23. Can’t Do Anything!
In the lobby on the first floor, all the players who had been ‘killed’ earlier gathered to watch the ultimate showdown between the father and daughter.
“Go, Sister! Go, Dad!”
“Noia-chan, you can do it!”
Moon and Helena became the lively cheerleaders of the atmosphere.
Little Light was being snuggled by her aunt, her little tail wagging with excitement.
After spending several hours in the game, while Little Light had enjoyed a lot of fun, it still felt like something was missing—it lacked the ultimate thrill of a real showdown.
But right now, the final face-off was set to unfold between the eldest daughter and Old Man—
Such entertainment was a rare find!
Compared to those fleeting bits of fun, the drama of “beloved father and devoted daughter” was like fine wine, only getting better with age.
Little Light even considered asking the staff for a few Shadow Stones to record this epic duel, so she could replay it at home.
She sensed her aunt’s anticipation for this competition.
“Aunt, who do you think will win, Sister or Dad?” Little Light asked.
“Objectively speaking, even if a hundred of your sister came, she wouldn’t stand a chance,” Isar replied, planning to set the record straight. But then she added, “But you never know, maybe your old man will go easy on her.”
Little Light blinked her big, pretty eyes. “Aunt, according to you, even if Dad floods the entire Samel continent with water just to let her win, Sister wouldn’t win, right?”
Isar chuckled and gently poked Little Light on the nose. “Just watch closely; I’m also looking forward to how they will unfold this ultimate showdown.”
Roswiser was quietly watching from the side.
She knew Leon would surely go easy on the eldest daughter to let her win.
But the problem was, Noia wasn’t an idiot.
From Roswiser’s understanding of Noia, she was certain that her daughter knew deep down that she couldn’t beat her dad.
So Leon’s talent for ‘going easy’ was a significant test.
He had to look serious while letting her win without it being too obvious.
He needed to achieve the effect of, “Oh no, what a shame! I clearly tried my best, but I still couldn’t do anything!”
In the face of such an absolute power gap, only a naturally performed ‘brief oversight’ could make his daughter accept the result of the duel.
Of course, just a bit earlier in the cellar, the couple had carefully discussed this.
They indeed wanted Noia to claim the final victory but didn’t want to overforce it.
If in pursuing that goal, they intentionally went easy to the point it was too obvious, it could end up making Noia unhappy. It would be better just to play normally.
All in all, for Leon, losing this duel “perfectly” was trickier than winning easily.
“I have to take it more seriously than when dealing with those Dragon Kings,” Leon thought.
Meanwhile, in the center of the lobby, the father and daughter squared off.
Their ultimate showdown game was Tugging for the Bell.
The rules were simple:
Each person tied a bell around their waist, and whoever managed to snatch the opponent’s bell first would be declared the winner.
At this moment, the bell-bound duo was poised at opposite sides of the field.
“Hey, kiddo.”
From the dark golden waterway, the long-silent ancestor suddenly struck up a conversation with Noia.
“What?”
The flow of time in the consciousness space was different from the normal world, so Noia had enough time to chat a bit.
“You should know that in this kind of physical contest, you don’t really stand a chance against your father, right?”
“Yeah, I know.”
Noia’s tone was flat. She shrugged her shoulders and continued,
“But what do you want me to do? Just admit defeat and then charm Dad into giving me the Black Holy Stone?”
“That does sound like a time-saver.”
The ancestor let out a little chuckle. “But I know you wouldn’t do that.”
“I didn’t expect the game to end up like this. So, the Night Spirit Crystal, I might not be able to—”
“If you want to win, don’t speak negatively.”
When the ancestor said this, she was surprisingly serious.
The white dragon pupils reflected Noia’s petite figure as she continued, “Even if there’s a vast power gap with the opponent, pre-battle analysis and preparation are still necessary. You won’t just throw a fit and rely on brute force because you think you can’t win against your dad, right?”
Noia’s pupils flickered. A fleeting change passed over her otherwise steady face, but it was gone in an instant.
She took a deep breath, thought for a moment, and replied, “Besides the absolute difference in strength, Dad’s combat experience is also way richer than mine. The tactics I can think of are all stuff he or the Academy taught me; some are just too rigid.”
“Exactly. So, when the time comes, be more flexible. Don’t just stick to what you learned in school; adapt to your opponent and think on your feet.”
Noia nodded. “Got it, I know.”
“Well… it wouldn’t hurt to get a little pumped up at the end.”
The ancestor gazed at Noia, gradually seeing the little figure converging with her own past self.
Thousands of years ago, many had advised her not to attempt to become the savior of the Dragon Race.
But she still resolutely chose that path.
Now, in this little girl, Noia felt as if she could see the kind of belief that was unyielding, despite the odds.
“This may just be a little bell-grabbing game, but the fact that you, kiddo, are willing to do something even though you know the odds are against you is quite heartwarming. Go for it, little one, give it your all and have no regrets!”
Noia softly responded with a ‘mm’, then exited the consciousness space.
The staff announced the game was about to start.
The father and daughter stood facing each other, five or six meters apart, neither making the first move.
“Who would have thought you still had such a prop card, Noia,” Leon said with a smile.
“Dad, do you know when I found this card, who I hoped to face the most?”
“Who was it?”
Noia fixed her eyes on the man in front of her.
“It was you, Dad.”
Leon raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
“I thought you’d choose Mom or Helena, but it’s me, huh?”
“Of course, it’s always been you.”
Noia slightly bent forward, arching her back and extending her legs, ready to launch an attack.
“I’ve always wanted to have a real match with you, Dad.”
“So even in a game like grabbing a bell… I’ll give it my all.”
Leon didn’t quite understand why the eldest daughter would say, “I’ve always wanted to face off with you,” but seeing her maintain such fighting spirit even when aware of the power gap…
He was still very pleased.
Once upon a time, he had also crossed countless strength levels to challenge his Master, only to be soundly beaten by that merciless old man.
Well, he certainly wouldn’t be like his Master!
“I’m coming, Dad!”
“Okay.”
With that, Noia dashed forward, charging straight for Leon’s bell around his waist.
But such a blatant attack was child’s play for Leon.
He sidestepped slightly and easily dodged Noia’s pounce.
Then, Leon reached out toward the bell at Noia’s waist.
His movements were fast.
But not the fastest.
While making sure not to snatch Noia’s bell directly, Leon had to avoid letting her realize he was deliberately going easy on her.
Noia’s reaction was equally sharp.
After the first miss, she quickly adjusted her body balance, turning the side with the bell to the other side.
Leon then grabbed nothing but air.
Landing smoothly, Noia quickly pivoted on her toes and launched a second, more aggressive offensive.
Because of their height difference, Noia had to jump to grab the bell.
But no matter how she approached the jump, it would expose major weaknesses halfway up.
Noia realized this after her first miss.
So in this second round of offense, she didn’t rush; instead, she focused on unsettling Leon’s balance.
Using her slight height disadvantage to force her dad to bend down to defend.
Leon quickly recognized Noia’s tactic, a smile creeping on his lips.
“Turning disadvantage into advantage, not bad, Noia.”
“A very excellent teacher once told me—”
Noia kept attacking without missing a beat,
“Don’t get too stuck on those routines; think outside the box.”
In the depths of her mind, it seemed she could hear a certain ‘excellent teacher’ huffing pridefully.
“Well then, let’s see how you handle this!”
Just as he finished speaking, Leon stretched out his arm, using his longer arms and height to grab Noia by the back of her collar, lifting her entirely off the ground.
This was the absolute power gap mentioned earlier.
As long as Leon leveraged his strengths a little, Noia’s every tactic would be swiftly defeated.
“No Dad will hold back; your bell—belongs to me now.”
Leon held Noia in one hand while slowly reaching for her waist with the other.
After struggling a couple of times, Noia found she couldn’t muster strength with her legs dangling in mid-air.
But Dad’s merciless hand was about to snatch her bell!
In a pinch, Noia bit her lower lip, forcing her waist to exert effort, using the momentum of her body’s sway to lift herself slightly.
Then, at just the right moment, Noia used her tail to hook her dad’s arm, forcibly moving her waist out of reach.
Leon was slightly taken aback.
“Oh, baby, you’re that nimble?”
“There’s even more where that came from!”
With that, Noia used Leon’s arm as a pivot and used her tail to push herself up.
She swung right over Leon’s shoulders in a clean and crisp “around the beast” move, successfully hanging onto Leon’s back.
If it weren’t for her Dad’s regular workouts—resulting in well-developed arm muscles—there was no way he could bear Noia’s high-difficulty maneuver.
“Dad, I’m gonna be a Dragon Knight!”
“Ha?”
Perched on Leon’s shoulder, Noia didn’t stop there; she leaned over and rode at the back of his neck.
Just like the ‘Dragon Knight’ game Moon and Leon used to play.
“But since you’re up so high, how are you gonna grab my bell now?”
Leon spoke while gently grasping his daughter’s ankle on his chest, worried that in the heat of motion she might lose her balance and fall.
Noia smiled lightly.
“Of course, it’s… like this!”
With that, Noia arched back, hooking her feet around under Dad’s arms to stabilize herself.
Then executed an impressively standard backbend.
Her little head was suddenly turned down, and her black-silver hair flowed down.
She hung off Leon’s back just far enough to reach for the bell at his waist!
“I got it!”
A spark lit up in Noia’s eyes as she reached out for her dad’s bell.
Unfortunately, experience still reigns.
Leon firmly grasped Noia’s ankle and spun in place.
The sudden dizziness threw Noia’s aims off.
That round of attack had to be abandoned.
After a few spins, Leon gradually slowed down and crouched down, letting his daughter safely land on her feet.
“Seems like you’ve made quite a bit of progress while I wasn’t paying attention,” Leon genuinely praised.
“I told you, Dad, I’ll give it my all.”
After a brief rest, Noia charged at Leon once more.
And Leon was poised and ready.
At that moment, they both knew this might be the final attack.
Because they had both begun to understand each other’s tactics.
So who could snatch the bell would be revealed in this third round.
Noia kept changing her attack direction. The little girl’s speed was quick, darting around, leaving the ‘corpses’ watching completely stunned.
“Your daughter… really just five years old?” Even the ever-knowledgeable Claudia was amazed by Noia’s talent.
“She’ll be six in the second half of this year,” Roswiser said.
“Mommy, Moon is also about to be six~”
Roswiser lowered her head, affectionately ruffling Little Moon’s hair, “Yes, Moon will soon be six as well.”
“When I was Noia’s age… I couldn’t even match that level—her attacks are so smooth with precise defenses…”
Helena marveled, “I knew she was strong compared to the junior dragons of our level, but I didn’t expect her to reach this level against Uncle Leon…”
Everyone was praising Noia.
Naturally, Roswiser felt delighted by her daughter’s talents.
But as Noia’s mother, Roswiser often thought deeper.
For example… to achieve the level Noia was at today, how much effort had she put in behind the scenes? How many beads of sweat had she shed?
That child… should never be dismissed as “talented” without acknowledging her hard work.
…
In the center of the hall, Noia seized a small opening and leapt, aiming straight for the bell at Leon’s waist.
This strike was incredibly swift, and Leon barely managed to dodge after realizing her attacking direction.
But just like the first round of attacks, if her pounce failed, it created an even larger opening.
Leon planned to follow suit, seizing the opportunity to grab Noia’s bell.
But then, in the next moment, a twist quietly occurred!
After missing her pounce, Noia didn’t immediately readjust her stance. Instead, she observed her dad’s approach angle, pinpointing her chance, she extended her tail at an angle Leon never anticipated, swiftly aiming for his bell!
Leon was caught completely off guard by his daughter’s tail attack.
“Oh no…”
Dingling—
Noia landed on her feet, hands empty.
But on the tip of her silver tail dangled a delicate little bell!
