Isekai Online Game Developer

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The second day of the COL Championship tournament.

While the opening ceremony preparations were in full swing, I was surveying the venue where the tournament was taking place.

As it was a festival, the entire venue was bustling.

Merchants were selling game-related merchandise.

Delicious-looking skewers and other snacks were available for spectators to enjoy while watching the tournament.

With people gathering from various places, the wide venue was so packed that there was hardly any space to step.

“Is this really going to be okay?”

“It’ll be fine. We’ve prepared everything safely from the start.”

“That’s true, but… if a fight breaks out, there’s no guarantee the audience will be safe.”

Rikal asked with an unusually worried expression.

I was touring the venue with Rikal.

“The demons aren’t going to cause trouble. I’m more worried that the humans might attack first, to be honest.”

“That might be the case.”

There was still concern.

And yet, I was still thinking it would be okay.

“The demons will arrive soon.”

The demons would be coming with Galleard, the Tower Master, and several others, along with the Empire’s knights.

This was to ensure they couldn’t cause any trouble from the moment they crossed over from the demon realm.

Lumia understood this as well.

“Well… at worst, we might just die.”

“Yeah. But wasn’t it said that the Princess would be participating in this tournament?”

“That’s right. You and your sister will be teaming up.”

“Why isn’t Zebit participating instead of the Princess…? If Zebit was competing, ticket sales would have soared!”

“Do you want to die?”

Shortly after, the opening ceremony began.

***

“Ooh. This feels somewhat nerve-wracking.”

“Foolish humans… they’re all cheerfully laughing, unaware of the future that awaits them. Kha ha ha ha!”

“This Dereta will swallow the Human World whole. Huhuhuhuhuhuhuh!”

“It’s time for slaughter! Tsuha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

Immediately after the opening ceremony began, Lumia and the demons were laughing loudly backstage.

The demons were in an extremely high-spirited mood.

This was their first experience of a human festival.

They didn’t mind the exciting atmosphere at all.

Most of the demons had high energy levels, so they were in good spirits.

On top of that, there were many participants who appeared to be exceptionally skilled gamers.

Galleard, the former hero, competing against Baaljeb and Mai. Present-day legend Hina, the Illusion Tower Master, and famous Auto Chess players, among others.

It was bound to be an incredible battle.

The demons could hardly contain their excitement at the thought of engaging in numerous fights leading to the finals.

“I get to fight Galleard, the former hero who eventually defeated the previous Demon King? My heart won’t stop racing!”

“But wasn’t the former hero just Mai’s fanboy? Just like Baaljeb? How did he manage to represent them?”

“Just ban Mai. But look over there, everyone! It’s him!”

“Ugh, Ugh, my precious aura… To think I’d get to fight such a being. I can’t control my excitement!”

Countless strong players from various games.

The demons’ blood boiled at the thought of facing them.

“Silence! Can’t you all keep it down! Don’t make such terrifying noises! We’re here to play a game!”

With a thwack on the backs of the demons, Lumia said this.

The other participants looked at the demons with an expression of fear.

“Again, I’ll say it: we’re only here to fight in the game!”

““Yesss!””

The demons responded loudly.

At that moment, they had no intention of threatening the humans.

They were simply excited about testing their might in COL.

Soon the moment for the demons to take the stage arrived.

-This is the final part. As many of you might already know…

The announcer’s voice, belonging to the princess, echoed from the stage.

Until now, whenever a team of participants appeared, the cheers from their supporters filled the air.

Yet, it was only natural that no one was there to support the Demon Team.

Unlike the previous introductions, the princess was now addressing the audience with caution and reassurances for the humans.

-Introducing the six representatives of the Demon Team!

The demons took the stage.

It was an inexplicably tense moment.

-Wait, those are real demons…?

-I thought it was a joke, but they really are participating?

-Is it really safe?

-Is Riot insane? Shouldn’t we run away now?

-So that’s why there are so many safety measures. But if that’s the case, why did they even call them?

The murmuring of the audience.

The perceptive demons heard every word clearly.

In-game, demons had become familiar figures.

They had even poked fun at demons while gaming.

But having a demon, let alone a Demon King, appear in reality was a different story.

Instinctual fear and disgust were unavoidable with threats looming overhead.

-Is that really the Demon King?

-Aren’t we supposed to kill it instead of playing games?

Lumia was also listening to all those comments.

She had expected it, but hearing it in person made her feel intimidated.

“These ones…”

The other demons were seething with rage, ready to smash something.

But they all forced their trembling fists to calm.

Lumia had warned them many times before.

Under no circumstance should they resort to violence.

She had anticipated such situations occurring.

“It’s the Demon King!”

“And here’s Dereta.”

“And Omos.”

.
.
.

Lumia introduced herself while forcing a smile.

The demons followed suit, introducing themselves.

Naturally, the audience’s reaction was cold.

No cheers, no jeers—there was simply no reaction at all.

Yet, the demons could distinctly feel the hidden contempt among them.

This was an emotion the demons had never felt before.

They didn’t feel good about it.

To be honest, they hadn’t anticipated it either.

In-game, they had chatted easily with humans.

But that was different now.

They were just going to crush everyone in the tournament.

Thus, the COL Championship progressed.

Unlike the first tournament that was chaotic, the second COL Championship was taking place in a well-organized manner.

Instead of randomly selecting participants, representatives were picked from qualified nations or races that had proven their skills through established procedures.

Teams representing Trinity, Academy, Elves, and Northern Noble classes, among others.

There were even teams representing the Royal Knights or the Farmers, allowing for even more detailed classifications.

All the representatives had been selected from groups that had demonstrated their skills and qualifications in the preceding preparations.

Since they were disappointed in last year’s tournament, they were all the more diligent this time.

“The winning team is the Demon Team!”

Amidst all this, the Demon Team was dominating with an incredible performance.

If you only considered the amount of time they had played the game, the demons had played the least.

However, their obsession with fighting meant they never lagged behind.

Ordinary humans had to engage in various tasks to survive.

But for the demons, their daily routine revolved around fighting.

Since the arrival of games, they had fought tooth and nail in-game.

Having played for an entire day, the demons were primed for action.

And on the last day of the COL Championship.

The winner of Auto Chess had been taken by one of the Royal Ministers.

Winning against genius mages and Academy professors had garnered much applause from the crowd.

However, what people were most eagerly anticipating was the finals of COL.

It was a duel between the Academy Team and the Demon Team.

“Go Academy Team!”

“Step on those demons!”

“Show us your skills!”

“Demon King is cute… I mean, go humans!”

Initially, when the demons first entered the ring, the audience was silent.

They feared that if they jeered at the demons or cheered for the human team, it might ignite an attack.

Terror lingered at the thought of provoking the demons.

Yet as the COL Championship progressed, the audience became louder.

With each consecutive win by the Demon Team and each defeat of the humans.

And the demons kept their promise: they used no force.

They showed no anger and did not truly threaten anyone.

In fact, some even engaged in friendly conversations with certain humans like the Illusion Mage.

Thanks to this, the audience stopped being quiet during the demon matches.

They passionately cheered for the humans while occasionally hurling insults at the demons.

But still, the demons remained focused on the game.

They simply continued to squash the human teams in-game.

After all, demons don’t get bothered by a few insults from humans.

No matter how loudly the audience cheered, the thrill of crushing their opponents and winning the game outweighed any consequence in their eyes.

With the audience united in fervor, the heat of the COL Championship escalated further.

“Then, the clash between the Academy Team and the Demon Team. I shall now declare the finals of the Second COL Championship to begin!!”

The finale. A showdown between the Demon Team and the Academy Team.

The Academy Team consisted of prodigies, with a mid who was now regarded as a deity in COL.

Not to mention, the elite members of the Academy were on the team.

“The hero of this generation is here!”

“Defeat the demons!”

Right now, the Academy Team was almost like a Hero party.

In the past, they had fought real wars, and now they were at war in COL.

In that sense, the finals of the COL Championship resembled the battle between a hero party and the Demon King.

Thus, witnessing a historic moment in the momentous clash was breathtaking.

The atmosphere in the arena was hotter than ever.

“The heat of the humans is unbelievable…!”

“Ku ku kuh… I want to see their faces painted with despair.”

“With a laning phase like this… I can’t contain my excitement!”

The demons were equally on edge for the moment.

To win against the strongest COL team in the Human World.

If they could defeat them, they would be crowned the best.

Amidst the fervor, the finals began.

“Aaahhh! The Demon Team’s [Demon Lord No. 2 Omos] secures a solo kill!”

The tremendous momentum of the Demon Team began to cast despair upon the audience.