Level 1 Strongest Sage 1-Chapter 33Vol. 15 - - The Master’s Absence in the Second Prelims & The Special ’Assistant’

The day of the Ultimate Clan Battle's second preliminaries had arrived.

"Halt's not here? Tina-sensei too?"

"Oy, what the heck? The second prelims are about to start, you know."

Luke and Ryuushin were stunned to hear from Leaffa that Halt and Tina hadn't arrived yet.

"The first prelims were only for clans within Glendale, but this second round gathers clans that won their prelims from all over the world. Tina-sensei being pregnant is one thing, but Halt is our top fighter. Him being absent is..."

"And he's the Clan Master, too…”

"You're right...I was also surprised when I heard via communication that the two of them couldn't come. But it seems they have urgent business they just can't get away from."

Leaffa seemed troubled too.

"Now, now, calm down, you guys. Whether Master is present or not, our task doesn’t change."

"This grand stage has been entrusted to us.”

"We gotta live up to Halt-Nii's expectations!!"

"We’re gonna win this thing all by ourselves!"

Youko, Kikyou, Akari, and Hakua weren't intimidated by Halt's absence. In fact, they were fired up, thinking that if they shined while he was gone, they'd earn his praise.

"Luke-sama, Ryuushin-sama, please don't worry. My power may not be on par with Halt-sama's level, but you still have me, the former Demon Lord, here. We won't lose unless a Hero shows up. Besides, we also have Akari-sama, who is even stronger than I am."

"If there's someone who looks really tough, I might just have to get a little serious!"

"R-right. I guess you're right.”

"Yeah, come to think of it, aren’t we too overpowered dealing with normal folks, huh."

"Um, actually... about that, Halt-sama mentioned he called for a... 'support’."

Leaffa timidly raised her hand.

"Reinforcement?"

"We’ve got Sitri, a former Demon Lord, and Akari, a Hero from another world. Who else could we possibly need?"

"That would be me. I came 'cause I was summoned."

A shirtless man holding a trident appeared. His hair was the deep blue shade of the abyssal sea. It was none other than Poseidon, the Sea God who ruled the oceans of this world.

"S-Sea God-sama?"

"Uhm, pardon my rudeness, but did I perhaps hear that wrong? You came here to assist us?"

"You heard right, Luke," Poseidon said with a grin. "I received a personal request from Halt and came to help you guys. Payment is three meals of Tina's home cooking."

In exchange for being able to come over for three meals whenever he wanted, one of this world's Four Great Gods had agreed to temporarily join Halt's clan Familia.

For the record, the Ultimate Clan Battle allowed each clan one person that would serve as special support. Whether a clan could call upon a powerful outsider in a pinch was also considered part of their overall strength. However, it’s part of the rule that clans couldn't name someone already scheduled to fight for another clan.

"See? I even got registered as an adventurer properly."

He showed them his F-Rank adventurer's guild card.

During registration, he was inspected by the 'Crystal of Truth,' a magical tool designed to detect lies. But for a Quasi-Supreme God like Poseidon, making the crystal malfunction was child's play.

Now that Halt was a C-Rank adventurer, the world's strongest F-Rank adventurer had been born.

"I'm the lowest rank, but I heard as long as the clan I'm joining is C-Rank or higher, I can participate as a support. This should be fine."

"Well, it's technically not a problem, but..."

"Is it really okay for a deity to participate?"

"I think that point should be fine. During the first preliminaries, the Dragon God-sama participated as well."

As Leaffa said, during the first prelims, the Dragon God summoned by Halt's mother, Anna, fought Kikyou. He was given the 'setting' of being a C-Rank adventurer thanks to Anna's reality-altering skill.

"That’s it, I'm counting on you all! Let's fight together and crush these prelims!"

"O-ohh!!"

Inspired by the Sea God's vigor—and his desire for Tina's cooking—the entire Familia raised their voices in response.

──＊＊＊──

"...Hmm. How should I say this?"

"Nah, don't say it, Luke. I'm thinking the exact same thing."

The second preliminaries were over. Luke, who had acted as temporary Clan Master in Halt and Tina's absence, held the commemorative crystal given to the clans that advanced to the next level.

"Even if they're supposed to be the strongest clans from each country, they were all just small fry to us."

Poseidon voiced what Luke and Ryuushin were hesitating to say. He was right. The Familia Clan had swept through the second preliminaries with overwhelming force.

It was only natural. Every single member was far from normal. Even the 'weakest' among them, Luna, was over level 150. On top of that, they had one of the Four Great Gods as their support. There was no way any opponent could put up a decent fight against such a clan.

Not a single one of them lost. They had cleared the preliminaries.

"I'd like to help with the main tournament too, but I am a deity, after all. Got things to do, so I gotta head back to my temple. Besides, you guys will be fine on your own."

"Thank you very much, Sea God-sama."

"Thanks for your help, meow."

"We'll see you at the next dinner party."

"Yeah. Later."

Like water seeping into the earth, Poseidon's figure vanished.

Halt's clan was now officially qualified to compete in the main event of the Ultimate Clan Battle.