Chapter 108 - Tournament
I got into the carriage with Luna, and we sat beside each other.
I looked at her with an excited smile.
"This tournament is going to be so much fun."
"We can beat down so many people—"
I immediately stopped myself.
"Oh..."
"I mean..."
"We can have some good matches against other people."
Luna laughed softly.
Then a small grin appeared on her face.
"Isn’t it more fun to beat them up?"
"I think I’ll enjoy that too."
The exact same grin appeared on my face.
We looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.
From the other side of the carriage, Elena and Isabella stared at us.
Elena blinked.
"Is this really my little sister?"
Isabella covered her mouth slightly.
"She certainly seems much happier lately."
Amy simply sighed and placed a hand against her forehead.
"That brat is finally showing his true colors."
"He doesn’t even care about the tournament or winning."
"He just wants to go around beating people up, exploring ruins, and looking for treasure."
She paused.
"Actually..."
"He doesn’t even care that much about the treasure."
"He just wants to have fun."
Isabella and Elena laughed.
Isabella smiled warmly.
"Luna does seem much happier with Gray."
"I’m glad to see that."
Elena nodded.
"Me too."
The carriage continued moving toward the tournament grounds.
During the journey, we talked about all kinds of things.
The tournament.
Our training.
Magic.
Swordsmanship.
Our expectations for the competition.
Sister Isabella also gave us some advice about what to expect once we arrived.
We listened carefully.
Even though Luna and I were excited, we both understood that the tournament would be different from our usual training.
There would be countless talented people there.
And some of them would undoubtedly be much stronger than us.
Still...
That only made me more excited.
Eventually, the carriage slowed down.
We had arrived.
I stepped outside and looked around.
A massive tournament arena stood before us.
At the center was a huge dueling arena, while two separate registration lines had been established nearby.
And both lines were already incredibly long.
Luna and I looked at each other.
She sighed.
"Oh..."
"Looks like we have to wait in line."
"Mom said there won’t be any special privileges in this tournament."
"So..."
She pointed toward me.
"Stay close."
"You’re my walking stash."
I stared at her dumbfounded.
"...What?"
She put on a smug expression.
"My walking stash."
"You always have delicious food inside your Space Storage."
"So all of that now belongs to me."
My eye twitched.
"How does that even work?"
Luna smiled playfully.
"Oh?"
"Aren’t you my fiancé?"
"Do you really think becoming my fiancé comes for free?"
"It’s expensive."
She looked at me like I was a walking treasure chest.
I stared at her in disbelief.
From behind us, Amy had heard everything.
She desperately tried to suppress her laughter.
I turned toward her and glared.
That was enough.
She immediately burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!"
Isabella remained calm, but I could see a small smile on her face.
Elena walked toward Amy.
"Amy, let’s go register."
But before leaving, Amy suddenly extended her hand toward me.
Then she looked at Elena.
"Hey, Elena."
"Come on."
"Let’s get some snacks while we wait."
She grinned.
"This brat is apparently going to have to feed his newly acquired fiancée anyway."
Elena immediately understood what she meant.
She also extended her hand toward me.
"Amy’s right."
I stared at both of them.
"Sister Elena..."
"You too?"
She smiled innocently.
"What do you mean, ’me too’?"
"What’s wrong with enjoying some good food?"
"Why should only my sister get to eat?"
Luna immediately protested.
"What nonsense are you two talking about?"
Elena smirked.
"Oh?"
"Look who finally decided to speak."
"Did you really think you could hide all the food in his Space Storage for yourself?"
She placed a hand over her chest and pretended to look hurt.
"I feel sorry for you, little sister."
Luna rolled her eyes.
"Stop acting, Sister."
"I know you’re pretending."
Elena laughed.
I simply sighed and handed them the food they wanted.
Of course...
They had no idea that I had already stocked up on even more food back at the Imperial Palace.
Luna watched as Amy and Elena happily took their snacks.
They both smiled.
"Thanks, little brother."
"See you later."
Then they left.
I looked toward Isabella.
She was preparing to head toward the Empress’s side.
I quickly took out another container and handed it to her.
"Here."
"You can have some too."
She looked at the container, then at me.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"Thank you, Gray."
I nodded.
"Enjoy."
Then I quickly ran toward Luna.
"Come on!"
Luna followed me.
We returned to the registration line and continued waiting.
However...
There was one problem.
Our appearances were attracting far too much attention.
People kept staring at us.
Especially Luna.
Numerous boys couldn’t help looking in her direction.
I noticed Luna becoming slightly uncomfortable.
She remained calm, but I could tell she didn’t like all the attention.
I frowned.
Then I reached into my Space Storage.
I pulled out two robes.
I handed one to Luna and placed the other over my own head.
Luna looked at me in surprise.
Then a small smile appeared on her face.
"You really have everything inside that Space Storage of yours, don’t you?"
I smiled proudly.
"Of course."
I smirked.
Luna shook her head with an amused smile.
"I should have expected that from you."
With the robes covering most of our appearances, the attention around us gradually decreased.
However...
The boys who had been staring at Luna now turned their attention toward me.
They gave me death glares.
I simply returned their looks with a sharp glare of my own.
For a few seconds, we stared at each other.
Then...
They looked away.
I nodded in satisfaction.
"Much better."
Luna glanced at me and covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
"You’re really childish sometimes."
"I was only protecting my peace."
She shook her head with an amused smile.
We continued waiting in line.
As time passed, the line behind us continued growing.
More and more participants arrived, and the registration area became increasingly crowded.
The tournament was getting closer.
Eventually, it was finally our turn.
Luna and I stepped forward and approached the registration counter.
A young woman was sitting behind the desk, carefully registering each participant.
She looked at us before speaking politely.
"Could you please remove your robes?"
"We need to confirm your identities before registering you."
Luna and I nodded.
We removed our hoods.
The receptionist’s eyes widened slightly.
"Ah..."
"Now I understand why you two were wearing robes."
She smiled before looking between us.
"You two are ten years old, correct?"
We both nodded.
She then turned toward me.
"Alright."
"What is your name?"
I looked at her and answered calmly.
"Gray Starlight."
The moment she heard my name, her pen stopped.
"Starlight?"
"You belong to the Starlight Family?"
"As in Lady Seraphina?"
I nodded.
"Yeah."
"She’s my mother."
The receptionist looked genuinely surprised.
She quickly composed herself and nodded before writing down my information.
After finishing, she handed me a small numbered slip.
"Here you are."
"This is your registration number."
I accepted it.
"Thank you."
The receptionist then turned toward Luna.
"What is your name?"
Her tone immediately became more respectful.
After all...
Anyone casually standing beside Gray Starlight was unlikely to be an ordinary participant.
Luna smiled politely.
"I’m Luna von Valtherion."
The receptionist froze again.
Her eyes widened.
"Princess?"
"It’s an honor to meet you."
Luna simply nodded with a polite smile.
The receptionist quickly filled in Luna’s information as well.
Once she finished, she handed Luna her numbered slip.
"Here you are, Princess."
"Thank you."
Luna accepted it.
We then walked toward the inside of the tournament grounds together.
I looked down at my number.
365.
Then I glanced at Luna’s.
366.
I stared at the two numbers for a moment.
"...We’re right next to each other."
Luna looked at hers before smiling.
"Looks like we’re going to be together for this too."
I grinned.
"Of course."
"Wouldn’t be as fun otherwise."
We continued walking deeper into the tournament grounds.
All around us...
Hundreds of young participants were gathering.
Some looked nervous.
Some looked excited.
Others were already sizing up their competition.
And judging by the sheer number of participants...
This tournament was going to be much more interesting than I expected.
The atmosphere inside the tournament grounds suddenly changed.
The lively conversations gradually died down as everyone turned toward the massive arena.
Then—
A powerful voice echoed throughout the entire venue.
"Attention, everyone!"
The announcer stepped forward and looked across the gathered participants.
"The tournament is about to begin!"
The moment his words echoed through the arena, the remaining conversations immediately stopped.
The announcer continued.
"Before we begin, I will explain the rules."
"First..."
"No killing is allowed."
"Any participant who intentionally attempts to kill another participant will be immediately disqualified."
The atmosphere became slightly more serious.
"This tournament will be conducted using a bracket system."
"Each age group will have its own section."
"The participants will compete against one another until only the strongest remain."
"From each section..."
"The top five participants will advance."
"These twenty participants will then become the candidates who will compete in the main tournament."
A wave of excitement spread through the arena.
The announcer raised his voice.
"So fight with everything you have!"
"Show us your strength!"
"Show us your talent!"
"But remember..."
"Control your attacks."
"No matter how powerful you are..."
"Do not forget the rules."
He paused for a moment.
Then his expression became more solemn.
"Among the spectators today..."
"The Empress herself is watching."
"She will personally witness the performance of the younger generation."
"So if you wish to stand out..."
"Now is your chance."
His voice echoed throughout the arena.
"Perform well."
"Prove your worth."
"And earn your place among the strongest!"
"The winners of this tournament will receive opportunities that most people could only dream of."
"Resources."
"Recognition."
"Connections."
"And, most importantly..."
"The chance to compete in the main tournament for a place in the Secret Realm."
The entire arena erupted with excitement.
Hundreds of young participants looked toward the massive battlefields with determination.
Some clenched their fists.
Others summoned their weapons.
A few simply smiled confidently.
Everyone had the same goal.
To become one of the strongest twenty.
The announcer raised his hand.
"Participants..."
"Prepare yourselves."
"The tournament..."
"Begins now!"