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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“Let the second competition of the inter-academy exchange, the team match, begin!”
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
Gainard’s announcement was met with a deafening roar, the coliseum erupting in a frenzy of excitement.
Even for a seasoned veteran of the inter-academy exchange competition, this year’s energy was palpable, electrifying the very air.
‘This is unprecedented.’
While everyone knew Mirinae Academy’s first-year class was strong, no one had anticipated this level of dominance.
Their decisive victory in the Territory Capture event, achieved through strategic brilliance and flawless execution, had sent shockwaves through the audience.
Not a narrow victory, not a come-from-behind upset, but a complete and utter domination of the battlefield.
Lee Seok-hyun, the architect of their victory, was already being hailed as a prodigy, his tactical acumen defying his age.
‘The other years performed as expected, though.’
While the first-years had claimed a resounding victory, the overall results for Mirinae Academy were less impressive. The other years had suffered devastating losses.
The deep-seated conflict between nobles and commoners, which worsened with each year, had fractured their teams, hindering their ability to cooperate effectively.
A series of immature decisions and crushing defeats.
The upperclassmen’s failures only served to highlight the first-years’ remarkable achievements, further fueling the hype surrounding Lee Seok-hyun.
‘Now, to predict the second, third, and fourth place rankings…’
Eporommo Totobitch meticulously filled out his prediction sheet, his hand trembling with anticipation.
Having correctly predicted Mirinae’s first-place finish in the Territory Capture event, despite missing all the other rankings, he had caught the attention of the guilds.
This was his chance to prove his worth, to transform that attention into a concrete offer, to finally achieve his dream of becoming a professional scout.
“Excuse me, but what exactly is a team match?”
“Pardon?”
Lost in his calculations, Eporommo was startled by the question.
‘Where have I seen him before…?’
The man was impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, his dark hair slicked back, his eyes sharp and intense. His pale skin and red lips gave him a vaguely vampiric appearance, his gaze unnervingly piercing. His voice was calm, almost soothing, like a predator offering its prey a final moment of peace before the kill.
“Ah… I’m new to all this… I hope my question wasn’t inappropriate…”
“Not at all. The team match is a five-on-five competition between representatives from each academy. Think of it as a five-versus-five team battle.”
Eporommo, feeling a strange compulsion to be polite, carefully explained the rules.
“So, like a smaller-scale version of the Territory Capture event?”
“Not quite. In the team match, Main Skills are allowed.”
“Ah… I see. But why weren’t they used in the Territory Capture event?”
Main Skills.
A source of immense power, said to be either innate or acquired.
While capable of unleashing devastating force, they came with inherent drawbacks.
“Too many people. Main Skills are powerful, but, each one is unique. And first-year students often lack the control to use them effectively in large-scale battles. There are a lot of factors involved.”
“So, you’re saying… with so many students participating, they focused on basic strategies, but now, with only five members per team, they can finally unleash their full power?”
“Exactly! And not every student has a Main Skill. It’s a rare gift, a blessing from the heavens.”
“A blessing from the heavens… An interesting perspective.”
The man nodded thoughtfully, a subtle smile playing on his lips.
Eporommo, pleased that his explanation had been well-received and enjoying the feeling of serving a superior, continued.
“So, while the Territory Capture event is a team effort, the team match is where individual skill truly shines. This is where things get interesting.”
Especially for Mirinae Academy, whose performance in the other competitions, aside from the first-years, had been abysmal.
Eporommo chattered excitedly, sharing his insights, while the man listened patiently, occasionally interjecting with a well-placed question.
“This year’s first-year class is being called a golden generation. A wealth of talent… I believe Lee Seok-hyun, in particular, is a dark horse to watch.”
He spoke most enthusiastically about Lee Seok-hyun.
The man listened intently, then, as if suddenly remembering something, his eyes widened.
“You’re right. Lee Seok-hyun. He’s the one who killed Garan.”
“What?!”
“I was curious about him after hearing he’d defeated a high-rank demon. Now I understand.”
“…?”
“We’ve been short on recruits lately. This is a fortunate turn of events, wouldn’t you say?”
“Uh… well…”
Eporommo struggled to understand what the man was talking about.
Garan? He’d heard that name somewhere. And this man… he seemed familiar.
He hesitated, searching his memory, and in those three seconds…
“It was a pleasure speaking with you.”
…the man vanished.
“…What…?”
Eporommo stared at the lingering traces of dark mana, then suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and his recent memories vanished.
A blank space where his conversation with the man should have been.
He shook his head, as if trying to clear the fog from his mind, and returned to his prediction sheet.
Something was about to happen.
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Mirinae Academy Team Match Waiting Room.
The Mirinae team watched the previous match unfold on a large screen.
–Team Velutos crushes Team Ruamos!
The outcome was predictable. Velutos had utterly dominated Ruamos.
While Ruamos might have held their own in a standard battle, they were no match for Velutos when Main Skills were involved. They lacked the firepower to counter Velutos’s mages, who could snipe their priests from afar with pinpoint accuracy. Tanteroi, at least, had a chance with their knights, but Ruamos…
“A predictable outcome.”
Having failed to protect Raymay, Ruamos’s hopes of victory had evaporated, their defenses crumbling before Velutos’s overwhelming magical assault.
But this also held true for Mirinae.
Tanteroi, composed primarily of knights, was no match for Mirinae’s balanced team of martial artists, mages, and Other Studies students.
With a clear advantage in both physical strength and tactical flexibility, Mirinae had easily dispatched Tanteroi, minimizing their own casualties.
“At this rate, we’ll win the whole competition.”
“Of course we will.”
Woo Do-hyun and Bellos, their confidence soaring, exchanged smug grins.
‘We really are a dream team.’
While Mirinae might have been considered the underdogs in the betting pools, Lee Seok-hyun, with his intimate knowledge of Final Destiny, saw things differently.
Woo Do-hyun, Meiri, Bellos, Mijuran, Lee Seok-hyun.
While Yu So-hyun or Benras would have been on the team in a normal playthrough, his presence had altered the course of events.
‘But it’s too quiet.’
Final Destiny wasn’t designed for pure, unadulterated fun. It was a game of frustration and triumph, of suffering through seemingly insurmountable challenges and then savoring the hard-won victories. A relentless cycle of punishment followed by fleeting moments of hope. It was known for its brutal difficulty and unforgiving mechanics, a game that tested the limits of players’ sanity.
‘Two titles, and no setbacks? That’s not how this game works.’
Final Destiny was notorious for its sudden, unexpected twists, its “bad luck enforcer” mechanics designed to keep players on edge. A meteor shower of high-rank demons could fall from the sky at any moment. And for the game to remain so calm, so predictable… It was unsettling.
‘This much happiness makes me nervous.’
A competition based on fair play and sportsmanship? A battle where no one died, where everyone fought with honor and integrity? It felt alien, a stark contrast to the brutal reality he’d experienced in the game.
And that unease lingered.
As the strategy briefing concluded, positions were assigned, and they entered the arena to face Velutos… Lee Seok-hyun couldn’t focus. Elua’s words were just a blur, a meaningless drone.
‘Something’s not right.’
He was certain something was about to happen.
Final Destiny excelled at luring players into a false sense of security, then shattering their complacency with a sudden, unexpected twist. A cruel game of bait and switch.
“I’m changing the plan. Nobody move.”
“What? Suddenly?”
“Commoner, what’s going on?”
As the starting signal sounded and the Mirinae team prepared to execute their carefully planned strategy, Lee Seok-hyun stopped them.
A group of exceptionally talented individuals, each with their own unique Main Skill, gathered in an isolated arena, cut off from outside interference.
These were the perfect conditions for a Final Destiny ambush.
“Listen carefully. If anything unexpected happens, do not break formation. Hold your positions, no matter what.”
He anticipated the worst possible scenario.
What would the demons do after lying dormant for a month, following their initial attack during the Death Meteor incident?
They’d been quiet during the Territory Capture event, and silent during the team match preliminaries.
That meant they were planning something big. And the only logical time for them to strike was now.
–A subtle shift in the air. A creeping darkness.
And as if summoned by his unease, a dark mana began to coalesce in the center of the arena.
“What…?”
The Velutos team, sensing the shift in energy, also stopped their preparations, their mages instinctively drawing back their mana.
“Surprisingly easy to infiltrate. So many vulnerabilities…”
The dark mana intensified, and a figure emerged.
‘I knew it.’
A condescending tone, a nauseatingly polite demeanor, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit.
A being far more powerful than a high-rank demon. An Archdemon. Raystember.
“Greetings, students of the so-called “golden generation.” I’ve come personally to offer you an opportunity. The chance to join us, to embrace your true potential, to become demons. What do you say?”
The worst possible scenario had materialized.
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