On the most prominent row of seats, another spectator had joined.
Beside Wail floated a massive sky-whale, its body rippling lazily above a misty cushion of water vapor. Even though it had shrunk itself down as much as possible, it was still larger than GodDraw77’s moon-bear form. It was a forr GodDraw77 from long ago, one that neither Wail nor Cinders knew particularly well.
Hearing Rita complain about Lightchaser, GodDraw77 couldn’t help but defend her. "Lightchaser isn’t actually that domineering."
The words had barely left her lips when she heard the girl add, just before disappearing into the golden curtain, "Oh, except when it cos to ."
GodDraw77 fell silent. "...I suddenly understand why Lightchaser keeps sending her those awful candies."
Wail smirked. "Really? Because in front of Lightchaser I can still speak my mind."
GodDraw77 let out a breathless laugh. "...So it’s just then?"
"You’ve been used to it for thirty years already. Isn’t it a little late to complain now?"
That shut GodDraw77 up. She had no desire to exchange another word with Wail.
...
[Team Match Objective: While keeping your team alive, be the first to unlock the treasure buried deep in the ocean to win.]
[Revival chanic: For every 100 contestants defeated, a team earns one revival card (revival cards consu the academy’s revival slots). A revived contestant may choose whether to rejoin the ga.]
[Hidden Objective: Destroy the cue stick to instantly claim victory in the team match.]
Rita stood on a bustling port. Countless ships of all sizes were docked along the coast. With forty-six academies and a number of independents, the total participants numbered about fifty thousand—roughly ten thousand teams. Even if every contestant wanted their own boat, there were plenty.
Instead of rushing to pick a vessel, she first went looking for her teammates.
She shot into the sky—like nearly every contestant with flight—and quickly linked up with Maple Syrup and Motor. After agreeing on a rendezvous point in five minutes, the three split up again.
Rita, the fastest flyer, went to find the others. Once she did, she told them the etup point and they too went to gather information.
They had already agreed long before: no leader, no subordinates. The team’s only priority was winning. Whoever was best suited for a task took it. If disputes arose, the stronger voice prevailed.
With three minutes left on the countdown, they regrouped.
Motor, who had the strongest ability for analyzing items, spoke first. "I linked into one of the chanical ships. Didn’t find anything suspicious—don’t know if that’s because my ability isn’t strong enough or because the ga hasn’t started yet. The one thing I can confirm is that each team can only board one vessel. Once a teammate enters one, the rest are locked out of others."
Maple Syrup reported, "The port town has shops, but only a handful of goods: food and water, repair kits, fuel, fishing rods and bait, and mystery boxes of sea gadgets. All overpriced."
They exchanged glances. It was obvious—they needed supplies, even if it ant delaying departure. The sea stretched endless beyond the harbor. Finding the treasure wasn’t a matter of leaving early.
As for money? That ant looting the town.
If the shops or public facilities were shielded against direct robbery, then copying items would be their backup plan.
All eyes landed on Mistblade.
"Brought it?" four voices asked in unison.
"Of course."
The five exchanged words incomprehensible to outsiders, then the countdown ended.
No more splitting up. They rushed into the town together. Plan A: smash and grab. If that failed, find the most expensive, easily resold thing, have Mistblade copy it, then sell the duplicate for funds.
They weren’t short on storage. Rita’s third magic item was still her bottomless pack, and Mistblade’s gear allowed her to carry extras.
Notably, Rita had left her snowman—stuffed with [Lucky Number]—back in the room. It would have eaten up a magic item slot, and she couldn’t afford that. As she sprinted, she scooped a lump of winter snow from her stash and started crafting her second Sumr Snowman. She didn’t yet decide whether to store [Cri Simulation] or [Low-Risk Investnt] inside—it could wait until the mont of need.
Within four hours, she would have a snowman ready for each teammate.
They weren’t the only ones with this plan. Soon the port town was in chaos.
Every shop had protective wards preventing entry, but the streets outside were open combat zones.
Rita lobbed pumpkins at her teammates. Each burst into a pumpkin hat on impact, marking them as a squad even without uniforms.
Fat Goose tanked in front, using his racial talent that redirected part of any damage he took into healing bolts for his allies. Maple Syrup and Rita flanked him, blades and gunfire covering Motor and Mistblade in the center.
Mistblade pried loose the jeweled eyes of a stone statue—currently the most valuable thing in sight. Copying was easy, but why leave the real thing for the competition? No wonder other squads targeted them.
Motor linked into the city’s network with his divine talent, trawling through forums and chatlogs for black market buyers, sailing tips, and any scraps about the treasure.
Rita swung a ripped-up railing as a weapon, randomly tagging enemies with [I Just Want to Improve So Badly].
Her uniform was already pitch black. What was left to fear?
Just as that thought crossed her mind, a system alert rang out.
[Player Crab has used the skill "Gift of Nature" on you. You have lost one Spring Pumpkin.]
The top of her head felt suddenly lighter.
Rita blinked. "??"
Who the hell let this Crab steal from her?
Her eyes swept the field until she spotted a blazing red giant crab. And perched right on its shell—her pumpkin hat, now glowing, healing it.
It hadn’t just stolen her pumpkin, it had stolen the pumpkin’s buff too.
"Thieving scum," she muttered.
Good thing she was ready for this.
Not only had [Send the Link] automatically dropped "Gift of Nature" into her shopping cart, but [The Right to Interpret] had copied it too. For the next hour, she could use it twice against Crab.
She didn’t retaliate right away. Instead, she skimd the skill description.
It wasn’t as detailed as her own theft ability, but in raw effect? Just as dangerous.
She grinned. This one, she was keeping.
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