Chapter 25
「– It’s almost showtime! I wish you both the very best!」
「Y-Yes!」
After responding to Kimura, Isamu lowers his gaze to the tablet the staff brought earlier.
The screen displays the official live broadcast of this event.
Currently, the official PV for Dream Fantasy is playing, and the chat section is lively.
By the way, the current number of viewers is an astonishing 360,000.
This includes players who didn’t participate in the event, players who participated but were eliminated in the preliminaries, fans of various streamers such as Elena, and those who casually tuned in drawn by the high viewership.
The convergence of all these resulted in an incredible number.
Notably, when Isamu checked 15 minutes ago during the waiting screen, it was 200,000.
Isamu had a mild panic attack at that point, so he’s now deliberately avoiding looking at the viewer count.
(It’s finally time…)
The live broadcast will begin in a few dozen seconds, slightly ahead of the event start, to allow for greetings and rule explanations.
(W-Will it be okay… Can someone like me really pull this off…)
Just as heightened nerves surge through him again, Teshigawara, seated to Isamu’s right, places a hand on his right shoulder.
When Isamu abruptly turns to look, Teshigawara nods with a gentle smile.
(Mr Teshigawara! …Alright, let’s do this!)
Thanks to his consideration, Isamu manages to shake off the excessive tension.
At the same time, the official PV that was playing ends, and this studio comes into view.
「– To all the Dream Fantasy players across the nation, thank you for waiting! Today, we bring you the coverage of Dream Fantasy’s inaugural event: Battle Royale!」
Immediately after, Teshigawara delivers the opening greeting as rehearsed.
Meanwhile, Isamu does his part to liven things up by applauding.
「So then, I’ll be your commentator for today — I’m Teshigawara Shinji. It’s a pleasure to be with you all today!」
『Teshi!』
『Having Teshigawara as the announcer is super luxurious!』
『Nice to meet you!』
『Keeping it hidden until the last minute makes it seem like Teshigawara is the guest, lol.』
As Teshigawara bows to the camera, Isamu glances at the tablet’s chat section and finds it flooded with comments welcoming him.
As expected of a famous announcer.
「And now! Today, we have Sieg, also known as Tutorial Guy, joining us as a guest commentator! Sieg, please say a few words!」
「Yes! It’s Sieg, a.k.a. Tutorial Guy! This is my first time in such a setting, but I’ll do my very best, so it’s a pleasure to be here today!」
Isamu bows his head and immediately directs his eyes to the tablet in front of him.
Then–
『Tu-Guy is here!!』
『As a representative of the EleKnights, I have high hopes for you!』
『Tutorial Guy, you’ve got this!』
『I don’t know who he is, but do your best anyway!』
『So Tu-Guy’s actual in game name is Sieg. First time learning that.』
Just like with Teshigawara, supportive messages pour in.
Isamu also feels relieved by this and raises his head.
「Yes, thank you! Now that we’ve finished the greetings, allow me to explain the rules of this event once more–」
After that, Teshigawara provides a concise overview of the Battle Royale event to the viewers.
In the meantime, the time reaches 11:59…
「It’s finally the start of the event! To all the participating players, give it your all! To all the viewers, please cheer on the players! Now, let’s count down!」
「「10, 9, 8– 3, 2, 1! 」」
Isamu counts down together with Teshigawara.
And at precisely 12:00, the players participating in the finals are transported to the event-exclusive map.
From that moment, the Battle Royale begins.
「Now, it has started! First, let’s take a look at each area in order!」
Initially, the players start with a certain distance between them, so combat doesn’t break out right away.
Therefore, Teshigawara’s live commentary begins by focusing on the movements of the players shown on the screen as it switches between areas.
The players’ names are pre-registered by the staff, so they’re automatically displayed on the screen.
Additionally, there are separate materials prepared for the notable players.
Naturally, Elena’s name is included, and so is Shuka’s.
Apparently, Shuka is the youngest participant, which is why she’s considered a notable player.
「In the northern part of the grassland area, we have Player Light! Cautiously advancing while surveying the surroundings!」
At first, there aren’t any particularly interesting developments, so the screen quickly transitions to other areas.
This continues for a few minutes, with Teshigawara briefly introducing the players who appear.
「…Oh! It seems players have clashed! Staff, please switch to screen 12!」
As Teshigawara says that, the large central screen displays the footage of two players facing off in the forest.
The camera swiftly moves to capture the two from the best angle.
One is a tall, slender man wielding a greatsword– King, and the other is a large, muscular man holding a staff– Rayleigh.
『–Come, ye vengeful spirits! Now is the time to settle your grudges! Evil Hand!』
With the dark magic Evil Hand chanted by Rayleigh, a magic circle appears at King’s feet.
Immediately, several black hands emerge from the magic circle and stretch toward King.
「Player Rayleigh activates magic! The blackened hands assail Player King!」
『Hmph!』
King slashes through them with his greatsword in a single stroke.
The manifested black hands dissipate into mist.
『Heavy Strike!』
King closes the distance and thrusts his greatsword straight at Rayleigh.
It’s the same technique Kaito used before.
「In response, Player King is unfazed by the magic and launches a counterattack! Player Rayleigh can’t withstand this!」
『Appear, black flames, and burn! Dark Flare!』
『What!?』
The moment King retracts his extended arms, Rayleigh activates Dark Flare.
Unleashed from point-blank range, King is unable to evade the black flames and takes a direct hit.
『Appear, black flames, and burn! Dark Flare!』
Without putting any distance between himself and King, Rayleigh activates Dark Flare again.
Perhaps startled by the previous direct hit from Dark Flare, King remains in place and stoically endures the black flames engulfing his body.
『Uohhhhh!!』
Rayleigh swings the staff in his hand down at King.
King takes several hits with a frightened expression on his face.
He disintegrates into particles and vanishes.
(Whoa, that guy is super scary…)
「–The match is decided! With Player Rayleigh’s relentless attacks, Player King is eliminated here! Sieg, looking back on this battle, what are your thoughts?」
「R-Right. I was surprised by Player Rayleigh’s aggressive combat style.」
「Meaning?」
「Um, when primarily using magic, the standard approach is to engage the opponent from a distance. It’s like they overturned that premise.」
If you take damage while chanting magic, the deployed magic circle gets disrupted.
Therefore, when using magic, the natural thinking is to fight from a distance, which is what Isamu himself has been doing.
That’s precisely why he was astonished by Rayleigh’s hyper-aggressive fighting style.
「Indeed, Player Rayleigh didn’t retreat a single step and maintained a relentless pressure! So, you believe that was the decisive factor?」
「Yes, I think so. Player King also seemed surprised and couldn’t respond adequately.」
「I see! Well then, Player Rayleigh, splendid work! I hope you continue in this spirit! Now, let’s move on!」
As Teshigawara says that, the screen switches again.
At the same time, Isamu feels a sensation as if someone gently patted his thigh.
Glancing down, he notices a hand with a raised thumb resting on his thigh.
The owner of that hand is, of course, Teshigawara.
(A thumbs-up at this timing probably means 「the commentary was good」… Phew, that’s a relief. Alright, I’ll keep at it and do this properly!)
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