I Can See the Comments on the Doomed Novel - Chapter 170



That Fight, Once More

The Olympus Tournament was proceeding successfully.

In the Colosseum’s audience seats, countless people and deities had gathered to watch.

Before them, luxurious goblets filled with wine were placed.

It seemed they had managed to prepare everything on time.

“To provide unlimited drinks to all participants. Quite generous, indeed.”

They must have found a pretty good supplier, or perhaps they had enough money to spare without any issues.

Well, considering the scale of the tournament,

if it were conducted poorly, they might end up facing unnecessary criticism.

“I, I really have to go now! Everyone, don’t be nervous, and don’t push yourselves too hard to win and get hurt—just do your best! Got it? No need to tremble! This is just a festival to enjoy!”

“…It seems like Lady Hestia is more nervous than we are.”

Hestia, shivering down to her shoulders, continued to worry about us until the very end before she left.

Rather than fixating on victory or defeat, she prioritized our safety above all else.

In that regard, she is certainly different from the other gods.

“She’s a good person, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

We were set to participate in the first match.

Thanks to that, we were able to witness the start of the Olympus tournament from the waiting room.

Standing at the very top was none other than Hestia herself.

On one hand, it was surprising, but in another sense, it felt quite natural.

Hestia is undoubtedly the eldest daughter born first among the Olympians.

If we consider the pure timing of her birth, she is the first among all existing gods.

With the great gods like Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades now gone,

the only one who could claim to represent Olympus is probably Hestia.

Well, depending on the circumstances or lineage, Hera or Aphrodite could also be contenders.

“Her presence really changes the atmosphere, doesn’t it?”

“Right? She looks just like a true goddess. Well, she is, but still.”

The Hestia we had seen was more like a wealthy, kind-hearted lady or a friendly teacher.

But standing there as a representative, wearing a serious and graceful expression,

the reality of her being a goddess truly sank in.

Perhaps we are really going out as representatives of a truly great goddess.

“Welcome to all of you participating in the festival of Olympus. I am Hestia, one of the twelve gods of Olympus. No, I suppose calling us the twelve gods isn’t quite right anymore. If that were the case, this festival wouldn’t even be happening.”

At Hestia’s words, the gods watching from the Colosseum chuckled.

Hmm, is that their version of a joke?

From a human perspective, it was a bit hard to understand.

Perhaps it’s because they are gods with little concept of death.

“I won’t make a long speech. To all the gods gathered here, please enjoy the festival of Olympus to your heart’s content. And to the heroic champions participating in the tournament, I hope you engage in battles that leave you fully satisfied without any regrets! Now, let the festival of Olympus begin!”

As Hestia spoke, she raised her cup and drank from it.

The spectators followed her lead, raising their own cups and drinking as well.

It seems that starting the festival with a drink is a tradition of Olympus.

Of course, we couldn’t drink.

Drinking right before a fight? That would be madness.

To think that on the very first day, participating in the tournament for the first time, we would miss out on that. It left a strange sense of regret.

“Then, let the first duel begin! Competitors, step forward!”

We nodded and stepped forward.

Naturally, our side had five members.

On the other hand, they had only three.

It wasn’t a tournament that required matching numbers in the first place.

We just happened to have five members and joined.

There are no restrictions on the number of participants.

I believe the tournament rules are assigned according to the number of participants at that time.

And… the first opponent we faced was…

“Oh! It’s my brother and the sisters! Hello!”

It was Yoo Eun-sol, the girl we fought alongside during our time in Haeundae.

She waved from atop her yogurt robot.

In the meantime, it seemed she had grown; the robot had become much more sophisticated.

The people standing next to Eun-sol were also familiar faces.

“Kain, and was it Xiao Mei?”

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“Haha! It’s been a while since we last met.”

Kain, with his blonde hair and casual attire, held a bow in his hand.

Next to him stood a woman in traditional Chinese attire—Xiao Mei.

All of them were people we had met during past quests.

‘Come to think of it, they were also staying in Haeundae.’

The three of them looked as close as comrades.

No, just like us. They must be close enough to be called comrades.

It had been quite some time since Eve’s quest ended.

That was more than enough time to grow close.

“This is going to get a bit troublesome.”

Thinking back, it was only natural for Kain to participate.

Cain is no other than Apollo’s contractor.

It’s not strange for him to participate in this tournament.

In fact, it would be much more natural than us, who ended up here with Hestia’s help by sheer chance.

I can easily imagine what a sight it must be to see Yu Eun-sol and Xiao Mei following someone like Cain.

For any reasonably strong player, this is an event not to be missed.

‘But to run into that guy right from the first duel…’

I glanced at the sunbow that Cain was holding.

The abilities possessed by Cain, as Apollo’s contractor, are truly extraordinary.

Among the players I’ve fought so far, he could easily be considered the strongest.

I won the last time we fought, but…

Honestly, I can’t deny that a certain amount of luck was on my side then.

Moreover, time has passed, so he must be stronger now.

Perhaps, since he’s participating in the tournament, Apollo might have granted him additional powers.

‘The same goes for the other women.’

Xiao Mei is a formidable player, representing the Chinese team with her female physique.

Yu Eun-sol is also an exceptional talent, fighting while piloting a massive robot.

This is quite a dangerous adversary.

“Wow, Eun-sol! It’s been so long!”

“Hey, Hye-na! You’ve become even prettier! Oh, and Yuri and Eun-byul look great too. And there’s even a cute one next to you…?”

Regardless of what was said, the women were joyfully celebrating their reunion after a long time.

Hmm, in that regard, it does seem that women are stronger.

Cain and I exchanged greetings as well.

“It’s been a while. It’s been ages since I heard from you last.”

“Yeah, I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”

Anyway, I don’t dislike this guy.

I know he’s not a bad person.

“I thought we might run into each other, but I still didn’t want to meet you.”

“I feel the same way. Anyway, let’s have a fair match.”

“Sure, sounds good. Fair and square.”

We shook hands and laughed.

The women watching began to murmur.

“Wow, those villainous types are laughing like true villains.”

“They both pretend to be nice on the outside, but inside, they’re devious.”

We cleared our throats awkwardly and moved away.

Soon, the referee spoke up.

“This match will proceed as a best of three due to the difference in the number of participants! The competition will be one-on-one duels! A team member will be randomly selected to fight, and the winning side will earn points.”

The competition turned out to be surprisingly straightforward.

If there was a notable feature, it was that the players sent out were chosen at random.

“It’s not always good to have numbers on your side.”

In the worst-case scenario, our team could end up with only the weak participants, while the opposing team sends out their strongest, leading to an absurd defeat.

It might feel a bit unfair, but there’s nothing to be done about it.

After all, this place seems to consider luck as part of skill.

Well, it’s a world where one wrong move with the gods can lead to death, or a single good prayer can turn your life around.

And… if luck is on our side, we won’t fall behind anywhere.

“First duel! From Hestia’s side, Yuri! From Apollo’s side, Cain!”

This is quite a favorable outcome.

Who would have thought Yuri would be the first to go out?

Moreover, the opponent is the most troublesome one, Cain.

“Good. I’ve heard you’ve had a tough time, so I wanted to face you at least once.”

Yuri, sword in hand, smiled brightly.

There was a strong confidence radiating from her face.

“Be careful.”

“Don’t worry about me.”

As the two stepped forward, cheers erupted from all around.

A tension hung between them, taut as a drawn string.

In a way, this could be seen as the real final match.

A battle between a reincarnator and the contract holder of the top-tier god, Apollo.

“Is that okay? Cain is quite a skilled fighter, after all,” Eve said, sounding concerned.

But honestly, I wasn’t nervous at all.

“Is there a problem?”

“Huh? Why?”

“The opponent is Yuri, after all.”

I’ve never seen a more terrifying swordsman than Yuri.

Not even in Niflheim, where all sorts of warriors gather.

Of course, Cain is a formidable opponent too.

Still, I believe Yuri has the upper hand.

I can’t even imagine Yuri losing.

Moreover, in a confined space, fighting one-on-one, the swordsman has a clear advantage over the archer.

– Kaka-kaka-kang!

Cain shot fire arrows from a distance.

But Yuri’s fierce blade deflected them all.

Cain couldn’t stop Yuri’s relentless advance.

The outcome was obvious to anyone watching.

How long did they continue their dazzling battle?

“The winner! Yuri from Lady Hestia’s side!”

Yuri returned, having won effortlessly, to the sound of applause.

Still, Cain put up a decent fight, making it a worthwhile match.

‘I hope it continues like this.’

It would be perfect if I could go out right after Yuri.

But the situation wasn’t flowing that smoothly.

“Second duel! Yu Hyena from Lady Hestia’s side! Yu Eun-sol from Lord Apollon’s side!”

The second match is between Hyena and Eun-sol.

Eun-sol is a strong contender who uses a sturdy yogurt robot.

For Hyena, who specializes in mobility, Eun-sol is a tricky opponent.

“Hehe! Hyena unnie, you think I’ll go easy on you? My robot is tough. There’s only so much dodging you can do, right?”

Knowing this, Yu Eun-sol was confident.

“Um… then I guess I’ll apologize in advance?”

That is, if she were the Hyena of old.

“…….Huh?”

Eun-sol absentmindedly looked up at the sky.

Naglfar.

Anyone would react that way if a massive ship suddenly appeared from thin air and charged straight at them.

“W-wait…!”

-CRASH!!

The fallen Naglfar crushed Eun-sol’s yogurt robot without mercy.

…….That’s over.

“S-she’s the winner! Yoo Hyena!”

“Wow, she won!”

Everyone watching was left speechless by the overwhelming combat prowess of the cute girl.

Thus, the first duel ended in our victory.