Chapter 9: Volume 1 - CH 9

I discovered four priests whining and moving something while filling the potion.

It was a man being carried on a stretcher.

I could only see his legs sticking out because he was so tall. At a glance, I recognized who it was.

‘It’s the man in the containment room.’

Through the small door, only the man’s chest was visible.

Normally, I could see his face through this tiny door.

“High Priest, he is not yet dead.”

I hadn’t seen his condition, but I knew he was still alive.

Everyone referred to him as The Berserker.

“He isn’t going to die.”

That was an odd tone. I lowered my voice and asked, my brow furrowed.

“Will he be going somewhere?”

When I asked him a follow-up question, he whispered as if he were telling me a secret.

“He intends to take part in the competition.”

He’s going to participate again…… in that condition?

The blood dripped from the fingers that had fallen outside the stretcher.

Given his current state, the man will be unable to participate again.

‘I don’t think he can even stand up.’

Contrary to my concerns, a thunderous roar erupted from outside the door through which the man was being carried out.

“That man is a monster.”

I sensed both reluctance and fear in the priest’s low voice.

“If we give him a knife, he’ll jump up like a ghost and slaughter his opponent.”

“……”

“He’s been playing like that, winning one after the other, then coming back. That’s why he’s known as The Berserker.”

Berserkers was a term that meant ancient warrior. It was never meant to be a living being.

The crowd applauded outside the closed door.

I’m not sure what’s going on, but it wasn’t a pleasant sound to hear.

“He’ll be the winner if he comes back alive just two more times.”

That, unfortunately, could not have been the case.

Aside from that guy, I know two other preliminary winners.

And what a dreadful bunch of winners they were.

That man never seemed to stand a chance against them, no matter what kind of magic he used.

“He’ll be able to join the Holy Knights if he wins. It is the winner’s privilege.”

“……”

“It’s a tremendous honor for a Toono.”

It is said that when Shannon obtained Valhail from the temple, he belonged to the Holy Knights.

‘Valhail is the winner of this martial arts competition.’

Even if he wins this game, he will still be the runner-up.

Is it then better for him?

It’s an honor to be listed among the Holy Knights, but he didn’t seem to want it in the first place.

“What if he loses in the final?”

Please allow that poor man to regain his freedom and rights.

But the reality was harsh.

“If he loses in the final then it means he’s dead.”

It’s then either kill or be killed.

That was the only win-loss result I was aware of from this martial arts competition.

“But those who did not win but did survive are thought to have received God’s mercy. They have the opportunity to make a wish to the High Priest. But……”

Even if he survived despite failing to defeat his opponent, his body would be in poor condition.

As a result, the martial arts competition only acknowledged the winner.

The runner-up is not the winner of the final, but rather the survivor of the final.

‘How thoughtful of this place.’

It reminded me that I was in the Medieval Era right now.

Then a ferocious roar erupted, and the closed door burst open.

The man who had been carried away on a stretcher was brought back in.

His body was drenched in blood.

His strong grip on the broad toothless knife.

My heart suddenly ached.

“Is he dead?”

He didn’t appear to be like that.

“What……”

“He-he’s alive! He is the winner today.”

The blue-clad priest pulled an amethyst-like stone from his arms as the other priests placed him down.

‘Huh……?’

The stone turned purple when the priest closed his eyes and muttered something.

Something unexpected happened at that precise moment.

The man’s severe wounds started to heal dramatically.

‘So that’s it, the magical stones.’

There was a scene in the original story where Selina was injured and treated by the priest.

‘There was a priest exclusively dedicated to the Grand Duke in the capital of the Grand Duke’s territory.’

The speed of healing varies according to the level of the Magical Stone and the priest’s divine power.

Perhaps this priest is so powerful that the man’s body, which resembles a corpse, has significantly improved.

‘Wow, that’s absolutely amazing.’

At that moment of inward admiration, the priest collapsed to the side, sweating profusely like someone who had just stepped out of a sauna.

“Gasp……”

“Priest! Priest!”

The priests rushed to take the potion, but the priest couldn’t handle it and collapsed, and he was eventually carried away.

‘This is why the priest wasn’t able to cure everyone.’

The Grand Duke was the most wealthy man in the empire, so he could afford an exclusive priest and a huge number of magical stones.

Even a minor scratch from Selina’s fall down the stairs was enough to warrant a visit from a priest.

The temple, on the other hand, did not show such leniency to Tonoos, who did not know when they would die.

Furthermore, the man’s condition appeared to be serious at first glance. I expected that ten more magical stones would be required to heal all of the wounds.

Anyway, after being treated by the high priest, only then I could see the man properly for the first time.

‘…… there’s nothing unusual.’

And I could understand the phrase “win one after the other” that people used to describe him.

Because of his broad shoulders and thick frame, the man appeared to be a little thin, but strong.

His blood-soaked hair color was unknown, and his eyes were closed, but his ‘handsomeness’ could never be hidden.

The man’s brows, thick lips, jawline, and even his muddy appearance reminded me of models I’d seen in magazines.

“Do you know what his real name is, priest?”

“Well, everybody just called him the Berserker.”

That can’t possibly be a name.

‘How can he win with such a pathetic appearance?’

The other preliminary winners are……it wouldn’t be easy.

‘In the end, this man will end up losing.’

With that corpse-like body, the man couldn’t possibly win.

“This isn’t going to kill him.”

“In any case, the Berserker isn’t going to die.”

The trainees whimpered and carried him back to the quarantine room, believing that the treatment was sufficient.

With relaxed expressions, the other trainees who were watching the scene complained.

“The martial arts competition is finally coming to a close. We’ve been planning this for a year.”

“I’m relieved it’s over, but I feel like something was lost.”

“Will you be returning next year? I don’t want to repeat myself. It’s horrifying, disgusting, and……”

“Come on, let’s stop complaining. There are still two crucial games coming up. Let us rejoice because the Grand High Priest will arrive on that day.”

When a passing high priest calmed them down, the trainees responded like baby birds.

“Yes.”

The final match of the martial arts championship is now all that remains.

It took place three days later.