Chapter 39

– Good morning, league-loving spectators, grateful sponsors, it’s 9:00 a.m. ET. We’re about to start another day of matches.

– The match is a classic. The most common one-on-one matchup. The competitors will be Asterisk and Aluminum.

Despite the early hour, a large crowd filled the stands.

Expensive admission fees, billboard ads, and outrageous sums of money for a game that lasts less than an hour at most.

This was a first division stadium. It was a world away from the fourth division, where homeless people roamed the streets.

– Asterique, you’ve been in the spotlight lately, right? He’s made a big impact, as he’s moved up to the first division with an undefeated record.

– Example. I was told I was a super rookie, but well, the barrier to the lower leagues proved to be a big one.

Four straight losses. That was Asterique’s recent record.

After that curious first victory, the points had been slipping away.

– This match is honestly a tough one. Asterique is in a really bad draw, and at a time when they need to break their losing streak somehow, they’re facing a terrible opponent.

– That’s right. Oh, and as we speak, here comes the aluminum player.

A player walked out of the aisle.

A man wearing a distinctive silver-colored coat. He became known as Aluminum because he looked like he was wearing silver foil. Once the name was finalized, he even changed his official name.

He solidified it as his own personality. It was a testament to his understanding of the physiology of the league.

– Alvaro is coming onto the field, followed by Asterique… Shhh, what is that?

The announcers questioned and the crowd roared. Asterike’s hands were clutching a strange device.

“…… should be fine, right?

Asterike looked down at the object in her hand. It was a sword. It was probably a sword.

It’s not sharp, it’s blunt, and it’s so damn heavy that most grown men couldn’t wield it…….

‘The string is the sword.’

If he said so, it was the sword. Instead of handing it over, he took something else from Asterike.

Asterike felt the emptiness in my wrist. The spell suppressor. The bracelet that kept her free from the spell’s rampage was missing.

“What is that. It looks like ice cream.”

Aluminum grinned as he stepped onto the ring.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with that stick… but yeah, it’s better than a boring old spear.”

“Fun? Does that matter?”

“Of course. Games are for entertainment.”

A cynical voice spoke. The microphone was powered off, so it was inaudible to the crowd.

“There are only two ways for an athlete to prove their worth: performance and crowd mobilization. But there are very few athletes who can perform.”

The gloved index finger points at Asteriske.

“Not you, you’ll average 3, top 40, maybe top 20 if you’re lucky. If you want to stay in the game at all, you have to figure it out.”

It was quite arrogant, but I wouldn’t call it presumptuous.

Currently, aluminum is ranked 5th. Asterique, on the other hand, is only 34th. Considering their disastrous record, they might have a point.

……I didn’t necessarily plan to have a long career as an athlete. I only got on the field because Kim Yi-hyun gave me the opportunity to do so in the first place.

In the end, it was a success.

Crowds cheering, big paychecks, and a good life. Not bad. No, I was honestly thrilled.

“But, hey, it was okay then.

I think about it often. The time when he, Kim, Roscoe, and I were heading to Kilikia, looking like a bunch of creeps. It was exhausting but fun.

‘I was with Hyun the whole time…….’

Since arriving in Kilikia, they had often acted separately. He never said it out loud, but Asterike was not happy about it.

There was also anxiety.

As if they were getting ready to move on with their lives. Whenever the thought crossed my mind, my hands and feet felt weak, and my chest felt tight.

She had to work hard not to. Asterique knew how to avoid being abandoned.

“Are you ready?”

You nod in response to the referee’s question. After confirming, the referee steps out of the ring.

Aluminum’s last words were, “Good luck.” He wants to make the game fun.

Of course, it was none of Asterike’s business; she had only one concern.

“I can do this.

He gripped his sword, aware of the officials’ seats. There, Hyun would be watching the match. I must prove my worth, Asterique thought firmly.

pi profit-!

An electronic beep signaled the start of the match.

The first to step forward was aluminum.

Accelerate half a tempo slower than normal. It’s a difference that the athlete doesn’t notice, and the spectators don’t notice. Moderate hand contact was key.

“You’re just using useless technology.

Al watched his opponent with a self-deprecating smile. In an instant, two decisions were made in his mind.

The first was the judgment of a human “bodique”. Mixing the pakes and stabbing the lower body. Take away their mobility and the next thing is simple….

It’s not even remotely funny. As an athlete, Al had a different opinion. It’s better to go for the jugular and let them avoid it.

It was when he stretched out his sword.

“……?”

Aluminum doubted my eyes. Before I knew it, the knife had melted and lost its shape. The heat radiated from it like it was going to cook my flesh.

For what seemed like forever, Asterike was engulfed in flames. Sticky, blood-colored lava poured onto the arena floor.

Flames engulfed the weapon, whether sword or blunt. Even in the heat that melted concrete, the sword retained its original shape.

And the spirit of Asterike.

Intelligence remained in her hazel eyes. For the first time, she succeeded in controlling her spell.

Kim watched it all unfold.

“That works.

The weapon you equipped Asterike with, commonly known as Patacal. It was a 3-star special weapon, a Vibranium Composite Sword.

[Vibranium Composite Sword]

[Rating: ★★★]

[Category: Weapons].

[Description: A sword forged by an anonymous blacksmith from vibranium found near the Shiran Empire. Incredibly strong, it will not break no matter how roughly it is handled.

……, and this is a sword? Not a baseball bat? What kind of idiot makes this shitty toy out of this good material? No, I don’t know how they processed it in the first place. What a waste.

– Record of an anonymous agent].

It’s an entertainment item with no damage modifiers. It has only one upside.

‘Because no matter how much I reinforce it, it won’t go off.’

In theory, it can be infinitely enhanced. In practice, its performance is garbage, making it a toy weapon.

It would do nothing for the mission. But there was a joke that this odd weapon suited Ast.

Subject : 아스트 전무 찾음ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

That’s the Ast skill setup.

Using a medium can reduce the recoil to your body, but the problem is that the power is so strong that no weapon can withstand it.

But surprisingly, the developers have already come up with an answer to this ðŸ™’

That’s the

└ Tell them to fuck off and go

└ ㅋㅋCorrect answer patakal

└ Why Patakal?

└ Isn’t this a hard and fast setting anyway?

└ Or not

└ Oh?

└ Hmmm

Not surprisingly, there was no systemic synergy. It was just a theory that it would be a good fit for Ast.

And now, the theory is proven.

Asts wearing a patakal can cast spells without side effects.

“I feel like the power is weaker than it should be.

It’s a shame, but understandable. Ast’s secondary skill is so powerful because she can just go nuts and use it.

The so-called limiter doesn’t work. In fact, Asterike has been known to suffer from recoil for days after using the skill.

“It would be less powerful if I wrote it myself.

I’d say it’s roughly a 1.5 skill, and I’m happy with that. The power is halved, but the versatility is greatly increased.

“You crazy. City, referee, I recuse myself…!”

Kaaaaaah!

A wave of fire erupted from Asterike’s feet and engulfed the aluminum. The crowd fell dead silent.

A few seconds of silence.

“……ha.”

With a somewhat ragged breath, Asterique brought the tip of her blade downward, and the sparks across the arena vanished without a trace, as if in a daydream.

Not only did it ignite, but it extinguished as Asterike wished, and her clothes did not burn. She understood her spell for the first time.

“Turn off…….”

Alan fell to the floor, his hazmat suit burned to a crisp. His skin was charred to the bone, but not enough to kill him.

Asterique gave him a pat on the back.

Just like aluminum did.

The referee started the count. Al tried to get up, but eventually gave up. He had no strength in his whole body.

Beep!

The end of the match has been signaled.

The audience, who had been holding their breath, roared as if they had been waiting for it. Even the broadcasters cheered the winner’s name.

A different kind of excitement filled the stadium. Asterique looked up at the officials’ box to a myriad of stares and applause.

When she made eye contact with Kim, she smiled broadly. Kim returned the favor with a smile while holding a cheering stick.

At the same time, next to him…….

“씨이이이발! 이건 주작이에요!”

“A masterpiece, Asterike.”

“That’s… but…!”

Chelsea was fuming.

These were the words of a gambler who didn’t trust Asterique to the end, and bet 50 million on Al. I was so angry that my hands were shaking as I gripped the terminal.

“Who said I had to betray you?”

“I’m the one who’s been betrayed, I’ve lost four straight when I’ve been betting, why, when I’ve been betting right, all of a sudden I’m betting wrong……!”

“Isn’t that a skill?”

Chelsea’s head snapped around. A man-killing glare shot at Kim, but it was only for a moment.

Soon, Chelsea was stunned, the puzzle in her brain coming together.

“No way… did you bet?”

“Well. Some pocket change.”

“How much?”

“I did it small, I did it small.”

“So how much!”

He gets in her face. He was about to punch her in the face.

“Three thousand.”

“If it’s 3,000. Because the odds were 9 to 1…?”

Ugh. Chelsea sucked in a breath. Her pink eyes began to flutter like an earthquake.

Kim patted him on the shoulder.

“Skills.”

Your wallet is fuller.