In the suburbs of Paris lies the largest business district in Europe, ‘La Défense.’
Countless skyscrapers reaching 100 floors tall, and even a new Eiffel Tower towering 2.5 times higher than the original could be seen.
We took a bus, passing through the forest of buildings, and arrived at the hotel where we would be staying.
Receiving a warm welcome from the National Exchange Tournament Committee and hotel staff, we headed to our assigned room.
“Oh. Our names are written on the door.”
[2314 No Name]
[2315 Kim Isabel Love]
For a moment we were in awe, but then a sense of emptiness washed over us.
“Hey, Na-me, what about the card key? Or is it fingerprint recognition? Iris recognition? There isn’t any device on the door.”
“Uh… Do we have to go back to the lobby?”
Ding ding-
To our surprise, the door opened on its own.
I awkwardly grabbed the doorknob and said, “I guess it’s automatic.”
This high-tech hotel is certainly different from the rest.
“Hahaha! Na-me, did you see the frame on the bed? Hurry and take a look!”
Love Kim, who had entered her room first, shouted loudly.
Curious about what could be so exciting, I entered the master bedroom.
“Ah.”
Inside a large frame was my portrait staring back at me.
It showed me with my arms crossed, looking to the side.
At the bottom was ‘No Name’ elegantly engraved.
“Whoa, what do you think? Wow Na-me, you look super cute!”
Before I knew it, Love had infiltrated my room.
“Not really…”
It’s neither cool nor cute; it’s just too ordinary.
If only it had been one or the other, it would have been better.
I took a closer look at the two plush dolls sitting on the bed.
They were the mascots for this year’s National Exchange Tournament, Lunix and Looney.
Their names seemed to stem from the fact that the finals would be held under a supermoon on August 16th.
I lay face down on the soft blanket, hugging the fluffy yellow chicks.
“Ugh… I’ve been sitting in one place for too long, my whole body is stiff…”
I buried my face in the pillow and said.
Bus, airplane, another bus.
I felt like I was about to explode from discomfort.
A quiet silence settled in.
Just as I was about to turn around, feeling something strange –
Click-
“Huh! W-what!”
A tingling sensation shot through my thigh, making me scream without realizing it.
“Weren’t you asking for a massage?”
Love said with an innocent expression, giving a thumbs up.
“No, when did I…!”
“Come on, try it out! You’ll feel completely rejuvenated, dear customer.”
“Eek, wait a minute…”
“Just stay still, dear customer…! You seduced me first!”
Knock knock-
Thanks to the knocking, Love’s rampage was finally quelled.
I was about to go greet someone when I noticed the door was already half-open.
Looks like this person didn’t close the door properly when they left.
“PD?”
“Oh, I found the door open. If you two have already unpacked, could we film for about 5 minutes?”
“Yes, yes. Please come in.”
Amidst the mess of plush chicks scattered on the floor and the disheveled blanket,
Love and I hurriedly tidied the room and dressed neatly for the documentary shoot.
The room wasn’t that spacious, but I was very pleased to find a huge bathtub in the bathroom.
“I really want to stay at this nice accommodation longer and do my best to meet the expectations of our Korean fans.”
“Love Unni, if you drop out during the tournament, you’ll have to pack your things and leave that day.”
I made up a lie and shared it with Love Kim, who was in the middle of the interview.
“Oh man, then I should pack my swimsuit in advance.”
“Why the swimsuit?”
“Because I have to swim over there. Beep beep, left turn 8000km ahead.”
“Pfft.”
“Mobile pirate control zone ahead. Please beware of plundering!”
“Cough cough Unni, stop, stop.”
Love nonchalantly responded with a common comment from the netizens.
I bit my lips tightly, trying to suppress my laughter.
My pride is really taking a hit here.
*
With about a week left until the opening ceremony,
The Korean Wizard Association shared news about Na-me and Love via V-tube and social media, capturing the attention of Korean fans.
[Korean Magic Battle National Team | 670,000 Subscribers]
[#Reveal of the Robin Hood’s Accommodation at the France National Exchange Tournament (Feat. Na-me’s Humor Preferences) | France National Exchange Tournament EP.5]
– It’s nice to see the association actually doing their job for once. The accommodation is well decorated bb
└ Thanks to the staff who worked quietly in the background.
– Only a week left… I hope the athletes stay safe and achieve good results as prepared.
– Go Korea!
– (3:25) Na-me’s Senior moment of trying to hold back laughter
└ Haha, they actually made me laughㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ It wasn’t funny at all, but seeing Na-me laugh somehow made me laugh tooㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Isn’t her laughter too innocent?ㅋㅋㅋ
– Na-me, my love, my light. My darkness. My life.
– Am I the only one who feels uncomfortable…? Why say such things already about swimming over? That’s unlucky. Even if it’s a joke… ;
└ Yeah, you’re the only one who feels that way.
└ They can joke around, right? A hater?
└ FC Korea is starting to crawl out now as the tournament is about to beginㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Why are there so many hateful comments on Kim Love? Have you seen the latest ones? ㄷㄷ
FC Korea.
The term refers to people who usually show no interest in Korean soccer but go wild during the national team’s games; the term was similarly adopted in the Magic Battle as well.
Given that there’s even no domestic Magic Battle Pro League, the situation is even worse than soccer.
It also didn’t help that the timing of Love Kim losing in the Japan-Korea match coincided with people beginning to show interest in the National Exchange Tournament.
Witnessing this, hardcore Magic Battle fans wrote enraged posts in the community.
[Domestic Magic Gallery]
[As a 15-year European and American Magic Battle fan, let me tell you.]
The probability of breaking through the group stage and moving on to the round of 64 is far higher for Kim Love than for No Name, that’s a fact.
While Kim Love’s advancement to the round of 32 is practically assured, No Name would need to overcome at least 2 out of the USA, Japan, and England to advance.
Alright, let’s say No Name somehow advances.
Is the stamina issue going to be resolved by ancestors?
Even more so, No Name’s Group I is a monstrous hellhole beyond compare!
No matter how it is for the USA, if the pace collapses, that’s exactly what the National Exchange Tournament is.
Adding a little national pride, Kim Love is expected to make the quarter-finals, while No Name is realistically a sixteen-nation ranking.
[Comments]
– Seems like the fan’s sentiment is off the charts. I was thinking 16 or 32.
└ (Author) Haha, caught! But I wish No Name could have made it to the quarter-finals if the bracket luck was good.
– Everyone knows.
– That’s why No Name is training so hard alone.
└ (Author) For real, that was wise. Those who come up with half-baked strategies usually end up failing, that’s science.
[Frustrated internet experts who fail to support the athletes, but instead throw out the round of 32 remarks is disgusting.]
It seems these folks are lowering their expectations in advance because they’ll be angry if results don’t meet their expectations.
I get not liking national pride, but the European and American Magic Association have Korea marked as a strong candidate for the championship.
Let’s just believe in both Kim Love and No Name and support them!
[Comments]
– Where’s that information coming from?
└ You don’t know because you didn’t look it up. During a survey with 35 Magic Battle experts from BBC, Korea was rated highest after the USA, Japan, and Italy.
– There’s certainly a tendency to undervalue Korea only here.
– How can a fourth-place team be a championship candidate?
└ Fourth is sufficientㅋㅋㅋ Last year, Japan ended up in eighth or ninth.
– Still, isn’t Kim Love for domestic consumption? After showing that kind of performance in the Japan-Korea match…
└ It’s because the Japanese fought cowardly, okay.
└ What do you mean cowardlyㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The opinions of fans within the community also fail to converge easily.
Predicting results is extremely difficult in a tournament filled with countless variables.
Just last year, some players showed promising performances right up to qualifying rounds, only to completely flop in the finals, while others participated despite being injured.
The community became a battlefield.
Every now and then, wise ones appeared to create miraculous peace, like a Christmas truce.
[Live Best]
[How to enjoy the National Exchange Tournament correctly]
Na-me, being 10 years old, and complaining about stamina; Love Kim losing to Japan but still having the nerve to… (x)
At a National ‘Exchange’ tournament party, read the shorts where the players make their appearance (o)
(Na-me dipping Hawaiian pizza into milk in front of Italians.gif)
(Na-me picking only the fish off sushi in front of Japanese.gif)
(Na-me removing the sweet filling from macarons in front of French.gif)
(Na-me pouring too much water on Shin Ramyeon in front of Kim Love.gif)
Hey, wasn’t this the main thing?
[Recommended 2194] [Disapproved 245]
[Comments]
– Na-me is so funnyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– What was that last part?ㅋㅋㅋ
– Right, the original idea of the National Exchange Tournament wasn’t to fight.
└ But this is genuinely a challenge…!
└ Sounds like my sister who only eats pork when having kimchi fried rice.
└ Oh man, that’s like Na-me too…
– Ah, the Han River Shin Ramyeon!!!
– This is a controversy.
– The Italian lady’s expression is quite fierce ㄷㄷ
– What happens if they provoke Korea too?
The Middle Eastern war that shook the world came to an end in 2024, and it’s been 27 years since nations began hosting the National Exchange Tournament with the goal of fostering unity and mutual understanding.
While dueling is a part of it, the essential purpose revolves around the exchange of promising young wizards.
One week before the opening match, 64 participants gathered in the party room.
With the exception of security personnel and cameramen, all the adults vacated their seats, per tradition.
The person attracting the most attention in the party room was Na-me.
She was moving from table to table, hand in hand with Love Kim, tasting food from around the world.
“Hey! Hey there, young lady? Can we have a quick talk?”
A girl with luscious golden blonde hair like a lion’s mane grabbed Na-me’s wrist.
Monica Ricci, the 2052 Europa Junior champion.
Even she, noted for her patience, could not tolerate Na-me’s barbaric and ignorant act of wrapping Aglio e Olio Pasta in salami slices and eating it.
“What kind of barbaric and ignorant behavior is this?”
“Well, I remember the locals eating it this way when I traveled a long time ago.”
“Which country was that?”
“Oh, that’s a bit hard to say…”
“Even saying that, this is food made by an Italian chef. You need to respect our food culture.”
“Monica Ricci, right? Just try it and see. Trust me, it’s genuinely delicious…”
Na-me pouted her lower lip and looked pitifully at her.
In her gaze, it seemed small diamond jewels were flying.
To make matters worse, there was a camera next to us.
“Okay, just how grotesque and dreadful this food is, it should be revealed to the world.”
To prepare for her taste buds being mortified, she gripped the glass of water tightly in her left hand and took the Pasta wrap Na-me offered.
“Mmm, umph! So Aglio e Olio Pasta traditionally has rich garlic aromas, olive oil flavors, and salty… huh?”
“Surprisingly not bad, huh?”
“Why isn’t it salty at all…?”
“I toned down the seasoning to match with the pasta. See, it’s not at all inedible.”
Monica Ricci clutched her hair and fell into self-denial.
Na-me moved gracefully to another table to recreate the foods she had taste-tested in her past life.
