COI C22

The day before the match, everyone is going mad in anticipation. Their personal devices set up the date for the upcoming event. Words got out to the locals as they rather have a screen to watch the match than live. More words got out where the adventurers themselves from all high ranking will be attending. The entire city will witness tomorrow of the match between Gordon Truefan and Sork's monster. Throughout the festival continues with the events provide, from foods to entertainment, they enjoyed in their state of a lockdown. New products sprung up in their stay of this world. More advance and capable uses, they are now close to create their ideal world.

Quail is with her co-workers having fun in the festival, eating the same food like their previous world.

"Taiyou district had turn into a climate farm, with their new industry they grow all these tropical fruits and more"

One of her co-workers at school mention about the constant food produces at Taiyou district, the industrial zone, as they explain the changes.

"Like I said Quail, they adapt so fast regarding the needs"

"Yeah, they almost manufactured the same quality of beef, pork, and chicken with those monsters hunted down in the forest"

Quail responds to them as she finished her snack.

"Ok ok, I get it. Let's just enjoy our summer vacation"

They later reached a unique restaurant made by Horsin cuisine. A goblin woman working there alone with the dolls from the toy store wearing a shamanistic necklace. The restaurant is nothing more but a stall and called as a restaurant. The stall says 'Git Itz' Her co-workers got distracted where the toys are moving alive chanting and moving like a tribal shaman.

"Are we going to eat here too?"

"Wha? My bad but those toys are . . ."

One of them was in awe and the other people are circling around the figurine started to move that it fits the size of a hand and began taken orders just to see it. No words coming out from it, but follows along what the customers wanted to see.

The goblin comes to them with a menu.

"So, are you here for the food or paying for the view over there?"

One of her co-workers got distracted as they are the one who will be answering for her.

"What do you have?"

"Food made by your city, because of the lockdown I can't bring my special ingredients"

The menu shows the ordinary, alongside with the menu on the list of crossed out foods that are not available. All of it is translated by their terms as she read it in a tempting name. Elk's meat biscuits, Rabbit puffs, Tree syrup pancakes, Lyanais water, and so on. Quail ask her

"What's Lyanais water?"

"It’s a special drink that copies your favorite drinks like your expensive ones as a filler"

Her co-workers heard them and ask in a curious expression.

"Do you have some left?"

"It's none of your kind be possible to get, some idiots pay the entire stock a hundred times its worth"

"How much? The menu blocks the price tag as the names are barely readable"

"It's a 100 Y a bottle, big size ones"

They look shock than surprised of how terribly so cheap and yet have a special drink.

"Why so cheap?"

"It was before the announcement of the lockdown. These drinks are easy to come by in Mountaiwall's runic water falls. They also flow down the stream to the south east close the sea shore of Stranding Island"

They can't believe it and want to know more.

"Why can't they make more from there?"

"I'm not a dwarf who wants the entire river becomes a liquor, however they are the one who can made them effectively. Sorry"

After that chat, they decide to order what is in the menu. The dolls were helping the goblin taking up the orders or the customers were distracted of how the other dolls performed. There are also young students taking pictures with them for a price. Seeing the goblin having free from the conversation as they only want to chat with the dolls. They decided to ask her about the other goblin who challenged the challengers.

"Seems like they don't want the orders beside the dolls"

"It's ok, with the people this big and whole lot of them. It's a big break for me"

"By the way, I'm wondering about the match"

"You mean Sork with his big totems"

"Yeah about that"

"You want to know about the totems, right?"

The co-workers interrupted them about the conspiracy.

"Do you know how the match supposed to win"

"Yeah, the challengers should have won but decided the dead totem. Many of my goblin friends will laugh at Sork for cycles on when he took the four headed totem"

"That's kind of rude"

"Sure I am, because he won without them knowing about it"

The foods were served as they take it by hand, and the goblin ends their conversation.

"Sorry to end it here, I would love to finished my job until the festival is over"

"Ok bye"

"Yeah"

Quail and the other of her co-workers leave and drag one of them out after having a long picture session with a figurine.

"You know there are others like that"

"Yeah, but it can use magic on itself. It literally uses fire like a ball to play catch"

She continues to brag about it as they walk through the festival. They met one of their other colleagues, and it was Thean with a guy they don't know.

To their surprised, the guy wearing a badge on his shoulder in representing as part of the city guild. Thean sees them and wave at them as a gesture to come closer. They did, and Thean introduces his new friend.

"Like they said, I'm doing my break and I'm committed to it"

Quail and the others don't get him but they seem to get along fine. One of their co-workers recognized his friend.

"Are you Altair? The one who volunteered Sister's hope field trip?"

Thean responded for him.

"Altairrisck you mean, well now . . . Can we invite them while you guys discuss?"

Altair answered to her and not Thean's

"Yeah, are the students alright when they return back?"

"Oh yes, I'm glad they made it safe"

Back to the topic when inviting them somewhere, Altair didn't agree yet until Thean quickly act out on their decisions.

"Alright, he said yes"

"But I didn't . . ."

"Now now"

Quail interrupts them as she is getting annoyed by Thean's behavior.

"You should know better Thean, why invite us in all of a sudden?"

"Because he has front seats for tomorrow's match"

They froze in excitement leaving Altair in a shock of his absurdity but quickly blocks off by Thean. They didn't saw Altair's reaction as they quickly huddle up to join them. While busily talk about the invitation. Thean reasons Altair out of it.

"Remember the deal you support, besides Horsin locals already have special seats on Sork's side"

Whisper along, Altair has agreed but not with them the least.

"The deal is with our future team, not your friends"

"It's alright not to trust me, but have some favors to comply with my list first"

"Sigh* I have nothing to say but to beat that goblin's monster"

"Yeah, it is a good thing that you are not there for the kiss"

"She says that out of being an idol, the important thing is where that goblin will finally be jailed after what he did to the guild"

Thean says nothing to respond to that and he is surprised to a goblin who is known in a short days.

"Alright, we will join you. But we already ate, instead why not somewhere we could rest"

Quail is the one who proposed this while the others didn't agree to it, they can have another bite but Quail acted out first. Thean accepted anyway with a serious smile. He gives off a creepy look from Quail's view, but her other co-workers already recognized his attitude a bit. They look at it as having fun from his expression and his funny responses.

"Oh no, he is doing that face again . . ."

Her friends are trying to easy on the mood, where the two really don't get along

". . . Are you going to publicly announced something?"

Altair sees Thean acting like a jerk and he kind of agree with Quail.

Whispering from the back, Altair talks to Thean.

"What are you doing?"

Thean ignores him and proceed on heading to where they meet. They stop at the new rebuilt hotel, the outside of it looks like a convenience store while there is a glass door inside next to the counter, and Altair is the one who is going to open with his VIP card. Quail asks her co-workers

"Uhmm, you said he is one who got employed from the school trip right? Did you guys hire a high rank adventurer?"

"They volunteered, and besides, we have students who have relatives within the city guild"

"Oh? . . . What!?"

They entered a special room that requires a card to get in. A welcoming greeting is coming from the other adventurers.

"Altairrisk, we're so glad you could join . . . Oh, hello there"

Today, all adventurers are wearing casually for the week. Alongside with their devices can activate their equipment when ready to, but today is having to enjoy their spoils before the pandemic. The adventurers scan their fellow member's guests, checking for any suspicion. They found only one person and that is Thean while the rest are the ordinary citizens with one of them have previous membership annulled.

"Say Altairrisk, what's with that guy? He seems to be he is not from here"

"Well you see, this man and I have some kind of agreement. He asks me to find someone who can actually leave the city and do some delivery quest"

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"Oh sorry about that, the city guild ended that questline. I don't know if they open the missions again during the lockdown, we don’t want in a chaotic situation when monsters like those entering the city"

Thean already knows about those kinds of incident. Quail's group don't know the details and don't want to ask him regarding how he act suspicious about the topic. Altair guides them into their special lounge where the cuisines are taken place. The women see the most exotic meals they ever seen, some of them recognize the meals to be alike from the goblin's menu.

"Is that Elk's meat biscuits? And what's that alongside with it?"

The staffs help her what those dishes are

"Those are special sauces from Horsin, all into a cream from Kinteinou’s vegetation. Looks unhealthy, but the cream helps it digest the food"

There are also other sets of drinks to choose from Isekai City's drinks to Kinetinou's bests. It's like a feast to behold where their co-workers smell the aroma of the food.

"As Altair's guest, please help yourselves"

Thean looks at his co-workers feeling guilty and almost full during their last meal. He looks at Quail with the same expression.

He never thought his smile for this, but it was never his intention.

"Thean, is your grin for expecting it? Guess this must be it"

He should disagree and decides to help their cravings a bit. He opens his magic bag and picks up a bottle, he is started to hesitate and realize that he is going to use it for a special occasion but their faces leave him to be more patient. He pulls it out where the other of the adventurers notice it quickly.

"Altair, your friend has a special bottle in hand . . ."

The female adventurers started to run towards him where they see what they have wanted. The bottle is hidden as its clear glass, but the drinks inside is a familiar magic potion in their eyes.

"That man has it! It's the Aphrodite's glass!"

Both shock and excited from the female adventurers flocking towards him by the use of their magic and abilities. Thean is surrounded and he first thought about his drink's name.

"Afroviety? No this is just Agathean liquor, Luscius brand, and . . ."

Thean was about to respond to them, someone swiftly take the bottle off his hand. Thean reacted quickly than she expected and splash the bottle right at her face with an added of magic. Now the bottle has a half of its amount.

"NO! Why did you do that?"

The female adventurers were in pale while his co-workers don’t like what he did.

"Thean! Why of all a sudden?"

"I know one of them is going to take it, and by their reaction . . . HEY! Don't you dare"

Thean is holding the bottle in sideways now as he prepared to spill it. The one who almost stole it from him was apprehended quickly by the others.

"You poured it on my face . . ."

"Well thank you, now why so special about my bottle? No rich people like you should have this drink on Agathean stores"

The female adventurers were overexaggerating to the one who tried to steal from him, while the male adventurers just let them go crazy at that bottle, they can't argue with them. Altair comes to his side

"They use that drink for their diet, you know, being slim"

The adventurers secure the area. Thean stares at the woman who tried to took it. Everyone is getting nervous which of them will act first. There are problems within the city guild, many had troublemakers and most powers they had are random. Their power levels gap to each made it only by luck. Now with this girl wanting that drink, shows them the attitude of each individual. One of the adventurers said to them

“We know that this bottle is a gold mine to you women, but this belongs to him. If you want it, then ask”

“Oh I was just trying check that it is real”

None of them want to prove that it is real, they could use their inventory UI to check on it easily.

Thean picks up some glasses, poured it, and gives it to his co-workers.

“Drink this, it will help you eat more. But don’t try drink it at the second time, you’ll actually gain weight”

Quail looks at the girl as she picks up the glasses.

“By then, I’ll be busy having a talk with her”

Thean turns around and said

“What’s with the theft?”

“Like I said, I’m checking the bottle. I never thought we have guest instead the usual people I know. Sigh* I should be apologizing”

Thean and Altair are each other sides, not knowing what to say. Altair whispers to him.

“I’m sorry, but it’s better to leave at it is. We are ruining the mood here”

The adventurers are calming down both sides as they never have this kind of accident.

“He is right, you said you invite us to have lunch here. Here we are, come on Thean”

His co-workers too wanted to end this quarrel. For the girl is having a chat as well on her side. Thean agreed

“Alright, get your food and I’ll meet you there”

They are relief to hear him say that. Thean watches them leave and getting the food from the caterings. Quail and the others look back at him to guide them to it.

“No, I’m fine. I need to apologize first”

Altair is pulled by him as he says that, and pretend it he needs help.

“Oh ok, then where are we going to sit?”

Altair points out to the balcony.

“Outside, it’s nice to see the festival out there”

Thean and Altair are going to the opposite side where the woman is still busy talking with her friend

“. . . I already said sorry to him, he didn’t even respond except his friend over there . . . Oh, it’s you”

“I want to apologize about splashing you with my drink. I don’t know why people wanted it so much”

The adventurer explains to him

“I guess so, you’ve seen them emptying the shelves once they reach to Agatheus City. Every store who had that drink are sold out, if you spot it”

“It does happen most of the time, but they never 'sold out'”

“What!?”

The female adventurers heard him.

Altair thinks the conversation is going well

“I think I’ll be heading myself out now”

“Oh don’t worry, we are here is to stop them anything gets to trouble. Right rogue?”

The woman brushes it off because she got distracted

“Anyway, about those stores . . .”

Altair left and as for the adventurers took a few chats while they are it. Altair meets with Thean’s co-workers as they enjoying their meals. With his glasses distributed enough for the other women as well. They show an act of apology as they drank to eat another meal.

“Thean was right, this stuff does make your stomach empty”

“If you know more about the drink it also burns the excess of your body”

“I heard it was meant to cut off food poisonings”

“Really, never thought about it”

The women enjoyed themselves as they open a seat for Altair when he reaches them. Quail asks him

“Where’s Thean?”

“Having a chat with that woman”

“You mean rogue, well at least with her friends around she won’t be any trouble”

While they are eating, Quail and the others are curious of why Altair is with Thean.

“So uhmm Altair, is there any reason why you're with Thean?”

Other adventurers heard their conversation and said to him

“Yeah, I only saw him after the first challenge in the summer festival”

“You two are looking serious about something, care to tell us what it is?”

Altair looks at them being curious. Remembering the fact that he does come after him during the 2nd challenge. He tells them honestly

“It’s about the challenge, if we have a chance to part of the final challenge again, I’ll be bringing him along. Then there is a chance to beat shamanism”

Everyone never thought Thean would join.

“You mean Thean will join the challenge?”

The adventurers didn’t experience enough about shamanism, but if an Agathean joins in. It might have chance to win.

“Then what do you know so far, Altair?”

“He said that there is more than just one type of mana. Actually, there are 5 in total”

“5! That’s. . .”

“Let me explain first, the basics of shamanism is simple. They require rituals to make it work. Rituals, Curses, and Spirits are the fundamental of a complete magic for them. They only fight when threats exceed the dangers of a life of a goblin or any race that will end them without a chance. More so to believe why that goblin possessed that much power because of us”

“What about its weakness?”

“That’s the unfortunate part, it is itself. For examples that elk I face in the first challenge including that totem, you have to destroy their ritual piece and it easily be defeated. Like they would place it out in the open, where I remember that orb heals the totem”

“Then there is nothing left but to say good luck to you then”

“Thank you, I hope your co-worker, Thean, is an excellent fighter too”

“Yeah well, we didn’t know about it except showing he has two swords”

They continue having their lunch knowing nothing will go wrong from Thean and that woman.

The fight has started and transported away from the dining hall. To Thean is surprised, the rest of the adventurers vanished. Only remains are the people who are wanted to see the fight. Looking somewhere and even no idea where they are now, she pulls herself from the area where it is still transforming to their preferences. As it is preparing itself, they prepared everything what they had at the time, but was he himself wasn’t ready while she never let her inventory puts away. Everyone thought it should have done well, but what happened?

Before being teleported away, the woman and Thean are having a conversation. Her interest grew that he mentioned that there is more Aphrodite’s glass. Because of his offer, rest of the adventurers are sold from his agreements.

“Let’s make a deal, if I survive under the period of time, I won. If not, it’s yours”

He gives them an emblem as he explains it.

“It shows proof that of legitimate buyer”

Her friends explain

“It means it is a premium card, I think”

And so here they are, in there training realm as an acting fighting ring. It is amazing how things prepared by the adventurers.

In a special realm teleported to compete among the two. Thean is up against a woman who opens up her class, a rogue, with her throwing knives and other magical items.

"You should know, I maybe 18 years old but I'm one of the best S ranks"

The rogue is an amateur young girl, Thean only judges her skill beside her personality. He can't understand of why this girl is acting high and mighty when introduces herself. Her stealing probably is coming from her class. Thean only knew her as an overconfident girl with all powerful mana like most people here in this city.

More adventurers are coming to check on them. Others don’t want them to bet over a bottle, and the women are here to support her to get it. Nothing is wrong having that kind of game. The adventurers know about Agathean and their games which they love to gamble to some reason.

“I thought this Agathean is different than others”

“Yeah, now get con again by another offer”

“Yet, I’m glad he only wanted her stop that kleptomaniac attitude”

The woman looks around as more people are getting inside the realm. Worrying phrases coming from the other side and supporting phrases at the other. As for Thean, he does this for the fun of it.

Thean never thought he would be ending like this, fighting against an isekai citizen or a bottle. He is hoping to fight them according to legends, and this agreement was meant to get along through a duel. Then again, these people need spectators for adding amusement for everyone. The adventurers go to them and trying to stop it.

“There is no need to have a fight, why most Horsin like to do it”

Thean’s response

“It’s common tradition to fight each other. The dwarves with the other races when talking, the enders calling out for duels, and common agatheans making games”

“But why fighting though?”

“Because the previous two I mention does make sense”

As they prepare, he already knew he has nothing but using magic for his fight. Without the sets of equipment, he can’t have enough distraction directly. He wasn’t even sure he could succeed, neither with her as she didn’t know what is about him. Neutral mana is their use of magic, and for him to be an equal disadvantage but he knows some tricks to control their mana. She is ready as she opens up a lot things within her head. The woman sees all kinds of UIs in her eyes to set up any abilities, consumables, and items where she sees fit.

The woman tells Thean about this realm.

“Don’t worry about your friend noticing any wounds on you. Like most training, it won’t harm you but you can feel the pain for experience in a short time. Oh, there is also other people stall your friends if they found out we were doing. Only thing left us to do is to finish under 5 to 10 minutes, I won’t be hesitating now. I’m going through this for that drink, you hear?"

The adventurers who managed the outside is already ahead by blocking it by the help of the staff. It won’t be easy, and everyone can’t do anything to both the rogue and the agathean as they agreed on their little games.

The adventurer at the middle is a temporary referee, playing the goal of the game.

"Ok, the agreement is this. If challenger 1 wins, then the challenger 2 will not be excuse from future mishaps against challenger 1. However, if challenger 2 wins, then the challenger 1 will hand over the emblem as her rights to buy Aphrodite’s glass to her extent"

The referee summarized what the two agreed upon before entering this realm.

"Remember the match: Cat and Mouse or Tom and Jerry, challenger 1 must survive every attack like a mouse as challenger 2 either catch or beat him down until the challenger is unconscious"

Thean has no capability to take her down, but stalling is enough. But the difference is he is facing them upfront.

He will be just going along with the plan and try to trick her by what she less likely know about Horsin's magic. The adventurer announces the rules for the realm,

"This realm is a special simulation for our training. Hardly to be ideal, but it makes sure the sparring will be as dangerous like in this world"

Thean felt the ground loses its roughness and they began to fall.

"This match will be in an air battle. The cheap cat and mouse tactics by using the earth as the advantage and hid under. So, it is better to use flight magic maneuver and not using stealth beneath it"

Thean's thought about their rules

"Yeah, if only someone with magic can do that in the air. I'll be just falling anyway, and what's with this cat and mouse? It's like asking her to beat me already when I’m falling, not some kind of a hunt without me had a chance to hide"

The match is started as he falls down from the sky, the realm changes into an only sky arena. The adventurers watch him fall knowing well he has mana, now they are outside watching afar. The rogue is floating above with her flight magic across the sky. He never envied to see her, but expecting to have guess to her mana. He is a magic swordsman given by the demon and he has no idea its full usage.

Thean's grasp on this magic feels a strange sensation where his mana adapting in his new surroundings. He kept falling to where there is no ground below, and the rogue enjoys seeing him fall like a meteor to the surface. The referee shouts at the air and commencing the match.

"Ready or not, let's the fight begin"

The adventurers cheered and watch the match going unfold. Thean surging in his mana into something mysterious through his body, a familiar power that he initially felt when he was granted by the demon. A hidden locket slot opens within him he never thought to held it by his will.

The rogue throws one throwing knife at him to the neck,

"It is already over"

She grins at him to be easy as she is the one who chose this realm in the first place. Her expectation of her new stash will be amazing. The knife reaches him in a normal throwing pace where Thean throws away his two swords upward. The adventurers thought it was their guild member's win. Thean got hit by the dagger in one swoop as he continues to fall. The rogue quickly checks the notification for the result, she checks it and saw nothing

"!?"

Surprised, and Thean's swords flew upward began to redirect to her as she was busy checks on Thean.

The swords focus on her, quickly attack her as she didn't notice. Reaching closely to her unguarded, she reacted in high speed and blocks it. The swords didn't make a sound as she blocks it and disappeared without a trace. She checks her body for any injury, and there is nothing.

"Are his swords fake?"

She thought of it while checks any wounds around her. All fine and good conditions with her gear, she later turn to him of why he wasn't taken damage. Flying down to the falling man where his head won't be seen on her view. The adventurers see an interesting move from Thean.

She reaches him, pulls out another knife, throws at him again. Thean got hit again to his lower belt. The male adventurers were not comfortable to see that hit. Thean's lower waist is shown a knife attached to it, hearing no cries of pain and agony. The rogue didn't use her other knives as she watch him in feint dead man. Thean turns towards her with her knives, one hand hold below his waist and the other one on his mouth. The rogue never seen someone could catch her knives especially on the mouth, he stares right her in a creepy expression as he tried to follow along from her target.

"Why did you aim on the most women's favorite parts? Do you like it?"

Thean plays along the character of one of those called "perverted" protagonists from the advertisement from the Mihayara district, as a strong and immoral character who gets with the girls without effort. He knows is wrong, but need time to stall until the end to gain his advantage. She stares at him with an aura of knives appearing around her. All types of magic he can't identify and with her words speaks of an executioner to his ears.

"You're dead, you pervert!"

Thean is ready for her and his skills to put it up to the test as he winks at her.

"OH YES!"

He used his other hand to pick out the knife from his mouth and licks it in temptation.