Tournament Frenzy (2)
“Yah!”
Duamutef, clutching Albus’s hand tightly, dashed into his room and flung herself onto the bed.
Boing, boing.
“Hehe. Dua likes it here!”
Duamutef bounced up and down on the bed, her little bottom thumping rhythmically.
“Heehee. Daddy’s scent…”
Then she buried her face in the sheets.
‘Does it really feel that good?’
Duamutef had climbed onto the bed without even washing up, but Albus felt no urge to stop her.
This might be the first real bed she’d ever touched since being born.
A child who should have been born into loving parents’ arms, only to face a dirt floor for her first sleep—and every one after. He couldn’t bring himself to stop her.
‘Nothing for it but to indulge her.’
Whether she was a true goddess or merely wielded power through divinity didn’t matter. What mattered was taking responsibility for the child who’d been born unwanted because of his own actions, deprived of proper love.
‘But something feels off… like I forgot something.’
Back in his room, Albus couldn’t shake the nagging sense that he’d overlooked something.
Knock knock.
“Albus? You in there?”
Valtburg’s voice came from outside the door.
‘Valt! Right!’
Albus suddenly remembered what he’d forgotten: the friend left behind when Duamutef had dragged him off to the desert.
“I heard noises inside. Buddy, you’re there, right?”
Albus glanced at Duamutef. No one at the restaurant earlier had noticed her presence.
Opening the door should be fine.
Confirming Duamutef was still playing on the bed, Albus opened the door.
“Valt.”
“Albus! You were in here!”
Valtburg stood beyond the threshold, his face lit with relief.
“I thought something happened to you! This random girl shows up out of nowhere, and poof—you’re gone!”
‘Ah… haha.’
Come to think of it, he’d been kidnapped by Duamutef right in the middle of a crowd. Plenty of people must have witnessed it.
Is this okay?
“What the hell happened? You good?”
“I’m fine. No big deal.”
‘Just got briefly kidnapped by a goddess’s daughter. No biggie.’
Albus swallowed the truth silently. He wasn’t sure if it truly qualified as “no big deal,” but still.
“Don’t worry about it. So…”
“Uh… okay. I don’t get it, but whatever.”
Valtburg nodded after hearing Albus’s made-up story. He didn’t look entirely convinced, but he seemed to buy it enough.
Did I gloss over it okay?
Even I know it doesn’t make much sense, but I can’t exactly spill the real story.
“…Anyway, buddy. While you were gone, the whole continent lost its shit! Well, right when we were in class at the academy!”
“Lost its shit?”
“They’re holding a duel tournament in Luddera! For control of Labyrinth Tower floor 6!”
…Oh, right.
That.
Albus finally recalled what he’d truly forgotten.
Screeech.
After sending off the eager Valtburg, who planned to join the duel tournament, Albus closed the door, turned off the lights, and lay down on the bed with Duamutef.
He’d completely forgotten amid meeting Duamutef.
The message he’d sent to Juttak that morning: announcing a PVP tournament on the newly opened Labyrinth Tower floor 6.
A massive arena built on the conviction that any game needed a coliseum for players to clash and test their skills. He’d turned floor 6 into a duel-focused trial as a beta test for player-versus-player content. All players gained entry rights, matched randomly for a tournament bracket. Special items dangled as prizes for those climbing the ranks by toppling foes. If it succeeded, he’d make it permanent content, like the tower itself—maybe even add pro teams and regular events. Bringing esports to this world? Just imagining it was thrilling.
“Snoooore…”
Duamutef had drifted off beside him on the bed.
He’d planned to check community reactions after class and dinner with Valtburg, but Duamutef’s arrival had wiped it from his mind.
Ding.
Albus summoned the community screen to gauge reactions.
Content: You know that yearly thing where the Empire rounds up knights and mercs in the capital for a martial arts tourney? But they ban lethal blows, so no real aura—just flailing around like idiots. In Luddera, players respawn even if they "die," so we’ll get way flashier duels, right?
└True, they hand out whole floors just for winning.
Some anticipated it as spectacle viewing.
Content: Already can’t even approach central continent ‘cause of rankers, and now you wanna rub shoulders with top Labyrinth Tower raiders? You’ll get limb-ripped by those monsters the second you step in. Just sit in the stands, munch popcorn—this is prime entertainment.
└Fr, might even pick up a trick from a Sword Master.
Others saw it as a learning opportunity.
Author: SquishyLover
Content: Prizes: [New Miracle Spring Water] & Labyrinth Shop items ([New Miracle Spring Water] cures a different debuff from regular [Miracle Spring Water]—brand new item). New Miracle Spring Water? So I can fix ED and baldness now?
└Any chance it hits Labyrinth Shop?
└└Can’t even snag regular Miracle Water, how new stuff?
—You win it, my heart hurts for you.
And some eyed the prizes.
Countless players buzzed with excitement over the duel tournament news.
Swipe, swipe.
Albus scrolled through, gauging the vibe.
‘Good reactions, thankfully.’
Duels were familiar even in this world, so folks adapted fast. The prizes packed real punch too.
‘At this rate, the tourney’ll be a smash hit.’
No worries about low turnout for a lame event.
“Snooo… Ahbuh…”
Albus glanced at Duamutef, sleeping with her mouth agape and mumbling. He refreshed the community feed.
New posts flooded in.
“...Huh?”
The Executors—positions born from the Republic’s founding Seven Revolutionaries, the engine propelling a small, young nation to rival the Empire. Only those embodying ultimate freedom backed by overwhelming might could claim a seat. Even Leighton, guildmaster of top guild Revolutionary Warriors packed with rankers, ranked a mere 4th. Each Executor was a strategic asset unto themselves.
All of them recalled? Only makes sense for national emergency or wartime.
Prime bait title, but Albus tapped anyway. Thankfully no scam—no elder nudes or sewage pics to scar his brain.
└Gramps?
└└Checked: 100 years ago. Dwarf nation much?
First full Executor recall since the Republic’s 100-year-old War of Homeland Defense. A history-book event.
For something as trivial as—
“Me?”
Albus’s tournament.
Posts poured in one after another.
“……”
Didn’t expect this level.
The situation snowballed uncontrollably.
“…Whatever.”
Albus gave up thinking.
“Your Majesty! Time’s short! We need an Empire champion now!”
“Republic’s recalled all Executors. They’re going all-in!”
What in the world…
The emperor clutched his head on the throne. At least GM’s miracle had thickened his hair—plenty to yank in frustration.
‘Founder’s hooked on Luddera, won’t emerge. Predecessor’s trapped on layer four.’
The empire’s twin legends. Either in the tournament would solve everything. How’d it come to this?
“Who to send as our champion?!”
“Sir Schmidt? He leads the Royal Knights.”
“Against Executors? Schmidt can’t handle that!”
“So our Masters are weaker than Republic Executors?!”
The ministers’ debate heated up, pounding the emperor’s skull.
Each Executor boasted Master-level or greater power, often with unique edges. That’s how a resource-poor speck rivaled the Empire. In one-on-one duels, quantity and scale-favoring Empire lagged. Even when Royal Knights clashed with Revolutionary Warriors in central Luddera, individuals favored Republic. Schmidt wouldn’t measure up.
But yielding the tournament to Republic was unthinkable.
GM had laid the stage for continent’s powers to clash. This was proxy war. Losing meant Empire’s downfall. Victory over Republic was imperative.
“How to handle this…”
No ideas forthcoming, the emperor reached to tear more hair—
Clack clack.
“Father. What of me?”
A voice like music to men’s souls. The emperor looked up to see his favored eldest princess, Rebecca, smiling.
“I’ll crush the Executors and bring glory to the Empire.”
“Rebecca…”
She’d recently hit grand archmage. Impressive for her age, but—
“But Rebecca, they’re Executors. Even you…”
She lacked their battle-hardened experience.
“Fufu. It’s fine, Father.”
Rebecca chuckled softly.
“I’ve been chosen by GM.”
She raised her hand, revealing a special emblem on her knuckles.
“With Him by my side, I can’t lose.”
The mark of a Hidden class.