Chapter 483

“Are you forgetting the five-meter rule, Kim? You keep pressuring too lazily and ended up allowing the Neodymium creation magic!”

“I thought that even if Name used self-transformation magic, it could be dispelled. I never imagined they would cast the self-transformation directly on the magic circle…”

“There are many more issues. No matter if the opponent uses a triple or quadruple casting, you need to push back with your aura instead.”

“Right… Why didn’t I think of that…”

William Robinson pointed out Love’s problems in detail alongside the excellent coaching staff.

Even if it had been a close match after a loss, it would have been one thing. However, the reality was full of flaws.

There were more mistakes than usual, and many incomprehensible judgments were made during the match.

Love bit her nails, fully acknowledging their advice.

Even if she wanted to refute, it was all correct, so her lips remained tightly closed.

“I will take a short break… and also wrap up my Aura Heart.”

“Then let’s eat dinner and meet again at 8 PM. Is the rest enough?”

“See you then, Coach.”

“Cheer up, Kim. Mage battles aren’t a game for geniuses to win. Forget the results, and just focus on feedback while preparing for the next match—”

Bang—!

Love Kim exited the conference room after splashing her face with cold water.

“Not a genius… I am…”

Finally, the bitter taste of frustration settled in her mouth.

The realization that she had lost became increasingly vivid as time passed.

She approached the aura volumetric tester placed in the corner of the corridor and attempted to take a measurement.

Beep—

[Love Isabel Kim(KR): 1987cm^3]

The number displayed was larger than the average adult mage, indeed substantial.

It was undeniable that physical talent was still a talent.

However, she suddenly felt that aside from that, she was utterly insignificant, causing her chest to tighten with pain.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t put in effort. That was precisely the problem.

‘I shouldn’t be feeling a wall creeping in already…’

Now, they spoke of being the strongest in the world, but Love Kim feared she would simply end up as just another average mage.

This was partly why she had harbored a bit of disdain towards her sister, who had once been overflowing with talent.

Love returned to her lodging, took a shower, and furiously began to review the competition.

The matches of Katsuhata against Cecilia and Katsuhata against Mikhail, both hailed as legendary battles.

‘No matter how I think about it, I should be able to win if I’m just in good condition. Am I really that bad at fighting?’

It was even harder for her to believe that the battle she just fought had been pathetic.

Beep beep beep—!

Suddenly, a sound came from outside the hotel room, preventing unauthorized entry.

Did someone mix up the rooms?

Love flung the door open to check who it was.

It was Name.

“Hmm? It’s Name! This room is my sister’s. Want to come in?”

“Ah…! I must have made a mistake. Could I possibly get some cool water?”

“Sure! There are some in the fridge. Just take one and drink it.”

“Thank you!”

Name struggled as she flung open the fridge door.

‘So cute…’

The memory of the sixty punches she threw had long faded.

The sight of Name kneeling and peeking into the fridge sent a thrill through her heart.

“Haah…”

Suddenly, Name let out a sigh.

“Why? There’s no water? That can’t be right.”

“No, there is… I’ll drink it well…”

Name’s expression turned sullen.

“Is it because it’s not the water you wanted?”

Love Kim suddenly remembered an Academy friend who wouldn’t even touch water unless it was Evian.

Is Name like that too? She asked, and Name nodded in affirmation.

“Just a moment. I’ll call the lobby staff and ask. What kind of water do you want, Name?”

“I don’t know the name, but the label is gray.”

“Gray, and?”

“It had a pattern like the spade ace and had a lot of writing on it.”

“Pattern like the spade ace… lots of writing… Name, anything else?”

“There was also a crown at the top center.”

“They said there’s a crown too. Oh, they’ll bring it to the room? Thank you so much.”

“Wow, is this really happening…?”

Name covered her mouth with both hands, feigning surprise.

“Hmm? Well, this is a hotel, so it’s only natural they provide this level of service.”

However, Love was misunderstanding something.

What the hotel staff brought later was not luxury bottled water but a beverage instead.

[Budweiser ZERO 0.0]

“This is beer, Name!”

“This is not alcohol…”

Love gasped in horror, while Name despaired.

Pshhh—

The sound of the non-alcoholic beer cap popping open echoed.

* * *

The South Korean national team.

They truly are an incredibly meticulous group.

To remove all alcoholic beverages from the mini fridge in the room I share with Love Kim.

I had hoped that a slightly awkward hotel staff might actually bring us some beer, but as expected, it didn’t happen.

“Ew, this tastes awful. Ugh.”

I grimaced and placed the beer far away on the table.

“Of course it tastes bad. It’s beer.”

Love chimed in from the side.

“There are delicious non-alcoholic beers out there, though.”

“Have you ever had beer?”

“… I was saying delicious ones would probably taste good.”

“Hmmm. But you shouldn’t have any until you’re an adult, Name. It’s not good for your body. Ugh, I’m exhausted. I really don’t want to go have dinner.”

Love rolled around on the blanket.

[Japan’s Katsuhata Emika defeats Russia to claim the National Exchange Championship for the first time in ten years! A truly cinematic journey comes to an end—]

“I was watching last year’s final.”

She answered, lowering the TV volume slightly.

“Yeah. Isn’t it cool? Sometimes I think I should have joined a year early like Katsuhata. Anyway, there was no one in our country to participate. Have you finished reviewing the matches, Name?”

“Yes.”

“We both really made a lot of mistakes.”

“I don’t particularly remember making mistakes. Did we?”

“Yeah! You made a bunch too! Want to see what the coaches said?”

Love excitedly activated the hologram.

I pulled my knees to my chest and waited to hear what she had to say.

“First off, I did mess up in this scene. I should have kept a proper distance while applying pressure, but Name, I launched you too far away.”

“Right. Keep going.”

“But you chose to use both the creation and casting simultaneously, didn’t you? If I had run forward and concentrated on boosting my aura instead of attacking, you would have been the one to get hurt.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, a spear made from basic metal isn’t very threatening. The 3-circle Roseus Pantera and 3-circle Ignis Bloom I have—versus your 2-circle Self-transformation and 1-circle basics. It’s only obvious which would win.”

Heh— Love rubbed her nose with her finger, wearing a smug expression.

“So, all this was a mistake due to my not pre-heating my Aura Heart?”

“Well, you could view it that way. But if you had preheated enough, you would have had other options.”

“But Love, you didn’t do that.”

You would have easily won if you had done so.

Love seemed to be at a loss for words, firmly shutting her mouth.

“Think about it the other way around. If it was obvious that you would make a mistake, why should I hesitate to cast?”

“That’s… If I didn’t make a mistake, it would put you at a huge disadvantage.”

“I was essentially placing a bet. I estimated that you would keep a five-meter distance and take the offensive instead of defending. Why? The existence of Black Aurora, the future Demon Lord’s horn and external manifestation, the delayed start of Aura Heart pre-heating, and your usual habits—all these things were signaling you to attack immediately. I recreated a situation where I could exploit that.”

“W-wait! If you hadn’t pushed me away, this situation wouldn’t have happened! How do you explain that?”

“That’s true. Now that you’ve been pushed away, I’m making judgments on the battlefield.”

“In that short moment? It shouldn’t take even a second…!”

I wondered if I really needed to explain all this, but since we had fought together, the review was necessary.

“The detailed reasons I added elegantly. In practice, I rely on a vague sense too. The opponent seems to have just made a mistake on this part. They’re overly aggressive. The opponent should be on the defense, but they will instinctively attack. I’ll try to induce a mistake when they attack. It’s simple to think like this.”

“Ah…”

“So what do we need from here?”

“An eye for assessing the battlefield?”

“Correct. You need to know if you have the advantage or disadvantage before you can think this way. This is something that you only learn through numerous battles.”

“Wait, just tell me this, Name. So you mean you made a mistake even knowing it was a mistake?”

“I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with mistakes, but… I’m not fighting an AI; I’m fighting Love. Keep this in mind—first, to turn the battlefield to your liking, you must show bold actions that resemble mistakes. Second, the opponent must not notice this. If you adhere to these two, it becomes easier to gain the upper hand.”

She seemed to have an epiphany, her eyes wide open.

“Wow!”

She took my hand, shaking it up and down with enthusiasm.

“Wow! Name! What are you?! That last point you made is an absolute game-changer!”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“You said to maximize the opponent’s mistake.”

“Yeah, that concept is parallel to what I just said. Anyway, in the later stages, everyone fights frantically, and there will always be mistakes at some point; you just exploit those enormously.”

“And since we’re human, mistakes take longer to recognize.”

“That’s why Emika is strong in real battles. Katsuhata swordsmanship is so optimized for assessing the battlefield that even in chaotic situations, corrections are made quickly.”

“Ohhh.”

“And she really said you have to go at it without hesitation. Although she did deviate a bit in the final, she performed well otherwise.”

“I heard you both trained together last year.”

“Yeah.”

“Truly, Name is different… Honestly, I’m really angry about losing to you today. I really thought I was better than this. But don’t misunderstand; it’s not that I’m looking down on you.”

“I know my worth, so it’s all good.”

“In any case, hmm… today’s matches were odd, and the Roseus Pantera didn’t work well. It just felt strange from start to finish. It didn’t feel like fighting properly, more like swinging blindly with my eyes closed.”

“It wasn’t just a feeling; it really was that way.”

“Ugh! But I wasn’t just doing it carelessly…! Ugh, I must have taken the National Exchange too lightly. If I’m not careful, I could be knocked out in the Round of 64.”

“That’s why England finished in the Round of 64 and 32 last year. From what I know, both had quarter-final strength.”

“That’s right.”

Ultimately, if one slips up, they get knocked out in the National Exchange.

On any given day, if you’re not in peak condition, didn’t sleep well, or struggle to see the opponent’s magic, it could be game over.

Even last year, when upsets were considered uncommon, many fell victim to giant killings.

The Egyptian player, who wrote the myth of four consecutive upsets, was eventually stopped by Emika, but you never know.

In some parallel universe, maybe they won and became a national hero.

“So how should I train?”

“I’m not sure about that.”

“Really?”

“The coaches certainly won’t teach us anything incorrect. However, they may steer us gently onto the tunnel of right answers, which might be a bit timid. I think you should be bold and take risks, crashing into the walls here and there, and make a mess of things.”

“And what if that forms bad habits?”

“We’ll think about that when the time comes. In my view, you have plenty of talent. You could probably increase your speed beyond what you’re currently doing.”

Not that this meant her progress was slow, but it certainly looked that way.

I didn’t want to overly criticize a younger friend.

“I’m going to head out for dinner now. I haven’t eaten a meal and am starving…”

Finishing the conversation, I sluggishly stood up.

Seriously, why is there no alcohol here?

In a huff, I opened the fridge again.

There was no way the alcohol would suddenly appear.

The freezer door opened in reaction.

“Hmm?”

My eyes caught sight of a glittering can of beer.

Why is this in the freezer?

The reason didn’t matter.

I quickly grabbed the beer and slipped it into my hoodie pocket.

“Wait, Name! What was that you just pulled out?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“That was beer, wasn’t it? Can I show Love?”

“…”

A spark flew between us.

Decision time was fast.

I immediately pulled out the beer and opened the can.

Psshhh—!

The refreshing sound of carbonation burst forth.

I hope it’s not completely frozen.

Just a sip would do.

“Name, stop! Stooop!”

“Ah, this is a mistake. The intentional mistake I mentioned earlier…!”

“Even if it’s a mistake, you can’t let a kid drink! Stop it!”

“Kehk! Kugh…!”

Love choked me and snatched the can away.

In the end, the beer froze solid, yielding not a drop.

Life.

* * *

[The results of the Name and Love Kim match should be out by now…]

Who won, I wonder… I’m so nervous that I can’t focus on anything.

[Comments]

-It’s still a day to go. Go to sleep.

-But I don’t think it’ll be 2 to 1.

-I agree. Either Name wins 2 to 0 or Love Kim wins.

-New post on Kim Love’s Instagram?

-Why Kim Love, not Name… So anxiousㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-Please tell me it’s not true. It can’t be.

On Saturday evening, a meaningful post appeared on Love Kim’s Instagram.

[LoveKim]

(A photo of her with Name, arm in arm, at a buffet restaurant.jpg)

😝😝😝😝😝

[Comments]

-What’s with Name’s smirk lololol.

-Could it be that Name lost…?

-So who won, then?

-Name, Nameㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-So in the end, Name lost…

-Teacher, you’ve been defeated. I won’t forget this humiliation.

-Love, you’re really pretty!!! Name is cute too hehe.

-Please tell me it’s not true…! You can’t have lost!