Blood-Spitting Training

Of course, Sambasan had no interest in the other contestants. He was mainly talking about two monstrous rookies—ones who had defeated their Promotion Match opponents even faster than Broly Big Brother—according to the information gathered by the Degas Merchant Association personnel responsible for collecting contestant intelligence.

"As for the one who advanced from the Fifth Group, there's less information. No merchant association is backing her, and she keeps a low profile. But judging from the descriptions, she should be an expert at striking acupoints. Everyone she defeated was paralyzed by her attacks, then kicked off the arena with a single foot."

Sambasan downed another huge mug of Malt Beer, then looked at Broly. "If you can beat tomorrow's opponent, the one from the Fifth Group will be a formidable enemy. That's all the intelligence I'm giving you. Two cups of your booze are enough to cover the price of the information. I'm leaving, Little Ones."

With that, Sambasan left.

"I didn't expect the other merchant associations to be collecting intelligence on the contestants too."

"It's perfectly normal for them to do that. The organizers also open large Gambling Dens for the Top 16 Qualifying Round. The organizers themselves act as the house, so they need to constantly adjust the Odds on each contestant based on the strength they display."

As for why they did not simply let gamblers bet against each other and collect a commission on the Flowing Water, it was mainly because acting as the house earned them more.

More often than not, the profits from a large Gambling Den during a Top 16 Qualifying Round could nearly match the money earned from a Merchant Run.

"Tomorrow, we'll see which merchant association's Gambling House offers the highest Odds for Big Brother, then we'll bet there."

Nahash said.

"Should we also check the odds for bets between gamblers?"

Akame asked.

"We should. Anyway, whichever side is higher, that's where we'll bet."

The children had complete confidence in Broly and were not worried that he might lose at all.

The only thing worth worrying about was that if he performed too well, his Odds might plummet.

To prepare for tomorrow's match, the group went to buy cosmetics after eating and drinking their fill.

When they passed a snack stall, they saw someone eating a kind of Bursting Candy.

Mine suddenly had an idea and ran over to ask the stall owner, "Excuse me, can you fill these candies with some other liquid?"

"Some other liquid? What are you planning to put in them, miss?"

The candy seller asked curiously.

"Could you put some fresh blood inside?"

Mine asked.

"Ah?"

The candy seller's eyes widened. He thought she was there to cause trouble and was about to chase her off when he heard that she was willing to pay extra.

Well, as long as the money was right, never mind blood—if the customer wanted him to fill them with shit, he could do it, and he would guarantee that until the candy was bitten open, it would taste only like candy.

"Can you make a few samples first?"

"Where are we supposed to find blood right now?"

"Colored water would work too."

"Then let's use Red Heart Fruit. The juice from that stuff, when mixed with water, looks almost like blood."

Mine paid, and the candy seller filled several large Bursting Gummy Candies on the spot before handing them over.

"Broly Big Brother, put one in your mouth and bite it open."

Mine handed a large Bursting Candy to the boy. Broly did not hesitate and did as she said.

With one bite, red juice sprayed from his mouth.

"Yes, this is it." Mine was excited. "Boss, can you make the juice thicker so it looks even more like blood?"

"You kids really know how to make things difficult."

"We'll pay more."

"No problem. Mixing up fake blood is easy enough. But do you still want me to make candies filled with real blood?"

"If there's a substitute, we won't need real blood."

Mine had tasted blood before. It was the taste of blood someone had beaten out of her.

It was terribly fishy, not pleasant to drink at all.

Unless there was no other choice, she did not want Broly to taste that flavor.

After all, Broly treated her very well.

After some adjustments, the thicker Bursting Gummy Candies were ready.

"This is tasty."

With his mouth stained red, Broly looked like a vampire as he slurped up the Red Heart Fruit juice that was meant to spray out.

"This isn't for you to eat. It's for you to spit out. You need to imitate the posture of vomiting blood."

Mine held Broly's face and kneaded it hard, disrupting his slurping as she spoke.

"Wasting food is shameful."

Broly said seriously. Even with Mine kneading his face, he finished the juice in his mouth. He liked its sweet taste.

"Raise the odds, and we can make more money. With more money, we can buy more things, including food. And the cost is only the juice from one or two Bursting Candies. Do you still think it's a waste now?"

"Can I spit real blood?"

Broly thought for a moment before asking instead.

"Huh, you can spit real blood too?"

The children all looked over curiously. They had no idea their Big Brother had such a skill.

"Sure. I just have to really hurt myself."

Broly raised his little fist, indicating that he could injure himself.

"No."

The moment he said that, the children rejected his suggestion. With everyone firmly opposed, Broly's proposal of turning an act into reality was directly voted down.

They did not want to waste food either, especially after having once been unable to eat their fill. But if it meant Big Brother getting genuinely hurt?

Waste it. Waste it without mercy. Broly's place in his companions' hearts was obviously above food.

That night, Mine bought cosmetics and Bursting Candy. While several children with some artistic talent tried applying injury makeup to the faces of children without any talent for drawing, Broly used Bursting Candy to train his blood-spitting technique.

This training session lasted even longer than the previous night's. Only then did Broly overcome his instinct to suck the "blood" he had spat out back into his mouth and eat it.

With a puff, he spat out a mouthful of juice blood, and an expression of extreme pain appeared on his face. The psychological pressure of wasting food made his pained Facial Acting even more lifelike. That was the effect of putting genuine emotion into it.

On the third day of the Western Martial Arts Tournament, the arena hosting the Qualifying Round was packed with people, and the atmosphere was incredibly lively.

Under the host's booming introduction through a microphone, the sixteen contestants who had made it into the Qualifying Round entered the central ring from different entrances.

"The first contestant comes from the Partas Tribe of the Northern Empire. Perhaps not many people know much about the Partas Tribe, but if I mention the minority people who hunt Danger Beasts, I'm sure everyone in the audience will understand just how formidable this tribe is.

"That's right! She is the contestant sponsored by the Garapa Merchant Association, which mainly deals in Danger Beast materials. She advanced at a record-breaking speed for all previous martial arts tournaments—the fighter from the north, Esdeath!"

The girl with ice-blue long hair wore a calm expression. Draped in the banner of her sponsor, the Garapa Merchant Association, she became the first to enter the arena beneath the gaze of tens of thousands. She leaped onto the ring, the merchant association's banner fluttering behind her.

This was a promotional privilege granted to the sponsor of the contestant who ranked first in advancement speed. By simply carrying the merchant association's banner as she walked in, Esdeath had directly earned three hundred thousand. It made her feel that money was easy to earn in the Western Region—at least much easier than in the other places she had traveled through before.

The second to appear was Merraid, who had ranked second in advancement. She had entered under the alias Meimei, heir to the Southern Jujutsu Fist, but because she had no sponsoring merchant association behind her, the host summarized her in just a few brief words. With no commercial value to speak of, it was enough to say a couple of lines so people knew who she was.

Merraid: "..."

Although she had long known that the Western Martial Arts Tournament was steeped in commercialism, being ignored so blatantly still irritated her. However, her attention was soon drawn to Esdeath, the contestant who had ranked first in advancement speed.

The girl had beautiful sky-blue long hair, with a cross-embroidered headscarf tied around her head. Her upper body was clad in a loose short-sleeved robe, while her lower body wore tight stretch pants. Her tranquil gaze carried an imperceptible sharpness.

When their gazes met, Merraid had the feeling that she had become prey, targeted by the other girl as if she were a hunter.

She looks pretty domineering. She's a beautiful little Beauty, but she doesn't seem like my type...

While Merraid was thinking that, Esdeath also gave her own assessment of the woman with the second-fastest advancement speed.

She's dressed so revealingly. Her Lower Abdomen and back are completely exposed. She'd definitely be cold on the northern tundra.

Merraid's smooth hair was tied into a Bun Hairstyle atop her head. Her upper body had only two strips of cloth connected to her collar, wrapping around her still undeveloped Chest and exposing a large expanse of healthy, firm Wheat Colored skin. Her Lower Body was dressed in loose martial arts pants.

This was the complete opposite of Esdeath's outfit, but there was no doubt that she was a beautiful Eastern girl with a beauty mark beneath the corner of her eye.

While the two observed each other and formed their first impressions, Sambasan, who had advanced in third place, arrived nearby as well. His brawny arms displayed knotted muscles, and he wore a Dustproof Cloak bearing the emblem of the Degas Merchant Association.

As the contestant with the third-fastest advancement speed, he naturally drew glances from the other two. Esdeath looked at him as though she were looking at prey, while Merraid appeared somewhat disgusted. She did not like men, especially Strong Man types with excessively overflowing male hormones.

Fourth, fifth, seventh... more contestants entered one after another. The host introduced each contestant's identity and background, giving the audience a basic understanding of them while also promoting the sponsoring merchant associations behind each one.

The contestants from first to fifteenth place, whose appearance order was determined by advancement speed, were all perfectly normal. They either properly promoted their sponsoring merchant associations or displayed their own strength—Merraid excluded. But when Broly, the sixteenth contestant, stepped out, the atmosphere in the arena suddenly fell silent.