Chapter 12: Break – Quarterfinal First to Third Match

With the end of my battle against the Sovereign Dragon Snake, the “Rookie’s Battle” tournament has advanced to a new stage, the quarterfinals. It seems that we would take a break in this instance, and I wouldn’t need to fight for a while. I hoped to take this opportunity to rest. Though it might be impossible.

During this time, I listened quietly to Woodsorrel’s story. She might have just been talking for the sake of it, but I concentrated on every word she said. Her story was valuable to me because it provided information that I, as a captive, could not have obtained otherwise, such as the name of the continent where I was located and its rough geography, as well as the name of the country where this arena was located. It was now the spring of the year 823 of the Altera calendar, and this place was called the Harlasia Kingdom, located inland on the Enzo continent.

If one were to travel south from here, they would come across the great Shumie mountain range, which divides the continent north and south. Woodsorrel’s homeland seemed to be located on the middle slopes of this mountain range, where various species, including the fox demon race , lived in peace under the “Mountain God’s” protection.

“God came a long time ago with the guardians from another continent,” she said. “The mountains are abundant because God manages them. He is usually gentle but very scary when he gets angry.”

Was Woodsorrel angry? She was shaking and pulling on me, as if I had offended her. But speaking of the “Mountain God,” though I didn’t know what kind of god it was, I had some knowledge about gods.

In ancient times, the “Nameless Almighty Faceless God” created this world, and from its remnants, ancient gods and creatures were born. Although these creatures had differences in physical abilities and intelligence from birth, they shared one common trait: there were no limits to their physical and mental growth.

The reason for this is that all creatures inherit the attributes of the Almighty God. While there were differences in growth rates due to race and individual talents, theoretically, all creatures could become stronger and smarter beyond any limit.

And when they accumulate a certain amount of power, they lose the limitation of lifespan inherent in all creatures and become entities that transcend beyond the boundaries of living beings. Although they would not become immortals, they would become known as “gods” or “transcendent beings” by approaching the “Nameless Almighty Faceless God” a little closer.

However, that is only in theory and not an easy path to take. In order to reach the level of a god, one must endure rigorous training that could threaten their lives numerous times. Some will give up due to exhaustion during their growth, while others won’t be able to endure the harsh training. Even if one trains until the end of their life, they cannot reach the level of a god without exceptional talent. This world was cruel.

Most wise creatures who knew this fact did not even consider training to become gods. Pursuing a goal that only a handful of geniuses could achieve, despite the effort and sacrifice required, was considered a waste of time. Furthermore, creatures lacking in wisdom would not risk their lives for anything. Therefore, the number of creatures that could reach the level of a god was limited.

Paradoxically, creatures that have reached the level of a god lead tumultuous lives. They had to overcome a series of hardships, whether voluntarily or out of necessity, as it would have been impossible for them to reach the level of a god by leading a peaceful life. It was unclear what kind of creature the “Mountain God” that Woodsorrel poke of, but for it to reach the level of a god, it must have endured a continuous series of trials.

“When I return to my village, I will ask the god to teach me how to undo the spiritual art they put on you! I promise to release you someday!”

If the god that ruled over the mountains was as mighty as its name suggested, there’s a good chance they would know how to release the spiritual art binding my soul. The problem is whether or not I’ll still be alive by the time she learns the method and comes to help me. As someone who had to survive for a hundred years, I understood the difficulty of my predactement the best.

As I was pondering this, the break time seemed to have ended as the audience members who had been outside started returning one after another. When the manager appeared in his designated spot, the stands were packed to capacity, and there were more standing spectators right now than during the preliminary rounds.

“Thank you for waiting so long! We will now begin the quarterfinals of the ‘Rookie’s Battle’ tournament! Now it’s time for the entry of the combatants for the first match of the quarterfinals!”

No sooner had the manager made the announcement than the Rock Dragon and the Synthetic beast appeared from their respective entrances. Both were inside transparent barriers, just like during the preliminary rounds, but their reactions were vastly different. The Rock Dragon was very relaxed and yawning, while the Synthetic beast was hunkered down, growling, and menacing.

Based solely on this observation, it was evident which of the two was the superior contender. The approaching quarterfinal match would inevitably result in a one-sided beatdown. Even if the Synthetic beast could summon a fraction of the Rock Dragon’s might, it would still be deemed a commendable display. Let us hope that it puts forth its best effort.

“Behold the ultimate species and the pinnacle of modern spiritual arts creation! Which battle beast will our ‘God of War’ bless? Let the battle begin!”

“Roaaarrr!!!”

“Meeeeee!!!”

As the barrier disappeared with the declaration of the battle’s start, the synthetic beast made the first move. Flames and lightning emanated from the lion’s mouth and the goat’s horns on the synthetic beast’s body, and the wind blades generated by its wings struck the rock dragon directly. If it were any ordinary creature, it would have been burned to a crisp and cut to pieces.

However, the opponent was a dragon, renowned as the strongest species. As a race born closest to the divine, they possessed incredibly sturdy bodies that defied common sense. The synthetic beast’s flames and lightning couldn’t even scorch the dragon’s scales, and the wind blades were simply deflected like a gentle breeze. The rock dragon remained motionless and began moving forward, causing the ground to shake.

“Grrrrrrr!”

The synthetic beast snarled as it began to circle around the rock dragon. The dragon pursued, but its movements were too sluggish to catch up. The synthetic beast took advantage of its position behind the dragon and leapt to dig its teeth into the dragon’s back.

However, it was impossible to simply destroy the scales, which couldn’t be scratched even by the beast demon’s club. Although it had bitten the back of the rock dragon’s head, there was no evidence that the crunching sound had caused any pain or damage to the latter.

The rock dragon, discontented with the creature on its back, began to shake its body violently in an attempt to dislodge the synthetic beast. Enduring this, the synthetic beast continued to bite over and over again. Just as I started worrying that its teeth might break, suddenly, the teeth of the synthetic beast, which had never been effective before, successfully pierced the rock dragon’s scales.

“Gyaaaaaaahhhhh!”

The rock dragon cried out and began to thrash around like crazy. It seemed to be in quite a bit of pain. As the audience cheered at the sight of the strongest species, the rock dragon, writhing in agony.

I didn’t care about the audience’s cheers I was more concerned about why the attack had suddenly worked. I focused my compound eyes on the spot where the synthetic beast’s teeth had pierced, and I noticed that the scales there were growing backwards.

“Oh! you’re in luck. You’re in luck. It looks like you hit the dragon’s reverse scale. That’s supposed to be the only weakness in their body, according to what my mother told me. The location of the scale varies from dragon to dragon, but it’s said to be softer than the others.”

I had never heard of a “reverse scale,” but apparently, Woodsorrel knew about it. If I could somehow find an opportunity to strike that scale with my poisonous stinger during battle, it might be my chance to win. I made sure to remember this information as it could be critical.

The rock dragon was trying to shake off the synthetic beast, but the latter showed no sign of falling, most likely because its fangs had been deeply lodged onto its opponent’s body. In a fit of anger, the rock dragon fell backward on its back. The impact widened the wound caused by the bite, and the rock dragon let out a loud howl of agony.

Although it may have looked like the dragon had self-destructed, the synthetic beast seemed to have taken more damage. It was only natural since it was being crushed between the rock dragon and the ground. The synthetic beast screamed from its two mouths.

At that moment, the beast stopped biting and released its grip. The rock dragon, free of the agony of having its reverse scale gnawed on, leapt to its feet with a burst of energy. Its eyes were filled with clear hostility, no, murderous intent.

With a resounding “Gwooooooaaaaaaaaahh!”, the rock dragon opened its mouth to reveal a glittering interior, from which erupted a blindingly bright, thick beam. This awe-inspiring attack was the ultimate weapon of the dragon race—their signature breath. Refined to perfection, the torrent of spiritual power surged from the dragon’s mouth and collided with the synthetic beast, still lying helpless on the ground.

The resulting explosion reverberated through the air, shaking everything in its wake and creating a cloud of dust that obscured the view. The barrier that was protecting the audience from the aftermath creaked, and some of the spiritual casters groaned in pain. They must have exhausted their spiritual power trying to withstand the shockwave from the breath.

As the dust cleared, all that was left on the arena floor were the charred remains of the synthetic beast. The rock dragon seemed to be quite angry, as it repeatedly stomped on the remains of the beast with its foot until it completely shattered and disappeared.

“Ha! That’s it, folks! We’ve witnessed a glorious moment where the rock dragon drew blood! The synthetic beast fought valiantly but in vain and has been defeated by the strongest species! As expected, the rock dragon has emerged victorious!”

The manager’s declaration caused the audience to erupt in cheers once again. Although the rock dragon’s anger had not subsided, it shuddered and convulsed before obediently heading towards the entrance. It seemed that it had received a command through the “Binding collar”. Even the rock dragon, with its immense power, was unable to resist the spiritual bindings.

After the departure of the rock dragon, the second match of the quarterfinals began. The combatants were the warrior crab and the ice-fanged wolf, with the warrior crab emerging victorious. The decisive factor was its impenetrable defense, which resembled a shield-like claw. The ice-fanged wolf was unable to overcome the crab’s claw, which didn’t even crack despite withstanding its strongest attacks, and eventually succumbed to exhaustion.

I couldn’t help but be impressed by the warrior crab’s unassuming yet solid fighting style, which provided many valuable insights as a fellow claw wielder. I was also glad to see that my chances of survival had slightly increased.

In the third match of the quarterfinals, the Land Emperor Bird surprisingly emerged victorious over the Radiant Lion. The lion had increased the temperature of the arena floor to the point of melting it by shining its entire body. Perhaps deeming this too dangerous, the land emperor bird bravely launched a suicide attack, kicking the Radian lion’s neck until it broke.

Though I would have acted the same, the victory of land emperor bird was a major upset and the audience at the arena was the most excited they had been so far. It seems someone had made a big bet and was ecstatic in the front rows.

However, despite the match ending in an instant, the land emperor bird sustained a serious injury. Which came as no surprise since the bird directly kicked the radiant lion, whose body had grown so hot it melted the ground. Even with an enhanced fighting spirit, injuries were only natural. The land empreror bird’s feathers were burned at the tips due to the heat, and its right foot, the one used to deliver the kick, was now useless. If the land emperor bird’s owner didn’t have a way to heal it, it would be impossible to survive the semifinals.

“Thank you for waiting! It’s time for the fourth quarterfinal match! The beasts are entering the arena!”

“Good luck! Don’t lose!”

Finally, it was my turn to enter the arena. I didn’t want to fight, but I knew it was pointless to resist. With Woodsorrel’s cheers behind me, I stepped into the arena with heavy strides.