Chapter 276: Dak Demont Writing the Future (6k) [64]
On the red side’s competitor platform.
Dak narrowed his eyes slightly, savoring the joy of victory.
This duel, despite its short duration, had consumed a great deal of energy.
Yet, the thunderous cheers from the audience invigorated him somewhat.
“This is what a duel is?”
The thrilling contest and the exhilarating win made him realize once again what dueling truly meant.
One can be indifferent, but cannot be without desire.
A novice tournament gave him a new perspective on dueling.
He didn’t immediately look at the audience in the stands but turned his head slightly to face Elsie? Kevin across from him.
Senior Elsie was indeed a worthy opponent.
If only they could duel again someday.
…
After picking up the mana card, Elsie? Kevin stood up, meeting Dak’s gaze.
He instinctively took a deep breath. The emotions that had spiraled out of control had calmed with time.
He retrieved the mana card and gathered the remaining mechanical components on the field.
There were winners and losers in a duel.
He wasn’t a stranger to defeat.
The reason for his emotional outburst was mainly due to the intense nature of the duel, which made him too engrossed.
Once someone becomes too engrossed, it’s hard to control their emotions.
After recomposing himself, he spoke to Dak first, “I lost.”
Dak nodded slightly, “I concede.”
Their voices were drowned out by the ongoing cheers, barely audible to both.
Though brief, their exchange left a positive impression on each other.
They exchanged courtesies before looking away.
Dak picked up the mana card and retrieved the big milk jar from the field, then began the mana enrichment process.
Bastemon’s fusion duration hadn’t expired—he hadn’t mastered “fusion dissolution” techniques.
At this point, Dak finally turned his attention to the stands below.
First, he saw three people led by the Valkyrie, and he waved at Alvaraite.
Alvaraite’s eyes lit up as she enthusiastically waved back!
Big Princess didn’t stop her this time.
She likely understood the excitement of the Valkyrie.
Dak’s gaze shifted slightly to see Claire beside him.
Claire raised “Galileo’s” paw and waved at him.
Dak couldn’t help but smile.
This cat was still so chubby!
Afterward, he scanned the circular belt and spotted Diana, Rose, and Pandora, then stopped looking further.
Since the next match was about to start, he couldn’t stay monopolizing the platform.
As he walked down, Bastemon gracefully approached him.
“Let’s go,” Dak whispered.
Bastemon followed him into the competitors’ passage.
Charlotte senpai waved at him and congratulated him, “I didn’t expect you to really win!”
Dak smiled, “It was just luck.”
Then he greeted Wit Gold waiting at the passage entrance, “Hey, Gold. Are you up next?”
Wit’s smile was tinged with bitterness, but he replied, “Yes, indeed.”
Dak politely said, “Good luck!”
Wit: “Thank you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Wit Gold walked out of the passage towards the red side’s competitor platform.
His posture looked rather weary.
Dak curiously asked, “What’s wrong with him?”
Demi Charlotte shook her head slightly, “Maybe he’s feeling a bit pressured.”
Dak thought about Wit’s situation and agreed, “Perhaps.”
Sometimes, bearing the expectations of many can be very taxing.
Fortunately, his own pressure came from within.
No one had overly high expectations of him.
With that thought…
He turned and walked deeper into the passage, but instead of returning to the competitor’s rest area, he turned onto another path leading to the circular belt.
In solitude, he told Bastemon, “You guys worked hard today.”
But Bastemon didn’t respond.
Dak instinctively turned to look, and suddenly caught a whiff of musk. Before his face could fully turn, he felt a tickling sensation on his neck, as if hair brushed against his skin.
Two slender arms wrapped around his neck.
A delicate breath blew into his ear from the other side, causing a slight discomfort.
“Stop it,” Dak said helplessly.
So, after performing the “fusion” spell, he rarely summoned Bastemon.
It was too troublesome!
“Meow—”
Bastemon naturally wouldn’t be swayed by such soft commands.
Dak reached out, grabbed one of its tails, and pulled hard!
Bastemon instantly softened like a cat with its nape pinched.
Dak casually let go, as if he was trying to deny responsibility.
He adjusted his collar and said proudly, “I’m going out. Remember not to expose yourself.”
“Okay.”
Bastemon followed closely behind, like a wronged little wife.
When sunlight shone through, man and pet had already left the passage.
Following his memory, Dak found Pandora senpai’s corner and sat down beside her, drawing much attention.
“Senpai, how did it go?” Dak asked.
Pandora glanced subtly at Bastemon beside Dak and said, “This is the result of the fusion?”
Dak nodded, “Without the fusion today, I’m not sure what the outcome would have been. Senior Elsie is indeed a formidable opponent.”
Pandora smiled, “You just need more practice. By this time tomorrow, his level…”
Dak blinked, confirming he had heard something from Pandora senpai.
He said, “I heard that last year, almost no freshmen joined the Dueling Club?”
Pandora: “I don’t pay much attention to that. But this year, only a few second-year students are worth watching. Well, Elsie? Kevin, maybe counts as one.”
She was quite certain.
But Dak suspected it wasn’t that the second-year students were weak, but that her standards were too high.
“Bee—”
The whistle sounded.
The eleventh duel of the morning began!
Dak whispered to Pandora senpai and then left from the rear.
Today was a rare day.
He wanted to get closer to his family.
The difference in height between the spectator area and the circular belt in the outdoor dueling arena was only one meter, but they were over three meters apart, with a buffer zone in between.
Because the audience couldn’t actually move from the stands to the circular belt, there were no guardrails or similar barriers.
However, students couldn’t reach the “spectator area,” so communication wasn’t easy.
Just being in the circular belt allows one to see the “Spectator Area.”
However, from within the “Spectator Area,” one cannot see the “circular belt.”
This is a protective measure for student privacy.
Dark approached the section of the circular belt closest to Alvaraite and found a place to sit. Accompanied by Bastemon, he silently provided mana enrichment for the golems.
A person must be able to withstand both adulation and neglect.
He certainly wouldn’t act like a child and seek comfort from his mother. Just being closer to her was enough to gradually soothe his heart.
He indeed had no external pressures.
But the internal pressures were not something ordinary people could compare to.
Letting go of his thoughts and feeling deeply, even the winter temperature seemed warmer.
…
Three meters behind him.
Alvaraite was unaware that her precious child was sitting right in front of her.
She simply had the mindset of a parent watching their child perform. After watching the performance, since she couldn’t further interact with her child, she decided to head back.
But the Big Princess helplessly held her back: “Wait until you watch Wit Gold’s match before leaving.”
“Gold?” Alvaraite couldn’t help but recall the mischievous “Gold.”
Due to different battle lines, her memories of Brett Gold only extended to his student days and the final battle against the Demon King.
As for other matters, she wasn’t well-informed.
In fact, her relationship with Brett Gold wasn’t particularly good; they were at most members of the same club.
Alvaraite thought for a moment and said, “The Gold family does indeed tend to produce heroes, but what evidence proves that Wit Gold will be the future hero? Based solely on that practically useless Holy Sword spell?”
Big Princess Eliza said, “It’s a prophecy. The deputy mayor of Sky City and Grandma Maggie from Norwe Forest have both made prophecies. Wit Gold will be a hero, stepping up when the world faces crisis again, just like his father did.”
Alvaraite shook her head: “I know that. But if prophecies were truly accurate, we wouldn’t have suffered such losses in battles against the demons.”
Eliza replied, “Though I share your thoughts, it’s better to believe than not. We all know this world isn’t safe.”
Alvaraite sighed, “That’s why I don’t want to keep exhausting ourselves internally.”
…
On the other side…
Prince Charles and the Archbishop finally arrived at their destination, the “Hero.”
Heroes are usually favored by “Light” and get along well with the Saint Church, so their relationship isn’t bad.
The previous hero also received support from the Saint Church after graduation, though they later fell out over some matter. However, it didn’t reach an irreconcilable level.
—At least, that’s how the Saint Church viewed it.
They came this time to assess the hero’s potential talent and character.
Only by thoroughly understanding someone can one develop targeted strategies.
Whether for “great justice” or “political reasons,” they need to prepare accordingly.
In this regard,
Their thoughts align with those of the Big Princess.
“They’re finally here. Is this the future hero?”
As Wit Gold ascended the Competitors’ Platform, Prince Charles became serious.
From his appearance alone, Wit seemed to fit the image of a hero.
That innate charm makes others trust him more easily.
And…
“He indeed looks very much like the former hero!”
After careful observation, Prince Charles thought, “I wonder how he compares to the Valkyrie’s son.”
…
Wit Gold stood on the Red Side Competitors’ Platform and looked down.
He found Robert and some classmates from the Knight Academy.
Since taking that astronomy class, his classmates had treated him much better.
Many were cheering him on.
But he really had no confidence!
Especially after watching Dark and Kevin’s duel, he once again deeply felt the gap between them.
If his opponent was someone like Else Kevin, he would probably just admit defeat!
Thankfully, it wasn’t.
Wilson on the commentary stand took a sip of tea and immediately began his commentary.
Without the constraints of the club, his commentary was more relaxed.
“Wit Gold! One of the seven who joined the Dueling Club early this year, known as Lucky Gold, is indeed the son of a hero!”
Wilson almost shouted these words.
But the audience hadn’t quite switched gears from the previous duel, so he had to repeat himself.
“Another first-year student! Following the Valkyrie’s son, the hero’s son follows closely! Both descendants of the Kingdom’s dual swords, both promising newcomers!”
“I’m sure Wit Gold won’t fall short of Dark Demon, and will bring us another spectacular duel!”
“And now, I worry more about his opponent—whether he can fully unleash his true strength?”
“So please welcome the Blue Side contestant—David Leonard! Leonard is a second-year top student who successfully joined the Dueling Club last semester. By the way, he is also part of the Knight Academy!”
“First-year vs. second-year, an internal war at the Knight Academy, a clash of boldness!”
With Wilson’s efforts, the audience’s attention was finally drawn back.
Suddenly, everyone realized that the black-haired boy on stage was none other than the rumored hero’s son!
Thus, the atmosphere heated up.
And the match began!
…
David Leonard is a second-year student at the Knight Academy.
Like most students there, he initially felt happy when the hero’s son joined the academy.
But after starting classes, he, like most of his classmates, gradually stopped paying much attention to him.
After all, the academic workload at St. Maryan isn’t light, and they didn’t have the energy to constantly focus on a first-year student.
As for the various incidents involving the hero’s son later on…
Everyone naturally heard about them.
Being the “hero’s son” and at the center of events seemed quite normal.
Moreover, Wit’s performance during the Halloween event was actually pretty good. This time, he successfully joined the Dueling Club, which is already impressive compared to most students.
Most people just reduced their attention on him rather than doing anything else.
Facing Wit Gold as his opponent, David Leonard was originally excited, boasting that he was about to become a litmus test for the hero—even if he lost, it wouldn’t be shameful.
But in their previous duel…
Duel, pushing the upper limit of proficiency too high!
Leonard felt a sense of empathy and had self-awareness, knowing he definitely couldn’t play the role of “Else Kevin.” At least he only had two second-tier Mana Spirits in his hand—about on par with Diana’s opponent!
It would be a great pity if his low level prevented the Hero’s Child from fully unleashing their potential.
But since things had come to this, he could only muster up the courage to walk onto the Mana Duel stage.
…
“Standby Phase” [30s]
…
The countdown for the “Standby Phase” appeared on the panels of the Spellboard, and two people with little confidence each drew their cards.
After five initial cards, Wit quickly glanced over them.
“Gigant!”
He was immediately delighted.
Starting with “Gigant” in a duel match was quite common.
After all, it belonged to a popular card series.
With 1500 attack and 1400 defense, it ranked among the top in the Three-star Mana Spirits.
Therefore, at the beginning of the “Battle Phase,” Wit immediately summoned “Gigant”!
The bulky Gigant, resembling a mountain, roared into the scene—apart from being ugly, it didn’t have any significant drawbacks.
Only the Archbishop slightly frowned: “Why is it Gigant?”
Even if it wasn’t a light-element Mana Spirit like Deoxys, it shouldn’t be Gigant, right?
But紧接着，Wit又召唤出了二星的“双头食人魔”……
If forced to categorize, Wit’s deck was clearly偏向于地下城魔物系列。
显然不符合大主教的审美。
相比之下，David?伦纳德召唤出来的“圣骑士?哲”和“圣骑士?学”反而充满了圣教特色。
那两个几乎一模一样的“圣骑士”同时出现时会触发名为“哲学”的光环。
在哲学光环范围内，“骑士”系列的Mana Spirits将获得100点的魔力加成。
魔力加成在三维加成中通常被认为不如攻击加成和防御加成。
但“骑士”系列的Mana Cards通常非常缺乏魔力，有了“哲学”光环后，能稍微弥补这一缺陷。
而且David?伦纳德的“骑士”系列主要依靠光环组合。
通过不同光环的叠加，较为平均地提高骑士们的力量，从而在团队战中取得胜利。
大致上，这就是David?伦纳德的战术体系。
“圣骑士?哲”和“圣骑士?学”都是三星的Mana Spirits，但除了防御外的其他属性都要逊色于Wit的“巨怪”。
因此在决斗之初，David?伦纳德略处下风。
但到了第二回合，David?伦纳德召唤出了“兽骑士?风”和“兽骑士?暴”，组合成的“风暴”光环让所有“骑士”系列的Mana Spirits都获得了100点的攻击加成。
局势开始缓慢扭转。
第三回合，David?伦纳德召唤出了“兽骑士?怒”。
“兽骑士?怒”与“兽骑士?暴”组合成的“暴怒”光环再次让所有“骑士”系列的Mana Spirits获得100点的攻击加成。
于是这六只“骑士”组成的骑士小队，击溃了Wit的“巨怪”！
即使“巨怪”使用了“舍身冲撞”，也只是换掉了一只“骑士”，但影响不大。
Wit勉强靠着其他Mana Spirits支撑着。
到了第五回合，他终于有了“禁忌之恋”和“光辉巨蟒”。
“光辉巨蟒”的出现让几乎以为自己眼花的大主教总算找回了一点耐心。
毕竟是光属性的。
但连“巨怪”都被“骑士团”围剿，“光辉巨蟒”自然也无法独撑大局。
Wit凭借“光辉巨蟒”的大范围必杀技“神圣之光”，勉强拼死了两只二星级的“兽骑士”，最终被围剿而亡。
第六回合。
Wit使用“禁忌之恋”让“圣骑士?哲”倒戈，获得了一定战果。
也艰难地撑过了这一回合。
但由于没有更强的Mana Cards，就算这一回合撑过了，他也看不到自己的未来。
只是得过且过罢了！
手头上的拘谨让他这个星期没能炼制出新的Mana Cards。
对“圣剑咒”的研究也还停留在初期阶段。
他大部分时间都花在学业上，以及偶尔放松的Mana Chess上。
骑士院没有达克·迪蒙老师课后的辅导，算术课的试卷难倒了大部分头脑不灵光的骑士院一年级生。
决斗到最后。
David?伦纳德看了看手牌中的两体四星Mana Spirits，微微叹了口气。
他本来可以在前几个回合就献祭召唤出四星Mana Spirits来完成碾压。
但他最后还是没有那么做。
而是仅仅依靠第一级Mana Spirits的光环叠加，决斗到了现在。
他一开始还担心自己的水平不足以成为勇者之子的试金石，没想到勇者之子的水平比他预想的要低一些。
不……
恐怕是之前的达克·迪蒙一下子拉高了他对勇者之子的期待。
其实Wit的水平还在平均水平之上。
只是不突出罢了。
毕竟才入学半年，不能要求太多。
而且听说勇者布莱特的学生时代也不是成绩多好的尖子生，或许勇者的传统和愚者院一样，都是后期发力呢？
David?伦纳德一边为Wit找借口，一边轻松赢得比赛。
当裁判吹响口哨宣布了他的胜利。
场外响起了零星的掌声。
他突然感到一阵索然无味！
……
观众席上，大王子查理斯和大主教原本坐的位置悄悄空了出来。
他们当然不会仅仅凭借一场新人赛的表现就轻易否定一个人。
但先前拟定的方针恐怕要稍微调整一下。
……
大公主伊丽莎和女武神亚尔薇特并没有退场。
亚尔薇特很清楚前勇者学生时代的尿性。
早已习以为常。
所谓子承父液，这一届的勇者至少在性格上看起来没那么糟心。
大公主则在认真考虑是否要继续与圣教争夺勇者之子的好感。
又或者干脆把支持的重点转移到女武神之子身上？
