Chapter 197: Slimy, The Real MVP
[Jayden]
The instant the first name appeared, a figure carrying a longsword slowly emerged from the eastern tunnel.
Jayden was still wearing the same simple black combat uniform. His face remained completely expressionless, as though the deafening cheers surrounding him had nothing to do with him at all. The longsword that never left his side rested casually in his hand. With every step he took, an incomparably sharp and icy aura spread outward.
"Jayden!"
"The strongest swordsman in the First Layer!"
"One of the championship favorites is here!"
Faced with the endless cheers, Jayden only glanced at the projection screen before calmly walking toward his designated waiting area without making a single unnecessary movement.
Immediately afterward, the second name appeared.
[Helen]
A gentle blue light slowly illuminated another tunnel.
Holding her staff, Helen walked into the arena. Her light blond hair fluttered softly beneath the flowing currents of wind. Although her expression remained as calm as ever, when her gaze swept across the one tunnel that had yet to open, an almost imperceptible trace of anticipation flashed through her eyes.
[Lucien]
[Arnos]
[Ainos]
[Veyron]
As one name after another appeared, the cheers throughout the arena continued erupting.
Every contestant who stepped onto the battlefield immediately received enthusiastic support from their own fans.
Soon, only the final two empty positions remained on the projection screen.
Because Zich still hadn’t come out yet, the atmosphere among the audience gradually began to change.
"What’s going on?"
"He still isn’t here?"
"Could his injuries really have been too severe?"
"Stop jinxing him!"
Even Mithrash subconsciously looked toward the final contestant tunnel. In contrast, Dragon Count was completely calm.
"There’s still time."
However, just as the atmosphere among the spectators was beginning to grow restless, the light above the final tunnel finally began shining.
Immediately afterward, a name that countless people throughout the First Layer had permanently engraved into their memories appeared at the center of the gigantic projection screen.
[Zich]
BOOM!!!
At that moment, the entire Central Arena seemed to ignite.
Countless spectators leaped to their feet simultaneously. The cheers were even louder than the combined entrances of every previous contestant. Human banners waved high throughout the arena, forming what looked like an endless surging ocean.
"Zich!"
"Zich!"
"Zich!"
Inside the tunnel, Zich’s footsteps paused slightly.
Although he had already known that yesterday’s battle had caused quite a sensation, when the overwhelming cheers capable of shaking the entire arena truly reached his ears, he still could not help but become momentarily absent-minded.
’Isn’t this a little excessive? There definitely weren’t this many people shouting my name yesterday...’
He looked up toward the audience.
The very next moment, even more people noticed his movement.
The cheers instantly became even louder. Some people even raised enormous banners printed with his portrait.
Many others were hugging blue slime plush dolls that looked almost identical to Slimy, enthusiastically waving them in his direction.
The corner of Zich’s mouth twitched slightly.
’Where did those plush dolls even come from? It’s only been one night... They’ve already made merchandise?’
He had to admit. The merchants of the First Layer worked at an absolutely terrifying speed.
However, Zich did not remain standing there for long.
He quickly adjusted his emotions before slowly walking into the arena beneath countless gazes.
Meanwhile, Slimy, who had been resting in the graveyard, suddenly sensed the familiar cheers outside and voluntarily jumped out.
"Bo!"
The instant Slimy appeared, the audience erupted once more.
"SLIMY!!!"
"Holy crap, it’s out!"
"The real MVP!"
"It was the one that covered Nameless’ face yesterday!"
Hearing those cheers, Slimy was obviously delighted.
Its entire body bounced high into the air, spun around once before landing back on Zich’s shoulder, then happily wobbled twice toward the audience.
Watching its experienced performance, Zich fell into brief silence.
He had long since known that Slimy liked attention, but what surprised him was...
’When did this guy learn how to interact with the crowd? And... why does it look like it’s enjoying this more than I am?’
Not far away, in the stands, Brakka saw the scene and immediately burst into laughter.
"Zich! Your summon steals the spotlight better than you do!"
Zich glanced at him.
"You want it?"
The smile on Brakka’s face instantly froze.
He looked at Slimy’s round little body before recalling the horrifying venom that had melted enormous craters into the arena floor yesterday.
In the end, he decisively shook his head.
"I’ll pass. I think it suits you much better."
Slimy tilted slightly.
"Bo?"
The brief exchange eased the previously tense atmosphere somewhat, and after the last contestant, who also happened to be the only Velhari, stepped out, every contestant tunnel closed.
Yes, the only races that had made it to the quarterfinals were the Humans, the Nullborns, and the Velhari. As for the Keth, they were the first to be eliminated, and, surprisingly, they were followed by the Sorath, who had been very unfortunate to face the Nullborns.
At that moment, Arthur slowly rose from the highest VIP platform.
As he stood, the enormous energy barrier surrounding the entire arena gradually rose into the sky.
The audience, which had been filled with laughter and discussion only moments earlier, quickly fell silent.
Everyone understood. The moment that would determine the fate of the top eight contestants had finally arrived.
Arthur slowly raised his hand. The gigantic projection screen overhead immediately changed.
The names of all the contestants appeared simultaneously, arranged on both sides.
"The Quarterfinal rules remain the same as the Round of 16. All matches will continue to use a single-elimination format."
"The loser will end their journey in the Top Eight. The winner will advance to the Semifinals."
"Now, the random drawing for the first match will begin."
Buzz—
All eight names on the projection screen immediately began flashing rapidly.
Countless spectators instinctively held their breath.
Zich also raised his head. One name after another continued switching places so quickly that they were almost impossible to follow.
As time passed, the flashing gradually slowed.
Finally, the first name on the left slowly came to a stop.
[Jayden]
A wave of excitement instantly swept through the entire arena.
"Jayden!"
"He’s fighting first?"
"Holy crap! Then who’s his opponent?"
The name on the right continued changing.
One name after another rapidly flashed by.
Finally, the light came to a complete stop.
[Jayden]
vs.
[Lucien]
After a brief moment of silence, the entire arena erupted into even louder cheers.
Meanwhile, standing inside their respective waiting areas, Jayden and Lucien both raised their heads at the exact same moment.
Across the battlefield, their gazes met for the very first time.