episode_0051

“Then…. the people who passed the preliminaries are these individuals!”

That’s how the preliminaries ended, and the host immediately displayed the participants who advanced to the main event on the big screen.

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[Alia Valenstine]

[Baek Ho-young]

[Hong Shin-hye]

[Lee Soo-ho]

[Gong Ji-hoon]

[Park Woo-ram]

[Justin Kim]

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Starting with the most prominent name, the names of the participants who made it to the main event were displayed on the big screen.

“As previously announced, the main event will be held in a tournament format….”

After the preliminaries ended, the host took a moment to catch their breath.

“Our hunters who have advanced to the main event will have some time for personal maintenance, so the main event will take place later this afternoon, so viewers….”

Of course, despite the host’s words, there were jeers from the audience, but if the hosts said so, what could the audience do.

Soon, it seemed like even the spectators across the way needed a break, as they were seen leaving their seats.

Of course….

“Yes, yes. Guild Master. Yes, we will definitely capture….”

“Yes? Since it seems like we won’t be able to capture that person anyway, should we give up? Yes, then who are the other noticeable individuals….”

“That hunter, does anyone know them well enough to provide detailed information….”

“Has anyone seen who they came in with….”

“Surely there must be at least one acquaintance of that hunter in this section….”

“Hey, you, why are you the one who got to do the interviews with the participating hunters….”

The seats where I was sitting were still buzzing with activity at this moment.

Anyway, there was no point in staying here any longer.

Continuing to stay here would only lead to overhearing discussions about her personal information, so as I was about to leave the seating area, I received a call from her.

After glancing around for a moment, I realized there was no need to be on guard unless it was a video call, so I answered the phone, and she immediately spoke in a displeased tone.

[Honey, why did you answer the phone so late.]

Why is that….

It’s because you were being too reckless.

Just a moment ago, I was with the people looking for her, so I had to be cautious in my actions.

It was not just about saving face, but it was also annoying.

As her value had not been determined yet, the interest towards her was continuously rising and would reach its peak.

Of course, it would suddenly drop at some point, but at least at this moment and place, she could be considered a hot potato more than anyone else.

As I remained silent for a moment, she coughed and asked if there was a reason for the call.

[Hmm. Anyway, did you enjoy watching my performance.]

It seemed like she was looking for my praise.

“I enjoyed it, but you were so good that it seemed like a problem….”

She stood out so much unexpectedly.

In response, her voice on the other end of the phone sounded proud.

[Haven’t I told you before? I have no intention of not standing out. My wife is so amazing.]

Yes, yes, our Alia is truly amazing.

Although I thought her overly proud tone was slightly mocking, it was not empty praise, as her performance was truly remarkable.

She had made all the hunters who participated with her look like mere extras.

“Wow. Yes, our Alia is the best.”

As I continued to praise her, she suddenly spoke in a relaxed tone.

[By the way, it’s starting to get boring now. It’s been two hours since I last saw you, so I want to go home and play with you.]

….Already?

The event has just begun….?

No, the main event will take 8 hours to complete, so if you’re already feeling this way, what will happen….?

Of course, it was assumed that it would take that much time to go from somewhere to the finals, but she didn’t need to assume that.

Then she suddenly had a good idea.

[Oh, right. Husband, with this happening, I…]

Even without hearing more, I knew what she was going to say and immediately cut her off.

“No way, Alia.”

Then I heard her whining voice on the other end of the phone again.

[Why not, husband? Do you not want to see me?]

Well, if you had to choose between wanting to see me or not, you would probably want to see me.

“Do you know how much people are looking for you here? If you come here, you should talk more with those people than with me, right?”

You stood out to people that much.

As she spoke with a troubled voice, she seemed to not have thought about it until then.

[Huh? People? Why?]

Whenever she acted like this, I couldn’t understand if she was pretending to be innocent or if she really was innocent.

“Well, you really showed an outstanding side to people. It’s natural for them to want to be friends with you. The more outstanding you appear, the more people will want to be around you…”

Alia spoke with a troubled voice.

[Hmm, then it’s a bit awkward. I don’t really want to belong anywhere other than with you. To gain fame, you have to show an even more outstanding side, and then people who interfere with our time will increase…]

Then she suddenly made a harsh sound.

“Well, it’s inevitable. If there are no noticeable people in your world, it might be ambiguous to chase those people away.”

…Come to think of it, she seemed to use power even though she didn’t seem like that.

Even from our first meeting, she casually tried to drag me away…

[Sigh… Well, I guess there’s no choice. Then at least compliment me over the phone.]

“Sure, Alia, you’re really pretty.”

[Hmm… Put more soul into it.]

“Um…”

In any case, as we chatted affectionately, the time announced by the host quickly arrived, and she spoke.

“Hmm, it seems like people are starting to look for me. I don’t think I’ve received enough compliments over the phone yet, but I can’t help it. Let’s see in a bit, husband.”

She hung up like that, and I also went to the bathroom, bought some food, and returned to the audience seats.

The first match was already underway at the stadium…

[6:37]

Judging by the countdown on the scoreboard, it seemed like there was a need to make a decision inside.

In any case, the battle of awakened individuals who had risen to the ranks of skilled fighters was truly a sight to behold.

Swords clashed, sparks flew, magic collided, and magnificent scenes were staged.

There were those who overwhelmed their opponents with overwhelming skills, and those who competed with tight skills, piercing their opponent’s weaknesses.

And as time passed…

“Well, everyone must have been looking forward to this person. The one who astonished us all with overwhelming skills in the previous exhibition…”

Finally, it was her turn.

She glanced around the audience seats for a moment, then soon spotted me and exchanged a greeting with a nod, even though she didn’t acknowledge me, we exchanged a silent greeting.

“Suddenly appearing out of nowhere, with a talent as rare as her extraordinary beauty, she is Alia Valenstine!”

Even her introduction seemed to be the highlight of the day, as the host spoke with great enthusiasm.

Of course, it was only natural for all eyes to be on a strong hunter like her in a world where the population is rapidly decreasing due to the chaos caused by the gates.

And if she was a naturalized Korean like her, then all the more reason for everyone’s attention to be focused on her.

As the host’s introduction came to an end, she slowly and leisurely made her way to the center of the arena.

Although the distance was far, it was clear that everyone on the other side was looking at her with eyes full of more interest than the previous hunters.

On the other hand, the one facing her for the first time was someone who failed to make it to the top ranks in the previous preliminaries.

Alia stood there casually, seemingly unprepared, while the opponent wielded their weapon with determination in the face of the impending confrontation.

“Then…. let the match begin!”

As the referee raised the flag, there was no time for preparation as the opponent charged forward with their spear.

Naturally, Alia did not simply stand there and take the attacks.

Regardless of the direction of the attacks, she effortlessly dodged them with minimal movements, reminiscent of the fierce battles in the martial arts world where survival depended on skillfully wielding a sword.

‘Ah, the trauma is coming back.’

Anyway, it was obvious that they would not win in one go since I was feeling PTSD just by watching them.

For some reason, she opened her mouth to speak to her opponent.

“….Want to continue?”

Ching, ching, ching….

The area around them was already filled with sharp water blades, just like in the preliminaries.

Clang.

The opponent seemed to realize that further combat was futile as they lowered their spear and raised both hands in surrender.

“I…. I give up.”

And at the same time, the referee declared her victory.

“Hunter Seo Jiwu surrenders, therefore Hunter Alia Valenstine wins!”

And at the same time, the audience cheered and the host announced her victory.

“She did it! Despite Seo Jiwu’s fierce attacks from the start, Alia managed to evade them and secure her first victory, advancing to the round of 32!”

“Wow!”

“Amazing….”

And as the audience cheered, guild officials around me marveled at her movements in a different direction.

“Just saw….”

“She made it to the next round, so it’s not surprising, but her movements just now….”

“Not ordinary movements….”

“At least not what you’d expect from a regular magic hunter….”

Once again, she was building her reputation step by step.

‘Oh, I forgot to ask why she was hiding her ability to wield a sword….’

I should have kept my wits about me instead of just praising her earlier.

I made a mental note to ask her again when I had the chance, feeling a sense of pride as I listened to the guild officials discussing her.

At first, it was a bit overwhelming to gain fame so quickly, but once I accepted that fact, all that was left was a feeling of pride.