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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 147: The Game of Kings (1)
After the rules of the final match were announced, all the magic towers entered discussions.
They gathered to share opinions on how to approach the game, what stance to take, and, most importantly, who should be chosen as their king.
"Before we begin the meeting, there are some materials we need to review first."
Thud! Thump!
With a gust of wind, dozens of thick booklets landed on the table.
Seeing this, Fran blinked in surprise and asked,
"Tower Master, what are all these?"
"You didn’t think we’d come to the Night of the Mages without any preparation, did you?"
As she grinned, the mages who checked the contents of the booklets gasped in astonishment.
"This... This is a directory of participants!"
"My God. It contains all the information on the Level 4 mages from each magic tower competing in the final match!"
"It even includes their age, strengths and weaknesses, personal habits..."
"We compiled information on the most likely participants before leaving our tower, and for those we couldn't fully assess, Elder Maxim filled in the gaps by exchanging intelligence with other towers."
At those words, all eyes turned to Maxim, who cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem, I just carried out the Tower Master’s orders, that's all."
"Still, it’s an impressive feat."
Fran’s reaction made Sasha shake her head.
"It’s not impressive—it’s necessary. We’re already at a disadvantage in terms of strength, so coming empty-handed wasn’t an option."
Opportunity is like a summoning ritual.
It never comes to those who simply wish for luck without taking action.
It only appears to those who have prepared through effort, like a spirit responding to a well-performed summoning.
"Hm? But the details on the Level 4 mages seem much more thorough than those for Level 5 and 6. Is there a reason for that?"
"There are two reasons."
Sasha raised two fingers.
"First, gathering information on Level 5 mages and above is extremely difficult. Since they are key assets to their respective towers, security around them is strict."
"Ah, that makes sense."
If gathering data on Level 5s was tough, then Level 6s were nearly impossible.
They were the raw gems that could one day become Level 7 high mages.
To the magic towers, they were invaluable treasures that could not be exposed.
"And the second reason is that we expected the fights to mainly involve Level 4 mages, so we focused on preparing for them."
"...Wait. You predicted this before we even left? Or did someone tip you off?"
"No, no one tipped me off. I simply made an educated guess."
She then elaborated on her reasoning.
"First, there’s no way Level 6 mages would be made to fight—it would be far too dangerous. And if the Level 5s fought, the Level 4s would end up sidelined. So, if the towers were going to pit mages against each other, it was obvious they’d use Level 4s since they’re the easiest to control."
"Wow..."
The mages couldn’t help but clap at her keen insight.
‘Impressive.’
Even Oscar, who had arrived at the same conclusion, applauded with satisfaction.
He hadn’t thought of preparing a resource like this.
"Anyway, all participating mages should familiarize themselves with this information as much as possible."
As she said that, her gaze shifted.
Understanding its meaning immediately, Oscar picked up one of the thick directories and quickly flipped through the pages.
"Done. I’ve memorized everything."
"Good."
Their short exchange left everyone else staring in disbelief.
"...You're joking, right?"
"I don’t joke about this sort of thing."
"Hold on. You mean you just skimmed through and memorized all 140 mages from seven different magic towers, excluding the White Tower? Are you some kind of genius... No, wait, you actually are, but still, this is ridiculous!"
Fran, looking frustrated, grabbed a booklet and shielded its contents from Oscar as he fired off a barrage of questions.
"Nadri Picnic’s affiliation, main magic, and weakness?"
"Green Tower, main magic is Leaf Regeneration and weakness is the inability to use offensive spells."
"...Bell Latino’s affiliation, main magic, and strength?"
"Blue Tower, main magic is 『Sticky Liquid』, and strength is excellent social skills and teamwork."
Even after several more questions, Oscar answered every single one without hesitation or error.
"This is unfair!"
Fran finally slammed his booklet shut and shouted.
"How is this possible?! You don’t have some kind of magical photographic memory, do you?!"
"It’s easy."
Oscar shrugged and even kindly explained his method.
"Just open the book and memorize it."
"......"
With expectant eyes on him, he chuckled.
"That’s all."
"...I’m an idiot for expecting something else. Fine, you can be the lone genius of this world."
Fran waved his hands dismissively before leaning back in his chair, completely deflated.
"Why didn’t my parents make me a genius like that?"
"Hmm? But didn’t your older brother and sister..."
"Sorry. My mistake. Please stop right there."
After thoroughly shutting down Fran, Oscar turned back to Sasha.
"The materials you prepared will be invaluable inside."
"I certainly hope so."
She smiled slightly before continuing.
"But we can’t let our guard down. Our current standing is quite precarious."
Her eyes flicked toward the enormous screen outside the window, displaying the final rankings.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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1st. Yellow Tower – 14 points
1st. Red Tower – 14 points
3rd. Blue Tower – 11 points
3rd. White Tower – 11 points
5th. Black Tower – 9 points
6th. Blood Tower – 7 points
7th. Green Tower – 4 points
8th. Violet Tower – 2 points
The mages nodded as they processed the rankings.
"We may be tied for 3rd, but it’s the perfect position to get targeted."
"Exactly. Black and Blood Towers will come after us to claim 4th place, while the top four will try to keep us down to protect their own ranks."
Simple calculations showed that they had made enemies of five out of the seven other magic towers.
On top of that, it was still uncertain what stance the Green Tower and the Violet Tower would take.
"Moreover, as Oscar mentioned before, if our White Tower really wants to win in the end... it’s going to be even more difficult."
"This isn’t just a matter of us performing well and taking first place."
Even if the White Tower secured first place in the final match, their total score would only be 19 points.
Meanwhile, the Yellow Tower and the Red Tower, currently tied for first with 14 points each, would only need to place within the top three to reach at least 20 points and claim the championship.
"In order to win, we need to push both the Yellow Tower and the Red Tower outside of the top five while securing first place ourselves."
That was no easy feat.
Simply competing fiercely from within wasn’t enough to keep them in check.
'We also have to prevent lower-ranked towers like the Green Tower and the Violet Tower from being eliminated too quickly.'
The sooner they were eliminated, the higher the Yellow and Red Towers' chances of victory would rise.
Oscar, who had been staring at the ranking board for a moment, slowly nodded.
"This is going to be fun."
"…Are you serious?"
"Why wouldn’t I be?"
He let out a short chuckle before speaking again.
"Everyone is trying to push our White Tower away, to drag us down. Wouldn’t it be thrilling to outmaneuver all of them and seize victory in the end?"
Hearing those words, the other mages started picturing that scenario in their heads.
Without even realizing it, smiles crept onto their faces.
"This is a dopamine rush."
"Just imagining it is driving me crazy."
"If we actually experience it… that would be an unforgettable moment for the rest of our lives."
A moment they would never forget.
To make it a reality, they needed a solid strategy.
"The first thing we need to decide is where to position ourselves. Everyone, share your opinions."
At Sasha’s prompt, the mages began voicing their thoughts.
"The central area seems the most advantageous. Since it's a city full of high-rise buildings, we can easily monitor the movements of other magic towers and move quickly in case of emergencies."
"But it’s too dangerous. One mistake and we’ll get bombarded before we can even react. I think we should go south to the forest, where we can hide more easily."
"The forest is basically the Green Tower’s home turf. There’s no reason to walk into their trap and give them the best conditions to perform. I’d say the western or eastern grasslands would be a safer bet."
"Aren’t those areas too exposed?"
Each suggestion had its merits.
They all had advantages but also came with drawbacks.
However, among all the options being discussed, there was one place no one had mentioned.
"The north."
Oscar, who had been examining the map, finally spoke.
"We should head to the northern mountain region."
"The north?"
Everyone looked puzzled.
"Is there any particular merit to going there?"
"Hmm, the mountains are steep, and there are a lot of trees, so it would be good for hiding…."
"But isn’t that too passive right from the start? It feels like we’d be distancing ourselves too much from the main battlefield."
"Once we settle there, moving to other areas could become difficult. The others will have already fortified their positions."
"Besides, according to the map, that area has the highest number of wild animals, along with the forest."
As they pointed out, the northern mountains were full of trees and rocky terrain.
Although there was a stream running through the mountains, it extended all the way through the city and into the forest, meaning its benefits weren’t exclusive to the mountainous area.
On top of that, they’d have to worry about wild animal attacks, adding to their exhaustion.
"Which is exactly why we need to go there."
Oscar, having seen the true value of the mountains, began his explanation.
* * *
The final match took place in a circular arena in the northern part of an artificial island, known as the ‘Phantom Theater.’
It resembled the ancient ruins of a colosseum.
As the mages entered the spectator stands one by one, they gazed down at the battlefield in awe.
"Wow, this place is even bigger than the last arena we were in."
"…The scale is insane. It’s like they built an entire city here."
The massive arena was filled with structures made of earth.
To the north, actual mountains loomed.
To the south, a dense forest spread out.
A massive river even flowed across the battlefield.
Imagining how it would look once the illusions were applied, the mages nodded in understanding.
"It’s definitely going to feel incredibly immersive."
"Regardless of anything else, you can’t replace things like drinking water or wild animals with illusions."
"Hmm. So, level-4 mages are expected to survive inside that place for several weeks?"
The sight shattered any previous assumptions that it would be just another illusion-filled dungeon escape.
With a mix of anxiety, concern, excitement, and anticipation—
160 level-4 mages, representing the eight magic towers, stepped onto the battlefield.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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