Chapter 782 - The Tournament Heats Up
It was Euna.
The girl smiled at him as she took the seat beside Leon, leaning back with effortless grace. Her posture was relaxed—elegant, even. She always carried herself with a natural air of confidence, something that set her apart.
It wasn't surprising. Euna and her brother came from an incredibly wealthy family—just how rich, Leon had no idea. The difference was that, while Freya was also from money, she never made it obvious. She kept a low profile, never flaunting her status in front of others.
Meanwhile, Euna and Booyoung? They embraced the glamour. Everything about them—from their clothing to the accessories they wore—screamed luxury. And honestly, Leon wasn't even sure how expensive half the things they owned actually were.
"Today is the Blacksmith Competition, right?" Euna asked.
"Yes… and it's going to take a long time," he replied. "The worst part is that whatever I craft during the competition won't carry over into the game. That makes it feel pretty pointless."
"Well, at the very least, you'll win a huge cash prize if you take first place, right?" she said with a smile. "Not to mention, I heard from Freya that you landed quite a big sponsor for this event."
Leon let out a small chuckle, nodding. "Yeah… I guess that's the only reason I'm still bothering to compete."
Euna nudged his shoulder playfully. "Come on, champion—get a little more excited. You're going to gain tons of popularity from this."
"Like my popularity isn't already big enough to bring me more problems?" he said dryly.
She laughed. "Gather more money, trust me—it's fun."
Leon hummed in thought. The idea of accumulating more wealth was already forming in his mind. Especially since he had been considering getting his own place—a personal building entirely for himself.
Somewhere he could base all his operations. Somewhere that had everything he needed in one place.
Maybe even a space for King.
And who knew? If things went well, he might even recruit more people to work for him in the future.
"We might end up facing each other in the semifinals," Euna said casually.
Leon turned to her, momentarily caught off guard when she met his gaze at the exact same moment.
For a brief second, he was acutely aware of just how close they were speaking—close enough for him to take in every detail of her face.
It was… almost blinding.
Everything about Euna exuded luxury—her hairstyle, her earrings, even the subtle touch of makeup she wore. Each detail looked flawless, expensive in a way that made him wonder just how much effort (and money) went into her appearance.
Leon quickly averted his gaze, breaking eye contact.
"Semifinals of Duel of Champions?" he asked.
Euna nodded with a confident smile. "Yes. That is… if I win my bracket first. But I'm sure we'll meet in the semifinals."
Leon smirked at her confidence. "That's good."
"Oh?"
"I'll finally get to pay you back for what you did to me when we first met," he said.
That made Euna laugh—really laugh. She lowered her head slightly, clearly amused by his words. "Oh? Then make sure you give it your best shot—because if it's not you who makes it to the semifinals, I'll lose interest in the match."
"I will," Leon said, his grin widening. "Because I promised I'd pay you back for what you did back then."
Euna laughed again, shaking her head. "I thought that grudge was already over?"
"Oh, it is." Leon leaned back. "But revenge is still necessary."
They both chuckled, the tension between them fading into something light and easy. For the first time in a while, Leon felt relaxed—swept up in the warmth of their banter.
"Good," Euna said, her eyes gleaming with challenge. "I'll be waiting for your revenge. Make sure it's devastating—because I won't be holding back."
**
In yet another interview, this time led by Brando, a well-known host within the Immortal Legacy community, all cameras were focused on a single guest.
Seated across from Brando was a player heavily favored to win the next big competition happening later that day.
"We have Lanceshot with us today!" Brando announced enthusiastically.
The man in question flashed a wide grin and waved at the camera.
"Well, Lanceshot, I heard you recently achieved Expert Rank Blacksmith status. That's quite an impressive achievement!"
"Yeah," Lanceshot replied confidently. "I've been dominating the Blacksmith Leaderboards for years now. In fact, I was the first player to ever reach Expert Rank in blacksmithing! That makes me the undisputed best blacksmith with the highest potential. I'm sure this achievement will take me to the very top of Yunatea. I mean, with my skills and expertise, it's only a matter of time before major factions and royal courts start offering me positions as an official kingdom blacksmith."
Brando clapped, clearly entertained. "I'd love to see you reach even greater heights in Yunatea! Especially since we all know there's already a blacksmith who managed to rise to the rank of King in a kingdom on the Southern Continent."
"Broken, huh? Haha." Lanceshot chuckled. "Well, he's not a pure blacksmith. He's a fighter who just happens to have Blacksmith as a class. So, we're not even in the same league."
He leaned back with a smug grin.
"While I have dedicated my entire in-game time to mastering blacksmithing, Broken? Who knows what he's been doing? Haha. But honestly, we shouldn't even be bringing up Broken in a serious discussion about top-tier blacksmiths."
Brando leaned forward, his expression turning serious.
"But Lanceshot, weren't you in the same competition as Broken back in Dissidia, when he managed to craft a Legendary-grade spear?"
"I knew you'd bring that up." Lanceshot exhaled sharply, shaking his head.
"Yeah, I was there… and I almost won. If it hadn't been for that ridiculous stroke of luck that just happened to favor Broken… Well, let's be real—hard work always beats luck. And honestly? There's no point in crafting a single Legendary-grade item if you're just going to be stuck making low-tier gear afterward, right?"
He shrugged, then leaned back with an air of confidence. Explore new worlds at My Virtual Library Empire
"Meanwhile, I know the most effective way to craft the best items in Yunatea. And no, that's not bragging—it's just fact. My track record speaks for itself."
Brando smirked. "So… you're confident that you'll win the Blacksmith Competition this time?"
"That's not even a question." Lanceshot grinned.
"And I'll prove it in this competition. If Broken actually thinks he can win the same event twice, then he's just wasting his spot by entering. Honestly, he should've just signed up for the Beast Battle instead. That would suit him way better—hiding behind his summons, as always."
Lanceshot chuckled, shaking his head. "That's more his style. Hahaha."
Brando clapped his hands, laughing in response to Lanceshot's confident remarks.
"Yeah, sure! I have no doubt this is going to be an exciting competition. A lot of people are eager to see what kind of incredible items the participants will craft this time. Who knows… maybe we'll even see another Legendary-grade item appear. Anything is possible."
Then, turning toward the camera, Brando flashed a charismatic smile.
"Stay tuned! Because up next, we'll be talking with Broken—and trust me, this is our chance to dig deeper into who he really is."
With that, Brando and Lanceshot shook hands, wrapping up their conversation for this segment.