316: Event for Me (3)

Event for Me (3)

At the same time in Beijing, China.

"Gasp! Gasp!"

Somebody was gasping for breath in the 'Revival Legend' headquarters of the Chinese Government, one of the three major powers representing China along with the Yanghwa Guild and the Hwashin Guild.

Then he opened his mouth to the man sitting at the head of the table.

"Gasp! Gasp! I've just succeeded in manipulating the draw!"

"Really? Good work! Go and take some rest."

"Yes, sir!"

The man who was gasping for breath left quickly when President Xi at the head of the table said that. Watching him, those sitting right next to the head of the table, opened their mouths.

"As the number of players keeps decreasing, it seems that there are lots of difficulties in manipulating the draw."

"But this time it was necessary."

"Right. Since we pitted one of Asirante's family members against him, I think there is a high chance that he might give in this time. Don't you think so?"

Those who were looking at President Xi commented one by one, expressing confidence that Asirante would ultimately make concessions to one of his family members.

But President Xi was different.

He said, "Tut, tut, tut. As you know, nobody will lose their lives in this competition. Do you think the Hong family will force Asirante, the surefire winner, to concede to one of their family members? Do you really think they are that stupid?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

All those who expressed their opinions became silent after President Xi rebuked them.

Watching them silently, President Xi opened his mouth again, clicking his tongue.

"Well, I've given up on winning anyway. That's why we have decided to manipulate the draw to make it most advantageous for our players to reach the top 6. How many are left at the moment?"

"Well, thanks to our manipulation of the tournament table, we have more than 50 players who advanced to the round of 128. Besides, we've separated those strong players, including Asirante, on the other side of the bracket, so I think we can include as many as ten among the top players even if they fail to advance to the round of 16."

"Good. But what about the archer named Sarnga?"

"As far as we know, he is not participating in this event."

"Are you sure? A strong player like him is sure to be included among the top players if he decides to participate. But he is not attending this time? Is it just like what the rumors say? That he is bound by something like a time limit due to his limited skills or traits or items?? If that is really the case, then that explains why he is not participating in this event that will take quite a long time."

"I don't know that yet, sir. However, our Strategy Department predicted that there is a 50% chance of him staying away from this event because of that."

"Hmm… Anyway, he surpassed Asirante for some time anyway. Examine his status once again. Maybe he can be a great addition to our strength."

"Yes, sir!"

"Understood, President Xi!"

Having said that, President Xi rose from his seat to claim victory in his match against one of his allies who voluntarily abstained due to the manipulated tournament table.

***

Inside the arena.

Did I think of giving up for my sister's sake?

Of course, I had no intention of doing that. It would be of no benefit not only to me and my sister, but the entire Myongjin Guild.

If my sister had more than a 50% chance of winning first place, I would consider it for about three seconds because I had a 99.9% chance of winning, not simply 50%.

In other words, I had to advance to the next round unconditionally.

Since my sister knew my situation better than anybody else, I opened my mouth with a smile.

"Well, I don't have to fight and beat you, sis, right? Hahaha!"

"You know what? If I fight you fiercely, I can give you a lot of trouble."

"Of course, I know that, sis!"

Not only my sister but also my elder brother was many years older than me.

So, when I was a child, I mostly played with my sister, but I was teased by her a lot. That's what she was trying to remind me of right now.

"If you don't win first place, you will be reminded of your childhood memories."

I couldn't help but tremble a little at her threat.

Then I quietly replied, "Well, I didn't even think of anything other than first place anyway."

"Really? You are so good now. Alright. Since you're busy, let me abstain!"

As soon as my sister shouted she would abstain from fighting me, a message rang.

[Your opponent has forfeited the duel.

- You have won. You advance to the next round.]

Then I advanced through the round of 64, the round of 32, and finally to the round of 16.

A few days later there were exactly 16 people left. As a result, there were lots of rumors and gossip about them. Especially since those who succeeded in advancing to the round of 16 were guaranteed rewards.

At that moment, Director Sok said, "The Chinese players fought strongly this time."

When he said that, I turned my attention to the remaining players. I thought it rather unusual that 9 out of the final 16 players were Chinese.

Of course, it was true that China boasted of a huge number of players, but that didn't mean that all of them were the highest-level players.

Director Sok then rummaged through the list of the players who advanced to the rounds of 32, 64, and 128, then said softly, "Perhaps China, or more precisely, the Chinese Government ruled by President Xi, seems to have somebody who can manipulate the tournament table. Of course, it is not the administrator of this event. If it was the administrator, he would not have made this kind of mistake which is difficult to explain with simply luck."

I also checked the list of the players.

And I couldn't help but nod at Director Sok's assessment.

Of course, the manipulation wasn't perfect. In other words, the manipulator was not the administrator.

So I quietly opened my mouth.

"Then my opponent in the final round must be this guy," I said, pointing my finger at President Xi among the list of 16 players. And nobody in the conference room, including Director Sok, refuted me.

The round of 16 match the next day.

"I abstain."2

[Your opponent has forfeited the duel.

- You have won. You advance to the next round.]

Round of 8.

"I abstain."

[Your opponent has forfeited the duel.

- You have won. You advance to the next round.]

Round of 4.

"I abstain."

[Your opponent has forfeited the duel.

- You have won. You advance to the next round.]

Two top players who advanced to the 8th and 4th Round abstained.

Of course, I didn't think their abstention was strange.

The fact that they advanced to the round of 16 meant that they belonged to a large guild, so it was obvious that they must be high-level executives in their guilds and not just ordinary members.

As expected, my opponent in the final round was the man I singled out at first.

"Hahah!. I'm glad to meet such a famous player like you, Asirante. Oh, can I call you Juyoung Hong?"

"Call me as you wish, President Xi. It doesn't matter."

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