novelraw Chapter 284: The Tournament Opens, Duke Morin’s Letter
Chapter 284: The Tournament Opens, Duke Morin’s Letter
“Tomorrow, then.”
Night fell over Fargard City. In a secluded, out-of-the-way residence, a young man of about twenty-two or twenty-three sat with his brow tightly furrowed.
“Young Master, you should try to rest earlier.”
“How can I sleep?”
He snapped back, his eyes cold as they flicked across the room. “Why? Why of all times does this tournament have to become so complicated now?”
If nothing went wrong, under his father’s arrangements the hunting competition’s championship would have been practically guaranteed.
The only opponent who posed even a slight threat was that delinquent girl who had gotten a secret-realm inheritance through luck.
She did have strength, but with the meticulous setup he and his father had prepared, she shouldn’t have been able to cause any real trouble.
Yet now, just a few days before the tournament began, they suddenly learned that contestants from other kingdoms would be participating!
This completely wrecked their original plan.They all knew Doria Kingdom occupied a low position among the nations. The number of prodigies in other kingdoms far exceeded those in Doria, which meant that in this tournament he suddenly went from being the second strongest to perhaps not even being in the top ten!
How could he possibly win the championship now?
If they failed to claim first place at this hunting competition, their family’s business...
Satt understood better than anyone why the Morin family held such a lofty status in the kingdom: the family’s alchemy trade network spanned the entire realm and held immense influence.
If their alchemy business continued to be eaten away by the Noren Trading Company, it would not be long before their market share in the kingdom dropped below one-third, and the king might choose to take action!
When that happened, the tree would fall and the scattered branches would be destroyed. Those who once rushed to lick his father’s boots would become the very forces that toppled the Morin household, not to mention all the people who already had grudges or enmity with them.
This was no mere business dispute — it was a matter of life and death!
“Don’t worry, Young Master Satt, this letter came from Master not long ago...”
The elderly man standing before him sighed helplessly. Although Master had said not to tell him these things for now, if Young Master stayed anxious and sleepless, it would not be good for the plan.
Satt snatched the letter from the old man impatiently, frowning. “Old fool, if there’s something like this, why didn’t you say earlier?”
The old man offered no rebuttal. He opened his mouth and simply apologized, “I am very sorry, Young Master.”
“Ting, I’ll settle this with you later!”
Satt trembled as he slit open the envelope and read the contents carefully. Gradually the tightness in his brow eased, replaced by excitement and exhilaration. “Hahaha, just as I thought... I knew Father would have a contingency!”
“Like to mess with our plans? Hmph, just you wait!”
As Flora had said, because the hunting competition began tomorrow, Lin Mo intended to rest well tonight and get his state in optimal condition.
They had little time left to practice the Shared Cultivation skill, but the progress made those last few days had been substantial.
Right now, Ellie had not quite reached Level 7 but was close, approaching Level 8 Warrior territory; her attributes were well-rounded and her overall strength already outclassed many ordinary Level 8 Warriors, even approaching parity with some Level 9 Warriors.
Finnie, with her recent level-ups and skill improvements, had slightly increased her healing and support capabilities.
Light’s Assistance could now provide a staggering boost of 12 Strength, 12 Agility, and 12 Constitution!
That single skill alone granted a significant enhancement even for Elite-level experts.
Sherfilia needed no mention — her overall combat power had already surpassed that of ordinary Level 10 professionals!
As for Lena… though not a combatant, her mana had reached the level of a Level 1 professional, and her progress in life skills recently was heartening.
That night, many people tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
They all knew they should rest to be in prime form for tomorrow, but like students before an exam, reasoning couldn’t overcome the nerves and excitement.
Countless young people had trained for years and honed their skills relentlessly just for the chance to shine at this hunting competition and make a name for themselves.
If they succeeded, their future path could change completely.
Many had already proven this through their own lives.
Among them, the most celebrated and renowned was last year’s champion, now a Saint Antonius Academy instructor — Flora.
Because of that, the competition organizer, the Lord of Fargard City, naturally invited Flora to be a guest at the opening ceremony.
Flora was also one of the academy’s appointed overseers for the competition, responsible for preventing rule violations and accidents, so she had no reason to decline.
Of course, she found such duties troublesome and had complained to Lin Mo about the workload for several days.
Lin Mo was happy to listen; the mage he once admired as almost invincible, the object of many people’s envy, also showed a refreshingly candid and “adorable” side.
Her straightforward personality remained unchanged.
The night passed quickly. Perhaps due to confidence in his abilities, or perhaps he didn’t place too much importance on rankings, Lin Mo slept soundly.
Early the next morning, as always, Sherfilia woke him.
But Sherfilia’s wake-up methods had evolved considerably, no longer so simple.
“Hah—”
Lin Mo exhaled and slowly sat up, rubbing Sherfilia’s hair.
Was this an abuse of power? Using one’s position...
After finishing her tasks here, Sherfilia hurried to Finnie’s room and dragged her out of bed.
They washed up, had a proper and hearty breakfast to replenish energy, and then followed Flora to a rather remote academy building.
The building sat behind the administrative offices used by the academy’s senior staff. From the outside it looked plain and a little aged.
Usually, this place was one of the academy’s few restricted areas, forbidden to regular students.
Even instructors needed to submit applications to enter.
But today the building buzzed with activity. Many students preparing for the hunting competition had gathered here, along with the instructors accompanying them.
Flora’s own mentor, the venerable Vice President Elvish, showed up in person and gave a brief speech.
He mainly covered items to pay attention to during the hunting competition. The instructors had already emphasized these points repeatedly to their students, so many were half-asleep listening.
Fortunately Elvish’s speech was short, only a few minutes, and he then led everyone into the building.
They went down to the basement level, where an unusually spacious underground plaza awaited.
Elvish lifted his staff and struck the ground hard.
An extremely complex magic array immediately shimmered into being.
Lin Mo watched the formation with fascination and noticed that some of the mana circuits making up the array were similar to those in his Flash skill.
Only this was far more complicated.
Space magic...
Compared with ordinary elemental magic, even relatively rare lightning-element magic, these two special magic systems — time and space — were clearly much stronger.
Both in functionality and combat effectiveness.
The Flash skill Lin Mo currently knew was only one of the simplest and most fundamental space-time magics.
Within the time and space magic systems, there were no spells below the Blue Exceptional-Grade tier.
Lin Mo had read many books about these two magics during this period. Most contained half-truths and speculation, but he still learned useful bits of information.
He just didn’t know when he would next encounter new space magic...
Such things were rare and couldn’t be chased down; perhaps when his strength grew stronger he could go to the Empire and try to find practitioners of time and space magic.
Shaking off the complex thoughts, he refocused on the present.
A few days prior the academy had prepared and replenished the teleportation array’s energy, so after Elvish infused the triggering mana key, the array began to operate. A growing blue light enveloped them, and the surroundings blurred.
The next moment, much like entering a secret realm, Lin Mo felt a brief disorientation as his consciousness seemed to skip a beat. When he came to, he stood in a magnificent plaza.
They had arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion in Fargard City — one of the fixed destinations set when the teleportation array had been constructed years ago.
True space magic wasn’t so rigid. Given a precise location and sufficient mana, one could choose any landing point; but a set teleportation array didn’t have that flexibility and could only transport to several predetermined destinations.
The Lord of Fargard City was waiting for them. It was Lin Mo’s first time meeting him. He appeared a stern middle-aged man, laconic and carrying an aura of grim authority.
Clearly once a fierce veteran who had battled monsters often.
Being the Lord of Fargard City not only showed the king’s trust but also attested to his great strength — undoubtedly one of the kingdom’s few Transcendent-level experts.
“Welcome, everyone, to Fargard City... I believe you’re familiar with this place, so I won’t elaborate. The hunting competition will officially start in about an hour and a half, so please proceed to the venue in time.”
After saying this, he assigned several subordinates to provide directions and then left.
Lin Mo followed the main group from the mansion toward the main gate of Fargard City.
The hunting competition would take place in the Silent Forest, so the opening ceremony naturally wouldn’t be held inside the city but outside the city gates.
Around nine in the morning the area outside Fargard City erupted in noise. Participants from all over Doria Kingdom, plus those who had rushed from nearby kingdoms in recent days, packed the venue. Familiar faces clustered, discussing the competition.
Local Doria contestants mainly grumbled about the sudden influx of contestants from other kingdoms.
“Why did competitors from other kingdoms suddenly join? The competition was already fierce; now it’s even harder to get a good result.”
“Tell me about it. Why would those powerful kingdoms send people to our small kingdom’s event?”
“I heard it’s because last year’s champion, the mage prodigy Flora, blew up in fame. Her reputation reached neighboring kingdoms, so the tournament’s popularity skyrocketed... Even the mighty Lonia Kingdom sent some of their prodigies to check things out.”
“How are we supposed to compete with prodigies from Lonia, a kingdom so strong they seem monstrous?”
“That’s not quite right. Lonia is indeed the strongest nearby, but that doesn’t mean all their young people are the best... Besides, they didn’t send their absolute elites — they might be beatable.”
“If that’s true, then the Empire’s prodigies aren’t as good as you either?”
“Shh — enough. Didn’t you see they’re from the Academy? We’re not on the same level...”
The companion tried to soothe the flaring student, but the tone was full of sarcasm. No one really believed their local contestants could compare to Lonia’s prodigies.
“You...”
The student opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off by Eve.
“Don’t bother arguing.”
Eve shot them a cool warning glance. “Disputes over words are meaningless. Let strength speak.”
“Well said!”
Cheers erupted. “I can’t stand that mindset that thinks outsiders are always better... Whether you’re good or not is decided by deeds, not talk.”
“Tch, when the results come out, we’ll see who can still brag...”
Such arguments flared up from time to time, but Lin Mo had no interest in getting involved. He observed his surroundings. Flora had told him earlier about the number of participants, but hearing a number and seeing it were different. Now it was clear the turnout was staggering.
All relevant data had been publicized. This time the tournament’s participant count had reached an astonishing 12,000 people!
That was more than double last year’s 5,000.
And this was after screening, since contestants needed at least Level 3 strength to enter.
Flora’s influence was evident.
After waiting a while the time finally arrived.
The Lord of Fargard City, whom they had met earlier, now stood atop the city wall.
“Everyone, first, welcome to Doria Kingdom and to Fargard City.”
He amplified his voice with a mana device so it reached every ear.
“Although you are likely already familiar with the rules, I will formally announce them.”
“First, the hunting competition lasts ten days. The content is simple: enter the Silent Forest and hunt monsters. Different monster species and levels award corresponding points. Points are automatically tallied by the participation wristband you received earlier. The person with the highest final score will be the tournament champion.”
“Teams of up to ten people are permitted, but points earned by team hunts cannot be fully assigned to one person. Points must be divided among team members as agreed, with a maximum share per person of sixty percent.”
This was a reasonable rule. Hunting as a team was far easier than alone, so without limits it would be unfair to solo contestants. Sixty percent was a fair cap; if it were lower teaming would lose incentive, and those chasing rankings might as well go solo.
“Next, and most important, the competition allows stealing of prey and conflicts between contestants and teams. You can seize the opponent’s points. If you lose a fight, half of your points can be plundered... However, after a fight ends, you cannot immediately initiate another fight against the same person or team. Also, fights must not cause fatalities!”
...
The rest of the explanation covered more rules Lin Mo already knew, so he tuned out.
After some time the Lord of Fargard City finished speaking.
“Now, the hunting competition officially begins!”
At his announcement the crowd at the city gate dispersed like a wave toward the Silent Forest.
Many had prepared carriages in advance; some less-competitive adventurers, knowing they wouldn’t rank highly, were content to go at a leisurely pace with participation as their goal.
Those aiming for rankings purchased or hired better carriages. In a race like this, every half-hour mattered.
“Now, competitors.”
Lin Mo looked toward Eve and the others nearby and smiled slightly.
Eve nodded calmly. Her companions looked stiff, especially Milun.
As someone who knew much more about things, she fully understood Lin Mo’s true strength.
Going on quests together had felt completely safe.
Now he was a rival... how could anyone compete with that kind of monster?
“Um... Mr. Lin Mo, if we happen to meet during the competition...”
Milun looked like she had something to say but hesitated. “You won’t steal our points, will you?”
Lin Mo paused, then laughed heartily. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”
Although one could win by fighting and stealing points, Lin Mo had no interest in that approach.
His main goal wasn’t to grab points to win the championship. He wanted to hunt the Silent Forest’s monsters, which had become rampant with the arrival of autumn, improve his skill proficiency, and increase his strength.
Winning would just be a bonus.
After bidding Eve and the others farewell, Lin Mo boarded the carriage Sherfilia had fetched and placed nearby, heading for the Silent Forest.
Some slower adventurers only then remembered to pick up their carriages from the depot near the gate. As expected, the crowd swelled, and lines formed.
Satt boarded a carriage with his clique.
Before departure he lifted the carriage curtain and looked in a certain direction.
A young man around his age met his gaze.
Satt smiled faintly and waved.
Benerod Preston returned the smile with a face full of pleasantness. Only after the carriage moved on did he drop the fake grin.
He returned to his carriage, clutching a letter with knitted brows.
It was naturally the letter Duke Sted Morin had sent him.
Their plan had previously succeeded well. Thanks to his later convincing performance and maneuvering, Duke Sted Morin already treated him as his son and had thus sent this letter.
The letter instructed him to support Satt Morin and help him accumulate points, and mentioned possible follow-up arrangements.
Benerod Preston had originally planned that, once inside the Silent Forest, he would use Satt’s trust to find a suitable moment to trick him into leaving the oversight — in fact, he wanted to gift points to Satt. Then, at the opportune moment, he planned to eliminate this bastard so that Duke Sted Morin would have only him as a capable “son,” ensuring more resources would be invested in him.
Over the years he could smoothly become the Morin family heir...
But now the “follow-up arrangements” mentioned in Duke Sted Morin’s letter made him hesitate.
What other schemes did this man have? What means did he plan to use?
A sense of unease gnawed at Benerod. He had a premonition that if he didn’t uncover the truth, something terrible might happen!
Compared to this, Satt, this useless creature, could be kept around a while longer — it didn’t seem like a big deal...