Chapter 595 - End of the 2nd tournament

So what do you say to tens of thousands of attendees watching you as you stand alone in the ruined area of the last event? You have only a few seconds before the system teleports you back into the common area after your sister forfeited.

Well, obviously you threaten them. You tell them how terribly you will fuck them up if anyone ever tries to touch someone belonging to you, whether it is your family, members of your group, or others cooperating with you. You tell them that what they just witnessed was nothing, and in three years, it'll be child's play compared to what you will be capable of.

So go on. Try to act smart, play around on Earth, and hope I die and don´t return. Maybe I really will die, maybe you have nothing to worry about and someone as maniacal as I am will crash against the wall that kills me.

But what if not?

Or maybe you get a clever idea and try to find out more about my background. You already know what I look like; you might have photos and videos. Some of you could probably figure out who I am even before I gave you my full name. But now that you have both my name and my sister’s, there can’t be many siblings named Nathaniel and Victoria Gwyn. It should be easy.

So, maybe it is a good idea to locate some of my family, hide them somewhere, and blackmail me once I get out.

To that, I say: I have Earth’s most powerful healer, and I promise I can keep healing and killing you for years. I can come up with ways to cause you as much pain as possible. I’m petty enough to spend months, even years, making it happen. So I ask you again.

Would it be worth it?

And I say this: try me. Go ahead, if you're really that confident.

"I will fuc—"

Before I can finish that sentence, I find myself outside. Unlike before, my mana is back under my control immediately, and not a whiff of it seeps into the area.

It might be because my broken body is healed, but it feels lighter as if some weight has fallen off. Even now I am still strongly convinced I am the most normal one in Group 4; I mean, I have seen Lily elongate her arm or grow a new one from her back, so there is no debate about that.

Maybe I am just meant to be a little bit of an asshole. Fitting into that place where I "respect" others and "their opinions" can seem silly at times.

Once I locate the presence I’ve been searching for, I teleport there and place my hand on Channeler’s shoulder. For a moment, I consider using his name, but it barely comes to me. Was it Rafael, Raphael, or Ralph? Saying the wrong one would be awkward.

"My man," I say.

He shudders with surprise at the unexpected touch but regains control and looks at me.

"Yes?"

"I have your arcane item."

***

Under the tree in our area, the entire Group 4, Myrra, and Channeler’s harem watch as he puts on the armor I have made for him. I’m much better with swords and weapons, so this one was very difficult. Unsurprisingly, Miwa’s advice helped a lot, along with what I learned as a lumoran technician, well, assistant technician.

The armor covers his entire body and isn’t even that bulky. Looking at it, you might expect it not to be very strong. Wrong. The materials I used are top-notch: metals, alloys, mana stones, some leather inside so that raw metal does not rub against his skin and more.

The chest plate is a deep matte grey, layered with faint lines that pulse dimly when he moves. Those are the mana inscriptions, woven through the armor like veins. It reacts to his movement, strengthens under pressure, and even deflects weaker skills without him having to lift a finger.

And then there are the mana stones. They are not for show. They’re embedded deep, locked into the framework of the armor like batteries. Each one is charged and connected through insulated channels. The armor draws from them constantly; it uses that mana to strengthen the joints, support his muscles, and prevent the weight from slowing him down. It not only makes him faster and stronger, but it also helps him maintain his speed and keeps him from tiring.

In theory.

The chestplate is layered with inner supports. Beneath it is a thin core linked to the stones that distribute mana across the suit. This is not smart tech or anything fancy it is just built to last and work. The gauntlets and boots are reinforced. He can block with his arms without feeling the shock, and he can land hard without twisting anything. There are no energy channels or glow, just pressure resistance and weight support.

When he moves in them, there is a controlled sound. It isn’t heavy clanking but more like thick cloth sliding over stone. That armor isn't made just to protect him but also to turn him into someone hard to stop.

The only problem is getting in and out of the armor. It takes a few minutes, and he needs several people to help him, so that might be a weakness. The armor is also quite heavy and another big problem is charging it. With his reserves, it would take weeks to charge the armor enough to use 100% of its capabilities for a few minutes.

But even that I thought of. I am an asshole, but a rich and smart asshole. I have bought several extremely high-quality mana stones. Ten of them. And I have been filling each with as much of my mana as possible during the tournament, inscribing them so they can be slotted into the armor and exchanged for an empty one.

Each of these mana stones is able to power the armor for hours. At maximum output, probably for two or three hours, during which time he should be able to wipe the floor with an average hard-difficulty attendee.

In theory.

With rumors that hard difficulty will eventually reach the 13th floor in around one to two years, Channeler will become Earth’s apex predator, assuming someone doesn’t kill him while he is without the armor, but he is smart.

In theory.

As for the description:

Manabound Frame (Low Arcane) - Forged from reinforced arcane alloys and lined with mana-reactive channels, this armor consumes vast amounts of energy to stay active. In return, it grants the wearer unstoppable momentum and immense resistance to both physical and magical assault. Built to function under extreme strain, it demands constant mana input to maintain full capacity. Without it, the armor becomes dead weight; however, when fully powered, it turns the wearer into an unstoppable frontline force.

After putting on the helmet, Channeler takes a few steps toward me and then stops. For a moment he loses his balance, but the output is currently set below 5 percent—just enough to allow him to move as he normally would without feeling heavy while keeping some defenses activated.

"Nathaniel," he says in a muffled voice from under the helmet.

"Yes?"

"How much would something like this cost in the system shop?"

"That? Hmm, probably around 200,000 to buy and around 100,000 to sell."

"Shards?"

"No, pieces of deer jerky. Of course, shards."

"You're giving me something worth 100,000 shards?"

"Probably a bit more. It has a nice base, and if I could make it so it doesn’t rely on mana batteries and change some things that I modified for your power level, I could probably turn it into mid-arcane with some help."

"You're giving me something worth more than 100,000 shards?"

"I would like to say I'm lending it so I can take it back after the tutorial ends, but I think that in the future something like this won't be valuable enough for me to bother with. So yeah, you could say it is a gift. Or, of course, not for free, you will have to do all the things we talked about and find all the people we mentioned."

"Of course, I will keep my word, Nathaniel, I promise."

"There is no need to be that serious. Also, sorry for the design; I know it’s a bit rough."

"It's ugly as fuck," Myrra shares her unprofessional opinion from the side.

No one from Group 4 raises their voice to defend me, and I make sure to remember that.

I continue, "But the performance is good. I have prepared a manual as well so you can train for a few weeks before you return to Earth. I will try to charge some training mana stones so you can train and save the ten I gave you. Do you still plan to clear the 13th floor and head back to Earth in a few weeks?"

"Yes, I have already made deals with a few smaller groups and we will coordinate our returns and try to organize on Earth. Samuel was also helpful; he told us a lot about how the army functions and gave us some contacts, so we will try to discuss things with them."

He removes the helmet, revealing his uselessly handsome face, though determination is etched on it. He looks very serious.

"I have a lot of data I can share with them. There are too many people with the same kind of videos and information on you, so I won't try to hide our capabilities, I think it would be counterproductive. In the few years before you return, you will surely grow a lot. I will also use your name a lot, and people from Easy difficulty are very eager to communicate."

"Don't pick everyone," I reply.

"Of course, there will be standards and requirements. By the way, NotAaron said when creating an organization on Earth that we should give it a cool name and mentioned that you would want it to be Angry Kittens."

Multiple heads slowly turn toward where the twins stand. Probably only Izzy knows which one is Dennis and which one is Aaron, but they show no shame and both smile in a similar manner.

Channeler nods guessing my answer from the looks we give the twins, "I thought as much; I have collected a few ideas, and if you—"

"Angry Kittens is fine," I say.

Just as before, heads turn toward me, one of them with cat ears and a tail swaying from side to side.

"Okay," Channeler agrees immediately without further questions.

After that, I give him some weapons I made from my mana using Mana Weaving or [Knitting]. Each one should match the level of epic items in terms of sharpness and durability. They don’t have any special effects. They’re just my mana, compressed, woven, and knitted together and made to last as long as possible. It’s similar to my manabloc material and the manabloc chairs. I’m confident most of them will hold their shape for years before the mana inside starts unraveling. I’m also sure they’re tough and sharp enough to handle real combat.

There are enough for Channeler and his harem to use, with a few extras left over for trading. Tess also planned for Easy difficulty to, once we return to Earth, get in touch with some scientists. They’d be given items, mana, and other materials to examine and experiment with.

That should bring in a lot of money, either through selling the items or attracting investments. It could help build the foundation of our so-called “organization” or whatever we decide to call it. I’ve never cared much about that sort of thing, but I’m sure Sophie and Maya have made sure it’s all being handled.

As for me, I start explaining the armor’s hidden mechanic to Channeler. It puts pressure on his body, similar to a restrictive training emblem or burden enhancement inscriptions. The idea is to let him train while wearing the armor, without using up too much mana from the batteries.

It might cause a bit of pain, but I’ve tuned it properly. Still, I don’t like the expression he makes. I was expecting more excitement for such a useful training method, especially one I put so much effort into modifying for him.

I point that out, and he quickly shakes his head, telling me I misunderstood. So I ask if he’s okay with me improving the inscriptions and making a few last-minute changes to increase the training effect.

He gives me one of those brilliant smiles, the kind that looks like it belongs in a photoshoot, and nods in a way that almost seems like he’s about to shake his head.

***

Even though only 24 hours remain, a lot happens in the meantime.

My sister is declared the Absolute candidate by Lissandra, who seems to respect her more than me. Unsurprisingly, there is no big fanfare about it since not even Vic wants to make a big issue out of it; she just accepts it in her pragmatic way.

Rumor has it that Lucien, also known as Spacepup, was kidnapped for a few hours by a silver-haired woman because of a skill he possesses. This incident may have worsened the PTSD the little jerk already had. So sad. Poor guy. I just hope that the woman didn’t find him only because someone talked to Myrra and told her to ask the silver-haired woman to check on him. He seemed to be trying pretty hard to stay under the radar.

Some people come to visit me, but I don’t accept any of them. Derick is one of the more notable ones, along with Yama, who, despite being one of the “kings,” follows that young Chinese girl, acting like her personal guard or servant.

Sophie and Maya speak to them briefly before they leave.

The deal with Savant is wrapped up as well. The most cowardly, or perhaps the most patient, man in the world leaves, seemingly satisfied with our agreement. This time, I am too. Examining the Sword of Aeons gave me a lot of ideas for improving my future items.

After he leaves, Tacita stops by, but only to stand near Lily and observe her. When Lily shows no signs of resentment or harm from being attacked by Tacita during the last event, the mute woman looks pleased, if only for a moment.

Out of everyone here, she probably likes Lily the most. It's the kind of gratitude an injured animal might show to the human who healed its broken bone and fed it while it was weak. That sort of thing. Even though she attacked Lily during the last event, I’m fairly sure that if Lily had been in real danger of dying, Tacita wouldn’t have gone through with it. And I’m just as sure that this only applies to Lily.

After confirming whatever she needed, Tacita vanishes again, but not before drawing an emoji into the air with the tip of her finger glowing with mana.

(´• ω •`)ﾉ

As time runs out, people spend more of it doing last-minute trades or saying their goodbyes. I spend some of that time with Victoria, where we say our farewells away from everyone else. We share a few more pieces of information, advice, and some plans, hoping we might meet again in Beyond. I also visit a few other people to make plans for an expedition to Beyond.

Neither of us is good at this kind of thing, so we keep it brief and part ways with a promise to see each other at the next tournament, which will probably happen in a year.

All that needed to be addressed is taken care of just like that when the tournament ends and its final notification appears.

Congratulations on completing your 2nd tournament!

The third tournament will occur three years after the start of your tutorial. All rounds from Earth’s tutorial will compete together against another planet undergoing its own tutorial.

Congratulations, you have placed first overall in the 2nd tournament of Earth's tutorial. Your reward has been improved.

Congratulations, you have placed first in the overall crafter rankings of Earth's tutorial. Your reward has been improved.

You have rejected all event rewards in order to increase your final reward. Your reward has been greatly improved.

Please choose 2 out of 5 possible rewards.

Rewards to choose from:

Three active skills combination token

Two passive skill combination tokens (up to mid-arcane rarity)

Passive skill (mid arcane)

500,000 shards

two 30-day beyond-stay tokens

***

Flashback Tess Hansen

Everyone except the little puppy in my arms is gone. There is just a single sentence in front of me:

Participation in the tournament is not possible in the current state.

With a sigh, I sit down on the ground and look at Biscuit. "There is likely only one reason why I stayed behind, right? Did you know?"

The speed of his wagging tail increases, and he licks my face before squirming out of my hands. After that, his size increases until he grows into his "adult" form... obviously, he can do that now. Likely he could have done it before as well, but he decided to remain a little pup because he enjoyed the attention and the easier time when begging for food.

As he settles into his adult form, his fur ripples along the sides of his head, and tiny, budding baby deer antlers begin to grow.

(Knew. One of us. Help.) he says.

"Aren't you the cutest little thing?"

He wags his tail even faster and moves closer, nuzzling my hand until I pet him.

"I probably am not a mimic, or it's so fucked up that I am one without even realizing it. I think I could use [Declaration] to ensure I die the moment the mimic takes over, but if I do that and I'm not a mimic, it might decide to kill me, knowing there is no way to win."

(Friend. Still.)

"Oh? So you are saying I'm not a mimic yet?"

(One of us!)

"Your speech is better now. Is it because of these things?" I reach out and tap his antlers. In response, he woofs at me.

"I see. I'm glad to hear that. I promise I will tell Nat to feed you a lot and pet you frequently."

He woofs twice.

"Can you promise me something? I don't want to use [Declaration] as it could provoke the mimic, but if it takes over me, can you kill me?"

(Not one of us. Food.)

For that brief moment, Biscuit seems terrifying.

"Thank you. Lissandra must have known, and knowing her, she will use it to bully Nathaniel. But Biscuit, who does that woman think I am? Some damsel who will sit here and wait for her ex to save her?"

(Damsel? Food?)

"No, 'damsel' isn't food. It's the word you use to describe a weak woman who would rather rely on others to save her."

I lift him up from the ground. He is a bit heavier, but he quickly shrinks back to his puppy size. The antlers become much smaller, further adding to the already remarkable cuteness of this corgi.

"I think I have a plan, but I might have to do some bad things. I don't mind it and will gladly pay the price with my conscience if it means I can see our friends again. And if I fail and die, so be it just me, and only me. Will you help me?"

(One of us.) A cheeky smile appears on his puppy face. (Help. Friend.)

"Thank you. Then, let's head to the second front and find some mimics to talk with."

***

Next Chapter