"From the depths of the Lowmoor district," the announcer's voice echoed as Vivi stepped up the stairs, "this year's extra contestant, whose miraculous rise all the way from low split has earned her the title Slum Smith, please welcome Vivian Runeblessed from the Lost Raindrop smithy!"

Vivi winced internally, hearing her embarrassing name ring so loudly across the square. The introduction managed to draw some claps, a little bit of laughter, and even a few cheers from the audience. A lot of people were getting up from their seats for a break, no longer paying attention.

Even still, hundreds of eyes were focused on the platform. On Vivi. Her nervousness started to come back again.

"Vivian," the announcer said, smiling at her. "Vivian, Vivian. Can I call you Vivi? Is that too much?"

He turned the voice amplifier to her. Vivi flinched, realizing that any fumble of her word would echo all across the square. Despite that, an "Um," still escaped, followed by a "Sure?"

Chuckles and laughter came from the crowd. Not nearly as loudly as with Tobias, but Vivi's face went red anyway.

"You might be the most adorable smith I have seen walk up those stairs," the announcer said. "From my understanding, you are not a dwarf, not even a demon, but a human, seventeen years of age? Is this true?"

"Yes," Vivi said, her voice ringing loudly through the amplifier. "I am a human from the surface. An apprentice of Thomas Warren's Son."

"The surface?" the announcer said. "Wow. I believe I speak for everyone when I say I did not expect a seventeen year old human to climb up to top split this year. Congratulations for your victory over the low and middle split." He grinned at the audience and held up his hands in a clapping motion. This actually drew some cheers and applause from the audience.

Vivi stood there awkwardly. She had come prepared for insults. But the announcer didn't sound hostile. Was he actually complimenting her? She didn't know how to act.

"Let's talk a little about the sword that brought you here," the announcer said. Vivi's sword was cleanly displayed on a rack beside them. He picked it up. Just as with Tobias's sword, the announcer pushed ether through the runes. He wore a grin, preparing his next sentence.

As the veins inside Vivi's sword became active, his expression froze. The announcer blinked and glanced again at Vivi's sword.

"This sword…" he said, bringing himself back to the show, though his voice wavered. "Blossom. It's a rather peculiar sword…" He blinked at it again. "Weirdly, it doesn't look like you've carved any veins at all. According to rumors, you were spotted blacksmithing in the depths of the low split. Could you tell us a little bit about… how a sword like this has defeated all of its competition so far?"

The announcer continued pushing ether through the runes with a dumbfounded expression. He lowered the amplifier and spoke to Vivi directly without the crowd. "What is this! What in the name of the abyss have you created?"

Lucius was laughing within Vivi. "We're winning this easily."

Vivi grinned. She gestured at the amplifier. "I'll answer."

The announcer looked doubtful, almost afraid of her. But he lifted the amplifier to her.

"You are correct," Vivi said. "Blossom does not have veins lining its surface. Its three runes are distributed inside the metal." After a short pause, she added, "Blossom is an inside-carved runesword."

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The crowd fell silent. Everyone was looking at her now. Those that were leaving paused, listening. Whispers and murmur spread in the air. The announcer blinked at Vivi, confused.

"Well," he eventually said. "That is an interesting claim. We will all be waiting for the judges' assessment of this very interesting piece of work. Thank you, Vivian, and congratulations again for your rise to the top!"

A couple of confused cheers came from the crowd. Other than that, she was met with silence as the crowd tried to understand her insane claim.

With that, she was nudged back. Her time at the top was over. She moved down the stairs.

Amongst the silence, a particularly loud shout from the front rows resounded across the square. "Raindrops to the sky!" Eli shouted. He had a booze bottle in each hand, having pushed his way to the front row. The nobles around him leaned far away, grimacing at him. "Go, Vivi! I bet seven thousand ether on the Raindrops! Destroy this fucking competition!"

Guardsmen grabbed him by his armpits, dragging him away.

This damned idiot… Vivi thought.

Lucius was cackling like mad. "They might be laughing now. But what about after the tests?"

Vivi wanted to sigh. This competition is way too chaotic.

"What do you mean?" Lucius asked. "This is perfect! The whole city knows about us now!"

Yes, I suppose that worked as a marketing trick…

Zack and Tobias stood at the waiting area. Zack had his arms crossed with an appalled scowl. Tobias looked amused more than anything.

"Zack did warn me," Tobias said. "A bold claim. Inside-carved, huh? It looked like a glowstick."

"That's just how inside-carved swords look," Vivi said. "They're not as showy. They're just efficient."

Tobias studied her expression. He didn't seem to believe the claim, but he appeared curious nonetheless. "We will see. I am interested to see how this sword performs in the judges' arms. Good luck to you two."

Tobias turned to his men and exited the waiting area. Zack rolled his eyes, shaking his head. He turned to his guides as well, not sparing Vivi a single word, and prepared for his turn on the spotlight.

"Rude idiots," Lucius said. "Let's see how they'll react to your sword standing at the top. They can't do anything to change the results now."

Maybe they can bribe the judges, Vivi thought. If they forget to add ether to the runes, an inside-carved sword will still snap.

"Don't be so paranoid," Lucius said. "We're winning easily."

The dwarf appeared genuinely upset as he spoke to his guides. They quickly prepared him for his introduction. He spread his arms while they checked his outfit for any wrinkles. He adjusted his collar himself, took a breath, and suddenly, the frown turned into a confident grin as he showed himself to the audience.

Vivi watched blankly before rolling her eyes. She turned to Ian, her guide. "Testing is right after Zack, right?"

"After a short break, yes," Ian said. "The judges' stations are being set up. Now is the time for a bathroom break if you need one."

"Sure, if we're just waiting," Vivi said. A bathroom break was definitely preferable over listening to Zack's introduction. She followed Isaac to the side, where he took her to a booth filled with bathroom stalls.

Unfortunately, the amplifier's voice still echoed into the stall. The voice wasn't deafening, but Vivi could still hear Zack's boasting.

"Tobias might prove to be an interesting opponent this year," Zack was saying. "Although, it turns out, he has competition this year. A bloody inside-carving little girl has entered the competition!"

The laughs resounded all the way to the bathroom stall. Vivi sighed. You know, I'm starting to think I haven't slept nearly enough for this type of publicity.

"That's fine," Lucius said. "Zack can curse us all he wants. In the end, we will earn a trophy, and he and his team will head back to their houses to… enjoy a nice evening. Without a trophy."

How poetic, Vivi thought. But I guess you're right. We just need to win, or at the very least, showcase the power of our swords, and we'll definitely receive richer visitors who want to test our swords.

Exiting the stalls, Vivi yawned. Perhaps it was no wonder she was feeling apprehensive. The smiths were barely offered any rest after completing their swords. Just talking to people took a lot of energy.

"Ian?" Vivi asked. "I'm ready. Let's go."

"This way," Ian said. He lowered his head, then led Vivi to an open spot in the square. All of top split's runesmiths, excluding Zack, had gathered underneath the scorching facets to wait for the event she'd been waiting for. Top split's judging.

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