“You must select an item during the Shared Selection Round. Specifically, an item from your combination formula.”

“Yes, I know that much.”

Chasey pouted her lips as if to tell me not to ignore her.

Aside from the unusual information I was sharing, Chasey was actually quite a talented player.

If a material item included in a combination formula appeared during Stage 1.

With low health granting priority selection, one could complete a Core Item during the 2-4 Shared Selection Round.

However, there was one crucial point to keep in mind here.

“At this stage, you must absolutely never give the item to a druid.”

“What? Why?”

Because to unequip an item, you had to sell the champion.

If you gave a Core Item to a low-tier druid gathered in the early stages of the battlefield, the deck’s value would inevitably plummet in the late game.

Even if you tried to recover the item later, you would still have to sell the champion. Therefore, you must hire a disposable champion to hold the item.

Once the Core Item is complete, briefly hire any champion to survive the 2-7 round, then sell the champion afterward to recover the item. That’s all there is to it.

This was the best-case scenario for the Open Port strategy.

“Then what happens if the item isn’t completed?”

However, it wasn’t as if Chasey possessed every item combination formula.

Gathering two material items didn’t necessarily mean you could craft a Core Item.

“In that case, you need to purchase experience points once at 2-7.”

“Ah! Wait a minute, don’t tell me. Let me guess the reason.”

Chasey held up her palm. Unwilling to be treated like a fool, she rapidly racked her brain.

“Hmm, if I calculate the experience and gold… Aha! If you buy experience once at 2-7, you can level up.”

“Oh, you’re smart.”

“Hehe- you’re too kind.”

Receiving the praise, Chasey beamed with a wide smile.

If it had been Hans, he probably wouldn’t have understood even if I had explained it outright. As expected, she must have received early education from a young age.

Checking the experience status during the 2-7 round would look like this:

【Experience Required for Level Up (XP): 6/10】

If the Core Item wasn’t completed, you had to invest 4 gold to level up. With 5 champions, you could safely pass the round.

By this point, your held gold would have exceeded 50, the threshold for maximum interest.

From then on, the surplus gold needed to be actively reinvested.

“Once your held gold exceeds 50, you must start purchasing experience. That will naturally allow you to reach level 6 around the 3-2 round, all while maintaining 50 gold.”

“How is that even possible?”

Chasey’s eyes widened.

Looking back at the Placement Exam, the average player level at round 3-2 was 5. Considering that I was at level 6 by pushing the tempo, this was a staggering difference.

The key to Open Port pulling ahead of others lay in the guarantee that you could lose.

The worst thing on the battlefield was alternating between wins and losses.

While even I found it difficult to reliably maintain a win streak, the probability of a losing streak converged to 100% when running the Open Port strategy.

The exact amount of gold obtained by perfectly executing the Open Port strategy up to round 3-4 was precisely 100 gold.

This was the theoretical maximum gold allowed by the battlefield.

On average, you would hit level 6 at round 3-2 while keeping 50 gold, and even in the worst-case scenario, you could achieve your goal by round 3-3.

Buying gold with health.

That was the essence of the Open Port strategy.

“Just what kind of strategy this…!”

Recognizing the true value of the Open Port strategy, Chasey wore an expression full of anticipation.

Even hearing it described in words, it sounded like an incredibly remarkable strategy.

Even the Holy King, a Diamond Tier player, probably didn’t possess this level of knowledge.

If someone possessed this degree of expertise…

‘Who exactly did I ask for help?’

She had rushed here solely with the intention of learning the druid deck, but whether this would be a blessing or a curse was something Chasey couldn’t foresee.

However, Chasey possessed the kind of personality that pushed through to the very end once she set her mind on a goal.

As if making a firm resolution, Chasey clamped her mouth shut, then thrust her face forward and declared.

“Please take me as your disciple!”

“I refuse.”

“Ah, why!”

Chasey threw a tantrum.

I casually brushed off her nonsensical remark.

The fallout of taking her in as a disciple.

Her family—Federer Einthoven and the Adjudicator Ariel—I couldn’t even begin to imagine how those two would react.

Chasey nodded, seemingly acknowledging that it wouldn’t be easy.

“Are you saying you’re not satisfied with me as I am now? Then, if I learn this perfectly, at that time…!”

As if determined to master the difficult material, Chasey clenched her fists tightly.

To prove herself, she needed to easily overcome this level of difficulty.

However, my following words inevitably dampened Chasey’s enthusiasm.

“No, this is just the build-up. Let’s start designing the actual deck now.”

“…!”

This was… just a build-up?

“I assume you roughly understand the build-up process by now.”

What I had explained earlier was merely the build-up process to secure gold; completing a proper deck was the harder part.

Now, it was time to convert the accumulated gold into power.

Turn health into gold, and gold into power.

Health, like gold, was a resource commonly provided to all players, so there was no reason not to utilize it.

“Once you reach level 6, you must immediately invest your surplus gold into refreshing the shop. The crucial point here is to never let your held gold drop below 50.”

“You mean I must maintain maximum interest no matter what. Understood.”

You say the druid deck’s weakness is low attack and defense?

Then, if all six champions become 2-star champions, wouldn’t that cover both?

What if there’s a druid without a healing skill?

You simply use them as enhancement material for a druid that does have a healing skill.

Just how much power could a proper druid deck, with its attack and defense fully addressed, unleash?

Releasing all the accumulated power at once after round 3-4 was the core of this strategy.

“Let’s leave it at this for now. Telling you more probably won’t stick in your memory anyway.”

“Yes!”

She answered confidently, but Chasey’s eyes were already glazing over. She must have been overwhelmed trying to process any more information.

“For now, what I’ve taught you isn’t a complete deck yet.”

In truth, the latter part required actually running the deck, making modifications, and slowly perfecting it through trial and error.

Even I couldn’t perfect a deck just by conceptualizing it in my head.

The Hardcore Assassin strategy was already an established deck with plenty of accumulated data, so I could confidently teach it.

But the strategy I taught Chasey was an entirely original strategy I devised myself, so its shortcomings could only be identified through firsthand experience.

More experimental data was always better, so I could only hope Chasey gained more experience.

Umul umul-

‘Delicious as expected.’

Taking advantage of Chasey’s dazed state, I took a bite of the Black Water Eel I had secretly brought along.

It had cooled down from the prolonged conversation, but it was still delicious.

Chasey paid no attention to my actions, and so I was able to enjoy two bowls of the special dish.

‘I feel a bit of my vitality returning.’

Perhaps because I had drawn on several days’ worth of natural healing, dark circles had settled under my eyes.

Whether the Black Water Eel was actually good for restoring vitality or not, I felt my fatigue slightly easing after eating it.

Still, a faint ache remained, so I wanted to hurry to a comfortable lodging and rest.

Right, I needed to receive my settlement before that…

Having already been rejected once, I had absolutely no idea where to go for the settlement.

I hadn’t revealed to Yuki that I was a champion, so it was awkward to ask her directly.

But it was a perfectly reasonable question to ask Chasey, who knew at least a part of my identity.

“By any chance, do you know where I need to go to receive a settlement here?”

Come to think of it, the place I went to probably wasn’t the shieldbearer Guild.

“What? Wouldn’t you just go to the settlement Office where the Imperial Priest is? Are you perhaps talking about a different kind of settlement?”

Ah, so there was a separate settlement Office.

My ears turned slightly red.

To barge into a strange place and demand a settlement—the fact that they hadn’t gotten angrier was already quite a gentlemanly response.

“No. That’s the settlement I meant.”

“Wow- to possess that level of skill as a player while also acting as a champion… you’re truly amazing!”

Chasey also harbored a desire to act as a druid champion, so those words came straight from the heart.

Chasey hesitated.

‘Could he be… a Named champion hiding his identity?’

It was only natural for such a thought to cross Chasey’s mind.

The Named champions known to the world were champions and simultaneously high-tier players.

Not only did they possess a deep understanding of the battlefield, but it was possible because many champions of 3-Cost or higher followed in the Named Champion’s wake.

If he had formed Original Contracts with all of them…

Just what kind of deck could he compose? It was beyond imagination.

‘No, that can’t be. There’s no way a Named champion would be here. Sister Ariel said he was just a 1-Cost Shieldbearer who couldn’t even properly handle mana.’

Having already touched his body during his treatment, Chasey could dispel the thought that arose.

Come to think of it, a Named champion wouldn’t need to receive a settlement at a place like this anyway.

At that moment, the contents of a book she had read somewhere surfaced in Chasey’s mind.

‘A book I read before said that from 4-Cost champions onward, they appear as ordinary people in the eyes of others… could it be?’

Just in case, Chasey wanted to verify it.

“I know where the Imperial Priest is! I’ll take you there!”

If he really was a 1-Cost champion, the settlement gold wouldn’t be that much anyway.

***

After finishing our meal, we made our way along the streets of Yukantar.

Flap-!

However, another unfolding situation forced us to halt our steps.

Chirp- chirp-!

“Yes, hello.”

Chasey exchanged greetings with an unidentified bird as if they were old friends.

‘Is it always like this?’

Every animal we encountered while walking had come up to her to show their affection, delaying our progress.

‘What a convenient ability.’

I watched the scene with fascination.

The 1-Cost druid champions I occasionally saw in Luteran hadn’t been able to converse with animals…

It seemed the Young Lady of the Einthoven family was quite a high-tier druid champion.

When I asked her about it.

“What? I’m not a champion yet. Of course, I do want to become a druid champion, though. Hehe-“

‘Not a champion?’

Of course, there were ways to cultivate abilities even without being a champion, but the difference in training speed between those who used gold and those who didn’t was immense.

If she earned gold by acting as a champion, just how much growth could she achieve?

I couldn’t understand why Chasey didn’t participate in champion activities.

“My father opposed it. He said he hated seeing me under someone else’s command.”

Just because of that?

I didn’t understand, but I didn’t pry.

‘Well, there must be circumstances I’m not aware of.’

One shouldn’t make assumptions about family matters, so I casually changed the subject.

“Do you have any intention of participating in private battlefields?”

Refining the Open Port strategy quickly required practical experience, and since I couldn’t practice in Ranked Matches, actively utilizing private battlefields was the best option.

“Is it okay if the strategy becomes known?”

Unlike Ranked Matches, which targeted all players in the Empire, private battlefields had a limited number of participants, making it easy for rumors to spread.

The Gunslinger deck trend had also started from private battlefields.

To Chasey, this Open Port strategy was a precious piece of information that absolutely had to be hidden, so her concern was only natural.

“If they want to imitate it, let them try.”

However, I was certain.

With the level of players in Trivik, they would never be able to grasp the essence of the Open Port strategy.

The way I approached the battlefield was fundamentally different from that of an average player.

It was exactly like telling a foreigner who didn’t know a word of Korean ‘kimchi stew’ hundreds or thousands of times; they might be able to mimic the pronunciation, but they would never grasp its meaning for the rest of their lives.

Since battlefields were fundamentally designed to prevent spectating, keeping the strategy a secret was easy.

The fragmentary information obtained from occasional encounters wasn’t enough to perfectly grasp the strategy.

An extreme strategy like the Open Port was a high-risk deck that yielded zero returns if not executed flawlessly.