Ro-Lente Castle, Royal City.
Located in the deepest part of the Royal Capital, the castle stood atop a hill. From afar, one could see the walls formed by more than twenty connected circular towers.
It separated the capital's citizens from the Royal City, and together with the hill's height, gave the entire castle a status that seemed to stand above everyone else.
To the west, beneath the hill on which the Royal City stood, a massive Imperial Arena had been built. The annual Royal Tournament was held there.
Such matches were not merely grand events; they were also one way for the Re-Estize Kingdom to display its military might to outsiders.
Rustle, rustle!
Rustle, rustle!
Amid the noisy clamor of the crowd,
Tang Zheng entered the Imperial Arena with a pained expression and sat down in one of the outermost seats.
He looked toward the enormous platform in the center of the arena. From where he sat, he could only make out the figures standing atop it.
Even a seat like this had cost him five silver coins!
"What a profitable business."
Tang Zheng swept his gaze over the densely packed heads in the surrounding seats and sighed inwardly.
As witnesses to a historical event, people could indeed satisfy a certain curiosity.
But!
If he had known the tickets were this expensive, he would not have come. After all, he already knew the outcome.
Tang Zheng thought helplessly.
The Warrior Captain and Nail Clipper had yet to appear, though several figures below were inspecting the platform.
At the platform's due north stood the only viewing stand in the entire arena that rose far above the others, shaped like a round tower.
There was no need to guess.
That was likely a viewing platform reserved for the Kingdom's nobles and the Royal Family.
Compared to the almost festive atmosphere in the other sections, the area around that tower stand was excessively quiet.
The mood gradually affected the other sections as well, as though someone had poured a basin of cold water over the heated atmosphere.
Even the surrounding discussions gradually grew much quieter.
Tang Zheng tugged at the collar of his coarse linen clothes, shrugged boredly, and calmly watched the scene unfold.
Others might not understand the reason behind this somewhat strange atmosphere, but he knew a little.
On the surface, a match of this caliber was meant to find powerful Warriors for the nation and promote the country's strength.
But in reality!
From the very beginning, the Royal Tournament had been a stage for the major nobles to flaunt their retainers and display their own martial power.
All the commoner participants were merely stepping stones for those noble lords.
This involved the Kingdom's own noble system!
Aside from the eldest son, a noble's other sons could not inherit the title. This gave rise to another title within the noble system: Knight!
This title came with no land and was limited to a single generation, yet it remained a goal that noble second sons scrambled to obtain.
It was not only for noble status. Once one received the title of Knight, the Royal Family would pay a generous salary, meaning there was basically no need to worry about making a living.
Of course.
This was also the Royal Family's strategy—to turn the offspring of those nobles into a new generation of the Royalist Faction!
The Royal Tournament existed for this reason, serving as an open and aboveboard strategy. Therefore, outstanding young nobles who distinguished themselves in the competition would be granted the title of Knight.
However, beginning several years ago, participating nobles and their retainers had gradually begun losing to commoner adventurers, causing dissatisfaction among the nobles.
And now!
The appearance of Gazef and Brain had carried them here in an unstoppable sweep.
It had turned the Royal Tournament into a stage for two commoners to duel!
"Heh."
A smile appeared on Tang Zheng's face. He could now fully imagine that those noble lords' expressions were certainly not pleasant at the moment.
After Gazef won, he should have received the title of Knight. Instead, a new post, Warrior Captain, was created under these circumstances.
The reason this duel was known among commoners as the "legendary battle" was because the Royal Tournament was canceled after this match.
Clearly, no noble wanted a second Warrior Captain to emerge.
Still.
This had nothing to do with Tang Zheng. Compared to the Great Tomb in the future, these matters were ultimately just minor squabbles.
No matter how dissatisfied the nobles were, they could neither stop nor cancel this match!
About ten minutes later.
Tang Zheng's expression sharpened, and his gaze turned serious as he looked at the future Warrior Captain and Nail Clipper walking toward the platform at the same time.
After the two mounted the platform, they shook hands and seemed to exchange a few words.
However.
From Tang Zheng's current seat, he could only see their figures, so he naturally could not hear their conversation.
Very soon!
The two separated again, turned away from each other, and put some distance between themselves before facing one another.
At this moment!
The entire audience suddenly fell silent. Every gaze was fixed on the two men atop the platform, as though afraid of disturbing their duel.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Almost in the next instant.
Gazef and Brain moved at the same time. Though nearly twenty meters separated them, a brief charge was all it took for them to collide.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The two sword-shaped weapons collided in an instant, sending fierce sparks flying.
"So fast."
Shock filled Tang Zheng's eyes. He could barely keep track of their figures. He especially could not see the swords flashing in their hands at all.
He could only see sparks continuously erupting around them.
Tang Zheng leaned his head back.
They were practically a different species from ordinary people!
The overwhelming strength displayed when they clashed was something he could never truly feel while watching the anime.
Only after witnessing a battle of this level firsthand did Tang Zheng truly understand the insurmountable gulf between ordinary people and these powerful individuals!
And this was only around level Twenty?
For some reason, Tang Zheng suddenly understood a little of the despair Nail Clipper must have felt when facing Shalltear.
The title "Nail Clipper" was not derogatory at all!
Whoosh—
On the platform, a pale blue glow suddenly flashed across Brain's body.
The next moment!
Brain appeared behind Gazef as if he had teleported.
However!
Gazef seemed to have anticipated it. He rolled away and opened up the distance once more.
"So this is Martial Arts?" Tang Zheng's eyes widened.
Martial Arts was a technique unique to the New World, one that did not exist in YGGDRASIL. It could be understood as magic for Warriors.
Using it consumed something called Concentration. Simply put, it was mental focus. The more Martial Arts one used, the more mental fatigue would build up.
It was a value absent from games, but one that was closer to reality.
Whether in the anime or the light novel, the power demonstrated by Martial Arts was not actually weak.
It was merely the limits of human levels that made Martial Arts seem less powerful than it really was.
Suddenly—
Bzz!
Tang Zheng's status panel appeared before his eyes.
"Skill discovered: 'Flow Acceleration.' Requires a basic Warrior-type class. Current requirements not met..."
"The 'Genius' class has activated. Conversion successful. Learning requirements met. Consume 1 Skill Point to learn?"
Tang Zheng looked at the information displayed on the status panel, surprise and realization appearing in his eyes. He muttered, "So this is how Skill Points are used!"
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