“How can you not go for the Orc Warchief? If you’re a man, you gotta pick Orc, no question.”
“Honestly, if you don’t pick Human, aren’t you just a traitor?”
“Not sure someone who picked Elf just because they’re pretty should be talking. Half your army is Elves, dude.”
“Yeah, but performance-wise, Dwarfs are where it’s at~ Once you taste that special weapon power, there’s no going back~”
“Let’s all go Dragon! Dragon!”
“Isn’t Dragon a bit too… romantic?”
The War’s Hammer Tournament, ‘Battle City,’ has been underway for a few hours now, with the entire Glesia Territory as its stage.
Since there’s no entry fee and all you need is War’s Hammer and miniatures, many people joined the tournament just for fun.
These folks are casually enjoying War’s Hammer, debating the strengths and weaknesses of each race.
These participants, so-called ‘light users,’ are also a crucial factor in the game’s popularity.
“Having light users means the board game is easy to get into. A board game that only appeals to hardcore fans can never go mainstream.”
That’s why one of the goals of this tournament is to increase the number of light users.
Huh? The Creator officially endorsed this tournament? And it’s free to join? Should I give it a try?
…With that mindset, people join Battle City and, if they find it fun, that’s more than enough.
Of course.
That’s not the only reason Battle City was held.
In fact, the real stars of this tournament are a different group altogether.
“My turn! I’m betting everything on this dice roll!”
“Everyone! Follow the Warchief! Let’s wipe out those pointy-eared freaks!”
“With Dwarf pride on the line, it’s a duel!”
“The probability of rolling a 4 or higher this time is 50%. If the opponent’s defense roll is 3 or lower, it’s a guaranteed hit, but if it’s higher, we should go for movement or unit upgrades instead…”
These are the hardcore board gamers, fully immersed or even obsessed with War’s Hammer.
They’re not just here to enjoy the game—they want to prove their skills.
Winning this Battle City means becoming the best War’s Hammer player in the entire Glesia Territory.
While the prize money is nice, many are also after the glory.
“I… will be the first champion.”
“How dare you, a newbie, mess with my White Dragon!!!!”
“Come to the tower. I’ll be waiting.”
“You!!!”
“Wait, hold up.”
Isn’t that Knight Roland? He’s hiding his face with a hood, but the vibe is similar to that old knight I know.
Why is this Grandmaster hiding his identity and playing board games like he’s in some drama?
Well… anyway.
“That’s how it is.”
“So that’s why everyone’s so hyped?”
“What did I tell you, ma’am? Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Enjoying? Chun-sik, of course I am.”
Of course───
“I’m having a blast!”
At the top of Glesia Magic Tower, Shisha Glesia, who had been watching the entire territory through a magical ice mirror, laughed wildly.
Yeah, there’s no way she wouldn’t love this.
Casual players, over-the-top players who create their own catchphrases and personas, and those who meticulously analyze the game using probability.
Thousands of players, each with their own style, are playing this board game—and in a battle royale format, no less.
Shisha Glesia was either watching the games with great interest or bursting into laughter as she observed.
“Haha! Chunsik, that guy keeps muttering your name while rolling the dice, and now he’s all frustrated.”
“……I think my name has been called the most lately.”
“You’re not some goddess of luck, and it’s hilarious how they keep calling for Kyle, Kyle, Kyle for everything.”
When it’s time to rely on luck, they call for a god, just like how people shout the game developer’s name in online games.
The people of the Glesia Territory were rolling dice while calling my name every single day.
Depending on the result, I either get worshipped or cursed at.
Anyway, Shisha seems pretty satisfied with Battle City… but.
No matter how fun the tournament is, there are always those who try to exploit it.
“I think it’s about time to deploy ‘them.'”
“Huh? You mean… them? Why all of a sudden?”
“I was worried ever since we introduced the anti-rules, but there are people who deliberately take others’ miniatures.”
People who target those with expensive or rare miniatures, or blatantly slaughter casual players who aren’t too interested in advancing to the finals.
Just a few hours into the tournament, those toxic board gamers started showing up.
Right now, it’s just a few, but if left unchecked, it’ll spiral out of control.
“Well, we made them for this exact reason, right? They’ll handle it.”
“If it weren’t for Madam insisting on introducing the anti-rules because she thought it’d be fun, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Chunsik, if you’re so upset, why don’t you become the Archmage and deal with Madam? Thanks to the anti-rules, we’ve got more participants and more serious gamers.”
“Sigh…”
Is this how the Master of the Sub-Magic Tower felt under Shisha?
I feel like my sighs are starting to resemble that middle-aged magician’s.
Anyway, the anti-rules have clear pros and cons.
For Shisha, who enjoys the intense games and leaves the problem-solving to her subordinates, it’s the perfect system.
“Let’s deploy them right away.”
“Huh, this is gonna be fun, isn’t it? Chunsik, give me a shoulder rub.”
“……Why are you trying to take your shirt off for a shoulder rub?”
“Because skin feels better than clothes. Don’t you like seeing a beauty’s bare skin?”
“…………….”
“……That look on your face is kinda annoying. Want me to smack your head?”
“I’ll start rubbing right away.”
*
“No! That miniature!”
“Hehe, this looks pretty valuable. Kid, I’ll take good care of it.”
The miniature he saved up his allowance to buy was snatched away by that guy licking his lips, all because of the anti-rules.
The man deliberately targeted the boy and his friends. They had joined the tournament but only wanted to play board games among themselves.
At first, he approached them with a smile, asking to join.
But as soon as he won the first game, he took the most expensive miniature and showed his true colors.
“Sorry… guys.”
The boy’s friends tried to win back the miniature, but they were all brutally defeated.
Even the last remaining boy lost.
He had worked hard for a week, doing chores and delivering newspapers to save up for that miniature.
Sure, he can buy another one, but the memories tied to that miniature are gone forever.
“If you’re weak, you shouldn’t have joined the tournament! Weak board gamers should just quietly offer up their miniatures!”
“No…!”
“Alright. I’ve taken everything useful, and now it’s time to───”
“──Stop.”
“………Huh?”
*Thud. Thud.*
Someone walks toward the boy kneeling and the man.
A mysterious figure cloaked in black robes.
The man flinched for a moment but soon noticed the pouch hanging from the figure’s waist and smirked slyly.
“Hey, are you some kind of righteous savior here to save this brat?”
“………….”
“Even if you are, you’re just another participant……!!”
“No.”
“Huh?”
“‘We’ are not participants!”
*Flutter.*
As the figure spread their arms with a firm voice, the appearance hidden beneath the black robes was revealed.
A magician from the Glesia Magic Tower, wearing clothes emblazoned with the tower’s emblem.
“A magician……!?”
“Restrain him with a board game!”
At the cry of the Glesia Magician, dozens of magicians approached in an instant using ice magic, appearing from between buildings, the sky, and the distance.
Originally meant to participate in Battle City, but due to the desperate(?) request of the Master of the Sub-Magic Tower and Kyle Byron’s proposal, a special unit was formed to maintain order.
Magicians who, in case of any unsavory incidents during the tournament, would resolve them through War’s Hammer, acting as both magicians and security officers.
“It’s a duel!”
“Grr…ugh! A duel!”
Of course, why would a magician from Glesia not use magic to subdue someone? Why use a board game as a means of restraint while running with ice magic………?
Thinking about it just gave a headache.
Anyway, the magicians could enjoy War’s Hammer to their heart’s content without participating in the tournament, and at the same time, maintain the order the Master of the Sub-Magic Tower desired.
It was a happy(?) solution for everyone.
And so, Battle City proceeded successfully.
24 hours since the tournament began.
Finally, someone approached Adela, who had been standing around doing nothing.
“Stop. This is the Duel……Tower. You need to collect 10 stars……….”
“I’ve collected them all.”
“………Confirmed.”
[Growl!]
The Duel Tower, not the Glesia Magic Tower, where only those who collect 10 stars can enter.
The first qualifier for the main event, limited to the first 8 participants, has appeared.
Soon, comeback board gamers gathered.
“……Princess.”
[Huh?]
“Isn’t this……a board game tournament?”
[……I guess so.]
A young man with spiky hair, a man snickering with a creepy smile, a warrior bulging with muscles, and a strange guy shouting in frustration about reclaiming the White Dragon.
Among these uniquely eccentric individuals, the most surprising was the inclusion of Knight Roland.
Not because of his skills, but because of his overly immersed demeanor.
Even when he bought the exclusive Bang card for last year’s winner for 1 billion gold, it was noticeable.
Adela felt her illusion of the Grandmaster slowly crumbling………
Anyway, as the first 8 participants were finalized, the Battle City preliminaries ended, and disappointed board gamers gathered at the Duel Tower.
The 8 board gamers who advanced to the main event of Battle City.
To see who among them is the strongest board gamer in the Glesia Territory.
“””””Wooooow!!”””””
The grand hall of the Magic Tower, expanded beyond its apparent size through spatial magic, was packed with a crowd of over ten thousand people.
Amid the cheers of ten thousand board gamers, the first round of the main event began.
“Even if it’s the main event, shouldn’t we make it a bit more special?”
Bam.
The first round of the main event was a showdown between the White Dragon-obsessed man and the mysterious Knight Roland.
Just as the two were about to start their duel, Shisha stopped them with a mischievous smile and snapped her fingers.
And then.
Whoosh!!!
“What, what is that?!”
“Shisha’s ice…!!”
“The miniatures are alive!”
The game board, much larger than the original, and each miniature were sculpted from ice by Shisha’s magic.
Not just plain ice, but colored and moving in real-time, just like the game board.
The black magician miniature floated in the air with a solemn expression.
The dragon miniature soared freely through the sky as a massive dragon.
Until now, they had only moved the miniatures, but now they were being brought to life in reality.
“Ice Vision? Since it looks real with ice, should we call it that, Chunsik?”
“…Is that something other magicians can do too?”
“Of course not! Carving, shaping, and moving ice in real-time? If anyone else could do that, they’d be the master of Glesia Magic Tower, not me.”
Anyway, the response to Ice Vision was incredible. For the audience, with ten thousand people gathered, it was hard to see the game details on the floating screens. But with Ice Vision bringing the miniatures to life, even those sitting far away could easily see the state of the War’s Hammer game.
Above all, it was a huge shock to the board gamers playing the game.
“Oh, oh…!! The White Dragon! The White Dragon is alive and moving in front of me!!”
“………”
“Newbie! With the White Dragon by my side, I’m invincible now! I’ll take back the White Dragon you stole!!!”
Anyone listening would think he had lost a lover.
In the end, it was just over-immersion in the board game, but since the audience were all War’s Hammer players, the excitement only grew.
And so, in the first round of the main event that began like this.
“I will fuse three White Dragons! I summon the special unit, Ultimate White Dragon!!!”
“What…? Even so, the two black magicians have defensive magic up. Even if you attack the black magicians, the defense dice bonus…”
“It’s not a miniature! It’s a god!! Your defense bonus is useless against the Ultimate White Dragon!!”
“Ugh!?”
…Wait.
What is that?
I don’t recognize that miniature.
