Finals Round 1
“Albus.”
“Yeah?”
“Tomorrow. I'm up in the first match.”
“Yeah. I know.”
A tournament of 32 players, all qualifiers now fully revealed. The bracket had been drawn randomly with everyone out in the open.
And the very first match featured none other than Perigit.
Pretty sure the one after that is mine.
If Perigit won, she'd face him in the round of 16.
“Could you... give me a victory charm?”
“......A victory charm?”
Albus echoed her words, and Perigit flushed red, bowing her head deeply.
“If you cheer for me... I think I can win.”
“......”
A victory charm, huh.
In this fantasy world, there were tons of traditions like heroic poems or victory charms. Knights heading into battle would often ask their wives for one.
She's probably just treating me like a friend and asking for one.
Even after their rocky first meeting, she saw him as a friend worth asking. Albus felt grateful for that.
He approached her slowly.
He didn't think there was anyone left she couldn't beat.
And yet, he wanted her to win.
Albus leaned in close to Perigit's ear.
And whispered the victory charm that had gone viral in his past life, super popular back then.
“Win.”
“......!”
Perigit's eyes widened at his whisper.
Then a soft smile bloomed on her face.
“Thank you, Albus. I'll claim victory and dedicate it to you.”
Albus—you're as precious to me as GM himself.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
—The morning of the finals everyone's been waiting for has finally arrived.
The Demon King grabbed the mic and announced the start of the main tournament.
Pop! Boom!
Brilliant fireworks exploded, heating up the arena.
Unlike yesterday, the multiple dueling rings at the center had been cleared away, replaced by one massive arena prepared specially for the finals.
“......Slurp.”
The Demon King licked her lips.
These 32 powerhouses who had clawed through the qualifiers—each one was a special asset even in their home nations.
Compared to her, they were mere mortals, but seeing them all gathered to clash was thrilling beyond endurance.
—And now, let's kick off the very first match! Our first fighter is~~ the whirlwind sand assassin, Perigit!
Unlike the prelims, with all participants public, the announcer bellowed her name loud and clear.
Whoosh!
Two pillars of flame shot up high, and between them, Perigit warped in with a blue glow.
“Wooooaaah!” “I bet all my Labyrinth Coins on you! You gotta win!”
The otherworlders cheered at her flashy entrance.
“First match.”
A dagger spun in Perigit's hand.
She scanned the packed stands.
Albus is watching somewhere out there.
Cheering for my victory.
GM and Albus—they're with me.
“I know no defeat.”
—Facing her~~ is the nobleman Linderman!
Kaboom!
Two pillars of light erupted from the opposite side, revealing the Empire's Second Prince, Linderman.
“Wooooaaah!” “Show that beast bitch what for, Your Highness!”
Confirming his opponent was a beastkin, the prince scowled.
“Must I face such a filthy monster?”
He despised impurity above all, chasing only the nobility of saints.
The mere sight of a beastkin standing there offended him.
All his previous foes had leaned impure, but beastkin were on another level.
Especially the filthy beastkin race that had taken his mother's life.
—Then let's begin the match~~~~~~~~!
The match begins.
Boom boom boom! Cannons fired and four massive pillars soared, signaling the duel’s start.
Shhh.
The instant the match began, Perigit's body melted into sand.
Grrrrr.
A fierce sandstorm surged toward the prince—her Sand Assassin's unique ability.
“Utterly repulsive.”
The prince thrust one hand forward at the storm.
Hummm.
A massive yellow hand of mana burst from before him.
“It's His Highness's hand!” “The one that crushed every prelim foe in one shot!” “But against a sandstorm? Even mana—can it really land a meaningful hit?”
The sandstorm clashed with the mana giant's hand.
All players held their breath, watching.
Crunch.
The storm was caught and crushed like a solid object by the prince's “hand.”
“Ngh!”
Perigit's pained grimace flashed amid the crushed sand before vanishing.
“Did you think hiding in your filthy sand would mask that stench?”
The prince clenched his fist in midair.
His “hand” squeezed the storm harder.
“Guh!”
Perigit panicked at the tangible assault she'd never faced before.
She nearly lost focus to the pain but gritted her teeth and endured.
“!”
Shing.
Even gripped, her sand lashed out wildly.
And then—
Shatter!
“Wha... what?”
Countless sand slashes cracked the hand like glass, shattering it.
“Hyah!”
Perigit's upper body emerged from the sand, reverse-gripping her dagger as she charged the prince.
“......Hah.”
The prince flicked his wrist at the sight.
“A beastkin like you...!”
He punched forward.
Hummm.
Bam!
A full-body yellow mana giant materialized, slamming Perigit hard and sending her flying back.
“A giant?” “New ability!” “He was holding back after all.” “Now it's getting good!”
The mana giant, like a knight guarding the prince, revealed its full form.
The crowd went wild at the spectacle.
“You forced me to use this power.”
The prince ground his teeth.
He needed to speed through, crush the princess and republic scum.
Not waste it here on a worthless, filthy beast bitch not even fit to squash.
“......”
Perigit slowly rose from where she'd been flung.
She wiped blood from her mouth with the back of her hand, eyes fixed on the giant.
The first clash had shown the skill gap clearly.
Her foe was a wall-passer mage.
And that sand-grabbing power had extreme counters to her Sand Assassin.
Now that he'd gone all out, no more lucky escapes like before.
Shing.
Perigit drew twin daggers reverse-grip in both hands.
But she couldn't give up here.
This was a match as GM's servant.
A duel as beastkin representative.
She couldn't lose to this human empire prince.
Above all...
Win.
She couldn't betray his expectations.
“Haaaaah!”
Perigit leaped forward.
No matter what.
I.
Will win.
Boom!
The next instant, Perigit tumbled across the ground, vision darkening.
Ringing in her ears.
The giant had swatted her from the air with its massive hand.
“Crush her.”
Bam!
“Gahk!”
The giant smashed its fist into the downed Perigit.
Bam!
“If only... if only you filth didn't exist......”
Kaboom!
The giant scooped up the sprawled Perigit in one hand.
Then hammered her with the other fist.
“Kuhuk!”
Perigit spewed blood and flew.
Bam!
She slammed into the arena's far wall.
“......Isn't that too much?” “Even for a beastkin, this is...”
Some spectators grimaced at the one-sided beatdown.
“Smash her to bits!” “Crush the cursed race!” “She'll respawn fine anyway! Rip her apart!”
Most just cheered wildly.
“Hah... hah......”
Perigit's head was foggy.
Hard to think straight.
All her assassin skills were countered.
Couldn't evade, couldn't damage him.
No chance of winning.
Albus... what should I do...
Was this inevitable defeat?
Would she waste his cheers for nothing!?
As Perigit lamented her powerlessness—
......Huh?
Perigit stared blankly as another message appeared.
‘Class change forced.’
Kabooooom!
Vast energy erupted from Perigit.
Overwhelming power surged through her body.
She felt omnipotent, like she could do anything.
As if she'd become a god.
A sudden hidden class awakening.
Perigit knew it instantly.
“Power bestowed by... GM.”
The world's master had granted her this special strength.
Perigit slowly rose into the air.
Her foggy mind sharpened to peak condition.
The overflowing power just made the world feel endlessly joyful.
“......Impossible.”
The prince swallowed hard at Perigit's total transformation.
As an Epic class holder, he recognized it.
She'd just awakened her class.
“This can't be! It makes no sense!”
The prince slashed his arm sideways; the giant charged Perigit.
Kabooooooom!
One strike from Perigit crushed the giant beyond recognition.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“......Did I act too hastily?”
Watching her get ignored and pummeled by the prince had been unbearable, so he'd impulsively created a custom achievement for Perigit and granted her power.
But... he'd overdone it, apparently.
Albus watched her smash the giant with one punch, regretting his snap decision just a bit.
As her wounds healed across her body, he shook his head.
“Nah. No way I could just watch a friend get bullied like that.”
Especially one who trusted him enough to ask for a victory charm.
Kaboom!
“......Maybe just a stat buff would've been enough.”
Albus muttered as the prince's mana giant shattered.