MTLNOVEL Chapter 122
It felt like there was another version of me standing opposite.
For those not used to it, this coliseum, with hundreds of spectators packed tightly and looking down, is a perfect place to develop stage fright.
Here, I stood facing Runehan.
[Come to think of it, wasn’t the first generation’s Rudel and the second generation’s Runehan famously similar during the second generation selection match?]
[This feels like… a mirror match!]
Of course, it would seem like a mirror match. The commentators likely knew our unique abilities in advance.
My ability is fire.
But Runehan’s unique ability is… ‘copying.’
In other words, aside from our gender differences, we’re about to unleash the same abilities and cause a hot mess in the arena.
Just before the match began, I spoke loudly toward Runehan, ensuring the many viewers watching could hear me.
“You know what? A fake can never beat the original.”
A bold declaration from a confident character.
Finally, my time has come. I am a B+ rank, achieved purely through hard work, rising from humble beginnings.
With a whoosh-!
As the match started, the spectators, their dark eyes gleaming, witnessed a character burning brightly like the sun.
[Agasa Guild Master is this skilled! Incredible, truly fitting for the former top guild master of the previous generation!]
Soon, flames erupted from Runehan’s hands as well. He stared at the intense energy in amazement, nodding his head.
“So this is how it feels…”
The next moment, the fire conjured by Runehan was hurled at me like a projectile.
Just before the direct hit could tear me apart, I ignited flames at my toes and soared into the air. Then I took refuge atop a large pillar in a corner of the arena.
In the blink of an eye, Runehan closed the 10-meter gap and rushed toward me. Then he swung his fist.
It was a close call.
As I barely blocked his outstretched fist with my left arm, countless small flames shot from his fingertips, charging towards me.
[No way! They look like twins!]
I hate him.
That annoying guy is stealing all the praise that should be mine.
Runehan attacked by seamlessly combining his copied ability and hand-to-hand combat.
Having just copied the ability, he should have been awkward with it, yet his adaptability to new abilities was remarkably high.
Instead of physical prowess, he had mastered the theoretical aspects using his innate intelligence.
Indeed, he was very similar to me.
Whack, whack! Multiple exchanges went back and forth. Tense moments of creating and closing distance continued.
He was slightly stronger and better at martial arts than me.
I took a deep breath to concentrate my energy.
Soon, a magnificent flame began to grow at my fingertips. Even Runehan, who copied me, hesitated at this red glow.
The difference between Akata’s phoenix and my ability is that my fire reflects only my will.
Soon, I launched a flash of fire. The flames, vibrant red, surged toward him.
A clean, unblemished strike.
In the moment Runehan’s face twisted, the fireball collided with his unretreated projectile.
Boom-!
“You’re about to fall and be defeated by me soon, so enjoy it while you can.”
Didn’t you say this to me last time? In the middle of the shopping district, under the eyes of the viewers?
I should thank Runehan for this.
By provoking me before the duel and making a grand declaration through the interview, he made me more noticeable and easier to win.
A character created by the system to keep me in check, huh?
Even if that’s the case, it doesn’t matter. I’ll turn this to my advantage.
“Thanks for letting me step on your narrative to win.”
The last thing I saw was Runehan’s angry gaze meeting mine.
When the flames disappeared from his sight, Runehan, feeling a sudden rush of fresh air, realized he was falling out of the arena.
Crash!
He landed noisily on the ground below.
[Ah! The match has been decided!]
[Pure Nature Guild, Runehan’s out-of-bounds loss!]
With dust rising from beneath the veil, the commentators’ broadcast echoed loudly.
* * *
The cheers from my guild members for the first win were short-lived.
This was just the first match of many. As I returned to the audience, the roulette for the second match spun without giving me a moment to catch my breath.
[We will now draw the contestant to face Sabi from Pure Nature Guild!]
For the weakest Sabi, we should send someone moderately weak from our guild to secure a win.
Instead of wasting our strongest, Gio, on the weak Sabi, it should be Tian, or perhaps Tian…
Anyway, it’s better to save our strongest for their strongest.
Sabi vs. Gio
“Ah…”
I sighed unconsciously.
Among our members, those who possessed enough intelligence to understand my sigh—Kanel, Unahar, and Akata—each frowned or sighed similarly.
Our luck had run out.
The luck of the first match’s mirror match had ended.
[For the second match, the contestant is none other than the second-ranked Gio! Witness this magnificent man, comparable to the god of the earth and the underworld, Hades!]
That fool?
Despite the praise for our guild member, I couldn’t agree with the commentators and voiced my complaint.
“What kind of dull Hades is that? Isn’t that an insult to Hades?”
Regardless, the commentators flamboyantly hyped up Gio, the second-ranked from the previous generation. They didn’t mention a single word about the opponent, Sabi.
This was because the outcome of this match was so obvious it wasn’t worth discussing…
A muscular beast with gray hair stood in the arena with a cocky stance.
Behind Gio’s massive shoulders, Sabi strained with all his might to wield his unique ability.
Gio’s reaction to witnessing the result of Sabi’s wholehearted effort was—
“Yaaawn.”
He yawned.
“Is that it?”
With a single indifferent remark, Sabi’s face flushed red.
Boom!!
The match ended shockingly short.
Even looking back at all the matches after the dueling competition, no match would end as overwhelmingly and anticlimactically as this one.
[Wow, that was quick! The match is decided! The winner is Gio!]
[This means Agasa Guild takes two wins out of two matches!]
The screen then showed Runehan, sitting in the audience, thoughtfully supporting his chin.
[The second-generation guild, Pure Nature, faces a crisis where one more loss will lead to their defeat. To achieve a comeback victory, Pure Nature must win all the remaining three matches!]
Due to the nature of this round, where the entire guild stays in the audience, Gio couldn’t return to the guild and had to come back to our audience section.
Soon, a large figure appeared before me.
“Well done!”
Despite the obviously easy win, Lilith beamed and hugged Gio’s arm. Gio blushed.
For a moment, I wanted to hit Gio, but as a generous guild leader, I restrained myself. Instead, I offered some praise.
“Good job, Gio. Well done.”
“Breaking the ground was a good job?”
“No, you yawned well.”
“…?”
The guild members glanced at me curiously as I smirked. Only Akata seemed unfazed by my sly grin.
Gio, with his overpowering strength hidden beneath a facade of nonchalance, had made a rather impressive finish by yawning during the match.
However…
[But Agasa Guild isn’t completely at an advantage. The reason is that the next fighter from Pure Nature Guild is Tian, an overwhelmingly skilled swordsman believed to be a high-ranker!]
[Moreover, Pure Nature Guild has only their core strength left, while Agasa Guild has just used their best asset, Gio!]
Annoyingly, the commentators’ analysis was spot on. We had wasted our strongest card, Gio, in such an anticlimactic manner.
But it’s fine. Gio is destined to rise to the top rank someday, so it’s better to think of this as conserving him from the viewers for now.
With barely a moment to catch our breath, the match lineup for the next fight was immediately drawn to keep the audience’s excitement from waning.
“What should we do… Tian looked incredibly strong. Unahar, Akata, or Kanel might get hurt…”
Though I had excluded Lilith from today’s matches, she was still so tense she was trembling. I hugged her.
[Who will face Tian from Pure Nature Guild?]
[The roulette for three candidates spins!]
Considering the remaining guild members, the chances of winning, in my mind, are in this order: Akata > Unahar > Kanel.
Even the strongest, Akata, might not win against Tian, so it might be better to concede this match and focus on the next one.
We only need one more win out of three matches.
Ideally, if the weakest, Kanel, faces Tian, then Akata or Unahar can secure victories in the remaining two matches…
So, with a roughly 33% chance, I hope it’s Kanel!
The roulette needle gradually comes to a stop.
Tian vs. Akata
With a roughly 33% chance, we’re screwed.
“Hm.”
The woman already standing in the arena, with her long ash-colored hair tied back, glanced at the three letters of her name on the screen and inspected her sword with a blank expression.