“Now, the rules are simple. This, right here, is an adult Vanjax boar. With the exception of spells, you are allowed to catch it as you deem fit. The final competitor to hold the boar in their arms after the allotted time expires shall be awarded both the crystal and the boar on the spot!”
A Vanjax boar was a relatively familiar sight for villagers and to those who lived near forests. They were bigger than the common boar, unafraid of fighting back, and were equipped with tough hides capable of defending against even metal swords. They were a constant source of headache to many villages because of their tendency to feed on crops—and because they often ram houses when their hunger is left unsated. Hunters and adventurers dealt with them on a regular basis, often hardly being a challenge so long as they did not let their guards down.
Before long, a great number of hands rose up in the air, followed by a cacophonous uproar from the hungry and the greedy—all eyeing the prized crystal, hoping to take it for themselves. For the sake of uniformity, the would-be participants were all gathered to the side and were marked on the wrist with a soluble ink.
“Alright! Let’s join too, Jenyx! Jenyx?”
“He went to buy something.” said Rose.
“Eh!? Wasn’t he listening!? That thing’s worth a boatload of money!”
“Why don’t you go ahead? I’ll ask Nyx if he wants to join you as soon as he returns.”
“Nah, I can wait. I was the one who invited him out, so it wouldn’t be nice if I had fun all by myself now, right?”
Trey leisurely watched over the growing line happily. Initially, most of the common folk who gathered near the fence were engaged in talks of joining the surprise competition because the prize was most certainly attractive. However, those who have actually already made up their mind to join were sparse in number—and only a handful of those who assembled had the experience or body required to subdue the beast. Since there were no rules against teaming up, the wily ones have already started recruiting possible teammates to increase their odds of winning—promising them a fair division of the prize. He could hear their soft-spoken pledges clear as day, but he knew their true aim. He could see it in their eyes.
(“Hurry up, Jenyx… I promise this’ll be fun…!”)
Trey could barely contain the excitement surging from his heart as he pleaded for Jenyx’s arrival. As if to answer his prayers, he miraculously heard a voice behind them.
“I’m back.”
“There you are!”
Trey’s smile transformed into a full-on grin as he caught the attention of the person wearing a blue-colored kitsune mask.
“Oh, looks like the festive spirit’s finally gotten into you too, eh?”
“I guess so.”
“Great! Then, let’s join the competition! I didn’t think they’d have this kind of prize, but... it’s a pleasant surprise, eh? What do you say?”
“...”
(“It's just one thing after another…”)
He had just returned and was forced once again into another conundrum. It was a very simple question, yet Jenyx had no answer for it. No, it would be inaccurate to say that he didn't know the answer; rather, he was at a loss for words. On one hand, he was hiding a monumental secret from the people around him in order to appease the being who gave him his newfound ability. But on the other hand, he had already pretty much revealed the existence of said secret during the event last week. Although he was able to repel their curiosity so far, he knew couldn’t keep running from the problem forever and had to come up with a satisfying answer to conclude the matter.
(“I could have dealt with Brad a lot more discreetly if I hadn’t let all that blood rush to my head…”)
Over the past few days, Jenyx had been agonizing over a multitude of scenarios involving his parents, Rose, and even Trey, regarding the sudden appearance of his ability—and its peculiarity. He did some research on his own to better understand the power known as ‘Eternity’, but was unable to find anything concerning it, let alone its name. This power, which Frenzy calls ‘Eternity’, didn’t exist in any form of literature, and so he wasn’t able to learn anything substantial. He could have asked the librarians for more information, but Jenyx was afraid it would risk exposing Frenzy’s existence, which could then lead to him losing ‘Eternity’. It was best to keep a low-profile until he knew more. That said, he wasn’t entirely clueless either. The power he was given was unlike most, but it did have some resemblance to mana manipulation, better known as enhancement magic, which involved the use of a person’s mana to imbue themselves or an object to dramatically increase the force they could expel. It was commonly considered as an alternative way of fighting for those who were incompatible with the known elements. But in recent years, the masses were starting to be more and more receptive to the idea. There have even been talks about incorporating it into the current curriculum for the magical institutions.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
(“I wouldn’t mind any bright ideas right about now, you know…?”)
Jenyx spoke aloud in his mind. It wasn't fair that he was the only person agonizing over the current situation while the root of it all simply watches over him like a lazy despot.
“...Hmph. You’re overthinking it. Just do as you like, but don’t forget your promise.”
An irritated voice reverberated inside his mind. Still, it wasn't like he didn't expect such a response, given the entity's attitude.
(“Well, how kind of you to give advice.”)
“Quit disturbing my rest with these inane problems.”
(“Rest? You’re not even doing anything.”)
“Are you done? I’m going… to… sle–”
(“What? Frenzy? Hey!”)
Gradually, Frenzy’s voice faded away… and then it disappeared completely. No matter how many times Jenyx called out, a response never came. How selfish, he thought. Its nonchalant attitude despite the crisis made him think that maybe it didn’t value their agreement as much as he did.
(“Maybe letting a few people know wouldn’t be so bad…”)
“Jenyx?”
A voice called out his name, dragging him back from the abyss of his thoughts. In front of him was Trey with an expectant gaze.
“...Just don’t expect too much, ok…?” Jenyx replied in an exhausted voice.
A promise was a promise. Even if the other party didn’t share the same sentiment, Jenyx believed he had to uphold his own part in keeping it. Not like he had much of a choice anyway. Perhaps Frenzy was right; maybe he really was overthinking it. But even so, complacency had no place in his mind.
**
“Right this way, o brave challengers!”
A masked man dressed in a mismatched tunic pushed open the small metal gate connected to the fence and ushered Jenyx inside in a grandiose manner. Currently, there were about 30-40 men inside the fenced zone, acquainting themselves with the environment and eyeing their competition. Most of the people who entered were adults in their mid 20’s or 30’s, but there were also some whose features bordered on the side of the elderly. Judging from their physiques alone, it was easy to conclude that the people before them were plenty experienced in manual labor and the like. None of them seemed easy to topple, especially the men whose bodies were flecked with scars. The thought of them clashing violently against one another solidified his belief. Nobody was getting out of the pen unscathed.
“What’s up? Getting cold feet?” Trey jokingly remarked beside Jenyx as he was stretching his arms and legs in preparation for the coming scuffle.
“...Pretty much.”
“Eh!? I was just kidding. You serious?” Trey exclaimed, looking up to Jenyx as he was reaching down to the ground with his legs outstretched.
“They all seem tough after all.”
“Hah! Yer afraid of getting pummeled, but ya can brush aside spells like they’re nothing? Yer hilarious!”
No I can’t. At least, that was what he wanted to say. He had access to neither the strength nor speed he exhibited during his match with Brad at present. Perhaps in the future he could achieve that state once more, but right now, he had to make do with what he had. Still, Jenyx wasn’t all too worried about the competition. So long as spell casting was off the table, their safety was nearly guaranteed. The only realistic problem they might encounter were people versed in enhancement-magic—and were willing to win by any means necessary.
(“I guess I can just take it easy. He didn’t say anything about winning anyway. Yup, that’s what I’ll do.”)
Jenyx pretended to stretch, attempting to imitate Trey's earlier routine by memory. It was awkward being the only person to be doing nothing and just standing around.
“By the way, are ya gonna keep wearing that? Why don’t ya give it to them for now?”
Trey pointed to Jenyx’s mask.
“It should be fine. They didn’t seem to mind anyway.”
“Doesn’t it, like, make it hard to see and stuff?”
“A little, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”
It was somewhat limiting, but the mask didn’t really obscure Jenyx’s vision so much. Even if it did, there was no reason for him to worry as he could compensate for it with his hearing. As arrogant as it sounded, it was the truth. During his tours in the forest, he had to rely on his hearing more than his sight because there were loads of beasts roaming about the woods, and getting ambushed by them was no joke. He was certain that evading a bunch of humans would be a lot easier than averting the skulking creatures of the wild who were hunting for their next meal.
“ALL YE HUNTERS, ARE YOU READYYYYY!?”
Above the stage, the tophat man’s fierce voice thundered across the land. It was his loudest yet, and it worked like a charm. His voice gathered the curious carnivalgoers, forming a stampede-like march making its way to the show. Within seconds, the place was filled, and those unlucky enough to be standing at the back of the mob started acting like nosey meerkats. The tophat man dramatically raised his hand, his index finger pointing to the heavens, and yelled.
“RELEASE. THE. BEEEEAST!”