NOVEL NEXT Chapter 509
Na-me achieved 2 consecutive victories and the 3rd match followed.
The current situation in Group I was quite entertaining.
“July 20 National Group Stage Match 3 Current Ranking
⦁ Republic of Korea: 2 wins 0 draws 0 losses Points (+6)
⦁ Japan: 1 win 1 draw 1 loss Points (+4)
⦁ United States: 1 win 0 draws 1 loss Points (+3)
⦁ England: 0 wins 1 draw 2 losses Points (+1)”
Unlike Na-me, who had already secured her place in the top 32, Narita Hiroyuki had failed to advance on his own after drawing with England.
Now the only remaining method was to calculate the chances.
Japan desperately wished for Na-me to at least draw in the 3rd match.
If that happened, they could seize the ticket to the top 32 with their superior matchup against the United States.
“Huuuh! Hah…! Please…! Please!”
After finishing a duel with David Everett, Hiroyuki knelt in the middle of the stadium without catching his breath.
He prayed fervently with both hands joined, watching the screen broadcasting the other match.
[Narita Hiroyuki, who couldn’t ultimately defeat England, is cheering for his enemy who handed him a bitter defeat in the first match…!]
[Do you hear this roar? The audiences from Korea and Japan are chanting NoName’s name in unison. Ah, even wave riding! It’s truly a spectacle!]
The Japanese spectators posted pictures of Na-me’s talisman on social media, fervently praying for her to win.
Of course, Na-me also had the motive to finish the group first with at least a draw.
However, the opponent was Levi Huning Jr.
[64th Round Group I Match 89]
[Time: 24:38]
[Levi Huning Jr. (USA)] [32% | 45%]
[NoName (Republic of Korea)] [23% | 48%]
The United States had identified Na-me’s weaknesses from the previous match results.
Levi began to steadily pressure Na-me, leveraging his overwhelming strength and aura output.
With continuous land manipulation magic, Levi pushed Na-me into the corner of the training arena.
[Cast: Inertia Moment Adjustment]
His muscular arms expanded as if they were about to explode while wielding the wand.
The wand, shaped like a staff, suddenly extended to 5 meters, reaching Na-me.
Clang-!
Na-me supported the mass of the staff with her two hands on the Cheonghwa Sword.
Her feet sank into the ground, and her slender arms trembled.
The first strategy was to nullify the Imperial Palace Swordsmanship itself due to the weapon reach difference.
But Levi did not stop there; he stepped onto the acceleration magic circle and continued to apply pressure.
Additionally, his second strategy was to repeatedly change the length of the staff to block Na-me’s spell casting from the very beginning of the match.
Levi’s strategy seemed effective well into the later stages of the match.
Na-me only occasionally countered with external manifestation, as the momentum of the match was always held by Levi.
Shiiing-!
Levi slid along the outer wall of the stadium.
Wielding a sharp tip at the end of the wand, Levi’s powerful back muscles rippled, and his red aura exploded dramatically.
He swung the wand with the intention of completely shattering Na-me’s obstructive staff.
“…!”
But soon, something unbelievable happened before his eyes.
Clang clang-
Na-me transformed her Cheonghwa Sword into an entirely different form, repeatedly modifying it in developer mode.
A long spear was completed, three times her height.
“Of course, I know swordsmanship, but do I not know spear fighting? In our country, the first thing a knight learns is spear fighting.”
Na-me’s eyes shimmered with golden light.
A dragon enveloped in golden flames opened its mouth wide.
Kwaahhh-!
The opposing auras clashed, creating a massive explosion in the training arena.
The staff that aimed to pierce and the spear of Kaizen that aimed to devour.
“This guy…! Were you hiding your aura?”
“The duel is just beginning, so of course I would. Spear fighting isn’t fun if one side runs away without following.”
[Time: 25:30]
[Levi Huning Jr. (USA)] [29% | 45%]
[NoName (Republic of Korea)] [22% | 48%]
A draw wasn’t sufficient for Levi.
Before the timeout, he would need to whittle down Na-me by just 2% to earn the win by decision.
He took off his bodysuit and launched an all-out attack.
“Are you giving up on defense entirely? Good, so will I.”
Not to be outdone, Na-me also tossed her outerwear to the floor and prepared her stance sideways.
Graaaah!
Hah!
Clang-!
The two spears clashed at an intense speed.
Among the sparks rising like cherry blossoms, the four pale eyes were busy tracking each other’s movements.
Clangclangclangclangclang-!
The long spears created an illusion that they were alive, intertwining with each other.
The spear from Kaizen traced a golden crescent in its path.
Zzzz-!
The ground split open from a single blow, and the lost aura gushed forth like a geyser.
Through the mist, Levi’s spear holding a red precious orb emerged.
Na-me gracefully bent backward, placing one hand on the ground.
The long spear narrowly pierced through the strands of Na-me’s fluttering hair.
“Fuck!”
“Yeah, it was nothing to be sorry about.”
Swish-!
Na-me responded with a deliberately provocative motion, showing off a series of three consecutive back handsprings followed by a backflip.
Her twin tails spun like a top.
The audience’s earthquake-like cheers reverberated, breaking through the stadium’s protective walls.
Seeing Na-me’s barrier not budge from 22%, Levi gritted his teeth.
[Materialization: Squalene (C30H50)]
[Cast: Ignition]
Whoosh-!
Levi covered himself in oil and lit a fire on his dark skin.
His entire body blazed, and his unique barrier began to crumble at a swift rate.
“It’s hot, so hot.”
“This little guy! Come here!”
“Got some guts. To win against me, you should be ready for this much.”
With a smirk, Na-me coldly locked his movements in her gaze.
The intense flames transferred onto Levi’s wand.
The consistent aura generated even greater explosive power.
Bang-! Bam bam-!
Every time Levi swung his spear, the sound of bombs exploding echoed in the air, and the embers falling on the grass caused secondary explosions.
He was the only contestant competing on equal terms against the tournament favorite, Nathan Chen from the United States.
As a last resort, he unleashed his aura into the external world.
The crude wand grew to 5m, then 7m, then 10m, showing no signs of stopping.
He had no intention to give Na-me any chance to evade.
He tried to swing the massive aura weapon horizontally but…
Snap-!
“Huh?”
“Oops.”
The wand couldn’t withstand the weight and broke.
Bang-!
Levi’s wand was stuck in the outer wall of the stadium.
Without a second thought, Na-me reverted her Cheonghwa Sword back to Skiabona form.
[Imperial Palace Swordsmanship 8th Form – Leaf-Cutting]
Shhhh-!
At that moment, the sound signaling the end of the match rang out.
Beeep-!
[Time: 30:00]
[Levi Huning Jr. (USA)] [
15% (Not recoverable) | 23% (Not recoverable)]
[NoName (Republic of Korea)] [21% | 42%]
As the match ended, Na-me collapsed to the ground and unzipped her bodysuit all the way down.
Cool air rushed in to relieve her body, which had felt suffocated by the tight bodysuit.
“Huuuu…”
While she was catching her breath, Levi, cloaked in thick smoke, extended a hand to her.
“Haah… that was a thrilling match, my friend.”
“Ah yes, thanks! Uh… you have some hair on fire.”
“Pffft! Anyway, it looks the same with this reggae style, right?”
“Hmm yes.”
“Hahaha!”
Levi Huning Jr. attempted to lighten the somber mood with a laugh.
He helped Na-me up, exchanged a light handshake, and left the training arena without looking back.
The glory of victory belonged solely to Na-me.
“July 20 National Group Stage Match 3 Complete Current Ranking
⦁ Republic of Korea: 3 wins 0 draws 0 losses Points (+9) … Advances to the top 32 (Group 1st)
⦁ Japan: 1 win 1 draw 1 loss Points (+4) … Advances to the top 32 (Group 2nd)
⦁ United States: 1 win 0 draws 2 losses Points (+3) … Eliminated from the group stage
⦁ England: 0 wins 1 draw 2 losses Points (+1) … Eliminated from the group stage”
Moreover, a historical upset occurred as the United States was eliminated from the group stage.
*
The bear does the tricks while the other drinks the booze.
[Republic of Korea National Team Magic Recharge Room]
[No entry except personnel]
Dueling three times a week, both representatives of South Korea passed through as group winners, so friends seemed to be enjoying a celebration party.
Meanwhile, the two who should be congratulated, me and Love Kim, were in the stewing room for rehabilitation.
Our bodies trembled as if we had immersed them in ice water.
“Achh! Ugh! Why does the broadcast keep crashing?”
“Not working yet?”
“Nope. I’m still trying to connect… oh, got it.”
We would still have to stay in the water for another five hours.
Anticipating this boring feeling, I had pre-announced to the viewers that I would turn on personal broadcasting that day.
[NoName]
[Just Chatting – Thanks to all the fans who supported us through the group stage.]
[Broadcasting Time – 0:01:11]
[Number of Viewers – 1,535,299]
“The Twish server keeps crashing since earlier. Is there some maintenance today? Can you hear my voice well?”
The chat was lagging as if stuck.
Even dividing the chat window into ten still resulted in the same situation.
Occasionally, when the lag lifted, I could read a few chats written by viewers among the massive flood of comments.
“‘The culprit behind the crashing servers seems to be right here, teacher.’ Is it because of me? Then shutting down my broadcast should fix it. Bye everyone.”
The chat transformed from cheu to nieun in an instant.
The person who sent the message got wrapped up by a million people.
Love was giggling beside me, watching this scene unfold.
I propped the camera roughly on the bath’s floor, popping my face above the surface.
When it came time to speak again, I felt hesitant.
“Wooooah… we’re advancing to the top 32… Clap clap clap… Thank you for your congratulations.”
I clapped my hands and splashed the water, creating little waves.
The overwhelming reaction felt too modest for what we had just achieved.
“We’re just feeling a bit exhausted right now. It would be great if you all could keep the energy up even if our tension is low.”
I opened the internet to find a topic to discuss.
On the main banner of the portal site, I found the message congratulating us on our advancement to the top 32.
Every article on the internet was buzzing with news about the National Exchange Tournament.
“Oh? It’s not just the United States that fell, huh? Na-me, come look at this.”
“What is it?”
[National Exchange Tournament Disaster, Germany Eliminated by Japan in Group Stage.]
Regrettably, Narita Mei had fallen out in the 64th round, but she managed to pull off a shocking victory against Germany in the 3rd match.
In Group B of the National Exchange Tournament, Singapore and Argentina advanced to the next round.
“Well, now it’s not even surprising anymore.”