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Chapter 71

The citizens of Atlantis City were always craving something that brought entertainment into their monotonous lives, something that they could take at least a day off to watch and gossip about.

Another disappointing day passed and a new one came.

However, this day was different.

“Santa Maria and Aquamarine are having a betting duel!”

Shocking news struck all of Atlantis. It reached even the far Second Sea District in no time, and in less than a day, the story had spread throughout the entire Alliance, albeit with some exaggerations mixed in.

“Santa Maria... isn’t that the team led by that scumbag Conrad? You’re telling me Aquamarine has a member who can beat him?”

“Mad Dog Marianne is definitely powerful, but she shouldn’t be strong enough to win.”

“If the Aquamarine is handed over to Conrad, the standings of the Rank A teams might change! What the hell is Bermuda doing?! This isn’t even funny! They have to stop the duel from happening!”

“How? The captains have already met and come to an agreement. They even finished signing the contract.”

“Anyway, this should be really fun! Will Aquamarine restore their former glory, or will they finally crumble to dust? Let’s bet on it!”

Wealth, authority, and brute force began to gather in the central area of the city as the duel attracted more attention. These three fundamental types of power were interconnected, and if someone obtained a great amount of one, the other two would follow.

It was a duel between two powerful, acclaimed explorers: brute force.

They were betting on the ownership of the legendary ship, the Aquamarine: wealth.

The occasion couldn’t help but catch the interest of Bermuda and the Council, and even the Chief Elder of the Magic Tower was to be sent as an official witness: authority.

Of course, Jack Russell was called to witness the duel at the request of a certain boy, not because of how important the event was. But no one knew that.

“When and where is the duel happening?”

“Tomorrow at noon, in Bermuda’s biggest venue. They only use that place when they make major announcements, but it looks like Bermuda is making an exception for them!”

Within a single day, the news flipped the First Sea District upside down.

To the west, the sun sank into the horizon.

And the next day came.

A duel with unfathomably high stakes was about to begin.

***

Bermuda’s largest venue was built as big as possible using spatial expansion magic and could seat close to ten thousand people. Ever since it was built, the only time all the seats were completely filled was during the emergency meeting held after the delivery of the news of Aquamarine’s annihilation.

Perhaps it was chance, or perhaps it was inevitable, but once again, all the seats sold out at the giant venue due to an incident involving Aquamarine.

“There are members from almost all the Rank B expedition teams here, and there’s a decent amount of Rank A explorers too. Though it seems that Moby Dick didn’t send a single person.”

“I think some major merchant groups sent people too. Maybe it’s true that they want the Aquamarine. I can’t believe non-explorers want an expedition team’s ship. They don’t know their place.”

There weren’t only explorers present. Even Atlantis’s wealthy hauled their heavy behinds to witness the match. Among them were the leaders of merchant groups who handled copious amounts of money and the shipping companies that transported goods between the Alliance and the Empire.

“Don’t you think it’s wasted on a bunch of people who don’t know how to do anything but fight? If we use the Aquamarine to transport goods, I can’t even imagine how profitable it will be.”

“What did you just say?! You son of a bitch!”

“Ow! Get a Bermuda employee! This explorer just assaulted someone!”

Even before the duel began, there were heated arguments, and some audience members were removed after taking a swing when they were provoked by someone’s words.

It was now ten minutes before noon, when the match would begin.

Each expedition team’s representative was on standby in the waiting room. Of course, Conrad was one of them.

“So, you’re telling me I have to eat this marble right now?” he said to Pablo’s aide, who had come to Santa Maria’s waiting room unannounced. Conrad looked indignant.

At first, the captain had panicked when he heard that someone from the Council was looking for him, but once he thought about it, he realized that his duel was a good opportunity for them to get rid of that nuisance Aquamarine once and for all.

Pablo was a key member of the Council. If Conrad made a good impression, it could bring him a step closer to fulfilling his ambitions for a seat on the Council. That was why he’d welcomed his guest with open arms. But things were going contrary to his expectations.

“I can beat Marianne without some shit like this! So why do I have to take some drug?”

“Councilor Pablo wishes for you to use it,” the aide said with an expressionless face.

Conrad squeezed his fist, suppressing the instinctive urge to swing, and his eyes became bloodshot and filled with bloodlust.

“Oh, is that so? And how am I supposed to use this fucking thing, exactly?” he demanded.

Only then did Pablo’s aide start to explain in detail, as if reciting a script written by Councilor Pablo himself. “Once you ingest this special drug, it will settle in your body. When you activate it with mana, it will immediately amplify all the mana in your body by several times. With your level of skill, Mr. Conrad, you should be able to obtain the power of a Swordmaster, if only for a short period of time.”

“Hmm.” When the word Swordmaster came up, his bloodlust subsided for a moment. “But such a powerful drug shouldn’t be without side effects, no?”

“You will know once you use it, but other than feeling fatigued for a while, there are no other side effects. The only reason this item isn’t mass-produced is that the materials and the manufacturing process are expensive.”

“Ah, I see. Are you worried that I’ll run away and sell it if I don’t take it right here?”

“If the existence of this drug is revealed... both you and I will die.” There was emotion on the aide’s face for the first time.

Conrad didn’t have anything to say and shut his mouth.

Pablo El Orlando Patterson. Conrad had only seen the man’s true colors when he himself became Rank A.

Pablo was a powerful man. If something didn’t go the way he wanted, he would use as many resources and as much manpower as he needed to thoroughly crush his opposition. Moby Dick was merely a tool for him, and he could stab anyone in the back at any time.

So if I refuse to eat this, I will be forced to make an enemy out of him.

The opportunist in him was screaming at him, saying that he had to bow his head for now and aim for an opportunity. If he didn’t take the drug, he would die, regardless of whether or not he won the duel.

So, Conrad tossed the marble in his hand into his mouth. He felt a heavy, unpleasant foreign sensation go down his esophagus and felt it settle deep inside his intestines. Internally, he wanted to expel it from his body, even if he had to rip his stomach open.

“I swallowed it. Are you happy now?”

“Thank you.”

“Fuck off and tell Pablo I proved my loyalty.”

The unnamed aide left the room, and Conrad had a faraway look in his eyes. Someday, he would take a seat on the Council and give Pablo a miserable death. As his malice overflowed, it filled the room with an ominous air.

Christopher Conrad’s true self bore itself in full.

For now, I should vent my anger by ripping apart Marianne.

He should watch the beautiful, refined lady Frances beg with fear and despair.

He should pretend to spare Marianne before cutting off her head at the last moment and making it rain blood.

Conrad snickered where he stood. Just in time, he heard his name be called.

—The person representing Santa Maria in this duel is, of course, this man! He’s in the Tenth Degree External Force Tier! And he’s a Class 5 mage, a soldier of fortune! The magic swordsman! Christopherrrrrrr Conrad!

He hated unwanted attention, but he enjoyed being cheered on by everyone.

With the heart of a snake, the man stepped into the ring.

Wooooooo!!!

The cheers of ten thousand people made his whole body vibrate. He raised his hands high in the air with a satisfied smile.

Cheer louder, you plebians!

You’re looking at Christopher Conrad!

He’d thought that he had plenty of wealth and fame, but now, his desire started to burn again, and his hubris flared. He wanted to be someone everyone cheered, feared, and bowed to.

And today’s duel could be a stepping stone to achieve that.

—Next up is Aquamarine! She has been part of the team since it was led by Captain Njord! The veteran explorer! The Mad Dog who refuses to let go once she latches onto an opponent! Countless people have died by her hand, but there are few who have fought her and lived to tell the tale! It’s Mad Do—og?[1]

The announcer’s voice suddenly cut off, and the commotion died instantly as if a switch had been flipped.

Conrad stared at the opposite side of the ring, wondering what was going on. Had Marianne and Frances run away? But they seemed as prideful as ever when they had met.

“Huh?” Even his eyes widened when he saw the boy step in from the other side. The boy couldn’t be more than twenty.

Someone from the audience recognized him and shouted, “That’s Aquamarine’s newest member. Why is he down there?”

“Do you think the princess sent him because she was afraid Marianne would die? That’s so cold.”

“Their legendary reputation has finally fallen to the dirt!”

Most people thought his entrance was a bad move, but there were some who didn’t.

Frances. Esther. Jack Russell. That was to be expected, but other than those three, there was one else.

“Fuck! Who is this fucking kid?!” Conrad’s instincts sensed danger, and sweat began to drip down his spine.

He’s weaker than me. I can kill him.

He was so sure of himself, but his intuition was whispering to him that he could not fight this boy. But why? Throughout his life, every time he didn’t listen to his instincts, he saw big losses. It made him hesitant to attack.

“Hm?” Leonard saw the man waver and nodded.

Indeed, his talent is impressive. I am properly suppressing my power, but both of us have instinctively sensed each other’s capabilities.

That was one of the most notable skills of a martial artist. Regardless of how strong or weak someone was, those who could not assess their opponents would inevitably die. It wasn’t that a person should be wary of every woman, child, or elderly person they came across, but that they should be able to detect power that wasn’t visible from the outside.

Marianne hadn’t caught on to Leonard’s abilities until he revealed them, but Conrad immediately saw them with just one look. That was the difference in talent.

It was just as Frances had predicted.

When she said that I absolutely shouldn’t show myself before the duel, she was right, Leonard thought to himself as he drew his sword. It came out with a shing, and the blade glinted.

Conrad automatically took a few steps back and gritted his teeth. Regardless of what his instincts told him, if this many people saw that he was scared of a little kid, his reputation would fall into shambles.

—I-I’m not sure what’s going on, but! It’s been less than a month since he officially joined Aquamarine! It’s Leonard!

The announcer didn’t forget their role and continued on.

—Santa Maria’s Christopher Conrad versus Aquamarine’s Leonard! Their duel is about to begin! It will be a one-on-one battle to the death, and there is no time limit or the option to surrender!

The minute hand continued to tick toward noon, and it hit exactly twelve o’clock.

—Begin!

At the announcer’s cry, a giant, dome-shaped shield covered the two challengers. A magic array had been activated, isolating them to prevent their attacks from reaching the audience. Naturally, it blocked sound as well, so Conrad and Leonard could only hear the sound of each other’s breathing.

The first one to attack was Conrad, who could launch long-distance attacks faster and more easily using magic.

“Fire Wave!”

As Leonard watched Conrad finish casting the spell before his eyes, a wave of fire formed and moved toward him. It wasn’t fast, but it was ginormous. The fire began to slowly envelop the entire ring. There was no place to run away unless he leaped into the air. And even if he did, he would be exposing himself to a barrage of magical attacks.

A fire spell with a one-time cast doesn’t have a target, so it’s merely an explosion. Even if I cut through it with sword energy, only the path of the energy will be cleared. In that case...

Leonard settled into another stance. This way, he could launch a larger, albeit less efficient counterattack.

Five Elements Style

White Tiger Twenty-Eighth Form: Wind Hail Barrage

A tempest began to blow from his sword.

1. The last character sounds like “huh,” so it’s a pun. ☜