1143 Don't get too cocky

Though dark element users were not common, it was not a banned or a forbidden form of magic. In fact, it was even considered one of the more mysterious and powerful elements.

Especially considering the fact that the elf in front of them seemed extremely fluent and proficient in his abilities, there was no more suspense left in the match.

The elf smirked as he materialized a spinning disk of dark energy. As even more tentacles grabbed and tied down Elira, the elf prepared to throw the disk.

The elven girl winced. She still hadn't given up. She was trying her best. She couldn't lose here. Tears fell out of her eyes. 

If she concedes here then she can accept the defeat and at least retain her life at the end of the match. However, she did not plan on doing that.

She already knew just how important winning this match was for Liam. She did not want to live after failing the mission. She was here with her life on the line.

Seeing her behavior, the crowd also lamented in pity, many shouting for her to surrender the fight. 

However, the elf in front of her smirked. He could see that she was not going to concede and he did not plan on waiting for her.

His cruel eyes gleaming with delight, he aimed for her neck and released the attack when suddenly, out of nowhere, his mind blanked out.

Elira who was still struggling used this opening to slash through the weakened tentacles. 

All she needed was a second. Once she was able to get that, she gained her edge back and did not waste time blasting away all of the tentacles. 

She directly dashed forward and slashed down at the elf, blood splattering everywhere. Before she could deal another blow, the elf gave up and the match ended just like that.

The entire crowd erupted into applause.

The cheers of the crowd reverberated through the arena, a collective gasp of disbelief shifting into a roar of approval. 

The young elven girl had done it. Despite staring down defeat, she had seized a miraculous moment and turned the tide of the battle.

Her opponent's face was a canvas of mixed emotions. He had been so close, just one throw away from victory. But that momentary lapse, that inexplicable blanking of his mind, had cost him the match. 

He still couldn't understand what exactly happened, only that he was in too much pain to think about it right now. He silently grunted and let himself fall unconscious.

Elira sheathed her sword and made her way to the center of the arena where she was crowned the champion. As she lifted the trophy high above her head, the cheers intensified, filling the air with palpable energy and hope.

"Elira! Elira! Elira!" The chants filled the stadium. 

The recruitment event came to an end with an unexpected newcomer winning the trophy.

"Gosh! What a nail-biting competition!"

"I am telling you, she is definitely going to become one of the Generals!"

"Why just a General? She is going to become one of the four Guardians!"

"At such a young age, she is already so strong. She must hail from a good clan. I wonder which clan she is from?"

"Fuck her and her clan. What I care about is… which bastard placed a bet on her?"

"What? Someone did?"

"Yes. Apparently, some lucky asshole did place a huge bet on her and cleared up the pot. Must have made a fortune tonight!"

While the crowd became completely chaotic, Elira remained calm as her real mission had only begun now. She had only crossed half the river, now there was another half left for her to cross and she needed to do it successfully no matter what.

Following the official tournament, there were several formalities that Elira calmly took care of. She gave the previously agreed upon fake details as her background and registered as a royal guard, accepting the new position that was offered to her.

She was then told that she would meet with a royal representative in a couple of days to claim her reward for the recruitment tournament.

After finishing some more formalities she then excused herself for the day, silently retiring to another inn at the border of the city covering herself up. The location was changed this time.

She hurried into the inn and to her room, not bothering to even have any meal first. She knocked on the door.

"Congratulations." The door opened and she saw the familiar face smiling at her. Only now Elira let out a sigh of relief.

"Come in." Liam opened the door for the elf. "Are you injured anywhere?"

"No. They gave me a high-grade health potion for healing." Elira shook her head. 

She searched her master's eyes to see if he was any less sad now, but before she could find an answer to that, the door was barged open.

"Ba ha ha ha! You guys really did it!" Eldrin burst into the room, a wide grin stretched across his face and an almost empty bottle of some strong-smelling liquor in his hand. "I knew you'd pull it off, Elira!"

"What are you doing here?" Elira immediately asked, a bit of irritation flashing in her eyes.

"Me? I'm here to celebrate, of course! Our girl here is a champion!" Eldrin swaggered into the room, placing the bottle on a table and flopping down on a chair.

"You are being too loud and too rude. You need to act more respectfully towards my master!" Elira reprimanded him, her eyes narrowing.

"Hey, little elf. Be careful with your words. Don't get too cocky." Eldrin was still grinning but there was a strange glint in his eyes. "You might have won the recruitment event, but you are still just a little fish in front of me."

Elira was about to say something when the guy unexpectedly revealed his aura. Eldrin snorted coldly and added, "Besides… did you really think that you won the match back there?"