The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

The commotion among their group had settled down... or rather, it seemed they had cooled off after shouting at each other, so Camlock had gone to check if they could continue.

In the meantime, I was doing some warm-up exercises. After all, I didn't move a step in the last match.

As I was stretching while listening to the jeers from the audience, Seori poked my shoulder.

"My lord, I crave blood to moisten my noble form. I especially desire sweet flesh."

"Are you hungry? Then take this and go buy some fruit water or snacks. There are vendors in the audience, so have Saaya go with you."

"Heh, I'm grateful."

When I gave her some pocket money, she happily clutched it and ran off to Saaya.

Furat also seemed ready, coming up on stage with a sullen face while talking to Camlock.

Since neither of us did anything earlier, we had no idea what the other was capable of. All I could judge from appearances was that he was a swordsman carrying a longsword at his waist.

Of course, I had appraised his skills, but there's no point in being wary of things he might not even use.

"Furat, Ruruk, are you ready?"

"Yeah."

"Yes."

We faced each other in the center for a final check.

While Camlock was confirming that anti-blade bands were properly attached to our weapons, Furat spoke to me in a spitting manner.

"Hey, brat. Sorry we couldn't have a proper match earlier because our idiot let her guard down."

"She let his guard down? I thought it was simply too big a difference in strength."

When I said that, Furat's forehead throbbed with a vein.

I wasn't trying to provoke him. Lakirala is also a "staff-holder" and probably an excellent magician, but Elen was just in a different league. I didn't have the slightest intention of angering him, so I wish he wouldn't direct such murderous intent at me.

"Tch. You sheep-race lackey, I don't know if you're a mystic arts user or what, but don't get cocky just because you made a name for yourself in some small country. You're just a brat who got lucky with your companions."

"Well, I certainly am blessed with good companions, but..."

"And 100 dungeon floors? That's just Stoania, right? The dungeons in such a tiny, small-fry country are nothing special. While you were desperately clearing dungeons, we were saving this country. Don't get cocky over mere dungeon achievements."

Come to think of it, the reason [White Tiger] was certified as an S-rank adventurer was because of the stampede incident in the dragon capital's dungeon.

Apparently, they were the only party that continued to defend the square in front of the dungeon, preventing the overflowing monsters from getting out. It's said that without them, the damage to the dragon capital would have been enormous.

That's why they've been revered as heroes by the citizens.

I suppose they have their own pride as representatives of the dragon capital.

I have enough composure to show understanding with a compassionate heart, even when spoken to so disrespectfully.

So I'll just return one word.

"As expected, your mouth is indeed S-rank."

"I'll kill you, you bastard!"

While we were bantering, Camlock instructed us to take our positions.

As we stepped back to our starting positions, loud jeers came from the audience again. Of course, the betting for this leader match favored Furat. It seems there weren't any fools willing to bet big money on the rare mystic arts user. Except for the Guild Master, that is.

"Then—begin!"

With the signal from the emotionally invested Guild Master, the mock battle began.

"Wings, grant favor to my back, 'Wind Boost'!"

Furat moved first.

He activated wind magic to increase his movement speed. It's a buff-type magic often used by vanguards; Verugana used it frequently too.

Furat kicked off the ground and charged at me at considerable speed.

In response, I held my short sword in a reverse grip and clenched my fist.

My style prioritizes mobility as a kind of evasion tank. I build tactics around buying time for the mid and rear guards to attack. Although I learned knight swordsmanship from Verugana, I honestly didn't have the talent for it, so I've never adopted a regular swordsman style.

The reason I use a short sword is also to prioritize mobility.

Until now, I've been fighting with the short sword in my own style, but yesterday I received various pieces of advice when fighting with Camlock.

As a result, I've adopted a fist-fighter style with a reverse grip.

Since I mainly rely on skills, the reverse grip allows me to safely use both "Blade Transfer" and "Fist Transfer". There are no particular disadvantages. I never thought I'd find a close combat mentor here of all places.

Perhaps because I took the same stance as the Guild Master's fighting style, Furat came slashing at me with his eyes rolled up.

A one-handed thrust taking advantage of our height difference, but he's also chanting magic at the same time, so he probably intends to follow up with magic where I dodge.

In that case.

"'Synthesis'."

I stomped the ground with my right foot, creating a wall of earth.

Furat's sword stabbed into the wall, not reaching me. Of course, I didn't just make the wall for defense; it was to block his view for a moment.

I leapt out from behind the wall to Furat's right side. Since I hid my initial movement, he naturally couldn't aim his magic. As I dove into close range—

"'Wind Bomb'!"

"Whoa!"

He forcibly cast it anyway.

Wind exploded between Furat and me, blowing us both back. If I had kept approaching, I would have had the advantage with my short sword, so it was a quick and accurate judgment on his part.

As expected of an S-rank adventurer.

In that brief opening created by the distance, Furat continued his chanting.

"Heavens and stars, rain down upon my enemy 'Flare Purge'!"

Heat rays assaulted me from above.

However, the area of effect wasn't large. Since I can sense magical power, I avoided it with minimal movement.

The advantage of Purge-type attack magic is that it originates from above the enemy's head. In most cases, people don't notice it being cast and are caught off guard. It's especially effective against beast-type monsters with narrow fields of vision; Elen often uses it when hunting.

However, if you can read its activation, the area is narrow and easy to avoid. Understanding both the merits and demerits is part of the thrill of magical combat.

Furat seemed to understand this as well, and without being fazed by my evasion, he began his next chant while dashing forward again. His movements were slightly faster than before, perhaps because he had warmed up.

The fact that his precision doesn't drop while chanting is proof of his skill.

Thinking like that, it seems I had been underestimating Furat quite a bit. My opponent may have a foul mouth, but he's a hero. I should stay focused.

"'Fist Transfer'."

"Guh!?"

I punched him in the stomach from outside his reach.

Transfer-type formulas are indeed very useful against opponents who can't see spirit elements. I landed a hit on Furat's undefended stomach, but—it was harder than I expected. Surprisingly, this handsome guy's highest stat is durability.

"What a strange technique—'Shine Bomb'!"

"Bright!"

Furat, while stopping his feet, cast a flash magic. I involuntarily closed my eyes.

I didn't expect the magic he had prepared to be a flash bomb instead of an attack. This was unexpected.

"Take this!"

Too late for regrets.

Furat's sword was already closing in on me with my vision impaired—or so he thought.

"Whoop!"

"What!?"

I simply crouched and avoided it.

It's true that I was hit by the flash bomb, but I'm not so poorly trained that I become helpless just because my vision is blocked. After all, my sword master was blind to begin with.

Furat's swordsmanship, while different from knight swordsmanship, must be quite something. His sword strokes are quick and without hesitation.

But compared to that sadistic old woman, Furat is just cute.

After dodging his big swing, I thrust my fist upwards towards Furat's chin from below.

As Furat tried to dodge by twisting his body at the last moment—

"'Fist Transfer'."

My fist missed.

However, I transferred that fist, shifting its position as it appeared.

"Ugh!"

It was a clean hit, and Furat was knocked backwards.

Still, the sword didn't leave his right hand. Since he seemed to be conscious, I kept my distance to be wary of surprise attacks.

"Y-you... using such underhanded techniques..."

It looks like he bit the inside of his mouth, as he spat out blood while standing up.

"Underhanded? This is what mystic arts are all about, you know?"

"Shut up! You've been getting cocky because I've been going easy on you!"

Going easy?

Ah, I see.

Indeed, Furat has an ace up his sleeve. After all, this man possesses a rare unique skill.

Perhaps judging that he would lose at this rate, Furat activated that skill.

"'Accel Burst'!"

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Author Notes:

  [Accel Burst]

  > A unique skill that continuously consumes internal mana to increase physical abilities.

  > > Continues until mana is depleted. Cannot use magic during activation, but physical attacks gain magical properties. The body goes berserk.

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Furat's stats had increased across the board to nearly double their original values. His entire body was glowing faintly with activated mana.

The audience cheered at the sight of his obviously enhanced form.

It certainly is a powerful skill, but... doesn't it have too many drawbacks? Well, unique skills in this world seem to be all about quirks, so I guess it's normal in that sense.

"Don't hold a grudge if you die!"

Furat kicked off the ground.

His speed was incomparably faster than before—but.

Even so, in terms of agility, I'm still higher.

"Hup!"

"What!?"

Perhaps unable to fully control his own speed, his sword strokes had become forceful and I had no trouble avoiding them.

Maybe he didn't expect to be dodged, but his body movements were full of openings.

"Well then, it's my turn—'Kick Transfer: Heavy Strike'."

As I kicked upwards into Furat's stomach, I simultaneously activated "Kick Transfer" to the side. Even with his high durability, Furat was sent flying into the air after being hit by this double kick.

"'Synthesis'."

There, I manipulated the ground to create a large earth tree.

This is my imitation of "Earth Sprout".

It's a bit smaller than the magic Elen showed earlier, but he probably didn't expect me to do something similar with mystic arts. To be honest, I just came up with it now.

The earth tree once again engulfed Furat, restraining him with only his face exposed.

He ended up in the same state as before, and if he could use magic, he might have come up with a way to escape... but due to the side effects of his skill, he was at a dead end.

Furat struggled to break free, but it seemed he didn't have enough strength to break through the tightly packed earth, and was only wastefully consuming his mana.

After a while, his mana was completely depleted due to the effects of "Accel Burst", and he lost consciousness.

I'm sorry to disappoint the audience, but this match is over.

"Match over! The winner is Ruruk!"

Camlock's declaration was not met with cheers from the audience, but only bewilderment spread throughout.

The only ones clapping happily were my companions.

After watching the unconscious Furat being carried away, I returned to the waiting area.

Perhaps they had bet on me, a few whistles sounded from the audience. Looking over, I saw some unknown adventurers giving me a thumbs up in appreciation. I'm glad I could meet their expectations.

"Congratulations, Ruruk."

"Such a human is no match for my master."

As I returned to my seat, two girls holding juice and snacks greeted me.

It looks like they're enjoying this like watching a movie; maybe I should go buy some too.

Elen stood up, pushing the napping Punisuke onto me.

"Mm, well done."

"Thanks. Do your best too, Elen."

"Mm."

With her staff in hand, she went up on stage even though she hadn't been called yet.

Her usual expressionless face makes it hard to see her emotions, but being a battle-maniac little girl, it's easy to tell she's excited. I hope she doesn't overdo it.

In the opponent's waiting area, Lakirala also took something out of her bag and immediately went up on stage. It seems she's motivated despite being completely outmatched in the party battle.

While Camlock went down to drink some water, the two opponents ended up glaring at each other on stage.

"Lakirala-chan!"

A deep cheer rose from the audience.

Lakirala, a pure magician, is also beautiful. She seemed not entirely displeased with her popularity among the guys.

When it comes to Lakirala's individual match, I guess the atmosphere is even more against us than before.

Just as I thought that—

"Elenora-chan!!"

A cheer nearly twice as loud as Lakirala's echoed.

Whether moved by her overwhelming magic earlier, or because she was a sheep-race, the rough-looking guys were waving at Elen.

"Damn, maybe I should have bet on Elenora-chan too~"

"Heheh. I did bet on her. I'm gonna keep this betting slip as a memento even if I win."

"What! I'm so jealous! Give it to me!"

"Ah, you idiot! Stop it!"

Some foolish exchanges could be seen among the adventurers in the audience.

The adventurers here seem to be having fun.

"Hey, which side are you on?"

"I'm on Team Lakirala-chan."

"I see. I'm on Team Elenora-chan."

"What, just a lolicon, huh?"

"No, no. Elenora-chan is apparently about to come of age, so it's safe. If anything, Lakirala-chan is the one getting on in years."

"Huh? What did you say? Lakirala-chan is eternally 18 years old!"

Fights were breaking out in other seats as well.

Really, these guys seem to be having so much fun.

Hearing the commotion from the audience, Lakirala frowned in displeasure and muttered.

"...I was completely defeated earlier."

"Mm."

"...But to use such amazing magic twice in a row, you must have been really desperate."

"?"

Elen tilted her head in confusion. Well, that level of magic is just like a greeting for her.

Perhaps misunderstanding that Elen was pretending to be clueless, Lakirala chuckled and held out a small bottle she was holding.

"...Your mana probably hasn't recovered yet, and it would be bad if it affected this match. I brought a mana recovery potion, so please drink it. We should have a fair and square match."

"Mm. Thanks."

Elen accepted it straightforwardly.

She then opened the cork and drank it all.

...I want to tell her to be more suspicious of others, but I'll hold back for now.

The moment Elen finished drinking the potion, Lakirala hid her mouth and smirked.

A 27-year-old beautiful girl trying to act young—what a nice expression.

"Oh, are you ready already? Shall we start then?"

As Camlock returned, both nodded and took their positions.

The audience had somehow divided into Lakirala and Elenora seats, creating a scene like a baseball cheering contest. They're really enjoying themselves.

As the two "staff-holders" faced each other in their positions, Camlock swung his arm down.

"Now then, pure magician battle—begin!"

And so, the battle between women... didn't start.

"...Pfft, kukuku, Ahahaha!"

Lakirala started laughing, holding her stomach.

She slowly walked towards Elen, approaching without caution.

"...Sheep-race are so stupid. I couldn't help but laugh."

"?"

"But it's your own fault, right? Not being cautious of gifts from others, you must have been treated kindly by others all this time. Well, it's cute, staying young forever... You've probably been wrapping men around your little finger."

Suddenly talkative, Lakirala was still smiling faintly even as she came right next to Elen. The audience and referee were confused, not knowing what was happening. It was as if they were wondering if a pure magician battle meant a battle of words.

"...Sigh, oh my. A race that pretends to be pure and toys with others is scary. But now that the bill has come due, pay it quietly. You understand now, right?"

"Hm?"

"...You still don't get it? Then I'll tell you. What I gave you to drink earlier wasn't a mana recovery potion, but a 'magic sealing potion' made from some strange tree sap. If you drink it, you can't properly knead mana and use magic for several hours."

Lakirala spoke proudly.

Elen kept tilting her head with an expressionless face.

"...It's your fault for letting your guard down. It was a long shot, but I didn't think you'd actually drink it. But the match has already started, so we should start fighting soon, right? Oh, but you can't use magic, can you? Shall we compete with physical strength then? Little sheep-race miss?"

"?"

"...Fatal wounds are forbidden, right? But anything else is fine, isn't it? Then I'll punch that cute face until it's smashed up. My staff is quite hard, you know. I'll beat you up so badly that no amount of potions can fix it, so be prepared. But don't hold a grudge against me, okay, stupid little Elenora-chan?"

Lakirala raised her staff with a wicked smile.

Everyone present was appalled, but Lakirala herself was in ecstasy and didn't care at all. She seemed to feel an unparalleled sense of superiority at being able to unilaterally beat up Elen, whom she disliked.

"...First, I'll crush that little nose of yours."

Lakirala swung her staff with full force.

Her prided hard staff was about to smash Elen's defenseless face... but it didn't.

"'Air's Lock'."

Thunk!

The staff stopped abruptly, blocked by a wall of air just a few centimeters before touching her face.

"...Huh?"

Lakirala was dumbfounded.

And for good reason—Elen possesses a skill that nullifies all status effects. Be it poison, petrification, or anything else classified as a status effect, it even prevents magic sealing.

Well, a high-level magician like Elen wouldn't fail to notice her own condition.

"Eh, wai-, wha-"

"'Air Knuckle'."

"Gupeh."

She punched Lakirala in the stomach with a mass of air, blowing her backwards. Lakirala rolled over and over.

It must have been a clean hit to the solar plexus. She managed to avoid losing consciousness, but as she tried to sit up, she was drooling and retching. Looks painful.

"Careless."

"Wh-what are you! How come the magic seal didn't work! Are you cheating?!"

"Mm. Easy."

Elen waited for Lakirala to stand up, still holding her staff at the ready.

It might look like kindness, but... this little girl is a sore loser. She was probably insulted and intends to thoroughly crush her opponent.

As proof, she's waiting for Lakirala's magic.

"Wh-what is this, what is this, what is this! I really hate you! If that's how you want it—Anger, pierce through 'Lightning Lance'!"

"'Earth Wall'."

"What! Wings, crush down 'Downburst'!"

"'Wind Upper'."

"Ugh! Be engulfed by the rage of the divine wind 'Thunder Breeze'!"

"'Flare Purge'."

"Rage, cold-blooded wings 'Blizzard'!"

"'Lightning Spark'."

"Wings, deprive freedom 'Wind Bind'!"

"'Shadow Ball'."

"Th-the voice of the gods pierces his enemies with anger 'Holy Lightning Arrow'!"

"'Shining Bomb'."

"—What, what are you! How many attributes can you use!"

Lakirala stomped her feet and shrieked as all her magic was countered head-on.

Lakirala's magic wasn't bad at all. Rather, her ability to quickly chant and use mid-level or higher magic showed why she was an S-rank adventurer.

If there was one bad thing about Lakirala, it would be...

"Mm. Everything."

"Wha-"

She just had a bad opponent.

Facing the speechless Lakirala, this time Elen released her magical power.

"'Sound Snipe'."

The sound wave shock magic released at the speed of sound pierced Lakirala's eardrums.

Her eyes rolled back, and she lost consciousness as she collapsed. Blood flowed from her ears as she fell.

"Th-the match is over! The winner is Elenora! Medical team, come quickly!"

As the flustered Camlock declared, staff members carrying potions rushed over immediately.

Elen returned to us with a proud look on her face.

She doesn't seem to think she overdid it.

...Well, I feel a bit refreshed, so I guess it's fine.

"Good work, Elen."

"Mm. Fun."

"Take it easy."

She seemed like the type to hold grudges, so I didn't want to invite unnecessary trouble with an S-rank adventurer. Though I'm aware this is a boomerang statement.

By the way, the audience was in an uproar over the exchange of magic.

Even though Lakirala had fallen, I could see several adventurers who had been in the Lakirala cheering section quietly moving to the Elenora cheering section without booing.

I think that villainous move was a bit too much.

May Lakirala have good fortune in the future. Amen.

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Author Notes:

  [Lakirala]

  > Human race. 27-year-old woman.

  > > An S-rank adventurer and "staff-holder" skilled in four elemental magics: holy, wind, lightning, and ice. She is Kemuna's stepsister, but a commoner as the child of a concubine. Raised from childhood with her magical talent in mind, she has a high pride due to having no peers around her. While she spares no effort in magic, she easily gets stressed when things don't go her way due to being spoiled growing up.

  > > > She had a bad relationship with Kemuna when they were young, but after a certain incident, she came to strongly admire him. Since then, she has hated Hotaru, who monopolizes Kemuna, and is always fighting with her over Kemuna.

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