Chapter 312
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Three days before the forest tournament, Cernos was overwhelmed by good and bad news. The good news was that Dick Backer had officially lost the title of Prince Grand. The bad news was that Charles had raped a student and ran away from school. Everyone was shocked! Prince Hot Pants was at it again! The elite prostitutes weren't enough for him!
The witnesses claimed that he was like a wild beast, dragging the poor girl into his room right after the classes. The exhausted girl was still recovering at the medical center. The whole school was outraged. The wretched bastard thought that he would soon get the crown and could do anything he wished. Actually, it was exactly the case... and that's the trouble! Who would cut him down to size?
When Kyon learned the news, he immediately knew what was going on and ordered his knight to protect Marina. He had no doubt that as soon as Charles saw his beautiful friend, he would do anything to fuck her! Even Julia wouldn't help.
Despite the first innocent victim, Lovr did not regret giving Charles the Mom's Pet instead of the transformation pill. But he should have, and he understood this. When it came to the beautiful girls who were dear to him, Lovr turned into a furious avenger. He wasn't guided by reason but by the principle "Man is a wolf to man."
Three days had passed. The grandiose event started today. Every few years, twenty strongest students from the best schools in the kingdoms that made up Rosarrio took part in the tournament, the main goal of which was to reduce the number of fast-breeding wild beasts in the forest. This time it was the Iron Throne turn or rather the huge Elk Woods adjacent to the kingdom.
Over the past few months, workers under the direction of Cernos administration had been installing a stage with stands for five thousand seats at the forest borders. It would take the visitors from other kingdoms to overcome the distance from 2,000 to 10,000 kilometers to get here. That's why it was supposed that the majority of the spectators would be Iron Throners. Only the most devoted patriots, school administrations and the participants' parents might come from anywhere else, with the exception of the kings and the queens. These important persons had no free time to be distracted by a tournament that lasted for two weeks. Besides, there was not much to see apart from the opening and the closing parts.
A long line of carriages with Cernos students drove up to their destination. The crowd noise echoed from the stands for several kilometers. One and a half thousand young people, the participants in particular, sighed dejectedly every now and then. They seemed to be pursued by an invisible cloud bringing upon them bad luck and adversities. There were only 17 Cernos participants, not 20 as was customary! No one considered Dick Baker a participant. Charles the rapist was still absent, and he was their strongest candidate after all! Julia Grand, the third-strongest Cernos student with the fourth rank, had recently withdrawn her name, just after the lists were approved. As a result, everyone pinned their hopes on the morally destroyed former fan club members. However, the two suicides had been replaced by the 21st and 22nd ranking students, that is, absolute weaklings. Could the situation be any worse? The total power of the current participants was much lower than at the last tournament, where they were ridiculed anyway! They were going to disgrace the Iron Throne for hundreds of years to come, no less!
The only one who ignored the general pessimistic mood was obviously Dick Baker. His fat fingers sparkled with about fifty precious rings, his ears were adorned with three earrings each. He nibbled carelessly at a straw, lying on the carriage roof with half-closed eyes. Many openly envied his calmness and serenity.
Soon, the Cernos participants saw the stands. The Iron Throners greeted them with a loud ovation. Six fenced areas had been occupied by the participants from other schools, a total of 120 people. They looked at the newcomers with no interest, rather with a slight irritation. The weaklings, who took seventh place last time, dared to come last. Who did they think they were?
Aware of numerous eyes fixed on them, joyless Cernos students took their seats, and the participants headed to their zone. Those who were not lucky enough to notice the ugly fat guy with a proudly puffed out chest found themselves at a loss for words and turned away in horror. Representatives of other schools, including princes and princesses, were no exception.
«Look! There's a pig among Cernos participants! Ha-ha! He is disgusting!» – The hefty third prince of Liberia (2) said to his elder brothers with a crooked, contemptuous smile.
«Wow!» – The burly second prince exclaimed. – «What hole did he crawl out of?»
«What the hell?..» – The first prince, huge like a mountain, shouted indignantly. – «A freak in the advanced phase among the competitors?!»
The three famous princes-heroes yelled all over the area, attracting the onlookers. Dick did nothing but instantly became the center of attention. His arrogant look, numerous rings and earrings awakened the dormant feeling in everyone's heart... the feeling of disgust.
Haya, an exceptionally beautiful girl who was the most talented person in her kingdom noticed the nightmarish creature and hastily covered her eyes with her hands. This scene instantly spoiled the mood of the young first princess of Athens (1).
The citizens of the Iron Throne started to discuss the ugly freak:
«The freak in the advanced phase will represent Cernos?! » … «It must be a joke! There had never been a participant below the noble phase!» … «But the first prince of Liberia won't lie!» … «Look! They are only eighteen! How come?»
Meanwhile, principal Nulan went up to the stage and was about to give a speech when he was suddenly interrupted.
«Nulan, this joke is out of bounds!» – The first prince of Liberia thundered over the stands. He could afford to ignore the etiquette rules as his authority was much higher than that of Nulan.
The spectators instantly fell silent. Everyone listened to their conversation.
«It's an important tournament, young man. What jokes are you talking about?» – The effeminate principal asked softly with a polite smile.
The prince spread his enormous arms: «Ordinary people can't feel this, but the total power of your participants is an insult to this tournament! Who is that fat freak in the advanced phase? We have all come to the Iron Throne to clear your forests from dangerous creatures that threaten peaceful civilians, and you have organized a dog-and-pony show! Your entire group of losers can be easily defeated by a more or less strong participant alone! It can't be that the best geniuses of your kingdom are nothing but trash! Or can it?»
His words sounded fair enough. The participants and the administrators of other schools sneered maliciously while the Iron Throners fell silent in shame. Cernos students stared at the floor, clenching their fists until they turned white. They wanted to beat Dick Baker to death for the very fact of his existence! However, it wouldn't change the fact that they were nothing but trash.
Dick man stamped his foot in anger and yelled furiously: «Hey you, big guy! I am Dick Baker, the first-ranking student of Cernos! How dare you underestimate me? I'll single-handedly beat all of you, fucking losers! All at once!»
«Ahem!» – The three princes, half of the participants, and a large part of the audience coughed at his arrogant statement. His blatant arrogance was so confusing that those he was addressing found themselves at a loss for words.
«You have nothing to say, don't you? Then keep your mouth shut!» – Dick said self-confidently.
Haya Feruz was the first to come to her senses: «Are you the miserable Dick Baker who married the demoness?»
The audience gasped. The rumors that Princess Kara and Queen Vlada turned out to be demons spread throughout the empire long ago. The name of Dick Baker, her official husband, was also famous, but no one knew exactly how he looked! And now everyone could see him with their own eyes! It came as a shock to many. How could he commit himself to an evil monster? It's terrible! It's one thing to keep a demon as a slave, but marrying them? No way!
«Yes, it's me! So what?! I thought she was a human when I married her!» – Dick replied at once.
Haya didn't make any comments, but her contempt for him was written all over her face. In fact, all those present had almost instantly developed quite a dislike for the fat ugly freak. Now it had multiplied tenfold.
The first prince laughed out loud as if it was the best joke he had ever heard. His younger brothers, as well as the members of other schools followed his lead. The ridiculous name, the low cultivation, the absurd attempt to provoke the first prince of Liberia... No one doubted that the ugly freak was hired to entertain the audience!
«Great! Ha ha! I take my words back! I have no issues with Cernos any more.» – The first prince nodded contentedly, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. The words of the pathetic freak affected neither His Highness nor the other participants who were serious about winning. It would have been beneath their dignity. They could always beat Dick just for fun! Wasn't it Nulan's idea?
Almost every Iron Throner blushed deeply at these words. They felt ashamed for Cernos and their kingdom. They had never been so embarrassed before. The students, especially the Grands, wanted to sink into the ground or to disappear. They wished they could rip the arrogant prince's tongue out!
Nulan made sure that no one was going to interrupt him again, cleared his throat awkwardly, and began his opening speech: «Ladies and gentlemen, princesses and princes! It is a great honor for the Iron Throne to welcome all of you at this forest tournament…» – The atmosphere was still awkward because of Dick Baker, so the principal decided that he'd better get over the official part and get to the point. – «You know the tournament rules. The participants have two weeks to collect as many beast keys as possible. The keys with higher quality will get more points. It is allowed to take the keys from the opponents. All is fair, but it's forbidden to kill or maim the participants. The slightest violations will be investigated with all seriousness. The school with the most points will take first place and get half of the total amount of keys. The second place will get twenty percent of all the keys, the third place will get ten percent. The keys will be distributed among the participants according to their contribution. They can keep the rest of the keys, but any appropriation before the general calculation will be severely punished. It's easy to find out by simple statistical analysis, so we strongly advise against cheating. Now, here's the good part: the most active participant of the school that will take first place will get five million spheres, a thousand Tokens for their family, and a personal harnessed supreme beast at the beginning of the lord phase…»
A chained man with a wolf's tail and ears appeared on stage.
«…and what is more important, a "Scarlet Meteor" transformation pill of an "A" rank designed to break into the imperial phase (7)!» – Nulan opened the precious box with the blood-red pill. Its exhilarating aroma and energy spread throughout the stands, evoking exclamations of admiration.
«For real?!» – The three princes shouted at once, overshadowing the surprised audience with their loud voices. Even the principles couldn't believe their eyes, ears, and souls. A transformation pill of an A rank gave an almost 100% chance of breaking into the unattainable imperial phase! Practitioners at this level of cultivation happened as rarely in Rosarrio as pearls in the sea! In the history of the last fifty tournaments, they had never given a breakthrough pill into the imperial phase. Moreover, it was of an A rank, a C or a B rank that would be only reasonable! It was pure madness!
Haya Feruz stared at the pill in fascination. Even for her, the first princess of the strongest kingdom in Rosarrio, the transformation pill into the imperial phase was a luxury. An "A" rank pill was absolutely unaffordable! She wanted to have it at any cost! And she had every chance to get it. All the participants of her school were extremely powerful, and she was completely invincible in a one-on-one battle!
Dick thoughtfully stroked his patchy mustache. No one could get a transformation pill into the imperial phase of an "A" rank even at the annual auction in Dantes, and now it suddenly became a reward in some forest tournament? It was too suspicious to say the least!
As for the other rewards, he wouldn't mind getting five million spheres. It might be a huge sum for some, but for Kyon it was nothing.
Kyon considered the beast keys to be the second most valuable reward (after the pill). They can be used almost everywhere, from alchemy to enchantment. As a last resort, he could always see them. The demand for the beast keys was always high.
Among other things, Kyon found it outraging that the wolf-man had received surprisingly little attention, only some scornful snorts and sidelong glances.
{The awards are worth the risk. Definitely worth it.} – He nodded to his greedy thoughts and listened attentively to the people around him.
The three princes whispered excitedly exchanging their ideas on how to win first place. Statistically, their school took the leading position every third tournament. However, they had almost no chance this time because of Princess Haya, whose talents were well-known throughout the whole empire. They could defeat and rob her only if they acted together, which they finally agreed upon.
Princess Haya couldn't care less about the other participants. She stared at the pill mesmerized, licking her lips in anticipation.
Representatives of the other schools were silent with envy. They didn't have a single chance to get this award.
Principal Nulan closed the box and took out a silver bracelet: «Now let's get down to the details. Each of you must wear these bracelets until the end of the tournament. The formation inside them has three functions. First, once an hour you can find the direction to the nearest opponent that doesn't belong to your school. Second, you will get help as soon as the formation is activated, but it means your disqualification. Third, the bracelet will vibrate if you approach the forest edge or one of your teammates. You will be disqualified unless you move one kilometer away within three minutes after the vibration.»
The three princes looked at each other gloomily. They had completely forgotten that the forest tournament was aimed at demonstrating personal success without excessive cooperation. Otherwise, everyone would cooperate and rob weaker teams, exploiting the function of tracking the nearest opponent.
«I must also tell you the obvious. Any outside help means disqualification of all school participants. Any communication on the sound transmitter means disqualification, as well as losing one tenth of the total keys. We have effective methods to trace any violation of rules. I don't recommend taking risks. And once again, I remind you that it's forbidden to kill any participants! Only a fair duel is allowed, after which the winner takes the loser's keys. If it comes to investigation, we will use the database of your movements. When all the secrets are out, the offender will face full force of law.»
Kyon knew about it. He had a huge arsenal of weapons in his pocket. All he needed was to estimate the fire power to disarm the opponent without killing them. He was informed what to expect from the majority of the participants. It would be absurd for Lovr go to the tournament without doing his homework. As for calculation, he totally relied on Synergy.
«And closing my speech, I announce the order in which the participants will go to the forest. The first-ranking student of the school that took the last place at the previous tournament is going first and then in ascending order.» – Nulan made a gesture to Cernos students to come up on stage.
The eighteen participants approached him. The principal gave each of them a bracelet with their initials for easier tracking. Dick Baker was the first to leave.
The Iron Throners grumbled in disappointment. The ugly freak in the advanced phase was indeed the 1st ranking student and the official husband of the demoness. Cernos had turned into the circus. No one would have thought they could stoop so low. What a disgrace!
The members of other families were watching, disgusted and dismayed, the fat freak leave.
Artie Grand fixed his gaze on Dick. If he was lucky, he would strangle the ugly freak with his fat guts. However, he would be most likely devoured by wild beasts.. It would be good news, too, but in this case, the bastard wouldn't suffer enough.
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Three days before the forest tournament, Cernos was overwhelmed by good and bad news. The good news was that Dick Backer had officially lost the title of Prince Grand. The bad news was that Charles had raped a student and ran away from school. Everyone was shocked! Prince Hot Pants was at it again! The elite prostitutes weren't enough for him!
The witnesses claimed that he was like a wild beast, dragging the poor girl into his room right after the classes. The exhausted girl was still recovering at the medical center. The whole school was outraged. The wretched bastard thought that he would soon get the crown and could do anything he wished. Actually, it was exactly the case... and that's the trouble! Who would cut him down to size?
When Kyon learned the news, he immediately knew what was going on and ordered his knight to protect Marina. He had no doubt that as soon as Charles saw his beautiful friend, he would do anything to fuck her! Even Julia wouldn't help.
Despite the first innocent victim, Lovr did not regret giving Charles the Mom's Pet instead of the transformation pill. But he should have, and he understood this. When it came to the beautiful girls who were dear to him, Lovr turned into a furious avenger. He wasn't guided by reason but by the principle "Man is a wolf to man."
Three days had passed. The grandiose event started today. Every few years, twenty strongest students from the best schools in the kingdoms that made up Rosarrio took part in the tournament, the main goal of which was to reduce the number of fast-breeding wild beasts in the forest. This time it was the Iron Throne turn or rather the huge Elk Woods adjacent to the kingdom.
Over the past few months, workers under the direction of Cernos administration had been installing a stage with stands for five thousand seats at the forest borders. It would take the visitors from other kingdoms to overcome the distance from 2,000 to 10,000 kilometers to get here. That's why it was supposed that the majority of the spectators would be Iron Throners. Only the most devoted patriots, school administrations and the participants' parents might come from anywhere else, with the exception of the kings and the queens. These important persons had no free time to be distracted by a tournament that lasted for two weeks. Besides, there was not much to see apart from the opening and the closing parts.
A long line of carriages with Cernos students drove up to their destination. The crowd noise echoed from the stands for several kilometers. One and a half thousand young people, the participants in particular, sighed dejectedly every now and then. They seemed to be pursued by an invisible cloud bringing upon them bad luck and adversities. There were only 17 Cernos participants, not 20 as was customary! No one considered Dick Baker a participant. Charles the rapist was still absent, and he was their strongest candidate after all! Julia Grand, the third-strongest Cernos student with the fourth rank, had recently withdrawn her name, just after the lists were approved. As a result, everyone pinned their hopes on the morally destroyed former fan club members. However, the two suicides had been replaced by the 21st and 22nd ranking students, that is, absolute weaklings. Could the situation be any worse? The total power of the current participants was much lower than at the last tournament, where they were ridiculed anyway! They were going to disgrace the Iron Throne for hundreds of years to come, no less!
The only one who ignored the general pessimistic mood was obviously Dick Baker. His fat fingers sparkled with about fifty precious rings, his ears were adorned with three earrings each. He nibbled carelessly at a straw, lying on the carriage roof with half-closed eyes. Many openly envied his calmness and serenity.
Soon, the Cernos participants saw the stands. The Iron Throners greeted them with a loud ovation. Six fenced areas had been occupied by the participants from other schools, a total of 120 people. They looked at the newcomers with no interest, rather with a slight irritation. The weaklings, who took seventh place last time, dared to come last. Who did they think they were?
Aware of numerous eyes fixed on them, joyless Cernos students took their seats, and the participants headed to their zone. Those who were not lucky enough to notice the ugly fat guy with a proudly puffed out chest found themselves at a loss for words and turned away in horror. Representatives of other schools, including princes and princesses, were no exception.
«Look! There's a pig among Cernos participants! Ha-ha! He is disgusting!» – The hefty third prince of Liberia (2) said to his elder brothers with a crooked, contemptuous smile.
«Wow!» – The burly second prince exclaimed. – «What hole did he crawl out of?»
«What the hell?..» – The first prince, huge like a mountain, shouted indignantly. – «A freak in the advanced phase among the competitors?!»
The three famous princes-heroes yelled all over the area, attracting the onlookers. Dick did nothing but instantly became the center of attention. His arrogant look, numerous rings and earrings awakened the dormant feeling in everyone's heart... the feeling of disgust.
Haya, an exceptionally beautiful girl who was the most talented person in her kingdom noticed the nightmarish creature and hastily covered her eyes with her hands. This scene instantly spoiled the mood of the young first princess of Athens (1).
The citizens of the Iron Throne started to discuss the ugly freak:
«The freak in the advanced phase will represent Cernos?! » … «It must be a joke! There had never been a participant below the noble phase!» … «But the first prince of Liberia won't lie!» … «Look! They are only eighteen! How come?»
Meanwhile, principal Nulan went up to the stage and was about to give a speech when he was suddenly interrupted.
«Nulan, this joke is out of bounds!» – The first prince of Liberia thundered over the stands. He could afford to ignore the etiquette rules as his authority was much higher than that of Nulan.
The spectators instantly fell silent. Everyone listened to their conversation.
«It's an important tournament, young man. What jokes are you talking about?» – The effeminate principal asked softly with a polite smile.
The prince spread his enormous arms: «Ordinary people can't feel this, but the total power of your participants is an insult to this tournament! Who is that fat freak in the advanced phase? We have all come to the Iron Throne to clear your forests from dangerous creatures that threaten peaceful civilians, and you have organized a dog-and-pony show! Your entire group of losers can be easily defeated by a more or less strong participant alone! It can't be that the best geniuses of your kingdom are nothing but trash! Or can it?»
His words sounded fair enough. The participants and the administrators of other schools sneered maliciously while the Iron Throners fell silent in shame. Cernos students stared at the floor, clenching their fists until they turned white. They wanted to beat Dick Baker to death for the very fact of his existence! However, it wouldn't change the fact that they were nothing but trash.
Dick man stamped his foot in anger and yelled furiously: «Hey you, big guy! I am Dick Baker, the first-ranking student of Cernos! How dare you underestimate me? I'll single-handedly beat all of you, fucking losers! All at once!»
«Ahem!» – The three princes, half of the participants, and a large part of the audience coughed at his arrogant statement. His blatant arrogance was so confusing that those he was addressing found themselves at a loss for words.
«You have nothing to say, don't you? Then keep your mouth shut!» – Dick said self-confidently.
Haya Feruz was the first to come to her senses: «Are you the miserable Dick Baker who married the demoness?»
The audience gasped. The rumors that Princess Kara and Queen Vlada turned out to be demons spread throughout the empire long ago. The name of Dick Baker, her official husband, was also famous, but no one knew exactly how he looked! And now everyone could see him with their own eyes! It came as a shock to many. How could he commit himself to an evil monster? It's terrible! It's one thing to keep a demon as a slave, but marrying them? No way!
«Yes, it's me! So what?! I thought she was a human when I married her!» – Dick replied at once.
Haya didn't make any comments, but her contempt for him was written all over her face. In fact, all those present had almost instantly developed quite a dislike for the fat ugly freak. Now it had multiplied tenfold.
The first prince laughed out loud as if it was the best joke he had ever heard. His younger brothers, as well as the members of other schools followed his lead. The ridiculous name, the low cultivation, the absurd attempt to provoke the first prince of Liberia... No one doubted that the ugly freak was hired to entertain the audience!
«Great! Ha ha! I take my words back! I have no issues with Cernos any more.» – The first prince nodded contentedly, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. The words of the pathetic freak affected neither His Highness nor the other participants who were serious about winning. It would have been beneath their dignity. They could always beat Dick just for fun! Wasn't it Nulan's idea?
Almost every Iron Throner blushed deeply at these words. They felt ashamed for Cernos and their kingdom. They had never been so embarrassed before. The students, especially the Grands, wanted to sink into the ground or to disappear. They wished they could rip the arrogant prince's tongue out!
Nulan made sure that no one was going to interrupt him again, cleared his throat awkwardly, and began his opening speech: «Ladies and gentlemen, princesses and princes! It is a great honor for the Iron Throne to welcome all of you at this forest tournament…» – The atmosphere was still awkward because of Dick Baker, so the principal decided that he'd better get over the official part and get to the point. – «You know the tournament rules. The participants have two weeks to collect as many beast keys as possible. The keys with higher quality will get more points. It is allowed to take the keys from the opponents. All is fair, but it's forbidden to kill or maim the participants. The slightest violations will be investigated with all seriousness. The school with the most points will take first place and get half of the total amount of keys. The second place will get twenty percent of all the keys, the third place will get ten percent. The keys will be distributed among the participants according to their contribution. They can keep the rest of the keys, but any appropriation before the general calculation will be severely punished. It's easy to find out by simple statistical analysis, so we strongly advise against cheating. Now, here's the good part: the most active participant of the school that will take first place will get five million spheres, a thousand Tokens for their family, and a personal harnessed supreme beast at the beginning of the lord phase…»
A chained man with a wolf's tail and ears appeared on stage.
«…and what is more important, a "Scarlet Meteor" transformation pill of an "A" rank designed to break into the imperial phase (7)!» – Nulan opened the precious box with the blood-red pill. Its exhilarating aroma and energy spread throughout the stands, evoking exclamations of admiration.
«For real?!» – The three princes shouted at once, overshadowing the surprised audience with their loud voices. Even the principles couldn't believe their eyes, ears, and souls. A transformation pill of an A rank gave an almost 100% chance of breaking into the unattainable imperial phase! Practitioners at this level of cultivation happened as rarely in Rosarrio as pearls in the sea! In the history of the last fifty tournaments, they had never given a breakthrough pill into the imperial phase. Moreover, it was of an A rank, a C or a B rank that would be only reasonable! It was pure madness!
Haya Feruz stared at the pill in fascination. Even for her, the first princess of the strongest kingdom in Rosarrio, the transformation pill into the imperial phase was a luxury. An "A" rank pill was absolutely unaffordable! She wanted to have it at any cost! And she had every chance to get it. All the participants of her school were extremely powerful, and she was completely invincible in a one-on-one battle!
Dick thoughtfully stroked his patchy mustache. No one could get a transformation pill into the imperial phase of an "A" rank even at the annual auction in Dantes, and now it suddenly became a reward in some forest tournament? It was too suspicious to say the least!
As for the other rewards, he wouldn't mind getting five million spheres. It might be a huge sum for some, but for Kyon it was nothing.
Kyon considered the beast keys to be the second most valuable reward (after the pill). They can be used almost everywhere, from alchemy to enchantment. As a last resort, he could always see them. The demand for the beast keys was always high.
Among other things, Kyon found it outraging that the wolf-man had received surprisingly little attention, only some scornful snorts and sidelong glances.
{The awards are worth the risk. Definitely worth it.} – He nodded to his greedy thoughts and listened attentively to the people around him.
The three princes whispered excitedly exchanging their ideas on how to win first place. Statistically, their school took the leading position every third tournament. However, they had almost no chance this time because of Princess Haya, whose talents were well-known throughout the whole empire. They could defeat and rob her only if they acted together, which they finally agreed upon.
Princess Haya couldn't care less about the other participants. She stared at the pill mesmerized, licking her lips in anticipation.
Representatives of the other schools were silent with envy. They didn't have a single chance to get this award.
Principal Nulan closed the box and took out a silver bracelet: «Now let's get down to the details. Each of you must wear these bracelets until the end of the tournament. The formation inside them has three functions. First, once an hour you can find the direction to the nearest opponent that doesn't belong to your school. Second, you will get help as soon as the formation is activated, but it means your disqualification. Third, the bracelet will vibrate if you approach the forest edge or one of your teammates. You will be disqualified unless you move one kilometer away within three minutes after the vibration.»
The three princes looked at each other gloomily. They had completely forgotten that the forest tournament was aimed at demonstrating personal success without excessive cooperation. Otherwise, everyone would cooperate and rob weaker teams, exploiting the function of tracking the nearest opponent.
«I must also tell you the obvious. Any outside help means disqualification of all school participants. Any communication on the sound transmitter means disqualification, as well as losing one tenth of the total keys. We have effective methods to trace any violation of rules. I don't recommend taking risks. And once again, I remind you that it's forbidden to kill any participants! Only a fair duel is allowed, after which the winner takes the loser's keys. If it comes to investigation, we will use the database of your movements. When all the secrets are out, the offender will face full force of law.»
Kyon knew about it. He had a huge arsenal of weapons in his pocket. All he needed was to estimate the fire power to disarm the opponent without killing them. He was informed what to expect from the majority of the participants. It would be absurd for Lovr go to the tournament without doing his homework. As for calculation, he totally relied on Synergy.
«And closing my speech, I announce the order in which the participants will go to the forest. The first-ranking student of the school that took the last place at the previous tournament is going first and then in ascending order.» – Nulan made a gesture to Cernos students to come up on stage.
The eighteen participants approached him. The principal gave each of them a bracelet with their initials for easier tracking. Dick Baker was the first to leave.
The Iron Throners grumbled in disappointment. The ugly freak in the advanced phase was indeed the 1st ranking student and the official husband of the demoness. Cernos had turned into the circus. No one would have thought they could stoop so low. What a disgrace!
The members of other families were watching, disgusted and dismayed, the fat freak leave.
Artie Grand fixed his gaze on Dick. If he was lucky, he would strangle the ugly freak with his fat guts. However, he would be most likely devoured by wild beasts.. It would be good news, too, but in this case, the bastard wouldn't suffer enough.
Three days before the forest tournament, Cernos was overwhelmed by good and bad news. The good news was that Dick Backer had officially lost the title of Prince Grand. The bad news was that Charles had raped a student and ran away from school. Everyone was shocked! Prince Hot Pants was at it again! The elite prostitutes weren't enough for him! The witnesses claimed that he was like a wild beast, dragging the poor girl into his room right after the classes. The exhausted girl was still recovering at the medical center. The whole school was outraged. The wretched bastard thought that he would soon get the crown and could do anything he wished. Actually, it was exactly the case... and that's the trouble! Who would cut him down to size? When Kyon learned the news, he immediately knew what was going on and ordered his knight to protect Marina. He had no doubt that as soon as Charles saw his beautiful friend, he would do anything to fuck her! Even Julia wouldn't help. Despite the first innocent victim, Lovr did not regret giving Charles the Mom's Pet instead of the transformation pill. But he should have, and he understood this. When it came to the beautiful girls who were dear to him, Lovr turned into a furious avenger. He wasn't guided by reason but by the principle "Man is a wolf to man." Three days had passed. The grandiose event started today. Every few years, twenty strongest students from the best schools in the kingdoms that made up Rosarrio took part in the tournament, the main goal of which was to reduce the number of fast-breeding wild beasts in the forest. This time it was the Iron Throne turn or rather the huge Elk Woods adjacent to the kingdom. Over the past few months, workers under the direction of Cernos administration had been installing a stage with stands for five thousand seats at the forest borders. It would take the visitors from other kingdoms to overcome the distance from 2,000 to 10,000 kilometers to get here. That's why it was supposed that the majority of the spectators would be Iron Throners. Only the most devoted patriots, school administrations and the participants' parents might come from anywhere else, with the exception of the kings and the queens. These important persons had no free time to be distracted by a tournament that lasted for two weeks. Besides, there was not much to see apart from the opening and the closing parts. A long line of carriages with Cernos students drove up to their destination. The crowd noise echoed from the stands for several kilometers. One and a half thousand young people, the participants in particular, sighed dejectedly every now and then. They seemed to be pursued by an invisible cloud bringing upon them bad luck and adversities. There were only 17 Cernos participants, not 20 as was customary! No one considered Dick Baker a participant. Charles the rapist was still absent, and he was their strongest candidate after all! Julia Grand, the third-strongest Cernos student with the fourth rank, had recently withdrawn her name, just after the lists were approved. As a result, everyone pinned their hopes on the morally destroyed former fan club members. However, the two suicides had been replaced by the 21st and 22nd ranking students, that is, absolute weaklings. Could the situation be any worse? The total power of the current participants was much lower than at the last tournament, where they were ridiculed anyway! They were going to disgrace the Iron Throne for hundreds of years to come, no less! The only one who ignored the general pessimistic mood was obviously Dick Baker. His fat fingers sparkled with about fifty precious rings, his ears were adorned with three earrings each. He nibbled carelessly at a straw, lying on the carriage roof with half-closed eyes. Many openly envied his calmness and serenity. Soon, the Cernos participants saw the stands. The Iron Throners greeted them with a loud ovation. Six fenced areas had been occupied by the participants from other schools, a total of 120 people. They looked at the newcomers with no interest, rather with a slight irritation. The weaklings, who took seventh place last time, dared to come last. Who did they think they were? Aware of numerous eyes fixed on them, joyless Cernos students took their seats, and the participants headed to their zone. Those who were not lucky enough to notice the ugly fat guy with a proudly puffed out chest found themselves at a loss for words and turned away in horror. Representatives of other schools, including princes and princesses, were no exception. Look! There's a pig among Cernos participants! Ha-ha! He is disgusting! The hefty third prince of Liberia 2 said to his elder brothers with a crooked, contemptuous smile. Wow! The burly second prince exclaimed. What hole did he crawl out of? What the hell?.. The first prince, huge like a mountain, shouted indignantly. A freak in the advanced phase among the competitors?! The three famous princes-heroes yelled all over the area, attracting the onlookers. Dick did nothing but instantly became the center of attention. His arrogant look, numerous rings and earrings awakened the dormant feeling in everyone's heart... the feeling of disgust. Haya, an exceptionally beautiful girl who was the most talented person in her kingdom noticed the nightmarish creature and hastily covered her eyes with her hands. This scene instantly spoiled the mood of the young first princess of Athens 1. The citizens of the Iron Throne started to discuss the ugly freak: The freak in the advanced phase will represent Cernos?! It must be a joke! There had never been a participant below the noble phase! But the first prince of Liberia won't lie! Look! They are only eighteen! How come? Meanwhile, principal Nulan went up to the stage and was about to give a speech when he was suddenly interrupted. Nulan, this joke is out of bounds! The first prince of Liberia thundered over the stands. He could afford to ignore the etiquette rules as his authority was much higher than that of Nulan. The spectators instantly fell silent. Everyone listened to their conversation. It's an important tournament, young man. What jokes are you talking about? The effeminate principal asked softly with a polite smile. The prince spread his enormous arms: Ordinary people can't feel this, but the total power of your participants is an insult to this tournament! Who is that fat freak in the advanced phase? We have all come to the Iron Throne to clear your forests from dangerous creatures that threaten peaceful civilians, and you have organized a dog-and-pony show! Your entire group of losers can be easily defeated by a more or less strong participant alone! It can't be that the best geniuses of your kingdom are nothing but trash! Or can it? His words sounded fair enough. The participants and the administrators of other schools sneered maliciously while the Iron Throners fell silent in shame. Cernos students stared at the floor, clenching their fists until they turned white. They wanted to beat Dick Baker to death for the very fact of his existence! However, it wouldn't change the fact that they were nothing but trash. Dick man stamped his foot in anger and yelled furiously: Hey you, big guy! I am Dick Baker, the first-ranking student of Cernos! How dare you underestimate me? I'll single-handedly beat all of you, fucking losers! All at once! Ahem! The three princes, half of the participants, and a large part of the audience coughed at his arrogant statement. His blatant arrogance was so confusing that those he was addressing found themselves at a loss for words. You have nothing to say, don't you? Then keep your mouth shut! Dick said self-confidently. Haya Feruz was the first to come to her senses: Are you the miserable Dick Baker who married the demoness? The audience gasped. The rumors that Princess Kara and Queen Vlada turned out to be demons spread throughout the empire long ago. The name of Dick Baker, her official husband, was also famous, but no one knew exactly how he looked! And now everyone could see him with their own eyes! It came as a shock to many. How could he commit himself to an evil monster? It's terrible! It's one thing to keep a demon as a slave, but marrying them? No way! Yes, it's me! So what?! I thought she was a human when I married her! Dick replied at once. Haya didn't make any comments, but her contempt for him was written all over her face. In fact, all those present had almost instantly developed quite a dislike for the fat ugly freak. Now it had multiplied tenfold. The first prince laughed out loud as if it was the best joke he had ever heard. His younger brothers, as well as the members of other schools followed his lead. The ridiculous name, the low cultivation, the absurd attempt to provoke the first prince of Liberia... No one doubted that the ugly freak was hired to entertain the audience! Great! Ha ha! I take my words back! I have no issues with Cernos any more. The first prince nodded contentedly, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. The words of the pathetic freak affected neither His Highness nor the other participants who were serious about winning. It would have been beneath their dignity. They could always beat Dick just for fun! Wasn't it Nulan's idea? Almost every Iron Throner blushed deeply at these words. They felt ashamed for Cernos and their kingdom. They had never been so embarrassed before. The students, especially the Grands, wanted to sink into the ground or to disappear. They wished they could rip the arrogant prince's tongue out! Nulan made sure that no one was going to interrupt him again, cleared his throat awkwardly, and began his opening speech: Ladies and gentlemen, princesses and princes! It is a great honor for the Iron Throne to welcome all of you at this forest tournament The atmosphere was still awkward because of Dick Baker, so the principal decided that he'd better get over the official part and get to the point. You know the tournament rules. The participants have two weeks to collect as many beast keys as possible. The keys with higher quality will get more points. It is allowed to take the keys from the opponents. All is fair, but it's forbidden to kill or maim the participants. The slightest violations will be investigated with all seriousness. The school with the most points will take first place and get half of the total amount of keys. The second place will get twenty percent of all the keys, the third place will get ten percent. The keys will be distributed among the participants according to their contribution. They can keep the rest of the keys, but any appropriation before the general calculation will be severely punished. It's easy to find out by simple statistical analysis, so we strongly advise against cheating. Now, here's the good part: the most active participant of the school that will take first place will get five million spheres, a thousand Tokens for their family, and a personal harnessed supreme beast at the beginning of the lord phase A chained man with a wolf's tail and ears appeared on stage. and what is more important, a "Scarlet Meteor" transformation pill of an "A" rank designed to break into the imperial phase 7! Nulan opened the precious box with the blood-red pill. Its exhilarating aroma and energy spread throughout the stands, evoking exclamations of admiration. For real?! The three princes shouted at once, overshadowing the surprised audience with their loud voices. Even the principles couldn't believe their eyes, ears, and souls. A transformation pill of an A rank gave an almost 100% chance of breaking into the unattainable imperial phase! Practitioners at this level of cultivation happened as rarely in Rosarrio as pearls in the sea! In the history of the last fifty tournaments, they had never given a breakthrough pill into the imperial phase. Moreover, it was of an A rank, a C or a B rank that would be only reasonable! It was pure madness! Haya Feruz stared at the pill in fascination. Even for her, the first princess of the strongest kingdom in Rosarrio, the transformation pill into the imperial phase was a luxury. An "A" rank pill was absolutely unaffordable! She wanted to have it at any cost! And she had every chance to get it. All the participants of her school were extremely powerful, and she was completely invincible in a one-on-one battle! Dick thoughtfully stroked his patchy mustache. No one could get a transformation pill into the imperial phase of an "A" rank even at the annual auction in Dantes, and now it suddenly became a reward in some forest tournament? It was too suspicious to say the least! As for the other rewards, he wouldn't mind getting five million spheres. It might be a huge sum for some, but for Kyon it was nothing. Kyon considered the beast keys to be the second most valuable reward after the pill. They can be used almost everywhere, from alchemy to enchantment. As a last resort, he could always see them. The demand for the beast keys was always high. Among other things, Kyon found it outraging that the wolf-man had received surprisingly little attention, only some scornful snorts and sidelong glances. {The awards are worth the risk. Definitely worth it.} He nodded to his greedy thoughts and listened attentively to the people around him. The three princes whispered excitedly exchanging their ideas on how to win first place. Statistically, their school took the leading position every third tournament. However, they had almost no chance this time because of Princess Haya, whose talents were well-known throughout the whole empire. They could defeat and rob her only if they acted together, which they finally agreed upon. Princess Haya couldn't care less about the other participants. She stared at the pill mesmerized, licking her lips in anticipation. Representatives of the other schools were silent with envy. They didn't have a single chance to get this award. Principal Nulan closed the box and took out a silver bracelet: Now let's get down to the details. Each of you must wear these bracelets until the end of the tournament. The formation inside them has three functions. First, once an hour you can find the direction to the nearest opponent that doesn't belong to your school. Second, you will get help as soon as the formation is activated, but it means your disqualification. Third, the bracelet will vibrate if you approach the forest edge or one of your teammates. You will be disqualified unless you move one kilometer away within three minutes after the vibration. The three princes looked at each other gloomily. They had completely forgotten that the forest tournament was aimed at demonstrating personal success without excessive cooperation. Otherwise, everyone would cooperate and rob weaker teams, exploiting the function of tracking the nearest opponent. I must also tell you the obvious. Any outside help means disqualification of all school participants. Any communication on the sound transmitter means disqualification, as well as losing one tenth of the total keys. We have effective methods to trace any violation of rules. I don't recommend taking risks. And once again, I remind you that it's forbidden to kill any participants! Only a fair duel is allowed, after which the winner takes the loser's keys. If it comes to investigation, we will use the database of your movements. When all the secrets are out, the offender will face full force of law. Kyon knew about it. He had a huge arsenal of weapons in his pocket. All he needed was to estimate the fire power to disarm the opponent without killing them. He was informed what to expect from the majority of the participants. It would be absurd for Lovr go to the tournament without doing his homework. As for calculation, he totally relied on Synergy. And closing my speech, I announce the order in which the participants will go to the forest. The first-ranking student of the school that took the last place at the previous tournament is going first and then in ascending order. Nulan made a gesture to Cernos students to come up on stage. The eighteen participants approached him. The principal gave each of them a bracelet with their initials for easier tracking. Dick Baker was the first to leave. The Iron Throners grumbled in disappointment. The ugly freak in the advanced phase was indeed the 1st ranking student and the official husband of the demoness. Cernos had turned into the circus. No one would have thought they could stoop so low. What a disgrace! The members of other families were watching, disgusted and dismayed, the fat freak leave. Artie Grand fixed his gaze on Dick. If he was lucky, he would strangle the ugly freak with his fat guts. However, he would be most likely devoured by wild beasts.. It would be good news, too, but in this case, the bastard wouldn't suffer enough.
