Winston’s Central Square! It was originally crowded, but even more people were gathered today. This was because the item making game between blacksmiths was going to occur here.

“I hope that Grid can win and protect Khan’s smithy. That smithy is the last pride that we have left.”

“That's right. If the smithy falls into the hands of the Mero Company, our place in Winston will completely disappear.”

“Grid, have strength! You absolutely can’t lose.”

The hearts of the Winston residents gathered together. They prayed that Grid would win the game. However, the users’ attitudes were different. The result of the game had nothing to do with them.

“An item production game? There isn’t anything else interesting, so why don’t we watch for a while?”

“I don’t have anything else to do. If it isn’t fun, then we can just go. Somebody win~ The winner will be on this side~”

As a result, most users just thought of the game as slightly interesting.

“Hey, isn’t it funny when you think about it? It’s just blacksmiths making items. Why are so many people going to watch it?”

“Yeah. It’s tedious to watch a blacksmith make items, not interesting. The item created will be epic at the most, so I’m not even interested in the result.”

“Where can you find an epic rated item? It’s good if they can even make a rare rated item. I heard rumors that no famous blacksmiths are participating.”

“What? Then what is the goal? Why should we care about the results? Hey, this is a waste of time, so let’s just go hunting. Anyway, who cares about who owns the smithy?”

The users mocked the game as trivial and turned away.

After a while...

Once the participants of the game were revealed, the male users no longer thought of leaving.

“Now! Let me introduce the main characters of this match. From the Mero Company, Erina! And Khan’s successor, Grid!”

“Ohhhhhhh!!”

The eyes of the male users widened as they saw the blonde girl climb onto the stage, and they started cheering.

“Wow. Really pretty!”

“Is this love at first sight?”

“My ideal type...”

The blonde girl was wearing a hat. However, she showed off a beauty that couldn’t be hidden, even though her face was not completely exposed. Her mouth was especially attractive. The male users, who weren’t interested in the result of the game originally, became her avid supporters the moment they saw her.

“Erina. I will cheer for you.”

“Erina, please win~.”

“Erina! Erina! Erina!”

The male fan club formed in an instant.

Erina, or Euphemina, shrugged as she listened to their sky-piercing cheers and waved her hand gracefully.

“Thank you for your support.”

“Ohhhhhh!”

She smiled softly, making her seem like a goddess to the men. It was reminiscent of the reaction soldiers had toward idol girl groups who visited the army barracks.

Grid sucked in a deep breath at the sight. ‘Is it my turn next?’

Since the male users were rooting for the female contestant, it would be natural for the female users to support and cheer on the male contestant. Grid smiled and followed Euphemina’s actions by waving toward the female users in the audience. He expected the cheers of female users, but their reaction was much different than expected.

“What is that guy doing? Uhh, I feel bad.”

“The bread that I ate a while ago feels like it’s coming back up...”

“He looks really horrible...”

The reactions from the female users were the worst!

‘This dirty society that only cares about looks! You would support me properly if I was handsome.’

None of the women supported him, but the residents of Winston shouted toward the frustrated Grid.

“Grid! You have us. We are cheering for you. We believe in you! Be sure to win.”

“Khan’s successor, show off your skills.”

“Grid’s victory! Grid’s victory! Grid’s victory!”

Grid trembled. ‘If you are supporting me, why are your gazes directed toward her...?’

NPC males were wolves as well. Among the residents of Winston, the men forgot that the blonde girl was an enemy and couldn’t keep their eyes off her. ...Even Khan!

‘These bastards, I am now aware of your real state.’

The blonde girl was so seductive that she even attracted elderly NPCs. Grid felt resentful toward her, as he turned into a squid just by standing next to her.

“You. I will surely win. Then I’ll enjoy seeing that pretty face distort!”

Euphemina was amazed by Grid’s declaration. This was a man she was meeting as an enemy, but how could he ignore her beauty?

‘Unless the person is gay or blind, isn’t it natural for all men to support my beauty?’

Euphemina had a proud nature.

‘Have a proper taste of my beauty.’

Euphemina lifted the brim of the hat she used to hide her identity, and her beautiful face was clearly revealed.

Grid was forced to admire it. ‘Looking at her like this, she is really pretty. Isn’t she comparable to that wicked witch, Yura?’

If Yura was an elegant and mature woman, then Euphemina was a youthful and refreshing girl. Their atmosphere was quite different, but they were similar in that both of them had a transcendent beauty.

‘Is she a human or a doll?’ Grid made a stupid expression and was unable to keep his eyes off of Euphemina.

Euphemina saw it and thought, ‘Yes, that’s right. Once you see my face, you will fall at first sight. Now you will follow me like a dog, just like the other men.’

There was no man in the world who could go against her beauty!

Euphemina had great pride in her looks, so she continued to speak to Grid in order to perfectly capture her victory. “Grid? There is no need to be hostile toward me. Haven’t we just met? Perhaps we will see each other again. In the future, we might develop a good relationship? So don’t be upset, and let’s get along.”

She had half-moon eyes and a slyly flirtatious voice. There was no man who wouldn’t be into her when she acted like this.

Yet Grid just snorted. “What? Develop a good relationship? Don’t say such horrible things, Kid.”

Euphemina’s face turned red. “H-Horrible? Why wouldn’t you develop a good relationship with me? In addition, ‘kid’?”

“Yes! I don’t want to develop a good relationship with a fox like you! Kid! Have you even graduated from high school? I have no interest in a little person like you. I’m not a lolicon! Shit. Do you think that I am such a slimy bastard? It might be your intention to keep me from concentrating on the game, but I won’t fall for it.”

Grid stood firm. He had an ideal type. Her height should be at least 168cm, and her chest should be a D cup!

Euphemina was definitely pretty, but she was far from Grid’s ideal type. Her natural height was 160cm, and her chest was only a B cup. No matter how pretty her face was, there was no reason for Grid to fall for her.

‘Kid? Fox? What is with this person?’ Euphemina stared blankly as she listened to Grid’s ridicule.

Then she shook suddenly. The sense of shame she never experienced before made her extremely angry.

‘Moreover, I am 20 years old!’

That’s right. Euphemina wasn’t a young girl. She looked younger than her age, but she was already an adult. Being called a kid was touching on Euphemia’s sore spot, since she had a complex about her height.

‘I will disgrace you in front of all these people!’ Euphemina decided as she was filled with anger.

With a cold smile, she glanced at Grid and asked, “Since you don’t realize my charm, are you gay? Okay. I will make you feel bitter about Mother Nature making you gay. Let’s see who will make the better item. I’m going to win though.”

“W-What? Gay? I’m gay? What the hell are you saying? This unlucky brat! I’m not gay!” Grid shouted indignantly.

Euphemina heard another shock as she heard the word ‘unlucky.’ She never imagined the day would come when she would hear this from a man.

“U-Unlucky? Me? A trash-like man like you will never be able to match me!”

Grid was the one who insulted her first. From Euphemina’s point of view, Grid seemed like a madman.

Euphemina couldn’t cope with the shame and tearfully shouted, “I want to say goodbye to you as quickly as possible! Start the game now!”

“Okay, let’s get started. I don’t care about this one-sided cheering. I will make you fail today!”

The host had yet to announce the start of the game, but Grid was already placing iron ore inside the burning furnace. Euphemina had past experience in making items, so she also started smelting the metal.

Hwaruruk!

A huge momentum rose from the two angry people, and the temperature of the furnace rose rapidly.

The host shouted, “The two people have started the game. I will notify the crowd! This time, the theme is to make a dagger. The one who produces the better quality dagger within the time limit will be the victor!”

Daggers were items that could be made relatively quickly. It was good to spend a long time creating a real masterpiece, but skilled blacksmiths could complete a good dagger in two hours. Consequently, the time limit of this game was three hours.

“Erina, fighting!”

The number of users continued to increase as they heard the turmoil, causing Euphemina’s fans to multiply as rapidly as a cancer cell. The cheers of the Winston residents were completely buried by their shouts, so Grid seemed to be fighting alone behind enemy lines.