The origin of the Silver Sharks tournament in Zhanty is deeply rooted in its culture, which dates back as far as the demon lord himself.

The free trade zone of Zhanty was once a fishing village where, to prove their valor as warriors, they hunted sharks with nothing but harpoons as a test of their manhood. Women also participated in this test, but for men, it was almost mandatory.

Therefore, sharks were a status symbol for Zhanty.

This tradition remained intact until its modernization period, which was before the expansion of the demon king’s domain. During that time, it was discovered that there were other foreign continents, all due to the invasion of people from other lands. When they attempted to conquer Zhanty, the invaders arrived with cutting-edge weaponry. But Lady Fortune was not on their side.

They failed, as the citizens of the area stood their ground, and combined with the foreigners' lack of knowledge of the terrain, they were captured as prisoners of war and their technology was stolen by the inhabitants of Zhanty, who were amazed by their technology.

The famous runic blacksmithing was not something that existed on this continent before the arrival of the foreigners, so this technology became an important bargaining chip.

Although the locals did not share the same language as the foreign prisoners, they were able to communicate, as despite different languages, there were common words due to the shared religion on both continents, or more specifically, the sacred scriptures.

Both cultures interpreted the holy scriptures differently and called the same gods by different names, but putting that aside, they were able to use these common words as a means to start communicating.

The locals, being able to speak with the foreign prisoners, reached an agreement. The foreigners were seeking minerals for their machinery and the locals wanted those same machines. Both had something the other wanted, so the table was set for negotiation.

The locals decided to trade with the prisoners.

They took those of higher status and put them under arrest, while those of lower rank, along with local men who wanted to explore the new continent, went to foreign lands to trade their minerals and resources in exchange for their technology.

Fortunately, the foreign ships were not destroyed in the war, so the foreigners, instead of returning with minerals and slaves, came back with a trade treaty between the two continents.

The people of that new continent did not want to accept defeat and negotiate with people they considered much stupider than themselves, but they did not want to spend human and financial resources on a long-term war that could last decades.

Instead, by negotiating with these people, the flow of minerals to their nations would be immediate. Despite the bitter taste of defeat, they decided that trade was the easiest way to obtain those minerals.

...

Years later, the once small fishing village of Zhanty had become a small economic power on the Yamatory continent. They continued fishing but stopped hunting those sharks as they had learned that it was a species that could become extinct if they kept hunting them for sport.

But the men wanted to prove their valor, strength, and manhood, as that very strength used to hunt the sharks was the same strength that subdued the foreign invaders.

Their leaders made a decision to commemorate both their warriors and the sharks that strengthened those warriors with their lives.

To commemorate that first battle where they won the war against the colonizers, they decided to organize a fight at sea on a terrain surrounded by sharks, where the losers would become shark food.

Thus, the strong could prove their valor and repay the ocean’s sharks with the lives of the weaker ones. Since a weak man could only give meaning to his life by being devoured by a much stronger being.

Being something tied to the culture of this land, only locals could participate, but over the years, this festival became a tourist attraction and began accepting outsiders, of course, as long as they were willing to risk their lives.

After hearing this story, I didn’t think it would be a good idea for a mere priest like me to participate in such a dangerous tournament.

...

And here I am, on the ship of the participants in the Silver Sharks tournament. I was stripped of my priestly garments and given light armor focused on defense instead. I could only keep my gloves, as I don't feel comfortable without them.

I certainly looked like a generic soldier.

As for my companion, who for some reason doesn’t want anyone to call her by her name and prefers to be called Victoria, she wears light armor focused on speed, with a helmet that covered half of her face and hid her ears.

Raiza saw me trembling with fear, as it was my first time on a ship at sea.

“Ester, I’m glad to see you’re not sad anymore. I think fearing for your life makes you more pleasant.”

“I don’t understand how you and that dwarf convinced me to do this madness. I know you need your arm prosthesis, but I like to think that my life is worth more than that.”

Raiza looked away and started to whistle. Honestly, this woman just drives me crazy.

We are on the participant’s ship. Since the competition was 2 vs 2, there would be a total of 8 rounds. Many teams stood out, but one person caught my attention who stood out from the rest of the participants who were wearing traditional armor.

He wore an elegant and striking outfit, as if he were coming to a party, not a tournament. He was accompanied by a beautiful woman in a small, very feminine and low-cut outfit. She was somewhat short, but the curves of her body made it clear she was a woman and not a child.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear the announcer speaking loudly through the "Increase Voice" spell.

“Participants of the first round, the team from Ellen’s Workshop and the team from the Zhanty Mercenaries, proceed to the combat platform.”

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We were up for the first round. Raiza pulled me by the arm again towards the small boat that would take us to the combat platform and said:

“Remember, we bet all our money and the prestige of Ellen’s Workshop, and if you lose, you literally die... but don’t stress about it.”

She always says the most disturbing things with a smile on her face. I really hate when she does that.

Once we were all on the platform, the tournament announcer said:

“Welcome to the first round of the Silver Shark Tournament. In the blue corner, we have Ellen’s Workshop, and in the red corner, the Zhanty Mercenaries. Let me remind you that the fight will only end when both participants of a team are off the platform. If one participant dies, the remaining participant can continue fighting in the tournament, provided they win all their rounds. That said, BEGIN!”

I admit the opposing team was very intimidating, but I hadn’t had many chances to show off.

“Alright, watch what I’m going to do, bossy elf.”

Before Raiza could make a move, I quickly jumped, approached our two rivals swiftly, placed my hand on their chests, and cast:

“Paralyze Nervous System.”

One of the men managed to evade my spell, but his partner was not so lucky and was left completely paralyzed and at my mercy.

Quickly, with a kick, I pushed the man under the effect of my paralysis into the water. The other rival couldn’t understand what was happening; it was too fast for him to grasp the problem he was in, and he was probably planning how to kill me.

Then Raiza came in with a surprise attack, kicking him so hard that he was sent flying back to the participant’s boat. It was a very quick victory.

The audience was cheering and clapping for us. I felt a brief moment of glory.

But then Raiza, with a bitter look, said to me, “There was no need to kill him, you know?”

I quickly looked at the water; the guy I paralyzed and pushed off the platform had fallen among the sharks. He was being eaten alive; thanks to my paralysis, he couldn’t swim for his life. Damn, he couldn’t even scream in pain.

Now that I think about it, I didn’t even consider that I would kill him.

I just wanted to prove my strength; it was only then that I realized I had just killed a person. I had killed monsters and animals, but never another human being, and to my surprise, it didn’t bother me much.

Which left me even more perplexed.

We moved on to the elegantly dressed man I had seen earlier.

He was with his beautiful companion, sipping expensive wine while the woman accompanying him watched the tournament from the participant's boat.

Seeing that the man wasn’t interested in watching the fights, he said, “Tommy, are you sure you don’t want to watch the first round?”

Tommy replied, “I don’t think it’s worth watching, Charlotte. The team from a dirty workshop and the mercenaries who always send people to basically die... I couldn’t care less, even if I tried.”

Charlotte, oblivious to Tommy’s words, continued watching the fight by herself.

As soon as the referee announced the start, she witnessed Ester’s speed and the strength of that woman with only one arm, who sent a mercenary flying with a single kick, causing the participant’s boat to rock violently from the impact, spilling Tommy’s wine all over his expensive suit, right in the middle of his abdomen.

Tommy had a deadpan expression; he didn’t show anger, but his fury was palpable. Still, he couldn’t say anything before the tournament commentator announced:

“That was incredible! The winner is the blue team from Ellen’s Workshop in record time!”

Charlotte exclaimed, “That one-armed woman is so strong; she sent that mercenary flying with one kick. It’s amazing, I really want to meet her.”

Tommy, with a look full of hatred, murmured, “A one-armed warrior... I wonder if she’s the woman that idiot was talking about yesterday while pulling out his nails... I think I have several reasons to fight seriously this time.”

The other rounds of the tournament continued as usual from previous years. Obviously, the losers were shark food; some lucky ones managed to escape swimming while their partners were devoured. It was a barbaric festival, but I knew what this tournament would be like.

Interrupting my thoughts, the tournament announcer announced the last match of this round:

“In the blue corner, the team from Pufferfish Restaurant will face the champions from last year, in the red corner, the team from the Runic Blacksmiths of Oricalco... ready, BEGIN!”

I admit that the level of this tournament was nothing out of this world. If my teammates were here... no, Yubel would surely beat them all at once. But something caught my attention in this last round.

I noticed that the red team didn’t use weapons, even though Raiza and I carried swords.

But we avoided using them, as we could defeat anyone with just our bare hands. However, the man in the suit on the combat platform also used only his fists, and his companion just stayed still in her corner, seemingly with no intention of helping her partner.

Tommy stretched his fingers and said, “Guys, I want you to know that it’s nothing personal; I’m just in a really bad mood.”

His opponents readied their shields and swords, but it was useless. In the blink of an eye, one of them had Tommy’s knee right in his face.

With a knee strike, Tommy knocked out his first opponent from the blue team, leaving him out of the fight. The man, seeing his partner on the ground with a smashed nose, shouted:

“Son of a bitch, don’t think you’re all that; you’re nobody without your subordinates, just the damn plague of Zhanty.”

…

In less than a minute, the man who dared to insult Tommy had his face disfigured. Tommy, with his own hands, smashed his face, completely destroying it.

His blows were so fast that I barely noticed when the two men were lying on the floor. I think he took his time torturing the guy who insulted him.

His companion, Charlotte, exclaimed, “Tommy, you’re very eager today. You usually take more time in these fights.”

Tommy replied, “I’m in a hurry to fight someone. I’m not interested in entertaining the audience, but I think I should at least put on a better show.”

Tommy grabbed the man who had insulted him, who was suffering from a concussion from all the blows to his head.

Tommy woke him up by grabbing him by the neck.

He carried him to the edge of the platform and submerged his legs in the water to attract the sharks.

Slowly, he began to be bitten by the sharks. It was slow and ruthless. As pieces of his body were torn apart by the teeth of those beasts, Tommy refused to let go.

In the end, the man barely had the energy to scream. It was a terrifying spectacle.

The other rival from the blue team, who only had a broken nose, managed to wake up from Tommy’s knee strike due to his companion’s screams.

Panicked, seeing how his friend was being eaten alive by the sharks, he took his sharp sword and charged at the woman who was standing still in the red corner.

He probably thought she would be an easy target because of her delicate appearance.

“Damn it, if I can’t kill you, at least I’ll kill that bitch so you know what it’s like to lose your partner.”

Tommy just watched silently as he ran towards Charlotte, but before he even got close, the man’s head was turned backward like an owl’s head.

That was not a normal angle for a human head. When the man barely reacted to the strange angle of his neck, he started convulsing on the floor, dying on the spot.

Tommy looked at Charlotte and said with an angry voice...

“You shouldn’t have killed him so quickly; we’re supposed to entertain the audience.” At that moment, Tommy threw the rest of the man’s body into the water to be eaten by the sharks.

Charlotte responded, “I wasn’t going to let such an ugly man lay a finger on me.” Then she kicked the inert body of the other man into the ocean, thus ending the fight.

Both the spectators and the announcer were amazed by the fight, but I felt uneasy. That suited man was watching Raiza and me. I had a very bad feeling about this tournament.

…

The other rounds continued just like the first ones. Raiza and I devised a strategy to avoid unnecessary deaths. First, I would lightly paralyze them, and Raiza would send them away from the sharks. It wasn’t a good idea to always send them to the participant’s boat without causing more discontent.

So we tried to throw them as far away from the sharks as possible.

We couldn’t save all our rivals, but we tried. On the other hand, the team representing the Runic Blacksmiths of Oricalco was the complete opposite; their fights left the floor covered in blood.

I wanted to investigate the Runic Blacksmiths of Oricalco, and from what I found out...

They were a workshop focused on appearance over efficiency. Their work was expensive and adorned with jewels and metals worthy of a king, but inefficient for a soldier. It was clear who their target audience was, but I didn’t know much about the two fighters except that the man named Tommy was very dangerous.

And after seeing him fight, it was very clear.

…

I was on the participant’s boat waiting for the next rounds of the tournament while Raiza was gathering information about our rivals.

I saw some kids running around playing with short daggers. I was struck by the fact that no one was stopping the kids from playing with sharp objects. I guess that despite everything, it remains a warrior town with free trade.

One of the kids moved a dagger somewhat violently. As expected, the other kid got a cut on his face and started crying.

The first kid also became distressed; it was clear that he hadn’t meant to hurt him. Seeing this sad spectacle, I approached the children.

“Calm down, I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I’m a healing mage.” I placed my hand on the child’s face and cast healing magic.

I stopped the bleeding and healed his face. The kids thanked me somewhat sweetly; they reminded me of the children at my orphanage. Before they left, I asked them not to play with those daggers, at least for today.

As I walked away to find my seat, a woman approached me from behind and said:

“Wow, you’re a healing mage; I didn’t expect that since you fight like a warrior.” I felt a shiver down my spine; I hadn’t even noticed when she got close.

“First of all, it’s polite to introduce yourself before talking to strangers,” I said with a very cold look.

She replied, “I apologize for my lack of manners; my name is Charlotte. I’m a representative of the Runic Blacksmiths of Oricalco. I’ve seen you and your girlfriend fight, and I wanted to meet you. I didn’t expect you to be a healer.”

I responded, “We’re not a couple; you could say I’m her temporary employee while I look for my friends.”

She replied, “So you don’t have any woman in your heart.” Immediately, Amelia’s face came to my mind...

Almost as if she read my thoughts, Charlotte said, “I see, you’re an interesting person. Try not to die when we fight in the final, as it’s obvious that no one else is on our level in this tournament.”

I couldn’t respond to that and barely noticed when she left.

Throughout that conversation, she had been behind me, and I couldn’t even look at her face. My natural instincts kept me still.

Raiza appeared in front of me and said, “Ester, did something happen? You look scared.”

I proceeded to tell her what had just happened, and Raiza, with a heavy look, said:

“When we fight the Runic Blacksmiths of Oricalco, we can’t play at not killing; we must think that if we don’t kill them, they will kill us.”

With a heavy face, I nodded in agreement with Raiza’s words. The tournament continued to the final round, where the best workshop in Zhanty would be decided...

And also the fate of our lives.

image [https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/078/582/191/large/duval-saul-rerewerwre.jpg?1722504554]