Chapter 16, After the Battle

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

Arisa, watching Kouhi’s fight from the stands, turned to Cecil beside her.

 

“She’s doing some pretty flashy things, which is unusual for her, right?”

 

Cecil tilted her head thoughtfully. “Hmm. Maybe she’s thinking about the future?”

 

“Ah, I see,” Arisa nodded in agreement.

 

In truth, with Kouhi’s power, there had been no need to block the opponent’s attack as she had done. Just like her final move, all she needed was to get close to the opponent and land a decisive blow. The fact that she went to the trouble of blocking Osmo’s attack with her bare hands was clearly done with the audience in mind—a performance, to simply put it.

 

And that performance would invite the next battle. They anticipated that audience speculation about who they wanted her to fight next would lead to her upcoming matches.

 

While Cecil and Arisa discussed this matter-of-factly, the guild members who had also come to watch sat stunned around them. They had come at Cecil and Arisa’s request, even making arrangements to avoid receiving any job requests. The battle they had just witnessed had undoubtedly made it worth their while.

 

“That was… how on earth?” muttered Oban, the leader of another party that came from Crown Headquarters with Roman and the others. Around him, his party members remained as stunned as the other spectators.

 

Roman, who had overheard Oban, and Desiree, another party leader nearby, responded with serious expressions.

 

“Physical strengthening, I think…” Roman offered.

 

“But isn’t her strength still too ridiculous?” Desiree countered.

 

It seemed impossible to imagine how much strengthening would be needed for such a small body to withstand all those attacks.

 

“That’s physical strengthening?” Oban repeated, his stunned expression saying everything.

 

Roman shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m just speculating. I don’t know if I’m correct.”

 

“That’s also the only thing I can think of.” Desiree added.

 

“Even so, how much magical power would it take to strengthen your body by that much?” Roman asked, turning to his fellow wizard.

 

His companion shrugged. “I don’t want to think about it.”

 

That short answer said it all. They could only imagine how much magic Kouhi had used, but it was not difficult to guess that the amount channeled in that instant had been enormous.

 

“And it was only for that moment. Must have taken some serious control, right?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

Everyone except Arisa and Cecil groaned as the wizard nodded in confirmation. It was clear that Kouhi was an incredibly powerful person. She had easily defeated Osmo, but that did not mean Osmo was weak. On the contrary, he was strong enough to rank in the top twenty of the Arena. None of them were foolish enough to misunderstand that.

 

Cecil, who had been listening to their conversation, laughed. “Anyway, you’ve made a lot of money from this, right?”

 

Almost everyone smiled at her comment. They were the ones who had followed Arisa and Cecil’s advice to bet on Kouhi beforehand. Since Kouhi was still completely unknown, the odds had been high. Even those who had placed small bets half-jokingly had won considerable amounts.

 

Arisa and Cecil, knowing Kouhi’s abilities, had bet reasonably large sums and made a fortune. However, after today’s display, such profits would be difficult to replicate in the future. A few people looked frustrated at this realization, but that was their own fault.

 

♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦

 

The Seichun City buzzed with excitement at the birth of a new high-ranked arena holder! Especially since that new rank holder turned out to be a beautiful woman. Rumors spread wildly about who her next opponent might be and which tournament she might enter.

 

However, the people spreading these rumors were mostly regular spectators who placed bets, not fighters themselves. For the fighters, Kouhi’s emergence meant the appearance of a new rival, particularly for those of the same rank. Moreover, she had won by defeating the former rank holder, Osmo, with overwhelming power.

 

In truth, most fighters did not want to face her if possible. While Osmo was disliked for his personality, his abilities were genuine. He had maintained his position in the top twenty through skill alone. The arena operated on pure meritocracy—if one were strong, they earned respect regardless of personality.

 

It was only natural that Kouhi, who had easily defeated Osmo, would be avoided as an opponent. However, this applied mainly to those ranked below the top twenty. For higher rankers, the story was different.

 

Most high-ranking fighters registered because they wanted to face strong opponents. Of course, there were those like Kouhi who had other motives, but they were the minority. Rankers within the top twenty received special privileges within the arena, such as access to private dining rooms that regular fighters could not use.

 

Just like the one Carmen and Yana were currently enjoying.

 

“So? What are you going to do?” Yana asked Carmen, who was happily devouring her meal.

 

“Of course I’ll challenge her,” Carmen answered without hesitation.

 

Yana’s eyes widened slightly. “I thought you wouldn’t fight because you’ve already faced her in the exam.”

 

“That wasn’t really a battle. Besides, I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of attacks she’ll use.”

 

Yana shrugged at her friend’s battle-hungry statement. Unlike Carmen, Yana was not quite as obsessed with combat.

 

“So? How are you going to challenge her?”

 

“That’s easy. I know where she is. And she seems to have her own goal, so I’m sure she’ll accept it easily.”

 

Carmen already knew which guild Kouhi belonged to. Though Carmen was known for her role as an examiner, Kouhi was trying to raise her guild’s profile and frequently visited the base. Word had already spread that Kouhi was a member of Wolf Fang.

 

“Well, someone might apply for a match with her before I do though. For now, I’ll wait and see.”

 

Carmen shrugged, and Yana nodded in agreement. Some rankers simply did not like it when newcomers received more attention than they did. Both Carmen and Yana knew a few people who thought that way, and there was a good chance they might apply for a match first.

 

One thing was certain—there would be a lot of commotion around Kouhi for quite some time.