I Became a Fortune Teller in the Game My Little Sister Made – Chapter 160

The交流会 began.

The entire floating city was filled with fireworks and cheers.

“Jinwoo! Look over there, it’s the 3rd-year seniors’ club!”

“Yeah, Kaede.”

Although the main venue of the交流会 is the Romance Academy in the center of the floating city, since it’s a festival where everyone from 1st to 4th grades comes together, the city’s streets are also utilized for the event.

Merchants took this opportunity to set up all kinds of stalls, shops, and commemorative events.

Various famous celebrities and singers were holding performances.

There was a constant overflow of attractions, making everything exciting and enjoyable wherever one went.

During the week-long交流会, countless people from around the world wished to visit.

Among them, the交流会 is a privilege only for a very select few chosen by luck, power, or connections.

“Look, it’s an academy student.”

“Seems like a 1st-year. They don’t look very well-off; how about getting a sponsor?”

“It wouldn’t be too late to decide after watching some of the competitions.”

“That’s true. Anyway, being a student of the Romance Academy… I’m envious.”

After all, the stars of the交流会 are the students of the Romance Academy.

While it’s hard to realize in daily life, being a student from Romance Academy means being among the most brilliant geniuses from across the world.

That’s why, especially now when numerous outsiders are visiting, there’s fierce competition among scouts and sponsors.

Students graduating from the Romance Academy are likely to achieve great success or fame.

To build ties with such individuals, or to make them aides after graduation, these sponsors are on the lookout.

Even Hwang Jinwoo and Sasaki Kaede, who aren’t particularly outstanding at the academy, are among those targets.

“Jinwoo, walk straight! If you catch the right eye, we could escape from the semi-basement!”

“…Yeah.”

“Why are you still living in the semi-basement when you’ve even got a scholarship? Even if sponsors usually focus on 3rd and 4th-years, 1st-years can also receive quite a bit of support. You can’t keep doing manual labor forever, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“Ugh.”

Sasaki Kaede needs a sponsor. It’s not because her brother, Sasaki Ito, or the Sasaki family reconciled with her.

‘I don’t want to live off those parasites’ money.’

But that doesn’t mean it’s an absolute necessity. Since she lives with her brother, there’s no issue regarding a base, and she receives an allowance, so honestly, it’s not that urgent.

More than anything, if a sponsorship goes wrong, cutting ties becomes tough, so she needs to be cautious. It’s not uncommon for students to graduate without any sponsorship at all.

But Hwang Jinwoo is different.

While he might be able to survive in the semi-basement with his scholarship, to maintain his daily life, arduous manual labor and part-time jobs are essential.

So she tried to mediate and find him a good sponsor.

Yet, the very person, Hwang Jinwoo, was looking rather glum.

“Jinwoo, is it because of Kaito?”

“…Yeah.”

“I told you, Kaito… is gone now.”

I told him everything about the truth I heard from Namgoong Min. The guilt over hiding the letters weighed on me.

I also got him to promise to keep the secret. Jinwoo is kind and smart, so he will naturally keep silent.

Thus, what remains for Hwang Jinwoo is the weight of the truth.

That his closest friend committed a crime and…

…that he is likely dead now.

Is it guilt, remorse, or sorrow?

Hwang Jinwoo hasn’t left the semi-basement. He still lives in that narrow space.

In the place where he used to play with Kaito.

It was Kaede’s responsibility to comfort the gloomy Hwang Jinwoo.

“Jinwoo, Jinwoo! Look over there, the Martial Arts Competition is about to start!”

“…Right.”

The Martial Arts Competition. The highlight of the交流会 and the largest tournament held throughout the week.

While numerous competitions and tests are prepared during the交流会, the highlight is undoubtedly the Martial Arts Competition.

128 top performers from each grade compete in preliminary rounds, and only 64 advance to the finals.

Even if one gets eliminated in the preliminaries, the rewards are substantial, so top performers must participate.

And, Sasaki Kaede and Hwang Jinwoo are also top performers.

“Our match is tomorrow, right?”

“So what! Let’s go watch!”

Kaede took Hwang Jinwoo’s slumped arm and picked up a nearby pamphlet.

With a flick, the pamphlet unfolded, revealing the venues set up throughout the Romance Academy at a glance.

“The finals will be held in the auditorium… Ah, here!”

“Here?”

“Look at the participation list.”

“…Oh my.”

The participation list for Group C.

<Fortuneteller> Namgoong Min.

I heard he got knocked out first during the Great Lake competition in the first semester.

“Besides that, he’s excellent in all practical skills and is at the top in written exams. He’s a light contender among the top performers.”

“But this is… the Martial Arts Competition, right?”

It’s a one-on-one battle where only the victor advances.

Naturally, it’s a tournament biased toward combat professions. Even if there’s controversy over discrimination against non-combat professions, it can’t be helped as visitors prefer watching the splendid fights of combat professions.

Even so, the rewards for non-combat professions, who are mostly eliminated in the preliminaries, are considerable.

Hence, for the weakest non-combat profession, a fortuneteller’s defeat is quite obvious.

“…Let’s go watch.”

“Yeah!”

Hwang Jinwoo started walking.

It was simple curiosity and intrigue.

How would a fortuneteller fight?

If he gets knocked out amusingly, that’s perfectly fine. An unexpected performance would also be good.

As long as it could wipe away this gloomy feeling.

With only that thought in mind, he walked toward the arena.

And.

“…What is this?”

“Could they be… all spectators?”

He could see hundreds of students gathered around the arena.

—

“Lucas, you don’t seem too happy.”

“…Well, of course. Match-fixing, you know….”

In the royalty-exclusive viewing area of Group C’s arena.

Lucas Arthur sighed while sitting there, a place where only members of royalty could occupy.

Originally, not even Gra, a minor branch of the Arthur family, could enter, but thanks to the smirking male student next to him, it was a free pass.

Hearing Lucas’s sigh, Kim Sung-il smiled.

“Honestly, I’m not feeling great either. This is a complete disregard for Namgoong Min, right? It’s not even the finals, just the preliminaries and they’re already fixing the match.”

“…I’m friends with Namgoong Min, but honestly speaking, he’s not cut out for fighting.”

Namgoong Min’s strengths lie in his 100% hit rate for fortune-telling, charisma, and persuasive skills, not in fighting skills.

While he has a record of winning a duel against his father, Hector… that was possible only because Hector faced numerous penalties while Namgoong Min was encumbered with numerous artifacts.

What could he possibly do in the Martial Arts Competition, where the use of artifacts is prohibited?

Trash talk, perhaps?

“Doesn’t he have his <My Own Little Fortune Teller’s Shop>? I heard he fights with trickiness.”

“I heard that has a cooldown too. More than that… if he uses it carelessly in front of this huge crowd, the consequences will be severe.”

While they could sit comfortably in the royalty’s exclusive area, below them was a mishmash of chaos.

The audience exceeded the capacity of the arena, with some standing to catch a glimpse, while others were even hanging from the ceiling or floating in the air.

Most of them weren’t outsiders but Academy students, specifically 1st years, which is somewhat encouraging.

It felt as if half of the 1st years were squeezed into this arena.

‘<My Own Little Fortune Teller’s Shop> is a skill Namgoong Min has hidden.’

A skill that summons a pocket dimension is extremely rare, so it’s not surprising.

If there were no watchers, it wouldn’t matter, but using it in front of this many spectators would be tricky.

In the end, it meant he must rely on pure fighting skills.

“Rather than that, it might be better to just transfer it to Namgoong Min directly…”

“There have been many incidents in the past where Academy rewards were leaked outside this way, so they’re strict about it.”

“…That’s the problem.”

As those in power frequently intimidate or entice Academy students to receive artifacts immediately in the Martial Arts Competition, the Academy has banned the transfer of ownership for artifacts received during the交流会.

If they’re going to sell them, choose money from the start, and only let those who’ll use the artifacts pick them.

The issue is that the “Job Skill Name Change Right” is also a type of artifact.

‘In principle, the Academy will continue to check the ownership until the change right is used….’

Of course, even if that’s the case, if the Special Class pooled their efforts, it would be possible to transfer ownership.

However, knowing Namgoong Min’s character, it’s understandable that he would try to resolve it himself, not wanting to impose on others.

‘For now, I’ll try it directly, and if I fail, he might ask for help later.’

Just then, the loudspeaker echoed throughout the arena.

<We will now begin the preliminary match between Namgoong Min and Gias Rotinel!>

“Finally, it begins!”

“Rotinel! Rotinel! Rotinel!”

“Weren’t you here to cheer for Namgoong Min?”

“I mean, I placed my bet on Rotinel. Honestly, I’m just curious about how the only fortuneteller fights.”

“I’ll cheer for Namgoong Min.”

“Why?”

“I bet on him.”

“What a reverse-betting jerk.”

The cheers of the students filled the arena.

Two male students stepped forward.

“That student is Gias Rotinel.”

“Do you know him?”

“I’ve heard his name before. He’s a <Painter>, but he’s known for having exceptional archery skills….”

A somewhat ordinary-looking male student carrying a bow and arrows.

Despite being a non-combat profession described as <Painter>, he is famous for attending classes with archers, recognized even by them for his raw archery skill, without physical abilities or job skills.

…This wasn’t a good start.

“On the other hand, Namgoong Min is… huh?”

“Oh?”

Facing the somewhat ordinary Gias Rotinel was Namgoong Min, just as he always was.

Dressed in a black suit with a red dress shirt and white gloves.

His usual attire, which was like a trademark, came with two swords strapped to his side.

“I heard he learned from Sasaki Ito.”

“…But it hasn’t even been a week, and forget about dual-wielding.”

With such swordsmanship skills, it would be impossible to defeat Gias Rotinel.

Right.

‘Ordinary Gias Rotinel’ would be the case.

With Lucas’s concerns and Kim Sung-il’s admiration.

<The preliminary match begins!>

The signal for the match sounded.

“…Hmph!”

The moment the call was made, Gias Rotinel, nocking an arrow in his bow, shot one arrow.

At first glance, it seemed a rapid-fire attack.

‘Was it arranged?’

It seemed to Lucas that he was simply testing the waters.

After all, only one arrow was shot, and while it was pulled, it didn’t seem all that forceful.

Getting hit would likely cause little shock, and avoiding it would be simple.

He probably intended to gauge Namgoong Min’s skills with that first shot and was deliberately thinking of losing.

“…Liu.”

Lucas understood. While wanting to help Namgoong Min, allowing him to go on without letting him know about the fixed match wasn’t something he believed Namgoong Min would accept.

The Namgoong Min Lucas knew wouldn’t accept such terms.

Even if he won, it would feel like a loss.

Resolving to speak with Namgoong Min after the match, Lucas thought.

“…Huh?”

Ping!

Suddenly, staring blankly as Namgoong Min swung his sword to deflect the arrow being shot.

‘He deflected the arrow with a sword?’

That was a different level than just dodging or blocking.

It wasn’t just Lucas who was astonished by this turn of events.

Kim Sung-il, the cheering students, and even Gias Rotinel, who shot the arrow, were equally taken aback at that moment.

“Ha.”

Namgoong Min was the first to move.

Gripping the ringing sword, he dashed straight toward Gias Rotinel.

As if snapping out of his daze, Rotinel nocked three more arrows and fired them as well.

Clang, clang, clang!

“What…!?”

Namgoong Min, who had been staring at the incoming arrows, managed to deflect them with seemingly several sword swings.

To be honest, it wasn’t an elegant sight.

He was moving slowly, nearly tripped over the deflected arrows, and one of the swords brushed his cheek.

Clumsy, silly, and immature, but…

Namgoong Min didn’t stop running.

“This is unexpected…!?”

Gias Rotinel moved in response.

As Namgoong Min rushed in, he quickly maneuvered backward, drawing several arrows again.

<Although he claims to be a Painter, he’s faster than a Fortuneteller.>

Despite Namgoong Min’s prior advantage in speed, the distance kept increasing.

Barely evading or deflecting the arrows, the moment Namgoong Min faced Gias Rotinel.

“I’m going…!”

“…!?”

With a whoosh──!!

After a steady run, Namgoong Min assumed a stance — and threw his sword.

Gasping in shock over the act of discarding his only weapon, Gias Rotinel dodged the accurately flying sword by rolling on the ground.

“Ugh!?”

What? Why is he suddenly falling?

Neglecting to watch where he stepped as he focused on Namgoong Min, Rotinel scanned the ground around him.

One of the arrows that Namgoong Min had deflected rolled right underneath his feet.

“…What?”

He lured me?

Considering the arena wasn’t too large, was it problematic to withdraw and spin out like that?

As Rotinel found himself near the spot where Namgoong Min originally began, his voice became vacant.

… No, but I can’t give up here.

I must advance to the finals!

‘This is…!’

Instead, this is a chance!

Though he had spilled all his arrows from the quiver while tripping, one was lying right in front of him.

The opponent just discarded his only weapon, so if I quickly shoot…

“───Ah.”

Right, he was wielding dual swords, wasn’t he?

“Hugh…!!!”

Did he bring those along just for this purpose?

Now holding the remaining sword tightly, Namgoong Min rushed with full strength.

Gias Rotinel hastily prepared to draw, even managing to fire a shot in that urgent situation, but.

“…Damn it.”

What met the arrow, shot at that instant, was the gaze of the fortuneteller, tear-streaked eyes wide open, staring directly at it.

The right pupil stared intently at the arrow, managing to swat it away just before it reached him.

“Ha, I thought you were just a lucky fortuneteller….”

“I thought so?”

“You were quite talented, huh.”

With raised hands as a signal of surrender, Gias Rotinel slowly lowered them, while the still tear-streaked fortuneteller returned to his original state.

It was a reverse victory.