Chapter 83: The Difference Between Us

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Insight On The UNDF's First Contracted Adventurer: Yang

Magi-Tech: The New Era Of Innovation And Technology

VVVVVV

Tala quickly stuffed the last bite of food in her mouth and wiped her lips with a napkin. She equipped her gear that consisted of her staff, the UNDF wyvern armour with helmet, and her old robe over the armour. Tala jogged onto the arena stage and took her place on the right side of the stage. Her opponent, Jade Hawke, an elf, took her place on the left side.

Headmaster Wunyar raised his staff and a brief shimmer appeared around the arena and each competitor. Tala was confident in the barrier around her body since it would reflect her health, resistances, armour, and health recovery. Regardless of her strength, Tala kept Tom's advice foremost on her mind.

No matter how weak someone appears, never let your guard down.

Tala's opponent held her staff to her side. Jade gave Tala a glare to try and intimidate her. The young elf woman was dressed in light high-quality leather wear and carried an air of nobility. Tala checked her Status to see she was level 7. Despite her being a noble, it seems like her family did make her train and fight. This was fairly common place in the Duellia kingdom which requires its nobility to be war ready.

"The barriers are up," Wunyar announced. "Are the competitors ready?"

"I am ready," Jade replied.

"I'm ready," Tala answered.

"Begin!"

"That staff will be mine!" Jade roared as she launched a Wind Blade towards Tala. She ran towards a rock cover right after launching it.

Tala ducked under the attack and quickly fired a Rock Throw attack at the pillar Jade was heading towards. The boulder smashed through the pillar which made Jade slide a bit across the ground as she tried to stop before being hit by the magic attack.

Jade quickly regained her footing and casted Fireball at Tala. Tala countered with her own Fireball that consumed the smaller Fireball and went towards Jade with no resistance. Jade tried to move out of the way but took a grazing blow on her right shoulder. She looked for her next cover and tried to make a run for it.

Tala casted Lightning Strike in front of her to stop her retreat and followed with a Rock Throw. The boulder, this time, struck Jade in her side and sent her out of the arena area. Jade laid on the ground for several moments as she had the wind knock out of her.

"The match is over," Wunyar announced. "Tala Mau is the winner."

"Whoo! Tala!" Vivian yelled out.

Jade got to her feet with a disappointed look on her face and walked off. Tala jumped off of the stage and went back to the table-bench.

"She didn't even say a word to me," Tala huffed.

"Nobles aren't well known for conversation with the lower class," Sylmae reminded her. "You sure showed her where you stand though."

"Good job at ending is so soon," Tom congratulated.

"Yup," Tala said. "Destroy her cover, cut off her retreat, and then knock her out."

"Seriously, great job, Tala," Lucia said.

"Thank you, Lucia," Tala said.

"Onto our next match," Wunyar said. "Our competitors are Hoto Aslen of the White Sands Kingdom and Lynia Ocelo of Bohalen."

A male naga walked onto the arena stage on one end while an older middle-aged feline beastkin entered the stage opposite of him. Unlike the naga man, this beastkin woman looked like she had an extensive history of combat.

The cat woman had an inch long cut in her ear that never healed. She had one scar that went over her left eye. The cat woman was dressed in heavy metal plates that covered her chest, back, forearms, and shins. At part of her body that wasn't covered in metal plates, was covered in leather that Tom's group could identify as hydra leather. A sword was strapped to her side.

Lynia's Status also made the group pay attention.

StatusNameLynia OceloLevel52Experience577827/664427ClassMagic KnightRaceBeastkin (Feline)AlignmentGoodTitleGiant Slayer, Survivialist, Veteran, Horror of Hordes, Heart-Broken, Determined, Defender, Evil Slayer, The Endured, Monster Eater, Limit Pusher, Studious, Focused, Hell-BentAdventurer Guild Rank1BuffsMonster Eater+1 attribute point per level, +10% healingDebuffs--Health1500Health Regeneration/min10.0Mana1420Mana Regeneration/min13.5Stamina780Stamina Regeneration/min6.2Fame10750Infamy0Strength150Intelligence142Wisdom135Perception74Endurance78Vitality100Agility62Luck51Unallocated Points0ResistancesPhysical3%Disease/Toxin0%Fire8%Plant0%Ice0%Earth0%Lightning0%Water9%Wind0%Spirit0%Light0%Darkness12%

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A look of surprise came to Lynia's face. She looked in the group's direction and glared at them.

"I think she knows we looked at her Status," Amber said.

"Oh yeah, she knows," Vivian muttered.

"I think she's going to be a problem in this tournament," Tom said.

"I'd imagine so," Reia said. "She was in this tournament about five years ago. She lost in the quarter-final against another Adventurer. That guy won the tournament, but he couldn't wield the staff. Guess she trained some more to try again."

"Are the contestants ready?" Wunyar asked.

"I'm ready," Hoto replied.

"I'm ready," Lynia answered.

"Then begin!"

"Wind Blade!" Hoto yelled with his hand raised.

In ninety percent of matches, the first move is the most likely to win the fight. Hoto hoped to catch the woman off guard with a speedy attack. Lynia quickly swung her sword and split the magic attack in half. The two halves continued behind her and exploded against some columns.

Lynia surprised the naga man by flash-stepping towards him. After three teleports, she was within ten meters of Hoto. Lynia swung her sword and a wave of electricity came out. The wave collided with Hoto and threw him out of the arena. Lynia stopped moving, spun her sword, and then sheathed it.

"The winner is Lynia!" Wunyar declared.

Lynia left the arena stage while ignoring the cheers of the crowds. She looked towards Tom's group and then walked over. Lynia kept the scowl on her face.

"It's very rude to use Identify on someone without their permission," Lynia growled at them as she leaned over their table.

"I'm sorry, but we've had a bad history of people trying to kill us," Tom explained. "We do it to everyone."

"That doesn't make it better."

"Look, we're sorry we violated your privacy," Reia said, "but when you're a primary target of Hastur-"

"Don't you dare say his name!" Lynia yelled. "And what makes you think he's after you?"

At this time, the next tournament match began between two new students. None of them paid any attention.

"We killed Mordiggian and Ithaqua," Sylmae answered.

Lynia just stared at them with an incredulous look.

"I don't believe you," she said.

"We've already turned in their Proofs of Deaths," Tom said. "And, if you look at our Statuses, we are rank one Adventurers because we killed those two monsters. The news is spreading."

Lynia continued to stare into Tom's eyes, trying to see if what he said was true. Tom noticed her eyes move to indicate that she used Identify on his Status. "If what you say is true, then you have my thanks. My baby brother was killed by that yellow bastard. And then his forces wiped my family out. It brings me some satisfaction knowing that someone took his son. Regardless, I'm not going to back out of this tournament." Lynia turned her attention to Tala. "I won't hold back against you. I worked too hard to get to this point. I have to win that staff."

"I'm not backing down either," Tala said back.

Lynia closed her eyes and sighed. She lightly pushed herself away from their table and walked away. "I really wish you did," Lynia said as she walked away. Her voice betrayed a sadness or regret that she held. "Good luck."

"That was weird," Amber said.

"A little," Vivian added.

"She did come over here to confront us over invading her privacy," Sylmae reminded everyone. "And then being told that Mordiggian and Ithaqua are dead. You're going to have some emotional whiplash."

"She's definitely going to be a problem," Tom said. "She has her third class and a shit ton of titles. As a Magic Knight she'll know SM Transfer skill meaning her stamina and mana pool are combined. Meaning her theoretical mana pool is almost as big as yours Tala. She also has her Surge Strike ability as we saw in her match."

"Tom, that flash stepping she did during her match," Tala said. "Was that... Was that Fast Travel?"

"I think so. That skill is triple-S rank. I didn't think I would find someone else with that skill. Once this tournament is done I should ask her where she got that skill."

They continued to watch the tournament. As the matches went on, the group ate snacks and drank while barely paying attention to the other contestants. The vast majority of them were students with no experience in magical combat. Over an hour passed before the quarter-finals arrived. Tala had a match with another student with the same result as before. Her opponent didn't even have a chance to react before they were blasted off of the stage by a Wind Blade attack.

With the quarter-finals over, the semi-finals began with no pause. Tala was selected to be in the first semi-final match and her opponent was a familiar one.

"The first semi-final match will be between Tala Mau and Vickor Donoll," Wunyar announced.

"It seems you'll have a chance to kick that noble's ass," Vivian said to Tala.

A slight grin came to Tala's face. She got up from the table and walked to the stage. Across from her she saw Vickor who looked at her in an annoyed manner. The two walked on the stage.

"Are the mages ready?"

"I'm ready," Tala replied back.

"I'm more than ready to swat this fly," Vickor scoffed.

Had this been a year ago, Tala probably would have felt intimidated by someone like Vickor, but after all she's been through, all she could feel towards the student was pity. She faced down a terrorists, monsters, and even Hastur's son and spymaster. Compared to them, Vickor was nothing more than a whisper in a hurricane.

This guy has been an annoyance to her for the entirety of her career at the library. He always returned books late and was always rude to the staff. While it surprised her that he recognized her as a librarian, it did disappoint her that he was same rude noble. If there was one thing she was thankful for on this day, it was being given the chance to release her frustration and anger upon this noble.

"If the participants are ready, then begin the match!"

Vickor menacingly smiled as he held out his hand. "Fireball!" he yelled as a foot-wide ball of flames launched from his palm.

Tala stared at the attack in disbelief. Vickor looked proud of his Fireball, but it was minuscule. Tala didn't try to dodge the attack. The fireball harmlessly impacted her face. Due to her two hundred percent resistance to fire, Tala was only healed by the fire. Vickor went bug-eyed when he saw one of his most powerful attacks simply sputter out against his opponent's face.

"Impossible! A commoner could never-!"

"You were always the worst patron at the library," Tala said as she raise her staff and left hand. A Fireball and Wind Blade went forth. The two spells combined on their way to Vickor into a Fire Tornado spell.

"A combination spell?!" Vickor gasped. "That's not-"

The tornado quickly approached Vickor and sucked him up. Tala carefully controlled the spell to ensure he would be launched out of the arena as soon as he got picked up. Last thing she wanted to do was needlessly kill some noble, no matter how bad of a person they are. Vickor spun around the tornado once before he was sent out of the arena.

The audience was speechless from the overwhelming display. It's not everyday that anyone sees a combination spell. The silence of the crowd was broken when Tom and the others stood up and hollered.

"Whoo, Tala!" Amber yelled out.

"That's my girl!" Tom hollered.

The audience joined in to cheer for Tala.

"The winner is Tala Mau!" Wunyar announced.

"I reject this conclusion!" Vickor roared. He stomped up to Wunyar and Tala. "She obviously cheated."

"On what basis do you base your accusation?" Wunyar asked him.

"She's a commoner," Vickor said with a smug grin. "I am the son of a Duke. There's no possible way a nobody from nowhere could possibly defeat me."

At this time, the Duke and Duchess approached the three.

"What is the meaning of this farce?!" the Duke demanded.

"Are you okay, my son?" the Duchess said to Vickor while placing her hands on the side of his face.

"I'm okay, mother," Vickor said. "But this commoner filth cheated in our match!"

"You dare cheat in such a sacred match?!" the Duchess screamed.

Back at Tom's table, they were getting concerned over what was happening before them.

"Sylmae, should we do something?" Lucia asked.

"It's okay," Sylmae replied and placed a hand on hers.

"Tala is a lot tougher than she lets on," Tom added.

"Who are the mages you hired to assist you in this match?!" the Duke yelled at Tala.

"That is not possible-" Wunyar tried to get in before getting the Duke's hand stuck in front of his face.

"Not now! Tell us commoner!"

"Shut up!" Tala growled. She was already annoyed by Vickor's antics, but his parents pushed her over the edge. The sudden outburst silenced the Duke, Duchess, and Vickor into silence. "I worked hard to get to where I am. I will not stand here and listen to your baseless accusations. Graciously accept your loss and sit down."

"How dare you!" the Duke roared. "Combination magic is an ability that only high level mages can do. A commoner like you to claims to have such an ability at a young age? An insult to the class."

"Your Grace, it is impossible for there to be outside influence in this tournament," Wunyar explained. "The barrier would block all outside magic. Tala won fairly. Accept the result. If no one wins this year, he can participate next year. Now. Sit. Down." The Headmaster was used to dealing with stubborn nobles. Being the master of the most prestigious magic school in the world awarded him power over nobles who want their children to attend his University.

The Duke scowled at the Head Master. "Come along, Vickor."

"But father!"

"Come! You can try again next year."

Vickor glared at Tala and then looked at her companions. His eyes then rested upon Amber. A sickly grin came to his lips.

"This isn't over, commoner," he said. "Not by a long shot."

The three nobles walked away from Wunyar and Tala.

"I'm glad that didn't escalate," Wunyar sighed.

"I'm afraid it did, just not right here," Tala said. "Thank you for your help. I'll return to my seat."

Wunyar nodded at Tala and gestured towards her table. Tala briskly walked over and took her seat next to Tom.

"You really took care of yourself there," Tom said to her. "I'm really proud."

"Thanks, Tom." She leaned on his shoulder and nuzzled his neck. "Just one more match and I'm done. I can't handle so many people watching me."

"Well, you're really holding it together," Syl said. "You even stood your ground against the nobles by yourself."

"Yes... but I think we have a problem with them," Tala said.

"The way he looked at me, sent chills down my spine," Amber said while she briefly shivered.

"I noticed that too. I'm afraid they are going to retaliate against us."

"I say, let them try," Vivian scoffed. "We'll take down anyone who gets in our way."

"Don't get cocky, Vi," Tom said.

"Yeah, yeah. Always be on guard and such. Yadda, yadda."

"They going to hire attackers," Lucia butted in.

"Excuse me?"

"They will hire people to attack us, likely slavers."

"How do you know this?" Tom asked.

"I was a noble, remember? You learn their mindset. Also, Hollow Wood Kingdom is a slave trading nation. Zokot would often do trade with them. The way he looked at Amber just confirms it for me. You have any idea how much dryads are worth?"

"How much?" Amber asked.

"Do you really want to know that?" Syl asked in surprise.

"Just want to know what I'm worth."

"Dryads will sell around two platinum," Lucia answered.

"Whoo!"

"Don't cheer over that, Amber," Tom sighed.

"Besides that's not your worth," Reia added. She pecked Amber on the cheek. "We all know that you're priceless."

"Oh, Reia..."

"Oh, goddess," Sylmae groaned while rolling her eyes.