Chapter 403

Tartar is a land of warriors. Naturally, physical strength acts as a kind of virtue here.

So it’s only natural to give great attention to the Academy, hailed as the world’s best educational institution.

While they have been forged in the harsh environment of the desert and through real battles, Academy students have been honed through theory and training.

Well, it’s not like crazy chieftains, aka the clan heads, will come out from Tartar.

For one, there’s just too much of an age gap. Most clan heads are likely over 40.

‘In this world, the older you are, the stronger you tend to get.’

Unless one possesses an abnormal talent like Luna or has faced real battles since their teenage years like Kara, their prime starts in the thirties.

Moreover, Kara inherited physical and technical talents from Hector, making her quite strong for her age.

So, the probability of youths coming out from Tartar is high rather than chieftains. They probably are carefully selected talents.

Well, among those talents, there will be some with real combat experience. They must have postponed their appearances.

‘It’s also a home ground for them.’

I lifted my gaze to the sky. A clear sky without a single cloud.

The sun in Tartar is hot. And the weather is murderously hot.

The sun is shooting orange arrows straight down, which will definitely drain a lot of stamina.

‘Practically, just standing here feels like taking damage.’

I wonder how the students will perform. It’s a duel where pride of the Academy is at stake.

Some might say the Academy has nothing to lose, but that’s the opposite. The Academy has a lot to lose.

If defeated, the Academy’s prestige might take a hit. Especially since it’s not just any place; it’s Tartar.

At least it has two extra chances instead of just one? Each grade is divided into three classes.

‘If I step in, it’s pretty much game over.’

Probably, the duels will end today. In the meantime, I might witness some rather interesting scenes.

Participants, including me, weren’t waiting in the waiting room but were watching together from the stands.

The stands were in a typical coliseum shape, with the only peculiar feature being that the arena width was a bit narrow?

Instead, they piled up the stands high to prepare for accidents. Naturally, they were made of stone.

While the Academy’s dueling arena mixes modern aspects, Tartar’s arena resembled Earth’s Coliseum closely.

-Woooaah!!!

The arena was packed with locals, along with Academy students.

The locals’ enthusiastic cheers, hotter than the sun, pierced my ears.

This was because, at that moment, someone was lying in the arena. The only one standing was a local with bronzed skin.

‘Looks like he’s lost.’

The student lying on the ground had striking purple hair. If it’s purple, it must be Grace.

The matchup was just too unfavored. Moreover, the opponent was skilled in dealing with wizards.

To make matters worse, the duel format featured consecutive matches. This meant Grace had gone through continuous duels.

Being already weak, it must have been tough to hold on after that.

‘So it’s three of us left, and four on their side?’

Antonio was eliminated earlier. He landed a few effective hits but fell for his opponent’s trap.

He pretended to attack the legs and aimed for the temples instead. Antonio, being a rogue type, has relatively weak stamina.

After all, it’s questionable for a rogue to go head-to-head but what can you do? He wanted it.

“The opponent is pretty strong.”

“True.”

Eli and Luna, who were watching with me from the stands, chimed in with their evaluations.

The warriors trained by Tartar’s clan heads were indeed quite strong.

They knew how to strike at unexpected times or exploit weaknesses, and so on.

The most surprising part was their basic skills. Perhaps due to the expertise gained through real combat, everyone had impressive fundamentals.

Usually, newly formed countries struggle with lacking techniques and basic skills, but Tartar was the opposite.

‘It’s unlikely Hector was the one who taught them…’

I lifted my head to look across. There sat the clan heads led by Hector.

Kara was among them too. Next to her sat some golden child.

‘…Seriously, they’re being so obvious.’

The problem was the golden child kept flirting with Kara. Naturally, Kara’s response was one of disgust.

Now and then, our eyes met, and seeing her smirk made me absolutely sure of it.

That jerk. A look that screams “I’m a delinquent” and an appearance indistinguishable from Soul World.

Last but not least, the way he’s trying to hit on Kara. I can see he’s someone I need to deal with.

‘How should I mess him up to make it go around as a rumor?’

Just as I was glaring at the golden child, Kara, who was looking disgusted, suddenly glanced at me.

Even from a distance, she seemed to notice my gaze, alternating between looking at me and the golden child. Then she shook her head.

Looks like Kara realized I meant to deal with the golden child. She probably thinks there’s no stopping me.

“Sivar. Let’s head down soon.”

“Huh?”

“Eli has come out. It won’t take much longer.”

It was around the time I was running various simulations in my head. Luna spoke to me.

Upon hearing that, I turned my gaze to the arena, where Eli was fighting a local from Tartar.

Both were using real swords, and the sound of steel clanging resonated clear as a bell.

‘Looks like Eli’s going to win.’

His immediate situational judgment may be a tad slower, but his skills are pretty good. In contrast, Tartarians are fast in situational assessment.

I’m curious to see who will win. One might question whether this was taken straight out of the Soul World.

‘It’s entirely different from back then.’

It’s so different from the time in Soul World, likely due to my experience with Queen Sand Scorpion.

Originally, it was almost like an event, but it turned into a pride battle over time. Hence, the average combat power has significantly increased.

Well, that being said, the chance for most folks to get cut down should be high at Luna’s level. So I asked Luna.

“Luna.”

“What?”

“Do you think he’ll win?”

“Probably? But everyone seems quite fit.”

By “fit,” she must mean physical abilities. I nodded in agreement.

Though perhaps not as much as Kara, Tartarians would still likely have considerable physical prowess. Luna must have noticed that through her eyes.

There likely isn’t much difference in the technical aspects either. The only thing that might vary is the style?

-Woooaah!!!

Right when we were quietly waiting in the waiting room, loud noises echoed from outside the hallway.

It seems someone is dominating or the outcome has been decided.

“Next contestant, please enter.”

“…Eli lost?”

“Yes.”

Luna looked quite surprised at the news relayed by the announcer. The opponent had undergone consecutive matches and yet was defeated.

Of course, one must consider that Grace had been facing stamina issues. It basically became both sides at their limits.

So, it’s quite likely that the stamina of the Tartarian opponent also took a hit. Luna must be considering this as well.

Luna, following the announcer’s instruction, began to prepare, then glanced at me with a look suggesting she had something to say.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just…”

How boring. As she moved to walk, I cheered her on.

By the way, she brought a regular iron sword instead of the Usuk sword. The Usuk sword would have been way too over the top.

‘Even a regular iron sword can hurt if stabbed.’

It doesn’t hurt for me, though.

As I was dully passing time in the waiting room, suddenly—

-Woooaah!!!

Luna started pulling off two consecutive wins against her opponents.

‘…Come to think of it, she was trained by Rod, right?’

I worried if my turn wouldn’t come around at all.

******

‘Ugh… so hot…’

Luna wiped her sweat with her collar. The consecutive matches had her sweating like it was raining.

The opponent who defeated Eli fell easily due to stamina limits, but the next one was not the same.

Tartar must have reserved the strong individuals for last, as it was quite tricky. Still, she managed to take them down.

She followed the fundamentals Rod taught her, controlling her distance and looking for openings to strike.

These three were the basics, but they also marked the beginning and end of martial arts. These were essentially the fundamentals.

‘She said flashy swordsmanship isn’t necessary.’

Techniques supplemented weak strength, but what mattered most was psychological warfare, she taught.

No matter how flashy the opponent’s techniques, if they don’t hit, it doesn’t matter. On the flip side, if one avoids attacks while landing their own, that’s the end.

If someone heard this, they would label it ‘talent’, but Luna’s talent is truly something divine. Rod’s was too.

The teachings of a genius were being inherited by another genius, slowly blossoming her own talent.

‘All this is fine, but the sunlight…’

Luna frowned as she looked up. The sun, past its zenith, was beating down even harsher.

Her skin was turning red, nearing a burn. If she’d known, she would’ve worn long sleeves.

‘I kind of envy Sivar.’

How nice would it be if I could transform according to the environment like him? I could only think how much like an octopus I felt.

While Luna painfully wiped off her soaked sweat, someone slowly approached from the opposite hallway.

She brushed her bangs back as she checked the person out. Judging by the slender build, it seemed to be a woman.

“…A Dancer?”

As the woman’s figure became clear, Luna involuntarily mumbled. The woman was indeed a dancer.

She wore a flashy and somewhat sultry outfit, similar to the dancer dress Kara had worn earlier. The only difference being a face mask covering her mouth.

Even with the mask, her sharp nose and blue eyes, glimmering like a clear lake, couldn’t be concealed.

Moreover, the murky blonde hair that complemented her beauty. She’s a golden child, but with the gender flipped.

On the outside, she didn’t seem particularly strong. Luna blinked, focusing her gaze on her.

She wanted to check the overall physical abilities. With this, she could gather some fragmented information.

[Eo Buwar Sigurdoti]

• Strength: 112

• Agility: 123

• Stamina: 118

• Magic Power: 120

• Luck: 84

• Faith: 135

‘What…?’

Luna’s eyes widened. These were figures reaching remarkable levels.

She was the very definition of a jack-of-all-trades. One could almost believe she was a lower version of Kara.

“Are you Sivar?”

“Yes?”

“I asked if you are a student named Sivar.”

The dancer questioned in Tartar language. Naturally, Luna couldn’t comprehend.

The only word she understood was “Sivar”. It seems she was inquiring about Sivar.

Luna shook her head, expressing her negative.

“No. I’m Luna.”

“Guess not.”

The dancer, Eo, showed a look of disappointment. Interestingly, while her words did that, her expression remained steadfast.

Adding to it, Luna couldn’t understand her words. She was merely an enemy she had to fight.

“Huh.”

Finally, Eo closed her eyes, taking a moment to breathe. Then she slowly opened her eyes.

– Chills!

Luna felt a shiver the moment their eyes met. For some reason, it felt like goosebumps were breaking out all over.

In a rush, she raised her sword. Just as she did, Eo lunged at her with lightning speed.

-Thud!!!

The clang of metal meeting metal echoed. But in reality, it wasn’t metal clashing against metal.

It was metal clashing against a fist. The form was different but the essence was similar in performance.

‘A bare fist?’

Yet, Luna remained unfazed. It’s not uncommon to meet martial artists, and she had even met the strongest one personally.

What was surprising was the speed. Perhaps because of the previous consecutive matches, it felt surprisingly fast.

“I’m not here for you, but for the warrior named Sivar.”

“Oh. Well…”

Luna reflexively swiped her sword upwards. Eo leapt back in response.

With both hands gripping her sword, Luna frowned. The sunlight bore down on her eyes.

“I said I don’t understand your language.”

“I can’t grasp what you’re saying either.”

Eo clenched her fists. Her expression was utterly serious.

Thus began a fight between fists and blades.

-Crack!

A faint spark of blue erupted from Eo’s fist.

Luna spotted it promptly and thought to herself.

‘If the Gaian Order’s monks are like this, does that mean Gulrak’s Order is all about dancers?’

That seemed oddly correct. And one more thought flashed through her mind.

‘Why does Lord Gulrak like dancers so much? Is it a taste of his?’

Neither heaven nor earth offered a reply.

[Faith is increasing!]

Only a single message filled Luna’s vision.

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