I was prepared to upload 5 more bonus chapters if this fanfic reached 200 power stones. What a bummer that it was stuck at 150 power stones before.
So, don't forget to vote! I don't want to cancel my plan once again.
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Chapter 42 - Opening of Lindwurm Festa!
In the days that followed, Luke continued his daily routine of practice, sparring, and continuous training.
However, during his free time, there was an increase in interactions with acquaintances that he didn't have before.
As the number of people with whom Luke had good relationships gradually increased, his daily life also became less monotonous.
Time passed, slipping away in the routine, and in the blink of an eye, it was the opening of 'Lindwurm Festa.'
"Welcome, everyone. I am delighted that this year, I can still see all of you showcasing your skills on the stage."
Speaking from a high place was a man with a kindly and amiable smile.
"Although I believe that you all must be tired of me introducing myself every year."
"But there's no way around it. After all, every year, there are outstanding new students participating in the 'Festa.'"
"So, once again, I extend my sincere greetings to all of you. Welcome to the stage of 'Lindwurm.' I am Madiath Mesa, the chairman of the 'Festa' organizing committee."
As Madiath finished his self-introduction, indeed, a small fraction of new students showed a realization on their faces.
Young and almost all new students who had some understanding of Asterisk City and the Festas would have this kind of first impression of Madiath Mesa.
From the perspective of age, Madiath Mesa, who is already thirty-five years old, couldn't possibly be considered young by a group of students.
However, if you place him in the position of chairman of the 'Festa' organizing committee, it's a completely different story.
The so-called 'Festa' organizing committee is an organization fully responsible for managing and operating the most important event, the 'Festa,' in Asterisk City.
And the chairman of the organizing committee is the highest authority in this organization, and the person in this position is inevitably an executive of Integrated Enterprise Foundation.
To praise someone under forty who is an executive of Integrated Enterprise Foundation as young seems a bit perfunctory.
You should know that executives in Integrated Enterprise Foundation, regardless of which one, are usually 60 or 70 years old, or even older figures from the 'grandfather generation.'
Apart from being in a high position at such a young age, Luke can clearly sense from Madiath Mesa the aura of someone who has been through numerous battles.
Also, he knew Madiath Mesa better than the students around him.
He knew that the other person was a graduate of Seidoukan Academy, knew that the other person had once dominated 'Phoenix Festa,' and, using the rewards obtained after the victory, joined the organizing committee of the 'Festa.'
He even knew that the other party's current title is 'Laminamors,' and the weapon used is the Orga Lux 'Raksha-Nada,' one of the Four Colored Magic Swords.
Led by Madiath, Dirk, and another person hidden in the shadows, the 'Golden Bough Alliance' is the largest conspiracy organization in this Asterisk City.
The opening speech of 'Lindwurm' quickly came to an end.
Next, the participating students would be assigned to the eleven main stages for the first-day battles based on factors such as strength and attention received.
'Lindwurm' has always been dubbed the 'Festival within the Festa' and is the most popular among the three different types of 'Festas.'
Compared to competitions like 'Phoenix' and 'Gryps' that require finding partners and forming teams, 'Lindwurm,' which is purely for individual battles, is more sought after by people.
A total of over 200 participating players were evenly distributed across eleven different stages, with each student having one battle per day.
When it reaches the top 32, all stages will uniformly use the 'Sirius Dome.'
Due to the different stages and the order of participation, some students have already started leaving.
Of course, all the spectators and the vast majority of participating players have no intention of leaving.
Perhaps for the sake of heating up the atmosphere, Luke, the top-ranked student from Jielong Seventh Institute, known as the most mysterious 'Extreme Swordsman,' had his match scheduled as the first battle on the first day at the 'Sirius Dome.'
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"Hello everyone~ This is the Sirius Dome, the venue for the first match of the opening day."
The host raised her voice, indicating that the first battle of 'Lindwurm' was about to begin.
"The live broadcast is hosted by me, ABC commentator Miko Yanase, and the commentary is provided by Mr. Tracy Harnett, the former top rank of Rewolf Black Institute, who successfully dominated 'Lindwurm' and is known as the fourth-generation 'Sword Saint.'"
Standing in the entrance passage, waiting for his appearance, Luke silently listened to the host's voice.
It seems that this ABC commentator, Miko Yanase, is quite famous. In recent years, almost every edition of the competition at the 'Sirius Dome' has been broadcast by her.
According to Luke's impression, in the three years following the edition with the protagonist's appearance, all three 'Festas' were broadcast by her, while the commentary was changed every time.
Not keeping him waiting for long, the prompt for the players' entrance soon appeared.
The moment Luke appeared on stage, a frenzy of cheers swept through the entire venue.
The thunderous cheers startled Luke.
"Even Sylvia's concert didn't have this many spectators."
Luke looked speechlessly at the densely packed audience around him.
In the same venue, if Sylvia's concert could be described as having no empty seats, then the audience for 'Lindwurm' had no space even to stand.
Shaking his head, Luke shifted his attention to his opponent.
Because they wanted to hype up the atmosphere with an exciting match, the organizing committee gave Luke an opponent who could be considered quite capable.
Moritz Nessler, the twelfth-ranked "Septentrio" among the "Page One" of Rewolf Black Institute, is a Dante who can control winds.
Looking at his opponent, Luke seemed somewhat familiar; the other person seemed to be a character who had appeared in the original work.
Moritz, on the other hand, felt a bit uneasy being stared at by Luke.
"Tch, looks like a little brat. How can he bring me so much pressure?"
Faced with the pressure emanating from Luke, Moritz was starting to break into a cold sweat.
Due to Luke's current mental state, after entering a combat state, he involuntarily emitted a portion of sword qi and fighting intent.
Being able to remain calm under Luke's imposing aura, this 'Page One' member of Rewolf Black, Moritz, does indeed have some real skills.
Soon, the indicator lights for the start of the match lit up.
At the moment the match began, perhaps due to being unable to withstand the pressure, a fierce wind immediately appeared around Moritz.
With the twinkling of Prana flow, his hands were entwined with a continuously cutting storm, and he charged towards Luke.
This move was his signature technique, the 'Borea Spira.' If purely judging by destructive power, it could be considered top-notch even within Rewolf Black.
However, before he could charge up to Luke, a sword light enveloped in sword qi crashed into him.
Ding—!
"The match ended, and the victor is Luke Ashburn from the Jielong Seventh Institute!"
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