The Prince of Lethers moved to the guesthouse prepared by the Zers Empire after his meeting with Yuren.
While he was on the way with his subordinates, his loyal aide Hans said,
“That Yuren the Wizard is surprisingly young. Honestly, I can’t believe it.”
“I was shocked when I first saw him too.”
Anyone who has participated in a fighting game or martial arts has experienced the moment where you gauge whether your opponent is better or worse than you the instant the first punch is thrown. It’s an indescribable numerical sensation, but it’s something anyone who has reached a certain level has felt.
The subordinates of Lethers, trained in martial arts, had reached that level. They sensed that the creator of the Legend Fighter they would be playing against had extraordinary experience. So, they imagined that Yuren, the creator of the Legend Fighter, must be a warrior with at least 50-60 years of experience.
However, what appeared before them was surprisingly a young man in his twenties with silver hair. As the Prince of Lethers began to speak casually and missed the opportunity to interrogate whether Yuren was truly the developer of the Legend Fighter, they were left with confusion.
“Didn’t you notice? His soul has lived at least 60 years.”
“Huh?”
“That can’t be… No matter how you look at it, he seemed human. Was he an Elf?”
“No, he was definitely human.”
The royal family of the Kingdom of Ra, which carried the blood of dragons, was sensitive to the aura emitted by beings like magic. In that moment, Prince Lethers felt the human energy from Yuren, but he also sensed the aura of a human soul that could only come from someone who had lived 50-60 years. They couldn’t understand Yuren, yet the prince wore an expression of understanding.
“I heard from Lord Herness that he’s a disciple of the sage Irene.”
“Irene? As in…”
The hero of the Millennium War, the name of the sage Irene was known even in the Kingdom of Ra. If he was a disciple of such a Grand Mage, it made sense that Yuren’s soul would be that of a 60-year-old.
“Right, a sage elf blessed by the World Tree living for a millennium. If he is a disciple of such a being, it wouldn’t be strange for him to have received some magical treatment to maintain his youth.”
The world of magic is vast. There are no magic spells for immortality, but rumors of spells that extend lifespan by ten years in exchange for great magical materials exist. They had heard that the side effects generally involved changing one’s face or turning skin green, but if the sage Irene had done such magic on his disciple without any side effects, it made sense for Yuren’s actual age to be around 60.
“That’s scary. To hide such claws behind that innocent face…”
“Haha! Anyone challenging someone with dragon blood should have claws like that!”
Even if his master was a sage and had received some magical blessing from the sage Irene, Lethers didn’t think that was cowardly at all. After all, he himself had received tremendous blessings from his dragon blood.
Thanks to the blessing of this dragon blood, Lethers had never experienced a fair fight in his life. He was always the strong one, and his opponents were weak. But this time it was different. His opponent was blessed by the sage Irene and was a being with the essence of nothingness, capable of creating a Legend Fighter.
This was Lethers’s first encounter where he would fight an opponent on equal terms. He felt his dragon heart racing.
“I wonder what the sage’s secret is to defeat me without using magic. I’m excited, haha!”
However, it wouldn’t be easy for Yuren, the Wizard, to defeat him using martial arts alone, unless he had received some secret technique from the sage.
Yes, there must definitely be something. Prince Lethers entered the guesthouse, looking forward to seeing what that something would be.
Naturally, Yuren hadn’t received any technique or special treatment. The misunderstanding about Yuren deepened in places Yuren wasn’t aware of.
*
The next day came.
Finally, that day had arrived. The day he hoped wouldn’t come, the day he wanted to forget.
It was the day of the duel with the prince.
“Are you ready, Yuren?”
“Yes… Mineva.”
Mineva, who had come to check on my condition one last time, asked. I was waiting in the waiting room wearing the mixed black and gold uniform of the Imperial Army, like the protagonist Karuga of the Legend Fighter. I wasn’t dressed in the Imperial Army uniform for cosplay; I wore it as a request from the Minister’s Office because it represents the Empire.
Really, they had requested the most ridiculous things.
“Mineva, why are we having the duel at the Zephia Coliseum?”
I was currently in the waiting room of the Zephia Coliseum. This was indeed the place where the Super Thomas event had taken place. When I first heard about it, I was told we would be using the Imperial Army training grounds, but suddenly yesterday, the location changed to here.
“Since the Queen and His Majesty the Emperor will be spectating, a place like the training ground is not fitting.”
“I see. But…”
“Lamb hotdogs for sale!”
“One here, please!”
The Zephia Coliseum was packed with an incredibly large number of people. I had been told only a few related parties would gather, but it looked like all the citizens of the Empire had gathered in Zephia.
“Why are there so many spectators!?”
“Well… it just happened that way…”
I later learned that rumors about my duel with the prince had spread among the nobles of Zephia. The mad dragon who embarrassed the Empire and the wizard who created the Legend Fighter were battling before the Queen and His Majesty the Emperor.
Though I didn’t know much about the wizard’s ability, seeing such a grand scale meant he must be a proven powerhouse. The nobles of the Empire gathered at the Zephia Coliseum to witness the moment when their pride would be restored.
“This place is entry by invitation only.”
“I’m from the third team of the Minister’s Office. I need to go in for work.”
“I’m Malek, the commander of the former Southern Region Tiger Unit of the Imperial Army. I’m going in.”
“I’m from the Imperial Palace’s security detail. I’ll be guarding here just in case.”
“I’m ‘AAA’ and I supply bread to the palace. I believe I’m somewhat related too.”
As distant relatives and in-laws began to enter one by one, the Coliseum became uncontrollable, and Lethers’s side declared, “Haha! The more spectators there are, the more exciting the fight will be! It’s fine!” So they just went ahead with it.
Everyone thought it was absolutely insane.
“I… I have a lot of work, so I’m leaving!”
Mineva fled, and my family, who had been waiting outside, entered. Irene, Jiren, Karen, Noirin, Julia, and Sylvia all came to support me.
Seeing my family after so long brought me to the brink of tears.
“Brother, there are so many people out there. It feels like a big deal if you lose.”
“True, I might have to run away to another country.”
The situation had turned into a fight that bore the pride of a nation, reminiscent of the historic match between Korea and Japan in my previous life. Losing here wouldn’t just be embarrassing—it would be disastrous.
“Hahahaha! It’s okay. Our Yuren is strong; he will surely win. He’s weaker than I am, but still, hahahaha!”
Julia encouraged me while patting my shoulder. I tried my best to smile brightly, but seeing my hands tremble, it seemed Julia was just as worried.
Just then, Sylvia took my hand and said,
“Hang in there, Yuren. No matter the outcome, I and the Edward Consortium will always be on your side. So please just come back safe.”
“Thank you, Sylvia.”
Knowing how powerful the prince was, Sylvia looked at me with even more worried eyes.
Then Julia shot a sharp glare at me and Sylvia.
Why is she looking like that?
“Yes, my disciple, if you lose, don’t worry; I will definitely avenge you!”
My master held my hand, encouraging me. Even if it was just words, such encouragement from my master gave me great strength.
“I appreciate it, even if it’s just words. Thank you, Master.”
“It’s… it’s true…”
While that exchange was happening, I heard a sound from outside.
“Yuren, it’s time.”
“Then I’ll be back.”
I stood up and headed towards the arena. My shoulders felt heavy. The pride of my nation rested on them, in addition to my family.
But the more I thought about it, the stranger it felt. To have a game developer do something so crazy, I would definitely demand a huge reward from the Minister’s Office after this ends. If they refuse, I might have to sue.
As those complicated thoughts were swirling in my head, I heard my master’s voice from behind.
“My disciple!… Enjoy yourself out there.”
“Yes, Master.”
Alright, I’ll save those headache-inducing thoughts for later. For now, let’s focus on the present and enjoy the fight in front of me. There’s no need to complicate things.
Right now, I was heading to partake in a fighting game.
“Then I’ll have a good game and come back.”
With those words, I climbed up to the Zephia Coliseum.
The dragon was waiting for me.
