The Illusion of Equality
The biggest reason I loved Fantasia Island was the raids, where I could play and communicate with other people.
Entering a raid without knowing any of the mechanics, repeatedly failing and learning through trial and error...
And eventually explaining and teaching those strategies to others to clear the raid—that sense of accomplishment was more valuable than anything else.
The glitch most commonly used in those raids was the Draw-Sheathe Glitch I was using right now.
It was incredibly useful for skipping various jump maps or performing mechanics that required carrying and moving objects.
With this, I might actually gain the upper hand in speed against the Crown Prince.
"Then, for safety, let's have you wear mana-based protective gear... and just in case, it would be best to change the venue slightly. Oner!"
Gideon's gaze shifted toward the very back row of seats. At his call, a massive hat rustled and began to move.
"Yaaawn... What a pain. Aren't you worrying too much?"
The magic class teacher, Oner Dreamwalker, let out a massive yawn and flicked his finger.
Instantly, the surrounding scenery dissolved like crumbling sand. The crowded classroom transformed into a vast, open plain.
It was likely spatial magic.
Seeing the original female lead, Alice, sparkling with excitement in the distance made it certain.
Even in the original Fantasia Island, the magic class was highly versatile.
In fact, mages were practically mandatory in raids for their utility and support.
Well, even without a mage, you could get by to some extent using glitches and bugs.
I loosened up my body while keeping my eyes on the Crown Prince.
My opponent was essentially a summoner, relying primarily on summoned beasts to attack.
In that case, I had the advantage in speed.
It would be better to strike first and suppress him before he could overwhelm me with sheer numbers.
"Everyone is ready. If anything dangerous happens, we will step in immediately to stop the duel," Gideon said, nodding with a smile.
Once the Crown Prince and I were both clad in transparent armor made of mana, Gideon nodded with a satisfied smile.
He was probably thrilled at the chance to witness the Crown Prince of the Empire fight firsthand.
"Shall we begin, then, Theodore Baskerville?"
"As you wish, Your Highness. I will be going all out, so please do not blame me afterward."
"Haha, that is music to my ears."
In that instant, a sharp seriousness flashed in Sheint's eyes, reminiscent of a finely honed blade.
He clearly didn't intend to take this lightly. This might be a test to see if I was truly aligning myself with the Saintess, Astoria.
No matter how beautiful she was, or how divine her revelations might be, my loyalty already belonged to the Empire.
I needed to use this duel to clear the Crown Prince's suspicions and dispel the rumors of an improper relationship with the Saintess circulating in high society.
El Dorado
Like drops of blood, the gold coins in the Crown Prince's hand melted and dripped onto the ground.
The molten gold coalesced into a single mass, quickly shaping itself into a lion that stood before me.
"I hope you do not die. Even the Saintess cannot restore a severed life."
"...Are you mocking what I said earlier?"
"Did it sound that way? Well, a sword that cannot withstand its master's strength is useless, is it not?"
Taking those words as the signal, I drew my wind-enchanted sword from its scabbard.
A sudden gale whipped around my body, accelerating my physical speed.
Before the Draw-Sheathe Glitch buff could expire, I lunged forward, aiming to slash the Crown Prince's right arm.
Since we were wearing mana armor, he wouldn't actually be injured, but it would be more than enough to seize the initiative.
However,
the roar of a lion instantly echoed as it leaped to shield the Crown Prince's arm.
"Haha! Aiming for my arm, the Crown Prince? I certainly like that you aren't holding back."
"..."
Having effortlessly deflected my attack, the Crown Prince smiled brightly, speaking as if he were thoroughly enjoying the fight.
Seeing how he even had the leisure to glance over at the Saintess, Astoria, to gauge her reaction, it was clear he treated this duel like a game.
In that case, I would increase my speed even further.
If once wasn't enough, I would do it twice, stacking the glitch to push my speed to the limit.
I sheathed my sword once more and drew it in rapid succession, slicing through the golden lions.
Yet, far from closing in on the Crown Prince, I found myself being pushed back, the distance between us widening.
The golden lions lunged at me without end. I was beginning to realize, with painful clarity, why Sheint was feared.
No matter how many I cut down, they keep coming. Is he not even using mana for this?
It was highly likely he summoned them by consuming his own wealth.
As the Crown Prince and heir to the Lyos Empire, Sheint possessed unfathomable wealth and power.
If he was literally melting down gold coins to create these lions, it wasn't entirely outside the realm of possibility.
I need to exhaust his resources. Or I need an attack powerful enough to wipe out all the lions at once.
The metallic clash of steel against gold rang out continuously, but the balance of power refused to tilt in either direction.
Just how many gold coins was he burning through?
I felt as though enough money to buy a small village had already vanished like morning dew on the ground.
I need to think. What combat-related glitches or bugs can I use here?
I kept slashing at the lions leaping from the air, repeatedly sheathing and drawing my sword to push my speed to its absolute limit.
Clang! Clang!
Leaping into the air to gain momentum, I clashed blades and targeted the blind spots of the lions to cut them down.
"Hahaha! Hahahahaha! Exquisite! Simply exquisite! I thought there was no one in this world who could match me!"
Sheint laughed uproariously, clearly delighted by my performance.
He was laughing in the middle of a clash so intense that someone would have died if not for the mana armor and the isolated space.
Had the Crown Prince actually been yearning for an equal?
Rumors in high society claimed that Crown Prince Sheint Lionheart was a genius who could master anything in an instant.
It was only natural for him to grow bored of ordinary opponents. Of course, what I was doing right now was exploiting the vulnerabilities of a game's physics engine.
"Even against a Sword Master, I have never struggled this much! You should be proud, Theodore Baskerville!"
"...Isn't drawing your sword all of a sudden a bit of a foul?"
"Is it? I told you from the start that I would go all out. I never promised to only use golden lions!"
Perhaps deciding that leaving such an anomaly unchecked was dangerous, the Crown Prince, who had stood regally in place until now, drew his sword and locked blades with me.
Our swords clashed, screeching against each other as the balance of power began to tilt.
The first style of the Baskerville family sword technique.
Baskerville Style, First Form: Hound's Tooth
I immediately drew another sword from my waist, using both hands to redirect the Crown Prince's force.
It was a dual-sword stance, trapping and holding the opponent's blade like a hound refusing to let go of its prey.
Locking the blades, I twisted my arms and body, parrying his sword upward.
"Oh? Your family's swordsmanship? I wondered what you were up to, relying solely on your physical abilities until now."
"I'm the type who believes in saving the trump card for the very end."
Shlick! Whirrr!
I sheathed both swords simultaneously and drew them in a flash, sliding forward at high speed.
Timing the glitch with two swords was far more difficult than with one, and a single mistake could send me crashing into a wall, but this was an open plain.
Aside from the golden lions summoned by the Crown Prince, there were no obstacles in sight.
Just as I thought the tide of battle was turning in my favor, the Crown Prince cracked his neck with a wry smile.
"However, I have already adjusted to that peculiar swordsmanship, Theodore."
"...!"
Clang!
As if he had anticipated my exact trajectory, the Crown Prince stood firm and effortlessly blocked my strike.
How was this possible?
Even for a genius, to read my speed and find the perfect timing to counter?
A chilling realization began to dawn on me: there was no other explanation.
"Please, entertain me more."
"...You will regret those words."
Shaking off the golden lions, I caught my breath and took a stance once more.
The glitch I was about to use now was one that had been patched out in just a week, but it was incredibly useful for boss raids.
It was the ultimate tool to prevent a party wipe when carrying newbies who lacked damage output.
The Attribute Stacking Glitch.
You socketed various elemental gems into an enchantable weapon to repeatedly overwrite the attributes, then executed a specific emote before the final buff expired.
Normally, only the effect of the last socketed gem would apply, and the previous enchants would disappear...
...but if you used the Dance of Victory emote—where you raise your sword high into the sky and bring it down—for some unknown reason, all the previously overwritten enchants would stack and apply simultaneously.
Before executing the glitch, I reverted to holding a single sword, secretly concealing the small gems in my other hand to apply the enchants.
Then, gripping the hilt with both hands, I raised the sword toward the sky.
I acted as if I had received a divine calling, closing my eyes and pretending to focus my entire mind.
Catalyst Sword
That name should suffice.
If I defeated the Crown Prince by simply swinging my sword without shouting a technique name, everyone would grow suspicious.
The moment I finished executing the emote's movements—
BOOM!
A slash imbued with multiple stacked attributes—fire, ice, lightning, and earth—unleashed a devastating force, striking the Crown Prince head-on.