While everyone was mesmerized by the overwhelming performance, Na-me created a gigantic fist with her external manifestation and opened it wide.
Thud!
Her wrist slammed into the ground, and her five fingers stretched out toward the audience.
Na-me’s fans could easily guess what her intentions were.
Sitting atop the webbed fingers, Na-me fidgeted her legs in the air while waiting for the referees’ victory declaration.
“The match is over! The match is over! A new history has been written at the France National Exchange Tournament! NoName has overcome a 6-year age gap! Defeating Narita Hiroyuki! She proudly takes home the first win with 3 points! Thus, NoName will be recorded as the only player to win at the National Exchange Tournament at the age of 10 years and 1 month!”
“Waaaaaa!”
With the match result confirmed, thunderous cheers erupted in the stadium.
For 30 minutes, it was a nail-biting moment for the Koreans.
While they knew Na-me was strong, there was a lingering doubt in the back of their minds that she might not be able to overcome her age.
In just one match, Na-me shook off all the distrust in herself.
She had become a goddess dominating the communities of the whole world.
[Da Na-me Dragon Killing Strike…gif]
(Imperial Palace Swordsmanship Technique #5, Dragon’s Heart Thrust.gif)
[Upvote 25715] [Downvote 132]
[Comments]
–Wow sis. You can turn the match around in one go.
–Just the greatest GOAT in human history.
–How can I not praise? Hahaha!
–Is that even a reasonable number of upvotes? That’s insane! Hahaha!
–Hah… How can you not worship her?
–This is superstar material, I shouted it directly! Haha!
–Making history with her own swordsmanship? Romantic GOAT.
–Even her fluttering twin tails look like art.
[Live] Na-me awkwardly checking for attention during the ceremony! Hahaha!
(Na-me riding on the Demon King’s hand.gif)
(Na-me shaking her legs.gif)
(Na-me stretching her neck, checking the referees.gif)
(Na-me helping Narita by pulling him out of the pit.gif)
Trying to create a mischievous image, but can’t hide her true personality! Hahaha!
[Comments]
–She does it for us! Hahaha!
–But it also makes me feel weird, right? Hahaha!
–That’s definitely straining her nerves!
–Awww Na-me is so cute! Hahaha!
–When it’s her job, she’s more terrifying than anyone… A kid who buries her opponents in the ground…
[Narita Hiroyuki interview clip]
Q: You started off applying good pressure but allowed a massive hit that changed the course of the match in an instant. Are you not disappointed?
A: Not really. After the match ended, I felt from the start that I had been deceived by her. I began to doubt whether my sword was truly following my will. I will analyze my mistakes thoroughly and prepare well for the next match.
[Comments]
–Look at how her eyes instantly softened! Hahaha!
–Suddenly becoming sweet, how funny! Hahaha!
“I doubted my sword”—that’s just the utmost praise from a sword user, right? Hahaha!
–They were probably exchanging sword techniques like barrier-death+real-time coordinate transformations, so it seems he felt the wall properly.
–Seriously, NoName’s multitasking ability is insane.
Is this the pinnacle of magic swordsmen…?
It was a night where excitement just wouldn’t settle.
Even office workers who had to go to work the next day couldn’t put their phones down.
The community was overflowing with 15-second highlight GIFs being constantly produced.
There were many memorable moments in the match that were worth recalling.
Even experts in the magic field were shocked.
On a radio broadcast, an active magic battle coach from the United States came on to analyze the duel.
“I believe it showed a surprising amount of skill disparity among the players.”
“So you’re saying NoName was overwhelming?”
“No, I meant the opposite.”
“Huh?”
“You see, dueling is inherently an unfair sport. Everyone has different amounts of mana, yet the absolute quantity of barriers to break remains the same. In terms of mana, strength, speed, output, and so forth, it was clear that Narita Hiroyuki had the upper hand, yet…”
“NoName won in the end.”
“Hahaha. That’s why I truly want to admire NoName’s strategy and decision-making. But NoName, you will likely have to face even harsher conditions in the future. Make sure to recover well during the remaining time.”
*
“Ahh, it’s warm…”
I soaked in a hot bath while reading an article from the newspaper.
The group stage of the France National Exchange Tournament had concluded.
Foreign media generally assessed the qualifiers as lacking surprises, except for the first match.
The American trio easily secured victories, while the European champion, Monica Ricci, concluded the match in the first half.
France’s Rochfort saved face for the host country by defeating Tunisia’s Ben Jafar after a long battle.
Katsuhata Emika managed to snag a somewhat tough victory against China’s Lu Ruowan.
Opinions were divided between those saying Emika’s performance had dropped compared to previous years and those arguing she had always been a slow starter.
If there was any upset, it was that Argentine girl Giselle Fischer almost defeated Germany.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t bring the barrier down below 20% by just a few seconds, resulting in a draw.
In the midst of various records pouring out from the National Exchange Tournament, Love Kim proudly made her mark.
She annihilated Estonia in just 9 minutes and 50 seconds, claiming the title for the fastest victory.
Given how critical the local sentiment had been towards Love, I was secretly worried, but now I couldn’t find even a trace of doubt remaining.
As I flipped to the next page, articles about the match I had played two days ago flooded in.
Perhaps it was the only match that could be considered an upset.
Honestly, who other than Koreans would bet on my victory?
For those who placed bets in the national pride coin, they got to enjoy some good earnings.
[Youngest Participant at the National Exchange Tournament, NoName, humiliates Narita Hiroyuki with a score of 37:5]
[“I could’ve played the third half too!” NoName shakes off fatigue while running in the training arena right after the match.]
[Narita Sect, ‘All-time Collapse’… Katsuhata Sect continues to thrive.]
[‘Korea-Japan’ NoName Interview “Narita Hiroyuki is a talented sword user… I hope he breaks out of his shell soon.”]
Below these were smaller articles contributing to the column and analysis on strategy.
It seemed there was particular interest in the hallucination barrier magic that played a crucial role in decisively defeating Narita Hiroyuki, as well as the Imperial Palace Swordsmanship that created a level match.
Meanwhile, the official SNS channel of the National Exchange Tournament posted a prominent picture of me performing the “Dragon’s Heart Thrust.”
Originally, such moves are cool if you have long limbs, but me doing it? Not exactly looking great.
Yet my posture, even I must admit, looked perfect!
Ding!
“Huh?”
I received a message from Cheon Saetbyeol.
[Cheon Saetbyeol: I’m already in front of the hotel, when are you coming out?]
[NoName: I’m still in the bath.]
[Cheon Saetbyeol: (Kyahhh Na-me icon) We said we’d go shopping at 3 after lunch!!!]
[NoName: Come up. Rest in my room.]
Just as I sent the message, the doorbell rang.
Ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong!
Water dripped from my hair, wetting the hallway.
I hastily wrapped a large towel around myself and opened the door.
“Eek! A water ghost! Hurry and get back in the bath, quick!”
I was forcibly banished back to the shower, but I had a conversation with Saetbyeol across the glass wall.
Soaking deeply in the tub, I pressed a button to raise the blinds installed on the glass wall.
Saetbyeol raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“Oh, what? No more modesty for you, huh? Have we evolved to some naked relationship?”
“What are you talking about? You can’t see anything from that angle anyway. It’s family after all, no need to get awkward.”
“Hehe, right? But hey, suddenly I feel all itchy. Should I try some jumping exercises on the bed?”
“Hey, no! Don’t get up! Just sit still!”
“Just kidding! And what’s there to see about your body? That’s overconfidence!”
“Hey, you always say stuff like that!”
I submerged my body just below my nose in the water.
While Saetbyeol watched TV, I let bubbling air escape my mouth and enjoyed the moment of peace.
“But do you have to keep training?”
“I don’t have the energy. Try being the one competing, you’ll see how exhausting it is.”
Yesterday, I had spent the whole day working on my magic with Love.
Shivering in the cold, I barely survived.
Having eliminated the fatigue from Aura Heart, it was urgent to relax my muscles during the remaining time.
Bored from endlessly analyzing the National Exchange Tournament footage, I decided to summon Saetbyeol for shopping.
[NoName struck straight at Narita’s heart!]
“Great Great NoName! Now this is it!”
Saetbyeol was raving while watching the highlight of the 64th round.
Having family praise you is a completely different sensation than when receiving adoration online.
A warm feeling surfaced, and I found myself smiling without noticing it.
“Huh? Why?”
“Nothing. I’ll be out soon.”
The shower didn’t take long since I had already prepared.
Changing into casual clothes, we made our way to the shopping mall called Bell Epine.
Having only been back and forth between lodgings and training arenas in Europe, I hadn’t actually gotten to explore properly.
In the meantime, Saetbyeol told me she had traveled around with Yuna’s family everywhere.
“Did you go to the Louvre Museum?”
“Yep, of course!”
“Did you go up the Eiffel Tower?”
“Isn’t that a must-go?”
“Ah… I wish I could have gone with you.”
I realized just how much she had explored compared to me.
Once the National Exchange Tournament was over, it might be hard to find a place she hadn’t visited.
“I wouldn’t mind going again. It’s not about seeing the sights; what matters is being there together.”
Saetbyeol spoke nonchalantly.
I pondered over her words for a long time before I could only reluctantly agree.
“Wow, this outfit is so pretty! Should I try it on? It fits perfectly!”
She held up a T-shirt with a big pink teddy bear in the middle.
It was obvious she was deliberately picking out the childish designs that I hated.
But this time, I decided to change my mind.
“This looks good! Should I try it on?”
“Eh… For real?”
Seeing that my reaction was not what she expected, her face turned visibly surprised.
I wasn’t going to be the only one who got played. I decided to counterattack now.
“Let’s do a couple look. You should wear it too.”
“Ew, I’m a plus-size! It’s for children, it won’t fit me.”
“As long as it gives you that cropped look, who cares? Wait… isn’t this a cropped shirt?”
I looked around, realizing we weren’t in the kids’ section at all.
In other words, she was well and truly talking nonsense about the cropped shirt fitting me perfectly.
“Pffft! I seriously didn’t know! Hahaha! It’s a misunderstanding! What’s wrong with an adult cropped shirt, as long as it fits you?”
“Hey! Do you want to die?!”
“Should we share the changing room?”
“Get out! I’ll change alone.”
I confidently headed toward the changing room, holding the outfit.
I held up the hanger in front of my body, but coincidentally, the fit was just right.
‘Why are women’s clothes getting smaller lately…?’
While I sulked internally, I impatiently closed the changing room door.
Then, a pink suspenders skirt flew over the top of the door.
“Try this one on too! I think it’ll look great on you! It’s definitely a child’s size!”
*
At the same time, Narita Hiroyuki and Narita Mei entered the same shopping mall.
While this was partially coincidence, Bell Epine is also well-known as a fashion haven in France that attracts foreigners.
Starting off with one loss apiece, the Narita sect’s boy and girl were determined to shop to relieve their stress.
“Hiroyuki, don’t only buy black clothes. Try some brighter shades; it changes your impression! Also, maybe get rid of those weird thorn bracelets.”
“I wear white clothes often when I train.”
“Ugh, I mean, try to wear brighter colors normally too. Just follow the trends!”
“Trends aren’t something you follow; a celebrity like me sets them.”
“Sigh… What am I even saying to you…”
Mei’s long-standing project of turning Hiroyuki into a fashionable person was repeatedly failing.
While wandering through the store, they spotted a pair of girls wearing couple outfits from behind.
The girls were happily sharing soft ice cream on a bench in the central plaza.
“Whoa, couple looks!”
“Is it a mom and daughter?”
“No, they don’t look like it. I think they’re sisters. The teddy bear logo and the pink skirts are super cute.”
“That kind of outfit is for weaklings.”
“Hiroyuki…! That’s a mean thing to say!”
“I just stated a fact. I’ve never seen strong people wearing outfits like that.”
“Of course not… How many people in this world are stronger than you?”
People in the plaza began to gather around the girls one by one.
As they exchanged greetings, the smaller girl confidently drew her signature on people’s backs.
“Celebrity?”
At that moment, twin-tailed Na-me slowly turned her head upon sensing the commotion.
Hiroyuki’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.
The 10-year-old girl who had completely obliterated him two days ago, NoName.
Spotting Narita, she smiled and beckoned him to come over.
Suddenly, Hiroyuki’s legs moved of their own accord, paralyzed by fear.
