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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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The tournament.
Also called the winners’ bracket, it was a competition format where only the winners continued to face off until a final victor emerged.
However, the Imperial Academy’s tournament was a little different.
Instead of person-vs-person, it was person-vs-monster, with performance determining the outcome.
The key was to earn the most points by killing as many monsters as possible within the time limit, with stronger monsters yielding higher scores.
‘Good thing for me’
My opponent was Isabella.
If I had to face her one-on-one, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.
I had no defense against her mental attacks.
This monster-hunting format, at least, gave me a fighting chance.
“We ended up fighting too early”
At that moment a cool, detached voice pierced my eardrums.
It was Isabella.
“Isabella”
“Hehehe. How do you feel about facing me?”
“…It’s a blessing in disguise. At least we’re not fighting directly.”
“Don’t be so modest. I know you’ve got plenty of tricks up your sleeve.”
“That goes for you too, Isabella.”
“Oh, really? Like this, for example?”
Suddenly, a strange magical power washed over him.
Isabella’s eyes turned completely black.
She was using a mental attack on him—a powerful one.
But nothing happened.
None of her signature moves—auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations, mental confusion, sensory distortions.
Nothing triggered.
A smile spread across Isabella’s face, which had gone stiff.
The magical power receded, and her eyes returned to normal.
“It doesn’t work? I see you brought the gift I gave you.”
“…This?”
Ed pulled a grotesque doll from inside his coat.
It was a doll of a young girl, screaming and weeping tears of blood.
Isabella smirked.
“Interesting. Most people throw that away.”
…Of course they did.
No one wanted a creepy doll like Chucky.
He’d done the same in his early playthroughs, throwing it away in disgust.
But the moment the doll was discarded, Isabella’s curse activated.
Even if thrown away, it would reappear nearby.
And then, the creepy stalking would begin.
He could throw it in a river, toss it off a cliff, leave it far away—it would always find its way back.
And each time, the doll’s screaming, tear-streaked face would gradually morph into a smile.
It was Isabella’s twisted hobby.
‘Burning it didn’t work either’
He’d tried that, of course, driven to desperation by the relentless stalking, but it was useless. The moment he set it on fire, he, too, would be engulfed in flames.
He’d avoided Isabella’s route entirely for this reason, but during his thirteenth playthrough, he’d changed his mind.
He had finally reached the late game and learned the truth about her.
“Hey, commoner. Why so quiet?”
Isabella’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
She was looking at him with a pout. He offered a faint smile.
“It’s a gift from you, Isabella. I couldn’t just throw it away.”
“…Are you naive, or are you stupid?”
“Let’s just say I have a good memory. You said I wouldn’t be harmed as long as I had this doll. So I kept it, just in case.”
“Ha. There are actually people who believe that?”
“There’s no harm in believing.”
“What if it’s cursed? This doll could have a terrible curse on it.”
…Of course it was cursed.
An ineradicable curse.
But he knew the nature of the curse and was prepared to handle it.
So it didn’t apply to him.
“Then I’ll have to accept it.”
“…Why?”
“…If this doll were cursed, it would mean you harbor malicious intentions towards me. But I don’t have the power to oppose you. So, I thought it would be better to keep it than to provoke you further by throwing it away. You might change your mind and spare me if you find me worthy.”
He couldn’t tell her he already knew about the curse, so he gave her a plausible explanation.
Isabella looked at him thoughtfully, then chuckled and stepped closer.
“Honestly, I’m surprised. That’s the correct answer. You’re better off keeping that doll than throwing it away.”
“…..”
“But it might be better for you to suffer a little and be done with it. As long as you have that doll, you’ll be entangled with me. Your life could become very complicated.”
“…It doesn’t matter. As long as I’m aiming for the S-class, I’m bound to keep running into you. Avoiding you won’t solve anything.”
“…Ha. You really aren’t afraid of me. Interesting.”
Isabella took two steps closer, close enough that their breaths mingled.
“…Impressive. You might actually be able to handle me.”
…It was still early in the game, but Isabella’s event had already begun.
She had called him “impressive.”
He was now entangled with her.
“*Handle me?* What cheesy nonsense is that?”
A sharp voice cut between them. It was Enya.
“Isn’t that line so cliché? ‘I am Isabella, Grand Duchess of Graham. Can a mere commoner like you handle me?’ …Or something like that?”
Enya walked towards us, mimicking Isabella’s expression and voice, her tone was dripping with sarcasm.
Isabella chuckled.
“You’re unusually defensive. Do you like this commoner that much?”
“W-what? No! I mean, I do like him, but! Not like, you know, *that* way!”
“…Oh, really? Then can I have him? I’m quite interested in this commoner.”
“What? No way!”
“Hehehe. I’m just kidding. So it *is* like that.”
“Huh…?”
Enya’s face turned crimson.
Isabella smiled leisurely and turned away.
“Then good luck. I don’t know how well you’ll be able to win over this cunning commoner.”
With that, Isabella walked away.
Enya looked back and forth between Isabella’s retreating figure and Ed with a flustered expression, then offered an awkward greeting, her face beet red.
“H-hi? Haha…She says such strange things, doesn’t she? Just ignore her. It’s not the first time she’s said weird things. Just nonsense.”
It wasn’t so much a greeting as a desperate attempt to defuse the awkward situation. Her flustered efforts were endearing that I couldn’t help but smile.
“Haha. You’re right. Did you get home alright yesterday?”
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Then I chatted with Enya about various things.
It was less of a chat and more of Enya giving him information—tips for the second round, such as the weaknesses and abilities of the monsters he would be facing.
“Then good luck! Make sure you beat Isabella!”
Enya gave him all the necessary information and hurried into the auditorium.
I chuckled, seeing her still awkward with speaking informally.
“Well, I’m already prepared.”
He didn’t need Enya to worry; he was already prepared for this.
He’d upgraded his gauntlets before going to bed the previous night.
He entered the auditorium leisurely.
Students were gathered in small groups, busily preparing for the second round.
However, having made such a strong impression during the entrance ceremony and the first round of the Class Placement Competition, he was quickly surrounded by students who recognized him.
“Attention! The second round is about to begin. Return to your designated positions!”
The instructor’s shout saved him.
The crowd dispersed quickly.
The instructor briefly explained the rules of the second round and announced the start.
“…That concludes the explanation of the rules. Without further ado, we’ll begin the second round. Denver, Roger. Come to the podium and place your hands on the teleportation orbs.”
The second round began, starting with the students who had received the lowest scores in the first round.
The two called students followed the instructor’s directions, touched the teleportation orbs, and vanished, transported to the battlefield.
A supervising instructor was waiting there to ensure the students’ safety.
[Greetings. I’m Instructor Kaiden. I’ll be watching over you, so feel free to demonstrate your abilities to the fullest. Without further ado, the test will begin in three seconds. Three…two…one…]
*Bang!*
A gunshot signaled the start, and the two students charged onto the battlefield.
As in the first round, a video transmission orb followed them, relaying the situation to the auditorium.
The students in the auditorium watched them fight the monsters, analyzing their characteristics, weaknesses, and strategizing. Everyone was busy formulating their own plans.
*Fwwaat!*
I was no exception.
I began a combat simulation using my hologram skill.
There were about five types of monsters in the arena, each with different point values.
I started devising ways to maximize my score, considering my firepower and the monsters’ characteristics.
“The next match is Edgar Fix versus Isabella. Come to the podium and place your hands on the teleportation orbs.”
My turn had finally come.
I erased the hologram, which was equipped with a Plasma Blade, and walked onto the podium, mentally reviewing his formulated strategy.
‘No need to bother with the small fry. I’ll aim straight for the boss to get the highest score.’
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