[Twish #National Exchange Tournament Draw]
[Let’s cheer for Korea! Let’s predict the results of the National Exchange Tournament!][38194]
[Is this really a Korea-Japan match right from the round of 64? Who the heck picked these groups?!][14330]
[Group H confirmed with Kim Love from Korea and NoName from Group I!][7641]
[Group analysis! Comparing historical records of the National Exchange Tournament!][6753]
After 3 years, Korea is participating, and the USA is back after 27 years.
The draw for the France National Exchange Tournament was a huge talking point on Twish.
Streamers were buzzing with discussions about who would make it through.
[Mahabam]
[Just Chatting – Let’s cheer for Korea! Time to predict the National Exchange Tournament!]
[Broadcast Time – 0:48:59]
[Number of Viewers – 38194]
“Now, let’s move on to Group H! Korea, Ireland, Estonia, Burkina Faso… Don’t underestimate this National Exchange Tournament! All the strongest players from those countries are here! Right?”
With spittle flying, 1.3 million-subscriber streamer Mahabam passionately delivered his monologue.
He stealthily brought out the Korean flag and pinned it on the board.
“But as long as we have Mr. Kim Love in Group H, Korea will surely take first place. The Academy Competition was absolutely dominant. Plus, your sister was last year’s national champion. As you know from Naruto, lineage plays a big part in fighting! I just know Love will take first place. And you, Ireland, enjoy your second place.”
– Honestly, we’ve never seen such a sweet draw in history, lol
– Fact.
– Might as well hold back my laughter to avoid bad karma.
– It’d be entertaining if they flop after all this.
– If Love has any dignity, they must reach the semifinals.
– Realistically, I’d say the best we can get is quarterfinals because of the USA.
– The big stuff is coming!!!
“Now, here comes Group I. Oh boy, there’s so much to say. Our fellow streamer NoName is competing, right? But it’s a tough matchup. While working on my PPT yesterday, I discovered that everyone in the group is skilled.”
Mahabam flicked through his PPT slides and introduced each participant in Group I.
Levi Huning Jr., age 16. Most appearances in the USA Youth Championship. 56 matches, 38 wins, 15 draws, 3 losses.
Narita Hiroyuki, age 16. Emperor’s Cup champion. Winner of the Nikkei Cup and Champions Cup Juniors, each twice.
David Everett, age 15. Youngest to reach the quarterfinals in Europa. Defeater of the national treasure ‘Calibur’.
“Isn’t this imbalanced? All these people from Pool 1 are stuck in the same group! Plus, Levi has played 56 matches in Magic Battles! He’s been fighting all day long, just eating and brawling.”
– Isn’t this basically the semifinals? 😂
– My heart swells just thinking about it!
– The reason no one from other countries is complaining is entirely due to Group I.
– Don’t want to be in that group? Should I swap with you?
– For real, NoName is a professional streamer.
– Wow, maximum output representative of the same industry!
“Honestly, just putting my national pride aside and stating the objective truth… Sigh… it’s going to be USA in first! Korea in second! Now onto Group J!”
– ???
– You’re separating Japan and England?
– It feels like you’ve already drunk too much national pride.
– Explain yourself!
– How do you expect to overcome a six-year age gap?
– NoName realistically has a hard time even placing third in the group.
– What are you saying? NoName will definitely crush them and take first place!
– It’s hard to gauge this one player’s strength, lol.
– Why am I placed as second?
└ ???
└ Not trolling, I’m serious.
└ Gotcha, you little rascal!
└ Wait, was NoName in our room?
└ What are you doing here, lol!
“Wait, NoName, you’re in our room? You could’ve said you were coming!”
Mahabam was taken aback and rushed to the front of the screen.
He clung to NoName who seemed ready to leave the broadcasting station feeling offended.
“It’s not that! It’s a step back for a two-step forward strategy, just hear me out, NoName-san. Oh, you’re not a san, are you, NoName?”
Mahabam quickly wrapped up the review and conducted predictions for the round of 32.
According to his envisioned scenario, NoName, often viewed as an underdog, defeated the title contenders one after another.
The finals even ended up featuring an all-Korean showdown.
– USA, France, and Japan all getting knocked out in the quarterfinals, lol.
– That’s a serious overdrive of happy circuits.
– Honestly, the finals might just be Nathan vs. Katsuhata or Levi… if they’re lucky enough to reach the semifinals.
└ Shhh!
– NoName, are you satisfied?
– Wow, Mahabam recognizes talent. bb
└ Wow.
└ NoName’s compliments are extremely valuable.
└ Life achievement unlocked, lol.
└ Feeling proud!
“NoName, if you’re in VR, are you available for an invite…?”
Mahabam cautiously inquired, and after a slight pause, NoName replied.
– Please invite me.
*
It’s not easy for a magic layman to commentate on Magic Battles.
The field is so entrenched that the moment you provide incorrect information, a deluge of critiques and hate comments pours in.
However, Mahabam aced this challenging job with his unique wit and verbal finesse, becoming a leading figure in popularizing the Magic Battles.
Every time he commentated a match, it’s natural for him to see live viewer counts surge by 300,000, and major networks were scrambling to book him.
NoName’s collaboration list included Mahabam as well.
“Welcome, NoName! It’s great to see you!”
“I came when you said to come at any convenient time, but I hope I’m not interfering with your content?”
“Not at all! Perfect timing; you showed up just right.”
“Too bad Taming Master got eliminated so early.”
“Haha! It turns out I spoiled my Pipi-demon too much; it doesn’t listen at all.”
“Mahabam’s Pipi-demon looks incredibly cute!.”
Mahabam, who had risen to a position of recognition rather than seeking approval, beamed with a smile at NoName’s praise echoing from a much higher status.
And that emotion transmitted to Mahabam’s viewers.
– Wow, NoName acknowledges Mahabam.
– He’s a global-class talent.
– Pipi-demon, you’re the true winner!
– So what if you’re strong? Being cute is what matters.
– In the end, it’s the cat that eats well on Earth, not the tiger.
– NoName is also cute like a cat…
NoName sat in Mahabam’s gaming chair he had prepared.
Meanwhile, Mahabam was perched on a flimsy plastic square chair that looked like it belonged at a sketchy street vendor.
“It seems like we’ve switched seats…”
“Nope! NoName’s seat is right here! You need to prepare for battle, no way I’m letting you sit in an uncomfortable chair.”
“Oh, but there are lots of viewers here too? We’ve shot up to 100,000 in an instant.”
“Hey, that’s Mahabam! I don’t kneel anywhere!”
As the viewers flood in, greetings were exchanged.
Mahabam seized an opening and threw out a question.
“You were assigned to Group I in yesterday’s draw. Any thoughts on that…?”
“Thoughts? Well, sounds like it’ll be fun. I’ll enjoy myself.”
“Kyaaa, everyone, give it up! NoName is not like us mere mortals! Who said? A Death Group? No way, NoName will crush them all and rise up!”
– So who’s the genius that placed NoName in Group 2?
– Entering a Death Group, and you call it fun, lol, got some guts.
– Group I is my meal (a bit of a paraphrase).
NoName scanned the surroundings and spotted a Chupa Chups.
With sparkling eyes, Mahabam peeled it and handed it over.
As NoName popped the candy in their mouth, one cheek puffed up to the size of the candy.
“I’ve always wanted to ask NoName Wizard a question when I met you.”
“Yes, go ahead!”
“I don’t have much specialized knowledge about these Magic Battles. But now, I have to commentate in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers, and there’s criticism. I often feel inadequate. How can I view the matches better?”
It was a reflective question from Mahabam.
The lack of expertise resulting in low-quality commentary.
He wasn’t naïve to that.
But NoName provided an answer completely unforeseen.
“Huh? Why do you need to watch it well?”
“I was genuinely impressed when I saw your retrospective stream after the finals. The multitude of psychological elements right during the bluffing! The advantages and disadvantages of every action in the game! Our viewers always tell me to learn from you.”
Bong-
NoName pulled the candy out of their mouth and spoke earnestly.
“Everyone, please don’t torment Mahabam too much! I analyze from the player’s perspective, so I go into detail. All I want is for you to enjoy the situation itself.”
“Enjoy the situation?”
“If you watch the finals, you’d see Emika-san made a flawed judgment once and struggled throughout the second half. While reasoning might be hard, at the end of the day, there’s no denying they were outplayed by the opponent. Any grievances—players endure. Just enjoy it like you do now. If we keep raising barriers like that, it just tires everyone.”
“Wow… Thank you for your wise words. So, can I keep using Fire Whirl and Thunder Blade during the commentary?”
– But Fire Whirl seems a bit…
– Ah, that’s getting ridiculous, lol.
– I’m embarrassed on your behalf. 😭
– Room leader, oh room leader…
– Thunder Blade, is that really Arc Discharge? lol.
– It’s honestly fun, though. 😂
– Pure fun is number one.
– Being childish is always fun, lol.
“Of course! Every time Mahabam’s videos pop up in shorts, I find them hilarious. Instead of standing higher than others with snippets of stolen knowledge, I think it’s better to coexist harmoniously. If people unfairly criticize you, just kindly guide them.”
“I feel so relieved. Guys, you heard? I’m going to keep using Thunder Blade. NoName gave me the go-ahead, so don’t say a word!”
– The Great Night.
– Honestly, NoName speaks like a sage.
– How does a 9-year-old have such vocabulary?
– Now there are a bunch of weirdos in the stream, so this feels refreshing.
– So do you think you know more about magic than NoName? 😂
– Fact: Only 0.2% of the Academy’s alumni are from Korea.
– A common theory is that those who failed the Academy ended up falling into darkness.
Unfortunately, this warm atmosphere didn’t last long.
Out of the questions Mahabam had prepped, some were rather awkward.
“Ah, I can’t avoid this one since it got the most recommendations… Didn’t a strong favorite from last year’s National Exchange Tournament, Mikhail Balabanov, lose to Katsuhata Emika? NoName, what do you think was the reason?”
“Huh? I don’t find that to be too awkward of a question. There could be many reasons, but he didn’t have any proper countermeasures against the multi-aura, and his weakness in chaotic battles became evident.”
“I must emphasize! It’s not me, but our viewers are saying they have a slightly different reason. Are you familiar with the Fundamental Theory?”
“The Fundamental Theory?”
Having never heard of the theory before, NoName tilted their head in confusion.
The term seems to suggest something monumental, like a universal unified theory.
However, the 40-year-old theory that NoName encountered exceeded her wildest imagination.
[Fundamental Theory: The elements that break the mentality of promising underachievers can be divided into four main categories.
1. Superficiality
2. Money obsession
3. Girlfriend at least four years older with a big chest
4. A lousy tutor teacher]
NoName’s mouth dropped, and she covered her mouth with her hand.
“Oh, oddly enough, all of these seem to apply…”
– You spilled it!
– Farewell, Mahabam.
– Did he really screw up?
– That’s a serious lawsuit, lol!
– What kind of example are you setting for a kid!
– That’s just evil, lol!
– Why is the burden of embarrassment always on us?
– In the end, he spoke up, lol.
– Still, it’s better than showing up without professional knowledge!
Riddled with turmoil, NoName’s day dragged on.
*
Thanks to Mahabam’s efforts to fill the audio, I didn’t have to try hard, and suddenly time passed quickly.
Finally, after one hour of collaboration, they brought up the National Exchange Tournament.
What on earth had they been talking about until now?
I figured maybe, just maybe, Mahabam was the perfect streamer for the dopamine-addicted audience on the other side of the screen.
“It’s a shame to hear that the match with Kim Love will be held privately.”
“I believe the fans will understand. Given that the round of 64 will be held in group stages, they’ll want to prepare as thoroughly as possible.”
“You are also training in secret, right, NoName?”
“I never claimed it was secret. Oh! Should I show you what I’ve been tentatively researching lately?”
“What? Really? But what if someone from another country sneaks in and spies? That would be disastrous!”
“If they want to see, let them. If they know, there’s nothing they can do to stop it. Is there a whiteboard around?”
“Yeah, we have a whiteboard and markers. Oh man, I don’t really know about this…! I think it’d be better to leave out the top-secret stuff…”
– NoName, don’t do it!!!
– The great Mahabam, taken aback by this true madness! 😂
– If NoName flops, Mahabam will definitely go down with him.
– Shouldn’t we intervene?
– Mahabam’s disaster detection system is fully activated, lol.
– You’re actually going to tell us?
– Overseas directors are intrigued!
It wasn’t anything particularly grand, just strategies regarding the battle opening.
“We only have two barriers given to us, sub-particles and super-particles.”
“Right, right.”
“We have to make a choice on which one to break, based on the situation, at the latest by ten minutes before the match starts. Depending on preference, some competitors, like Emika, may come prepared with only one, while others, like Mikhail, may come equipped with both.”
In the early stages of a match, mana and aura should not be conserved.
As the saying goes, the best defense is a good offense. Once one begins to fall behind, players will have to exhaust their carefully preserved mana to defend.
It doesn’t matter if they defend; if they can’t, things become even trickier.
“If extreme aggression can easily lead to victory, then perhaps incurring slight losses in barrier defense could be an acceptable strategy, which is why I brought this magic.”
I retrieved an app on the hologram and searched for the spell.
[Search: 3 Circle – Black Aurora (Sub-Neutral Release)]
“The term ‘Black Aurora’ might sound unfamiliar; it’s the darker side of the aurora. Essentially, plasma tends to achieve equilibrium overall, but in this boundary zone, the principles of sub-neutrality don’t apply. What does this imply? Simply casting this spell exerts continuous stress on my barriers.”
“Isn’t that a bad spell? It’s essentially self-destructive.”
“The chatroom is filled with comments calling it a trash spell, asking why I would use such magic. But it must have advantages, right? While I’m casting this spell, the external manifestation of the aura will increase damage by at least 1.66x to 2.33x! What do you think? Isn’t that pretty good?”
“Reality isn’t a game, NoName! While everyone else is playing as Magicians, you chose to play as a Berserker all by yourself?”
