I Want to Keep Competing, Mr. Referee!

The gatekeeper watched the dwarf not far away with a touch of boredom.

The latter wore a short emerald-yellow shirt and held his lute, plucking its strings from time to time. Bright copper rings bound his long beard, gleaming in the firelight. He sang a couple of verses, took a sip of ale, and left pale foam on his golden beard.

Several fairies sat on the Silver Queen's vines, swinging their little white feet as they curiously listened to the old dwarf recount ancient tales. These little fellows were uninvited guests at the inn, brimming with curiosity and fond of liveliness, utterly unafraid of people.

"O hero bearing a treasured sword, standing amid flames that pierced the heavens."

"Within those soaring flames, he cut off one of the evil dragon's horns."

"The giant dragon wailed, the sharp sword flashed coldly—"

"That sword was named..."

"Galapeya!" the fairies sang in unison, then burst into giggles, drawing frequent glances from the people nearby.

The old dwarf took another drink.

Then he continued singing:

"O hero bearing a treasured sword, who drove back the fearsome evil dragon."

"Upon that fearsome evil dragon, he left a scar that struck terror into hearts."

"Time flew by, the years were gone—"

"The hero's name was..."

"Xiuyode," the fairies chimed in all at once, then asked curiously, "What happened afterward?"

The dwarf laughed heartily and told the little creatures that mortals would eventually grow old and turn into a handful of dust.

But fairies could not understand such brevity.

The gatekeeper shook his head. He had heard these ancient ballads so often that his ears had grown calluses. Vaguely, he recalled scenes from his childhood: lush green trees, deep shade, and a ruined windmill at a nearby farm.

Back then, young boys chased the same dreams.

But now, all that remained was old age and drowsiness. Then a dark blue robe suddenly entered his field of vision. The gatekeeper jolted awake and looked up to see a young man standing before him with a friendly smile. "Could you open the gate for me?"

The gatekeeper felt that he ought to have seen this young man somewhere before, but he did not dare look too closely. He hurriedly lowered his head and opened the gate for him.

It was a heavy wooden gate reinforced with copper around its edges.

The young man smiled and nodded at him. Only then did the gatekeeper clearly see the Elpaxin Artificer Guild emblem on his chest. "Good evening. I hope you have a pleasant night," the young man said.

What a strange greeting. Is he from Ausch? the gatekeeper thought.

Still, he replied, "May Oli bless you."

The young man nodded again and stepped out through the gate. Only then did the gatekeeper remember something.

Isn't that a contestant from the Elpaxin Artificer Guild? Why is he leaving? Isn't there still a losers' bracket match?

He instinctively looked back. The young man had already vanished into the darkness. The corridor behind the gate was pitch-black, and a small object glimmered at its far end.

"Did he drop something?" The gatekeeper froze, then pulled open the gate and walked over.

On the ground lay a peculiar brooch. Half the head of a fire-breathing evil dragon was engraved on its shield-shaped face, while its raised surface had been plated with silver. The craftsmanship was quite exquisite. Greed filled the gatekeeper's mind. This should be worth quite a bit, he thought. He bent down, and the instant his fingers touched the shield face, a wisp of hazy black smoke rose from the brooch.

The ground trembled slightly.

Not far away, the dwarf bard was still telling his worn-out stories, while the fairies continued to giggle and tirelessly ask their strange little questions.

The hall was noisy and chaotic. The other final match of the qualifiers had yet to begin. Blood Night Demon Moon waited for her opponent in the vacant arena, but the goblins had searched the entire venue and still could not find Contestant Number Six.

Although most people outside the arena were still discussing the previous match and enthusiastically praising Fang Heng's astonishing performance, impatience gradually began to spread uncontrollably.

People clamored for the organizers to begin the next match. In the end, the referees had no choice but to announce that Contestant Number Six had forfeited, drawing a chorus of boos.

Only Blood Night Demon Moon was unexpectedly delighted.

She had probably realized that she might not be a match for that silver-haired youth—

This result also surprised Fang Heng. He could not help recalling those beautiful yet cold eyes, but what lingered even more clearly in his memory was the faint fragrance of dragon's bloodwood around his nose, refusing to leave his mind.

It made him think of another figure.

Silver hair like moonlight had etched itself ever more deeply into the boy's heart over time.

There was no award ceremony for the qualifiers. The organizers simply handed out the prize money directly. Fang Heng eagerly gave the money to Etila. She looked at him and did not refuse, merely asking Tianlan to take it.

Only Tianlan was still immersed in the small thrill of earning fifty thousand Liselle. Her eyes sparkled with little stars as she patted her money pouch, making it rustle—almost as if such a huge sum really were inside it.

"Oh my god," Tianlan said dramatically. "Even when we found that treasure chest in the Temple of the Sleepers, there wasn't this much money. Brother Ed, you're amazing—"

"I found that chest." The Paparal sat on the chair with his short little legs stretched out, sucking the remaining meat juices off his chubby fingers as he loudly protested, "If my Perception hadn't been as high as 44, you wouldn't even have noticed there was something under the water."

"But I was the one who went into the water to retrieve it." Tianlan wrinkled her little nose. "That water stank to high heaven. I would rather you hadn't found that chest."

"It wasn't just you who went down there."

"Luo Yu wouldn't compete with me for credit, so of course it counts as me doing it alone," Tianlan answered as though it were only natural.

The Paparal was left speechless by that logic.

In the end, Etila gently put an end to the dispute. "Ed really is very impressive."

Fang Heng was so embarrassed by the praise that he blushed, though he still carried the vanity unique to a young boy. He answered shyly, "I-It wasn't really anything." If Scarpe had been here, she definitely would have exposed the little tail that was practically sticking up into the sky.

But the elven girl merely smiled faintly, while Tianlan believed it completely.

Hudi, standing nearby, was somewhat envious of how close they were. Many adventuring parties were actually full of schemes and deception. Only people who truly shared the same ideals would remain together and form a stable adventuring group.

And he could vaguely see the beginnings of such a party in these people.

"Hudi," Fang Heng happened to turn back and ask, "Do you adventure alone? And come to think of it, why does that dead fatso call you that?"

"Ah." Hudi pushed up his glasses, looking a little awkward. "Not exactly. I actually keep a cat. If I get the chance, I'll definitely introduce her to you all."

"A cat?" Fang Heng was startled. A cat counted as a teammate?

Hudi nodded seriously. "Of course. She lives with me in Elpaxin. There's an inn near Shallowwater Harbor—do you know it? I rented a room there especially for her. Everyone knows her and respectfully calls her Miss Spoon. She's a very dignified and respected cat. Whenever I have some free time, I go back to Elpaxin to visit her."

Fang Heng could not help frowning at that answer.

Tianlan, however, looked extremely surprised. "Wow, that sounds amazing! Can we visit Miss Spoon too?"

"Of course," Hudi replied. "If you return to Elpaxin, you can come find me at Shallowwater Harbor. I'm sure Miss Spoon would welcome you as guests."

"We'll definitely go," Tianlan said eagerly. "I've always wanted to keep a cat myself, but before that, I've decided to visit Miss Spoon first."

Jita beside her also showed rare interest. She nodded along and asked timidly, "Why don't you bring Miss Spoon along on adventures?"

"Ah, well..." Hudi thought for a moment. "I used to bring her adventuring with me all the time. We often went to the bay canyons west of Elpaxin. You know, there were some places only she could reach. Miss Spoon was very smart and knew how to operate mechanisms. Back then, she was my best partner."

"What happened afterward?" Tianlan asked.

"Later, Miss Spoon gradually came to prefer a more relaxed life. She grew old, so I stopped taking her everywhere with me. You know, elderly people always like staying in their own warm little nests. Compared to adventure, reading books and basking in the sun suit them better."

"That really is true." The French girl came to a realization.

The group chatted away, but Fang Heng saw the sharp-bearded gnome chief referee part the crowd and walk over. Arriving before them, he rubbed his hands awkwardly and said, "Ah, sorry. There's been a small problem."

"A small problem?"

Fang Heng jumped in fright and instinctively asked, "Did something go wrong with the prize money?"

The question was so stupid that even Etila could not help coughing lightly.

"Nothing like that." The gnome chief referee shook his head. "You can rest assured. The Kaolin Merchant Alliance would never make a mistake involving the amount of money."

Only then did Fang Heng breathe a sigh of relief.

"It's about the competition," the gnome chief referee continued with a troubled expression. "We haven't been able to find the contestant sent by the Elpaxin Artificer Guild, so the final may have to be delayed for a while."

"They can't find another contestant?" Hudi was shocked when he heard this. What's going on tonight? Problems keep happening one after another. The previous matches weren't like this.

The gnome chief referee could not help feeling embarrassed as well, but who knew why so many things had gone wrong today?

"Then you didn't need to come notify us first," Fang Heng replied. "Because I wasn't planning to continue in the main event either, Mr. Referee. So I definitely don't mind."

"What?" The gnome chief referee was greatly startled. "You're withdrawing too, Mr. Shaya?"

Fang Heng nodded. He had only entered for the qualifier prize money in the first place. The main event only awarded the Golden Flame Ring to first place. Though he was interested in the Golden Flame Ring too, he still knew his own limits.

He had heard that the two contestants who entered the losers' bracket in the main event were both above level ten. One of them was even a level-fourteen Combat Artificer from the Elpaxin Artificer Guild. As a level-three contestant, he had better not dream too big.

No matter how outstanding his control of Flexible Constructs was, it could not make up for a gap of seven or eight levels. Besides, how weak could contestants who had reached the main event finals possibly be?

He explained the situation, then said, "Besides, you saw my situation too, Mr. Referee. With my Walker, which doesn't even count as Type I, how could I possibly be their opponent?"

The gnome referee was troubled after hearing that.

He had personally presided over Fang Heng's match against the Eternal Worm, so he naturally knew what Fang Heng's equipment was like. In his view, the young man's understanding of Flexible Constructs was entirely enough to contend with the main event contestants—but what Fang Heng said was not without reason.

This young man's equipment was simply too poor, and his own level was absurdly low. Others might not know, but as part of the competition organizers who shared information with the military, he knew Fang Heng's true level perfectly well.

He could not help scratching his pointed beard and sighing. "Two contestants have already withdrawn, including a seeded contestant in the main event. If you withdraw too, today's competition will be difficult to hold at all."

Fang Heng understood his troubles, but there was nothing he could do.

Just as he was about to say a few words to comfort him, a somewhat abrupt voice suddenly cut in:

"Well, if it isn't the blind adventuring party from before?"

Fang Heng froze. Turning around, he saw two "old acquaintances" approaching from the main event arena—the youth who had bumped into Jita before, and Wu Di. The former even greeted them with a grin.

"Good evening, blind gentlemen and ladies."

Tianlan had already been extremely dissatisfied with those two. Hearing that, she nearly exploded with rage. She slapped the table and shouted, "Who are you calling blind?"

Her palm sent the soup bowl beside her flying high into the air. The mashed potatoes inside immediately splattered across the Paparal crossbowman's face. The latter had been patting his little belly in his chair and had not expected the attack at all. With the bowl over his head, he toppled headfirst off the chair.

The youth looked completely justified. "Huh? If you don't watch where you're going, what else are you but blind?"

"Who are you saying doesn't watch where they're going? It was clearly—"

"Obviously I mean you people. Don't you know that a good dog doesn't block the road?" the youth interrupted mockingly. "God, treating a Kingfisher Alpha like some priceless treasure. What a bunch of hicks. Next time you want to marvel over some 'peerless treasure,' try not to stand in the middle of the road."

He emphasized the words "peerless treasure" heavily, nearly making Tianlan's lungs burst with rage. She wanted nothing more than to rush over and fight the two bastards on the spot. But Etila grabbed her and calmly said to them, "Gentlemen, there is no point in pointless arguments. Let's settle this the adventurers' way—"

The youth could not help staring. "You want to duel me?"

He looked Etila up and down, then shook his head. "Madam, your Battle Gear is the Hailin Spear, isn't it? You look like you're only level seven or eight. You can't possibly be my opponent. Forget it. I don't bully women. Please leave."

Etila wanted to say something more, but a voice came from behind her.

"I'll fight you."

The youth was slightly stunned. He was just about to ask who this was and what right he had to challenge him, but when he raised his head, all he saw were two streaks of silver light rushing straight at him.

"Fuck!"

Cold sweat broke out all over him. He hurriedly flipped backward and rolled away, his heart filled with disbelief. Was this still Traveler's Respite? How was there some idiot here who attacked the moment a disagreement arose?

Was the other side too full of himself, or had Mazak become too weak to hold a blade?

Even as the thought crossed his mind, he rolled across the tabletop in utter disarray. Plates and dishes crashed to the floor along the way, and only after knocking over a candlestick did he barely avoid Sword Plover's strike.

But the youth did not feel relieved in the slightest.

He was covered in grease and soup, with several vegetable leaves hanging from his head. He was nearly driven mad with fury. "Y-You actually ambushed me here?!"

He had always been unreasonable around Rainbow Bay, and never in his dreams had he expected to encounter someone even more hotheaded and impulsive than himself. Furious, he immediately put on his control gloves to strike back. The Magic Buoy moved toward Fang Heng, and behind it, a huge Type III Walker smashed open a table with a bang, charging between him and Fang Heng.

But he had no chance to make another move, because the dwarf guards in the distance had already reacted and rushed over, pinning both of them down firmly.

"Let me go!" the youth shouted furiously. "He attacked first!"

Only then did the gnome chief referee finally run over, shouting, "Stop, stop, stop! Attacking contestants outside the arena and attacking one another are both forbidden!"

The moment those words came out, Fang Heng and the youth both stopped.

"What? He's a contestant?" they asked almost in unison.

The gnome chief referee looked at them both and nodded helplessly.

"Great. You're dead!" the youth immediately shouted.

Without another word, Fang Heng also immediately said to the gnome chief referee, "Mr. Referee, I take back what I said. I want to keep competing!"

"Huh?"

Everyone froze.

Only Jita seemed to have expected this all along. She could not help shaking her head and sighing, supporting her forehead with the air of a little adult.

Sorry, sorry. I revised the detailed outline yesterday and rewrote this chapter. I changed it too many times and wasted some time. I'll post earlier tomorrow~