Chapter 403 – Film.K

Martin was now in Andreth’s waiting room with his few collaborators. That’s because he, who played the role of attracting the attention of the tournament, was defeated in vain. It wasn’t that he failed to draw attention, but the problem was that he wasn’t the main character.

“What happened?”

That question was also asked by one of my classmates. Moreover, their agitation was great because Andres was the most likely favorite among them. Thanks to this, the tournament was quite booming, but it was not good news for them.

Andres could be called the strongest of them all, but he was a familiar opponent to Martin and to them. To that extent, he had the advantage of being convenient in making countermeasures, but the undertaker who knocked him down was different. That’s why they came to find out how he was defeated.

“Uh, huh? That’s…”

Andres has a blank expression on his face. He looked at them as if he had barely come to his senses at the question, opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, seeming hesitant, but finally closed his mouth and frowned.

“I do not know either.”
“What? Does that make sense?”
“Isn’t it because you thought someone else would take the seat if you told me?”
“No! It’s real! What do I do when I wake up and collapse?”

Andres shouted with an unfair expression, but none of his motives seemed to believe his words. That would be the case, because he was also a man who participated in the tournament to win a woman.

Although he was eliminated, it must have been because he did not think that he would give favorable information to other rivals, but after watching that, Martin quietly turned around and left Andres’ waiting room.

“As he was also a rival of fate, did he notice something?”
“Leo.”

Following him was Rio, one of his motives.

“So did you find out something? Teach me something.”

I sighed at his curious question. Still, he didn’t feel bad. Because he didn’t participate in this tournament.

“You want me to teach you with your bare mouth?”
“Gigkick, of course I have to shoot one jaw.”

So they decided to meet at a bar.

“Why did you bring that woman back?”

Martin looked at the woman he was wearing and asked shyly. She was none other than the woman with whom Leo had a relationship yesterday.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I spent all day saying that I wanted to hear the story.”

He smiles bitterly, as if he hadn’t meant it.

“It can be the most important clue where to bet, so of course you want to hear it!”

Actually, the woman was drawing a V with one hand, but it seemed that she was going to bet her stake quite high.

“Huh, that’s okay. Rio is going to shoot anyway.”
“Oh yea!”

Eventually, they took her to her bar, where she shouted excitedly. As they drank one glass at a time, Rio was the first to speak.

“So how did you see it?”

It was disorganized, but no one knew what he was talking about here.

“You know? Andres isn’t the kind of person to be.”
“But people who aren’t like that usually change suddenly when something important happens, right?”
“That’s right. Who knows? He’s a man at least. He might not be mean with jealousy.”

When the woman interrupted, as if to contradict Martin’s words, Leo agreed. Still, he shook his head.

“If I were Andres, I think I would be most jealous and angry with the guy who defeated me.”
“That’s it again?”

Only then did Rio think that it was strange, and he pondered over Martin’s words. That is why he was a man’s symbol. Isn’t it natural that losing in a battle over a beautiful woman rather than just prize money comes as a huge humiliation for them?

“So, if it were me, I would have been busy exposing his information or weaknesses somehow?”

She would resent that he could have taken her if it hadn’t been for her opponent who had knocked her down.

“But isn’t there an assumption that it’s Martin-sama?”

She asked if she still didn’t understand, but Martin knew her Andrés, which she didn’t know. Because she relived her sparring with him and her life over and over again to win the tournament.

“I’ve competed with him many times.”

He was the only motivation to challenge Andres without giving up even once.

“So I know. He didn’t lie.”
“Then it’s even weirder? How could someone who looked like an ordinary human take down Andres so easily?”

Beastmen’s physical abilities are superior to those of normal humans. Nevertheless, it seemed that Andreth was only beaten one-sidedly by anyone.

“Even if you think you’re not feeling well…”
“You know that he has been thoroughly prepared.”
“Or did you play some trick? Poison or something?”
“”It’s not like that.””

This time, she both shook their heads at the woman’s words. Catsy’s nose is very sensitive. She could very easily distinguish the smells of areas that humans cannot smell, but there was no way she was poisoned, and if she did, Andres would have raised objections a long time ago.

“Even if they cheated, if it was enough to trick Andres, it would be scary enough.”

It was as Leo said. Even in such an overflowing crowd, it meant that no one noticed.

“So what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Because it looks like your opponent in the finals will be that mortician.”
“I have no choice but to watch how they fight.”

Later that day, Martin beat his opponent in his own match while also watching the undertaker’s match, Krikaliev. But he could not reap any harvest. It was none other than Krikaliev, regardless of whether the opponent was a cat, a harpy, or a human, he didn’t even give him a chance to shout surrender and suppressed him.

The finals came soon after. Sure enough, his opponent was Krikaliev.

“Ahhhhhm, this is the last time.”

Martin finally faced him in the center of the arena. Krikaliev did not hide his boredom. Facing him, Martin’s heart is still beating fast and sending hot blood all over his body. He’d been watching the game for a while, but Martin now realizes that there’s something he can only feel when he’s face to face.

‘Really, where was he and what did he do?’

He has been looking at the duel so far and has been preparing countermeasures against Krikaliev in his own way. One of them was holding a sword, not the spear he normally used today. In the meantime, Krikaliev’s fighting style he had seen was quite heterogeneous.

It wasn’t a sword, spear, or dagger used as a normal weapon, but two kitchen knives used only when cleaning large fish. Tie it to the shabby cloth wrapped around your body and wield it freely.

‘They weren’t the ones to lose simply because they weren’t familiar with weapons.’

Many people attributed the defeat to Krikaliev to the disparate weapon, but that was too simplistic. But no more time was given to think.

“The long-awaited final! The man who wins this time gets the beauty!”

Soon, along with the booming voice of the host, a kitchen knife flew at him without delay. But Martin backed off without even thinking about cutting off the cleaver or grabbing the fabric that followed.

“Looks like you’ve thought of some countermeasures.”

That’s because I’ve seen him make such an attempt and get caught or taken away from his weapon or hand and beaten unilaterally. Anyway, I was able to keep in mind that I shouldn’t be distracted by that cloth.

“Murguman.”
“Oops?!”

But at that moment Martin was dragged toward him as he fell, as one of his legs caught on something. When he found the cloth wrapped around his leg, he was sorry. One cleaver was thrown to take away his sight, and the remaining cleaver was thrown under him and wrapped in a cloth.

– Kwaaak!

The moment he realized that, as Martin was being dragged, he immediately raised his sword and lowered the cloth dragging his feet. Fortunately, the sword pierced the fabric and stuck into the ground, preventing him from being dragged, but that didn’t change the fact that Martin was still sitting on the ground.

“Hey!”
“Kuk!”

Seeing the cleaver flying this time, Martin immediately pulled out a spare kukri and cut it. This too was saved to deal with him. It was a countermeasure, since he had seen Krikaliev steal the opponent’s weapon.

As expected, the cloth tied to the knife wrapped around the kukri and took it away, but he had already assumed it. Instead, Martin took advantage of that gap to untie the cloth that was dragging him, and was able to get back the cleaver hanging from the end and the sword that had been stuck in the ground.

‘He used this as a weapon?’

Martin grabbed the square cleaver and panicked. The reach was short and the center of gravity was uneven and leaned forward, so no matter how much I thought about it, it was utterly unsuitable for combat. He felt all the more real because just a moment ago he had been wearing a kukri.

“Why don’t you come to your senses?”
“Keugh!?”

Meanwhile Krikaliev was right in front of him and was threatening him with the kukri he had taken from him.

‘What, what…!’

Are you an unreasonable guy? He himself steals the opponent’s weapon and uses it, but if the opponent tries to steal his weapon and uses it, he can’t use it properly. In a fight where each other’s weapons were exchanged, Krikaliev had the advantage. I already knew that I couldn’t use a kitchen knife, so I threw it away and blocked the stabbing kukri with only my long sword.

-Shhh! Kang!

Right in front of you. The tops of the Kukri and his sword blade’s cross guard collided and sparks flew. As if it were originally Krikaliev’s weapon, he rode freely in his hand and changed the location of the blade from time to time, aiming at his hand. The slightest mistake would blow off his fingers or wrists, but Martin kicked him away to increase the distance.

– Tick! Paaang!!
“Huh up?!”

Krikaliev kicked the cleaver that Martin had thrown away and kicked the hilt of the cleaver. The sound of Pakong passed by his ear, and his left ear went blind in an instant. He frowned and grabbed his ear, but the attack didn’t come. Martin then realized.

“…What are you doing? Why aren’t you fighting with all your might?”

That Krikaliev had never been sincere with him from beginning to end. No, not just him, but against all his former warriors.

‘What kind of monster is this?’

Martin realized that their opponent was not very good. It was a really odd difference. The fact that the reason the top warriors lost without a hitch was really simply a difference in skill.

“No, just what is everyone so desperate for?

In response to his question, Krikaliev scratched his head as if rather embarrassed. Hearing this, Martin’s anger surged.

“Did you intend to insult us by playing with us from the beginning!?”

What were you desperate for? Are we laughing at all those who were so desperate to get the attention of a woman as to be Sheeta’s mate? Is the girl he has had a crush on for over 10 years just a plaything for her guy?

“Are you saying you don’t know we all fought for her life to be her husband?!”
“Ugh? What kind of husband is this all of a sudden? Wasn’t this for a prize money?”
“What?”

For a moment, Martin froze.

‘This guy is doing it just in case, but no way.’

She opened her mouth with a genuine sense of wonder.

“…There is no prize money at stake in this tournament. Instead, the winner can be married to a lady named Sheeta.”
“Oh no! Winning wasn’t prize money, it was the grave of life?! Don’t be damned! I have to get out of here! Surrender!!!”

Surrender! When Krikaliev’s terrified shout resonated throughout the arena and everyone froze.

“I’m sorry my uncle aaaaa!!!”

A harpy girl, who flew from somewhere with wings spread, approached the center of the arena and bowed toward the crowd.

“Ugh! That’s why I said I didn’t think it was me!!”
“Even I didn’t know that the winning prize was the grave of life! This is a scam!”

Then he grabbed him by the hem of his clothes and dragged him out of the arena. Then, some paper started flying everywhere.

“…”

As far as Martin knew, I heard that the overwhelming majority of votes went to Krikaliev, who also defeated Andres and easily beat his opponents, rather than himself.

On that day, the snow that had only been heard in the arena fell.