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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 150: The Game of Kings (4)
As night fell, the already cold air grew even colder.
Yet, there was no place in any direction—north, south, east, or west—where a campfire was lit.
No one wanted to advertise their base to other magic towers.
Besides, cold was something that could be overcome to some extent with magic.
"So, this is how the first day ends, huh?"
On the western plains, two mages from the Black Tower, who had been patrolling their base, started a conversation as night set in.
"The first day has already been chaotic. It’s only going to get harder from here, right?"
"Hmm… Honestly, if this is what the first day is like, I’d say that’s a given."
Today, they had to scurry around just to secure three meals.
Thankfully, there were rabbits and chickens wandering across the plains.
If not for that, they would have had to go hungry.
"I’m already worried about food for tomorrow. We might have to check out the city."
"You think it’s different over there?"
"Anywhere has to be better than here—"
Rustle.
A strange noise interrupted their conversation.
Both mages instinctively gathered their mana, their senses sharpening as they scanned their surroundings.
But the vast, open plains revealed nothing unusual.
"Did we mishear?"
"…No. I heard it too."
There had definitely been a heavy sound—something stepping on the frozen grass of the plains.
Yet, nothing was visible.
That contradiction made the two furrow their brows.
—Kruaaagh!
A massive shadow lunged from behind, tackling one of the mages.
"Aaargh!"
"M-Melson! Dark Wave!"
Boom!
A black sphere shot out, striking the creature that had attacked the mage.
As blood splattered, the beast fled, leaving the fallen mage gasping for breath.
"Hah… Hah… Thanks. But what the hell was that?"
"…A Shadow Wolf."
Recalling how the creature had instantly merged into the shadows upon being hit by magic, the mage quickly spoke up.
"Let’s head back to base. Looks like we won’t be getting any sleep tonight."
* * *
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Throughout the long night, mages across different regions fought fiercely against monsters trying to hunt them down.
However, there was one place untouched by the chaos—the central city.
"Tch, the mana I sense is pretty intense."
"Of course. Those things are Shadow Wolves, aren’t they?"
"They’re trickier than they look if you run into them in the wrong place."
"Well, whatever. It’s not like we have to deal with them."
The mages of the Red Tower, who had already set up their base in a building, watched the spectacle with a sense of superiority.
While others struggled, they could sit back and observe.
Not that they were just enjoying the misfortune of others.
"…Hmm. Seems like the Black Tower guys are handling things better than the Blood Tower."
"They took down the wolf pack in an instant. At least they won’t have to worry about food tomorrow."
"The Blood Tower isn’t struggling too much either."
They were analyzing the strength of the mages in combat.
This information was invaluable—something money couldn’t buy.
"One thing’s clear: even if the Black Tower is rising in power, they’re still no match for us."
"That much is obvious."
That was their objective assessment after watching the battle.
At that level, not only were they inferior to the Red Tower, but they wouldn’t stand a chance against any of the Four Great Magic Towers.
"Well, except maybe the White Tower…"
"Speaking of which, I am curious about those guys."
Their gazes naturally turned north.
But beyond the dense trees covering the mountain, they could see nothing.
All they knew was that the flow of mana from that direction was faint.
And that alone told them enough.
"It’s way too quiet, isn’t it?"
"Yeah."
A mountain occupied by two magic towers, with forty mages supposedly present, shouldn’t be this silent.
If they were defending against monster attacks, magic should be flaring up all over the place.
Yet, it was eerily still.
"The Violet Tower might already be out of the game. Don’t you think so, Leo?"
At the question, Leo Brult slowly closed his eyes.
The mana in the mountains followed a singular pattern.
In other words, only one tower was using magic.
‘There’s no way the White Tower lost to the Violet Tower…’
Leo nodded.
"The Violet Tower is as good as eliminated."
He wasn’t sure how many had died, but losing just five members meant disqualification.
And if that happened on the first day, the gap in points would already be massive.
‘I figured this might happen when the White Tower went after them…’
But he hadn’t expected them to act before the second sunrise.
"……"
Leo did the calculations in his head.
All towers—except the White and Violet—should currently have 80 points.
Since no one had interfered with them, they had simply completed their daily tasks and secured food.
‘But the White Tower’s score will be different.’
Killing another mage awarded 3 points.
No matter how many they had taken down, the White Tower had undoubtedly gained a significant lead.
‘…Which means we can’t afford to sit back and relax.’
The Red Tower had formed a three-way alliance with the Yellow and Blue Towers.
The fundamental goal of that alliance was simple:
To ensure that all three of them placed first, second, and third.
‘But if things continue like this, one of us might end up in fourth place.’
And the reason was the White Tower.
They had seized too much of an early advantage.
Taptap.
As Leo tapped his arm, deep in thought, he made his decision.
‘For now, we observe.’
Even if the White Tower had eliminated all the Violet Tower mages and secured 60 points, it wouldn’t change things just yet.
‘Even if they miraculously take first place, as long as our Red Tower stays in the top three, we’ll still win by a single point.’
And as long as they placed within the top three, they would secure the final victory with just a one-point lead.
The thought of it made all the previous worries feel foolish.
It was as natural as breathing for the Red Tower to be in that ranking.
"Leo, the situation has changed a bit. What should we do starting tomorrow?"
"Nothing has changed."
He shook his head and firmly addressed the mages.
"We stick to the original plan. Just observe the situation."
After all, three of the Four Great Towers had joined forces on this side.
No matter what variable arose, as long as the three worked together to push through, nothing else mattered.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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* * *
"Here's the promised potion."
It was early morning, with the dawn dew still fresh.
Meeting with the mages of the Violet Tower, Oscar handed over five potion bottles carved from stone.
Feeling the weight of them, Iris asked,
"How effective are they?"
"Since I had to make them hastily in the wild..."
As expected.
Iris hadn't placed much hope in them and simply nodded, prompting Oscar to continue.
"They allow for quick regeneration—enough for simple hemostasis and wound closure."
"…Hemostasis and wound closure?"
"If it couldn’t even do that, it wouldn’t be called a potion."
As Iris examined the unexpectedly potent potions, she suddenly extended one toward Oscar.
Understanding her intent immediately, Oscar smirked and asked,
"You want a live demonstration?"
"Aren’t we at that level of trust?"
"I thought we were on the same boat."
"Until yesterday, we just happened to have the same destination. Today is a new day."
At her sharp response, Oscar shrugged and accepted the potion bottle.
Rolling up his sleeve to expose bare skin, he used Wind Cutter to slice his own arm.
Drip.
Blood began to flow.
Oscar drank half of the potion and poured the rest over the wound.
Chiiiiik!
Bubbles surged and sizzled over the injury.
Moments later, the wound was gone as if it had never been there.
"Mmm, it works pretty well."
"Of course it does. Who do you think made it?"
After proving the potion’s effectiveness, Oscar spoke again.
"You slept well last night, didn’t you?"
"...Well, we didn’t really do anything."
Iris’ words were entirely truthful.
The Violet Tower had done absolutely nothing during last night’s monster wave.
Because the White Tower had hunted all the monsters.
"If you’d like, we could keep doing that for you."
"……."
Iris narrowed her eyes at the unexpected offer.
Such one-sided generosity always came with a reason.
"What do you want from us?"
"Same as yesterday. Just bring us the potion ingredients. In return, we’ll compensate you accordingly and keep you safe."
"…Why go that far?"
Iris couldn’t understand.
Based on their performance last night, the White Tower was undeniably powerful.
If they wanted, they could eliminate the Violet Tower with ease.
"It’s simple. The White Tower has to win."
"And what does that have to do with helping us...?"
"We can’t just win by doing well ourselves. We have to push the Red Tower and Yellow Tower below fifth place while securing first."
In other words, they had an obligation to ensure that the weaker towers, like the Violet Tower, didn’t get eliminated too quickly.
No matter how well the White Tower performed, if the Violet and Green Towers were knocked out early, the Red and Yellow Towers would inevitably place fourth or higher.
"…So you’re saying you’ll protect us just to keep the other Four Great Towers ranked below us?"
"Exactly."
The sheer arrogance of the statement made Iris click her tongue.
Wanting to win first place was understandable.
The Black Tower and Blood Tower had made similar claims before.
‘But protecting someone is harder than winning a fight.’
To simultaneously dominate battles and manipulate the overall rankings to their will?
That would be impossible without overwhelming strength and absolute confidence.
‘But…’
Considering their performance last night, it didn’t seem entirely unfeasible.
More importantly, the Violet Tower had no other options.
‘If we refuse, we’re out.’
The White Tower—especially Oscar Crucian—was no fool.
The overwhelming display of power last night had likely been a warning not to entertain foolish thoughts.
With that realization, the man before her suddenly felt terrifying.
"…It’s not a bad deal for us."
"Of course. If my plan works, you’ll at least secure fifth place."
Because their goal was to push the Three-Color Towers below sixth, seventh, and eighth place.
"So, we just keep collecting potion ingredients like yesterday?"
"For now."
"…For now?"
Something about that wording made Iris uneasy.
She pressed further, and Oscar gave an unsettling smile before asking a question of his own.
"The Violet Tower specializes in illusions and deception, right? You must be skilled at acting too?"
At a time when everyone expected the Violet Tower to be the first to fall…
They were the best bait lurking within the arena.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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