บท 119: Chapter 119: Natsu vs Wendy... Eh?! Igneel vs Grandeeney?!
Mirajane blushed slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed about accidentally breaking the map. After two years without using her powers, she couldn't help but feel a little excited, and in her eagerness, she went overboard. She hoped Nate wouldn't be upset.
Of course, Nate wasn't angry. After all, he had done the same thing earlier.
By now, the other two matches had also concluded, and Juvia, Lucy, Erza, and Evergreen were teleported back, still slightly dizzy from the transfer. Before they could fully recover, the large screen displayed the next set of matchups:
[Desert Arena]: Wendy vs. Natsu!
[Forest Arena]: Gray vs. Bickslow!
[Beach Arena]: Elfman vs. Wakaba!
[Volcano Arena]: Levy vs. Cana!
[Bye]: Macao!
Some might wonder how both Wendy and Mystogan made it into the final 16, given that they faced each other in the first round. However, their match hadn't really been a fight. Grandeeney was teaching Wendy dragon magic the whole time, so Nate let them both move forward in the tournament as a draw.
As the new matchups flashed on the screen, Macao exclaimed in surprise, "I got a bye?"
Just as the eight selected contestants began glowing with a soft light, about to be teleported to their respective arenas, Nate clapped his hands.
"Pause!"
With a soft 'clap', the teleportation was interrupted, and the entire game world came to a halt. Everyone stared at Nate in disbelief.
'He just clapped and froze time in the entire game world? Is he a god?'
Nate smiled and explained, "Take a short break, everyone. I need to reinforce the arenas so we don't end up breaking them again."
Leaving everyone stunned, Nate disappeared from sight.
He started with the [Volcano Arena], which both he and Mirajane had previously shattered.
Standing at the edge of the volcano, Nate pondered how best to reinforce it.
"If you want to reinforce it, you just need to pour in more magic," Ur appeared beside him, offering her suggestion.
Nate shook his head. "I want to find a more efficient way to do it without using too much magic."
"But with all the magic absorbed over the past two days, we have plenty," Ur smiled.
Nate thought for a moment—she was right. Once the official version of the game launched, the magic collected from users would likely exceed any operating costs.
With that in mind, Nate summoned reserve magic from the depths of the network, infusing it into the volcano map. He didn't reinforce the objects on the map but instead strengthened the boundaries—the invisible walls around the map. Breaking through these boundaries was what had caused the maps to be destroyed during previous battles.
Watching this, Ur asked, "Even with the boundaries reinforced, powerful mages can still destroy parts of the map, right? Won't you still need to fix them afterward?"
"Breaking the map is part of the fun," Nate replied, turning to her with a grin. "Allowing players to indulge their destructive instincts is important too."
"Wouldn't it feel satisfying if you could use one powerful magic to destroy the entire map?"
Ur blinked, then smiled. "I guess so..."
She wasn't usually the type to cause chaos, but there was something exhilarating about the idea of unrestricted destruction—especially since it wouldn't have any lasting consequences. Once the battle ended, everything would be restored.
Nate continued, "When the official version is released, you'll be able to participate in ranked matches too, right?"
Ur was surprised. "You want me to rank among the top players?"
Everything Ur did in the game consumed magic, which came from the reserve stored in the deep network.
"That would require a lot of magic," Ur smiled mischievously. "Why are you being so nice to me? Do you like me?"
Nate rolled his eyes. "Your daughter asked me to look after you."
Ur's smile brightened. "Embarrassed, are you? Liking a beautiful master is nothing to be ashamed of."
'Ultear really is your daughter!' Nate thought, resisting the urge to snark. First, Ultear calls herself a "witch sister," and now Ur was calling herself a "beautiful master?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm blushing," Nate replied half-heartedly as he continued reinforcing the five maps' boundary walls.
Ur burst into laughter. "Too bad I can't reward you. Want me to take off my clothes so you can admire your beautiful master's figure?"
"When did you become my master?"
"Don't play dumb! You agreed to learn Ice Make magic from me."
"I agreed, but that doesn't mean you're my master. That's a non-equation."
Ur looked at him with a confused yet amused expression, baffled by his logic.
As they chatted, Nate completed the task of reinforcing the maps. Compared to creating the maps, reinforcing them was far more tedious, taking several hours. But with Ur keeping him company, it wasn't too bad.
Eventually, Nate returned to [Sky Island].
Natsu immediately ran over, asking, "Nate, is it done?"
"All set. You can go all out now," Nate replied, nodding as he resumed the game.
In the next moment, the eight selected participants were teleported away, and the four large screens displayed the different arenas.
Everyone's attention quickly shifted to the [Desert Arena].
"It's finally starting!"
"A showdown between two Dragon Slayers?"
"Wendy's a girl, though. Natsu might go easy on her, right?"
"That's Natsu we're talking about. What are you thinking?"
"…True, it is Natsu. He's not one to hold back."
[Desert Arena]
Natsu clenched his fists, flames bursting from his body as he faced Wendy with fierce determination.
"Hahaha, Wendy, let's have a Dragon Slayer duel!"
"Um… Natsu, I'm not really good at fighting," Wendy stammered, cold sweat dripping down her face.
The pressure from Natsu's fiery aura was intense, and the wind on the Desert seemed to blow toward him as if pulled by the heat.
Suddenly, a dragon's roar echoed through the arena.
Behind Natsu, flames took the form of the Fire Dragon King, Igneel. Just the roar caused a minor earthquake to shake the arena.
Wendy gasped in shock.
At the same moment, Grandeeney, Wendy's dragon guardian, appeared behind her.
"What are you trying to do, Igneel?"
"This is all your fault, Grandeeney!" Igneel's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Natsu, pay attention! This is how you do it…"
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
A scorching column of flames shot toward Grandeeney.
Seeing this, Grandeeney muttered angrily under her breath.
Seeing that teaching Wendy Dragon Slayer Magic was going very smoothly, he thought about learning from her and also teaching Natsu in the process.
'Damn it, he's actually using her as a teaching tool!'
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
A powerful gust of wind countered the fire, the two attacks clashing violently.
Meanwhile, the actual participants, Wendy and Natsu, exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to do next.
Back on [Sky Island], the guild members watching the match through the screens were equally stunned.
"What's going on? The dragons are fighting each other?"
Nate felt a sinking feeling in his chest.
'Oh no… they're going to break the map again, aren't they?'
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