Chapter 3: Elimination Tests
The first phase of the ceremony is the three tests that will act as an elimination for those who aren't worthy to be a Spirit Bearer.
The first test would be the test of strength.
The participants will be split into groups of eight, where they will have a tug of war with each other in one bout.
Those who win will be able to go to the next test, while the losing team will be eliminated.
But that didn't mean only the participant could enter; groups that didn't meet the required number would be able to recruit others who had experienced the ceremony to help them.
And somehow, I find myself in one of these groups.
"Tch, because of that fat tomato, we didn't manage to secure a decent helper."
"...You know that I am here, don't you, Thomas?"
'My point still stands."
Ah, Thomas, a young man with black hair and brown eyes, with his plain face; it's quite hard to recognize him in a group of people, but the guy has a foul mouth; most of my cursed words come from him after all.
But he is one of the few I could call a friend since he's the only one who's still there with me after I became like this.
Seeing everyone abandon Thomas like this, how could he let down his friend?
"Well, let's get this over with."
The eight of us came into position, where I was viewed as the weakest due to my skinny body, so I was positioned first, while Thomas was last.
As I was steadying myself, I saw at the back of the opponent team a fat guy with a big red nose, currently smirking at me.
'He is Rednos, isn't he?'
If I remember correctly, Rednos and Thomas had a big fight a couple of months ago due to a girl from their school that they both had a crush on.
In the end, Thomas won without breaking a sweat, not because he was strong or anything, but because that fat bastard wasn't agile enough to dodge Thomas's fist even with a bat in his hand.
Then the situation died out when Thomas was rejected by the girl, something that made Rednos very joyful, until he too got rejected, so no hard feelings between each other since both got hurt.
But I guess Rednos still has a grudge against Thomas even after all those months.
Seeing the big guys with their hands the size of my head and my team, where most of us aren't that athletic and me, basically everyone didn't believe that our team had a chance to last even for a second.
Just when I was scanning their team, I could see their eyes were on me as their lips curled up.
"..."
Liam may look all bone and skin, but the truth is that it is due to one of his failures, which caused his appearance to be contrary to his true strength.
His strength is still the same as the boy who lifted up an entire cow and threw it like a pebble!
Still, it didn't mean I should abuse this artificial strength for my own satisfaction.
Unknowingly, Liam's grip grew even tighter than before.
Under the shocked gaze of the people, our team managed to overwhelm those big guys in a matter of seconds, leading my confused teammate to the next test.
And due to [Fool deduction], no one thought that it was me, and instead they believed Thomas was the one, and even Thomas himself was thinking like that too.
"Sigh, I overestimated those big guys!"
Despite saying it like that, seeing the happiness on Thomas's face made Liam's guilt lessen a little.
Next is a less intense test, which is a test of battle.
Each contestant will have a duel with each other through wooden sticks.
This time, he could truly enjoy the ceremony without being bothered by anyone.
"I could go for another roasted pig's leg."
Sadly, the pig was already out of his sight the moment he joined the tug of war.
So there's no need for him to stay here anymore; now that most of the villagers have gathered here, he could go to the outer edge of the village to have some shut-eye.
He's going to need some rest before the hunt of the Spirit Of The Sadman Lake.
"All the preparation has been completed; now I just need to be at my greatest to defeat that thing."
But then the crowd grew restless all of a sudden as they were all focused on a particular match.
"OH! LOOK AT HER GO!"
"I never witnessed a battle this intense!'
"Hm?"
Curiosity got hold of me so I decided to take a look at the fight, and I have to say, their action is justified.
On one side is a muscular young man with a long black ponytail and fiery red eyes, and most of all, he is enormous.
Even those Liam battles against just now could only be viewed as little kids when standing next to him; he is the definition of a giant.
There's only one person who fits this description in this village, the man whose strength stood at the top of this village.
He is Dorian, the strongest in this village, far surpassing Liam, who already possessed an inhuman strength from the system.
He had fought Dorian before, and despite being clumsy, his strength made up for it, as each fist he threw was like a boulder crashing down on Liam.
But what makes Liam so surprised is that the giant was bloody with many wounds on his body and a rarely seen desperation and resentment on his face.
But most of all, an iron sword slashed through his forearm, causing Dorian's face to go even paler.
"Why is there a contestant using an iron sword?"
"Why are you being a little b—"
Bang!
"Oww."
It seems Thomas has already done with his match without much sweat but that didn't stop his mouth from uttering bullshit.
"It's because it's for fairness."
"Fairness?"
"Oh, you know Dorian, don't you? The guy is just as big as a house; how could a mere wooden stick do any harm to him?"
Hm… There's some sense to what Thomas said; a human hand could not fight against that beast, but an iron sword?
"Where did that sword even come from?"
Even a knife would have been too much! The feeling of cold metal slashing through the skin isn't something an adult wants to feel, let alone a young man like Dorian.
There's something that disturbed Liam even more, the person wielding it swung the sword without any hesitation or emotions at all!
Liam focused on the elusive girl, dodging those brutal attacks, and retaliated by slashing through his ox-thick skin.
She was a slender woman whose height was probably at his shoulder level with light blue eyes, smooth, long, white hair, and pale skin.
What's more is that she is gorgeous, probably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but instead of being allured, there's something haunting about such beauty that makes Liam feel uneasy.
The way she passed through Dorian's fist like a phantom and then coldly slashed at his chest before moving back, all in a smooth manner like she was gliding on ice.
"...Where did she come from?"
He had never seen any white-haired girl in this village, and yet there's one here, someone he didn't know at all!
And no one seems to question this!
"Oh! I forgot that you only arrived here when you were fourteen. That's the chief's daughter, Lilina Terra."
"Oh, I did hear about her."
She didn't live in this village but in a city near here; it seems that the chieftain brought her here to be a spirit-
Just then, Liam realized that the system had turned a color of blue and right at…her?
| The Path Of Spirit Bearer |
[Stat]
Title: Snowspawn
Age: 17
HP: 70%
Status: Alive
Rank: Master
[Spirits] (2/7)
Spirit Of Bleach (Avatar Spirit) (Unification Completed)
Spirit Of Snow (Great Spirit)
[Ability]
Color Erasion: Through the touch of your hand, color will be washed away.
Snowstorm: You are capable of creating a snowstorm.
"..."
In the end, Dorian helplessly falls to his butt with many wounds riddling his body and a sword pressed to his throat.
He was furious about the unfairness of this, but he still admitted defeat, which caused the crowd to go into uproar.
"Woah, she did it."
"So what? It's thanks to the sword that she won."
"Are you dumb? Even if you have a bow in your hand, the odds of you getting squashed by Dorian are very high. It's her skill that made her the victor of this battle!"
Meanwhile, Lilina cleaned off the blood on her sword before she looked at the crowd, causing the cheers to quieten down.
… For some reason, he felt like she was looking at him and not an accidental look.
Liam moved his eyes sideways, not daring to meet that ruthless girl's gaze. He felt that if he were to do so, then he would be forced to go up there and fight her!
Somehow, he could hear her mumbling in disappointment and disdain.
"Probably just my imagination."