“Distinguished audience, welcome to the arena! Today marks a clash between two advanced classes: a five-person team battle between the Advanced Warrior Department and the Advanced Mage Department.”
“I am the arena’s overseer, Teacher Daliena.”
The arena was hosted by a woman in her mid-twenties, clad in a striking red cheongsam.
This woman, Daliena Murphy, was renowned as the ‘Arena Queen’ of Fiore Academy—a true battle fanatic and a formidable martial artist.
She harbored a deep admiration for Huaxia on the Asian continent, where she had once spent a significant period. Her martial arts talent was exceptional, culminating in a decade of dedicated effort to grasp the ‘Unity of Heaven and Man’ realm.
Upon returning to the European continent, she swept through every arena, her combat record remaining flawlessly undefeated.
From the spectator stands, Merlin was reminded of Goliath upon seeing Daliena. After Lucy’s introduction, Merlin felt even more strongly that this woman could rival Goliath.
“Without further ado, let the members of both teams make their entrance!”
“From the Warrior Department, we have C-rank Owen Peters, C-rank Alexander Smith, C-rank Franklin Leslie, C-rank Thomson Baker, and C-rank Marshall Cecil.”
“And from the Mage Department, entering the arena are C-rank Eugene Edward, C-rank Samson Arnold, C-rank Wattket Griffin, C-rank April Shelley, and C-rank Scheffiel Laust.”
“The rules for this team battle are simple: victory is achieved by either shattering the opponent’s crystal or eliminating their entire team. Contestants, prepare yourselves! In thirty seconds, crush them!”
As both teams took their positions, the arena’s magic circle activated.
All ten contestants were instantly teleported into a sub-space, while four massive screens materialized in the arena, allowing everyone present to witness the unfolding battle.
“‘Isn’t this just like a MOBA game?'”
“‘You’re right, the game itself already incorporates MOBA elements.'”
Merlin felt a wave of nostalgia. He recalled when the official TEW game had integrated 5v5 MOBA PvP, a mode he and four guildmates had participated in, even securing a second-place finish.
“‘Judging by your expression, it seems you’re familiar with this kind of thing.'”
Lucy seemed surprised that Merlin could name this type of match.
“‘Oh? Why do you say that?'”
“‘This type of team battle was introduced three years ago by a mysterious Spatial Master,’ Lucy explained. ‘That individual also gifted a sub-space to every academy across the continents. It’s a truly miraculous sub-space, possessing its own consciousness, where everything within is self-generated.'”
Lucy carefully recounted the events from that time.
“‘A Spatial Master? Where did that person go?'”
Merlin couldn’t recall any NPC in the game possessing a sub-space; as far as he knew, this so-called sub-space was merely the game’s official intelligent GM manager.
However, if Lucy’s words held truth, then that person must be inextricably linked to his transmigration, making it imperative to find them.
“‘I don’t know where that person went either,’ Lucy admitted. ‘Their appearance three years ago was far too strange, and I’m not privy to the specific details. However, I did hear my grandfather say that the person apparently died back then.'”
“‘What’s wrong?'”
Lucy noticed Merlin’s tightly furrowed brows, sensing he was troubled by something.
“‘Nothing,’ Merlin replied, shaking his head with a chuckle. ‘I was just wondering if that person might be an old acquaintance of mine.'”
“‘Big brother, look quickly! It’s starting!'”
Once the match began, Hilya couldn’t sit still for a moment, constantly springing to her feet and bouncing around.
“‘Alright, now sit down and watch.'”
Merlin suddenly felt like a babysitter. While Xiao Qing was generally well-behaved, Hilya was proving to be quite the handful.
The battleground featured three distinct lanes, mirroring the layout of a MOBA game. The right lane hosted two players, the middle lane one, and the left lane two.
Each side had two defensive towers per lane, with an additional tower guarding each of the three exits from their base. Behind each tower lay a small crystal.
Finally, a large central crystal stood protected by two formidable high towers.
Players had already deployed across all three lanes, and the clash between the two teams was fierce. From the outset, the Mage Department had held the upper hand, leaving the five warriors at a distinct disadvantage. However, ten minutes in, the tide began to subtly shift.
“‘The mage in the middle lane is about to be eliminated.'”
Merlin shook his head with a sigh.
“‘Big brother, why do you say that?’ Hilya asked, puzzled. ‘Isn’t that person gaining the upper hand? How could they be eliminated?'”
“‘Indeed, can you truly predict such a thing?'”
Lucy seemed unconvinced by Merlin’s words.
“‘The mage is playing too aggressively,’ Merlin explained. ‘Moreover, one of the two players from the opposing left lane has vanished. That person is likely lurking nearby.'”
As expected, Alexander from the left lane appeared in the middle lane, wielding an item he had discovered: a ‘Mana Chaos Orb’ designed to disrupt magic. It was a single-use item that vanished after activation.
After the middle lane mage was defeated and teleported out of the sub-space, the other four mages, surprisingly, did not panic. Instead, they calmly continued their individual battles.
“‘Big brother, you’re amazing!'”
Hilya instantly looked at Merlin with immense admiration, while Lucy was left utterly speechless.
“‘Still, the Mage Department came out ahead,’ Merlin mused.”
He knew Scheffiel well. Her actual strength wasn’t C-rank, but B-rank, making her the strongest among the ten contestants.
Furthermore, Scheffiel still had her familiar, a trump card yet to be revealed.
“‘Alexander, well done!'”
Owen patted Alexander’s shoulder, but they remained oblivious to the approaching danger. A dark shadow flickered past them.
Suddenly, their vision went black, and shortly after, both were teleported out of the sub-space.
“‘What just happened? How were Owen and Alexander taken out?'”
Marshall, alone on the left lane, immediately tensed. The sudden severance of communication with Alexander and Owen alerted him to the impending crisis.
“‘The battle is decided; the Mage Department has won.'”
Merlin found their match utterly boring, completely devoid of interest.
“‘How dull. If it were me, I could crush them a thousand times over in minutes.'”
Merlin began to indulge in a bout of narcissism, his thick skin evident for all to see.
“‘It seems, Teacher Merlin, that your strength is considerable indeed~ Would you care for a match?'”
Unbeknownst to him, Daliena had suddenly appeared behind Merlin, her hand resting on his shoulder.
“‘Certainly.'”
Merlin had been aware of Daliena’s presence behind him all along, and his previous remark had been intentionally directed at her.
“‘Shall we, Teacher Daliena?'”
“‘Anytime.'”
The match between Merlin and Daliena was about to begin.
Name: Daliena Murphy
Level: 99 (A-rank)
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Age: 26
Occupation: Martial Artist
Affiliation: Fiore Academy
Attributes: Qi, Unity of Heaven and Man
Strength: A
Constitution: A
Endurance: B
Magic Power: A+
Spirit: B
Agility: A
Description:
“Daliena Murphy is the ‘Arena Queen’ of Fiore Academy, a true battle fanatic and a formidable martial artist.”
“She harbors a deep admiration for Huaxia on the Asian continent, where she once spent a significant period. Her martial arts talent is exceptional, culminating in a decade of dedicated effort to grasp the ‘Unity of Heaven and Man’ realm.”
“Upon returning to the European continent, she swept through every arena, her combat record remaining flawlessly undefeated.”