Two young men strolled down the main street of Univara. One moved with an air of relaxed confidence. The other, noticeably tenser, shook slightly at every step.

"Uh Boss, don't we need tickets to get into the stadium?"

"Nah. Most of the participants are out by now—there should be plenty of empty seats."

"…So we're just sneaking in?"

"Mhm. Didn't Adira send a couple of our commanders to compete? We can enter with them."

They walked a few more paces before Nova suddenly stopped, eyes narrowing as a mischievous thought took root. He turned with a grin.

"How many gold coins do you have on you?"

Although caught off guard by the question, Alaric still answered, "36,749. Why?"

"Lend me fifteen thousand," Nova said sheepishly, already extending his hand with an expectant look that all but said, Come on—hand it over.

Alaric's lips twitched in amusement, but without a word, he handed the money to Nova whose eyes glazed over, already elsewhere.

In his mind, he was rifling through the Store menu, recalling an item he'd seen just a moment ago—one that had immediately caught his attention.

[Mask of Three Faces] [Uses: 3] (A mask used mostly by assassins or thieves. It allows the person to use it up to three times and copy the face along with height and weight of any individual you touch. It doesn't work if the target is stronger than you. It doesn't change your Mana signature.)

[Price: 15,000]

"Buy, buy," Nova chuckled to himself as the Mask of Three Faces shimmered into existence in his Inventory.

"We need to get to the stadium—fast," he said with a grin. "Let's find the commanders Adira sent before the tournament starts."

With that, he took a single step—and vanished, reappearing hundreds of meters ahead in a blink while Alaric trailed behind him.

////////////

"Are we aiming for the top two?" Neve asked quietly as she walked beside Elric, the stadium looming ahead—the final segment of the tournament just moments away.

"I don't want to settle for second… or third," Elric muttered, his tone heavy with frustration. "But I don't think we have a shot at first place."

Neve lowered her gaze, silent for several long steps, lost in thought. Then, finally, she spoke.

"We can explain everything to the generals when we return. No one expected our Boss's friend to show up… let alone as a student."

"Maybe," Elric said with a sigh. "But we're forgetting something."

Neve glanced at him. "What do you mean?"

Elric drew in a deep breath, then continued, "We're about the same age. We started at the same time. But the gap between us… it's just too wide now. And that frustrates me."

He paused, eyes fixed ahead, then added, "That's why I've decided—after this tournament, I'm entering a Blue portal alone."

Neve's eyes widened slightly. It was no small decision.

At this stage, even the generals—powerful as they were—had yet to enter a Blue portal solo. Not because they couldn't clear it, but because time was the real cost. Venturing in alone meant days or even weeks inside, while the world outside kept moving.

Most opted to go in with a team. It sped up the process, made survival more certain, and only slightly reduced the rewards.

But there was a catch.

Anything found inside had to be shared. And what if you stumbled upon something rare—something powerful enough to push your strength leagues ahead? Would you really be willing to negotiate, to divide it up?

And if not… if you decided to keep it for yourself and run—would your team let you?

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

You might survive the portal by sheer will—only to lose your life to the very friends you entered with.

"Are you serious?" Neve asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Elric's fists clenched at his sides. "Mhm. I've made up my mind. I will get stronger."

They were approaching the participants' entrance to the stadium when two figures in wide-brimmed hats stepped into their path.

One of them grinned as if he'd just stumbled upon buried treasure. Lifting his hat slightly, he said, "Adira must've sent you two. Did you make it to the final segment?"

Elric and Neve froze, eyes widening in disbelief. Then, in perfect unison, they shouted:

"Boss?!"

Turning to their right, Elric and Neve spotted Alaric. He lifted the brim of his hat just enough for them to recognize him.

"General? Why are you sweating?" Neve asked, concerned.

"Are you alright?" added Elric, eyes narrowing.

Alaric offered a wry smile but said nothing, instead glancing to his right.

Nova stood beside him, casually adjusting his hat. He winked and raised a finger to his lips, gesturing for them to keep their voices down. Then, in a low tone, he quickly explained why he was there—and what he planned to do.

"So... you want to use my face and enter the tournament?" Elric asked, a mix of amusement and disbelief on his face. "You have an item that can do that?"

Nova gave a slight nod, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"All right, but there are two things you need to know first," Elric said, his tone serious.

Nova raised an eyebrow. "What things?"

"The first," Elric began, watching Nova closely, "is that the prize for first place has been raised to 500,000 gold coins."

Nova's other eyebrow shot up, eyes widening slightly.

"And the second," Elric continued, "is that your friend—Thomas—is also competing."

That didn't catch Nova off guard. Instead, a wide grin spread across his face.

"It's been a while since I last saw him," he said, almost to himself.

Then, the image of Thomas losing to Elric's face flickered through Nova's mind—and he burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the corridor.

Alaric merely shook his head with a faint, knowing smile. Neve and Elric exchanged puzzled glances, but decided not to ask.

"All right," Nova said, slipping the Mask of Three Faces over his face as he gave Elric a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

His features began to shift—subtly at first. Bone structure realigned, eyes turning brown, posture adjusted. Within seconds, he had transformed into Elric's mirror image.

Removing his hat, Nova placed it firmly on the real Elric's head. His tone turned serious.

"Keep a low profile. If anyone realizes you're here while I'm competing with your face, it could throw the whole tournament into chaos."

Still stunned by the transformation, Elric could only nod, his mind struggling to process what he'd just witnessed.

Nova turned to Alaric. "Stick with Elric. Keep him out of trouble."

"Yes, Boss," Alaric replied without hesitation, gripping Elric by the arm as they slipped into the crowd and vanished toward the edge of the stadium.

Nova looked to Neve. "Let's move. We need to get to the participants' stand."

"R-Right!" Neve said quickly, falling into step behind him, still casting the occasional wide-eyed glance at the man now wearing Elric's face.

//////////

Settling into the participants' stand, Nova let his eyes drift across the lively crowd, soaking in the vibrant energy that pulsed through the tournament grounds.

His gaze settled on the competitors around him. "Is there anyone worth recruiting here?"

Neve's eyes flickered nervously toward him, the memory of their first meeting weighing on her. Taking a steadying breath, she answered, "Yes. Troy from Univara, Wesley from Altura, Clara from Tritus, and Jasmine from Quarath. They're the top-ranked fighters from their academies—none of them should be underestimated."

She went on, detailing each competitor with careful precision: their distinct fighting styles, the traits they'd revealed throughout the tournament, and their backgrounds.

By the time she finished describing Jasmine, Nova's eyes were gleaming with excitement.

'The strongest from Quarath—and maybe the strongest of the four academies,' Nova thought, a sly grin spreading across his face. 'But what really matters... she's the dean's daughter.'

His eyes darted left and right until they landed on a figure with striking red hair. Rising smoothly to his feet, Nova made his way over, drawing a few curious glances that quickly faded as people returned to their own business.

He stopped in front of the girl and smiled warmly. "Jasmine, right?"

She looked up, surprised. "Elric? What—why are you here?"

Nova's grin deepened. "Mind if we talk after the tournament?"

"Why?"

"I have an opportunity for you. Something that could benefit you a lot." Without waiting for a response, he turned to leave, adding over his shoulder, "Let's meet later."

Jasmine watched him go, the word opportunity lingering in her mind. "An opportunity?" she murmured to herself, curiosity flickering in her eyes.

On his way back to his seat, Nova spotted Thomas slouching in his chair. Shaking his head, Nova couldn't suppress a smirk as he settled beside Neve, who hadn't taken her eyes off him the entire time.

///////

"Everyone!" Isaac's voice boomed from the grandstand as he gripped the railings, commanding the crowd's full attention.

"It's finally time for the third—and final—segment of this first tournament to begin. The rules are simple."

The stadium fell into a hush, every ear straining to catch his words.

Clearing his throat, Isaac continued, "Each participant has three chances to challenge anyone ranked above them and take their place. Priority moves from the highest rank downward. If the number two challenger fails to defeat—or doesn't challenge—the number one, then number three gets the opportunity to challenge either number one or two, and so on."

He raised a finger, emphasizing his next point. "Remember: know when to advance and when to retreat. Even the strongest competitor can lose their position if they let ego and emotion override logic."

"Without further ado, the third segment of the tournament begins now!"

With a flourish, Isaac gestured, and staff members swiftly carried four massive blackboards onto the stage—each one listing the participants, ranked from first to twenty-seventh.

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