Chapter 83: I feel like I say this every time, but it’s the rules, so please listen properly

(There are quite a lot of spectators...)

Stepping into the first dojo, Kazui muttered in his heart while looking up at the catwalk.

Its gymnasium-like appearance was not that different from the second dojo, but the first dojo had a catwalk at about the height of a second floor.

About ten adventurers on break had gathered on the catwalk as spectators.

It was not exactly martial arts "observational practice," but there was a lot to learn from watching other people’s exhibition matches, so spectating was encouraged by the gym.

The safety of the spectators on the catwalk was maintained by a defensive barrier.

Not only the spectators. The adventurers taking part in the exhibition match were protected the same way.

A special defensive barrier had been placed on the first dojo by skilled Guild staff who had originally worked as holy magician adventurers.

Because of that, adventurers taking part in exhibition matches rarely died or were injured.

Adventurers basically fought while protecting themselves with Aura Mail and the like, so that alone made physical damage hard to take.

But even if they lost that kind of defense, the defensive barrier set on the dojo itself protected the adventurers from physical damage.

When an adventurer received an attack that would deal major damage to their body, the defensive barrier activated and protected them from that damage.

However, the moment they were protected by the defensive barrier set on the dojo... Sals Fabrica, the adventurer became the loser.

And Sals Fabrica did not protect them from the pain of the attack as well.

In other words, the exercises were carried out safely, but they could not escape pain, so they were by no means easy.

Participants in exhibition matches were chosen by lottery from the adventurers who visited the gym.

Adventurers who visited the gym usually ended up taking part in an exhibition match once a day.

Kazui also ended up taking part in an exhibition match every time he visited the gym.

Incidentally, his record against adventurers who were not martial artists was in the lead, as expected, but his record against martial artists was currently all losses.

In the center of the first dojo stood a Guild staff member in a dark navy martial arts uniform with a black armband on his left arm.

He was a stern-faced, sturdy large man who looked around fifty and whom Kazui knew by sight. He had no hair, but he was not bald. He shaved it.

He was the Guild staff member in charge of refereeing exhibition matches, and Kazui had heard from someone that he had originally been an advanced adventurer like Rolo.

Many of the staff who served as instructors and referees at the unarmed combat gym were retired former advanced martial artists.

"Number 10!"

Walking toward the referee, Kazui called out.

Stopping near the referee, he showed the number on the back of his right hand.

"Confirmed. Level?"

"4."

"Weren’t you level... 1?"

The referee remembered Kazui’s face and level.

In exhibition matches it was apparently the rule to call people by lottery number, so he did not say names.

"I went up to 4!"

"I see. That’s good! You were stuck at 1 for so long."

Right after the referee replied to Kazui, another person called out to him.

"What, Kazu’s my opponent again! This is as good as a win!"

Kazui looked toward the familiar voice.

Feeling a bad premonition, he confirmed the owner of the voice and felt drained.

(This one again...)

The owner of the voice walking toward him was a tall woman with striking sky-blue short hair and eyes, wrapped in a midnight-blue martial arts uniform.

She also had a face that looked harsh in personality and gave off a prickly impression.

"Number 24."

Saying that, the woman showed the referee the number "24" marked on the back of her right hand.

"Confirmed."

Right after the referee replied to the woman, a high-pitched girl’s voice came from the catwalk.

"Onee-san! Do your best!"

The owner of the voice was a girl in a midnight-blue martial arts uniform with her sky-blue hair in twintails.

"You don’t even need to try. You’ll beat weak little Kazu easily!"

From the way she called Kazui’s opponent "Onee-san," it was clear the girl was his opponent’s little sister.

"The little sister’s here too, huh."

With an annoyed face, Kazui spat the words while looking up at the girl on the catwalk.

"Even Nicola could beat Kazu with room to spare."

Kazui’s opponent, Monica, declared it with a mocking look.

Since his opponent was Monica, the girl on the catwalk who was her little sister was Nicola.

Because of Nicola’s voice, the referee asked the question he had missed the chance to ask.

"Level?"

He knew Monica’s level, but asked to confirm anyway.

"41."

"The level difference is large, so this will be a handicap match using an Aura Limiter!"

The referee took a stamp from his pocket.

The stamp had a dial, and he turned it to set the number to "10."

"Please hold out the back of your left hand. I’ll stamp the Aura Limiter."

Knowing what was going to happen, Monica had already held out the back of her left hand to the referee before he gave the instruction.

"Since your opponent’s level is a single digit, your Aura will be limited to around level 10."

Saying that, he stamped the back of Monica’s left hand.

Near the Orb, a white glowing magic circle was stamped as if printed in glowing ink.

In the center of the magic circle the number "10" was marked.

"If you try to force Aura beyond level 10, the skill will not activate and this magic circle will turn red."

The referee continued explaining to Monica.

"If you weaken your Aura immediately, the magic circle will return to white, but if you keep using Aura beyond level 10, it will vanish while giving off a flash."

"I know even without the explanation. I’ve done this more times than I can count."

Sounding annoyed, Monica told the referee.

"I feel like I say this every time, but it’s the rules, so please listen properly."

The referee answered Monica in an equally annoyed tone.

It was because they had had similar exchanges many times in the past whenever Monica did a handicap match.