"Hulim, it’s my turn to go on stage."

  At that moment, Miko stood up beside her, ready for her match.

  "Go get ’em. I’ll cheer for you here!"

  "Alright, I’m off!"

  Miko left the Contestant Waiting Room and headed toward the special passage leading to the arena.

  Hulim walked over to the window to watch.

  One entire wall of the waiting room was made of transparent glass, offering an unobstructed view of the entire arena below.

  Before long,

  Miko stepped onto the arena floor. Her opponent, who entered from the opposite passage, was a rather unusual sight—a Dwarf clad in heavy armor and wielding a massive greatsword.

  Judging by their fighting styles, Miko should have a slight advantage. She was an agility-focused combatant, after all.

  Ding——!

  The match bell rang. True to form, the Dwarf immediately charged at Miko. He’d clearly recognized their respective strengths and weaknesses—he needed to drag her into close combat as soon as possible, or risk being kept at bay and worn down from a distance.

  Seeing the Dwarf closing in, Miko quickly reacted. She retreated backward, re-establishing the distance between them.

  As she fell back, she unleashed a spell without hesitation.

  "Storm Spear!"

  The Dwarf leaped into the air, narrowly dodging the incoming attack. Realizing he couldn’t close in, he made a bold move—hurl ing his greatsword directly at Miko.

  But with ample space to maneuver, plus her agility and enhancement magic, the attack never stood a chance of hitting.

  Now temporarily weaponless, the Dwarf was put at an even greater disadvantage. Miko continued to chip away at him with long-range attacks......

  After a long, drawn-out battle, the Dwarf had no choice but to concede defeat.

  In truth, the Dwarf was no slouch. If he’d managed to get up close, the outcome would have been anyone’s guess. But Miko, in addition to her non-attribute magic, also wielded wind magic—making her far too fast for him to catch. He’d been doomed to lose from the start.

  "Good work."

  Hulim waited at the entrance of the waiting room as Miko returned.

  "Take a seat and rest for a bit."

  "Thanks!"

  Back inside, Miko flopped down onto a chair. Even though she’d dominated the match, it had taken a heavy toll on her. Her face was etched with exhaustion.

  "Hulim, who do you fight next?"

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  Miko asked, still lying on the chair.

  "Let me check the list."

  Hulim stood up, but before she could reach for the roster, the Dog Beastman who’d been sitting quietly in the corner finally moved.

  He rose to his feet, clutching his unusually long sword, and strode slowly toward the passage leading to the arena.

  "Is he the next one?"

  "Hmm. Who is he anyway?"

  Hulim’s words piqued Miko’s curiosity. She scrambled up from her chair and rushed to the window to watch.

  Now that she knew who was fighting next, Hulim didn’t need to check the list. She sat back down, determined to watch this match closely......

  On the arena floor, the Dog Beastman stood silently, his expression as impassive as ever—giving away nothing.

  His opponent was a Mage.

  Ding——!

  The match bell rang.

  Just like Miko had done in her previous fight, the Mage immediately fell back to create distance, intent on winning through long-range suppression.

  The Dog Beastman, by contrast, remained rooted to the spot, calm as ever.

  To the untrained eye, it looked like he hadn’t even heard the bell.

  Boom!

  A spell came crashing down toward him.

  He rolled to the side at the last second, narrowly avoiding the attack. The spell landed just behind him, erupting in a violent explosion. The shockwave hit him, but it had weakened enough by then to cause no harm.

  The Mage didn’t realize the gravity of the situation. He simply assumed the dodge was a stroke of luck. He kept casting spells at a steady pace, trying to pin the Dog Beastman down.

  And for a while, it seemed to work......

  The Dog Beastman was darting around the entire arena, scampering like a frightened animal as spells exploded all around him.

  But......

  Five minutes passed.

  The Dog Beastman was still scampering.

  Ten minutes passed.

  He was still on the run.

  Fifteen minutes passed.

  He hadn’t stopped running!

  Finally, the audience had had enough......

  "What the hell is this?"

  "Did you get lucky to make it this far?"

  "Hey! Why are you running! Aren’t you a close-range fighter—!?"

  "Charge at him already!"

  "Ugh, I can’t stand this! This is the most painful match to watch! I should’ve gone to another arena!"

  "Hey, Mage! Finish him off already! Stop letting him run circles around you!"

  "......"

  Boos and complaints echoed from the stands.

  The Mage felt immense pressure. He’d come to the tournament to make a name for himself, not to be humiliated because his opponent wouldn’t stand and fight. How could he tolerate this?

  But the problem was......

  He couldn’t hit the guy!

  No matter if he cast single-target spells or area-of-effect attacks, the Dog Beastman was as slippery as an eel.

  "What a joke!"

  "One guy spamming spells, the other running for his life!"

  "Are they even here to compete, or is this some kind of comedy act the organizers put together?"

  The audience’s grumbling grew louder by the second.

  Their frustration wasn’t just directed at the Dog Beastman—it was aimed at the Mage too.

  After all, if your opponent was this pathetic and you still couldn’t take him down, what did that make you? A loser.

  The audience’s verbal abuse was the final straw that broke the Mage’s sanity.

  "Damn you! Just stand still and let me blow you away——!!!"

  He unleashed all his most powerful spells in a frenzy, caring nothing about how long he could sustain the assault.

  A few more minutes passed.

  Hum——!

  The tip of the Mage’s wand flickered weakly once, then went dark.

  "Damn it! Work! Cast, damn you!"

  Sweat poured down his forehead as he panicked, but no more magic would come.

  His magic power was completely depleted.

  That’s when the Dog Beastman—who’d been running this entire time—finally stopped.

  He clutched his long sword in his arms and began to walk slowly toward the Mage......

  Ding——!

  The bell signaling the end of the match rang out.

  "The winner... Luji Sloan......"

  "......"

  "......"

  The entire arena fell into a stunned silence.

  Boo——!

  A chorus of loud boos erupted immediately afterward.

  For the audience, this match had been nothing short of torment!

  Yet the man responsible for it all remained as calm as ever, as if the boos weren’t even directed at him......

  "This guy’s fighting style is so......"

  Miko said, wearing a strange expression.

  "Wait a second...... Hulim, this is really the guy who caught your attention?"

  "......It’s him, alright."

  "But don’t be fooled—there’s more to him than meets the eye!"

  "Huh?"

  Miko looked back and forth between Hulim and Luji, who was now walking off the arena.

  "Oh...... I see! Got it!"

  "......"

  No, you clearly don’t get it at all!