The [Artifact Competition] has come to an end.
For the participants, the real challenge begins after the competition, as they need to attract sponsors.
When creating artifacts or items, there are essential expenses such as development costs, personnel costs, and material costs.
For an average student, these costs are overwhelming, so most of them reach out to sponsors.
No matter what the product is, you can only make money if it sells.
Until then, there is no income.
From a sponsor’s perspective, it's like investing in a promising seedling.
I stood up from the audience with a calm expression.
‘Seria and Piel must have gone to sponsor people.’
Unlike them, there isn’t a character I particularly want to sponsor at this point.
If I had to choose, it would be Dangi, but now is not a good time.
That's because she is going to lose all the sponsorship money she receives.
She'll conduct clinical trials on the [Bust Enlargement Pill] with the sponsored money, but that item won’t get approved due to severe side effects.
It's like pouring water into a leaking bucket.
Just as I was about to leave the venue.
Vrr, vrrr, vrr...
The communication crystal in my pocket vibrated.
I carry two communication crystals, one given by Amy and the other by Taylor.
······Hmm, let’s see.
Judging by the speed of the vibration, it's from Amy.
I quickly moved to a quiet alley near the venue and took out the crystal to answer the call.
─Hello? Hello? This is Amy. Can you hear me, young master?
Amy’s voice came through the crystal.
It sounded normal at first, but there was a tremor in her voice.
I brought the crystal closer to my mouth.
─······Yes, Amy. What's the matter?
─I’m sorry to contact you when you're busy, young master. But the matter is quite urgent.
─It’s okay. What’s going on?
─Well, it’s about Little Fist. He spoke.
─Didn’t he say something yesterday as well? That he could be fed salmon once a day? Or was he complaining about the taste of his food again?
Little Fist can talk once a day.
Yesterday, he complained about the taste of his food, which I heard from Amy.
Amy’s voice came through again.
─No, young master. I’ve already given him his salmon treat. The thing he said this time seems too important to ignore, so I decided to contact you.
─······What did he say?
─He said he wants to go to a crowded place. He said this right after our walk… I think he wants to be in a bustling area.
─······Hmm.
They say a divine beast takes after its master.
It seems Little Fist is as attention-seeking as Theo.
Well, if that’s what makes him happy.
Divine beasts grow faster when they're happier.
I continued speaking.
─So, are you coming here?
─······Is that okay, young master? Little Fist tends to prefer unfamiliar people, so I’m a bit worried.
······To be precise, he likes unfamiliar 'women'.
Amy’s concern was valid.
He would rush towards any unknown woman he saw.
Well, it seemed like it would be fine.
We had already talked today, and perhaps because Little Fist resembles me, he has an excellent appearance.
No woman would hate being asked to hold a cute little bundle of white fur.
─It's fine. I'll be near the Knight Department, so contact me again once you get to the Knight Department’s carriage station.
─······Understood, young master. I will depart immediately.
─Great, I'm hanging up now.
I put the communication crystal back into my pocket.
When Amy says 'immediately', she really means 'immediately'.
She would have stepped out of the dormitory the moment our call ended.
There isn't enough time to head to the training grounds.
If I even sweat a little, I'll have to take a shower.
As I was contemplating,
─Waaaaah, this is crazy! Is that a fish or a human?
─Both of them have been going for more than 10 minutes now!
Loud cheers reached my ears.
The source of the cheers was coming from an audience at a competition.
At the entrance of the competition venue, there was a sign and banner that read, [Breath-Holding Contest].
Hmm, I should kill some time watching this.
I immediately entered the competition venue.
Theo found a seat in the audience to watch the competition.
Before long, only the finals remained in the [Breath-Holding Contest].
The host spoke.
He had also conducted the [Staring Contest] in the morning.
-We will now begin the finals of the long-awaited Elinia Academy Festival [Breath-Holding Contest]! Wow, just like in the [Staring Contest], the finals are between two Hero Department students. The Hero Department truly is impressive!
After raising his hand to elicit a response from the audience, the host continued speaking.
-These are two future heroes who have defeated formidable opponents to make it to this stage. Let’s welcome them with a round of applause~!
As the sound of the audience clapping echoed, the host introduced the finalists one by one.
Theo looked indifferently at the stage.
A petite girl and a tall, skinny boy stood on either side of the host.
‘Jang Woohee and Eshild. No wonder the audience's reaction is unusual.’
The complex stories of these two are well-known both inside and outside of the academy.
The audience shouted loudly.
"Go Woohee, show them the power of the Eastern Empire!"
"Win, Eshild! Let's get revenge for the duel evaluation!”
With a satisfied voice, the host declared the start of the match.
At the same time, Jang Woohee and Eshild plunged their faces into the water-filled glass tanks in front of them.
1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes······.
Time passed.
"Wow······ Do they both have gills? Is this even possible?"
"It doesn’t seem like they are using magic."
"This is crazy······ It’s already been 20 minutes. Is this due to pride? Could one of them end up dead?"
Now, occasional exclamations burst forth from the quiet audience.
The two of them had complete control over their breathing.
At that moment, a hypothesis popped into Theo’s head.
‘The rate of acquiring sword techniques through [Observer’s Eye] is slow compared to the game. Could it be because of breathing techniques?’
In the game, Jang Woohee’s father—the leader of Equilibrium—and the Swordmaster of the Great Forest, briefly mentioned the concept of internal energy.
‘This is it.’
Geniuses like Neike and Piel, even without learning it, could be unconsciously utilizing internal energy.
After a while, the two of them began to use sword aura and sword force.
However, he was different.
Setting aside sword force, he wondered if he could ever use sword aura in his lifetime.
‘But it’s better than not having it at all.’
Since Jang Woohee’s father mentioned the concept of 'internal energy,' Jang Woohee should at least have a rough understanding of it.
While Theo was pondering this, the finals ended.
Jang Woohee won.
Unlike Eshild, who was gasping for breath with a contorted face, she remained calm, and her breathing was steady.
The host exclaimed,
-Truly amazing, Jang Woohee! You held your breath for a whopping 24 minutes and 33 seconds without any change in expression! Is this the dignity of the 5th ranked student in the Knight Department? I'm genuinely curious if she has gills hidden somewhere in that small body!
The audience laughed at the host's words, but Jang Woohee didn't smile.
Instead, her expression stiffened.
'What's going on? Could it be... something related to Hyoyeon?'
It was because she spotted Theo in the audience.
Amy was flustered.
─Come to 'Naru's Garden,' a café located within the Knight Department campus.
It was Theo's response after she had reached the Knight Department's carriage station and contacted him.
‘Naru's Garden is a café famous for its desserts.’
Amy was a foodie.
Naturally, she kept herself updated on good restaurant recommendations.
She had wanted to revisit 'Naru's Garden' because they had a new menu, but it had been continuously postponed due to taking care of Little Fist.
‘Does the young master know about this? ...No, surely not. Let's not get our hopes up.’
Theo had changed quite a bit recently, but expecting him to have that kind of sense was being greedy.
She shouldn't expect to taste their new desserts.
But her body was honest.
Shiver.
Just thinking of the new desserts, her body trembled slightly.
─Pew, pew, pewww, kiiing?
Little Fist, nestled in her arms, tilted its head.
“It’s nothing, Little Fist.”
Petting Little Fist, Amy headed towards ‘Naru’s Garden.’
Her steps were incredibly fast.
Soon, Amy arrived at ‘Naru’s Garden.’
The interior was bustling with customers, but she quickly spotted Theo because of his distinct cologne.
Theo was with two girls.
‘Hmm, Jang Woohee and ...Seria.’
Jang Woohee sat straight and proper on her chair.
Seria, on the other hand, was in a relaxed posture, leaning forward with her back and neck.
However, she emanated a sense of dignity.
Amy swiftly assessed the two girls.
‘What kind of combination is this...? Seria's only connection with young master was at the end of the Knight Department 2v2 tournament.’
Her mind was filled with curiosity, but her body moved smoothly.
She looked at Theo and bowed her head.
“Young master, I’ve arrived at the designated location.”
“That’s good, Amy. Find a comfortable seat.”
As she sat down, Theo handed her a menu.
“We’ve already ordered. You should order too since our talk might get lengthy.”
“...! Thank you, young master.”
Amy’s eyes widened.
‘What, could it really be?’
Her eyes returned to normal.
It was quick, befitting an assassin.
But unlike usual, her eyes were not dead; they sparkled.
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