Defense specialization and the Flame Emperor.

A woman bearing the name of the Flame Emperor.

Miyu stands at the front of the group, approaching the enemy who holds a sword in readiness.

Step aside. That way, you will not die.

The air crackles with tension. Miyu’s clear voice echoes.

Yet this offer is not acceptable to those who guard the orb.

Attack!

The front line charges toward Miyu.

Miyu wields a staff.

Her red mantle is striking, but her defensive capacity is low, as she is positioned at the rear.

[Flame Emperor]

At the quiet whisper of that name, two fire orbs, each one meter in diameter, appear around Miyu.

The orbs move in tandem with her hands, twisting and crushing enemies with their force.

Miyu leads the front because this position maximizes her offensive power.

She burns enemies to ash with literal super火力.

Foolish. Utterly foolish.

The way she destroyed the enemy with ease carried a kind of charisma.

"【Eruption】"

The ground exploded. A column of flame erupted upward.

Miyu, who commanded fire with fluid precision, favored attacks that were flamboyant by nature.

These displays emphasized her power and forced the enemy into hesitation.

"【Blazing Burst】"

Those who advanced past the assault faced a low-damage, high-knockback blast.

The disparity in strength was absolute.

Yet the cost was severe.

Flamboyant magic consumed resources heavily—inevitable.

Thus, the twenty behind her were little more than supply units, packed with MP potions to the brim.

"Hah… is that all? It ends here."

The final foe reduced to ash. The flame orb vanished.

"MP potion."

"Ah."

Miyu took the potion. Her magic reserves restored. She exhaled, slowly.

"Collect the orb."

"Yes."

Miyu slowly closed her eyes, letting the satisfaction settle.

It was a fatal mistake.

"Ghahhh!?"

When Miyu opened her eyes, the player who had already retrieved the orb had vanished into light, and the robed figure was already seizing the orb and dashing away.

"…He is strong. I can sense it. Return with the orb. Total annihilation is possible!"

The command, delivered with charisma, resonated with the guild members. They turned, already holding their orbs, and retreated. Miyu pursued the robed figure.

"Flare Accelerate!"

Miyu pursued, flames erupting around her, but after advancing some distance, she lost sight of the figure entirely.

The robed figure—Sally—had used Instant Shadow at the corner.

Mii had stepped away from the spot while searching around, having lost sight of the target entirely.

Unaware of this, Mii continued searching blindly, then finally collapsed onto the ground.

"Ah... I failed... I'm sorry to everyone..."

The one seated there was not the same Mii as moments before.

No charisma remained. Only a frail figure, hunched over, reflecting on her mistake.

"I should never have made a character..."

Yes, the Mii from earlier had been performing a role.

She had acquired powerful abilities, drawn attention without effort, and grown too ashamed to show her true self. She still regretted adopting a persona.

The sense of accomplishment Mii felt was simply the satisfaction of having hidden her true self once again.

Uuu… worst… damn it… should I just destroy one guild and go home?

It was little more than blind anger.

Yet she had the power to do it.

And she knew of a mid-sized guild she’d found while searching for Sally—just the right number of people.

“Can’t leave without taking one… that robed man, next time we meet, I’ll burn him.”

With that, Mii charged into the mid-sized guild, flames rising from the ground, fire orbs descending from the sky, and one of the [Special Paralysis Traps] given by Markus added to the chaos—she destroyed the entire guild alone.

Only Mii could do this, due to her overwhelming firepower. Not every player in the top ten of the first event could manage it—she had a specific aptitude.

Only Pain and Maple, perhaps, could do it reliably.

Mii vanished into the flames, returning to the Realm of the Flame Emperor.

"Welcome back, Mii."

Markus, circling the orb, reacted to Mii's return.

He spoke as if he had heard from the returning player that the orb had been reclaimed, and now addressed it.

"Took another orb. The one taken couldn't be recovered. Apologies."

The fact that she had single-handedly dismantled an entire guild was still staggering, even after hearing it multiple times—murmurs rippled through the group.

"Will return soon. Prepare yourselves."

"YES!!"

The energetic reply made Mii inwardly wish she did not have to go.

Sally had decided, at last, to return to the Maple Tree.

Taking her orb would instantly boost the guild's score—she had judged the risk too great to ignore.

The last one was lucky, wasn’t it.

She had taken advantage of the moment when Mii had looked away.

Better to move as much as possible before the first day ends...

To win alongside Maple, Sally intended to push herself to the limit.

Each one has their own nature.

All the characters worth watching will appear before the first day ends.