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“Gide, over here!”

Gide moved towards the spot where Adler was shouting and waving his hand to signal his location.

All the members of the stonemasons’ guild were gathered there, sitting together.

“It looks like everyone in the world is here.”

“Huh!? What did you say!? I can’t hear you!”

The noise from all around made it hard to hear, even though they were sitting right next to each other.

Gide gazed at the stadium, which he had been working on with the stonemasons’ guild until recently.

The seats that encircled the central arena, except for the temple, were filled with people, unlike when he was working on them.

The seats stretching across the opposite side and to the left were packed with humans.

Humans. Humans. Humans. Humans. Humans.

Gide realized for the first time that there were so many humans living on this land.

It felt like all the humans in the city, no, in the world, were gathered in this space that felt both vast and cramped.

The Martial Arts Tournament, a challenge one could only attempt once in a lifetime, separated into three classes—slave, commoner, and noble—and further divided by age into three categories within each class, to determine a total of nine victors.

A festival where only the body, honed through self-discipline, is used, and the martial prowess and lives of the participants are offered to the gods. The victors receive divine power, are reborn as servants of the gods, and return to them.

Medical personnel were on standby to treat injuries, but people often died.

A makeshift platform was raised in the center of the arena, and as the warriors participating in the Martial Arts Tournament lined up in front of the arena through a dedicated passage, the audience, filled with anticipation and longing, cheered for these brave warriors, filling the vast arena with a fervor as if the sun had dedicated itself to the earth.

The participants wore no tops, only covering their private parts with pure white cloth, each standing with an air of defiance.

Some of the Martial Arts Tournament participants looked small and frail, having just come of age (13 years old), while others were covered in scars and exuded an extraordinary aura, like seasoned veterans.

But whoever they were, those directly participating in the Martial Arts Tournament were people who had defeated others in the preliminaries and made it to the top.

It was sure to be a spectacular competition.

As a beautiful woman ascended the makeshift platform, Gide, who had been clapping and cheering along with the other spectators, stopped.

The other spectators also began to stop, and as the noise inside the arena began to subside, eventually becoming quiet, the woman slowly opened her mouth.

“This sacred and great festival has returned again this year.”

The woman’s voice was soft and gentle, but somehow it felt like it was spreading throughout the vast arena.

Gide was startled and looked around, but the others seemed used to it and didn’t look so surprised.

He saw a few others reacting like him and pretended to be calm again so as not to look like a country bumpkin.

‘The king’s soldiers, and the king’s close aides, do they all have mysterious abilities?’

The woman’s identity was Aliya, the minister of this country.

Although her voice was beautiful and pleasant to listen to, the long address was a bit tedious.

Unlike Gide, who was yawning from boredom, the devout listened with their hands clasped to their chests in a humble posture.

‘I want to see them fight already.’

Gide, bored, turned his gaze here and there, and looked at the pillars towering high between the arena and the Great Temple.

He had glimpsed them when looking up from the arena, but the chairs on top of the pillars were clearly visible from the stands.

‘What are those, after all?’

The messenger of the gods is supposed to look down from there, shouldn’t they be up there already?

It would be awkward if they had to climb up in front of all these people.

“…Wishing you glory, I will conclude my address here.”

Kid, who had been half-listening to the minister’s address while lost in thought, clapped along with the applause that erupted around him as the minister’s address ended.

‘Finally, it’s over.’

“Following this, we will have the entrance of the messenger of heaven and earth, the seventh direct descendant of the Elven Lord, the land where the gods reside, and the master of King Prigos, the earthly representative, the great Tae-sa El-Araya.”

At the minister’s words, Gide craned his neck.

‘High Elf!’

An existence that even the king cannot treat carelessly, including the disciples she has taken in!

‘Of course, the king himself is also a disciple of the High Elf…’

El-Araya, huh.

It wasn’t a name that sounded particularly strong.

‘Come to think of it, wasn’t the name of the goddess of the earth El-Prigion? Are they really descendants of the gods?’

But she is the one who bestows power upon the valiant king and soldiers and takes them as disciples.

Besides, doesn’t she command giants who are nearly 30 feet (9m) tall?

I don’t know what a High Elf is, but…

Gide imagined a giant over 20 feet (6m) tall, with six arms, bulging eyes, sharp teeth, and breathing fire.

At that moment, exclamations erupted from all over the arena.

Following the gazes of the people who were exclaiming, he saw the Great Temple.

Something was soaring into the air from the direction of the Great Temple.

It soared so high that it became a dot in an instant, overlapping with the sun he was looking up at, causing people to squint due to the momentary light.

At the highest point, it began to fall to the ground.

A bird? Or… a giant butterfly?

The being that had fallen from hundreds of yards above fluttered down, waving green and gold, and landed on the chair on top of the central pillar.

The being leaned back in the chair on the pillar with a languid gesture.

The arena, which had been accommodating tens of thousands of humans, fell into silence.

The silence was different from the quiet that had allowed the minister Aliya to begin her address earlier.

Everyone in the arena was as if caught in a huge gravitational pull, their minds captivated by the being on the pillar.

Hair that looked like pure gold melted and drawn out reflected the light under the sun, creating golden waves.

Straight golden eyebrows, sharp-looking eyes looked down at today’s protagonists with the eyes of a transcendent being who had somehow escaped the mundane world.

Was she just coming of age (13 years old)? No, she looked even younger.

A green fabric of unknown material, too large for her small body, hung loosely on this small body.

Because of the clothes that were too big for her body, every movement of this mysterious creature, moving languidly, felt somehow coquettish.

She was clearly there in front of him, yet somehow not there, faint yet intensely present.

A bizarre sensation that seemed to disrupt the senses themselves.

The High Elf, who had dropped from the sky and erased the sense of reality in this vast space, making it feel like another world, looked down and then around.

‘Did she smile?’

For a moment, it felt like the High Elf had smiled, but when he looked again, her face still wore an expression that seemed somehow detached.

‘No way…’

It felt like she had given a smug smile, but would such a being make such a frivolous smile?

The silence that filled the arena was broken by the shockwave that spread throughout the arena as the High Elf lightly struck the chair.

“Huh…”

“Araya-nim… I can never get used to seeing her.”

“Oh… my god…”

People who seemed to have returned to the original world for a moment began to express their mysterious experiences, buzzing with excitement.

Gide felt a poke in his side and turned his head.

“The High Elf who is revered as the messenger of the gods. What do you think of seeing her in person?”

“Uh…”

Gide’s face flushed red at Adler’s question, which was asked with a mischievous look, as he couldn’t express his experience in words.

“I understand. Hearing about it is completely different from seeing it in person.”

“…Could I participate in the Martial Arts Tournament too?”

“Haha… you’re completely hooked.”

Adler laughed at Gide’s appearance.

“But I don’t recommend it. Most people can’t even pass the preliminaries, and you’re likely to end up crippled.”

“…”

“Haha—well, don’t be too disappointed.”

Adler wore a meaningful expression.

“Gide, you’re really lucky. Serving Araya-nim… is possible even if you don’t become a servant of the gods.”

“…Is there another way?”

“Hehe… if you consistently perform well in our guild and gain trust, maybe?”

Some of the guild members around them who were listening to Gide and Adler’s conversation warned Adler not to say unnecessary things.

“Let’s just enjoy the Martial Arts Tournament for now.”

Adler winked one eye.

Gide pondered over what Adler had said.

‘…Is there a way to get closer to Araya-nim besides the Martial Arts Tournament?’

Araya’s voice, announcing the start of the Martial Arts Tournament, was not very loud, but it spread throughout the arena.

‘Her voice is nice too.’

It seemed somewhat languid, but it felt clear like flowing water.

Amidst the cheers, the Martial Arts Tournament proceeded.

Gide also stopped thinking and began to enjoy the Martial Arts Tournament.

The fighters used not only fists and feet, but also elbows, throws, and joint locks.

When a fighter became too excited and tried to finish off an opponent who was unconscious, one of the two referees with a stick would stop them.

The most brutal and popular matches were, of course, those of the slave class.

After five years of labor, slaves could be freed, but even if they became commoners, they would be penniless.

Moreover, even if they became commoners, there was still subtle discrimination.

Above all, those who had become slaves were those who had resisted to the end and were enslaved after losing the war with King Prigos.

They were desperate to escape the laws of humans by returning to the gods, rather than being involved in the reign of King Prigos, who had humiliated them.

Moreover, among the slaves, there were many who had once been nobles in Poheln, valuable people from villages or cities, so there were many who were well-fed and well-educated.

When such people fought with the venom they had gained from their slave lives after the war, the brutality was extraordinary.

Moreover, the Martial Arts Tournament was a festival that one could only participate in once in a lifetime.

It was common for blood to splatter, and even if their joints were twisted and turned, they would charge with venomous eyes until they passed out.

The cheers of the people grew louder with each dramatic match.

And the nine protagonists of the Martial Arts Tournament were determined.

They were all bruised and battered from several fights, but they stood on the arena with flushed faces.

Among them, those from the slave class who were in their youth and middle age were shedding tears.

The child, who appeared to be just coming of age (13 years old) among the same slave class, was expressionless.

Soon, it was time for the awards ceremony for the victors.

Araya, who had been silently watching throughout the competition, rose from her chair.

“Ooh…!”

“It’s a miracle!”

“Araya-nim!”

“It’s the power of the sky god Ul-Kanadiel!”

Araya descended from the pillar, walking in the empty air as if there were stairs in the empty space.

Among those who witnessed the miracle, there were some who prostrated themselves, regardless of the narrow space of the arena.

In that situation, four women in unique attire ascended the arena.

When asked, Adler said that they were priests, servants of the gods who were not warriors.

“Kneel!”

At the command of the priestesses, all the winners of the Martial Arts Tournament knelt.

“Your struggles have been well seen. The gods are also satisfied.”

Araya placed crowns made of woven date palm leaves, which the priestesses handed her, on each of them one by one.

The winners all trembled with emotion each time the crown was placed directly on their heads.

“Heal the wounds of the heroes, wash them, and lead them to the temple.”

People came up onto the arena and began to guide the winners.

“Let the priestesses praise and commemorate the newly born heroes’ fight today. I shall prepare at the temple to welcome the heroes who will return to the embrace of the gods.”

A large deer had approached Araya before she knew it.

Araya entrusted herself to the deer, which exuded a divine aura.

The deer let out a long cry and began to dash toward the Great Temple.

The Great Temple was surrounded by a moat with no path, but the animal that served the messenger of God was worthy of being called a divine beast, as the deer ran on the water.

The audience lamented Araya’s return to the temple, as she seemed like a celestial being, but soon they were captivated by the sword dance performed by the sword-wielding priestesses.

“Ooh…!”

“Are my eyes deceiving me? It looks like I can see a vibrant date palm flower illusion at the tip of the priestesses’ swords!”

“I think I see it too!”

Even after the dance ceremony ended, the stadium’s excitement continued until the sun began to set.

As it began to darken and people left the stadium, they all began to talk about today’s special experience with excited expressions, and the taverns throughout the city stayed lit all night long.

Gid was one of them.

‘…I should ask Adler about what I said back then.’

Gid spent the night with people, filling pewter cups all night long to calm his still-throbbing heart.