LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 90
“That’s more than I expected.”
I expressed my thoughts as I looked at the throng of heads.
Compared to other famous streamers who have 10,000 or 20,000 live viewers, it’s just a handful, but the actual experience felt different.
With 1,600 viewers, almost 1,000 were participating.
Since this many people couldn’t possibly fit into my private room, I set the background to a large set provided by the capsule.
[Idol Stage ver.1.3.4]
As I stepped onto the stage, the lights hanging from the ceiling all turned to shine on me.
The heat was intense. Is there no way to set the lights a little dimmer?
I fiddled with the settings but got annoyed and decided to get to the point.
What I was about to do was more like an OX quiz than a World Cup.
It was a simple game where choosing the same answer as mine would mean survival.
There was a reason I was choosing managers this way.
Even if I set criteria for aggressive language, spam, and malicious chat, there would always be people who dance on the edge.
It was impossible for me to tell the managers the criteria one by one, and their judgment in those situations was crucial.
In conclusion, I needed someone I could trust to just “handle it well.”
A person who shares a similar disposition to mine would likely make the same judgments as me. It’s a matter of probability. It would be troublesome if they didn’t.
[‘nayun1231’ donated 3,000 KRW!]
– “Is there a special criterion when choosing battle magic? Like assuming a 1v1 situation or facing multiple enemies?”
“You can just choose based on your instincts.”
– “Since it’s all for fun, I’m really getting into it, LOL!”
– “But all those overly invested people came here to join, LOL!”
– “Can’t resist picking the managers.”
In the end, it’s a test of how much our thoughts align. Using your brain will only make it harder, right?
[Battle Magic World Cup Round of 32]
[5th Circle Ignis Bellum (Wall of Fire) vs 4th Circle Glacies Hasta (Ice Spear)]
“Well, it’s a battle of fire and ice right from the start.”
– “Illegal magic vs Ice magic, ddddddddddddddddd!”
– “There’s no way it’s not an ice dancing battle, LOL!”
– “Is the room leader a ‘Craving Ice Cream Even When It’s Cold’ person or a ‘Died to Warm Water’ person?”
– “What the heck is ‘Died to Warm Water’?”
– “It means showering in warm water even if you die from the cold.”
– “I’m both, then, LOL!”
Just because I’m here doesn’t mean I know the official names of magic in this world.
I just roughly inferred based on the structure of the magic circle and compared it with the magic from my past life.
I wished there would be an explanation of the magic since this was a World Cup, but it seemed like the creator didn’t care about such conveniences.
What kind of matchup is “Wall of Fire vs Ice Spear”? It seems cheap.
“On the left, we have Ignis Bellum. It’s a magic that supplies combustible material around the caster and extends outward in a physical form. Due to the combustion reaction, the magic circle is hidden, so the risk of dispelling it seems low. Oh, I could play the video. Shall we take a look?”
The picture quality wasn’t very good.
A muscular man running through a reed field, followed closely by a cameraman. He was probably a war correspondent.
However, at the end of the reed field, a wide river flowed. Those trapped at the dead end hurriedly checked behind them. Were they being chased by an enemy?
In that moment, the man grabbed the cameraman and threw him toward the other side of the river. He landed a little past the middle, and the camera’s view could finally rise above the surface.
[confícĭo: ignis vēlum]
From the reed field, dozens of soldiers popped out behind a barrier. However, the massive fireball unleashed by the man devastated the reed field, leaving them unable to advance and stamping their feet.
– “That old mage is seriously the coolest, LOL! Is this really a 5th Circle?”
– “Just look at the boiling river!”
– “Is this Switzerland or what?”
– “How do you know that?”
– “The background is the Alps, of course.”
“Shall we view the next one? For time’s sake, I will explain as we watch the video. The quality is much better. It’s 4th Circle magic, Glacies Hasta. In the video, it freezes water down to -250 degrees and shapes it sharply.”
[constĭtŭo: glácĭes hasta]
– “How do you even handle a spear at -250 degrees?”
– “It’s not like you swing it; you probably shoot it, LOL!”
– “But this person is just grabbing it, right?”
– “?????”
A woman with long blue hair caught the spear that formed in midair between her second and third steps.
Her upper body didn’t bend forward, and the shoulder and arm holding the spear were tightly pulled back.
Her hips and shoulders formed the axis while her palm faced the sky.
On the fourth step, as she firmly shifted her weight onto her left leg to stabilize the left side of her body, her chest thrust forward, achieving maximum contraction.
Impactful delivery. The spear left her hand and her body momentarily floated. It struck the target perfectly.
Except for how quick the recovery action was, likely due to the ice being so cold, it was almost a flawless execution.
The video ended with her hugging her reddened hand, pouting.
“That was cool. I don’t think there’s much more to evaluate. Ignis Bellum vs Glacies Hasta. What should we do about this?”
– “Definitely Ignis!”
– “Absolutely!”
– “But isn’t it a bit unfair since a 5th Circle is facing a 4th Circle magic? LOL!”
– “Fire type is indeed strong.”
– “Let’s choose the old fire magic for this one.”
“Hmm… So I can only use one of these?”
As the set floor where people stood displayed the same screen I was watching, I debated my choice.
Those who had already made their decision hurried along. It looked like they were leaning towards fire magic.
“The former is a wide-area fire magic that can compete in both 1v1 and 1vN battles, and if you can handle it skillfully it could be quite useful, especially in situations like the one in the video where you’re being chased, buying you time.”
– “Isn’t that invincible if you just keep that up?”
– “It’s broken-level magic, LOL!”
– “5th Circle magic circles are incredibly complex, seriously;;”
“Conversely, the latter might not be situation-dependent but would rely heavily on the caster’s abilities. If you cast the magic and can’t hit, then it’s useless.”
– “That means you’ll be out, huh?”
– “Might as well shoot an ice cannon!”
– “But manual styles have their romance, right…?”
“Have you all made your choice? For wide-area Wall of Fire, go left; for Ice Spear, go right. The Wall of Fire definitely looks cooler at a glance. I agree.”
Hearing my evaluation, those in Glacies Hasta started moving over to Ignis Bellum like mushrooms sprouting.
More people agreed with that sentiment.
Yet, nobody moved in the opposite direction. Oh wait, there’s just one.
“Then I’ll choose quickly too.”
After confirming there was no one on the dividing line between the two options, I lightly tapped the choice I had already made in my mind.
[4th Circle Glacies Hasta (Ice Spear)]
– “????”
– “???????”
– “WTF?”
[840 viewers have been eliminated.]
[218 viewers have survived.]
Faint screams echoed from beneath the crowd.
To think that 840 people got eliminated right from the start.
Finding an ideal manager is that difficult.
The previously tranquil live chat suddenly went into a frenzy.
Those who dropped in the first round spilled their frustrations.
– “I trusted the room leader’s word and changed my choice at the last minute! What the heck is this?!”
– “LOL!”
– “Talk about trap investigation, LOL!”
– “Isn’t that just malicious at this point?”
– “(This chat has been blocked.)”
Especially those who changed their choices at the last minute seemed even more upset, not holding back their curses.
You’re banned.
“I genuinely think Ignis Bellum is a useful magic. However, if I could only choose one, I’d be doubtful about picking it. If you had to play a survival game and could only use either a handgun or a smoke bomb, what would you choose?”
– “Of course, the handgun.”
– “Thinking that way suddenly makes sense.”
– “But it’s 5th Circle; wouldn’t it pack some killing power?”
“Ignis Bellum is practically a self-detonation device. The caster’s mana isn’t infinite, and obscuring vision is mutual. I wouldn’t want to use such a halfway magic.”
[‘gijipiji’ donated 1,000 KRW!]
– “Aah, I couldn’t even take a swing at it, LOL!”
– “Then why don’t you clear it like the room leader with Wagal 10/10/10? LOL!”
– “If you’re mad… you know?”
– “Ice Spear looks really weak for a 4th Circle, doesn’t it?”
“Glacies Hasta has the advantage of being able to freely configure the material of the spear. It’s not just about freezing water; if you can construct a superconductor based on niobium to minimize power efficiency, reaching the hypersonic realm isn’t impossible.”
It’s basically the principle of a railgun.
And above all, it doesn’t make sense that ice mages are weaker than illegal mages, right?
I’ve never lost a magic duel to Remilia Asepheit even once.
Drawing on experience-driven reliable knowledge, I urged the viewers to trust my words.