Chapter 38: Competition (2)

“OF!”

Dua burst into Albus’s room, holding his hand tightly, and threw herself onto the bed.

Boing, boing.

“Hehe, I like it here!” Dua said, bouncing on the bed.

Giggling, she buried her face into the mattress.

‘Is it really that great?’ 

Albus thought.

Even though Dua had jumped onto the bed without washing, Albus didn’t feel the urge to stop her.

This might be the first bed she’s ever encountered in her life.

A child who should have been born surrounded by love had, for the first time, slept on a sandy floor.

He couldn’t stop her.

He could only cherish her.

It didn’t matter whether she was a real deity or whether she could wield power through her divinity.

What mattered was taking responsibility for a child who was not properly loved because of what he had done.

‘But I feel like I’ve forgotten something…’

Albus had a nagging feeling as he returned to the room.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Albus? Are you in there?”

Wald’s voice came from outside the door.

‘Wald! That’s right!’

Albus remembered what he had forgotten.

When Dua had dragged him to the desert, he had left his friend behind.

“I heard something from inside, didn’t I? Buddy, you’re in there, right?”

Albus looked at Dua.

When they had gone to the restaurant together earlier, no one had noticed Dua’s presence.

It should be fine to open the door.

Seeing Dua playing on the bed, Albus opened the door.

“Wald.”

“Albus! You’re in here!”

Wald stood at the doorway, a look of relief on his face.

“I thought something happened to you! A little girl suddenly appeared, and then you disappeared!”

‘Ah… haha.’

Come to think of it, Dua had kidnapped him in the middle of the crowd.

Quite a few people must have seen that scene.

Is this really okay?

“What happened? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. It’s nothing major.”

‘Just got briefly kidnapped by a divine child. Nothing major.’

Albus swallowed those thoughts.

He wasn’t sure if he should call this nothing.

“Don’t worry. So…”

“Hmm… I see. I don’t quite understand, but okay.”

Wald nodded, not fully convinced but somewhat accepting Albus’s explanation.

Did I explain it well enough?

Even if it didn’t make sense, he couldn’t tell the truth.

“By the way, buddy. There was an uproar across the continent while you were gone! Specifically, while we were attending lectures at the academy!”

“An uproar?”

“They’re holding a duel tournament in Rudera! And it’s for the control of the sixth floor of the Tower of Labyrinth!”

That’s what it was.

Albus remembered what he had truly forgotten.

As he sent Wald off to join the tournament, Albus closed the door, turned off the light, and lay down on the bed with Dua.

He had forgotten, due to meeting Dua.

The message he had sent to Joo-Dak in the morning.

It was about the PVP tournament on the sixth floor of the newly opened Tower of Labyrinth.

Thinking a game needed an arena where players could compete against each other, he had set up a large-scale duel arena.

He had designed it so players could engage in duel content and decided the sixth floor’s theme would be dueling.

All players could join, with random assignments for tournament matches.

Special items were offered as prizes for those who made it to the top.

If the tournament succeeded, it could become a permanent feature, like the Tower of Labyrinth, with more additions.

If it worked well, they could add professional teams and regular tournaments.

Adding eSports to this world.

Just imagining it seemed fun.

“Kooo…”

Dua had fallen asleep beside him.

Albus had planned to check the community’s reaction to the tournament after his lecture with Wald, but he had completely forgotten due to Dua.

Ding.

To see others’ reactions, Albus pulled up the community screen in front of him.

***

Title: This seems more interesting than the annual martial arts tournament in the Empire.

Content: You know the annual martial arts tournament in the Empire where they gather knights and mercenaries to fight in the capital? But they can’t use their full power or aura because they’re not allowed to cause fatal injuries? In Rudera, they can have more spectacular duels since the dead revive.

Comments:

• Agreed. Plus, with the rewards, we’ll see all the top rankers.
• True. If you win, you get a tier. People are excited to watch the event.

***

Title: Think you can join the duel tournament, carpet guy? Come on in!

Content: Even if you’re usually outdone by the rankers and can’t get near the central continent, you’re planning to go against the top rankers attacking the Tower of Labyrinth? You’ll probably be torn apart by those monsters. Just sit in the audience and enjoy the show with some popcorn.

Comments:

• Trying to eliminate competitors, huh?
• Or you could see it as a chance to learn from those monsters. It’s a valuable experience you can’t buy.

***

Title: Are these the duel tournament rewards?

Writer: Softly loving saint

Content: Reward: [New Miracle Spring Water] and items from the Labyrinth shop ([New Miracle Spring Water] is a new item that heals different debuffs than [Miracle Spring Water]). New Miracle Spring Water? Can I cure baldness now?

Comments:

• Haven’t you killed yourself yet?
• You have to reach the top ranks to get the prize.
• Is there a chance it will be added to the Labyrinth shop?
• You can’t even get Miracle Spring Water; how will you get the new one?

***

Many people were excited about the duel tournament.

Albus scrolled through the community screen, checking the responses.

‘Thankfully, the reactions seem good.’

Since the concept of dueling was common in this world, people were quick to accept it.

And with meaningful prizes, the hype was strong.

‘It looks like the tournament will be a success.’

Albus no longer worried about having too few participants for the event.

“Kooo… Abua…”

He looked at Dua, who was sleeping with her mouth slightly open, mumbling in her sleep.

Albus refreshed the community screen.

New posts quickly appeared.

***

Title: Breaking news: Republic enforcers urgently summoned

The title alone suggested it might be a fishing post, but Albus clicked on it, entranced.

Luckily, it wasn’t a prank with disturbing images.

Content: I work at the Palace of Revolution (photo proof). Today, all the enforcers gathered. It seems to be because of the duel tournament in the Tower of Labyrinth.

Comments:

• They’re gathering all the enforcers just for that? Not a war?
• It’s not just one event; it’s a whole tier.
• This is a national pride issue.
• The last full assembly of enforcers was 100 years ago.

***

The last full assembly of enforcers had happened 100 years ago during the Republic’s War of Homeland Defense.

“Because of me?”

Albus murmured, realizing his tournament caused this.

***

Title: Breaking news: The Empire has issued an emergency imperial decree!

Title: Breaking news: The Holy Kingdom has summoned all Paladins!

Title: Beast King declares participation!

Title: Elven Council declares a state of emergency and appoints a Dictator!

***

The community posts kept coming.

This was getting bigger than he expected.

It seemed uncontrollable.

“I don’t know anymore.”

Albus gave up thinking.

***

“Your Majesty! Time is of the essence! We need a warrior to represent the Empire quickly!”

“The Republic has summoned all enforcers. It looks like they plan to participate with full force!”

“What is going on?”

The Emperor clutched his head.

Thanks to a divine miracle, his hair was lush, offering something to pull in frustration.

‘The first Emperor is absorbed in Rudera, and the former Emperor is stuck on the fourth floor.’

The two strongest in the Empire’s history. 

If either could join the duel, there’d be no worry. 

But how did things end up like this?

“Who should represent the Empire then?”

“What about Sir Schmidt, the leader of the Royal Knights?”

“Against the enforcers? Can Sir Schmidt handle that?”

“Are you saying the current masters of the Empire are weaker than the Republic’s enforcers?”

The ministers’ debate intensified, worsening the Emperor’s headache.

The Republic’s enforcers each had strength equal to or greater than a master, with unique abilities.

Despite its small size and limited resources, the Republic rivaled the Empire because of them.

In one-on-one duels, the Empire was at a disadvantage against the Republic.

When the Royal Knights clashed with the Revolutionary Warriors, the Republic’s strength had surpassed them.

Even Schmidt would struggle against the enforcers.

Yet, the Empire could not afford to lose or back down.

This duel tournament was essentially a proxy war among the continent’s powers.

Losing to the Republic would undermine the Empire’s prestige.

Victory against the Republic was essential.

“How can we manage this…”

As the Emperor racked his brain for a solution.

Click, click, click.

“Father, what about me?”

A melodious voice interrupted his thoughts.

The Emperor looked up slowly to see his beloved daughter, Princess Rebecca, smiling.

“I can defeat the enforcers and bring glory to the Empire.”

“Rebecca…”

She had recently reached the rank of archmage.

Impressive, but not yet comparable to the enforcers or their unique abilities.

“Your Majesty! It’s too dangerous!”

“Yes! We must not jeopardize the princess!”

“Father, allow me.”

Rebecca’s determination was unwavering.

“Rebecca…”

As the Emperor met his daughter’s gaze, he sighed deeply.

***

Title: I’m seeing many people cheering for this user named ‘Dua’. Who is that?

Writer: Dua best

Content: I haven’t been able to visit Rudera yet, so I’m out of the loop. When I searched ‘Dua’ on Rudera, I found some stories. Someone told me she is a character in a game, but others say she’s a real person? What’s the truth?

Comments:

• Actually, there was a battle between a character named Dua and some enforcers, and she wiped them all out. That’s why everyone’s talking about her.
• Really? Can someone from the Republic confirm this?
• People, it’s true. I saw it myself.
• And that’s how the rumor started about her being a goddess.

***

Title: There’s a lot of noise around this person ‘Dua’. What’s her role in the duel tournament?

Writer: Duo Dao

Content: I’m not sure about this ‘Dua’ person. If she’s a high-rank character, will she participate in the tournament? If anyone knows, please share.

Comments:

• I saw a duel between Dua and an enforcer. She annihilated them.
• I have a hunch she might be a new deity.
• I’m looking forward to seeing her in the tournament.

***

Title: It seems like every country is mobilizing for this tournament. Is Rudera safe?

Writer: Worried citizen

Content: Just from the rumors, it sounds like the continent’s strongest warriors are gathering in Rudera. Will it become a battlefield? Is it safe to go there?

Comments:

• I heard the Holy Kingdom is sending their Paladins. It’s bound to be tense.
• Don’t worry. The Tower of Labyrinth has systems to prevent actual casualties.
• It’s true the tension is high, but it’s safe to watch the duels.

***

As the reactions continued to flood in, Albus felt the pressure building. 

The duel tournament had grown into a continental event, drawing interest and participants from all over.

Despite the tension, Albus couldn’t help but feel a thrill. 

He had wanted to make an impact, and it seemed he had succeeded.

“Dua,” he whispered to the sleeping girl beside him. 

“Looks like we’re in for quite an adventure.”