*Ajax*
I looked over at the odd device in Adam's hand with confusion.
He explained as he connected the device to his phone.
"It's a card reader, it gives me information about a mercenary, student or hero by their ID cards."
I looked at the device in surprise.
I didn't know such a thing existed really; the novel had no reason to show off something so mundane.
I took out the card from my bag as I handed it to him and he accepted with a nod, before flipping it over and pressing it on the screen of the reader.
"Ok, let's see here."
He said as he moved the screen closer to me so I could read the writings on his phone.
===========Mercenary Information================================
Name: Ajax.
Race: Unspecified.
Age: 16
Gender: M
Danger zones visited: Howling Cliffs(G+), Shrieker Caves(F-)
Accomplishments:
Bounty claimed on crazed wind hound x1
Sold materials to awakened association. x12
Ore sold to association x24
Shriekers killed x 32
Unclaimed balance: 22400
Stats-
========================================================
'That's a lot more than I-'
"A few!"
Adam raised his voice as he looked at the phone.
"32 is a few?!"
"I..." I struggled to speak as I naturally started to back away from him.
"How did you even kill that many!?" He raised his hands in confusion.
I wasn't sure either, I was surprised at the number as well.
"First the kid with the 100 score and now this?"
He said in a helpless tone.
"Sorry?"
I wasn't sure what else to say here.
"There's no need to apologize, it's just..."
"Be more careful okay? The most important thing in a zone is getting out alive."
"..."
"Money is secondary, there's no reason to lose your life over it."
'I know.'
I've lost one already.
I hadn't even gone there to make money.
But now that I knew the amount I could make, I wasn't going to stop.
Trying to prevent the apocalypse was important but I was doing it for selfish reasons.
I wanted to live a better life.
And for that I need money.
Adam sighed at my lack of response, settling back into his seat.
"Alright everyone! I hope you enjoyed the break as we will return to the celebrations again!" Corin's voice broke through the awkward silence.
I looked back on stage, looking forward to seeing what was going to happen.
I wanted to see the different ways people fought.
All I knew were descriptions from a light novel which would never be enough in an actual fight.
"You stay here, I have to go for now."
Adam got up from his seat as he stretched out.
"Where are you going?"
I thought he would stay to watch the duels.
"Hm... I'm going to answer your question." Adam answered with a smile.
I wanted to ask more questions, but he just waved them off as he left the room.
'My question?'
What was he going to do now?
I had a guess, but I should just watch.
The more time I spent with Adam the more I realized how big of a difference him being alive makes.
The mood in the stadium seemed a lot more hopeful with him around.
"I hope everyone is back in their seats because it's time for the main event!" Corin said in a rather bad showman impression.
A staff of awakened brought onto stage a rather imposing looking steel monolith about 8 feet tall.
The crowd seemed to know what the artifact was as the previously drowsy crowd broke into a cheer unlike the ones before.
The monolithic pole began to emit a blue light as the light extended before drawing a rectangular boundary around the main stage.
'A duel square.'
I realized what it was as well.
An artifact to create an environment where neither of the fighters will suffer grave injuries.
To confirm a lot of mages, some who wore intricate robes stepped out onto the field, placing more artifacts at the corners.
'...That's too many.'
Most student duels depicted in the novel only had one artifact at the center and at most two mages overseeing it.
There were 8 artifacts with at least 20 mages for protecting the crowd.
It was obvious that the upcoming duel was between two powerhouses.
And I was pretty sure I knew one of them.
"Please direct your attention to the screens or the stage as I introduce the two participants of the duel!"
The light in the air seemed to bend as projections looking like screens floated in the air.
"Our first contestant needs no introduction! The strongest warrior in the Empire and a man who instils fear into the hearts of corrupted! The brilliant blade himself..."
"Adam Kane!"
The screens around the stadium lit up with pictures of Adam Kane and his stats and achievements.
The over-the-top showmanship of this reminded me of those important football games Felix would close the restaurant for.
Adam walked onto the stage now wearing completely different attire.
He was now wearing light armor around his chest and legs with braces on his arms but most notably, on his back was a giant golden weapon.
It was a mix between a halberd and an axe, and it was about as tall as Adam with its radiant golden color giving off a tantalizing glow.
He also had multiple small artifacts on his armor meant to activate protection magic should he get hit.
"And his opponent..." Corin cut through the excited chatter of the crowd.
"Known as the second most powerful mage in this kingdom beside Merlin himself, leader of the Cobalt Magic Tower and the master of winds..."
"Rasmus Kovac!"
The screens were now replaced with a green color compared to the previous gold and now displayed Adams opponent.
A tall yet frail looking man wearing green and gold mage robes was displayed, steel rimmed spectacles covering his sharp green eyes which complimented his even brighter green hair and darker skin.
Rasmus Kovac stepped onto stage with a stone-cold expression on his face as a large phone book sized grimoire floated beside him.
I felt better after drinking the mana recovery potion and I tried to use my perception on Kovac.
The mana around him seemed to distort and the area around him felt harder to see through with mana sight as a layer of green surrounded his body.
'..!'
I widened my eyes in surprise as I saw Kovac move his chilly glare towards me with some interest.
He tilted his head in confusion before shrugging and looking back at Adam.
'He really is strange.'
In the novel Kovac isn't mentioned much, all anyone knew were his strange mannerisms and his overly honest attitude which alienated him from his allies.
He died in an unwritten excursion and is found by the main cast four days later, shortly after the second catastrophe.
He said something to Adam, but it was impossible to read his lips from here.
Whatever he said seemed to anger Adam though as he responded by unsheathing his axe in a menacing manner.
Kovac just shrugged as his grimoire began emitting more and more mana.
"The duel will start in 3..."
Adam seemed to exert a lot of force onto the ground as the tiles began to crack under the pressure.
"2"
The wind around Kovac now seemed ... thicker? Almost as if it was harder to see through.
"1.."
Both participants inhaled sharply
"GO!"
Adam was the first to move, the tiles demolished as he lunged at Kovac, his axe following close behind him as he held onto the shaft with just one hand.
His speed was incredible, I could hardly see him move across the stage as a golden blazing light scorched the stage as he moved.
Kovac chanted something and the wind began to distort more and more but I could hardly tell what he was planning.
Adam seemed to though as his eyes became alert and suddenly, he stomped on the ground stopping all movement before jumping to the left.
*SWISH*
The sound of something cutting through the air could be heard as Adam moved out of the way.
'What?'
The place that Adam was standing on had been completely ripped apart, the tiles having been cut into several pieces.
Adam was unfazed as he charged once again, dodging seemingly invisible attacks that ripped the concrete stage apart.
As he got closer to Kovac his cold expression became a frown and right before he was about to chant again.
*BANG*
Adam had leaped into the air, grabbing his axe with both hands before using his momentum to bring the axe down with a horrifying force.
My eyes strained as the attack release a radiant white light that left scorch marks on the ground near Kovac.
Everywhere except for a 7 feet radius dome from where he was standing.
I could see the reason for his confidence now.
A wind dome shield that was the reason for the distortion of wind around him.
However, what was even more ridiculous was the fact that there was now a giant crack in the dome from which the axe was sticking out.
Yes, a crack had formed in the air as if space was being ripped apart by the radiant light emitting from Adam.
Scorch marks appeared on Kovac's robes as he clicked his tongue and stretched his hand out towards Adam.
This time I could see the attack, a compressed sphere of wind shot towards Adam.
Instead of dodging it, Adam tilted his body as he put his axe in front of the attack.
The sphere shot out and hit Adam at point blank range, but right as the move made contact, Adam planted one foot on the dome shield and put his axe in front of the sphere.
*SSSH*
Adam spun violently as the attack hit his side, denting his armor as his axe took the brunt of it, using his planted foot as a pivot, Adam used the rotational momentum to grab his axe once more.
And swing at the dome shield.
The air ripped apart as if a gold rift in space had appeared before the dome collapsed into numerous green shards.
Kovac looked genuinely angry now as he used a wind spell to distance himself from Adam before he could do a follow up attack.
However, Adam was too fast for the mage to react, and he thrust the pointed end of his halberd axe towards Kovac.
*TSSS*
A sizzling sound could be heard as Kovac narrowly avoided being skewered, his mage robe being further burnt and also some minor burns appearing on his chest.
Adam smirked at Kovac's enraged expression, taking joy in breaking his arrogant exterior.
Kovac seemed feral now, gathering a dense amount of mana that even I could see from here as he levitated above the ground.
The wind around the stadium grew more violent as it began to howl as Kovac's hair fluttered wildly.
Adam seemed hesitant to approach now, choosing to stay back as he gathered mana in his weapon as its shine grew brighter.
The violent winds began to gather around the grimoire as they began spinning around Kovac.
I could see Adam tense up as he now faced three mini tornadoes that circled around Kovac defending him.
But he didn't have time to think, Kovac continued his relentless assault of wind blade like spells as parts of the stage were ripped apart by sharp winds.
His anger affected his spells as before his spells were covert and precise, now they were obvious and destructive, leaving longer jagged cuts.
He paired the wind blades with another spell, a sphere of wind that would explode upon reaching the ground creating a heavy concussive force in an 8-foot radius damaging the tiles.
Adam had trouble dodging this flurry of attacks as he got caught by a wind bomb and nicked by two wind blades as his armor dented and minor cuts appeared on his skin.
The entire time his expression remained calm as the mana around his weapon grew more and more dense.
Kovac reached his limit as one of the tornadoes defending him separated as it flew towards Adam gathering concrete debris in the process.
Adam simply smiled before he swung his axe releasing all the mana inside.