KnockDown - 52
He looked toward the entrance, where the sounds of the growing crowd could faintly be heard.
"Although, thanks to the two princesses and the two queens, there's quite a crowd here."
"Woaaa... thirty-one adventurers?! That's a lot of people!"
Marc clenched his fists, determination and excitement filling his eyes.
"I'll do my best to get us into the next match!"
Then—
A bell rang.
The first two parties were entering the field.
..
…
There was no way for the adventurers inside the waiting area to watch the matches taking place outside.
It was intentional.
The Adventurer Guild didn't want the participants observing other adventurers' magic, abilities, or fighting styles before facing them. That way, the competition could remain fair, and no one would be able to study another team's moves before their match.
Because of that, the waiting area remained lively.
Adventurers quickly gathered with their party members, discussing strategies and looking over the board to see who they might be facing next. Some even tried to come up with plans based purely on their potential opponents' appearances, builds, and their own instincts.
Meanwhile...
Juro, Bell, and Marc simply sat on one of the couches.
Juro even let out a casual yawn.
Their opponents happened to glance in their direction, and their expressions tightened slightly. Seeing the three of them sitting around so casually almost felt disrespectful.
"Augh... so we're up against an adult and two kids," one of them muttered. "Let's just end this quickly so we don't get embarrassed."
Marc looked around at the other teams before turning toward Juro.
"Teacher Juro, are we also gonna plan and strategize? Looks like everyone here is planning with their members."
Juro lazily waved one hand.
"Meh, it's fine. Remember when you and Bell fought me? Just do something like that, but intensify it by five times, and you'll be fine."
Marc's hand slowly clenched into a fist.
His heart was already beating faster in excitement.
"Yeah! I'll do my best!"
Bell looked toward him and smiled.
"Yeah. We got this."
While they continued waiting, Bell leaned back against the couch with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, simply resting.
Marc looked around the room again.
Everyone was either talking with their teammates or quietly discussing strategies.
But then he noticed something.
No one was training.
"Teacher Juro... is it odd that no one here is training or practicing?" Marc asked.
Juro leaned further back against the couch.
"Well, they're probably nervous about revealing their cards to everyone."
Marc nodded thoughtfully.
"Ooo, I see... that makes sense. I guess I shouldn't practice that mana-flow thing yet, then."
Juro simply smiled before closing his eyes as well, resting just like Bell.
Marc sat quietly between them.
Unlike the two, he couldn't bring himself to relax completely.
His mind was already running through all the possible moves he could use once they were finally called onto the field.
"What if I use Zen immediately?"
"Should I try using the mana barrier?"
"Or should I wait until Bell creates an opening...?"
Marc became so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the first battle had already ended.
"YEAH! We made it to the next round!"
The sudden shout snapped him out of his thoughts.
Marc quickly turned around.
"Ah! Teacher Juro, someone already won the first battle!"
"Mmm," Juro replied.
His eyes were still closed.
Marc looked toward the winning party. They were gathered together, smiling and celebrating with one another.
For a moment, he imagined it.
Him.
Bell.
And Juro.
Standing together after winning the entire competition.
Marc smiled to himself.
One of the members from the winning party then approached a guild staff member.
"Do you have any potions we can use? We need to replenish our mana and heal our wounds."
The staff member shook their head.
"I'm sorry, but we're not allowed to provide potions to participating adventurers. The adventurers can only use the tools and resources they currently have."
Marc's expression changed slightly as he listened.
The competition wasn't just about winning a single battle.
They would have to manage their mana, injuries, and supplies throughout the competition as well.
They soon heard another wave of cheers coming from outside.
Then the bell rang.
The second match had finished.
As expected, the winning party soon returned to the waiting area while the next two parties were called out to the field.
"Woaa... they finished their fight so fast..." Marc exclaimed as he watched the second winning party enter the room.
It was the same party Juro had provoked earlier.
They looked just as determined as before.
One of their members, a particularly bulky man with a large metal club strapped across his back, noticed Marc staring at them.
He turned toward him.
"What are you staring at, kid?"
Marc looked up at him without hesitation. "Woaa... Mister, you're really big and strong! You all won the battle so fast too!"
The man froze.
He clearly hadn't expected that reaction.
"Huh?... Uh... thanks."
His party members immediately began chuckling at his flustered response.
The same woman who had spoken with Juro earlier looked toward Marc.
"Kid, even if you make it to the next round, we're going to be fighting eventually. So don't hold any grudges against us, alright? If you lose, use it as learning material and become stronger."
Marc listened carefully before smiling.
"Yeah! But we won't be going down that easily!"
The woman sighed, though a small smile appeared on her face.
Nearby, Juro secretly smirked.
His eyes were still closed.
A few more minutes passed.
Bell finally opened his eyes and stretched his arms.
"We're going to be next."
He turned toward Marc.
Marc was already sitting there with a huge excited smile on his face.
Before anyone could say anything else, the door opened.
The winning party from the third match entered the waiting area.
Marc immediately jumped to his feet.
"Teacher Juro, we're next! We're next!"
He grabbed Juro's arm and began shaking it.
Juro finally opened his eyes.
"Alright, alright. I'm up."
He stood and stretched slightly before smiling.
"Let's go show them what we've got."
"Yeah!" Marc exclaimed.
Following the guild staff's instructions, the three of them made their way toward the entrance leading to the field.
Light slowly spilled through the doorway ahead.
Then they stepped outside.
The sight of the crowd immediately greeted them.
People filled the benches surrounding the battleground, their voices overlapping as they noticed the three participants entering.
"Bell!"
"Marc!"
"Good luck!"
The two princesses were among those cheering loudly for them.
The three walked toward the center of the field.
Bell wore a slightly cocky smile, his hands resting inside his pockets.
Juro's eyes looked half-droopy, as though he were about to participate in nothing more than a casual game.
Marc was the complete opposite.
Both of his fists were clenched, and a bright smile stretched across his face. His excitement practically radiated from him.
He was living in the moment.
......…
Once they reached their designated positions, the three stopped.
Across from them stood their opponents.
The bell rang.
The match had begun.
The opposing party immediately remained cautious.
Bell quietly observed them.
"Hmm... two mages and two close-combat fighters."
His eyes moved between the four of them.
"Most likely knights in practice."
He glanced toward the two mages.
"Same goes for them. They're probably still practicing too."
"Seeing how overly cautious they are... they're most likely Rookies, just like us."
Bell smiled.
"Unfortunately, they just had to face us."
One of the opposing members noticed Bell smirking at them.
His expression immediately hardened.
He raised his hand toward Bell and began chanting.
"Harba Wuta!"
A palm-sized blast of fire erupted from his hand and shot directly toward Bell.
At the same time, the other mage began chanting.
"Estahkam Khob!"
A faint glow briefly surrounded the two close-combat fighters.
Their strength had been enhanced.
And the moment the magic took effect, one of them lunged forward, swords drawn as one rushed straight toward Juro.
While the remaining close-combat fighter lunged toward Marc.
Three attacks came at them almost simultaneously.
The fire blast headed straight for Bell.
Two swordsmen rushed toward Juro and Marc.
Yet none of them moved.
Not Marc.
Not Juro.
Not Bell.
In fact, all three of them simply smiled.
?!?!
Bell casually raised his right hand and faintly coated it with mana. With a simple swipe, he brushed the incoming fire blast aside.
At nearly the same time, one of the swordsmen reached Juro.
But before the man could even swing his sword—
Juro's fist was already buried in his stomach.
BANG!
The force of the punch shattered part of his armor.
The swordsman immediately lost consciousness and collapsed.
Meanwhile, the other swordsman swung his blade toward Marc.
Marc simply looked at the incoming sword with a smile and raised his hand, which was coated in mana.
He caught the blade.
The swordsman's eyes widened.
He immediately tried forcing the sword forward, pouring more mana into the weapon. Mana slowly began coating the blade, and confidence returned to his expression.
Then—
BANG!
A loud impact echoed from the side.
The swordsman instinctively turned his head.
His eyes widened.
His teammate had already been knocked unconscious.
"Hey."
Marc's voice reached his ears.
"Be careful. You shouldn't take your eyes off your opponent, mister."
The swordsman quickly looked back.
Marc increased the mana output around the hand holding his sword.
CRACK!
The blade shattered into pieces.
Before the swordsman could react, Marc swiftly stepped forward and drove his fist into his stomach.
BOOM!
The force sent him flying several feet backward.
He hit the ground.
And lost consciousness.
The crowd immediately erupted into cheers.
Only the two mages remained.
"Marc, go!" Juro exclaimed with a smile.
"Alright!"
Marc immediately sprinted toward them.
The two mages quickly backed away.
They opened their mouths, preparing to cast their magic—
But Marc was already in front of them.
"Ah! M-Megen!"
One of the mages hurriedly cast a blue translucent barrier in front of himself.
Too late.
Marc's fist was already moving.
Strong mana coated his hand as he drove his punch forward.
CRACK!
The barrier broke.
Marc's fist continued straight through and connected with the mage's stomach.
The mage immediately lost consciousness.
Now only one opponent remained.
The remaining mage looked around.
Her teammates were all down.
She slowly dropped to her knees.
"I surrender."
The crowd erupted once again.
The Adventurer Guild staff quickly announced the result.
Bell, Marc, and Juro's party had won the fourth match.
"Well done, Marc!" Noria shouted excitedly.
Brea stood beside her, waving toward the three of them as well.
Bell and Juro casually smiled and waved back.
Marc, however, waved with far more excitement than either of them.
Soon afterward, the guild staff guided the three back toward the waiting area so they could prepare for the second round of the competition.
The moment they entered the room, Marc could no longer contain himself.
He began jumping around excitedly.
"You saw that, Bell?! Teacher Juro?! I was able to defeat them! I got them!"
Juro smiled at Marc's excitement and ruffled his hair.
Bell smiled as well and began walking toward the couch to sit down.
But Juro suddenly grabbed the back of Bell's shirt and pulled him back.
"Ahahahah!"
Before Bell could react, Juro began ruffling both Bell's and Marc's hair.
"You two did well!"
Bell immediately pushed Juro's hand away from his hair and fixed it.
Marc, meanwhile, simply stood there with a bright smile on his face.
It was his first victory against real opponents.
And he couldn't have been happier.