Chapter 397

I could not participate in the Academy对抗赛 this year.

And this is a more serious matter than I expected.

The representatives sent to the national exchange tournament are decided immediately after the Academy对抗赛, based on recommendations from the Strengthening Committee under the Korean Mage Association and the Academy principals.

Two years ago, there were zero applicants; last year, zero applicants.

But this year, there are a staggering nine applicants, of which only two can go to the France exchange.

It’s natural to wonder why so many expressed interest.

It seems that the victory of our neighboring country, Japan, served as a motivation for students across the nation.

Additionally, public opinion about participating in international competitions has turned favorable after three years.

Everyone seems relieved, thinking that it would be good if Korean students could participate regardless of winning or losing.

Of course, it goes without saying that the entire selection process for the Korean representatives hinges on the results of the Academy对抗赛.

“If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have trained harder last year.”

I shouldn’t have expected that my tricks would succeed a second time.

I subtly asked Principal Ku Weonyu about my chances of being selected as a representative.

“About 60 to 70 percent? Don’t worry too much.”

“Why is there a 30 to 40 percent chance of failure?”

“The national exchange tournament will take place over two weeks. Some may raise concerns about your stamina.”

The national exchange tournament is not just a single match like the对抗赛.

The title of champion can only be claimed by winning all six matches from the round of 64 to the finals.

“Moreover, after the matches, you’ll have to go through a process called ‘steeping’ to replenish your exhausted mana and aura. Some may question that since NaeMe is young and not in great health. Not that they’d doubt your skills, though.”

Listening to Principal Ku’s words, I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.

If I had shown overwhelming performance this year, it would have been different, but considering it was already a year ago, it felt ambiguous.

Isn’t it said that people are creatures of forgetfulness?

The anxiety of even a slight chance of failure tangled my thoughts.

Bam-bababam-

The alarm I set for the morning rang late after I had already woken up.

Thinking about it, this week I don’t have to go to the Academy.

This year’s大会 takes place at Seviron Academy, so there’s a week-long school closure.

“Yawn, I really wish I could be taller right now.”

I crawled back into the blanket and closed my eyes again.

Please let me reach 120 cm this year.

But after a while, I was robbed of my sweet sleep by an unwelcome intruder.

“NaeMe! Stop sleeping and hurry up! I need you.”

Sharp claws poked at my cheek.

Adella wouldn’t be awake this early.

Has she been up all night broadcasting?

“What is it… so early in the morning?”

“This is really important and serious. No one else can solve this but you.”

I opened my eyes just a crack to check her expression.

Clearly, it wasn’t anything that serious.

“I don’t care. You handle it. I’m going back to sleep.”

“Is it even possible to sleep like this?”

“Ugh…!”

Adella jumped up and landed on me.

Her mass, weighing 2.5 times my own, pressed me down against the bed.

Despite my annoyance, I tried to push her off the bed, but the adult woman’s strength firmly sealed my wrist.

I didn’t want to use my aura so early in the morning.

Activating my aura heart, she too began to draw upon her strength.

“Are you not going to let go?”

“Just for a moment, please.”

“Hah.”

Without hesitation, I bit down hard on her arm.

Since she had spoiled my mood this early in the morning, I made sure to leave a bruise at least for the day.

“Yaaaaah! Let go, you little brat! Ugh, that hurts!”

Adella began flailing her arms in a panic.

Bam-

Then, a mishap occurred as her fist landed squarely on my chin.

A sharp pain shot through my head.

“Oh, sorry. I meant to suggest you let go while I was still asking nicely.”

I glared silently at Adella.

My mouth tasted like blood.

I felt a hard foreign object lodged on the tip of my tongue.

“Mmm—”

“Why? What is it?”

I took Adella’s hand and lifted it beneath my chin before spitting out the foreign object.

Thwack—

Along with a long stream of red liquid, a white baby tooth fell out between my lips.

As I touched the spot where my tooth had been, I felt the smoothness of my gums.

“Go throw this away.”

“Why are you making me deal with this!”

Thus began what was shaping up to be one of the worst days ever.

* * *

The reason Adella urgently sought me was truly absurd.

“So, you got into an argument while playing a game, made a 1,000,000 won bet, won, but the other person won’t accept the result? And that’s why you haven’t received your money?”

“No, I received the money just fine. I had someone else handle the wager.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“That guy keeps insisting I was wrong! If I can’t convince him, I won’t be able to sleep tonight, or rather, this morning.”

“Hmm.”

“Can you stop looking at me with such disdain? At least I won the money!”

—Teaching kids to gamble in front of younger ones is really great~

—A full pig is better than a hungry one, right? Lololol.

—Cyber Ghost vs Real Cyber Ghost—my heart feels grand.

—How could humans ever beat AI? Lololol.

—NaeMe’s confused gaze is just too funny, lololol.

—Those who are ‘serious’ about games reside on another level.

—Wow, I was watching the broadcast on my way to work, and they’re still fighting? Legendary.

—Time Bill Gates, so cool.

Just then, one of the viewers was voicing what I wanted to say.

Adella had to get to school by 9 AM, but here we were at 6 AM complicating things, which was quite a sight to behold.

“The situation has already turned…

“It’s over. What more do we need here?”

“The judge suggested running a simulation with the divine realm one last time, and I accepted the call. As a reward, I’ll share 200,000 won with you, older sister. You’ll do it, right? Okay, great! I’ll sell my room, so as soon as I invite you, come in right away!”

[NoName – Waiting Room 00:02:58]

A massive magic circle was summoned in the center of the private room.

[NoName has accepted the invitation]

[Adella is moving to “World of Arselia – User Custom Game”]

Familiar faces were seen in the waiting room.

Director Hwang Gu, who served as the supervising coach during the last competition, and Chaos, a professional gamer playing for the LG team.

On the other side, an unfamiliar person with a sour expression was leaning against the wall.

“Wow, you really came when I called! Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for school, NaMe?”

Director Hwang Gu cheerfully extended his hand.

“We’re on break. This week is the preparation period for the Academy对抗赛.”

“Oh! I see! But are you not participating this year?”

“…”

“Ah, was it a forbidden topic to bring up with NaMe? Okay, noted.”

It seemed like the viewers in the other room hinted at him, and he quickly retracted his statement.

“I’m not sure if you heard much, but I’m sorry for involving you in such a mess from the morning. Right now, Chaos is the only one awake, so I was looking for players.”

“Ah, hello, Chaos.”

“Yep, hello, NoName.”

“Alright then, now that all the players are gathered, shall we get started?”

While Chaos was setting up the game, Director Hwang Gu kindly explained the circumstances to me.

“The issue at hand is who wins when a dual-wielding thief faces a battle axe user one-on-one, right? Obviously, it should be the dual-wielding thief, right? If they can’t win one-on-one, then such a character shouldn’t exist.”

“But looking at the game now, the dual-wielding thief is level 14 and the battle axe user is level 15. And the battle axe user has an extra Sword Stopper equipment on.”

“Seriously? The battle axe user has a Sword Stopper? It sounds like the game was quite in their favor then.”

The Sword Stopper has a passive effect that negates one critical attack.

The battle axe user, who has a lot of health, doesn’t really need it.

“Yes, yes. So, I think NoName and Chaos should take turns playing three one-on-one matches each. If either of you makes a mistake, we’ll treat it as invalid and redo it.”

In a situation where balance was somewhat ambiguous, I made a rough calculation in my head and felt confident.

“Still, I think the thief will have the advantage…?”

“Right! Exactly! The thief is still at an advantage!”

Beside me, Adella was jumping up in excitement.

Then, the young man who lost a bet of a million won to Adella approached angrily.

“I see you’re not calculating correctly, NoName. It’s a complex situation that’s not prevalent, so that could be the case. However, assuming both play perfectly without mistakes, I firmly believe the battle axe user will win.”

“Are you a battle axe user?”

“No, I’ve been playing as a pure priest this round.”

“Hmm?”

“Just to clarify, I reached Master as a battle axe user up until last season.”

“When did Master start having a say?”

“No…”

“Whoa, sorry! I’m also a Master, but…”

* Wide area splash damage, what the hell? LOL

* Master Hwang Gu suddenly alert!

* Masters shouldn’t have a self-identity, huh? LOL

* Isn’t that a bit too much tier discrimination?

* NoName has the right to say that.

Let’s summarize.

The person who fought with Adella was someone who was a healer on the same team.

At that point, Adella’s KDA was 4/6/8 with a combat power of 68,000.

The opponent’s battle axe user had monster-like growth with a record of 11/3/4 and a combat power of 77,000.

Adella insisted that she needed to take on the one-on-one fight herself to block the ambush from the battle axe user.

Meanwhile, the healer believed the thief couldn’t win against the battle axe user even if revived, emphasizing that the fire mage on the same team should handle it.

Ultimately, the main discussion was which character would win between the dual-wielding thief and the battle axe user in an ideal combat situation.

I grabbed the battle axe hanging in the weapon rack.

It felt incredibly heavy in my hands, but it also had a strange feeling of being pulled by the system.

But that sensation quickly became familiar.

On the other hand, the healer approached Chaos with a suspicious glance.

“Chaos, you will play as the battle axe user later, right?”

“Yes, NoName and I will take turns doing a simulation, three matches each. Any mistakes will count as invalid, and we’ll do them again.”

“It makes no sense for the battle axe user to lose with these items…!”

The healer’s tone, which seemed to underestimate my abilities, was unsettling.

We two entered the battlefield, encouraged by the support of the others.

* * *

The reasons for concluding that a battle axe user could not defeat a dual-wielding thief in wall battles were varied.

First, in places with complex terrain, the mobility of the battle axe is significantly decreased.

If it were a narrow alley, that would be one thing, but in a situation where one can easily escape beyond the range by using walls, it’s fundamentally impossible for the battle axe user to approach the thief first.

Vroom—

With frustration, I swung the axe, cutting through the air beautifully.

The inertia of that blow made my frail avatar stagger significantly.

Swish—

The sharp blade sliced through my clothing, leaving several wounds on my torso.

Both sides avoided critical hits, but the damage continued to pile up on my side.

There was no other choice.

The best course of action was to give up a little bit of health and wait for the thief to make the first distance control mistake.

Thanks to the item and level difference, my health was greater.

But the opponent was a pro.

Like a predator hunting prey, they slowly closed the distance without leaving any openings.

Making careless moves here would be futile.

This was something I learned after losing to Chaos twice earlier.

With a clear health advantage, the thief, Chaos, gripped his sword reversely and unleashed the enchantment.

In preparation for the charge, I had to move first.

I struck down fiercely with my right foot over the thief’s head.

Thud-!

The thief’s light body climbed over the debris and onto the railing.

However, the sound of the axe embedding itself in the ground was more clear than ferocious.

It was not struck with the blade but rather the side.

The recoiling axe precisely aimed at the spot where Chaos had dodged.

Releasing my left hand slightly, I swung the axe horizontally again from the lower side.

Whooom—

The sound of death resonated in our ears.

The thief annoyingly only jumped as much as was minimally necessary and drew a line on their vacant shoulder.

Although the injury was on the shoulder, their vision turned red as if blood was flowing from their eyes.

In World OA, the rhythm is crucial for axe wielders.

Each attack was powerful, making it perfect for beginners, but the timing to strike was very limited.

This quickly leads to the disadvantage of being easy to counter.

Right after swinging the axe is safe.

However, there exists a moment in this map where this principle does not apply at all.

I let the swung axe leave my hand.

This was one of the three principles that must be avoided in World OA: disarmament.

As the axe flew, it blocked the thief’s retreat while I dove in from the opposite side to seize the thief.

If it had been flat ground, even if I caught the thief’s body, a blade would have come into the back of my neck as a counter, leading to immediate death.

The mechanism of the castle wall map is falling to one’s death.

Rather than forcing the opponent to climb to higher ground, I guided them to evade to higher ground on their own.

And in that moment of life and death, I threw the axe to block their escape route, creating confusion to delay their judgment by even 0.1 seconds.

Thud-!

My heavy body crashed directly into them.

The sound of armor clashing against armor created a lively noise.

Now, as long as I hold and grip the person with my axe-wielding power, that’s enough.

The rest will be handled by gravity.

“Surprise.”

[NoName has defeated LG Chaos!]

[LG Chaos has defeated NoName!]

0 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses.

Thus, I somehow managed to secure at least one draw.

With my kill time barely ahead, I thought to myself that I could consider this match as effectively won.

* * *

Even when watching the same battle, the perspective is entirely different.

Adella argued that Chaos must have made some significant mistake that led to the opportunity to fall.

“I can’t agree with that. I dodged everything I could and blocked everything I could. When NoName was about to swing the axe, whether to strike down with the blade or with the side to cancel the attack, that psychological battle was the key point.”

In contrast, the healer youth who lost 1,000,000 won was disappointed, asking if NoName’s skills were only this much.

Name shrugged their shoulders, wearing a smile that was hard to read.

“Is that so? It seems like Chaos enjoyed the three rounds quite a bit, so I’ll have some fun too.”

“Haha, please go easy on me. This is my first matchup too, and the more I play, the more it feels like this is an unfair match for axe wielders.”

Name picked up dual swords.

Having obtained all data while fighting from a disadvantageous position, Name was virtually invincible.

They grasped when the axe wielder feels the most pressure and what the only possible variable could be all through their body.

Soon, a battle that resembled a one-sided massacre unfolded.

[NoName has defeated LG Chaos!]

“Wow, those reaction speeds are no joke. Is this the power of youth?”

Even a pro couldn’t overturn the matchup.

Critical negating items shattered in a single blow, and from then on, all of Chaos’s vital points became targets of attack.

[NoName has defeated LG Chaos!]

Moreover, Name’s high understanding of the dual swords left even Chaos and Director Hwang Gu in awe.

There was no defined attacking or defending sword.

Unlike other users who use one sword as a shield, Name seemed to fully grasp how to handle the sword purely as a sword.

Clang-!

An altered trajectory of the axe caused the sword to exit backward, and a dagger that was held against the reverse flew in.

Chaos chose to evade attacks instead of completely surrendering the initiative.

But seemingly unable to tolerate even that, the sword that had retreated earlier came flying back again.

‘If I roll here, I will definitely die…!’

Failing to roll, however, would cost a significant amount of time.

Faced with the chilling awareness that their actions were being calculated in milliseconds, Chaos eventually opted for a counterattack as the last resort.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

[NoName has defeated LG Chaos!]

It was only after the kill log appeared that Chaos realized a dagger was embedded in their head.

* * *

“Oh, you can’t participate in the competition because of your height. That’s too bad…”

Director Hwang Gu offered me a thinly veiled consolation.

Now busy with real life, Chaos and Saetbyeol logged off as soon as the results were announced, while the youth who lost 1,000,000 won grumbled until they exited disgracefully.

“Even if it’s representatives chosen among insiders, public opinion cannot be ignored. It’s structurally that way. Since Name is also a streamer, I think you should make more self-appeals.”

“How so? Is there a good way?”

“Haha, I’m just a person who knows only games. It’s easy to suggest a one-on-one match in-game, but in reality, that’s not easily done, right…?”

I also thought that was much easier, but I knew I shouldn’t do that.

“Oh, I just came up with a tremendous idea. Hmmm… maybe I went a bit too far. Name, would you be interested in being a commentary for the Academy Tournament? I briefly watched the national exchange match broadcast last time, and it was very impressive.”

“I was actually planning on doing the broadcast commentary.”

“No, not a personal broadcast, but on TV. Over the air.”

“Pardon?”

“Twish is currently running a digital cable TV channel in collaboration with QBS. One of my friends is in charge of that work, and I think appearing there could be a good option.”