alwaysunqualified

  Chapter 19 - tournament arc part 2

  The following day was even busier than the previous. The streets outside were crowded with spectators eager for the tournament to begin, and the rest of the city seemed to have come to a standstill. Miki mentioned that more than a million people had gathered, rger than the city’s entire popution. This meant that everyone was here, including a rge number of people who traveled from the outside. Considering the number of non-humans I saw, there certainly seemed to be an abundance of visitors who came to observe the event.

  Inside, I was seated in the Tier 0 waiting room. We were first in line for the tournament; Tier 6 would be st. Scanning the room, I counted sixteen people, twice the number of any other tier. Winning four matches would make me the champion of Tier 0, a title that held little value.

  Observing my competitors, I noted fourteen girls and one other guy. The girls clustered together, chatting, with one occasionally shooting me a sharp gre. I did attempt to strike up a conversation with the lone male, but he dismissed me and returned to his meditating, eyes closed.

  ‘I miss my friends a lot. I wish there were more men here,’ I thought to myself as I sat here alone. I've been really missing my friends tely. I wish there were more guys around. Being surrounded by girls might seem like some nerd's wet dream, but I just want some male friends. I'd love nothing more than to crack open a beer with the boys and just py some games, talking about everything and nothing. I miss having friends with whom I can pick up right where we left off, even if it's been a year since we st met.

  I try to shake off these thoughts. There's no changing the way things are in this world, so I just have to deal with it. Once I'm an adult, I'll have plenty of opportunities to meet other guys. For now, I need to focus on becoming as strong as possible to prevent any future threats from harming those I care about.

  The receptionist I met the other day walked into the room with a few other girls dressed simirly, shifting the mood. One of them stepped forward to give us a briefing on the day's schedule and what to expect. Turns out, I'm up first. My initial opponent is a girl who can teleport and create barriers. She’s the most annoying, and if I’ve learned anything from Yuno, it's that the best strategy is to take her out quickly. So I pn to just insta gib her with Sakura’s card.

  After the briefing, the atmosphere in the room returned to its earlier state, only now interspersed with staff ticking off items on their checklists. With time to spare, I browsed through the shop, feeling nostalgic as I perused catalogs of old games I hadn't pyed in ages.

  Eventually, one of the event coordinators approached me. She was dressed simirly to the others, wearing an open shirt with a tie but minus the skirt, ensuring I knew what was expected of me. Once everyone was prepared, we were led through a tunnel to a massive arena, much rger than any from the previous events.

  I was led first to the entrance of the ring, which featured a set of gleaming white stairs leading up. Accompanying me was my initial opponent, a girl dressed in what appeared to be a fishnet dress with intricate designs woven into it. Her skin featured sporadic, void-like openings scattered throughout.

  Off to the side, the rest of the contestants were paired up, and the one girl from the back was still giving me a frosty stare. Once I won, I would return to the end of the line to face my next opponent, who would simirly rejoin the queue after their victory. The defeated contestants would exit via a different route, collect their prizes, and then move to a viewing room to watch the remainder of the tournament.

  Looking up to the crowd, it wasn't nearly as loud as before, with people still finding their seats. I thought to myself, ‘I guess this would be the most boring series of fights.’

  The announcer took center stage again, delivering another grand speech that I barely listened to. As the fights drew closer, my anxiety grew, and I found myself imagining the worst outcomes, like messing up or making a fool of myself.

  My daydream abruptly ended when I felt a push on my shoulder. Turning around, a coordinator shook her head at me and mouthed something, pointing ahead. I couldn't hear her—the crowd had come alive while I was lost in my thoughts—but I understood the gesture and began ascending the steps. Walking into the arena felt surreal, as if every part of me was dispced.

  “Date 1 Starto!”

  [Target: A soon-to-be-dead girl.]

  [Name: Isolde Frostvale Level: 27 Affection: -12Good thing you don’t have trypophobia.]

  As time came to a standstill, I let my perception drift out of my body, looking down on everything from above. This third-person perspective did wonders to calm my nerves. It made everything feel less real, which is becoming increasingly rare as I grow more accustomed to this world and this body. Yet, at moments like this, it means the pressure can still get to me.

  “This is all just a game,” I repeated to myself, taking deep breaths to steady my thoughts. It was working until I realized I wasn't actually breathing, which led to an unexpected burst of ughter at the absurdity of it all.

  Finally, my ughter subsided and I took out the Date Love Point Extractor, an item resembling a giant syringe used by doctors, and activated it. It vanished from my hand and numerous tiny syringes appeared, attaching to the arms of all the girls in the crowd.

  [Date Love Point Extractor has been activated for the date chain. This item will deactivate once the date chain concludes.]

  It was a relief to see the device function as I had hoped. Even if it only worked for this particur match with such a rge crowd, it would have been sufficient, but with multiple matches, I anticipated earning tens of millions of points, if not hundreds.

  Next, I slotted Sakura's card into the field before allowing time to resume. My perspective snapped back to my body. The announcer began the fight, and as she spoke, I felt a twist in time, moving my body so that my shield, seamlessly equipped from my inventory during the process, was already leaving my hand as she finished her announcement.

  The shield struck before the girl could even react, impacting her head. Watching someone's head pop was even less fun up close, especially when the blood spttered far enough to reach me.

  [+23 Isolde Affection points]

  The surge of affection points did little to ease my queasiness. After taking a deep breath, I exited the stage, relieved to find that the blood covering me had vanished—a small mercy I was immensely thankful for. Already outside was the girl I had defeated, looking more disappointed than anything. She caught my eye and, surprisingly, smiled and waved at me—a stark contrast to her earlier demeanor in the room. While she hadn't been as standoffish as some others, she hadn't paid much attention to me either.

  Smile backWalk off coolSo, my options are to act mysterious or friendly.

  'Hmm, what should I go with?' I muse internally. Being friendly aligns more with my nature, but transitioning from killing someone to offering them a friendly smile immediately afterward is hard. 'Guess it's time to try out my new skill.'

  Activating the Social Butterfly skill, I select the "walk off cool" option, which releases little butterflies from the text. I mentally note to show Alice this effect ter, not believing she can catch the details from the VIP room.

  Time resumes, and I cast a sidelong gnce at her before rejoining the line.

  [Charm has triggered, earning you an additional 7 percent in love points.]

  As I check my love point total, I almost stumble, nearly disrupting my cool guy act.

  [Love points: 8,468,385]

  'I just earned more love points than I have during my entire time here,' I gasped, watching the total continue to climb. 'Now to pn my spending spree.'

  The next fight concluded quickly, and the girl I had bet on won. She executed a rapid explosion attack before her opponent could even reach her. Her adversary had a defensive skill that toughened her up, evident since her body remained intact, but it wasn't enough.

  She was not going to have a good time with Lucy's bad luck Blessing. I'd prefer to save Lucy's card for ter; it's valuable since it can ascend through tiers, but without solid defensive capabilities, the ter fighters could defeat her before her bad luck has a chance to impact them.

  Usually, a Blessing loses about half its effectiveness when used against someone of a higher tier due to their natural resistances, and even more so if they possess another Blessing that neutralizes it.

  However, there are exceptions, like Blessings that are especially potent against certain types or those that impact everyone equally, regardless of tier.

  The girl who won came to stand next to me in line. She had brown hair and was conservatively dressed in a sheer shirt and mini skirt. Noticing me looking her way, she gave a friendly wave and leaned slightly to the side. Opting to maintain my cool demeanor, I looked away, which only made her ugh.

  Soon it was our turn, and we both stepped onto the stage.

  “Date 2 Starto!”

  [Date 2 - A normal girl who can just go explode.]

  [Name: Mary Level: 29 Affection: 8A completely normal girl. [Disgusting]]

  As the round began, it unfolded just as I expected—Mary exploded. Unfortunately, getting covered in blood and guts was not something I had calcuted.

  The fact that I didn't feel the urge to throw up immediately might be considered progress, or perhaps it's a worrying sign that I'm becoming desensitized to gore. 'Wait, didn’t I just think that a mini skirt that showed off her ass and a see-through top was a conservative dress code?'

  I decided to set aside these concerns for ter and focus on the options that appeared before me.

  Ewwww.Dry heaveLightly dust yourself off“Right, cool guy act,” I reminded myself, noticing the butterflies accompanying the third choice.

  When I selected the option, my hand casually brushed what appeared to be intestines off my shoulder as I walked out of the ring, acting as if nothing was amiss.

  The increase in points somehow didn't feel worth it.

  As I watched the next match, I noticed the only other guy in our group and his opponent rush toward each other. Both were swift and wielded swords. They sprinted past each other and came to a halt. The man began to walk off the stage when, a few seconds ter, the girl was cleaved in two.

  He makes his way next to me and ignores me. I sincerely hope I'm not coming across as much of a douchebag as this guy.

  [A guy who is about to be crushed - Invalid target.]

  [Name: [Irrelevant] Level: 24 Confessed to his childhood friend but was rejected because she decided to marry his father. [Loser]]

  "Okay, what's with these notes?" I ask, noticing another peculiar note added to my Observe.

  ‘It is a new function added when you got your Social to level five. It is kind of fun,’ the system replies in my mind, addressing my confusion.

  "And why start adding them now?" I press further.

  'I was bored, watching people fight is no fun. How about you go to Cleire’s house where you might bump into her sisters after they leave the bath? Or to Izzy’s pce to py strip magic chess or truth or dare, which could escate until you all end up in a fight and are forced to navigate a series of misunderstandings as you try to make amends,' she rattled off a list of scenarios I had absolutely no interest in. It sounded like she’d been watching far too many teen dramas.

  'Mother says I need to know these things so I can help ter,” she said, sounding quite proud of herself. 'Don’t worry, I know just how to keep a misunderstanding going until just the right moment; you can leave it to me.”

  “Please don’t, and remember, adults don't behave like that. We talk things out; this isn't a movie,” I replied, trying to set the record straight and prevent any bizarre scenarios from unfolding.

  'Then why did you and your ex always fight so much? And why not talk to your moms instead of throwing a tantrum, just to make a dramatic change at the perfect time?' she asked innocently, which made the question sting even more. I wanted to delve into the complexities of human psychology and emotions to expin, but I felt that might just prove her point. So, I let the topic drop and focused on the rest of the prompts.

  [Switching to the audience.]

  [All love points gained increased by 25%]

  Now I was tempted to prolong this fight or use a different card for a stronger effect. However, I decided to stick with Angelica’s card, reasoning that advancing further is more beneficial in the long run.

  The fight commenced, and he charged toward me, aiming a ssh at my head. His sword halted a foot away from me.

  To his credit, he managed to slice through three barriers. He likely had a skill simir to the one used by the girl who defeated Angelica. It turns out she could have blocked her strike but misjudged the necessary effort and was conserving her magic for future fights, a problem I didn't have. Well, that’s game; with his sword immobilized and me shielded by hundreds of barriers, it was over.

  It took me about 30 more seconds to chase him down and corner him after he released his sword and attempted to escape. Once I caught his arm, he ran out of options.

  At least this time, I didn't end up with any gore on myself, barriers are nice.

  The girl who had been gring at me earlier won her next match. When she stood next to me this time, her expression had completely transformed; she looked like a fangirl who had just met her favorite movie star.

  Her affection rating skyrocketed from -30 to 70 just from watching my three fights. Unfortunately, I couldn’t instantly defeat her without using my more valuable cards.

  She possessed a skill that allowed her to switch pces with objects and another robust defensive skill. I was tempted to use Sakura's card, but my Observe ability informed me that her Blessing was automatically activated.

  [Name: Stiletto Si Level: 26 Affection: 70Has a Blessing that will block one attack automatically. [Canoodle?]]

  Knowing this, I decided to save Sakura’s card for some of the initial bouts of the winners’ cup instead of squandering it here. Even if she couldn't win, I could still execute her opening move then switch cards immediately afterward. My experience in Love Land taught me that even a fraction of a second of distraction could be lethal.

  As I weighed my options, I kept returning to Izzy’s card. “I need to just bite the bullet and use Izzy's card,” I concluded. I should not have to expin in a way I prefer not to, and the extra part was not helping.

  [Backdoor - You are a master at using the backdoor and getting other people into yours.]

  “Date starto!”

  [Date 3 start - Girl meets fist.]

  'Thank God, I felt nothing strange when I slotted the card,' I thought, relieved that my worries were just overthinking.

  As the fight began, she scattered knives across the battlefield while I was partly distracted, sorting through the flood of information in my mind. I deflected the few knives aimed at me. Ideally, if I were truly Izzy, I could afford to prolong the fight, but constrained by time, I pressed forward as soon as I regained focus.

  I unched a straight punch towards her, but it only met the empty air where she had been moments before. Spotting her at my feet, rising with a dagger aimed at my midsection, I shifted my momentum into a spinning back kick directed at her new position.

  My foot swept through the air she had just vacated; her knife, still in motion, merely gnced off my skin without penetrating.

  Continuing the motion, I turned the force of my spin into a downward hook that caught her as she switched back to her original position.

  She might seem annoying, but she has limited options, and with Izzy's Strategic Thinking, I can keep track of all the important ones.

  I pushed forward with all my might, hoping to break through her defense. Just as I thought I had ended the fight, my fist and the entire force of my body abruptly stopped—and then she was gone. She wasn't nearby, forcing me to scan the field to locate her. She had teleported to the furthest knife and was sprinting away, tossing more knives into the air as she fled.

  I felt my muscles contract, propelling me forward, rapidly closing the distance between us. I regretted not trying her card sooner; had I used it earlier, I might have been able to end the fight before she could scatter her knives.

  As I caught up, I was just moments too slow, my punch hitting nothing but air again. Without looking to see where she had moved, I backhanded the knife that had taken her pce, shattering it into pieces.

  'Good, it looks like they are cheap knives; time for a change of pns.' Before I could enact my new strategy, my senses caught her in mid-air. My head jerked up to see her throw a knife at me, then move to the next knife and repeat the process.

  'Okay, this might be tricky.' Watching the dozen knives heading my way, I realized running was not an option—it would get me nowhere.

  Clenching my teeth, I took my stance.

  I smashed the first two knives that approached, letting the third pass since it was in an easy spot to counter. However, she didn't take the bait. Instead, she switched with a knife just out of reach, allowing another set of knives to swirl slowly in the air, dropping much slower and timing their arrival with the next set.

  All five knives reached me simultaneously, and I had to guess which one she would choose. Thanks to Strategic Thinking, I was able to anticipate her move, allowing me to drive my fist into her just as she appeared. My momentum halted abruptly as she drove a dagger into my eye.

  Thanks to Izzy's Blessing, the dagger only penetrated a few inches rather than reaching my brain. Still, I instinctively jumped back out of habit, thwarting my pnned follow-up attack.

  “Damn, that... felt nice,” I said, surprised, as the pain I braced for instead felt oddly soothing, like a deep massage.

  Then she vanished, leaving a knife in her pce. Recovering quickly, I smashed the knife and hurled the handle towards her, but it narrowly missed due to my impaired depth perception. However, it clipped her hair bun, causing her hair to cascade down.

  She was on the move again. Her defensive skill must be on a cooldown, and it seemed that a broken knife didn't qualify for her teleportation repcement. So, I reverted to my strategy of smashing her daggers. I managed to destroy twenty before she reappeared.

  This time, she seemed more reckless, probably realizing she was on a timer due to the depletion of her knives. Checking my own time, I knew I couldn't eliminate all her weapons before I needed to switch cards.

  She teleported to a knife close to me, then threw two at my feet and one at my face.

  My eye was fully functional again, thanks to Izzy’s healing ability, just as a bright fsh tried to blind me immediately after she switched with the knife aimed at my face.

  She swiftly switched to a position behind me, leaving behind the source of the fshbang. She angled her face away from the fsh, and I seized the opportunity, ready to breach her defense and then switch cards.

  Just as I pnned my move, my fist connected with the back of her head, and then unexpectedly passed right through it, smashing it to pieces.

  'Ha? What happened?' I stood there, dumbfounded, as the match abruptly ended.

  As if to mock me, her card appeared and, scanning through it, I still couldn't figure out what had happened.

  In it, her cold red eyes, spiraling with intensity, were still fixed on me. Her hair was styled into two buns, secured with brown clips. She appeared poised and ready, looking for an opportunity to switch in and strike.

  Spoiler

  [colpse][Name: Stiletto SiLevel: 26Affection: 207Trait: Tomboy, Yandere?Goddess: Goddess of the Material.Primary Blessing: Switch(Knife) tier 3Lesser Blessings: Protect(Self) 2, Item Box tier 1, Acrobatics tier 2, Stalk tier 1,]

  [Switch(Knife) - Allows switching pces with any knife within sight.]

  [Protect(Self) - Nullifies any incoming attack. The rger the damage absorbed, the longer the cooldown period.]

  [Item Box - Capability to store up to 50 kilograms of items.]

  [Acrobatics - Enhances agility and bodily coordination.]

  [Stalk - Enables tracking of a designated target.]

  'Then that could only mean it was Izzy’s card effect.' I quickly pulled up her card and reviewed her Blessings again.

  'Backdoor?' I questioned after reading it again, pondering its possible meanings.

  'Wait, can it be used like that? I thought it was just a sexual reference.' I didn't know because Izzy herself was unclear about the effect. She had some notion, and it was akin to what I had initially thought it meant.

  “Thinking hard, I see,” a soft and sweet voice that grated on my nerves chimed in.

  “I recognize that voice…” I said, feeling a shiver run up my spine. It might have been more than a decade, but I will never forget that voice.

  “Yep, it's me, the Goddess of Love,” she decred with enthusiasm as a theme tune started to py.

  “Oh God, no!” I excimed, filled with dread.