The Heavenly Spirit Tournament Begins

The Heavenly Spirit Tournament was about to open.

Every preparation was finished.

Ruby Scarlet's affection had hit seventy.

Her gear was fully set.

All that remained was my own readiness.

The Heavenly Spirit Tournament.

A killing ground where only the finest elites among the elves gathered — and the grandest stage of them all.

The rule was simple: the first to seize the trophy won. The path to that trophy, however, would be anything but simple.

Survival. Schemes and bloodshed for the prize. Elves who would kill without a second thought, without question.

I was a non-combatant.

Which meant my preparations had to be that much more thorough.

Current points on hand: roughly five thousand PT.

With that, I needed to buy the items that would keep me alive.

"…Asking the gallery rats would be fastest."

I opened the community window with practiced ease.

The moment I hit refresh, the view count exploded.

As expected of the gallery's resident ghosts…

They'd clearly been waiting for nothing but my posts.

I frowned and typed fast.

"Haa…"

A sigh slipped out on its own.

A mana bomb? Like my life was some kind of firework.

Then a guy whose nickname inspired trust and distrust in equal measure made his entrance.

Gogumador.

That one.

Granted, Gogumador's credibility was currently scraping the floor.

But even a rotting fish has its uses — his advice was still worth considering.

I watched his follow-up carefully.

"Disposable Phase Shifter?"

I typed the item name into the search bar at once.

Oh…?

Reading the item description, it matched Gogumador's words exactly.

Price: twenty-five hundred PT. Not bad value either.

I could pick one of these up. Then what about the other half?

The same Eochapijeongsilunhana who'd been spouting nonsense actually put up a serious item recommendation for once.

Where Am I Robe.

The name was garbage, but the performance looked solid.

There would definitely be situations where both Ruby and I needed to disappear.

I smirked and typed a reply.

Find the red trees…?

Why?

Of course. A place hiding valuables wouldn't be free of traps.

I offered them a brief thanks.

The moment I moved to leave a final goodbye, comments started stacking up as if they'd been waiting for it.

"…What a bunch of weirdos."

I could almost hear their snickering laughter through the hologram.

I didn't know their faces or their real names.

But in this moment, they felt more reliable than any ally I'd ever had.

I curled the corner of my mouth and typed one last short line.

Click.

I closed the community window.

Behind the darkened screen, my face — set with resolve — reflected in the window glass.

Now it really began.

The day of the decisive battle dawned.

The massive circular arena hosting the Heavenly Spirit Tournament was already packed from early morning, a sea of bodies.

Cheers from spectators who'd poured in from every corner of the continent shook the sky, and the giant mana screens floating overhead displayed the faces of the major competitors.

The waiting room corridor.

In stark contrast to the heat outside, only a thin-ice tension hung here.

"…"

Ruby said nothing.

Dressed in the crimson hooded dress uniform fitted yesterday, she leaned against the wall with her eyes closed.

She wasn't trembling.

But like the stillness before a storm, a heavy mana rippled around her.

"…Are you nervous?"

I deliberately offered a languid smile as I held out a water bottle.

Ruby opened her eyes and glanced at me.

"Ha? Nervous for what. Just… it's a little loud."

She answered curtly and took the water, drinking.

But the tips of her fingers ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gripping the bottle had gone white.

She was nervous, no doubt.

This was her first stage as an elf who could earn recognition — a place of proof.

And today, the arena would be crawling with assassins targeting her.

I stepped closer naturally and laid my hand over the back of her cold one.

"Don't worry. You'll do just fine."

"…Hey."

"I promised you yesterday, didn't I? That after-sales service would be thorough."

I smiled and whispered.

"So protect me too. You know what I mean, right?"

"Ha… you, at times like this, it's the opposite…"

Ruby made a sound like air hissing from a punctured tire, half in disbelief.

"Haha, forgotten already? I'm an ordinary counselor. I don't have the kind of valor you elves do."

"…Ugh, bragging about it."

"Haha. Anyway, let's go. And one more thing."

I pointed toward the massive iron gate leading into the arena.

"Just look forward and run. There's something you're best at, isn't there? Burning everything to ash."

At my words, Ruby's rigid expression slowly loosened.

She snorted a laugh, and instead of shaking my hand off, she laced her fingers through mine, squeezed hard, then let go.

"Hmph. Fine. With you next to me, what would I be afraid of. Getting ahead of yourself."

She swept her hair back and reset her stance.

Proud, arrogant, destructive.

The eyes of Ruby Scarlet — the woman with anger management disorder — had returned.

The announcer's impassioned voice rolled through the arena on magical amplifiers.

The announcer's introduction was deliberately provocative.

Jeers and murmurs erupted from the stands. Normally, this would have been the moment Ruby's face twisted.

BOOOOM!

The heavy iron gate swung open, and with the flood of sunlight came a wave of roaring cheers.

"Let's go, Doc."

Ruby strode forward with the hem of her crimson dress streaming behind her.

I followed a single step behind, like her shadow.

The moment we entered the arena, tens of thousands of eyes locked onto us.

"That's her?"

"The one who stopped the carriage yesterday?"

"But the vibe… it's different from before, isn't it?"

The crowd's reaction was split down the middle.

The same old fear and contempt — and, from yesterday's incident, a new curiosity and expectation.

Ruby took every stare head-on and walked to the center of the arena.

Then she lifted her gaze and locked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes on the VIP box seated highest of all.

A familiar man sat there.

So that's the Silverrain Patriarch…

The head of the family that had sent Ruby Scarlet her invitation.

The one who'd protested at her with a cane and nearly gotten himself roasted for it.

The pathetic elf who'd squealed "Eek!" and fled the moment I stoked his fear.

He was holding a wine glass with an air of elegance, but the second his eyes met Ruby's, the corner of his mouth twisted into something ugly.

Then that gaze turned on me.

The message in those eyes was unmistakable.

Die.

At the same time, among the throng of competitors filling my vision, a number of elves mixed into the pack were leaking open killing intent toward Ruby.

Hunting dogs planted by the patriarch, no doubt.

The arena was a path of thorns, thick with hostility.

But I looked to my side.

"…"

Ruby wasn't shaking.

She curled her lip at the patriarch for all to see and mouthed something soundlessly.

Crimson flame flared to life at her fingertips.

The curtain rose on the Heavenly Spirit Tournament.

The hunting dogs bared their teeth, and the flame finished preparing to burn.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—!