SWNOVELXO Chapter 202 - The Great Battle of the Dragons (11)
Chapter 202: The Great Battle of the DragonsThe Great Battle of the Dragons (11)
The day after Theresia and Andres finished their third match in the round of 12.
Day 4 of the Battle of Wyrm Warriors.
Perhaps it was because of the exhilarating match they had seen after such a long time.
The audience’s interest in the upcoming match began to rise once more.
It was only natural, considering the participants of the next match were enough to raise expectations.
“Are we finally going to see Yuri Holland’s true skills?”
“This time, it’s certain, right?”
In the round of 24, Yuri had easily advanced to the round of 12 due to his opponent’s forfeit.
But in the round of 12, Yuri’s opponent was none other than Fritz Singh.
Currently ranked 2nd among the 46th generation.
A direct descendant of the Hyun family.
Not just any ordinary descendant, but the young master destined to lead the Hyun family in the future.
Such a person should be enough to draw out Yuri Holland’s true skills.
With these expectations, the audience eagerly awaited the fourth match of the round of 12.
Finally, the match began, and the first to enter the arena was Yuri.
Swaggering in with both hands shoved into his pockets, he stood on one leg as he waited for his opponent.
Despite his careless posture, Yuri’s aura was sharp and intense.
‘So, this time my opponent is Yulia’s brother?’
Before entering the arena, Yulia had come to the waiting room herself to give him a stern request.
[You absolutely… must tear that guy apart! Don’t end it too quickly; take your time, drag it out as long as possible, and make him suffer!]
She even handed over a considerable amount of points, showing just how much resentment she held.
‘Are all siblings like this? Anyone would think they were enemies, not blood relatives.’
Thus, Yuri found himself with a request that was not quite a request.
Regardless of the circumstances, he planned to do his best to fulfill it as he waited for Fritz…
“…Why is this guy taking so long?”
Fritz’s appearance was delayed more than expected.
Of course, it had only been about 5 minutes, but in any other match, the outcome would have already been decided by now.
Yet, Fritz still had not appeared.
Another minute passed, and just before Yuri’s annoyance reached its peak, his opponent finally appeared.
Tall and slender.
With white hair and red eyes.
It was evident to anyone that he resembled Yulia.
Facing him, Yuri clicked his tongue in irritation.
“Hey, can’t you come out a little faster?”
“Haha, sorry to keep you waiting. I had a few things to prepare.”
Despite Yuri’s open annoyance, Fritz continued to smile cheerfully.
Yuri scowled, displeased, and reached for his sword.
At that moment, Fritz raised his hand.
“Wait! Let’s talk for a moment!”
“No.”
Yuri’s response came without a moment’s hesitation, and Fritz quickly stepped back, shouting.
“Haha, if you do that, I’d be quite disappointed.”
“Disappointed?”
“Because of a quest you ruined, I got nagged by a close friend for quite some time. So, in consideration of that, how about a brief chat?”
“Hmm…”
Yuri’s eyes narrowed.
He could guess what Fritz was talking about.
“The quest with the Demon King? Back when we were in the 49th generation?”
“Yes, that’s the one! You ruined the quest my friend planned, and since I assured them it wouldn’t fail, I got quite an earful.”
“So, what do you want?”
“What do I want? Just a quick chat with you would be nice.”
Yuri relaxed the grip he had on his sword.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Nothing much, I just have a few questions for you. Mind if I ask?”
“Sure, no.”
“……”
Yuri’s attitude, as if he was toying with him, led Fritz to pull out his last resort.
“100,000 points per question!”
Fritz’s offer had an immediate effect.
“1 million.”
Of course, just because there was a response didn’t mean it was positive.
Seeing Yuri suddenly increase the price tenfold, Fritz was impressed.
He spoke in his usual easygoing tone.
“You won’t need them once you graduate anyway, so why not be generous and help out a poor junior?”
Yuri’s brazen tone, as if demanding what was owed to him, impressed Fritz, who nodded lightly.
Just as Yuri had said, points were of no use to him, who was about to graduate.
Once Fritz agreed, Yuri immediately withdrew his hand from his sword and bowed deeply.
“Welcome, esteemed customer!”
He was all smiles.
“I’ll answer with an open mind and utmost sincerity!”
“You promise?”
“Of course!”
“Alright then… Hmm. So, how old are you this year?”
“Sixteen. 1 million.”
“Are your parents alive?”
“I’m an orphan. 2 million.”
“Where’s your hometown?”
“Nowhere. I wandered wherever my feet took me. 3 million.”
“Do you have any savings?”
“Nope, I’m broke. 4 million.”
“Do you have a motto?”
“‘Conscience is a luxury I can’t afford.’ 5 million.”
“…That’s quite a striking motto. Do you have any vision for the future?”
Yuri paused briefly before answering with a bright smile.
“If the spot everyone’s aiming for is the same, I might as well go for it too. 6 million.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Seizing the Sword Throne. 7 million.”
“….”
Seeing Yuri so nonchalantly mention seizing the Sword Throne left Fritz speechless.
When no more questions followed, Yuri shrugged his shoulders.
“Is that it, esteemed customer?”
“That’s all. That’s enough.”
“Want to ask more?”
“…You’ve earned 7 million with just 7 answers, and you’re still greedy.”
“Tsk.”
Yuri clicked his tongue, sounding disappointed as his tone returned to normal.
“But why ask all this? You probably knew most of it already, right?”
“There’s a big difference between information heard from others and information heard directly from the person involved.”
“Oh, really? Well, fine. Just make sure to transfer the 7 million points soon.”
“Yeah, got it. You’re more… uh… something than I expected.”
Though Fritz muttered something under his breath, Yuri ignored it.
Instead, he reached for his sword again.
Seeing this, Fritz hurriedly called out.
“Wait!”
When Yuri shot him a questioning look, Fritz grinned.
“You know that saying, right? ‘Know your enemy, but first know yourself, and you’ll never be defeated in battle.’”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’ve studied you well. I prepared thoroughly for this match!”
With that declaration, Fritz reached into his coat.
Yuri’s eyes gleamed at the sight.
Swoosh—
In an instant, he had drawn his sword and positioned himself directly in front of Fritz.
He was ready to slash Fritz, had it not been for what Fritz pulled out.
The item Fritz drew surprised even Yuri.
‘…What is this?’
The item Fritz pulled out was none other than…
“…A white flag?”
A small flag made from a thin stick with a white cloth tied to it.
Flutter, flutter—
Fritz waved the white flag, smiling brightly.
“Do you also know this saying?”
“……”
“The best way to avoid losing a fight… is not to fight at all.”
“…Who said that?”
“A genius named Fritz Singh.”
“……”
“So, how is it? Isn’t it clever?”
Despite being late to the arena, Fritz had crafted the makeshift white flag in the waiting room himself.
He waved the crude flag from side to side with a radiant smile.
“I forfeit.”
Yuri blinked, stunned.
“…That idiot.”
Watching her family throw away the honor of the clan, Yulia covered her face with her hands.
And so, Yuri advanced to the round of 6 without even having to fight.
The audience, who had witnessed the whole ordeal, muttered in disbelief.
“…What the hell was that?”
“What kind of match was that…?”
No one had expected Fritz Singh to forfeit, so the audience was deeply disappointed.
Moreover, the way the match had unfolded was simply ridiculous.
However, the match that would truly baffle them… was the one that followed.
“Whew…”
“I’m hungry.”
The fifth match of the round of 12.
Arin and Poppy, both first-years who had defeated third-years to advance, stood far apart from each other in the arena, glaring fiercely.
It was hard to believe they were friends, as the intensity of their killing intent made the audience think, ‘Oh? This is going to be a real fight.’
Just as the tension in the arena peaked—
“Rock, pa…”
“I’m hun…”
Without a word, the two dashed at each other.
Their fierce auras clashed as they collided in the center of the arena.
It seemed like something major was about to happen, in a moment of extreme tension.
“…per, scissors!”
“…gry!”
The two extended their hands toward each other at the center of the arena.
The result was…
“Yayyyyy!”
“…I’m hungry.”
Arin’s scissors beat Poppy’s paper.
True to their pre-match agreement, Poppy forfeited and walked away sulking.
Left alone, Arin raised both hands in victory, basking in his triumph at the center of the arena.
“Woohoo! I won! I made it to the round of 6!”
Meanwhile, the audience couldn’t contain their boiling frustration as they watched Arin celebrate.
“That, that?!”
“Those… damn 50th generation
brats!”
“Do they think the Battle of Wyrm Warriors is child’s play…?!”
“They made it to the round of 12… and one of them reached the round of 6 by winning at rock-paper-scissors… What the hell am I…”
“Damn it!”
Those ranked 6th to 10th among their generations, who had wanted to participate in the Battle of Wyrm Warriors but missed out, were filled with self-loathing as they watched Arin and Poppy’s match.
They couldn’t participate in the Battle of Wyrm Warriors that even these types of competitors were in.
And to have rock-paper-scissors in the Battle of Wyrm Warriors!
What on earth was going on?
But there was nothing they could do.
The participants themselves determined the rules of the match, and it wasn’t something others could interfere with.
All they could do was grind their teeth in frustration.
In the meantime, the final match of the round of 12 began.
Finally, a real match fitting the Battle of Wyrm Warriors took place, and Vangelis defeated a fourth-year to advance to the round of 6.
That afternoon, the final six were gathered, and the Dragon’s Cradle conducted a draw to create the matchups and announced the bracket.
When the cadets of the Dragon’s Cradle saw the matchups for the round of 6, they couldn’t believe their eyes.
“…What is this?”
“…Is this for real?”
[Round of 6 Matchups]
Susan Ripley (win) vs. Theresia Winchester (forfeit)
Goetz Röthen vs. Vangelis Anniston
Yuri Holland (win) vs. Arin Helga (forfeit)
The round of 6 hadn’t even started yet, but two matches were already over.
And the next day.
On the fifth day, when only one match took place in the round of 6.
Boom—!
Goetz’s magic sword shattered the spear of Vangelis, the official rank 1 of the 5th year, as…
The final three who would advance to the semifinals were decided.