“What kind of punishment would I face if I were caught taking a Mana Booster?”

“The reason Mana Boosters are banned is to prevent unqualified champions from participating in the battlefield as 2-Cost champions. The classification process for champions must always remain fair.”

A Mana Booster was essentially a doping potion.

Naturally, doping was forbidden in the fair arena of the battlefield.

Considering what happened when athletes were caught doping in real-world sports, one could easily guess the severity of the penalty.

“If it is discovered that you took a Mana Booster, your champion battlefield matching function will be suspended. The suspension lasts at least three years, and in some cases, it can be indefinite.”

Suspension of the champion battlefield matching function.

From a champion’s perspective, it was an incredibly fatal punishment.

However, I felt like I could find a way around it.

“Would my qualifications as a player remain intact?”

“Of course. The qualifications of a champion and a player are separate entities.”

Then wouldn’t I be fine?

I had a secret known only to myself.

When I participated in the battlefield as a player, the champion I could meet was none other than ‘1-Cost Shieldbearer Lee Shin’.

It meant there was no need to go through the champion matching process at all.

Settling my gold would become more complicated, though.

Still, if I looked for a way, it was entirely feasible.

“Could you connect me with the creator of the Mana Booster?”

“It seems you have made up your mind.”

Nod.

I looked at Chasey and spoke.

“I will tell Ariel the truth. I cannot ask her to turn a blind eye.”

“… …”

Chasey fell silent.

She furrowed her brows deeply, seemingly pondering something.

Phew-

Letting out a sigh, Chasey looked me straight in the eyes.

“No. You don’t have to tell her. I will keep your secret.”

It was unexpected.

I hadn’t known Chasey would hide a secret even from her own family.

It hadn’t even been half a month since I first met her.

That was hardly enough time to build a bond…

Still, I had planned to voluntarily report it if things became too problematic.

Because it was a punishment I could easily endure.

Pokoro, who had been quietly observing us, offered a pleased smile.

“The Alchemist Lirou. That is the name of the person you must seek out.”

Lirou. I memorized the name.

“Seeing elixirs I didn’t make circulating in the market, it seems he is still active within Trivik.”

It seemed even Pokoro was unaware of Lirou’s recent movements.

However, he mentioned he had an idea of where to look.

“There is only one place where one can sell unauthorized elixirs. If you go there, you will likely find Lirou.”

***

Four days had passed since then, but I still hadn’t found a single clue.

The place where I could meet Lirou.

Information about the Black Market was incredibly difficult to obtain anywhere.

Neither Chasey nor I had any significant connections in Trivik.

The same went for Jay, the young informant.

In the end, time slipped by without any progress, and in the meantime, I participated in my second private battlefield.

A 999+ tier private battlefield.

For the first time, Chasey and I participated in the same battlefield this time around.

That was where I made a misstep.

I couldn’t perform as a champion in a battlefield where Chasey was present.

I couldn’t let anyone discover that the 1-Cost Shieldbearer Lee Shin and the player Lee Shin were the same person.

‘I need to buy equipment that can hide my face.’

Feeling an urgent need to purchase such equipment, I refrained from using shieldbearer Lee Shin in this battlefield for the first time.

It was the first time my deck lacked a shieldbearer.

Instead, I opted for a Fire Mage deck, which had a highly antagonistic relationship with Druids.

Fire Mages were loaded with healing reduction skills, which could suppress the Druid’s health regeneration synergy.

Since Chasey was the only target I needed to keep in check in this battlefield, it was a natural choice.

In the end, I secured first place while Chasey took second, allowing me to sweep all the rewards.

However, it seemed Chasey had a hard time accepting it.

“…That’s too much.”

After seeing the deck that had clearly targeted her, she remained sulky for a while.

The world of competition was ruthless, and Chasey knew that well.

But it seemed the emotions stemming from her young age were impossible to hide.

Ultimately, I had to take Chasey’s feelings into account and make a new proposal.

“Let’s participate in different battlefields next time.”

Aside from the private battlefield we originally planned for, there were other 999+ tier private battlefields we could enter.

The problem was that those private battlefields were held in the northern region of Trivik.

Which meant one of us had to move to the northern region of Trivik.

Surprisingly, Chasey reacted positively.

She had her own struggles as well.

“I wanted to take first place at least once.”

Chasey had received elite education since childhood.

Yet, from her very first battlefield, the Einthoven Private battlefield, to the two private battlefields she experienced in Trivik—

She had placed second in every single one, leaving her confidence shaken.

I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.

After all, I was the one who had blocked her from taking first place every time.

“Still, didn’t you take first place in your group at the Paradise Private battlefield?”

Zap-!

I tried to offer words of comfort, but what I got in return was a sharp glare from Chasey.

She might have acted mature for her age, but…

having just come of age this year, Chasey still retained a child’s stubbornness.

Still, she quickly pulled herself together.

She let out a shallow sigh, as if trying to shake off her emotions.

“It’s my fault for lacking the skill. You were simply playing your own game, Mr. Shin.”

To grow, one cannot afford to dwell on defeat.

She needed to realize what she was lacking on her own.

“What do you think is the most lacking aspect of your current deck?”

At my question, Chasey fell into deep thought.

She hadn’t noticed it during the Paradise Private battlefield, but after experiencing a helpless defeat against the deck that targeted her, the problem finally became clear.

“The Core Items don’t suit the Druid synergy at all.”

That was only natural.

Her Item combination formulas were tailored for her previous Gunslinger deck.

The combination formulas Chasey possessed were only good for creating Core Items suited for ranged champions.

Druids were a synergy that relied on sustain.

Core Items designed for short, decisive battles were completely incompatible with the Druid synergy.

The Druid deck Chasey was running was still only half-complete.

“Huu- I need to find new combination formulas quickly.”

Simply activating a synergy wasn’t enough.

A deck was only truly complete when it had the Core Items necessary to fully draw out the synergy’s power.

Through this experience, Chasey was feeling this truth deep in her bones.

However, that wasn’t Chasey’s only problem.

I subtly asked Chasey another question.

“Did you have any trouble with the Open Port Strategy?”

“I was actually about to ask you about that.”

Had she accurately realized her own problem?

Chasey answered.

“I’m not sure about the timing of when I should dump all my gold.”

‘She’s quite smart.’

It was only natural she didn’t know the timing.

I had never explained the management strategy for rounds three and four in detail.

Since she needed to think for herself to grow as a player, I had intentionally withheld that information.

“That is something you must realize on your own. Not every battlefield flows the exact same way.”

The timing to dump gold had to be learned through experience.

In a battlefield full of variables, a standardized formula could not exist.

The battlefield was not a single-player game; it was a place where eight players competed in real time.

Only by possessing the ability to assess the situation and make judgments could one adapt to the variables.

I emphasized this point to Chasey.

“I understand what you mean.”

Perhaps recognizing it as sincere advice, Chasey showed a serious demeanor.

I added one more piece of advice to help her growth.

“A perfect deck does not exist in the battlefield. The same goes for other players.”

Ultimately, the goal of the battlefield was to take first place out of the eight players.

It meant that rather than trying to build a perfect deck, one should focus on constructing a deck capable of defeating the other seven.

I, too, had gone through much trial and error before I realized this truth.

‘At first, I used to keep a guidebook open and follow it exactly.’

But following a guide perfectly didn’t guarantee first place every time.

The battlefield wasn’t just about completing a deck; it was an arena where eight players clashed in real time.

Even if you played the exact same deck in the exact same way, the outcome could vary depending on the opponent.

Therefore, the ability to adapt to the situation was essential for a player.

Expecting that much from Chasey might be asking too much.

Still, if there was one positive aspect, it was that the Open Port Strategy was quite effective despite her abysmal proficiency.

To those running what was commonly known as a ‘Reroll Deck’, this management strategy was nothing short of revolutionary.

The two battlefields Chasey had participated in.

As the number of witnesses grew, word of mouth was starting to spread.

Because Chasey was the only player who left her battlefield completely empty.

Articles related to this were also slowly emerging within Trivik.

The source was, as expected, the Yukan Newsletter, known for publishing sensational articles.

The fact that the Yukan Newsletter covered it meant it was quite an interesting topic.

Of course, the articles were still full of negative content, but that was entirely due to Chasey’s lack of proficiency.

Once she acquired the proper Item combination formulas and became more familiar with the management, positive articles would surely start appearing one by one.

“Did you know? Earlier, a player recognized us.”

In this private battlefield, we even met a player who knew our names.

Our distinct appearances.

Thanks to our unusual attire of robes and masks, it was somewhat inevitable that people would recognize us.

The fact that we had hit the Jackpot at the Paradise Private battlefield had been featured in several newsletters.

Newsletters, huh…

A sudden curiosity struck me.

“Has there been any news from the Rorte Newsletter?”

Since they were back on track, I wondered if they had regained the ability to pay for the value of the Hardcore Assassin deck information.

“Ah, right.”

Judging by her expression, she seemed to have forgotten to mention it.

There was a reason for this, as Chasey offered an excuse.

“On the day the Rorte Newsletter contacted us, you collapsed, Mr. Shin… I was so overwhelmed that I forgot.”

“I see.”

It was a completely understandable situation.

I was already grateful that she had asked Ariel to diagnose my condition, so I couldn’t possibly blame Chasey.

It wasn’t an urgent matter anyway.

Chasey wore an apologetic expression as she spoke.

“The reward offered by the Rorte side is a 2% stake in the Rorte Newsletter.”

“A stake?”

The reward proposed by the Rorte Newsletter.

I couldn’t tell if a 2% stake was a small or large amount.

To help me understand, Chasey provided additional explanation.

“Based on the current market value, it’s worth about 6,600 shillings. If you need quick cash, it would be fine to sell the stake immediately.”

‘6,600 shillings?’

In terms of currency, it meant a reward of about 66 gold coins.

The Hardcore Assassin deck was worth that much?

I was surprised by the level of the reward, but Chasey seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

“As I mentioned last time, the Rorte Newsletter doesn’t have much available funding. If we had sold the information to the Yukan side, we could have received several times the reward.”

During my days as a champion, the money I handled was merely silver coins.

Suddenly jumping to gold coin amounts was enough to make me lose my sense of money.

But it was a natural consequence.

Why else were there so few players compared to champions?

The 500-gold player qualification.

This tremendous barrier to entry was nothing short of a Gate of Ascension for rising to the upper class.

And by obtaining my player qualification, it meant I had already passed through it.