Chapter 42: Preliminary (2)

Ding!

“The ninety-ninth match in Sector Z is about to begin. Will you participate?”

“Accept.”

A man with a grim expression and disheveled attire pressed the system window that appeared before his eyes.

Fwoosh!

When his vision, obscured by a blue light, returned, he realized he was standing in the middle of the arena.

“Hmm…”

On the opposite side stood his opponent, completely shrouded in a robe. 

Every part of their body was hidden, leaving him clueless about their race or gender, but one thing was clear: this was his opponent for the duel.

Ding!

“The match in Sector A will begin shortly.”

“Quite secretive, aren’t we?”

Magical energy began to swirl around the man.

“Do you possess such an extraordinary identity that it must be hidden?”

As the magic gathered, hundreds of magical arrows floated around him.

3… 2…

Participating in the duel fully robed—it seemed he was being severely underestimated.

“To dare challenge me, Ralph…!”

1…

“The match begins now.”

“Dare you!”

As soon as the transparent barrier in the center of the arena vanished, the arrows Ralph created rained down upon his opponent.

“What is that?”

“Ralph…? Oh! That genius Ralph! The prodigy who became a grand mage at twenty but was exiled from the Tower of Magic for his destructive tendencies!”

The audience’s eyes turned to the Sector Z arena, captivated by the dazzling display of hundreds of magical arrows.

“Behold! This is the might of Ralph Erhardt!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The sound of the magical arrows raining down was deafening. Ralph had no doubt that his opponent was utterly obliterated.

“…!”

As the smoke from the magical explosion cleared, Ralph saw his opponent standing unharmed.

“Ah. My mistake. I forgot to turn off the absolute defense.”

His opponent, twirling their fingers in the air, muttered calmly.

“…It seems you have some skill. But this time will be different.”

Gathering magic with both hands, Ralph slowly floated into the air.

“I, Ralph Erhardt, have created a firepower unmatched by anyone in this era.”

Hundreds of magical orbs rose into the sky, forming a sphere.

“The cowardly fools of the Tower exiled me in fear of this power, but I perfected the ultimate firepower.”

The orbs condensed, taking the shape of a giant sword.

“Not even the strongest defensive magic can withstand this!”

Ralph’s reason for participating in this duel was simple: to show everyone the fruits of his labor and to be recognized. 

He wanted to make the old fools who exiled him from the Tower tremble.

‘Though I hadn’t planned on using it so soon…’

He had intended to showcase his power on a grander stage, but his opponent had managed to block his arrow storm. 

He had no intention of being caught off guard by an unknown adversary.

“Oh. Impressive.”

His opponent, still shrouded in the robe, looked up at Ralph in awe.

“…!”

Ralph’s magic pattern wavered for a moment. ‘Impressive,’ they had said. 

When was the last time he heard such a word? 

The simple compliment created a huge ripple in Ralph’s heart. 

Ever since his exile from the Tower, he had longed for recognition.

The reason he had walked the path of magic was to use magic as splendidly as the mage he admired in his childhood. 

Ralph shook his head vigorously.

‘No, I mustn’t be swayed.’

His magic wasn’t created just to be admired. 

He had reached the pinnacle of destructive power. He needed to show those who mocked and exiled him the truth he had discovered.

As Ralph’s magical pattern solidified, the giant swords began to spin rapidly.

“Shall I give it a try?”

“…?”

Still cloaked, his opponent suddenly rose into the air, surrounded by a vortex of magical energy.

“Is this how it’s done?”

Hundreds of magical orbs appeared behind his opponent, forming giant swords at a faster rate than Ralph’s.

‘Impossible…’

Ralph’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. His magic was the culmination of his life’s work, something no one could imitate. 

How could an unknown opponent replicate it so effortlessly, even surpassing him?

“This… this can’t be happening.”

“Did you mention firepower earlier?”

“…Yes?”

“Shall we have a contest of firepower?”

“Ultimate firepower, you said?”

Gritting his teeth, Ralph responded.

‘No, it must be a trick. This magic was my invention, my creation. No one can handle it better than I can!’

Ralph and his opponent locked eyes in silence.

In the next moment, as if signaled, both sides unleashed their giant swords upon each other.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The audience watched in stunned silence as the magnificent clash of powers unfolded, reminiscent of a war from mythical times.

BOOM! BOOM!

Ralph felt his mana pathways aching from the overload of magic usage.

“Not yet…”

He looked at his opponent. 

Though their face was hidden by the robe, they seemed unfazed, continuously launching their giant swords.

“Not yet…!”

This was his chance to showcase the culmination of his life’s work, the pinnacle of his destructive power.

There was no way he could collapse here like this. 

Ralph, straining to summon every last bit of his magical power, conjured more dark swords.

“Aaaaargh!”

Somehow, he had to ensure the results of his efforts…!

Crash!

“…Huh?”

He felt something shatter within his mana circuits. 

In that moment, all his magic was severed.

Whooooosh.

Thud.

Unable to maintain his flight magic any longer, he plummeted to the ground.

“I can still… I can still do it…”

Ralph, lying flat on the ground, tried to rise, but he couldn’t even move a finger.

Tap.

His opponent, still cloaked in a robe, landed beside him. 

Although the robe was looking directly down at Ralph, he couldn’t see the face within. 

It was as if darkness itself blocked his view, perhaps a rare artifact.

“…Ha. I never thought it would end like this,” Ralph admitted. 

Everything was over. 

The fruit of his research, born from a decade of humiliation and persecution, was utterly destroyed.

“This was my life’s masterpiece. After being expelled from the Magic Tower, I devoted everything to perfecting this one spell over ten years.”

It was a pinnacle interception spell, refining destructive power into the form of dark swords, maximizing their destructive capability through rotation and descent. 

It rivaled, perhaps even surpassed, the legendary Dragon’s Breath.

He had planned to proudly showcase it in this tournament. 

He wanted to prove to the cowards of the Magic Tower that he had succeeded, that he was right.

But it was all for nothing. 

It turned out to be an incomplete work that others could easily replicate or even surpass.

“Ha. What was I even…”

Ralph looked up at the sky and laughed bitterly. 

Had he truly achieved nothing? 

Had the elders of the Magic Tower been right to exile him?

So, what was he supposed to do now…?

Ralph gently closed his eyes.

“No.”

A voice came from within the robe.

“That’s not true.”

Ultimate Firepower(S)

Albus, looking at his avatar’s status screen, spoke.

“It’s stronger than any magic I’ve seen so far.”

‘Though it’s limited to a single spell.’

Ralph’s eyes widened.

“…Ha. What is this?”

He felt his eyes welling up.

“No, this is strange. What the…”

Why was he, a grown man, crying like a child just from a bit of praise for his magic?

It felt like he had been acknowledged by a higher existence.

Almost like… yes, by a god.

Ding!

• Victory! You will be transported to the winner’s waiting room shortly.

Flash!

Albus warped to the waiting room prepared for his new avatar, Zhang.

‘To face such a formidable opponent right from the start…’

LV 193 Ralph Erhardt.

He had created his avatar hastily to join the preliminary rounds and ended up against an unexpectedly powerful player. 

When his opponent started going all out, Albus was so surprised he nearly added an indestructible attribute to his avatar by mistake.

‘But it’s more manageable than I thought.’

Despite it being a game, abusing cheats wouldn’t be fun.

Bringing his real-world specs would kill the opponent with just a touch. 

The most enjoyable game was one where victory was hard-earned after a fierce, evenly matched battle.

So, Albus decided to match his opponent’s level and abilities exactly. 

His new avatar, Zhang, had the ability to copy the opponent’s powers. 

Thus, Ralph’s magic appeared as ‘Ultimate Firepower(S)’ in Albus’s avatar abilities.

Albus countered Ralph’s magic with the exact same spell, believing he was fighting on equal terms. 

It felt like playing a shooting game from his past life, intercepting each other’s magic with magic.

And the result was victory.

‘Do I actually have talent?’

The truth was that Albus had easily overwhelmed Ralph because his copied magic had become a skill, making it easier and more efficient to use. 

But Albus was unaware of this.

• The first round of the duel tournament preliminaries is now over. The next round will begin shortly.

Listening to the voice of the Demon King resonating through the broadcast, Albus returned to his main body.

“Waaaaah!”

“Awesome!”

“This is it!”

The spectators, who had been watching one-sided matches of the strong crushing the weak or bouts between weak contestants, cheered at the spectacular display of firepower. 

They finally saw the high-level skills they had been anticipating.

“Who is this guy…?”

“Another one to watch out for.”

The participants who had advanced to the next round hardened their expressions as they watched Ralph and Albus’s overwhelming firepower.

“Dad!”

Returning to his main body, Albus was greeted by Dua, her mouth full of ice cream.

“Dua. Did you watch over Dad?”

“Yep!”

“Did you see Dad out there?”

“Yep! Dad’s awesome!”

Dua jumped into Albus’s arms. 

He lifted her up, holding her tight.

“Heehee.”

Albus stroked Dua’s head as she buried her face in his chest.

‘Now that the first round is over, when will this tournament end?’

Albus wondered if he should have just gone for a battle royale.

• Hm? Oh?

The Demon King, about to announce the start of the next round, noticed a message from the GM. She read it, smiled, and spoke again.

• Oh, rejoice everyone. The GM has prepared a special treat for all.

“A special treat?”

“What is it?”

A blue light appeared in front of every participant and spectator, presenting each with ice cream and chocolate.

“Is this… to eat?”

“…Let’s try it.”

“Mmm… huh?”

“It melts in your mouth! How can it taste like this!”

“Wait, I think I saw this in the Maze Shop?”

“Is this food of the gods?”

“Damn it, it’s the GM again. I swear, I’ll start worshipping from now.”

“Seems like everyone likes it.”

Albus smiled faintly at the positive reactions. 

He had distributed ice cream and chocolate to stave off boredom during the long tournament.

“Ice cream is perfect when you’re sleepy,” he thought simply.

Little did he know, this event would later revolutionize the continent’s dessert industry.