“Hmm… what is all this? Did I just wake up at 7 PM?”
In her pajamas, Cheon Saetbyeol shuffled into the dining area, rubbing her eyes as she witnessed chefs setting up a lavish spread.
Smoked salmon, avocado bacon toast, scrambled eggs drizzled with truffle oil, honey BBQ chicken, and herb-crusted lamb chops were all laid out before her.
“It must be breakfast. Today is Monica’s Super Cup final, after all.”
“Ugh, eating all this will make me throw up. It’s like a torture feast.”
“Na-me, you need to drink milk too.”
“Yes, yes.”
With a handful of cereal in her mouth, she gulped down some milk.
The campaign of having breakfast with Professor Cheon was smoothly progressing into its 30th day.
Stomp stomp-
Not long after, Monica, having finished her last early morning training session, led the coaching staff into the restaurant.
Glancing at the feast before her, she immediately frowned.
“Excuse me, Chef? If I eat this much, I might throw up during the match!”
“You can just take what you can eat, miss.”
“Ugh, but these are all my favorite dishes… You should have made these for me more often. You always give me bland chicken breast dishes.”
While she complained about the menu, her face betrayed the joy she couldn’t suppress.
“Good morning, Monica. You look really happy today!”
I greeted Monica who was seated across from me.
“Of course! Today’s the day I win the Super Cup!”
“What a confidence boost!”
“How about you? Training went well?”
“Haha, of course I had a dream about winning the finals. It was so vivid that I even remember the score being 20 to 9. Anyway, I already feel like I’ve won even before it starts.”
Monica casually twirled her hair.
I munched on my cereal and replied, “That’s interesting. Speaking of, I think I had a similar dream last night.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I don’t remember the score, but I was leaping around shouting like a dolphin because I was so happy.”
“Whoa, that’s exactly the same as the dream I had… Wait, I don’t scream like that! Hmph, what do you take me for?”
It’s common for something one desires fervently to appear in their dreams.
Most people call it prophetic dreaming.
‘It’s not like I particularly wanted Monica to win that much, though.’
Currently, the strategic partnership with the Ricci conglomerate had been successfully established.
The previous issue related to the mafia had been resolved, allowing for significant consideration during factory construction negotiations.
As a gesture of gratitude, it was promised that Ricci would accompany Monica until the end of her Super Cup schedule.
As Monica ravenously stuffed food into her mouth, I shook hands with the head coach, sharing light conversation.
“Haha, it’s an honor to shake your hand, Champion.”
“That nickname is a bit embarrassing. It’s nice to see Monica so confident.”
“If she doesn’t get too cocky today, we can win easily. I’ve heard you’ve provided lots of help, so thank you very much.”
“No problem. Enjoy your meal.”
“Let’s all give a big round of applause and pray! The champion is with us! Na-me!”
““Na-me!””
“Whoa, Na-me is escaping! Hehe.”
As applause erupted, she scurried out of the restaurant without looking back.
What a shy thing to do so early in the morning!
*
The much-anticipated final was about to begin.
All morning, numerous TV programs broadcasted live from in front of the stadium.
Citizens who couldn’t get tickets for the finals spread mats in front of a large electronic screen.
The atmosphere built up with everyone cheering enthusiastically for Monica Ricci.
“Wow, there’s even a banner for Na-me!”
“Why are they celebrating me when I’m not even in the Super Cup…!”
[Deus vult vincere]
A picture taken during the National Exchange Tournament hung with the phrase ‘God wants victory.’
As I leaned against the window and let out a deep sigh…
Whiiiiiirrrrr-
“Hey, what are you doing! Stop messing around and come up!”
“Everyone! There’s a little goddess here!”
Saetbyeol, at the front, suddenly pulled down the window to my seat.
“Isn’t that NoName?”
“Hey! NoName is here! Wowwwww!”
“NoName is here! Italy is going to win!”
Like a horde of zombies, the crowd rushed into the street.
Luckily, the traffic light turned green, or we might have been stuck right there.
After overcoming the minor mishap, we finally arrived at the stadium.
Professor Cheon lifted our clasped hands and pointed forward.
“Do you want to put stickers on your face too, Na-me?”
“Stickers?”
“There are flags and magic circles. They seem to have a variety.”
“Well, if I’m doing it, I want stickers on both cheeks.”
I thought if I only supported one side, the other might get sad.
So on my right cheek, I stuck the Italian flag, and on the left, I put the Swedish flag sticker. With that, I was all set to cheer.
“We seem to have arrived too early…”
Saetbyeol murmured as she looked at the empty seats.
“Well, it would just be as boring to stay at the lodging.”
Two hours shouldn’t be too long to just close our eyes and wait.
Professor Cheon seemed to be thinking the same thing as he leaned back and started to sleep.
While Saetbyeol was mindlessly exploring V-tube out of boredom…
She leaned against me, showing me the video she had uploaded yesterday.
“Hey, sis, the slime video I uploaded yesterday? It’s been less than a day, and it already has over ten million views. It’s definitely going to reach a hundred million by the end of the year!”
“A hundred million is going to be tough.”
“Why would it be tough? Don’t say your wish.”
“No, lots of views are great. I just think it will be tough to reach that this year.”
“Is it that embarrassing to act cute? Woohoo, you’re so embarrassed!”
Saetbyeol started tickling my chin.
A slight irritation began to creep up on me when…
Vuuuuuuh-
A drone flew in front of me, hovering above the stadium.
Turning my gaze toward the screen.
[Wanna Fight?!]
““Whewiiiii!””
““Wowww! NoName! NoName! NoName!””
Various whistle sounds and cheers filled the stadium.
“What, what’s happening?”
“Wait, did we just get selected for the casting?”
Just like there’s a pitcher in baseball, in recent Europe, there’s been a practice where they showcase magic before duel matches.
Usually, it should feature a pre-selected celebrity.
But on a day where the check for the training arena ends early, I heard they randomly pick someone from the audience to participate.
‘It’s hard to find a mana concentration as high as that of a stadium arena anywhere else.’
Thud-
I looped my arm around Saetbyeol’s neck and pulled her into the screen.
“Do you want to fight? With her!”
“Ah! Noooooo! Save meeeee!”
“See? What goes around comes around.”
She had had her fun messing with me before.
I dragged her all the way down to the stairs.
According to the instructions of the staff, Saetbyeol reluctantly donned the protective gear, her expression resembling that of a doomed contestant.
“I’m fine not wearing anything.”
“Wah, that’s scary!”
“Oh come on, it won’t hurt. What’s safer than a magic duel?”
“Right?”
“But Monica almost got killed by me because of a minor mistake…”
“Aaaaah!”
“Hey, it’s not like I’m going to go hard on you. I’m not a pro or anything.”
“Okay…! I trust you!”
“Feelings might seep in a little… You might feel some pain if you’re not careful.”
“Aaaaah!”
When we trained together at the Citizen Comprehensive Training Arena, Saetbyeol used to be fearless.
But after seeing the highlights during the National Exchange Tournament, she never wanted to fight me ever again.
“I really miss those times when we used swords.”
“Please stop looking at me with those longing eyes! It’s really scary right now! This is serious!”
The barrier surrounded us, and the referee’s signal sounded.
“You may start! Please fight freely for 30 seconds!”
Saetbyeol immediately utilized her aura to manifest her external form to the maximum.
Depending on the person, such an output can be taxing on the Aura Heart.
But she flaunted a silver tail, moving it gracefully based on her natural physical abilities.
She couldn’t lose.
[Basic Spell: Demon King’s Horn]
[Spell: Linear Momentum Adjustment]
[Combined Spell: Angular Momentum Adjustment]
“What the heck! What kind of magic is that!”
“Just look at the markings on the floor. It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? Don’t ask if you don’t know!”
I dashed at her while stepping on two acceleration magic circles one after another.
With a golden aura wrapped around my arm, I brought my fist down heavy on her head.
BOOM-!
It felt slightly thicker than just brushing against the crystal sphere barrier.
As expected, a long silver tail twisted around my hand to stop me.
‘She definitely has a sense for battle.’
Suddenly, cat ears made of aura popped up on my head.
Eep!
“…?”
“Eat this!”
Bam-!
The clumps of aura that dropped from my head exploded right in front of her.
Amidst the aroma of sharp coffee wafting through the air…
Saetbyeol tried to wrap her long tail around my neck again.
I sharpened the aura around each tooth and sunk them into her tail, biting it off.
Wow.
“Ah! That hurts!”
As if feeling phantom pain, Saetbyeol jumped back in surprise.
Climbing up her waist, I applied a flying armbar, bringing her down.
7 seconds left.
[Spell: Ventus Pinna]
I adorned every finger with small swirling currents of wind…
And mercilessly tickled her sides and soles.
“Wahh! Haha, that’s too much! Aha, it’s ticklish! Ahahaha!”
“The duel is over! Please step back and release the barrier!”
“Ugh…”
Her drool was about to trickle down.
I quickly covered her face with my padding.
“Why were you hiding this much skill all along? Let’s train together later.”
*
It had only been a 30-second fight, but Saetbyeol returned utterly exhausted.
“You overdid it. I knew you would once I pulled all your aura out.”
Nod nod-
We kept catching our breath until the match between Monica and Oliver Larson began.
I wasn’t even sure if my eyes were focused enough to properly watch the game.
For now, we held hands and circulated our aura to help recover our Aura Heart.
“Wowwwwww!”
“Whoa!”
We occasionally reacted when Monica landed clean hits.
BEEP-!
[Time: 15:00]
“The first half wasn’t bad. Monica seems surprisingly calm considering how excited she was this morning. It was smart not to break the barrier.”
“Wow. These are real monsters. How can humans fight for 30 minutes straight?”
Finally coming to her senses during halftime.
People who have never fought may find it hard to grasp.
Just swinging a fist at full power for one minute feels like all your muscles are screaming.
And on days when mana exhaustion hits, it feels like your life is being drained in real time.
Comparing a magical duel to a race, it would be closer to a half marathon than a 100-meter dash.
“Giselle Fischer and Nathan Chen fought for 55 minutes.”
“Those people just ran a marathon.”
“Ugh, I can’t do it.”
Saetbyeol looked pale and nauseous.
“Are you feeling better now? Can I let go of your hand?”
“No, can’t you keep holding on?”
“Why? Does your Aura Heart still feel prickly?”
If it still hurt, she should go to the hospital quickly.
Seeing my serious expression, Saetbyeol replied almost whispering.
“I just like holding your hand, sis.”
“Alright, keep holding it.”
“Hehe, it’s so soft and feels really good!”
BEEP-!
[Second half has begun! Monica Ricci vs Oliver Larson, current remaining mana barrier is 55 to 41. Ricci’s player showcases a casting record for Plasma Drive, showing off her peak form!]
According to the prophetic dream I had, it seemed like Monica would win the second half without difficulty.
But dreams are just dreams…
[Wowwwww! Larson’s fantastic teleportation magic! Ricci’s body has been completely restrained!]
In the 26th minute of the second half, Larson fired the signal for a comeback, leading the match into a fierce battle.
Had they become too intoxicated by their overconfidence?
They ended up falling right into Larson’s daring gamble.
[Time: 27:44]
[Monica Ricci (Italy)] [55% | 20%]
[Oliver Larson (Sweden)] [58% | 23%]
There were no extra time rules in the Super Cup.
Approximately 2 minutes and 16 seconds left.
Monica’s Aura Heart appeared to be reaching its limit; even the third-circle spells were becoming harder to see now.
But Larson appeared to be in the same situation.
Now, there were too many variables left, and neither side could guarantee victory.
“This is truly an interesting match…!”
[Consecutive attacks from Larson’s Arc Shock, but they aren’t clean hits! Will Ricci dive in or choose to create distance?]
As the commentator’s voice roared throughout the stadium,
‘Something…?’
BAAAAM-!
A noise beyond imagination crashed in.
BEEP-!
Our eardrums ached, forcing all of us to instinctively cover our ears.
Swooshhhhh-
From the center of the arena, a cloud of dust shot up into the sky, and when the sandstorm cleared…
There, Monica Ricci and Oliver Larson slowly stepped back and eventually collapsed flat on the ground.
Was it a terror attack? An explosion?
The initial suspicions were natural.
The stadium’s atmosphere turned chaotic in an instant.
Regaining her composure, Monica crept toward the center.
In a crater approximately 5 meters wide and 1 meter deep, she dug through the debris.
“A rock?”
It was just a tiny, unremarkable piece of stone.
BEEP-
[Disaster Alert: There is a possibility of meteor fragments falling in the vicinity of Milan, Italy, between 19:00 to 19:30 local time. Please exercise caution if you are outdoors during this time.]
BEEP-
[Time: 30:00]
The match ended just like that.
*
[Real-time Best]
[Europe 2053 Super Cup classified as an instant legendary finish.jpg]
(Arena Crater.jpg)
Meteor ending.
[Comments]
– What???
– Did a meteor really fall right in the middle of the stadium?
– Whoa, if that had hit, the players would’ve been in big trouble!
– Looks like luck saved their lives.
– Is that probability even reasonable? lol
– NoName was there too; that was really close!
– Wow, I’ve never seen anything like this before.
– OMG, thank goodness nobody got hurt!
