'This isn't good.'

As I stood by the edge of the railing and stared at Sarah, my eyes couldn't help but wander toward the other contestants.

I could see the seriousness in their expressions. A part of me was glad that they were looking at her this way, but another was a little annoyed.

'She still can't control it.'

I clicked my tongue.

The skill I taught her.

It was leaking out from her eyes. 

The fact that some of the higher-ranked contenders were alarmed was the perfect proof of this. 

"It can't be helped."

I shook my head and lightly sighed. This wasn't outside of my expectations. It had only been two weeks since she learned the skill. 

I didn't expect her to gain total control of the skill in such a short period of time. Not when she hadn't even grasped a small part of it.

She had only scratched the surface of it.

Still, things would be a little more troublesome going forward from this point. With people aware of her skill, they'd easily figure out ways to counter it.

The skill wasn't some invincible skill or anything of the sort. It was a great skill, but it was still raw.

There were holes and weaknesses to it that could easily be found. 

Furthermore, the other higher-ranked contestants also had their own skills. 

I wanted it to remain hidden for later, but it couldn't be helped.

Di—!

The arena buzzed and the match ended. Sarah came out on top in her first match.

Taking in the scene around me, I made my way down toward the tunnels where I eventually found Sarah. 

Her eyes were still a little lifeless, but she was more or less herself now.

She lowered her head when she saw me. The first thing that came out of her mouth was an apology, and I froze. 

"…I'm sorry."

I guess she knew too. 

"It's fine. There's no helping it. You've only had the skill for two weeks. It's impressive that you can already use it, though it's unfortunate that some people have caught on."

"Sorry."

Sarah apologized again. 

I frowned, and Sarah flinched. 

"Like I said, don't be. Or are you telling me you can't win without the skill?"

"No."

After a short pause, she shook her head. 

"I can still win…"

"So?"

"But, I…"

"Let's go."

I turned to head for the upper decks. 

"Cool yourself down for a bit and get ready. You've got two more matches to go before we can leave. Don't stress too much over this."

Sarah's mouth opened and closed. It seemed like she had a lot of things to say, but never managed to get her words out. In the end, with her head lowered, she followed me out of the tunnels. 

"…Okay."

***

The day continued. 

In the next two hours, Sarah faced two additional opponents.

Once again, she struggled to control her skill. While initially only the higher-ranked opponents had noticed, now virtually everyone in the arena was aware of the 'unusual' skill Sarah possessed.

"Just what sort of skill is that?" 

"It looks like a domain, but it's different... I don't know. It feels half-completed." 

"That's probably because it is." 

People were already starting to discuss it on the top decks. 'Sarah's mysterious skill'. It was starting to become a hot topic amongst the contestants. 

Still, the mood behind the scenes was quite pleasant. 

Especially among the higher-ups. Taking his eyes away from Sarah who had just won her third match in a row, CEO Windsol cleared his throat, trying his best to hide the smile that continuously threatened to turn into a laugh. 

"What are you smiling for?"

"Ah? What…? Smiling? Who are you talking to?"

"Don't give me that."

Producer Maddison shook his head as he leaned on his chair and replayed certain clips on his pad.

Pondering, he mumbled, 

"Hmm. I wonder which one would have a greater impact on the trailer?"

"I suggest this one."

The CEO offered, pointing at one of the clips displayed.

"Which one? Oh, okay… any other suggestions? We need more than one clip."

"This one too."

"That…"

"Oh, this one looks nice too."

"…"

"This one is not bad at—hey, why did you turn off the tablet? I was busy choosing clips for the trailer."

The Producer eyed him with a strange look.

"CEO…"

He carefully said,

"What?"

"You do know that all the clips you chose were of Sarah, right?"

"Eh."

Only then did the CEO finally realize what he had done, and his face stiffened. Scratching the back of his head, he mumbled,

"Sorry. I think the excitement got to me."

"I don't blame you."

The Producer put away his tablet.

"I'm also excited about the show. Especially after she came in. I can see how people will definitely root for her. Especially with her story, and all. In fact, I believe that the show is definitely going to be a-"

"Nope."

The CEO hurriedly cut in.

"Don't say it!"

"What?"

"Don't fucking jinx it."

"Ah, again with that?"

The producer covered his forehead and shook his head,

"What is up with you and superstitions? The last time we worked on a project you burned incense every single day until the project aired. How did that go for you?"

"That… the incense was of low quality."

"That's what you said during the last project too. If I recall correctly, you opted for the highest quality incense available. Even complained to me about how expensive they were." 

"I got scammed."

"…"

"Anyways, just don't say it. It's bad luck. Everyone knows it."

"Whatever."

Having had enough, the producer waved his hand to dismiss the CEO. 

"Go away. Let me work. The way that you are right now is distracting me."

The scene was odd. The CEO of the broadcasting company was getting kicked out of his own office by his producer.

Yet, it seemed oddly fitting as the CEO left his own office with his shoulders drooping, muttering something about the incense not being expensive enough, and that the ones who had sold it to him were scammers. 

The two of them weren't the only ones who felt optimistic about the project. Carl Richards, CEO of Richard's Forgery, stood up from his seat to leave.

His shoulders felt lighter than when he had first arrived. 

He had originally been apprehensive about the project mainly because he had invested a lot of money in it. 

Starting from the round of 32, the top contestants would all be given their top swords. The value of a single sword put a pinch in his pocket, and despite the board telling him to not sponsor the project, he still chose to.

He liked the idea of the project and knew CEO Windsol well.

That was frankly one of the main reasons he had chosen to invest in this project.

Still, despite all that, he still couldn't help but show up for the qualifying round which was held privately with no audience. 

His worries had been blown out of the water.

He calmly walked down the stairs that led to the exit. Taking out his phone, he made a call.

The hurried voice of a female echoed into his ear, 

—CEO? Has something happened? How was the project? Is there something wrong with it? If you want to leave, we still can. Although we might have to…

"There's no need."

The CEO said, a faint smile hanging on his lips.

"In fact, see if you can increase our investment."

—Pardon?"

"This project…"

The CEO paused, carefully thinking about his words. Then, with a deepening of his smile, he responded, 

"…I think it will be a massive hit."

***

[The sudden ascent of Liam Marken. Stroke of luck, or a showcase of talent? His rank climbs to 498.]

﹂Despite the naysayers, I genuinely believe this manager is highly competent. I mean, landing an offer like that doesn't happen without some serious capabilities.

﹂Well, if you take a look. He's only been working for a month, and yet managed to get Blue Daisy to a spot they hadn't managed to get in the past three years.

﹂He's definitely something…

"Emblem of the Sun have a gem in their hands. I wonder if he can get Blue Daisy to Tier 2?"

"He's a very talented manager."

The leader of Unit 1 silently read the comments aloud within the confines of his office, his expression growing darker with each passing remark.

"Nuts, they've totally lost it…"

The more he read, the more ridiculous he found the situation.

Just what kind of idiots were these?

'Competent?'

The Unit Leader could only scoff at that. He was lucky. That was all.

But still, luck or not…

"I don't like this." 

He had previously held a small distaste for him for the simple reason that he was taking away all the attention from the other managers. 

He was overshadowing the managers from his department, making him grow quite annoyed.

Unit 1 and Unit 2 weren't exactly on the friendliest of terms. Mainly because the allocated budget each Unit would receive depended on their performance. 

The fact that Liam was overshadowing those in his department ticked him off. 

However, things were different now. Not only was he taking the attention of the managers under his command, but he had also taken the liberty to take one of his projects from under his nose.

If that wasn't a slap to his face, he didn't know what was.

Things couldn't go on like this.

If things went on like this, he might become even bolder in the future. That… he wouldn't allow.

'I need to stop his momentum.'

But how exactly could he do that? 

The Unit Leader drummed his finger over the table. The rhythmical sound of his fingers drumming against the wooden table echoed within the confines of his silent room.

Although he hated the bastard, that didn't mean he wanted to destroy him.

He only wanted to take him down a peg. At the very least, he had to buy enough time for 'him' to gain a proper foothold. 

Once that happened, he couldn't care less about what happened to him.

"Um?" 

All of a sudden, as he scrolled through other threads, the Unit Leader's eyes fell on a certain comment. 

—Nah. I think he just knows his limit. I respect him for that. He didn't let the game get to his head and chose to remain on the level he belonged to. Still, doesn't it seem a bit odd that he gets proposed such an offer? No matter how competent someone may be, offering them such a deal… something is fishy.

"Something is fishy…"

The Unit Leader mumbled under his breath, his thick eyebrows furrowing together. He continued to mumble the same thing for the next minute or so before his eyes suddenly opened and an idea formed.

He didn't hesitate to open one of his drawers to take out a small black phone.

Dialing a number, he brought the phone to his ears. By the time it took for the phone to ring twice, a rough voice echoed into his ears.

—Mr. Reece? Is there something I can help you with?

"I'm not Mr. Reece."

—Uh? What are you on ab…

"Again, I'm not Mr. Reece."

The Unit Leader emphasized the last words as his voice lowered. It was then that the person on the phone understood.

His voice turned serious.

—Ah, I apologize for my mistake. Who do I have the pleasure of talking to? 

'Good.'

Satisfied, the Unit Leader nodded.

He continued,

"I'm an employee of Emblem of the Sun. More specifically, I work in Unit 1." 

—Oh? For what reason have you called me?

"I have something to report." 

The voice behind the speaker paused. Then, with an even tone, he spoke, 

—Then you have found the best person to talk to. I'm all ears.