"Eren Brown"POV
I woke up from sleep—and let me say, it was the most comfortable sleep I had had since arriving in this world.
The kind of sleep that comes after a great achievement, the rest that comes when everything goes well.
I got out of bed, stretched a little, then went straight to take a shower.
A quick shower with no purpose other than restoring my energy.
"A busy day awaits me."
I looked at myself in the mirror, a smile on my face. How could there not be? Today I would be playing one of my favorite games and earning money at the same time—truly killing two birds with one stone.
I went downstairs and was greeted by the usual sight of my parents.
"Good morning, Mom. Dad."
"Good morning, Eren,"
They said in unison.
"You look happy today. Did something good happen?"
My mother was the one speaking, as if yesterday's events had never occurred.
She calmly placed the breakfast plates on the table; the smell was truly delicious.
Food in this world was much better and more enjoyable—thanks to mana, in this regard.
"Nothing special. I'm participating in a chess tournament today."
They looked at me in surprise.
"Are you good at chess?" my father asked, looking at me.
"Yes,"
I replied in the most convincing way possible.
"Good luck, then… I suppose."
Doubt was clear on their faces, something I could accept. No problem.
What mattered was that they didn't care too much.
...
After finishing breakfast, I hurried out of the house toward the tournament venue.
I didn't forget to thank my mother for breakfast, and they wished me good luck at the same time.
"Luck, huh…"
I never liked mentioning luck too much.
So I walked on foot.
The venue wasn't far, so I reached it relatively quickly.
The development in buildings and technology continued to amaze me every time.
I let my thoughts wander until I reached my destination.
It was a massive yet logical building, black in color, with golden letters written on it.
{Stardust}
The name felt familiar—somewhere deep in my mind—but I couldn't quite grasp the details.
I pushed those thoughts aside. There was no reason to think about external matters; I needed to focus on my sole goal—earning money and then leaving quietly.
With renewed confidence, I headed inside.
After asking around, I managed to find the tournament registration area.
There was a not-short line of people wanting to register.
"Looks like I'm late."
I sighed lightly as I stood at the end of the line, waiting for my turn. Fortunately, it was moving relatively quickly.
"Next."
The receptionist spoke as he looked at me.
"Alright, sir. Fill out this information and go to the testing room to take the entrance exam."
"Thank you."
I thanked him and immediately headed to the room he described.
Inside, I found a man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties.
"Please, have a seat."
He was polite and cheerful, so I responded respectfully.
"Thank you."
I sat across from him and saw the chessboard—it looked exactly like the one from my world.
An involuntary smile formed on my face as I sat there.
He took the black pieces; I took the white.
"Let's begin,"
He said as he set the timer.
I made my first move, and he did the same. Judging by his level of play, this tournament would be well within reach.
"That's enough. You've passed. Go and wait for your next match—your number is 501."
As soon as he said that, I stood up, feeling slightly annoyed because the game had started to become somewhat enjoyable.
"Alright."
I went to the place he mentioned. As soon as I passed through the door, I was struck by a massive hall—truly massive—containing around 250 tables with chessboards, each with a referee standing in front of it.
I headed to the table with my number, sat down, and waited for my opponent.
Once my opponent arrived, the game began immediately—and this time, I was playing the black pieces.
…
After several hours had passed, let me tell you—I was disappointed.
The matches continued, and I won all of them with ease.
I mean, I reached the finals without encountering a difficult opponent.
I went to the final table, but my disappointment turned into surprise.
Sitting there was a girl wearing glasses, with short blonde hair.
It was a brief description, but I knew only one character with these features.
"Ashley Graham."
One of the main heroines of the author's novel, and one of the best bow users in the story—perhaps second only to the author.
Damn it, why did I have to meet her here, of all places?
In games of intelligence, only one female character ever surpassed her—and she too was one of the heroines.
When I saw her, I noticed something strange—she was smiling as she looked at the board, which made me suspect that something unusual was happening.
She hardly ever smiled in the novel—and I mean hardly. Perhaps four or five times throughout the entire series.
It seemed she smiled before entering the academy. I wondered what could change this beautiful girl from smiling and cheerful to gloomy and withdrawn.
I approached her and extended my hand for a handshake.
"May the best win,"
We said in unison, as the referee stepped forward and started the timer.
I played the white pieces; she played the black.
I moved my knight immediately, and she responded with one of her pieces.
The match continued—and you could say it was the best game I played in this tournament.
A smile formed on my face as I moved my pieces across the board. You could see my advantage building—until the straw that broke the camel's back.
Ashley made a mistake under time pressure, and you can guess what happened next…
"And that's checkmate."
I said as I extended my hand to shake hers, and she responded in kind.
"You're truly skilled."
She seemed to have enjoyed the game. Chess is fun when you know how to play it.
"You are as well."
We exchanged compliments, then headed to the prize distribution area.
Third place went to a man named Thomas, who won 250,000 coins.
Second place went to Ashley, who won 500,000 coins.
And I took first place, winning one million.
A smile spread across my face as I muttered,
"Easy money."
Ashley went over to what appeared to be her family.
That was what shocked me—because in the novel, it was stated that she was an orphan, which meant only one thing, and I hoped it wasn't true…
"Don't tell me…"
The moment realization struck me—too late—I heard a massive explosion.
It seemed to be in the same building we were in—how ironic.
Suddenly, in rapid succession, black figures fell from the ceiling in front of us, surrounding everyone. They were armed in a terrifying manner.
From what I could tell, they were around Rank E.
"I don't remember such an event in the novel,"
I muttered as my thoughts raced to find a way out of this place.
One of the assassins stepped forward—it seemed he was their leader, likely around Rank D+ if not Rank C-.
"Mr. Graham, come with us, or everyone in this room will be killed."
My eyes widened in realization—so this was the reason for Ashley's gloom in the novel…
No one responded at first, so one of the assassins grabbed a participant and did something that shocked everyone.
With a single strike, he severed his neck.
He killed him.
The man's blood splattered across the floor, and the effect was immediate—everyone fell silent.
"Mr. Graham, if you don't come out, we will start killing one person every minute. We'll start with this girl."
The man grabbed a small girl who looked about ten years old as she screamed,
"Mom, save me!"
As he brought his hand closer to the girl, a man with short blonde hair, appearing to be in his mid-forties, stepped out from among the crowd.
"I'm here. Don't kill the girl."
The assassin's smile widened.
"That makes things easier for us—and for everyone."
He smiled, then grabbed Mr. Graham and began restraining him.
"Kill all the witnesses."
Those were the last words he uttered before leaving the place calmly.
"Damn it,"
I muttered as I pulled my spear from the storage ring.
My thoughts raced.
This was going to hurt.