Chapter 697

The Qualifying Round

Translated by Tods

Edited by NotEdited

The day after we watched the qualifying round.

The matchups have been announced, and well It looks like we matched up against someone we know right from the start

(Who?)

Well, I knew you wouldnt remember

We couldnt wait for the news to reach the inn, so we came to check the matchup table posted in front of the arena.

The names of the 64 partic.i.p.ants in the main round are written on this board. The table is divided into four blocks with 16 names each that will compete to get into the semifinal, and Frans name is written at the very top of the first block.

That is because we are placed under the Seed-A. It seems that this place was given to us because we placed third last year.

Directly across our block, at Seed-B, Diazs name was written under it. Under our block, at Seed-C, Hilts name was there. And next to it, the Seed-D, theres Fermus.

This seeding is not based on adventurers rank or prestige, but the previous years rank seemed to have the highest priority. This meant that Fran, a B-ranked adventurer, was ranked above Diaz, Hilt, and other A-Ranked adventurers.

It sure feels good to be in Seed-A.

Fran seemed to feel the same way, looking at the tournament table with a s.h.i.+ne in her eyes.

(Master, my name is first on the table!)

Yeah, this is going to attract a lot of attention. We cant afford to show them a bad fight

(Nn! Lets do our best)

If all goes well, well meet Diaz in the semifinal and Hilt or Fermus in the final.

Your first match will be against Dufour

(Who?)

The one you trained in Barbra at Gamudos request, remember?

Fran seems to have forgotten that he was one of the fledgling adventurers she met at the adventurers guild in Barbra. At Gamudos request, she broke their noses when they were getting too overconfident.

Ridd.i.c.k, Naria, and Miguel formed a party and joined us in escorting a s.h.i.+p to the Beastman Kingdom and even trained them on the s.h.i.+p.

She seemed to remember the three whom she had trained pretty well, but as for the others, her memory about them was quite limited.

Hey, he was the strongest of all the novices back then, the phantom swordsman

(Oh, theres someone like that too, maybe?)

Even after I told her the details of his characteristics, she could only recall him vaguely. Well, even if he was a little strong, he was still at the level of a novice.

I hope shell remember you this time, Dufour-kun!

After that, our next most likely matchup is

(Mordred)

Fran muttered in a cheerful tone.

She seemed to remember this one.

He is also a B-ranked adventurer who was with us when we escorted a s.h.i.+p to the Beastman Kingdom.

He was the type of adventurer who excelled in more than just simple combat. Of course, his fighting skills were also top-notch. He was a master of spears and Molten Iron magic, and he used them skillfully.

So Mordreds first-round opponent was Naria, huh

(Naria!)

Naria, as I mentioned earlier, was the novice adventurer that Fran had trained for a short time. She was supposed to be a bow user, but to my surprise, she made it through the qualifying round.

I dont think she was strong enough to beat Mordred after only one year though. Mordred would surely advance to the second round.

If so, I wonder who will advance to the third round

Hmm

I dont see another familiar name on the same block Oh, theres another!

This Biscot, wasnt he the guy who was with Sibylla?

?

It seems Fran didnt remember him. But, now that I take a closer look, Sibyllas name is on this block too!

I never thought that Sibylla and her companions, the (Suspected) spies of Raidos, would partic.i.p.ate in the martial arts tournament. Are they not actually spies? Or do they just not give a d.a.m.n about this?

Moreover, Sibylla and Biscots names are so close. Wouldnt it be bad for them to face each other?

If I were to a.s.sume that Sibylla is going to win, well be facing her in the quarterfinals

(Nn. Im looking forward to it)

As we were checking the tournament table, the people around us suddenly made a noise. It was the same reaction as when Fran appeared here.

Did some famous adventurer happen to show up?

As we waited, a man came up to the tournament table. Well, no wonder they were surprised when they saw this guy.

The mans head looked like that of an insect. It was as if a praying mantis head, which was as big as a human head, was mounted on top of a human body.

With just one look at him, surely no one will ever forget his appearance.

He seemed to be strong too. His movements were flawless, showing that he was a high-ranking warrior. He was probably on par with Colbert at the very least.

Hmm My name

I had imagined a voice that sounded more gritty, but his voice sounded surprisingly normal and human.

No, his voice would rather be in the cool category. His voice is exactly like that of a handsome voice actor.

The way he m.u.f.fled the sound of his footsteps, the way he paid attention to his surrounding, made me think that he was a first-rate warrior. He doesnt seem to be carrying any weapons, is he using his bare hands? Or could he transform his arm into a scythe or something?

Anyway, it seems that there will be a competent partic.i.p.ant that Fran will be a little excited about.

Who is that guy?

There arent any half-insect kin adventurers in this town, are there?

Hes someone from outside then? He looks strong

You think so?

Yeah, he has pretty good movement

It seemed that the adventurers around did not know this man. Hes probably from another city or country then.