatly arranged platinum blonde hair, was a tiara that seemed to prove that she was a princess.

A crown inlaid with dazzling and beautiful jewels, literally looking extremely expensive.

ㅡEinpel Gainsha Karga.

The current Karga King’s daughter.

She was a beauty beyond imagination.

Her appearance was almost comparable to Saintess Kadia-nim… it was no exaggeration to say that she was as beautiful as Claudia, who boasts outstanding beauty even among half-elves.

“I am very pleased that you have added to the heat of this year’s martial arts tournament.”

Her sweet voice, combined with her decadent feeling, made her look even more languid. But, it wasn’t just her face that was beautiful.

Her body was also… almost perfect.

Large breasts.

ㅡ…
ㅡ…
ㅡ…

Only the princess’s voice echoed in the large arena.

Everyone shut their mouths on their own. There seemed to be almost tens of thousands of people, but not even the sound of an ant crawling could be heard.

I also quietly listened to her congratulatory speech.

I can hardly hear what she’s saying. I’m not usually the type to be so into beauties, but is it because she’s a princess? I’m quite interested in her appearance. But she’s not prettier than Claudia… there’s something unique about her. As expected of a princess, she has charisma.

The princess’s congratulatory speech, which I didn’t even know what she was saying, ended.

“Alright, the princess’s words!! Did you hear them well!!!!!”

The host immediately appeared, making a fuss.

“The princess’s blessing will be with all of you!!! Then next!!! As expected! The strongest swordsman who cannot be left out of the martial arts tournament, Sword Master-nim!!!!”

The next person was the famous Sword Master.

Is it finally the Sword Master?

ㅡGulp.

I stared at the hologram magic with tension. I swallowed my saliva and my heart started beating. Yes, more than anything else, this was what I was most curious about.

An existence that can be said to be almost the strongest among the humans of this other world, and an icon of the most inhuman and brutal serial killer.

Sword Master.

ㅡTsuzzut.

Soon, a woman appeared.

“Nice to meet you, warriors.”

It was a beautiful woman with sharp eyes.

ㅡA fierce impression.

Her voice had power, and her eyes, filled with the madness unique to serial killers, were redder than freshly shed blood, burning like the hellfire of hell.

ㅡLight brown hair.

Her bangs were straight, and the ends of her long hair that stretched out beside them had waves. Overall, it was a neat hairstyle, but to me, it only gave the impression of being fierce and violent.

ㅡGreat General (大將軍).

Yes, the word Great General comes to mind.
I felt that kind of spirit.

A fierce and violent Great General.

Anyway, the clothes she was wearing were not armor, but a women’s uniform that revealed her figure…

“The only thing this Sword Master has to say is this.”

…As expected of a Sword Master.

She has breasts befitting her dignity.
And a heavy voice filled with soul.

“Fight without shame in front of this Sword Master. That’s all.”

Her words ended like that.

“Iyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

Cheers poured out that couldn’t even be compared to the cheers that had been heard so far. The Sword Master, who had been standing still for a moment as if admiring the sound, soon disappeared.

At the same time, the sky covered with black clouds cleared up.

The Kingdom Martial Arts Tournament had begun.

“Dejaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

I also burst into cheers.