Here We Go

“BLEEERRRGHHH!!”

Teleporting was weird. One second you’re there—the next, you’re here. Your body simply wasn’t built to process the in-between.

Unfortunately, my stomach wasn’t built for it either.

“Cotter, you good?” Daisy stumbled toward me.

The technician groaned, dragging his hands down his face. “Great! Now I have to clean this up.”

“S-Sorry! I’ll help clean—”

“You’d better. And don’t forget your Adventurer welcome packages.” He jabbed a thumb toward a stack of parcels on the counter. “You’re going to need it.”

Piper, for her part seemed rather, nonplussed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she ventured.

“You got fans. On top of the East Gate diaspora, a lot of them are from nations not affiliated with Sunlight, apparently, according to the ticket buyers. It just happens they need someone to cheer for and a match to watch. So…”

Daisy groaned. “Ugh… Crowds…”

Piper smirked. “You’d complain if a group watched, let alone a crowd.”

“Why must we take our test in front of a crowd again?”

\\

The hall leading deeper in was buzzing. Dozens of others were funneling the same way, all sorts of people—some in simple commoner clothes, others clearly from guild-backed academies. The closer we got, the more the noise swelled.

I tried not to think about too hard. 

When we reached the chamber we’d been directed to, I should’ve expected it. The first person waiting for us was him.

The Proctor.

We stood in the underpassages of a vast spherical structure. From the distant roar above, my guess was correct: an arena.

“ATTENTION, MAGGOTS!”

The entire chamber froze. I pulled my elf mask tighter.

I brought it along. Showing my real self would be particularly suicidal.

“This year, after much… negotiation,” the Proctor sneered, “I am now Managing Director of Adventurer Affairs.”

Figures. This guy collected promotions the way most adventurers collected injuries. But how did a guy with his… uh, force of personality… get promoted?

“The first of many adventurer exam phases will be held in the Grand Arena,” he continued. “For the amusement of paying commonfolk. To generate funds, of course. Pathetic, but the Crown insists.”

He spread his arms with theatrical disgust. “You will represent your respective regions, whoever makes it through this round will gain automatic Rank C promotion, yada yada yada. All of you know the rules. But today—” His lips curled. “—we announce one new entry.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

“Observe!” The Proctor’s Spotlight incantation blazed, cutting the room in half with its glare.

And landed squarely on us.

“Our newest region: East Gate!”

The murmurs turned ugly.

“One team? That’s it?”

“Never even heard of East Gate.”

“Isn’t that where all the wackos ended up after getting kicked from the capital?”

“The same wackos who made that overpowered healing poultice. My father says adventurer veterans swear by it. Guess that puts them on the map enough.”

“L-Lamia?!”

“Shiny tail…”

“Don’t. Touch,” Piper swatted away some poor boy’s hand.

Engel, meanwhile, shivered. “This is way too intense for my liking.”

“That’s the point, rou,” Yuree-El quipped.

The Proctor chuckled, clearly enjoying it. “Mull that over while the arena is prepared. Don’t let the sound of the crowd get to you now~!”

With that, he left.

The hostility didn’t wait long.

“So no sponsors, no guild leaders vouching for them—and they get a free ride into the exam?” one boy jeered loudly. “All this shit we had to endure, only for them to spit in the face of proper processes? My first target’s them.”

“It’s for optics, mate,” another stranger agreed. “East Gate is getting back on its feet so they get an exemption… an acknowledgement of the ‘Miracle of East Gate.’”

“I hate political correctness. People’ve become too comfortable and too soft.”

“What’s under that mask anyway?” another sneered. “Too scared to show your face?”

I shouldn’t be indulging them. I really shouldn’t!

But I wanted to spite him anyway.

I pulled the mask up. The crystalline shimmer caught the torchlight.

“Crystal, huh?”

The boy’s face twisted. He swung.

Daisy moved first, blocking the blow with her forearm. Her teeth bared.

“You bastards killed my ma and pa!” the boy spat, eyes bloodshot. “You should’ve been hung with the rest of them. Do us a favor—kill yourself and be done with it. In the arena, I’ll finish the job!”

Silence fell for a beat. Even his own teammates looked uneasy as they pulled him away.

Daisy’s voice was tight. “Asshole.”

“His family must’ve suffered,” Piper said. “Doesn’t excuse him in any way whatsoever.”

Yuree-El shrugged. “My teacher always told me these haughty types are always the first to fall, rou.”

I closed my eyes. “Let’s just hope that they were right.”

\\

The audio over-stimulation was something else as all the teams entered the main arena gates.

It was more reminiscent of a football game than anything else. Sections of the arena held the banners and crests of their respective town and city.

I’m guessing every Sunlight adventurer had to have come here at some point.

I am also guessing adventuring is not that common of a position for a job, so people idolize adventuring to insane degrees.

Never underestimate people’s ability to hooliganize anything.

Where were East Gate’s cheers?

The arena was silent for a little. But then, I heard one wayward cry:

“GO EAST GATE!! HAHA!! GO GO GO!”

“WOOOT!!!”

“So much for the anticipation…” Yuree-El admitted. “Rather small crowd than what that clerk made it seem to be.”

“M-Maybe they are shy…?” Engel squeawked. “I certainly would be…”

I took it all in, the atmosphere, the sights, the smells. This was honestly a refreshing change of pace.

It reminded me of the atmosphere of the Nihon League football. Except instead of green grass, we had dirt and grit.

“Alright contestants – LISTEN UP!”

The Proctor’s voice cracked like thunder, amplified until it rattled ribs.

“This is BATTLE ROYALE! Any fight can go any way! Whether you decide to team up at your discretion, or remain solo, I don’t control your life. Whoever wins this fight will receive automatic promotion to Rank C adventuring party status! If you don’t make it—too bad. You’ll crawl through the standard proceedings and the later stages… if you live.”

The arena roared, a wave of noise that made the ground itself quake.

Daisy’s fingers brushed mine. “Deep breaths,” she whispered.

“Deep breath,” I echoed.