Ch.365360 – Gear Luck

Elias Larsson, a boy with a common Swedish surname and first name, had an extraordinary background.

Sweden remains a monarchy alongside the UK, Spain, and the Benelux countries.

And Elias Larsson was the grandson of Queen Victoria who ruled Sweden.

Though far down in the line of succession and having renounced his royal title long ago, he’s still mentioned when people are asked to name their favorite royal.

With his mature, handsome face despite being only 16, hunter-like eyes, and brilliant platinum blonde hair, he looked like a prince straight out of a fairy tale.

With the overwhelming support of millions of women, Elias Larsson entered the tournament ceremony with the national treasure Mistilteinn.

However, from his very first match in the round of 64, he struggled against Emika.

“Katsuhata Emika is attacking relentlessly! Larsson is backed against the wall and in danger! Ah, Katsuhata doesn’t let up and keeps pursuing! Could this be a double casting?”

“The runes El, Maven, Psyche… have appeared! Finally! The deadly countdown Adera begins!”

“The audience is counting down together! Larsson needs to escape this crisis quickly!”

The large display screen showed an explanation of the magic.

[Adera (Innate Magic) – Japan]

[Classification: 1st Circle Physical Strike Magic]

[Rank: A]

A massive gear-shaped magic circle appeared on the ground.

Blue mana swirled around Emika’s tachi.

‘The moment all 20 gears complete their rotation, you will definitely lose.’

Having heard this fact from his coach until his ears bled, Larsson’s mind went blank.

Emika brought down her cold blade without the slightest hesitation on the dazed young man.

KWAAANG-!

A massive explosion and dirt scattered in all directions.

Emika emerged calmly from the billowing smoke, sheathing her sword.

The way she dusted off her white uniform showed her complete composure.

[Round of 64 Match 30]

[WIN: Katsuhata Emika] [99% / 87%]

[LOSE: Elias Larsson] [4%(Complete Destruction) / 51%]

Emika finished the match with less than 1% damage to her particle barrier.

The national treasure Mistilteinn never even touched Emika.

It was an easy victory for Katsuhata Emika and an overwhelming defeat for Elias Larsson.

* * *

“Cheer up, Larsson. We knew she would be a difficult opponent.”

The burly coach patted the boy’s back to comfort him.

Larsson groaned and frowned intensely.

“Oh sorry. Does it still hurt a lot where you got hit?”

“Don’t even mention it. It feels like I was hit by a 10-ton truck.”

Mana barriers aren’t perfect.

The damage accumulating on his body was significant enough, but the blow he received when his barrier was destroyed was even more devastating.

Transported to a nearby hospital, Larsson tasted the bitterness of defeat from his VIP room.

“I’m so angry at myself for losing without being able to show anything. Was Katsuhata always this strong?”

The boy clenched his fist.

He was a year older than her and hadn’t neglected his training, so where exactly did the difference lie?

“This year’s Katsuhata feels several levels upgraded compared to last year.”

“Creating an upset isn’t easy. That’s why people get excited about it.”

“I really thought I could do it…”

Even now, citizens were sending him many messages of comfort through social media.

But feeling too ashamed to look at their messages, he irritably turned off his phone and lay down on the bed.

This was a common internal conflict during adolescence.

Realizing you’re not the protagonist on stage is an incredibly bitter process.

“There are just too many geniuses in this world. Way too many… Why is this world so vast?”

While the prince sighed with lamentation, the coach quietly checked his phone beside him.

By chance, he came across an interview video of NoName.

[To be honest, I think all 64 national representatives are several levels below me.]

“Hahahahaha!”

The coach stroked his red beard and burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny, Harald?”

“Isn’t she adorable? You know, that girl from South Korea. The one who was trapped in a capsule for 7 years.”

“NoName? Yeah, I know her, she’s famous.”

“This kind of confidence is truly worthy of Viking descendants. Larsson, instead of being depressed, you should learn from this kind of spirit.”

After watching the interview again from the beginning, Larsson snorted.

“Did she really declare she wants to fight us?”

“Yes! She even gave her address. She said just leave a DM before coming. You got eliminated early anyway, so you have plenty of time. Let’s go check it out.”

“…”

She was the genius of the century, Korea’s Joan of Arc, and some even frequently called her the second coming of Jesus.

“Her arrogance really reaches the heavens. I’m curious, let’s go see her.”

* * *

“Hmm hmm.”

I got a bite within just one day.

“Mmm, NoName, are you going out to exercise again today?”

“Something like that.”

“Okay, have a good… *yawn*…”

While Ban So-wol slept in late all morning, I quietly slipped out of the room, ate a hearty breakfast, and headed to the sparring ground.

Yesterday’s match was quite interesting.

The arena was converted from a baseball stadium, with the grass line as the boundary, making it twice as large as a normal sparring ground.

‘Judging by Emika’s skills, she should advance to the semifinals without much trouble.’

At least in Group D, no one could match her.

My interview statement received a lot of criticism from national teams for lacking respect.

Nevertheless, I was disappointed that no one readily agreed to meet me, so I was glad when this aggressive Swedish friend stepped up.

‘Plus, isn’t he the one who fought Emika? His name was Elias Larsson, right?’

He lost so helplessly without showing what he had prepared, so I didn’t even get a chance to see what martial art he practiced.

I can check now, so that works out well.

Broadening one’s knowledge is always enjoyable.

“Woof woof!”

A fluffy dog poked its head through a small hole in the fence.

“I’ll play with you later. I’m a bit busy today.”

“Heh heh heh woof!”

After gently patting the head of the neighbor’s disappointed retriever, I hurried on my way.

Several limousines were parked at the rural outdoor sparring ground.

Ignoring the incongruous scene, I entered the fenced area.

Burly Viking-like men were doing jumping jacks in unison.

‘Surely they didn’t come to harm me?’

As I was considering whether to take out my wand from my pocket, a bald strongman saw me and waved.

“Yo, our friend is here! Everyone, attention!”

They all started moving in perfect unison while shouting some incomprehensible cheer.

A young boy who clearly stood out among them approached me with his bodyguards.

“Hello, I’m Elias Larsson, Sweden’s representative.”

“I’m Harald Lindgren, Larsson’s coach.”

“I’m NoName. Nice to meet you.”

So he wasn’t a bodyguard but a coach.

“What do you think of our Swedish prince? Handsome, right?”

“No, not really… Just average.”

Compared to his neat appearance yesterday, Larsson’s cheekbone was now swollen.

A flash of displeasure crossed Larsson’s eyes, but it was only momentary.

“Isn’t she much smaller than we thought?”

“Yeah. I didn’t expect her to be this small. No exaggeration, she might be lighter than my dumbbell.”

They turned off their translation magic and whispered among themselves.

I understood almost everything thanks to what I learned from Han Seo-ri, but I pretended not to understand and waited.

“Interesting. Do you really think you can beat me in a fight?”

“Why not? Actually, I want to ask you the same thing. Do you honestly think you can win against me in a serious fight?”

“Wow… I guess the stereotype about Asians being humble was just our prejudice, Harald.”

“Let’s save the small talk for later. How do you want to conduct this sparring? Any handicaps?”

“Let’s use the same exchange competition rules. No handicaps. Oh! Do you need a handicap?”

When I asked with a straight face, Larsson’s face instantly turned red.

“Are you asking me that? You must think I’m a pushover, but in Sweden, there’s no special treatment for royalty. A total of 8,000 people applied for the national team, and I was fairly selected as the one representative. What do you take me for?”

“I asked because you showed so little in your round of 64 match.”

“There was a skill difference, but more than anything, it was a bad matchup. But kid, you’re pretty good at getting under people’s skin, aren’t you?”

“Setup complete! Signal when you’re both ready!”

All the coaches went outside, and a translucent barrier formed over the sparring ground’s roof and green fence.

While they were setting up the crystal barrier, Larsson glared at me with fierce eyes.

“I watched some videos of you. Your sense is excellent, I’ll give you that. But no matter how much of a genius you are, you can’t overcome the weight class difference. I came here to defend the honor of the national representatives and, as your senior, to teach you humility. Just know that I won’t go easy on you just because you’re a child.”

I nodded slightly.

The weight class he’s referring to means the output of the Aura Heart.

Among mages, the influence of weight class is overwhelming.

And weight class tends to be directly proportional to age until 30.

“You must not have seen the Academy Competition? My Aura Heart output is at least at a middle school level.”

Larsson sneered at that.

“You mean temporarily increasing your external manifestation output with that Demon King’s Horn or whatever? You really don’t know why Korea hasn’t been able to participate in the National Exchange Competition all this time, do you?”

He grabbed the silver-white sword leaning against the wall.

“Humans are tool-using animals. Korean mages who insist on fighting bare-handed because it’s ‘dangerous’ can’t possibly be competitive globally.”

His two-handed sword, which had been glowing blue, gradually took on a reddish hue.

“And I hope you understand how important compatibility is. My Mistilteinn cuts through auras. Go ahead and try to bring out your external manifestation.”

Only then did I understand the source of his confidence.

“So you’re just bragging about your equipment in a roundabout way.”

“What? You…!”

Was he planning to cut off my wings if I were to spread them with my external manifestation?

If so, that explains why he wasn’t afraid of Katsuhata’s beam sword either.

Unfortunately, due to his lack of skill, the match ended before Emika could even draw her beam sword.

A 10-second countdown message appeared on the shabby sparring ground’s display.

Match time: unlimited.

“Korea doesn’t participate in the National Exchange Competition simply because of cultural differences. We don’t have many people idle enough to focus on exchange competitions 365 days a year. And you keep talking about compatibility to justify your defeat, but isn’t compatibility only relevant when skills are similar?”

I took a pitcher’s stance and threw my wand far into the corner of the sparring ground.

“What are you doing…?”

“I hope you can handle spicy food. Korean hand-to-hand combat is extremely spicy.”

Weapon? Why would I need such a thing?

When you hit with your hands, the impact feels completely different.

I was determined to properly sprinkle some hot pepper on that mayonnaise-like face of his.