I Hate Being The Protagonist

When my battle finished, I was cast aside to watch the rest of the fights. Most went the same way that mine did, separating the enlightened from the non-enlightened. The fights were boring and quick, with one side having an overwhelming advantage. Only a few lasted more than 4 minutes.

While the duels were in process, I talked to Lucidel. He explained how a Sword Saint is going to come tomorrow for the finals. One of the 11 Sword Saints of Holdanis will observe the finals, maybe even fighting him/herself against the champion.

Tomorrow, only 10 will be chosen to fight. This means that in one day, 90 people will fall off, and the 10 that remain are secured to get an award. Those 10 will fight tomorrow, to see which one will stand as the champion.

"This fight will be interesting. Just watch. The man fighting right now is the favorite, most likely to win the 1st place. That is, if you weren't here," Lucidel proclaims, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"The favorite huh?"

The man Lucidel was talking about had an orange and black coat, with his hair being the same orange color. He walked elegantly, holding his sword out like an extension of the arm. It was apparent this individual trained like Hell and knew his way around a sword.

His opponent was enlightened, with a manapool comparable to a full glass. This will be an interesting fight. The orange-haired favorite had a manapool the size of a bottle, just like myself.

As the fight started they both stood still, observing the other party's movements. They were gauging their skill level and way of fighting. Surprisingly, Orange Hair was the first to move. He disappeared from his standing place, quickly dashing over to the other guy's side. The favorite moved his sword elegantly, colliding with a block from his opponent. The force was too great though, as the latter got thrust back violently, flying through the air several meters.

Orange Hair was on the move again, appearing behind his opponent. He couldn't react as Orange Hair waited for him to land.

*Clang*

Their swords collided again. Amazing! I can't believe this guy is holding himself so strong against the favorite.

Just as I thought he had a good chance against the favorite, Orange Hair imbued his sword with lightning magic.

"Honestly, I thought Orange Hair would wield fire magic. With his outfit and hair having that blistering orange, I was sure his magic would be the same."

"I have to teach you how to sense someone's affinity. That'll be your next lesson," Lucidel responds. "And you're calling him Orange Hair? Creative, but his name is Helios. That's the only name here that you should remember."

Helios' body vibrated slightly as his feet dug into the ground. With tremendous force, his body jumped forward, striking his opponent like a thunderbolt. A bolt of electricity was the only thing a spectator could see, before Helios' opponent got struck into the ground, motionless.

Helios took the win.

"Wow! Only a single strike concluded the battle!" I shout, grabbing the seat in front of me.

"Their first interaction was Helios trying to see if the other guy uses any problematic techniques," Lucidel explains.

"But the fight lasted a minute or two. How could he see any techniques in that short period?" I ask.

"It was enough. Helios was open towards his opponent, creating a fake weakspot in the first attack."

"That was supposed to be a weakspot?? I'm not so confident in fighting him anymore..."

When the fight finished, Lucidel ushered me down the arena to meet Helios. He explained how I should get to know the favorite, experiencing what someone who is considered to be the next Sword Saint is like.

"Meet my competition..." I mumble.

"You're meeting a competitor in a tournament, not a life-or-death enemy on the battlefield. Don't worry about that stuff," Lucidel notes.

I walk along the stretched-out hallway, reaching the changing rooms. There, an orange-haired youngster rewraps the white tape around his hands. Lucidel knocks, alerting Helios of our presence.

"How's it going, favorite?" Lucidel winks.

"General Lucidel!" Helios salutes, standing up from his bench.

"This is Adam, the only competition you have here," Lucidel comments while pointing his hands at little ol' me.

"You're strong, I can sense it. Nice to meet you Adam. My name's Helios," he says while extending his hand.

As I shake it, I feel the calluses on his palms. Arduous training earns those, along with the tight grip he administers. His hands could be compared to Lucidel's, although smaller and non-scarred.

"What do you say?" Lucidel asks.

Helios chuckles, joking how the only competition he has is a 12 year old kid.

"Where have the men of this kingdom disappeared to?" he sighs, glancing in the opposite way of Lucidel. This was an obvious tease, as Lucidel was the prime example of a "man worthy of praise".

"You're quite the jokester!"

Lucidel slaps Helios's back, grabbing his shoulder like one does to a friend. It was apparent that these two know each other already.

"You're quite young yourself. If you become a Sword Saint it'll be a world record, no?" I ask.

"Unfortunately not. I'm just shy 2 years. The record is 23 years old, while I'm already 25."

"You make it sound like that's old," Lucidel laughs.

"Well not all of us are gramps like you," Helios provokes again.

I liked their pushy dynamic. It was a relaxing and fun atmosphere to be in. Helios observed my sword while he gave me his, exchanging our weapons for a quick judgment.

"This is a good choice. If I didn't have my own, I would definitely choose something like this," Helios nods in approvement.

"Of course it is, the sword is the best one we have in Obiwon!" Lucidel proudly exclaims.

"Ah, I forgot you resigned your general status to become a middle school teacher."

"This middle school teacher could give you a run for your money any time of the day!"

Lucidel warns.

"I'm kidding of course. You've got yourself a good teacher Adam. Even if I joke about him resigning as a general, which he never will, I know of the terrifying power he possesses."

"I've noticed, don't worry," I respond.

"I can only imagine what rigorous training you put this kid through. Poor soul, he's only 12 and already at my level," Helios humbly confesses.

"He's not a lazyass like you. If you don't want a 12 year old to surpass you, you'll have to do better," Lucidel pokes.

"I'm not lazy. If I had the guidance of a general of Eviansis, I too would be a monster."

"Come and train in Obiwon with us," Lucidel offers.

"You know I'm obligated to the 15th House of Swords. I'll stick to my training there. Maybe a Sword Saint finally starts teaching there like it is in Obiwon."

"Does everyone know Guille works in Obiwon??" Lucidel asks.

"It's not as well known as your position there, but rumors do get out," Helios comments, shrugging his shoulders.

I had another fight soon, which Helios would watch closely. He openly admitted that he will observe my fighting style, since I'm a 'real competitor' for the title. Helios would also have another fight, so I told him that I'll have the advantage of seeing two of his fights, since he didn't watch my debut.

"You won't see my second fight. I'll end it in a single swing so there is nothing to analyze," Helios winks.

He is a bit full of himself, but in a playful manner. It's fun to see him poke someone as strict and scary as Lucidel. Even though the general is much stronger than the orange-haired trash talker, he doesn't back away or cower in fear.

-

My second fight was against someone who is actually enlightened, contrary to my previous win.

Again, it was a noticeably older gentleman, with a thin sword and slim physique. I could already see speed would be his overarching trait.

As soon as the fight began, I used magic to amplify my senses and bring an even playing field to any quick movements coming my way. The thin sword slowly poked at me, not attacking fully. He was waiting for an opening.

I gave him none, advancing myself instead.

I used light magic to extend my pierce, the beam of energy continuing from the tip of my sword for about 2 meters. He dodged that barely, falling out of balance to try and evade it completely.

I used the opportunity, swinging my sword quickly. He managed to block my blow, skating on ice he created below his feet. I guess this was allowed... Using ice magic to move quicker, he skated around, trying to form a weakspot.

It was an interesting strategy, and his movements were definitely more unpredictable this way. He encased his sword in ice, giving it a sharper, yet more brittle edge.

I was slightly fed up with the tricks and the indirect strategy, so I swung my sword, creating a slash of light which hurled through the air before it made contact with my opponent. He couldn't avoid this one, since it moved much faster than my last attack. It wasn't a trick or an outplaying move, I was just more capable in magic and had a stronger spell.

As he fell down to the floor from the force, I rushed over, placing my sword on his neck.

"I surrender!!" he yells out.

So much for his trickery. In truth, I was just faster and had stronger magic than him.