Chapter 550 - Start of the 2nd Tournament

POV Kim Min-Jae

We've been told over and over that once a mimic gets inside you, there's no getting it out. Even Tess kept reminding us like we didn’t already know. I still remember those days when we were running from the 2nd Front. The cold biting at us, her eyes always watching, making sure none of us got infected. She never let her guard down—not even once. That’s what I thought.

Even back then, I noticed the toll it took on her.

I should have put it together. But I didn’t. Not because I couldn’t, but because it never even crossed my mind. Any of us could get infected, sure. But her? I thought she was too strong for that. Too smart. Too careful.

And now, I feel like I’m about to break. I don’t know if I should cry or just sit down and stop thinking. It feels like the air’s been sucked out of my lungs, and I can’t do anything about it. I can’t lose her. Not Tess. Not another friend.

I look at the others, but no one says anything. No one has to. It’s all over their faces. Fear, doubt, that awful sinking feeling that we might already be too late. No one wants to say it, but I know they’re thinking it. I’m thinking about it too.

I wonder if Tess knew. If, for even a second, she realized it before we did.

Then I hear Nathaniel talking to Lissandra, and she gives him an offer. She says she can save Tess, even if it means going against Mimic Absolute. She says it like it’s nothing like it’s already decided like she can bend the world to her will. Like she knows everything will go her way no matter what. And for a second, I believe her.

But there’s a catch. Nathaniel has to win the tournament.

To win all the events of the tournament, to obliterate every opponent in his way.

Against the winners of tournaments from the other rounds.

Against the Beyond attendees like him.

Against the future Champions and likely Earth’s Absolute.

Against the best out of Earth’s First Generation.

I try to picture it, him standing alone against all of them. The best fighters, the monsters in human form, the ones who also went through the same dangers we did. Even knowing how strong he is, it seems impossible to be sure he can do it. He’ll be up against people who’ve trained for this, people who’ve endured these two years to reach the top.

People who won’t hesitate, who won’t care that someone’s life is on the line. Because to them, this is just another fight.

I can’t even imagine what that pressure must feel like. Knowing someone’s life depends on you. It would bury me. It would tear me apart before I even stepped onto the battlefield.

And Nathaniel? He just answers without hesitation.

"Consider it done."

Same tone as always. Same calm expression. Like it’s just another task to check off a list.

Like he’s never even considered losing.

Congratulations, you have fulfilled the requirements to level up your subclass!

[Initiate of Envy] > [Adept of Envy]

He makes it look so easy. Like winning is just a matter of deciding to do it.

A shaky breath slips out, unnoticed until now. My fingers tremble, tightening into fists, but the shaking doesn’t stop.

What am I even doing here?

Nathaniel moves forward without hesitation, already planning his next step, while everything feels stuck in place. Watching him, it’s impossible to tell if it’s admiration or resentment building up. Maybe both.

I'm not even sure which one it is anymore.

***

POV Nathaniel

I turn away from Lissandra and toward group 4. Damn, these guys, they can be scary as fuck but what would they do without me? They were about to jump around like headless chickens and might even have tried to attack Lissandra.

I mean, I would love to see it, but this isn’t the time for that. Maybe later.

“Sophie and Maya, you are the replacements for Tess and will deal with the other groups and any annoying stuff.”

“I… Nat, Tess is...”

“Don’t worry about it, Maya. I will take care of it, and Lissandra will keep her word—of that much I’m sure.”

Sophie steps ahead. “You realize how crazy what she’s asking is, right? That’s totally unreasonable! She could have told us something! Or just helped!”

“That’s not how she works,” I wave it off. “But don’t worry. Once I get even close to her level, I’ll beat the shit out of her for everything. And extra.”

“You are free to try anytime, little pup,” Lissandra answers again with that air of absolute confidence, then taps Myrra on the shoulder.

After Myrra waves to us, they both leave, heading toward the top of the huge hill we are on. There are already a lot of presences in the area farther away from us. Similarly to the first tournament, they also climb toward the top of the hill.

Looking around, there is a nearly invisible barrier surrounding the entire hill we are on. It’s clearly the system’s work—I can tell right away—and it seems like it won’t let anything pass through.

There are also several huge hills in the distance, each ending in a large flat area. Smaller hills sit atop that space, along with some forests and many houses. They look almost like perfect copies of the first tournament’s common area and our hill. It seems that each round of the tutorial has its own hill, enclosed by a barrier that prevents us from mixing with other rounds for now.

As I start walking toward the top of the hill, the others follow me.

The tournament is a competitive base, but also an opportunity to meet your fellow tutorial attendees of your planet.

In one day, the events will start; until then, please enter the common area.

There are no monsters or natives, allowing other tutorial attendees to greet each other and continue to build up relationships.

Death is currently impossible on the tournament floor.

Enjoy your second tournament!

Even this notification is nearly the same as before. The system is lazy as always. So, just like last time, I check the number of participants in this tournament.

Easy Difficulty - 13,961

Normal Difficulty - 7,021

Hard Difficulty - 2,100

Hell Difficulty - 269

Beyond - 74

That allows for a good comparison to the other rounds, as our 5th round´s stats look like this:

Easy Difficulty 1299/2000

Normal Difficulty 853/1000

Hard Difficulty 222/500

Hell Difficulty 36/250

Beyond 10/10

There are two numbers that interest me the most. One is the current overall number of people in Hell difficulty of Earth: 269, nice.

Each round started with 250 people in Hell difficulty, so overall Earth started with 2500. Out of that 2500, only 269 are alive. Close to 90% of people in Hell difficulty died. Probably closer to 80%, as I think some people might not have joined—just like our round is missing some people from Hell difficulty, that mysterious group or groups.

Our round, the 5th one, has an above-average number of Hell difficulty survivors. If we had to split it evenly, each round would have 27 people left, yet our round has 36.

There is also one more telling number: the amount of people in Beyond. I would have expected it to be around 85–90, as each round can have 10 only, but it’s lower at 74.

Myrra and Lissandra are likely counted in Beyond, even though they haven’t completed their trials yet. That could be throwing the numbers off. But still, the 5th round having more than expected is hard to ignore.

Oh, then there is also that guy who started in Beyond. The asshole who grabs so much interest from the Rulers. I wonder if he ended up in this tutorial if he even can, or if he’s stuck sitting on his ass in Beyond.

Well, none of it matters that much now.

Knowing I cannot die here, I start doing things with Mana Cycling I was mostly avoiding before, or did with Lily’s help, and then I begin loosening the 1st seal of the Champion’s heart to see the reaction and get used to the output.

It’s a strange feeling, knowing there’s a limit and intentionally pushing past it. The body screams in warning, but the mind is already set. The next step is clear.

I will remove at least one of the seals during this tournament.

Because of this, before we reach the common area, I die twice.

***

Some of the people at the top of the hill are familiar to me. I see some memorable ones from Hell difficulty. I even notice Tacita sneaking around nearby. One of the signatures might be Savant, and another one is Gareth with his group. Some guys from Easy Difficulty still have those camping cars with solar panels and there are already some tents set up and even grilling going on.

Indeed, an Easy difficulty experience.

I breathe in the fresh air and once again feel my heartbeat speed up. I feel the need to use [Focus] to bring my emotions under control. Like a worm eating at me, there is that feeling of self-doubt. It whispers that I might fail this time. That it can’t be that simple. That even during the 1st tournament, I lost some events. So how could I not lose now, against all of Earth’s best? It whispers that even if I succeed Tess might be dead in these two weeks we spend here.

I don’t let any of this show. Even with how inept I can be socially, I see the others are worried for Tess. So showing them my confident side should help them.

But I'm also getting looks with a hint of pity.

Do they pity the responsibility I carry now, I wonder?

Taking a few last steps, I meet Channeler. The man is as handsome as before—maybe even more so. He is wearing a clean, fitted, stylish outfit and is smiling widely as if in a toothpaste commercial. There’s nearly no wind, but his hair still seems to wave as if he’s in a shampoo ad.

“Noname!” he greets me with a smile and shakes my hand.

As if he suddenly remembers something, he immediately lowers his excited voice to a calmer pitch. He was always like a chameleon, that guy.

I watch as he greets the others, giving them compliments right away. He notices Min-Jae’s more muscular figure. He mentions how the twins have gotten taller, which visibly makes them happy. He praises Lily, calling her even more beautiful than before, and does the same with the others.

I’m curious to see if he might ask about Tess, but even though he must have noticed, he tactfully doesn’t bring her up. As expected of such a high-level extrovert.

When it’s all done, I gesture to the twins, and they add him to our Connection.

(Oh, that’s new! No one in Easy can do this!) Channeler immediately starts talking excitedly in our minds.

(No one will listen in on us like this,) I answer. (So, to start: Tess won’t be here this tournament. But don’t worry, she’s okay.)

(I… I’m glad to hear that, Noname. I won’t ask for more, but if you need something, I’m here.)

(Thank you. And yes, I will need some things from you. But first, did Easy difficulty start leaving the tutorial?)

He smiles and gestures for us to follow, and we head toward a few benches near a fountain and sit there. (Yes, a few months ago, we think. The people who wanted to return to their families made groups and went ahead. Some were even talking about looting Earth before the higher difficulties return.)

(That’s dumb.)

(There are a lot of not-so-smart people,) Channeler answers more diplomatically. (I’m on the 13th floor currently, and it was mentioned that it is the last floor. But I made my group wait so I could meet you during the tournament, Noname.)

For a while, I just look at him. This guy really knows how to handle things.

(It's good you did. But didn't you rush it too much? You could've spent more time in the tutorial, leveled up, and gotten stronger.)

(I did all that, but Easy difficulty doesn’t offer as many opportunities as higher ones might. And… with what we’ve learned here in the tutorial, Earth might go through some changes. I want to get back and make sure my family is safe.)

(Well, in the end, it's up to you. So to start, my name is Nathaniel, so you can call me that through this link only.)

(I will do so! Thanks for trusting me, Nathaniel! My name is Rafael Vaughn.)

(Thanks for telling me, too. So it’s simple: during this tournament, when it comes to dealing with people, you can talk to Sophie and Maya instead of Tess. We won’t do much else, as I truly do not care about these things. Our objective for this tournament is just one, and I don’t think anyone in group 4 will disagree.)

As I scan their faces, I catch the small details. The way they shift slightly, the way their eyes stay focused. A few take measured breaths, steadying themselves. There is no nervous energy, no lingering doubt. Just preparation.

I turn back to Channeler and continue, (Before the tournament ends, I will make you an Arcane item that will make you the strongest person on Earth before anyone from Normal difficulty returns. No, it is very possible you will stay the strongest even after that, and you might even be able to take on some from Hard difficulty.)

Rafael’s expression flickers, just for a second. Then he laughs, shaking his head. (You really don’t do things halfway, huh?)

(If it needs to be done, I’ll do it properly.)

I shift my stance, feeling my mana settle. The first event is in a day, but time already feels like it’s moving too fast and too slow at the same time. There’s too much to prepare, too much to account for.

But it doesn’t matter.

Because the only outcome I’ll accept is winning.

***

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