How to Live as a Genius Knight in a Fantasy World

26.

Quietly left alone, it would naturally heal, but for now, it was a wound uncomfortable enough to move.

If there were potions, it could be resolved in an instant, but considering the price, it was a method one dared not attempt.

Worried Rohan tried to stop Argen from participating, but Argen strongly expressed his determination to compete in the main event.

“I can’t give up because of such wounds. I may not be able to come back to Arden anytime soon, and I’m not young anymore, so this tournament might be my last chance to compete.”

With a fiery spirit, Rohan couldn’t bring himself to say more.

Just hoping not to be seriously injured.

“Well, I can’t relax either.”

In fact, the opponents they met in the qualifiers were too easy; once in the main event, it was inevitable to face formidable opponents.

There was no rule stating that one must receive a title even if they possessed knight-level skills.

After all the qualifiers were over, returning to the lodging from the arena, it was already past evening.

With the main event match scheduled for the next day, there was no room for other thoughts.

Just went down to the dining hall, filled their stomachs with a stew filled with meat, and went to bed early.

The next day, soldiers who heard that both Rohan and Argen had advanced to the main event wanted to follow them from morning, saying they wanted to watch.

“Ugh, I’m tired.”

“It’s okay if you’re a bit tired.”

“You need to look good with good condition.”

As they chatted, they quickly arrived at the arena and found their seats in the waiting room.

“Must be because it’s the main event, they’re providing these?”

Unlike yesterday, the waiting room had simple snacks prepared: meat pies, cookies, and small pieces of bread neatly arranged with drinks.

Argen, who seemed to enjoy the taste, picked up a pie and smiled contentedly.

As they snacked and waited, the familiar voice of the host began to fill the arena again.

At the same time, ushers came in and put up a large paper with the match schedule drawn on it.

“Oh…”

Rohan smiled as he checked the match schedule.

Argen was on the opposite side, meaning they wouldn’t meet until the finals.

“And… it’s my first match.”

After checking the order, a slight tension and excitement enveloped Rohan.

It felt like his body was preparing for a fight.

The host explained the rules once again, then the ushers came in and took Rohan and his opponent out of the waiting room.

Stepping into the arena, Rohan walked around, taking in the surroundings.

“Wow!”

“Start already!”

So crowded that even the spectators who couldn’t find proper seats were standing and watching, it was quite a sight.

Amidst all the noise they created, he stepped onto the stage.

“Main event sure is different.”

Combining the four stages used in the qualifiers into one large space.

The gazes pouring in from all directions were much more intense than in the previous qualifying matches.

The pressure felt from the presence of many people, and the tension of facing the opponent and their weapon in front of you.

Exhaled deeply to release it all.

With calm breaths, he focused on his opponent.

A physique slightly larger than Rohan’s, with well-trained muscular body.

Wearing chain armor and wielding a sword slightly longer and thicker than an ordinary one.

“Surely a wielder of aggressive swordsmanship.”

Rohan’s conclusion after a brief observation.

Following the instructions of the judgment, he distanced himself from the opponent and raised his sword in response to the horn signaling the start of the match.

As Rohan expected, the opponent displayed aggressively swift movements from the start.

The opponent leaped towards Rohan, who had taken a defensive stance, like a leopard.

Seemingly confident after passing the preliminaries, the charging momentum was fierce.

Slightly lifting his body in the air, the opponent swung the sword heavily towards Rohan, putting all their weight behind it.

If they had equal strength, this attack would have disrupted the balance in an instant.

However, Rohan had no intention of retreating easily.

Firmly planting his lower body on the ground, he twisted his waist and struck with his sword.

A strike to intercept the opponent’s sword head-on was launched from Rohan’s fingertips.

Clang!

Grasping tightly the sword that seemed to slip away at any moment, he parried the opponent’s ensuing attack.

The sound of metal clashing echoed continuously on the stage.

The spectators watching their fight erupted in cheers.

“Wow!”

“They’re insane! Both of them are insane!”

Cheers, screams, and shouts mixed chaotically, filling the arena, but both fighters paid no mind to such things.

They just moved their arms instinctively following the movements of the sword tips before their eyes.

Even in the midst of the frantic fight, Rohan felt a kind of respect for his opponent.

“I don’t sense any aura.”

No matter how he looked, the opponent in front of him was not an aura user.

They were simply facing Rohan with their trained physical body.

Rohan was confident that even if he were to awaken the aura in this fight, he wouldn’t be surprised.

But respect was respect, and victory was victory.

Even without using aura, Rohan’s physical abilities had already surpassed those of Argen.

Raising the tempo one step further, he put full force into each attack.

It seemed the opponent’s hands were trembling slightly from the impact of the recoil.

Sensing the disadvantage, the opponent tried to create distance, but Rohan persistently followed, continuing his attacks.

And finally, whether exhausted or not, the opponent’s sword flew out of their hand and rolled on the stage.

“I lost…”

The opponent declared defeat with a regretful expression.

Applause and cheers rained down on Rohan, who raised his fist in victory.

With the support of the crowd, Rohan left the stage, and two hours later, Argen could finally compete.

“Man, waiting is really damn boring.”

He grumbled, exchanging words of encouragement towards him and waiting for Argen amidst the cheers of the audience.

With a momentum that seemed to easily defeat the opponent and return, Argen stepped forward, but despite the time passing considerably, the door to the waiting room remained closed.

Nearly an hour later, the cheers of the audience began to subside, and soon an usher opened the door and entered.

To find out who the winner was, Rohan looked behind the guide, but neither Argen nor his opponent had returned to the waiting room.

Feeling a sense of foreboding, he watched the guide’s fingers as they modified the tournament bracket.

Drawing X’s next to both Argen and his opponent’s names, the guide treated the previous match’s winner as advancing to the next round.

Before he could leave the waiting room, Rohan quickly caught up to him and spoke, “What happened to the two who lost the previous match?”

Taken aback by Rohan’s sudden question, the guide hesitated briefly before responding, “Ah, Argen won, but both of them sustained serious injuries and had to forfeit the next match.”

“Are their lives… in danger?”

“They have deep wounds and lost a lot of blood… I’m not sure.”

“Oh… thank you…”

With a worried heart, Rohan’s face hardened.

Despite feeling dizzy, he couldn’t just leave the arena now.

“There’s nothing I can do even if I go.”

He had heard that in case of injury, they would be transferred to a medical facility, so by now, Argen would probably be on his way to receive treatment.

And next up was Rohan’s own match.

After hearing about Argen’s situation, he fought two matches, but the course of the games didn’t differ much from the first one.

His opponent was undoubtedly a physically well-prepared, excellent warrior, but he couldn’t be a match for Rohan, armed with various skills.

From the opponent’s perspective, it was just bad luck, but in reality, being able to return from such a competition without major injuries was fortunate enough.

As the match progressed, the field narrowed down to four.

Having gone through several matches, he was now familiar enough with the remaining opponents’ names and faces.

Rohan’s opponent was a man in his mid-thirties, seemingly a mercenary, with a sturdy physique and two swords strapped to his back.

If asked how he knew he was a mercenary, it was because everything from his attire to demeanor was typical of a mercenary.

Constantly provoking the opponents he had encountered so far and eventually trampling over them, he was a man who had risen through the ranks by force.

Whether it was his natural disposition or a tactic to unsettle his opponents, it was undeniable that his behavior was unpleasant.

And Rohan couldn’t avoid his provocations either.

“Hey, rookie. You’re my next opponent? You look barely twenty, right… Lucky you?”

“Did you come here after sucking your mom’s milk dry? Oh, maybe you’re already dead?”

“Do you have a sister? If you do, let’s share her.”

Throwing all sorts of dirty words, the opponent.

But Rohan was someone who had survived in the harsh world of South Korea’s gaming industry even before being born into this world.

He had a heart that remained unaffected by mediocre insults and lewd remarks.

And Rohan knew well that hurling insults at such a person would only hurt his own pride.

Just trampling over them with his skills.

He had learned long ago that was the quickest solution through experience.

Now, standing on the stage that felt familiar, he faced his opponent.

The opponent, who probably had no personal grudge against Rohan, exuded a level of aggressiveness in his attack that felt like a palpable threat.

“I’ll kill you this time too!”

“I’ll rip your opponent apart!”

“Rohan! Show that trash what you’re made of!”

As the audience’s cheers poured down, Rohan could deduce one thing from the scene.

‘This guy, he killed his opponent.’

It was obvious from the bloodthirsty excitement in the crowd, shouting to kill, that this was a predictable situation.

“hehehe, let’s finish this in one go.”

A faint blue light emanated from the blade of the one who spoke with a sardonic laugh.

Anger surged in Rohan’s eyes as he saw the opponent.

‘This guy, he intentionally killed.’

If one could inject aura into a blade to such an extent, there was no need to kill the opponent to win.

He was nothing more than a person who killed for fun.

For the first time in this tournament, Rohan felt a sense of malice brewing within him.

‘If I let him be, he will only cause harm to others.’

Wasn’t Rohan himself harboring malice?

With his resolve set, Rohan led the opponent with the aura towards him, and his sword slowly tinged with a blue light.

The opponent’s eyes, which had seemed playful at first glance, now shook greatly at the sight of the much denser and sharper blue light than his own, as if he was looking at a toy.

An ominous premonition struck, but the opponent quickly shook off his unease, tilting his head slightly.

Though it seemed like he might lunge at Rohan any moment, perhaps due to seeing the aura, he cautiously closed the distance between them.

‘He’s still inexperienced. Even if he can handle the aura, he’s surely inexperienced in combat. I can definitely win.’

The mercenary swordsman, Jace, thought so.

Initially, he thought Rohan was just a lucky rookie, but he didn’t expect him to wield such a dense aura.

But there was no room for losing here.

Half a year since he could use the aura.

He had bet his life’s savings solely on his victory in this tournament.

In other words, losing meant losing everything.

He had already considered facing aura users several times.

Those participating in this tournament would at best be at a similar level to himself.

Having rolled as a mercenary and experienced numerous battles, he was confident he wouldn’t lose.

Moreover, Rohan’s weapon was just an ordinary one-handed sword with a small shield.

With such equipment, there was no way to withstand the power of a two-handed sword.

As Jace closed the distance, he swung his sword with all his might.