How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

Chapter 741: A friendly match

Not long after the... unnecessary stress from yesterday—

The next day came like nothing happened.

The tournament continued as usual.

Matches moved forward one by one, and Snow along with the others had their own scheduled fights for the day. With how things were progressing, it was clear we were nearing the end.

"...."

I wasn’t too worried about Snow.

No matter who she faced today, she’d most likely win—

Unless she got matched against me or Lucas.

Though...

Against Seo or Rose?

That was a different story.

With her current specs and the authority backing her, Snow was basically a walking cheat character right now.

Even then, those two weren’t exactly normal either.

"...."

Fortunately Liyana seems to be busy today... but I should probably prepare for the worst later this evening just in case.

I missed Reina and Kagami’s match yesterday because of Liyana.

From what I heard, though—

It went exactly as expected.

Kagami won.

No surprise there.

Still...

It seems Reina managed to push him more than people thought she would.

"...Not bad."

I should probably watch the recording later.

She’s been improving a lot recently.

Wouldn’t hurt to acknowledge that as her older brother.

"...."

At this point, only a handful of competitors were left.

And honestly—

Depending on how the matchups played out, things could still go either way.

But overall...

The rankings hadn’t changed much.

1 Riley Hell

2 Lucas

3 Rose Brilliance

4 Seo Gyeoul

5 Snow Luvenitia White Germonia Leven

6 Kagami Kento

7 Vanessa

"...."

I’m still ranked first.

Still considered the strongest among all remaining competitors.

"...."

The attention that came with it—

Was annoying.

But compared to the rumors that used to follow me around...

This was better.

At least this time—

People were paying attention to me for the right reasons.

Though...

It is a bit strange.

The academy still hasn’t scheduled a match for me.

With how the brackets are thinning out, the numbers don’t even line up evenly anymore. At this point, it’s obvious that with the remaining days, something’s being adjusted behind the scenes.

And yet—

No announcements.

No rumors.

Not even speculation about who my next opponent might be.

"...."

That kind of silence?

It’s intentional.

Depending on how you look at it, it could easily be seen as bias.

Are they saving my match for last?

Because they consider me the strongest?

...Maybe.

It would make sense from a show perspective.

Build anticipation.

End things on the highest note.

But at the same time—

That kind of decision isn’t exactly fair to the others.

Even if most people wouldn’t question my strength, it still leaves a bad taste.

"...."

Not that it really matters.

In the end—

I’ll fight whoever they put in front of me.

Whether it’s now or later doesn’t change anything.

"...."

I exhaled slowly.

The air felt... different.

Lighter.

Cleaner.

After spending time inside Alice’s realm, coming back here still felt a little unreal.

Even now, I could still faintly remember that suffocating authority.

Compared to that—

This felt almost... normal.

Grounded.

I reached down and picked up the sword embedded in the ground.

The familiar weight settled into my hand.

"...."

A steady breath in.

Then out.

I gathered my mana, letting it circulate evenly throughout my body.

Smooth.

Controlled.

No excess.

As it spread, my body began to feel lighter.

Sharper.

My senses expanded, picking up even the smallest shifts in the air.

Strength flowed naturally through my limbs.

A faint bluish-white glow formed around me—

Quiet.

Ethereal.

"...This should be enough."

[Activating Divinity]

The moment I let it surface—

Everything deepened.

Not explosively.

But fundamentally.

Like something beneath the surface had opened just a little more.

"...."

I’m confident in my control now.

More than before.

But even so—

I can feel it.

Deep down.

What I’m using right now...

Is barely anything.

Just a handful of water—

From an endless ocean.

And I’ve only just touched the surface.

Reaching that vast, endless sea—

I closed my eyes.

The moment my consciousness brushed against it, I felt it again.

That boundless expanse.

Cold.

Deep.

Infinite.

"...."

I reached out—

And touched it.

A ripple spread.

Small.

Insignificant.

It barely disturbed the surface, like a drop of water falling into an ocean that didn’t care.

"...So that’s how it is."

On its own, my connection was nothing.

Too shallow.

Too weak to draw anything meaningful from it.

But—

"What if I use mana as a lever...?"

I already knew the answer.

It was stupid.

Reckless.

Something I shouldn’t be doing.

"...."

So I did it anyway.

VOOOOM!!!

Mana surged forward violently, forcing its way into that endless sea—

And this time—

It responded.

The ripple twisted—

Expanded—

Until it became something else entirely.

A wave.

Then—

A storm.

Divine energy surged back toward me like a collapsing tide, swallowing everything in its path.

"...!"

Under normal circumstances—

This much power would’ve torn my body apart instantly.

No control.

No balance.

Just overload—

And collapse.

But now—

"...It doesn’t hurt."

My body held.

Barely strained.

Ever since my race changed... my existence itself had adapted to this kind of power.

Not perfectly—

But enough.

And even if something went wrong—

"...I’ve prepared for that."

The sword in my hand.

The one I enhanced earlier.

A disposable anchor.

If things spiral out of control, I can redirect the excess into it before the mana detonates inside me.

And worst case—

"...I’m still inside Alice’s realm."

Anything that breaks—

Can be fixed.

"...."

I opened my eyes.

Light exploded outward.

A pillar of power surged into existence—

Gold.

Black.

Blue.

Three forces intertwining, clashing, yet perfectly balanced with me at the center.

"...So this is my divinity."

It didn’t feel foreign.

It felt—

Right.

Natural.

Like something that had always been there, just waiting to be used.

Slowly, the pillar condensed.

Compressed.

Until it formed into several dense orbs orbiting around me.

Each one heavy.

Distorting the space around them.

Like miniature stars barely being contained.

"...."

Then—

[User has entered Divine State]

[Warning: User soul threshold still undergoing divine assimilation]

[Current divine output exceeds user soul threshold]

[It is advised to cut off divine connection]

[Limit before permanent damage: 03:00]

"...Three minutes."

I exhaled softly.

That’s more than enough.

I recalled the authorities I have access through my divinity.

[Conceptual Oblivion]

[Effect: You become a walking paradox—a sovereign whose presence unravels the very scaffolding of reality.]

[Previous Blessing effects upgraded!]

[Blessing of Change: Rewrite the fundamental nature of any concept—turn "immortality" into "fragility," "hope" into "decay."]

[Blessing of Death: Your aura brings true death—not just physical cessation, but the erasure of existence from memory, history, and meaning.]

[Blessing of the Fraud: You can lie to the universe itself, convincing it that "fire is cold," "time has stopped," or "you were never born."]

[Unique Combined Authority Effect: Oblivion Rewrite]

[Effects:]

[Lie to the Concept: Convince it that it is something else entirely.]

[Kill the Concept: Your presence erases its original form from existence.]

[Rewrite the Void: Implant a new truth, one that the world now accepts as absolute.]

[Passive Authority: Unreality Field]

[Effect: Within a certain radius, reality becomes unstable. People forget their names, gravity flickers, and even gods hesitate to speak, fearing their words might be rewritten into lies.]

"...."

I exhaled slowly, looking around.

I had chosen a spot far from the center of Alice’s realm. Nothing here. No one around. Just empty space stretching endlessly.

She told me I could test things freely here.

So—

I would.

Reaching into my dimensional pocket, I pulled out a small bird.

Lifeless.

Its body was still cold in my hand, fragile, unmoving.

For a brief moment, I just looked at it.

Then I spoke.

"The bird is Alive"

[The Anomaly has lied]

[The universe Believes]

Moments later. The bird twitched.

A faint movement at first, almost easy to miss. Then its chest rose, unevenly, as breath returned to its body.

Life flowed back into it...

I let out a quiet breath, a faint smile forming without me realizing it.

"Let’s test my limits, shall we?"

After this... I should properly take care of my loose fiancé.

....

Meanwhile—back in the real world.

Inside Lumen Academy’s colosseum—

The entire arena had fallen into chaos.

Not panic.

But something close to it.

Excitement, thrill, fear, pressure—everything mixed together as the crowd watched a match no one expected to happen this early unfold right before their eyes.

It didn’t feel like a student match anymore.

It felt like watching two forces that shouldn’t be contained in a place like this collide.

A battlefield that would normally take minutes to decide—

Was already turning into something that would be remembered across the entire continent.

Frost spread across the arena like a living thing.

Everything it touched slowed—

Stopped—

Froze.

Even streams of light and summoned weapons, mid-flight, were caught in place, suspended in layers of crystalline ice before they could even reach their target.

And above—

A sun.

A condensed sphere of blazing light hovered high in the air, no bigger than a large ball, yet dense enough that even experienced mages in the audience felt their stomachs churn just from looking at it.

"...!"

Some of the 6-circle mages present had already turned pale.

One even staggered back, barely holding himself from collapsing.

"That... that density—"

"It’s insane...!"

Blue met gold.

Snow’s calm, frost-covered gaze—

Against Rose’s radiant, unwavering eyes.

There was no hesitation in either of them.

No holding back.

Only focus.

Only intent.

And something else—

A quiet, unspoken competition.

This—

Was the beginning of their match.

"P-Principal Leilah!"

Amelia’s voice trembled as she clutched onto the side of the viewing platform.

"S-shouldn’t we stop this match right now?! We can’t contain this on such a flimsy stage—h-hiek!"

Another explosion tore through the arena, the shockwave rattling the entire colosseum.

Amelia immediately ducked behind Leilah’s chair, half-hiding as if that would somehow protect her.

"I thought they were friends—no, more than that!" she continued, almost panicking. "Considering their connection with Riley, why are they fighting like this?!"

Her voice rose with each word.

"At this rate, they’re going to destroy not just the colosseum, but the entire academy if they use high-tier spells!"

She grabbed onto the armrest tightly.

"Principal, we really should—wait..."

"...Principal?"

No response.

"...Principal!?!"

Amelia slowly leaned forward.

"...P-Principal?!!"

Leilah—

Had passed out.

Completely.

Slumped back in her chair.

A faint, almost blissful smile still on her face—

As if she was enjoying the match right up until the moment she blacked out.