Inside the arena—
Ben casually bounced the hammer in his hand, then began to spin. After a few rotations, he exerted force and released it.
Whoosh!
The hammer shot through the air like a cannonball—so fast it was almost invisible.
"Holy—!"
"That's insane!"
Everyone was stunned. They didn't even know the exact weight of the hammer, but judging from the trajectory alone, this throw was going to be huge.
Boom!
After flying a long distance, the hammer hit the ground and rolled forward.
A number immediately appeared on the counter beside them.
[371M]
"My god—almost 400 meters in one throw?!"
"The total distance is only 1000 meters, right? That's already close to halfway!"
"Three throws to finish?!"
Everyone was shaken.
There was no competing with this "big bear."
"So now I go over there and throw again?"
"Yep, you have to run over yourself."
"Got it."
Ben nodded and trotted toward the hammer.
When he reached it, he realized he was now standing on grass.
He grabbed the chain again and began to spin—
"…Slippery."
After just one rotation, he immediately noticed the ground was slick, making it hard to exert force. Luckily, his weight helped him maintain balance.
Whoosh!
The hammer flew again.
Thud.
[331M]
Shorter than before.
Without hesitation, he continued forward—this time arriving at a muddy patch.
"…Why here?"
Now the problem changed.
No slipping—but the hammer felt heavier, and the mud made it hard to rotate properly.
He glanced ahead.
There was a water pit.
If he threw into that… would he have to throw from inside the water next?
Who could even do that?
His expression turned serious.
Gripping the chain tightly, his muscles bulged as he began a slow rotation—faster and faster—
"Go!"
The hammer soared again, clearing the water entirely and heading straight for the finish.
Boom!
[Finish… 3 Throws!]
"As expected—three throws!"
"There's no competing with that."
"Just fight for second place."
Even Valerius clicked his tongue in admiration. If items were allowed here, Ben might've finished in a single throw.
"Next. Your turn."
He looked at the remaining contestants, curious how "normal" players would perform.
"Alright."
The previously confident Tartaglia stepped forward.
"So—what place do you think you'll get?"
"Second, obviously."
"…Good luck."
Valerius almost laughed.
So you've already given up on first, huh?
—
In the stands, the Liyue players all covered their faces.
You're competing for second place… why do you sound so proud?
Meanwhile, the Zenless Zone Zero side was ecstatic.
"See? I told you Ben's unstoppable!"
"Three throws to finish—who else can do that?!"
"That's 3 points secured!"
"…Uh, the women's event hasn't happened yet."
"Yeah but… let's not expect too much from that."
—
Back on the field—
Tartaglia tested the hammer's weight.
Manageable.
He planted his stance, twisted his waist, spun several times—
"Go!"
Whoosh!
Not as fast as Ben's, but clearly powerful.
[274M]
"274… not bad."
He looked satisfied.
"Four throws and I'm done."
Three throws for Ben, four for me—second place secured.
—
He reached the grass.
Immediately, he noticed the slipperiness.
"Heh."
A smirk.
"I'm a warrior. My footing is solid. This won't affect me."
He grabbed the chain and spun again—
Faster… faster…
Then—
"…Wait."
Something felt off.
Alone, he might be fine.
But with a massive iron ball dragging him, the centrifugal force grew stronger—
His balance broke.
Smack!
He fell flat on the ground.
At the same time—
[4M]
"…."
"…That's impressive."
Diluc couldn't help but comment dryly.
"You said four throws. Now you've used two and haven't even reached 300 meters."
—
Liyue side froze.
They didn't know about the slippery grass.
All they saw was—
4 meters.
"…Is he a spy?"
"How do you even throw 4 meters?!"
"He's not even trying to hide it!"
—
The rest of the players burst into laughter.
"This is legendary!"
"I can't—this is too funny."
"Was that on purpose?!"
—
Only Albedo noticed the truth.
"Noelle, be careful when you go up. The grass is slippery."
"Understood, Mr. Albedo."
"And aim between 45° and 60°—that's the optimal angle for distance."
"O-okay!"
She nodded seriously.
—
Back in the arena—
Tartaglia lay on the grass, completely lifeless.
He didn't even need to look at the audience to know what was happening.
He was a Fatui Harbinger.
He had a reputation to maintain!
"Hey! Hurry up—we're waiting!"
If anyone was enjoying this, it was Diluc.
Watching a Fatui embarrass himself?
Delightful.
"…Tch."
Tartaglia gritted his teeth.
Embarrassing or not—the match had to continue.
He grabbed the hammer again.
This time, more cautious—
Which meant less power.
[103M]
Next throw—
[164M]
Mud zone—
[106M]
Another—
[213M… landed in water +1 throw penalty]
Final—
[287M, Finish… 7 Throws]
—
When Tartaglia returned, face dark, Valerius almost couldn't hold it in.
He patted his shoulder.
"You're something else. There were only a few traps—and you hit every single one."
"…Valerius. If it's a competition, why add all that?"
Tartaglia was speechless.
Slippery grass. Heavy mud. Water penalty.
What kind of course was this?!
"Heh. Ben finished in three throws."
"Is that even comparable?!"
Tartaglia rolled his eyes and walked off to sulk.
He came to show off—
And ended up making a complete fool of himself.
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