Ten rounds total.
One-on-one bouts of mathematics and brawling held at the same time.
The round ends when one side solves the math problems.
So unless you can finish the math problems, the fight goes on forever.
It's the only way to get bloodthirsty adventurers to learn their arithmetic!
Each problem set will be tougher than the last.
And at the start of the next round,
for each 10-point difference in your scores,
you get one free hit at the enemy brawler.
That's a heavy responsibility.
We'll use this to determine the mathematics players.
Huh?
It's Curran.
N-N-N-N-N!
It's me, Nick.
Calm down.
I-I-I-I-I.
Yes, you can do it.
B-B-B-B-B!
You'll be fine.
Don't worry.
How can he tell what she's saying?
Hmph. I hope one screw-up doesn't get everyone killed.
U-U-U-U-U!
She's saying "Uuuh."
Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World
"Mathematics Bare Knuckle"
Well?
Hmm, I think she's got potential!
What was my score?
Curran, you worked hard, didn't you?
Yup. So what was my score?
If you did this good before you even started studying, I think there's hope.
What was my score?
Curran, let the poor guy off the hook.
It was no good?
That's not true.
Curran
I can't do this.
Curran, the most important thing right now
is that we were able to see what you can do and what you can't.
So we just need to get you better at the things you understand,
and help you learn the things you don't.
Can I do that?
Of course.
You should just let me help.
Kizuna, you're too strong.
But I want to help the Survivors, too.
Of course, we want your help.
Okay...
Not as a sacred blade, but as a party member.
Leave it to me!
We spent the next week training and coming up with plans.
Zem's been hanging out with girls all day lately.
Oh, Zem, you pervert!
Eww!
Why don't you stop wasting everybody's time and get to the point?
You knew, then?
It's no fun to drink with someone who's so glum.
You've been like that all the time lately.
All right, if you insist...
I've heard more stories about that Claudine girl breaking men's' hearts...
Beg? The creepy guy, right?
So Leon's not just strong, he's pretty smart.
The Iron Tigers went too far!
Oh, that new girl, Rose, was talking about some strange man.
So you know something about a strange man?
That's right.
Can you tell me more?
All right.
Hmm...
Wavy, flaxen hair,
beautiful soft blue eyes...
long, light pink fingers,
a sexy voice like velvet...
He wears a cassock that stands out in a place like this...
Who are you talking about?
A strange man.
They're going to try some kind of trick tomorrow.
Yeah.
The way they acted, the way they lured us into this, they've done it before.
I've had Zem look into them.
So he wasn't just out getting drunk?
I had a lot to drink, and asked lots of questions.
He's cheating. I know it.
But I can't figure out how.
He's sharp, like he's got eyes on the back of his head.
And I can't figure it out!
What they do is share information so they can outsmart their enemy.
They're probably using Thought Gems.
Those work like telepathy, right?
Not nearly as powerful, though.
What do I do?
Use all you've learned to solve the problems.
That's all?
Until I give the signal.
I was pretty happy as a kid.
My parents worked at a carriage station,
but started embezzling small amounts of money and got fired.
They were about to sell me off when I ran away.
But then I had to survive.
I was pretty enough, which helped me do enough fraud to live.
I was smart enough to do enough cons to get by.
I met some decent enough guys to earn a decent enough living.
And that's when I met Nick.
Happy Birthday!
I thought that the more people I could steal from, the happier I'd be.
I just...
I'll get you yet, Nick!
Okay, let the Mathematics Bare Knuckle begin!
I know these!
They're the type of problems I've studied!
Don't look so happy.
These are problems a kid could do.
Sh-Shut up.
I'll finish this up fast to help Nick!
Get him, Nick!
Kick Leon's ass!
This is a good opportunity for Curran.
She looks like she's bad at math.
They're not going to miss a chance to take advantage of that.
He's not taking the bait.
Which means...
He's not attacking.
So he's buying time?
This much was planned for...
He's figured out some part of it.
Good luck figuring out the rest!
You'll never reach it without real smarts.
Focus, Curran.
What's important now is getting the right answers!
I-I'm done!
Curran finished first!
We will now begin the judging.
Take a moment's break!
Claudine
Curran
Curran 86 Points, Claudine 98 points!
Yeah, that's the problem with going fast.
You get in such a rush that you get sloppy
and end up losing points.
You're better than I thought.
Let's see how long you can last.
S-Sorry, Nick!
It's fine!
Nobody gets worried about a little pat from a kitty.
Penalty time already?
Here I go!
Come on, kitty.
Sorry, my hand slipped.
So this is what you've got up your sleeve...
no, no, it's not.
Don't you worry about it.
What happens when you have to brawl and do math at the same time?
You might think the math is there to preserve your stamina.
You could try to save your brawler's strength
by ending the math part fast, like Curran tried to do.
The math might seem less important than the fighting,
until you realize that you can use it to go on the offensive, too!
Round 2, start!
Abusing the penalties might not feel very nice,
but it's a standard way to fight.
Nothing's as effective as an attack your opponent can't block.
Especially, if your math player is good, you can use it to get aggressive.
Theoretically, if you could answer every question instantly,
you could inflict massive penalty hits no matter how smart they were,
since they wouldn't get to answer a single question.
It's not the brawlers who determine the outcome of the game.
Hence the attempts to buy time.
And that's where they'll try to cheat.
And so will we!
Claudine
Curran
Claudine 98, Curran 79!
What a shame. I almost got him two hits.
Curran!
Wipe that look off your face.
You're not the one getting hit.
I know that!
But... but...
Don't worry about me. Focus on the problems.
But it's my fault you're being hit!
Because I'm stupid!
I'll tell you the truth...
A week ago I couldn't even imagine it would go like this.
I was ready to take dozens of hits.
But just count them.
How many times have I been hit?
T-Two.
Yeah. You started off getting 80 percent of the questions wrong,
and now you're a full-fledged Mathematics Bare Knuckle player!
You're giving it your best! I can tell!
So don't call yourself stupid!
But I might start getting more wrong.
It's fine.
That's fine.
If you get one wrong, just use what you learned to get it right next time.
Nick...
Curran, you're amazing!
What are you so excited about? This is simple arithmetic.
I'm excited because I can do something now that I couldn't before!
I'll pretend I didn't hear all that.
Any more talking and I'll treat this as illegal stalling.
Round 3! Start!
Like I said, you're just some Dragonian bumpkin who
won't be able to solve these problems for long!
I was happy to be able to do math I couldn't do before.
But I couldn't let myself show it because Nick was getting hit.
But Nick was happy for my progress!
So I won't hesitate anymore!
If you want to run a con, you do it fast.
Most people would do it right after the start,
and get things over and done with before they had a chance to slip up.
But there's a reason they didn't.
Early in the game, you'd lose time repeating the questions and answers to each other.
Which means...
They're trying to buy time and let the problems get harder.
When Curran stops being able to blaze through the questions,
they'll use the Thought Gems to give Claudine a boost.
I'm getting tired.
If I want to use my speed to go on the offensive, this is my last chance, but...
Stop running around!
Coward!
Let the crowd say what they want.
But buying time is part of our secret plan.
I'll last as long as my strength holds out!
That's strange...
I'm not seeing any traces of magic use.
Were we wrong?
Or is there some other plan?
The math's about to go beyond what Curran learned.
In the next round, she'll...
Looks like I'll need to make more smoke.
Vilma.
What?
This is just wasting everybody's time.
Why don't we do all the remaining problems at once?
Our leader's tough enough to take it.
Sounds like fun!
Do it!
You understand that means he'll take all the penalty punches at once, right?
Sounds good to me!
I was going to say it if nobody else did.
Nick...
Is that woman stupid?
He might be strong, but only for a human.
With the damage he's taken, does she think he can survive?
If he's lucky, it'll put him in a coma. If he's not, he's a dead man.
Are they trying to stop us from buying time?
But it's too late!
Our plan's already complete!
Your struggles will only make it easier for us!
I'll drive that alley cat from its hole!
Now begin!
Come on out, alley cat!
I've solved all the problems so far on my own,
but I can't let there be any chance of me losing this.
She's fast!
Nice, Dragonian!
She's bluffing.
I've seen the scores she's gotten. She doesn't really know any of this stuff.
She's trying to pressure me by writing wrong answers quickly.
But this is my chance.
I'll speed up and get through this.
Beg, your turn.
I've been waiting for this!
We'll do these fast.
First, 78+594/3.
We've made a ton of money with these Thought Gems,
but it's too dangerous.
This'll be the last time.
And then I'll leave the Iron Tigers...
Yeah. And then maybe I'll live a quiet, normal life in some small town.
You ready?
Go.
First is 2, 7, 6.
Second is 3, 6, 8.
The third is...
So, I don't see the other member of the Iron Tigers anywhere.
He's not sick or anything, right?
Oh, yeah. The guy said he had better stuff to do than show up for this fight.
Wait, that girl made a big fuss about changing the rules.
Where'd she go?
Did they figure part of it out?
No, it's impossible.
Even if they did, it shouldn't matter.
It shouldn't get them where they need to go.
Why do I have this awful feeling...
Don't tell me...
This whole thing's a trap?
Wait, Claudine!
Shut up and don't talk to me!
What are you talking about?
It's too dangerous, Claudine!
You're good enough at math to outwit that Dragonian on your own, right?
Give me the whole thing starting from the second problem again.
No, not that one. The one after 32.6!
Damn it! Just give me the answer to that one!
I thought he'd be ruined forever after I dumped him.
But now he's back as an adventurer.
What is he?
What's that guy's deal?!
This time, I'll get him hurt.
Um, I'm redoing the problem after 32.6...
So, um, wait...
I can't bear to watch this anymore!
That's the one Claudine wants!
Oh, right! Thanks!
Huh?
Here's why you're an idiot: you let Vilma hear you propose the duel!
The guild's using this battle for their own purposes.
We've got the alley cat by the tail!
He's taking too long!
What the hell is Beg doing?
Are you done yet?
Answer me!
You're taking too damn long!
You're taking too long!
Sorry, did we keep you waiting?
Sorry, I messed up.
Idiot.
So here's your tail.
That's a Thought Gem. I'm sure of it.
You've got one, too, don't you, Claudine?
I got a little worried when I couldn't pick up any magic.
Sheesh... You waited too long to try and cheat.
What?
They were cheating?
Too bad.
I was hoping you might continue a fair fight until the end.
You screwed up, big time.
When?
When did you figure it out?
We knew from the start that you were bad people!
Curran, that's not what he meant.
When?
I wasn't a bad person to start with!
I wasn't a bad person to start with, either!
That's enough, Claudine.
I wasn't...
We're finished.
I wanted to believe, too...
I wanted to believe!
Nobody's a bad person to start with.
Maybe you went off the right path somewhere,
but I don't have the right to say that to you.
'Cause sometimes maybe it's wrong, but you feel like you don't have a choice.
But if you realize you made a mistake, you can go back and fix it.
You can't start over, but you can correct your mistakes.
That's what I've been telling myself lately.
ELUSIVE AND STRANGE! A mysterious creature appears!
A mysterious, elusive creature appears in the Labyrinth City.
Seems neat!
You can't waste time on every weird thing out there.
Oh? Are you scared?
No, I don't mean the creature, I mean the article.
Don't believe that garbage.
You're so boring.
Nick's more of a realist than I thought.
Hey, Nick.
If I didn't need to get the right answers, was there any reason for me to study?
It's not that simple.
We were only able to win in the end because you showed
what you could do at the start.
You did a good job, Curran.
Y-Yeah?
And I think what you've learned will help in your daily life, too.
W-Will it?
You might be able to tell at a glance who's got the best deal on the extra-large size!
Oh, that's handy!
Next time: "Gambling Lesson"
Next time: "Gambling Lesson".