〈 Chapter 145 〉 Chapter 144 – The Beginning of the Final Match.
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“Master, are you alright?”
“Not yet…”
Jeong Ahyeon looked at me with concern, noticing my haggard appearance today.
I had spent the night in the dormitory that exploded in the middle of the night.
There was no way I could suddenly visit someone else’s dorm, and it was too late to ask for help since everyone would be asleep.
I wrapped myself in my Defensive Coat and the remaining half of my blanket, and went to the bathroom to try and sleep.
But there was no way I could get a proper sleep.
Every time I dozed off, the cool outside air blew in through the hole, waking me up.
I tried to block it with my blanket, but it was utterly insufficient compared to the size of the hole.
In the end, I couldn’t sleep properly until dawn and finally came out of what was once the dormitory.
[At least the weather isn’t cold.］
‘If it were winter, I would have seriously died.’
Meanwhile, Hyeji and Elcia, who saw me, spoke to me in shock.
“Shinwoo, are you sick?”
“Husband! You mustn’t be sick!”
“Guys…”
[In the end, only my heroines are worrying about me.］
‘As expected, my heroines!’
I felt so moved by their sudden concern that I almost teared up.
“What will we do if we lose all our money!”
“If you lose, we are really going to be broke! We’ll have to live on just water!”
“F*ck you little bitches.”
‘Repeat that.’
[……I’m sorry.］
Suddenly, my tears vanished.
Anyway, I dragged my body into the Sparring Ground.
And as I entered, I made one proposal to Jeong Ahyeon.
Jeong Ahyeon looked at me in surprise and asked.
“Are you out of your mind? Really?”
“I rolled around all night yesterday, so I’m asking for this much.”
“……Alright.”
Jeong Ahyeon nodded reluctantly.
Meanwhile, Caressy and the Leader Holy Knight were waiting for us with slightly bored expressions, as if they had arrived early.
As I appeared, Caressy pointed at me and said.
“You haven’t forgotten your promise, right?”
“What promise?”
“If I win here, you go to the Beastman Kingdom!”
“Oh, right.”
I slowly began to remember what Caressy had told me before.
If she wins, we’d go to the Beastman Kingdom during break, and if I win, she’d grant me one wish.
“You remember we agreed that if I win, you’d grant me a wish, right?”
“Ha! I’m definitely going to win!”
Caressy spoke with a very confident voice.
Meanwhile, next to the Leader Holy Knight, there was something I had never seen before.
It was…
“Dude, why the f*ck is there a lion here?”
“This is a beast we raise in our Holy Knights!”
It was a female lion with shining golden fur.
It seemed to be well taken care of, its fur glossing beautifully, and it was quite large.
Holy Knights are a group, like a military.
A military having a cat?
I couldn’t stand it.
“Is this a mixed breed tiger?”
“Not at all! I feed it special meals every time!!!”
“That’s right!!! You wouldn’t even be able to taste the best delicacies!!!”
At that moment, I noticed the lion’s gaze suddenly change.
It was filled with anger, sadness, and injustice.
I approached the lion, having a short Q&A session, then looked at Caressy and said.
“Did it get all its special meals taken away and now it’s only getting regular food?”
“What are you talking about!! That can’t be true!!”
“Stop talking nonsense!!”
The Leader Holy Knight expressed an excessive amount of anger toward me.
I pointed at the Leader Holy Knight and said.
“That bastard ate it all.”
“No, that’s a lie!”
At that moment, Caressy opened her fierce Ax Eye and glared at the Leader Holy Knight.
“Hey.”
“Yes! Saintess!”
“What did you have for breakfast today?”
“…I ate it too quickly; I can’t remember!”
The Leader Holy Knight averted his gaze slightly from Caressy.
I pointed at the corner of the Leader Holy Knight’s mouth and said.
“Hey? You have meat on your mouth, right? Isn’t that from the special meal?”
“Don’t slander me!!! Today’s special meal was cream pasta!!!”
“Are you insane?”
“Ah.”
In an instant, the Leader Holy Knight was confessing his crime himself.
Caressy mercilessly kicked the Leader Holy Knight’s shin and yelled.
“F*ck!! Did you hear me telling you not to touch the special meal!!!!!”
“I’m sorry! But it was too delicious!!!”
The Leader Holy Knight clutched his shin and collapsed to the ground.
Caressy stopped kicking and looked at the Leader Holy Knight with cold eyes, stating icily.
“If you have more to say, go ahead and speak.”
“…The special meal was good, but it was a bit bland.”
“That’s not meant for you to eat, you know!!!!!”
Caressy’s ruthless kicking resumed once more.
Still, the Leader Holy Knight, who managed to say his piece, wore a look of relief.
The lion thanked me, and I returned the gesture by tapping my fist against the lion’s paw.
Then, I finally asked a question that had been on my mind.
“Hey, but why are they making animals fight? Isn’t that animal cruelty?”
“I paid money to loosen the rules in the finals.”
“Really?”
I might have beaten the Leader Holy Knight senseless, but perhaps the anger hadn’t settled, as Caressy was still fuming.
Anyway, now they had an animal on their side.
It’s 2 vs 3 now.
In terms of numbers, it was unfavorable, and the lion itself seemed quite skilled enough to be a valid opponent.
But I had no worries.
If they have a fighting animal, we do too.
A Kodiak from the Forest of Elves with decent fighting skills.
I looked up at the sky and shouted loudly.
“Bear!! Come out quickly!!”
Yet, nothing happened.
At my sudden outburst, Caressy, the Leader Holy Knight, and even the lion began to look at me with pity.
But I didn’t give up.
This time, I made a threat they couldn’t ignore.
“If you don’t come out now, I’ll switch all your bear-brand beer to pilsner!!!”
In an instant, a bear burst into the Sparring Ground, roaring with desperation for me to not do that.
Clearly, it was an intimidating proposal, and it quickly showed up.
And seeing that bear, Jeong Ahyeon raised a question at me.
“…Master, isn’t the bear from the Forest of Elves a Kodiak?”
“Correct.”
“Then why has it turned into a polar bear now!!”
“Maybe it had a drink of flour-based bear-brand beer.”
Our Kodiak had somehow turned its fur color white.
I explained our situation to the polar bear, and the polar bear willingly agreed to help.
Anyway, finally, it was 3 vs 3 with equal numbers.
With the final hidden card, the bear entered the Sparring Ground, and the professor began to introduce our team and Caressy’s team without any ornate language.
【Left! Team! And Right! Team!】
However, the students’ reactions were filled with anger rather than cheers.
Of course, it was fully understandable.
What the students had hoped for was the team they bet money on winning.
But the current finals were completely out of their expectations with two teams.
Naturally, most of the students, having lost their money, were unleashing their frustration.
“Sorry, Mom. I’m sorry.”
“Guys, this is just the admission fee. The admission fee… is f*cking way too expensive!!”
“I should have used that money for gachas instead!”
“It’s okay! Compared to Lineage, this is no cash level!”
“I have to cut all those damn cats!!!!”
Neither Jeong Ahyeon nor I were particularly affected, having heard such jeers in every match.
In fact, it felt awkward if there were no such jeers now.
But Caressy didn’t seem to like the situation and made a monumental offer to the students.
“From now on, I’ll save the first fifteen people who cheer passionately!!!”
In an instant, the students’ anger turned into desire.
Each of them desperately tried to show their enthusiasm, which was quite pitiful.
Fifteen.
A number that could harbor expectations of ‘What if I’m among them?’
If it were just one person, it might be indifferent, but fifteen was a considerable number.
In an instant, the students changed their attitudes and began to praise Caressy.
“I’ll switch sides!! Thank you!!!”
“Caressy!! I love you!!!!”
“Your team is doomed!! From now on, this place is ruled by Caressy!!!”
“I’ll become a cat mom starting today!!!”
“Truly a furry with suspicious levels of wealth!!!”
The last statement made Caressy react sensitively.
“I’m not furry; I’m a cat-eared person!!!!!”
“Get that f*ck out of here!”
“How dare you speak to Caressy!!!”
The last student who made that blasphemous remark was forcibly removed by the surrounding students.
Just then, the professor announcing the event declared the match to begin.
【Match!!! Starting now!!!!】
The Sparring Ground system began to operate.
In response, the Leader Holy Knight shouted at me.
“I am the leader of the Holy Knights! Peria!”
Hatred brimmed in Peria’s eyes.
And he struck his shield with his spear, making a metallic sound to grab my attention.
“How dare you humiliate me! I’ll rip you apart alive!”
It seemed he was quite upset about getting hit by Caressy earlier.
Meanwhile, Jeong Ahyeon fixed her gaze on Caressy and said to me.
“Master, I’ll handle this side.”
“Okay.”
And finally, there was the polar bear.
The polar bear suddenly came up to me and requested the ‘Order of Victory.’
It was citing difficulty in winning under the current circumstances.
“Hey… are you really okay?”
I hesitated in voicing the ‘Order of Victory,’ but the polar bear was resolute.
In the end, I had no choice but to recite the ‘Order of Victory’ to the polar bear.
“Today, the cola you drank was not Coca-Cola but 815-Cola.”
As soon as I finished speaking, shocking energy erupted from the polar bear.
Seeing this, the opposing team’s lion flinched momentarily and retreated slightly.
It had instinctively felt a life-threatening danger.
Before the fight began, I asked Caressy the most important thing.
“Caressy, no issues with your missionary activity, right?”
“None at all! That too was resolved with money!!”
To cross-check, I then asked the professor announcing the match.
“Professor, no issues, right?”
【No, no issues.】
I received confirmation from the professor.
There was nothing left to worry about.
“Hey! Jeong Ahyeon! Get ready!”
“Master… are you really going to do it?”
“It’s a must!”
Jeong Ahyeon hesitated slightly but couldn’t break my firm resolve.
In the end, Jeong Ahyeon squeezed her eyes shut and signaled her compliance.
[Are you ready?］
‘Of course I am.’
Seeing this, Caressy smiled and said.
“What are you up to? Are you planning to convert or something?”
“Missionary work.”
“Huh? But you don’t even have a religion.”
Caressy tilted her head in confusion, but we ignored her.
Because there was something more important.
I focused.
To pour will into words.
To infuse strength into actions.
To prove everything.
And finally.
For the unyielding belief in every moment.
A Sparring Ground filled with chaos.
A place where everyone is driven mad by money, giving up on even their own faith.
The one being to rescue this place is but one.
I will show them.
I will prove it.
The true God.
We shouted the battle cry for our oath.
“Heaven for Jesus!!!”
“Hell for the unbelievers!!!”
“This is blasphemy!!! F*ck!!!”
The euthanasia of other religions.
That is the only salvation.
“Assistant!! Watch over us!!”
The final tournament.
The beginning of the final match.
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