Only My Magic Levels Up - Chapter 98
Only Noblemtl
Episode 98 Who will catch more? (2)
When I first entered the Red Rock Alliance territory, it felt like a mini-pioneer zone, as it was a basin terrain hidden in the foothills.
Here, too, the terrain was pretty similar. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a large mountainous area or a large plain, but rather a mix of small areas, making it feel a bit more chaotic.
However, except for a part of the basin at the entrance, the rest was nature itself.
In simple terms, it meant that wherever you came down from the rugged mountains and felt somewhat flat, there were forests, wastelands, swamps, and the like scattered throughout.
“Wasn’t this what it looked like before the development of the pioneer area began?”
“It looks like it would be nice to live in a place like this.”
“That’s why we’re holding the competition here.”
Akanksha heard the two men’s mutterings and said:
“Think of it as a kind of trash can.”
“A trash can?”
“You empty the trash can once it’s full, right?”
“Right.”
“As you said, this is a good place for evil spirits to live. The evil spirits know that. That’s why no matter how many times you kill them, new ones keep making nests.”
“Aha, so since you’ve gathered everyone by yourself, all I have to do is come and clean?”
“That’s right. There are a few other places similar to this one. The competition rotates between those places.”
The group descended the ridge while talking and arrived at the entrance to the basin.
The only human touch… no, should I say the touch of a fairy? Anyway, it was a wide open space that was neatly organized.
There were already countless tents pitched there.
“Akanksha! Sachette!”
The earth fairy, who appeared to be a member of the General Assembly, seemed to be acquainted with the leaders here.
By the way, just like when we explored the ruins, there were two people leading the group: Akanksha and Sachette.
After a brief chat and a friendly reminiscence, the employee handed me a map.
“You guys… …here, over here. Do you know where it is?”
“Yeah. Thank you!”
It seemed that each federation had a designated camping site.
The group arrived at their destination, dispersed, and each set up a tent.
Galen and Lilia were also there, and by the way, their tents were special orders. They were too big to just borrow the elf’s tent.
I had plenty of experience setting up a tent while camping for a long time in the Yeomyeong Archipelago last winter. It was done in no time.
While I was resting in the finished tent and chatting briefly with Akanksha, Radhika came to visit me.
“You arrived safely.”
She greeted me affectionately with a mature smile that didn’t match her appearance.
“You guys are the latest.”
“We are the furthest away.”
Akanksha grumbled. Being on the border with humans meant being on the outermost edge of the earth elves.
“Did a lot of people come this time?”
“Including the Red Rock Federation, there are a total of nine hundred and thirty-three people.”
“It’s similar to previous years.”
The sisters talked calmly, but Galen, who was listening, felt a slight eerie feeling inside.
A festival with less than a thousand participants is just a middle or high school festival, so it’s insignificant.
If each and every one of those participants were Baek Eun, it would be a completely different story.
If a thousand or so Baek-euns all rush in… … a city with a population of tens of thousands would turn into a ghost town in an hour or two. The majority of those tens of thousands are ordinary people, so even if a hundred of them attack a single earth fairy, they would be beaten to death, right?
Even though it was only a part of the earth elves, not all of them, it was to that extent, so it was only natural to hear that elves were a superior race to humans.
‘What on earth made these Steelwall guys want to start a war? Was this just a bluff?’
Of course, until the war escalates, it will be limited to the Red Rock Alliance versus House Steelwall.
Even so, if a real war had broken out, it would have been a picture of destruction even if we won.
Well, maybe it was because he didn’t know the power of the earth elf, or maybe it was just noble pride.
“Anyway, I’ve already confirmed the opinions of all the other federations. There’s no one who’s against participating.”
“That’s great! I almost felt bad for dragging you all the way here and telling you to just suck your thumb and leave.”
Akanksha was delighted. Galen and Lilia also looked at each other and were delighted. Radhika smiled happily.
“Now that you’ve arrived, we should hold a pre-assembly. We’ll call you when the sun sets.”
“A pre-convocation?”
“You won’t understand if you come.”
Since it was already afternoon when we arrived, sunset came quickly.
When the call came, Galen and Lilia went to the event headquarters. Akanksha and Sachet were with them.
The large tent that could accommodate dozens of people was already teeming with earth fairies.
“Oh, it’s a human.”
“I guess it’s them.”
I felt like a parent who had come to the wrong elementary school classroom.
As soon as I entered the tent, dozens of pairs of eyes immediately focused on me. Whispering sounds could be heard here and there.
For a while, I awkwardly nodded in response to the curious gazes of the earth fairies, and waited awkwardly.
A boy with a slightly tired face and Radhika came in together.
The boy climbed up onto the platform that had been prepared in advance. Even though he was still at almost the same eye level as Galen,
“Hmm, ahem.”
The boy opened his mouth slowly, coughing a few times in a slightly muffled voice.
“Thank you for participating in the competition this year as well. You all know who I am… … Ah, humans don’t know. I am Rushad. I am the chairman of the Federation General Assembly.”
Lushad glanced at the two people and introduced himself before continuing.
“Anyway, this year’s competition will feature human guests invited by the Vice President. Since all seventeen federations have agreed to it, they will be treated the same as the other participants.”
“What is your affiliation?”
“It’s separate from the Red Rock Federation. That means that for this tournament, there will be eighteen groups competing.”
Rushad answered someone’s question. No one said anything more, as everyone agreed.
Rushad nodded slightly and gave a wink.
The staff members who had been waiting in advance took out a small scroll from the box and handed one to each team. It was a piece of paper with the rules of the competition written on it.
“Nothing has changed since the last competition, so read it carefully and deal with it as you see fit. If you have any questions, ask the Red Rock Alliance.”
“Oh, yes.”
“Then let’s start drawing lots right away. The order will be based on the rankings from the last competition… … By the way, what about the humans?”
“Why don’t you all just pick first and we can take whatever’s left?”
“Well, I guess so.”
There was no room for complaint since they had made concessions on their own. Soon, the lottery drawing began.
Meanwhile, Galen and Lilia put their heads together and whispered to each other while reading the scroll.
“A team consists of two people, and only one team per federation can participate.”
The Federation was soon no different from a small country, so it was a kind of national representative.
Since seventeen federations came together to form the General Assembly, it is only natural that seventeen teams will emerge.
“… … The qualification to participate in the competition was golden, right?”
“Yes, it was.”
“Wow, so all of these people… … .”
Even if all the bishops belonging to one archdiocese were gathered together, this number would not be enough. In fact, there was no need to gather together.
Unless there is a world war, it is unlikely that this much gold will be gathered in one place.
Sticking out their tongues, the two continued reading the scroll.
“The competition lasts for ten days. The goal is to get as many points as possible. Points are earned by hunting evil species, and are calculated every evening.”
“You must have a head of evil spirit to be considered for points. See below for detailed points. When the sun starts to turn red, climb up to a high place nearby and raise a flag. You will find it before the sun sets… … ?”
“What does this mean? It seems like a mystery.”
“It’s literally true.”
Akanksha, who was returning after drawing lots, heard Lilia’s question and explained it to her.
“Later, we’ll hand out flags based on the numbers drawn. If you plant them on a suitable hill or something, the event staff will come and tally up your scores for the day. The staff will follow the participants from a distance.”
“aha.”
“Since you’ve brought it up, I’d like to ask you one more question.”
“What is it?”
“There’s something like a score sheet here. Do the evil spirits that don’t have names on them have no scores at all?”
“Right. It only lists those who do one thing each. Even if those sloppy guys catch a thousand fish, they’re just bread marks.”
After roughly looking at the score sheet, I can see how it works.
Simply put, weak guys have low scores and strong guys have high scores.
Instead, even if it was a weak one, it was at least a hundred-eun level that could be dealt with, and it was by no means weak among all the evil species.
These guys don’t travel in groups. They travel in small groups.
In short, the tactic of catching eleven 1-pointers and earning more points than one 10-pointer is almost sealed.
Because there aren’t even 11 1-point monsters running around at a time. In real hunting, where monsters keep respawning, the number of prey is limited.
“In other words, isn’t it possible that you won’t be able to earn points because you’re unlucky enough to keep encountering strong evils?”
“yes.”
Akanksha smiled brightly at Galen’s question.
“The lottery is the hunting ground number. There is no clear boundary line, but it is a rough guideline for hunting in a certain direction. If you go too far, the guard will stop you.”
“hmm.”
“That’s why the results of this competition aren’t determined by skill alone. It depends on luck how many high-scoring monsters there are in the hunting ground you chose, and even if you choose a good hunting ground, if your tracking skills are lacking, you’ll often miss your prey.”
“I can see why you readily agreed to participate.”
There are probably some earth elves who underestimate Galen and Lilia’s activities because they think they are exaggerated.
Even if they acknowledged the force, it wasn’t a match that could be won with force alone, so they probably thought, “Go ahead and try it if you want.”
“Still, let’s try our best!”
“Of course.”
Lilia winked and smiled. Galen smiled and nodded.
Neither of them had any great ambitions.
After all, although their specific reasons were different, they participated because they wanted to eradicate evil spirits.
If you defeat strong guys, you will naturally get high scores and then naturally win.
If I win, it’s great, if not, it’s all over. That’s exactly what it felt like.
“Okay, that’s it.”
The drawing of lots was concluded while the conversation was going on.
The remaining number is 7. That naturally became the number for both of them.
Rushad lightly clapped his hands to liven up the atmosphere.
“The hunting grounds have been decided. The competition will begin in four days. It will begin with the sunrise of the first day of late summer. Until then, do whatever you want and get plenty of rest. But!”
After a brief pause, Rushad turned to the two and said.
“It is forbidden to accumulate on humans.”
“uh?”
“No, why!”
“It’s obvious what you guys are going to do. You’re going to be all fired up and fight it out to see how good you are, right?”
“Ugh.”
“You get it once, but for humans it’s thirty-four times. How can you handle it?”
“Then let’s draw lots for this too!”
“Okay! Let’s pick exactly three people, one per day!”
“Bring the swallow back!”
“Stop it.”
Amidst the noise of the earth elves chattering excitedly, a soft voice could be heard strangely clearly.
“It’s not fair to not let them rest before the competition. If you’re really curious, just ask after the competition.”
There was no coercion in Radhika’s attitude as she spoke with a smile.
Whether they respected the jewels that much or were afraid of them, the earth elves became quiet all of a sudden.
In the strangely awkward atmosphere, Rushad coughed again and spoke.
“Oh, and I forgot to mention this. It’s about the prize for winning this competition.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
“Yeah. Now that I think about it.”
“Why haven’t you made it public yet this time?”
“I got something precious. It’s been a while.”
Radika answered on his behalf, smiling meaningfully.
“Star crumbs.”
“What, what?!”
Akanksha, who had been terrified, groaned as if he had heard the sound.
She was better off because she at least raised her voice.
The other earth elves froze with their mouths wide open, their expressions hardened… … or in any other form.
The only ones who are okay are Galen and Lilia.
Well, it was a word they had never heard before. What kind of crumbs?
“Well, let me give you an example of something that humans can easily understand… … .”
Radika’s smile deepened as she watched the two people tilting their heads.
“It was once the material for the Holy Sword.”