Chapter 42

The objects to be destroyed in the Bare-Handed Destruction Contest start with rocks.

The Dwarf race, naturally gifted with strong physical strength, can easily break rocks with just a little training, so not many participants are eliminated at the rock stage.

However, as the stages progress, the objects to be destroyed become increasingly harder.

At that point, not only do many participants get eliminated, but injuries also become quite common.

It’s not uncommon for participants to cut their skin or fracture their bones if they fail to break the metal objects in one strike.

To prepare for such situations, healing powders from Fairies and other medicines are prepared, but the organizers still aim to prevent injuries beforehand.

After all, even though it’s a competition, it’s an event created for everyone to enjoy together.

Therefore, the Dwarf announcer, Kuran, was making a rather troubled expression.

As it’s a Bare-Handed Destruction Contest, most participants are either burly Dwarfs with muscular arms or large, bulky humans.

But among the participants, there was someone who didn’t fit in at all.

An Elf girl with shimmering silver hair, standing quietly with an expressionless face.

Compared to the other participants, the Elf girl’s arms were as thin as a chick’s legs.

It was clear that if she struck a rock with those arms, her bones would break and her skin would tear.

Elves are known for their flexible bones and delicate skin, and this Elf girl was still very young.

She probably joined out of curiosity, but if the contest proceeded like this, she was bound to get injured.

So Kuran had to stop her.

Regardless of the poor relations between Dwarfs and Elves, if injuries started piling up, Kuran would get the blame.

“Hey, kid?”

“?”

As Kuran spoke, the Elf girl looked up at him.

Her crimson eyes, like blood, had a calm gaze that didn’t match her age.

“Um… this contest is very, very dangerous. If you strike a rock with your bare hands, it will hurt a lot. So, how about you go over there and watch instead? I’ll give you something tasty.”

Kuran rummaged through his pocket and handed her a few walnuts. A snack favored by Dwarfs.

“……”

The Elf girl quietly stared at the walnuts in Kuran’s hand. Then, she quickly looked away.

‘She must really hate them!’

Kuran felt awkward.

Well, walnuts are a snack Dwarfs like, but who knows about other races? Elves probably prefer something sweet and soft.

“Umm… I’m just worried you might get hurt. Look at this. The rock is really hard. Can you really break it with your bare hands? Won’t it hurt a lot?”

Kuran asked, but the Elf girl simply replied without changing her expression.

“I’ll try.”

“……”

It was almost time for the contest to start.

Kuran looked at the Elf girl with hesitation.

He wanted to stop her from participating, even by force, but according to the contest rules, participation is voluntary.

Kuran had no right to stop her.

“Hehe, announcer, just let her be. Doesn’t this kid need to taste the bitterness of the world?”

A participant standing next to the Elf girl spoke. He was a Dwarf with thick arms.

“She needs to have her skin torn and bones broken to realize, ‘Ah, Dwarfs are a great race not to be trifled with! Elves can never match Dwarfs! From now on, I must be careful not to offend the Dwarfs!’ Hehehe.”

“Pfft, right, Elves need to be taught a lesson. So just proceed.”

As another Dwarf chimed in, Kuran quietly bit his lip.

He understood the dislike for Elves, and even he wasn’t particularly fond of them, but she was still just a child.

Did they really need to see a child get hurt to feel satisfied?

“…Kid, you need to be careful. Really. Just strike lightly. It’s okay if you don’t break the rock. Just participating is a brave act. Got it?”

At Kuran’s words, the Elf girl quietly nodded.

Still expressionless. It was hard to tell what she was thinking.

Kuran turned to the crowd and shouted.

[Alright, let’s start the Bare-Handed Destruction Contest! Give it a round of applause!]

“Woo!!”

Clap clap clap!

[The first object to destroy is a rock! Surely, no Dwarf will be eliminated here, right? A Dwarf should easily break a rock with their bare hands! That’s what makes a Dwarf proud!]

“Break it! Turn it to dust!”

The Dwarfs in the audience stomped their feet and shouted.

They were all excited.

The atmosphere of the contest was heating up.

But here and there, people started whispering as they looked at the Elf girl.

“What’s with that Elf kid? Why is she participating?”

“She’s fearless. She should know her place. Does she think the Bare-Handed Destruction Contest is easy?”

“She’s going to get a beating soon. She might cry after striking the rock. Waaah~.”

“That would be fun. Hehehe.”

Kuran looked at the Elf girl with worried eyes again.

Despite the whispers around her, the Elf girl stood straight, looking only forward.

She must have heard the whispers about her, but she just didn’t react.

‘…Please don’t get hurt.’

Kuran prayed silently and blew the whistle around his neck with all his might.

Peep!

[Alright, let the destruction begin!!]

*

“……”

Silence spread around.

Everyone was staring with their mouths wide open at one spot.

Where the Elf girl was standing.

Kuran also blinked and looked at the Elf girl.

The Elf girl, just like before, stood expressionless, staring into the air. Almost like a statue.

‘…What, what just happened?’

Kuran tilted his head, recalling what had just happened.

The moment Kuran shouted, “Destruction begin!”

At the same time, the Elf girl seemed to move slightly, and the rock in front of her shattered with a crunching sound.

It wasn’t just broken into pieces—it was completely turned to dust.

Compared to the other participants, whose objects were split into two or three pieces, this was an incredible result.

“What, what is that… is that magic?”

“It’s magic! Yes! She used magic!”

“It’s impossible otherwise! It’s a rock, after all!”

The participants, as well as the Dwarfs in the audience, began to suspect that the Elf girl had used magic.

Honestly, Kuran also doubted whether it was possible for the Elf girl to break the rock like that with her thin arms without using magic.

But the Bare-Handed Destruction Contest isn’t that lenient.

The area where the participants stood had a mana-binding device installed, so if the Elf girl had used magic, an alarm would have sounded loudly.

“Cheating! Cheating! Get that Elf kid out!”

“Cheater! This is an insult to Dwarfs! It’s war!”

“Let’s beat her up!”

The Dwarfs started to go wild, and Kuran had to raise his voice to calm them down.

[Everyone, please calm down! In the Bare-Handed Destruction Contest, magic cannot be used! If magic had been used, an alarm would have sounded!]

“But, that’s impossible!”

“Right! It’s impossible! Turning a rock to dust!”

“Look at that kid’s weak arms!”

[You must accept the results. I don’t understand it either, but the Elf girl definitely didn’t cheat. She just broke the rock with her bare hands, that’s all. How about we keep a closer watch in the next round?]

“Then start quickly! We’ll watch closely this time!”

“She won’t get away with it next time, Elf!”

“If you cheat again, it’s war!”

The Dwarfs stomped their feet and cursed.

It was a bit chaotic, but not a bad atmosphere.

Dwarfs are known to shout and vent their stress like that.

Kuran thought he could relax a bit and continued the contest.

[Alright, everyone, the next object is ‘steel’! Last year, most participants were eliminated at this stage. There were even many injuries. So this time, please be careful…]

“Enough, just start already!”

“I’m getting dizzy!!”

The Dwarfs, already not known for their patience, were even more excited because of the Elf girl.

So they didn’t even listen to Kuran’s full explanation and urged him to proceed.

Kuran didn’t quite like their behavior, but this was an event for the public.

As a seasoned announcer, Kuran decided to skip the explanation and proceed with the destruction.

[Alright, let’s start the next round of destruction!]

By now, the rocks had been cleared, and large, square steel blocks were placed in front of the participants.

The same was true for the Elf girl.

The steel was designed to be breakable with bare hands, with increased density and relatively thin thickness, but it was still much harder than rock, making it difficult to break.

This was the stage where the most eliminations and injuries occurred every year.

‘What will happen this time?’

Kuran looked at the Elf girl with curious eyes.

Just moments ago, he was worried about her, but after she turned the rock to dust, the situation became very interesting.

‘Can she break the steel like the rock?’

If that happened, what would the Dwarfs say? They were watching closely this time.

‘This is fun. This contest.’

Kuran, filled with anticipation, put the whistle to his mouth.

And once again, hoping the Elf girl would brilliantly break the steel, he blew the whistle.

Peep!

[Destruction begin!!]