How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

Chapter 730: Festival Champion 8

His strength had grown—there was no denying that anymore.

Every match made it clearer.

Every movement, every strike, every decision he made in a fight... it all carried a level of precision that most of his peers couldn’t keep up with.

Skill-wise, he had already caught up to the top—and in some cases, even surpassed them.

And yet—

It still didn’t feel like enough.

Swish—

The sound of his blade cutting through the air echoed in the early hours of the morning, long before most of the academy woke up.

That had become his routine.

Wake up. Train. Repeat.

Day after day.

He practiced until his hands went numb, until the weight of the sword felt like an extension of his own body. His footwork sharpened, his reactions honed down to instinct.

Even his mana—once something he had to consciously guide—now moved with him naturally, flowing through every swing without hesitation.

There was no wasted motion anymore.

No hesitation.

No room for doubt.

By all accounts, he was already standing at a level most would call the peak.

But Lucas didn’t see it that way.

Because every time he closed his eyes—

He saw that moment again.

Riley.

The gap between them.

The ease with which his blade had been stopped.

At first, Lucas had found him irritating. Arrogant, even. Someone who stood too high without explaining why.

But after that defeat...

That impression didn’t last.

It changed.

What replaced it wasn’t simple respect.

It was something deeper.

A need.

A drive.

Lucas didn’t just want to catch up to him.

He wanted to reach him.

No—

He wanted to stand where Riley was standing and prove something.

At the beginning, it was simple. He just wanted to show that his path—the path of a knight, the path he chose for himself—wasn’t wrong. That it wasn’t something to be dismissed or overlooked.

That it had value.

But somewhere along the way, that changed.

Now... he wanted more than that.

He wanted Riley to acknowledge it.

To see that the path Lucas walked wasn’t just valid—

But worthy.

Worthy of standing beside his.

Maybe it was selfish.

Maybe it was just his own form of satisfaction.

But to Lucas—

That goal was everything.

Because for the first time, he had found someone who stood at the top.

And he refused to stay beneath him forever.

”...Just wait, Riley...”

The words came out low, steady.

”I’ll prove it to you.”

There was no hesitation in his voice.

No doubt.

Only certainty.

With that, Lucas stepped out of the colosseum, the noise of the crowd fading behind him as his gaze stayed fixed ahead—

Focused.

Unwavering.

.....

By the start of the second day, the matches picked up right where they left off.

No delays.

Just one fight after another.

Riley had already cleared his part, and with how things were set up, reaching the semi-finals was only a matter of time. Still, that didn’t mean he could relax.

This time, he wasn’t here as a participant.

He was watching.

Seated in the VIP section near the front row, Riley kept his eyes on the arena, posture relaxed—but there was something faintly off about his expression. Subtle enough that most people wouldn’t notice, but it was there.

A quiet kind of concern.

Today’s matches didn’t involve any of the girls he was usually with. No Snow, no Rose, no Seo.

Which made his presence stand out.

A few people noticed. Whispered. Wondered why he’d bother showing up this early.

But the moment the first match was announced—

”Reina Hell versus Den Kalah!”

Everything clicked.

The crowd reacted instantly, cheers and shouts rising just as loudly as they had on the first day. The energy hadn’t dropped at all—if anything, it felt sharper now that the number of participants was getting smaller.

Interestingly, Reina’s match was scheduled in the morning too.

Just like his had been.

Riley’s gaze followed as both fighters stepped onto the stage.

Reina walked out with her usual confidence, shoulders straight, chin slightly raised, her presence firm.

To anyone else, she looked the same as always.

But to Riley—

There was a slight tension in her steps. A stiffness she couldn’t fully hide.

Nervous...

He noticed it immediately.

And it made him pause.

...Should I not have come?

The thought crossed his mind as he watched her.

If anything, his presence might be adding pressure. Knowing he was watching, judging—even silently—could throw her off more than help her.

But at the same time...

He knew her.

If he hadn’t shown up—

She’d notice.

And she wouldn’t like it.

No matter how this turned out, he was already proud of her. Making it this far on her own wasn’t something anyone could brush off.

Still...

That didn’t stop the worry.

Riley’s eyes shifted briefly toward her opponent.

Den Kalah.

From what he could tell, Den had the advantage in raw mana capacity. There was more weight behind it, more volume.

But Reina—

Her control was cleaner.

Sharper.

If you looked at it properly, the gap between them wasn’t as big as people might think.

In terms of overall ability, they were closer than they looked.

”...She’s going to have a tough time,” Riley muttered under his breath.

”Ngh... I hope nothing bad happens...”

A soft, worried voice came from beside him.

Riley glanced over slightly.

Emilia sat there, hands clasped together, her expression tense as she watched the stage. She didn’t try to hide it—her concern was written all over her face.

”Don’t worry, junior. There are safety precautions in place...” Riley said, his tone calm, like he was stating something obvious.

”I know, but...” Emilia’s fingers tightened together as she stared at the arena. ”Most of the fights so far haven’t been ending normally. I heard that even the ones who get teleported out still end up badly injured— Hnng—! O-Ow! V-Vanessa, what are you doing?!”

Vanessa had leaned over and pinched her cheek without warning, a soft laugh slipping out as Emilia yelped.

”Now, now~ you really are a worrywart, Emilia,” she said, smiling as she gently let go, only to pat her head and pull her into a light hug right after. ”Don’t you trust Reina?”

”Of course I trust her, but sometimes—”

”Tsk, tsk.” Vanessa shook her head slightly, still smiling. ”Sometimes you think too much about the worst outcome. Just watch. Enjoy it. See her properly—her strength, her resolve.”

She tapped Emilia lightly on the forehead.

”You’re here to support her, right?”

Emilia paused.

Then nodded, a little more firmly this time.

”Y-Yes... you’re right. I should at least do that much.” She lowered her head slightly. ”Sorry...”

Vanessa blinked, then laughed.

”Why are you apologizing to me?”

That was enough to ease the tension a bit.

Emilia straightened up in her seat, taking a small breath before looking back at the arena—this time with more focus, less fear.

”Reina... you can do it!”

Riley glanced at the two of them briefly.

They’d gotten closer.

Not in a dramatic way, just... naturally. The kind of closeness that built up over time without anyone really noticing.

It showed in moments like this.

As for the others—

They weren’t here today.

Rose had gone to deal with something involving her father.

Riley had offered to help, but she turned him down without much hesitation.

Seo was preparing for her own match, and both Snow and Alice were tied up with student council duties.

Everyone had their own things going on.

So this—

Running into Emilia and Vanessa here—was just coincidence.

Even if he knew they were close to Reina, he didn’t expect them to show up in person like this.

And then...

There was one more.

”...Snore...”

Riley’s gaze shifted slightly to his left.

Flamme.

The first-year summoner genius.

Completely passed out.

Head tilted slightly, breathing even, not even trying to hide it.

He stared at her for a second.

She actually came... just to sleep?

From what he’d heard, Reina and Flamme didn’t exactly get along.

Not openly hostile, but not close either.

Still—

Looking at this now...

”...Guess rumors are just rumors,”

He hadn’t expected this.

Sitting here, surrounded by first-year heroines like it was the most normal thing in the world.

If Uriel or Stacia were here too, the attention on him would’ve been unbearable—people were already stealing glances as it was.

Still, he didn’t mind it.

A quick look was enough for him to tell.

They were all growing.

Steadily, but clearly.

Even Flamme—who looked like she had zero interest in anything happening around her—wasn’t actually idle.

Riley could feel it.

The way her mana moved, slow and controlled beneath the surface, like a quiet current that never stopped.

She was training.

Even while sleeping.

And not casually either—her control had reached a level where it felt almost instinctual.

...So she took that loss seriously, huh.

Her match with Stacia hadn’t been meaningless to her after all.

Riley didn’t dwell on it too much.

Whether it was determination, pride, or something else entirely—it didn’t matter.

As long as they kept getting stronger, it only worked in his favor.

”...Hng?”

A small sound came from his left.

”What...? Wait—you’re here, Senior Riley...?”

Flamme stirred, stretching slightly as she blinked the sleep out of her eyes. She let out a lazy yawn, barely covering her mouth as she glanced at him.

”...Guess the pressure’s on for that idiot Reina then...”

She didn’t sound particularly concerned.

Just stating it as it was.

Riley gave her a brief look but didn’t respond.

Before anything else could be said—

”Let the match begin!”

The announcer’s voice cut through the arena.

At once, both fighters moved.

Reina raised her blade, her expression sharpening as her mana surged outward, a bluish-white aura wrapping around her body like a second skin.

Across from her, Den didn’t spread his mana the same way.

Instead, he condensed it.

Tightly.

All of it drawn into his sword, the green aura around it flickering like a contained flame, unstable but powerful.

Then—

Whoosh—!

They vanished.

Or at least, it looked like they did.

The moment they stepped forward, their movements blurred, afterimages trailing behind as they closed the distance in an instant.

Clang!

Steel met steel.

The impact rang out across the arena, sparks scattering between them.

Clang! Clang!

Their blades collided again and again, each exchange faster than the last, the sound of metal striking metal echoing through the colosseum as the crowd leaned forward, trying to keep up.