NOVEL WEB Chapter 730
Morning in the Texas Fort Worth Athlete Village
As morning dawned, a soft breeze swept across the fields, and the colors of the earth brightened.
In the Texas National Exchange Tournament Athlete Village, where bluebonnets bloomed vibrantly, a refreshing energy began to circulate.
Clang-clang—
“Ha-ah. I’m tired.”
Vietnamese national representative Kain Eli yawned widely as she opened the dining room door.
In the Texas Fort Worth Athlete Village, 20 participants from 20 countries were staying, each receiving one seed privilege.
This was the considerate gesture of the National Exchange Tournament Committee.
Their aim was to reduce the expensive accommodation fees and other training costs to enhance the competitiveness of the participants.
But the actual participants couldn’t shake off the feeling of being treated like mere supporting characters.
What was left for those who had received only one seed privilege was the role of a sidekick, not a protagonist.
Even Kazakhstan and Estonia, once evaluated as the weak links in last year’s top 16, had become dark horses with two seed privileges.
“Ugh, if we want to do better, we have to work harder.”
Eli sighed as she loaded her tray with bacon and an omelet.
As the first resident of the Fort Worth Athlete Village, she felt the decreasing number of people visiting the dining area day by day.
“I heard that America, Japan, and Korea engage in endless sparring together every day.”
Once bustling with players training, the now-empty training arena felt desolate.
“What’s the point of hiring excellent coaches if there aren’t any proper opponents?”
The Vietnamese coaching staff, at least, were eagerly acquiring the latest training information from developed countries.
But the limitations of practice without real combat were painfully clear, and Eli expressed her frustration.
“Hmm? What’s this omelet…! It’s truffle?!”
Eli exclaimed in surprise, peering closer at her omelet.
The rich, nutty aroma of truffle tickled her nose.
Just yesterday, truffle was a simple breakfast menu item at the buffet.
Expensive ingredients had shown up in just one day.
“Wow, the bacon seems way tastier than yesterday too… huh?”
As her gaze shifted, she noticed an empty tray in a corner of the dining room.
‘Who could have eaten and left at this hour?’
It was still early morning, and it was rare for anyone to come in early after the other players had dwindled.
Curiosity washed over her, but Eli quickly headed towards the training area.
And there, an unexpected figure stood.
Clang—!
“Eek…?”
Eight intimidating weights clanged together ominously.
Seeing them stacked vertically on the barbell, Eli widened her eyes in shock.
Boom—!
As the girl set the barbell down, her black hair swayed up and down.
Her skin was as white and smooth as magnesium carbonate powder.
A golden aura shimmered like a mirage.
At that very moment, a sweet yet subtle lilac scent filled Eli’s senses.
“Oh, I’m sorry for the noise. I thought no one else was here.”
Na-me turned her head quietly to gaze at Eli.
‘Wow…! So cute…!’
Eli was captivated by her dreamy cat-like eyes.
It felt like a personification of a baby cat still retaining its wild instincts.
I couldn’t even imagine using violence against such a Na-me.
“Are you going to use that barbell now?”
Na-me asked, glancing over at the girl staring at her intently.
Eli realized she must have looked like she needed a way to get out of the way.
“Oh, no! But how much does this weigh?”
Eli hurriedly blurted out in panic as she snapped out of her daze.
Na-me glanced at the weights with a casual air.
“300 kg.”
“Eh? 300 kg?”
Her eyes shifted toward the barbell.
Four 50 kg plates, four 20 kg plates, plus a 20 kg bar.
‘Is she for real?’
Even as Eli stepped onto the treadmill, her eyes kept sneaking glances at Na-me.
From Bulgarian squats to dumbbell squats, and hip thrusts to leg curls.
“Wow, Na-me, you do such a variety of things.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. If I stick to just one, I get bored quickly.”
She performed a strength-focused routine with her petite frame, creating an oddly mismatched atmosphere.
‘Impressive… But until when will she keep this up?’
An hour had passed since Eli had arrived at the training area.
“Phew! It’s hot.”
Na-me wiped her sweating body with a towel.
She gulped down icy water like a real man, and the overflow cooled her chest.
‘So cool…’
Eli thought back to the times when morning workouts had been tough.
Now, all that effort felt rewarding.
After all, here was a moment where she could train one-on-one with Na-me in this deserted early morning.
Is this what they call small happiness?
Finishing her leg massage with a foam roller, Na-me approached Eli unsteadily and plopped down beside her.
“Where are you from?”
“Huh…!”
“?”
Eli was overwhelmed with joy inside.
‘Na-me spoke to me first!’
She struggled to calm the upward curve of her lips.
“Ahem, I’m from Vietnam.”
Eli replied, a bit shyly.
“Are you Kain Eli?”
“You know my name?!”
“All the national exchange tournament participants remember each other.”
“Wow, thank you…!”
“No need to thank me.”
“I never imagined I’d see you at the athlete village.”
“Haha, I arrived late last night. But there aren’t many people here, huh?”
“Yeah. There are usually more people training in the evening than in the morning. And lately, I’ve been noticing teams heading to the Dallas athlete village for training too.”
“Why Dallas?”
“Everyone here aims for the top 32, right? Training with just ourselves tends to lower efficiency.”
Na-me nodded in understanding.
“Are you headed to Dallas later? Or just training here today?”
“Oh no, I always train in Fort Worth.”
“Oh… Huh?”
“I don’t have connections anywhere else, so it’s awkward to keep asking for favors. I’ve only sparred with a fighter from Singapore twice, and lately, the training arena has been packed, making it hard to find sparring partners. It would also be rude to call someone all the way to Fort Worth.”
“If it’s okay with me, I’d be happy to spar with you.”
“Really? Is that fine? I’d love that!”
Hehe, I’m the one who’s more excited.
Na-me grinned at Eli with a cheeky eye crinkle while clutching the foam roller.
Na-me was also in need of a sparring partner.
“I was surprised this morning when I saw an empty tray in the return bin after eating my meal.”
“Was the food good?”
“Yeah! Have you tried the truffle omelet? Wow, that kind of menu wasn’t available before.”
“I hired more cooks. I also increased the food budget.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that…?”
“It felt like the buffet was a bit lacking for an athlete village.”
“With your own money?”
“Of course, it’s my own money. But the committee has been generous, so it seems I can spend without worrying.”
“Whoa! I had no idea.”
But then Eli felt a nagging doubt.
“I thought you’d be joining the Korean base camp.”
“Not really? But I ended up as a substitute for Luxembourg. I like it here.”
“Yay, I’m glad to hear that.”
Eli cheered inside.
‘Does this mean I’ll get to see Na-me for the next month?’
She was just excited thinking about going back home and sharing tales.
“In that case, Eli, would you like to spar today?”
“Oh, today?”
“Not a full match, just something shorter.”
“I’d love it! Hold on, I’ll contact the head coach right away.”
* * *
As the sparring commenced, I began to assimilate Kain Eli’s playstyle in my mind.
Clang—!
Eli’s tactical spear met my sword in a clash.
She employed a southern American aura technique based on versatility and agility.
‘Her skills are certainly not bad.’
Seizing the opening as her next attack came in, I stretched my left hand back slightly.
[Cast: Ignis Respícĭo]
[Cast: Adella]
“…!”
Magic circles erupted, sending waves of magic power spiraling out.
As Eli raised her spear to block urgently, I took the chance to advance quickly.
Kang-gaga-gag—!
Our weapons clashed again, creating a powerful shockwave.
Eli pivoted and slipped past me in the blink of an eye.
I swiftly maneuvered to evade the attack.
Her spear just missed the air as it sliced through.
I planted my feet firmly on the ground and launched a quick counterattack.
Kang—! Kang-kang-kang-kang-kang—!
Without giving her a chance to retaliate, I pressed forward.
The gears of fatigue destruction piled steadily.
And finally, at the moment I pushed her into the explosion zone of Ignis Respícĭo, it happened.
Kawaaaang—!
A fierce blaze erupted like a whirlwind, engulfing Eli.
Eli’s spear flailed wildly as if struggling in water.
[Adella – 15 hits]
[Break]
Kwahng—!
I delivered the final blow without losing momentum.
“Phew, what? You seem fine. You’ll probably recover in about two weeks.”
I swung my right arm a few times.
There were occasional magical mishaps, but they hardly impacted the battle.
In just two weeks, I figured this issue would vanish.
“Ha, haha… this is ridiculous…”
Eli muttered.
Duelists in magic duels always approach training with the mindset of triumphing over any opponent.
It’s not merely a requirement; only those capable of this mindset can ascend to the prestigious position of national representative.
Is that why?
Kain Eli genuinely believed she could defeat me and fought with all her might.
It was indeed a commendable mindset, but unfortunately, the power gap was too apparent.
[Time: 14:21]
[NoName (Republic of Korea)] [85% | 97%]
[Kain Eli (Vietnam)] [29% | 60%]
“Shall we call it a day? It’s almost halftime.”
“Yeah! Hooah… You’re strong!”
Thump—
Eli finally slumped down, gasping for breath.
Rather than acknowledging my strength, she expressed disappointment in herself.
I gently set down my weights and spoke softly.
“I’m quite familiar with the southern American style, so your moves were easy to predict.”
“Gasp. Really…? What to do? It’s all because of that sword… It’s too slippery, making it hard to engage in direct combat.”
“I see, it’s surprisingly difficult to deal with. But you do know that’s an excuse, right? It’s harder for the spear against the sword.”
“Ah!”
The sword must restrict the spear’s movements and close the distance as much as possible.
While the sword should be at a disadvantage, the spear had no points to consider whatsoever.
With her last excuse blocked, Eli sprawled on the training arena floor.
“Wait, Na-me, over there.”
Eli pointed at a signboard.
[‘NoName Sorcerer’ Right Arm ‘Overload’ Injury Affirmed… Uncertain Participation in National Exchange Tournament]
“NoName got injured?!”
“Huh? When did I?!”
“Right? Ridiculous, huh? Wow, I thought at that moment, how much of an idiot I was to think of the patient!”
I shook my head vigorously.
The news was analyzing the video I shot in Mexico and an ordinary video captured at the teaser filming location.
“Whoa… your arm looks serious…?”
“It’s because my skin is a bit thin. Look.”
I rolled up the sleeve of my right arm.
There were some traces of overload left, but it wasn’t as exaggerated as in the news.
“Why are fake news everywhere…”
If the news said that, the online community would be in an uproar.
Sure enough.
Fan cafes and other communities were buzzing with excitement.
Messages checking on me were flying in from everywhere.
“Hmm? Just a second, I’m getting a call.”
Cecilia from Janjeol Clan was calling me.
“Hello? Oh, that’s not true.”
I diligently explained the injury news and asked about her recent happenings.
Now that I think about it, wasn’t Cecilia’s workplace near Texas?
“Aren’t you coming to the
exchange conference? I didn’t see your name on the list.”
[How can I if I’m eliminated?]
“Huh? Aw, you got eliminated? Why?”
[Hey!!! You knew that!!! Where are you, NoName? Just wait there!]
Click—
Somehow, I ended up making plans with Cecilia.
“Eli, if you’re free today, would you like to go out with me?”
“Pardon?”
“I feel like I might get hit if it’s just the two of us.”