NOVEL NEXT Chapter 688
Yulisis Murphy Grandpa, with arms thicker than my body.
“Haha, Secretary of State, eh? It’s been over a year since I left politics.”
He laughed heartily and sat down on the sofa.
“So, what have you been up to lately, Mr. Murphy?”
“I was a consultant at Aaron Becksil. Just killing time, really. My grandkids don’t want to play with their old grandpa, so I’m bored every day.”
“How old are your grandkids?”
“The youngest graduated from university this year, I think?”
It was clear the grandfather was well past the age to be playing sse-sse-sse with little ones.
“I never imagined Mr. Murphy would come here.”
“I’m not really the type to show up in places like this. But the production team said something bold: that the NoName Wizard isn’t just a participant but a judge? I couldn’t resist that!”
“Then, did you do some research on the Heavenly Demon Tournament?”
“Haha, I watched all the applicants’ videos while flying here. Quite interesting, really fresh.”
It seems the PD had made quite the bold move too.
“Do I wear this? I have to wear military attire even here, haha!”
“I wish I’d get such a cool outfit…”
We finished our makeup and moved to the set.
Every step Murphy took echoed thud thud down the hallway.
The production team was busy moving around.
The set was undergoing the final checks for props and lighting.
“Both of you, this way!”
Seomyeongjeong CP, the head of the World’s Best Magic Duel Tournament, raised his hand high.
Beside him stood two silhouettes.
‘Yeondam Seung has already arrived, huh?’
Even in the darkness, I could guess who it was just by the shiny bald head.
And the other figure looked very familiar.
In black and dark green robes.
The long flowing white hair and beard betrayed experience.
As the head turned slowly, calm eyes pierced through the white eyebrows.
“How have you been, NoName Wizard?”
A faint smile spread across the face of the cantankerous old man.
“Hmm, you called some big shots on purpose, didn’t you?”
Murphy exclaimed in awe from the side.
“I didn’t expect to see you here. Is Emika doing well?”
Once the final judge’s identity was revealed, the first emotion I felt was joy.
“She’s doing fine. Worrying about that child here is a waste of time.”
The elder of the Katsuhata Sect.
Current head of the Katsuhata family, and Emika’s master.
The legendary Koizumi Yoshihiro, known as the world’s best technician swordsman.
*
“Mom, fighting!”
“I was really happy when I got picked. It would’ve been better to get rejected…”
“Why say such things? You can do well!”
Participant number one for the Heavenly Demon Tournament, An Ji-a, was feeling an enormous burden.
Though she was a housewife, she had once showcased her dazzling talents in the past.
Therefore, she thought she could manage among the amateurs.
‘It’s full of people just like me!’
That was before she understood the essence of this competition was that “participants hide their strength.”
“Ms. An Ji-a, we’ll start linking the holographic system now.”
“Eh? Yes yes!”
The camera crew for An Ji-a set a transmitter on the floor.
Activities happening inside the room would be transmitted as a 3D hologram to the set.
68 out of 100 crystal orbs glowed green.
The studio walls where An Ji-a was located mirrored the set.
‘Looks like not everyone arrives on time.’
Augmented reality is not a technology used often in daily life.
Usually, people don’t bother using augmented reality, gathering in virtual reality instead.
So An Ji-a found it fascinating that everyone was virtually gathered in one place as holograms.
“Hey. Camera, camera.”
“Yes?”
“Cameras are running here and there. I think the filming has already started.”
“Ah, right…! Thanks for letting me know.”
A foreign participant from the orb next to her kindly informed An Ji-a.
While An Ji-a was fumbling, the participants were greeting each other here and there.
It seemed everyone was accustomed to using the crystal orbs in various ways.
“Do you know who today’s judges are?”
“I don’t know either. I haven’t heard anything.”
99/100
100/100
Dudududung-!
The sound of metal ringing repeatedly, and the vision went dark.
The 100 participants looked around.
“What’s going on?”
“Waaaaaaah!”
“Wow, there are people here!”
“No one mentioned this person would be here…!”
“Isn’t it two people?”
“No, that’s impossible!”
North, south, east, west.
Figures were passing through the participants’ holograms from different directions in a straight line.
With a strong confident stride, they gathered at the central podium.
Tok tok tok—
The moment the small feet of the last judge landed on the platform.
Griii-!
The podium shot up, forming a gigantic pillar.
Naturally, one had to look up at the judges.
[To the participants of the Heavenly Demon Tournament.]
The narrator announced in a grand voice.
[Let me introduce the four judges of this tournament.]
The qualifications of the judges appeared on the screen beside the square pillar.
[Yeondam (Sguochang), current Shaolin Elder, winner of the 35th and 36th World’s Best Martial Arts Tournament, judge of the International Kung Fu Tournament in China.]
The monk and martial artist most respected in China.
The next star wizard succeeding Yulisis Murphy.
[Koizumi Yoshihiro, current elder of Katsuhata, 25 wins in the S1 level magic duel tournament, judge of the All-Japan Martial Arts Tournament.]
A legendary swordsman from Japan who was active in the 2000s.
The key figure who created the golden generation of Katsuhata, leading to Akitaro, Asahi, and Emika.
[Yulisis Murphy, former U.S. Secretary of State, strongest combat wizard of the 21st century.]
The commander of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division that led the Fifth Middle Eastern War to victory.
A hexagonal combat wizard whose title as the strongest of all time is well deserved.
[NoName, current CEO of Janjeol, youngest undefeated champion of the 28th National Exchange Tournament.]
And the girl who is inevitably reaching the ranks of the strongest by catching up to their achievements at the fastest pace.
It was NoName.
Fwoosh—
Dim smoke began to rise.
“Wow!”
“Why are they here?”
The participants clutched their heads in shock.
It was truly over-spec.
What would it mean to gather top-tier judges for an amateur tournament?
Yulisis Murphy was a famous figure even spies would know.
“Who’s the one in the green robe?”
Some people occasionally failed to recognize Yoshihiro.
“It’s Koizumi Yoshihiro! He has 25 wins in the Japanese S1 level tournaments that don’t happen often in a year!”
Every time that happened, those around would inform exasperatedly.
“25 wins? That’s possible?”
“OMG… NoName Wizard’s credentials are the shortest…”
The participants in the Heavenly Demon Tournament must have found it the most ridiculous that NoName was falling short in specifications.
[To the 100 participants.]
Shwaaa—
Lights illuminated the entire set.
The hologram, which was clear when it was dark, appeared transparent as the lights shone brightly.
[Let me correct that.]
“Eh? What do you mean by that?”
[To the souls of the 100 who have lost their bodies.]
“Souls?”
“Whoa, we must be ghosts…!”
“Haha, right, we are ghosts.”
[Only those who survive this round will be granted the right to obtain their physical bodies.]
The round for obtaining the Korea Ticket.
[The survivors of the body snatching war are…]
The narrator paused briefly.
Contestants swallowed their saliva.
The four judges lifted the corners of their mouths.
[24 people.]
“Crazy. Even Thanos would be more merciful than that!”
*
The production team handed Na-me five hair ties.
They were identical to what Na-me usually wore, except for the lack of magic stones.
“Whaaat? Why hair ties?”
NoName puffed her cheeks sulkily.
To Yeondam Seung, they gave a lotus-shaped medal, to Yoshihiro an elegant scabbard for a Japanese sword, and to Murphy a state-of-the-art military compass.
But why just hair ties for her?
“You can tie the hair of the successful participants as you wish, NoName Wizard.”
Huuuh—
Taking a deep breath, Na-me pondered.
‘Not bad! Sounds fun!’
Then, looking at the side of the production team, she asked.
“Did the filming crew take all the winner tickets, one each?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, you’re better prepared than I expected. I get it.”
Thud—
Yulisis Murphy placed a hand on Na-me’s shoulder.
“Standing on that pillar so long was dizzying.”
“Hmm? Did you receive five tickets as well, Murphy?”
“I got five… Seems like everyone got five, huh?”
24 people passed the first round.
Meanwhile, there were only 20 winner tickets.
“The production team didn’t explain separately, but I guess they have their reasons.”
“I think so too.”
“Let’s go, NoName Wizard. Today’s journey seems to be quite long.”
“Shall we go in a clockwise direction?”
Finally, the judges started to move.
Participants who stepped into the hula hoop were all tense.
Who would catch their eye?
‘Still, I think young Na-me has an advantage over the older folks.’
This thought crossed the mind of the Romanian stuntman.
Participants progressively received feedback from the judges as they moved back, making things increasingly difficult.
‘There’s a chance of 4 attempts, but passing right away would be the best.’
A girl whose head only barely reached the belly button of a male stepped forward.
“Hello? You, number 45, Andrei Popescu?”
“Yes, hello, Wizard!”
“Hmm, don’t be so stiff. You are a stuntman, right? How did you end up using PMAAS?”
“There was a film shoot set in the Cold War era.”
“Wow, the Cold War era! That sounds cool.”
“Haha! The director demanded a lot of tricky stunts. In the final stages of filming, I relied heavily on PMAAS. Thanks to that, I pulled everything off brilliantly.”
“Are you going to show that stunt today?”
“That’s right! I hope you’ll enjoy my stunt as well as the movie!”
“Hehe, I’m looking forward to it.”
Na-me interlocked her fingers behind her back and began to sway her body gently.
Was she entranced by the atmosphere the set created?
‘A good start…!’
Popescu gained confidence and executed his stunt.
He compressed an action scene that climbing the outer wall of a building diagonally into a vertical move.
If in a movie he charged against the villains, here the villains were advancing towards him.
Whoosh—!
With a leap, azure mana whirled around.
Swswswswa—!
During the quick changes three times between the ceiling and the floor, six sword strikes were unleashed.
‘This all came from learning over the shoulder from the action director.’
A stunt that maximized the beauty of vertical mise-en-scène.
He aimed to create an overwhelming feeling beyond simple physical combat while maximizing the viewers’ visual immersion.
At that moment.
Tap—
“…!”
Popescu’s heel stepped on the hula hoop boundary.
[…]
A quiet alarm rang.
“Well done.”
“Phew… Thank goodness.”
The stuntman sighed in relief at Na-me’s praise.
Hundreds of runs had been practiced for this stunt.
It would have been regretful had he made a silly mistake after so many sleepless nights of practicing.
Mmm… Na-me chewed her lips.
The cute and harmless girl opened her big, Siamese cat-like eyes and said,
“You’ve never actually fallen from a building, right?”
“Eh?”
He blurted out something outrageous.
“Basically, did you try to fall from a real building to practice this stunt? Not just in the set.”
“Oh, no?”
“Then, understanding what I say in the future may be difficult for you. When managing aura, understanding the weight center of the aura is a fundamental concept you must know. When you rotate your upper body due to the conservation of angular momentum, your lower body will rotate in the opposite direction. But you moved as if a wire was attached to your lower body, restricting lower body rotation, thus dragging the weight center toward the lower half.”
“Uhh…”
“Do you understand what I’m saying? If you can’t fix this today, surviving the first round will be tough.”
The man completely didn’t understand.
Andrei Popescu was clueless about angular momentum, let alone the theory of aura’s weight center.
“I’ll definitely watch the movie you suggested later.”
“Wait a minute. If the stunt evaluation goes this professionally, what do you expect us amateurs to do…?!”
A desperate cry echoed.
Na-me, who had been walking clickety-clack, turned around and gave a fresh smile.
“Even if it’s a cat, it can do well!”