The announcer of the arena raised his fist high in the center of the stadium.
"Welcome to the first match of today's Bronze Class!"
Cheers erupted from the stands at his appearance.
- "Wooaaah!"
I hadn't expected the Bronze Class to be this popular. There were more people eager for the match than I had anticipated.
Well, living in Legion, known for having the highest taxes on the continent, how many ways could these people find to enjoy their weary lives?
They had no choice but to gather energy from such entertainments that they couldn't directly participate in.
"Now, let's introduce the participants for the first match of the day."
*Bwee-bwee!*
A horn sounded.
"The party name is 'Rising Force'. Let's give a warm welcome to the contestants for their first match!!"
- "Wooaaah!"
Bichon, with a cool expression, raised both hands above his head. He blew a kiss into the air and shouted towards the crowd.
"We will show you a great match!"
Two knights, Chihuahua and Collie, followed him and also blew kisses into the air.
Roks, not pleased with their actions, shook his head.
"Verdin."
"Go ahead."
"Are knights usually like that?"
"Like what?"
"Entering the arena with such a fuss."
"No, that's showmanship."
"Showmanship?"
"They do it to catch the crowd's attention and to excite them."
The more popular a gladiator is, the quicker they get opportunities to move up to higher classes and receive higher victory rewards.
That's why there are always people behaving like that in every match.
"To excite the crowd?"
"Yeah. Popularity brings more chances to advance to higher classes."
"Ah…"
We're not far from reaching the tower now.
What's needed is to prove oneself.
"Just hang in there a bit longer. We only need to win two more matches."
"Got it."
*Thud, thud, thud.*
As we stood at the line drawn in the center of the arena, the announcer raised his voice again.
"Next, let me introduce the team facing the new contenders! The gatekeepers of the Bronze Class! Adventurers from the Western Black Bear Knights! The party name 'Dark Spear'! Give them a big round of applause!"
- "Booo!"
This time, boos echoed throughout the stadium.
It was the first time I had seen such a reaction since arriving at the arena.
"I hate those bastards the most. They stay in the Bronze Class by cheating or deliberately losing matches."
"Die, you bastards! Do you know how much money I lost because of you?!"
"Someone, please stop them from competing. My heart can't take this anymore!"
The crowd's angry outbursts told me all I needed to know about their reputation. Half of the spectators must be those who bet money on these matches.
Such performances would naturally infuriate them.
'Well, there were people like that in my previous life too.'
This was the first time I had seen dissatisfaction expressed this strongly, though.
"Dieeee!"
An old man with white hair screamed at the top of his lungs.
Seeing their reaction, Bichon whispered softly enough for only us to hear.
"Great, if we win this match, our popularity will soar."
Chihuahua and Collie responded cheerfully.
"Right, Captain."
"They don't look that strong, so let's finish this quickly, shall we?"
The three of them seemed confident.
From my perspective, the enemy knights looked stronger, but since I hadn't faced them directly, I couldn't be certain.
"Verdin."
Bichon spoke to me.
"Yes."
"We'll handle them. You guys rest."
"All five of them?"
"Yes, we've never been defeated on the battlefield, so don't worry."
I nodded readily.
There was no reason to refuse the offer to save our strength for the tower.
"If we can conserve our strength now, it's a big advantage for us at the tower."
"Alright! So, you're called Dark Spear, huh? I'm Bichon, leader of Rising Force. Nice to meet you."
Bichon extended his hand toward the Dark Spear knight.
*Slap!*
A Dark Spear knight slapped Bichon's hand away and clicked his tongue.
"Idiot, are you trying to show chivalry here? We're here to kill each other, not shake hands."
"I don't know why you're so agitated, but if we don't have a civilized conversation now, someone's really going to die."
"You're the one who's going to die. I don't know where you came from, but you can never defeat us."
"We'll see about that, won't we?"
*Thud, thud, thud.*
"Let's see who's taller then."
Even to the casual observer, the Dark Spear knight was taller than Bichon.
"…I was referring to the outcome of the match."
"And we'll be taller there too."
They glared at each other.
The announcer, sensing the tension, stepped between them, pushing them apart and raising a flag to signal the start of the match.
*Bweeeee!*
The horn sounded long.
At the same time, Bichon, along with his two subordinates, charged towards the enemy.
"Uraaah!"
*Clang!*
The battle didn't last long.
Five Dark Spear knights simultaneously thrust their long spears. Unable to break through their range, the spearheads pierced Bichon's armor.
*Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk-!*
"Ugh!"
As the spearheads lodged into Bichon's body, Chihuahua and Collie launched themselves forward, targeting the spear shafts with their long swords.
*Crack!*
They broke all the spear shafts in one go.
'They need to refine their swordsmanship.'
They should be able to slice through such wooden shafts in one go, not just break them with force.
Anyway, the plan was a success. They rendered the enemy's weapons useless.
But the tide of battle ended there.
*Shhhk.*
The five spearless knights drew shortswords from their waists and round shields from their backs.
"These bastards!"
Bichon was immobilized.
Chihuahua and Collie had to face them all.
The outcome was obvious.
"Help me!"
Bichon shouted towards us.
"Roks."
Just calling his name was enough for Roks to understand and draw his weapon.
*Swish.*
"Can I kill them?"
"If you want."
"Okay, who should I take out first?"
"The shortest one. I'll handle the rest."
I drew the mythical sword made to kill gods, or more precisely, the demonic sword even Siegfried could not fully comprehend: "Misteltein."
Shhhh.
As soon as it was unsheathed, the blade turned black.
'What is this?'
When I checked in the waiting room, the blade was silver, so why did it suddenly show this color?
I don't know the reason, but now is not the time to find out.
It's time to use it.
It's time to show the skills I've been hiding.
I quickly identified the enemy's position, then pushed off the ground and sprang forward.
Swoosh!
I swung my sword horizontally towards the enemy's ankle.
Clang—Thud!
With a single blow, I cut through the steel boot and severed the ankle.
"Ahhh!"
A Dark Spear knight lost his balance and fell.
Thud.
Seeing his severed legs, he screamed and swung his shortsword.
Swoosh. Swoosh.
"Damn it! Damn it! My legs!!"
The moment his comrades turned to help him.
Slash—
My sword swung again, beheading three of them simultaneously.
"Huh…?"
"What is this?"
"Wait, I haven't even done anything yet."
Thud, thud, thud.
All three heads fell to the ground, their bodies still standing.
Rox swallowed hard as he watched me, then charged at the remaining knight, swinging his mace.
"You're mine!"
Boom!
The knight hit by his mace flew like a piece of paper.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
Rox didn't stop attacking and kept smashing down with his mace.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Even though the helmet was already crushed and in ruins, he continued to hammer down.
Thud!
"Die! Die already!!"
He was very excited since it was his first battle in the arena.
He probably thought that if he didn't subdue his opponent, he would be defeated.
Everyone comes here with such determination.
I had that in my past life too.
"Rox, stop."
He only stopped hammering when he heard my voice.
"Huff... Huff... Huff..."
"Well done. That's how you do it."
"..."
"You won this battle. Calm down and check the enemy's condition."
Rox took a deep breath, then tied his mace to his waist and looked around at the enemies.
"They seem dead."
"In the battlefield, there is no 'seem dead.' They are either dead or alive, check thoroughly."
"…They're dead."
I deliberately smiled and patted his back.
"Good job."
The first battle of the Bronze Class was over.
Everyone in the stands held their breath, watching us leave the arena.
Even the judge for this match couldn't immediately declare the winner.
From more than a hundred steps away, he hesitated, then finally checked the bodies of the Dark Spear knights after we had left.
"…This match is a victory for the Rising Force party!!!"
His voice echoed through the arena, and the previously frozen audience burst into cheers as if time started moving again.
-Wowww!!!
---
In the Gold Class waiting room at the top of the stands, five knights from Bourbon watched the Rising Force party's match through a window.
"Those guys are better than I thought."
Pereira smiled, sweeping his green hair back.
His comrade, Nunez, who had short green hair, nodded in agreement.
"They're newcomers, right?"
"Seems like it. I think Lily was helping them register yesterday."
"I don't know where they're from, but they're better than you?"
"No, better than you."
"What? So you're saying you're stronger than me?"
"Of course. That's why I'm part of the Tri-Line, right?"
He traced the three lines on his face with his finger.
Nunez frowned, displeased with his action.
"You got into the Tri-Line because you joined earlier than me, not because of your skill."
"Bullshit!"
"Bullshit? You really want to die today?"
"If you can."
"…This bastard."
As Nunez reached for her waist.
Smack.
A huge knight behind her grabbed her shoulder firmly.
Crunch.
"If you want to fight, take it outside."
"Ouch! Fine, fine, let go of my shoulder!"
Pereira stepped back, sensing the tension.
The huge knight threw Nunez aside.
Thud.
Then he sat down in a chair, looking out at the arena.
"Pereira."
"Yes."
"Go out and find out about those kids right now. When they arrived here, where they're from, what swordsmanship they learned, and why they came to the arena."
"..."
"Find out everything without missing a single detail."