Chapter 14, Match Card

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

Kouhi stood before the registration counter, troubled. Kousuke had tasked her with raising her image in the arena but provided no instructions on how to achieve this.

 

Naturally, if she continued winning matches, her reputation would grow over time. The challenge, however, was accelerating this process. Despite passing the advanced exam, she was now one among nearly a hundred others at the same rank. Only the top thirty had been officially ranked.

 

If she could defeat someone with a rank, she would quickly climb. The question was how to arrange such a match.

 

In the arena system, organizers generally controlled the matching. Participants occasionally requested specific opponents, but such requests were rarely granted to prevent match fixing. There was one exception, however—ranked fighters had the authority to nominate their opponents, with higher-ranked fighters wielding greater influence.

 

While Kouhi could wait for the organizers to arrange her matches, being nominated by a ranked player would fast-track her ascent. This was her goal, but without connections, securing such a nomination proved difficult.

 

As she contemplated submitting a general participation card for the organizers to decide, Kouhi noticed a commotion nearby. She realized people were staring—not with the usual surprise her appearance typically evoked, but at something else. The cause was a large, muscular man crouching near her.

 

She immediately understood what had happened. Whenever Kouhi ventured into the city alone, men invariably swarmed her. To avoid this nuisance, she maintained both a sound-blocking spell and a barrier that delivered an electric shock to anyone who touched her carelessly. This man had clearly attempted to approach her and suffered the consequences.

 

After canceling her sound-blocking spell, Kouhi tried to walk away, unconcerned with the commotion around her.

 

“Wait! Wait a sec! You, hey!” Called the crouching man.

 

Kouhi paused instinctively. Not because she felt threatened. Her protective barrier was formidable, after all. What surprised her was the man’s resilience. The average Adventurer would not recover so quickly from her barrier’s shock. Whoever this man was, he possessed remarkable endurance.

 

Noticing Kouhi’s attention, the man spoke with an intimidating expression. “You’re acting like that because you know I’m Osmo, ranked 18th, right?”

 

When Kouhi merely tilted her head in silence, Osmo continued, misinterpreting her reaction as recognition.

 

“Isn’t that paper you’re holding an application form for a match against a high ranker? It’s perfect, so why don’t you let me take care of it!” He declared proudly.

 

His intention was obvious. He planned to make an example of this beautiful woman who seemed out of her element. The onlookers, familiar with Osmo’s character, began murmuring louder, anticipating Kouhi’s humiliation.

 

Suddenly, a woman emerged from the crowd. “That would be great. I’d love to see you have a match against her.”

 

The murmurs intensified as this woman, evidently prominent among the ranked fighters, approached. Osmo’s expression tightened.

 

“Y-You, Carmen…!”

 

“What’s with that face? You’re being rude,” Carmen replied. “Well, never mind. Anyway, why don’t you just hurry up and complete the application?”

 

Osmo clicked his tongue. “You have no right to say that to me!”

 

Carmen looked at him mockingly. “What? Was that just a bluff? Well, it is typical of you to be scared of a girl like me.”

 

Her provocation was transparent but effective. Osmo’s anger flared. “Who would be scared?”

 

“If that’s the case, there’s no problem, right? Why don’t you just hurry up and finish the application?” Carmen gestured toward the window, then turned to Kouhi. “You’re fine with this, right, Cory?”

 

Kouhi nodded. This situation was perfect for her goals—she had no reason to refuse.

 

“Tch! … Prepare yourself!” Osmo growled. He completed the paperwork at the reception desk and stormed off.

 

After he left, Carmen laughed and turned to Kouhi. “Did I do something unnecessary?”

 

“No. Thank you for helping me out.” Kouhi replied with a shake of her head.

 

Carmen laughed heartily. “Hahaha. I knew that you would not mind. I think you’d make it all the way to the top.”

 

“You think so?” Kouhi, who had Carmen help assess her in the exam, recognized her as a strong fighter. However, their relationship only stretched that far. She was surprised Carmen  would promote her.

 

As if reading Kouhi’s thoughts, Carmen explained, “Well, I’ve been doing my best, but the top five here are exceptional. No matter how hard I try, I can’t beat them.”

 

“Oh? And?”

 

“Yeah. So I’d love to see how you beat them.”

 

Kouhi tilted her head. “You don’t think I will lose?”

 

“Please spare me the humility. If those people can beat you, then, no matter how hard I try, there’s no way I can beat them.”

 

“You’re saying you can’t beat me?”

 

Carmen shook her head, slightly exasperated. “Stop it. I don’t think I’m that conceited.”

 

“Is that so?” Carmen had apparently concluded that she could not defeat Kouhi and was not afraid to say so publicly. Whatever her plans, Kouhi did not need to pry any further. Instead, she expressed her gratitude.

 

“Anyway, thanks to you, I can now quickly fight against ranked participants. Thank you.”

 

Carmen waved dismissively. “That’s fine. As I said before, just go for it.”

 

“Yes.”

 

After Kouhi’s brief response, Carmen smiled and departed. Kouhi watched her leave, then completed her formalities and returned to the guild.

 

Behind her remained only the crowd that had witnessed their exchange, their whispers continuing long after both women had gone.