My love index is at its maximum.

There was a reason why the ugly, cold, and big guy was so polite to Tsukasa Tazaki.

The format of the Yulongqi tournament is a deathmatch, with 5 people per team. The winner stays on the field, and the loser leaves. The team that finishes its rounds first loses.

The winner is always on the field, and if it's a draw, both sides are out—except for the team's captain.

With most players being of similar skill levels, this format does not emphasize strategic formations or average skill levels; instead, it emphasizes whether a team has a particularly strong player.

If the score is tied between two opponents, both sides lose if the opponent is not the captain, but if the captain draws with a non-captain opponent, the captain wins.

In other words, if there's one strongest player on the team, place them directly in the main general position. This way, even if they start losing to the opponent's forwards from the very first player, it doesn't matter, as long as your main general manages to draw against the opponent's forwards and all the way down to the vice-general, the entire team has a chance to turn the tide!

Tsukasa Tazaki looked at Takumi Takeuchi and said without thinking, "Why think so much? Just let me go first in every game."

?

Takeuchi Takumi: "..."

Does this guy not even know what "commander" means?

Putting the strongest person in the main position is a way of using the rules to save the day; there's no reason for them to be the first to go on stage!

"Tazaki-kun..." Takeuchi Takumi paused for a moment before gently explaining to the novice, "It's like this: in the five-player tournament of the Jade Dragon Flag, the players are divided into five positions according to their order of appearance: forward, second forward, center, vice-captain, and captain. The main purpose of the players who go up first is to wear down the opponent's stamina as much as possible, and at the same time, to eliminate as many opponents as possible to clear obstacles for the captain..."

"Can't you just take on 5 opponents at once?"

Tazaki Tsukasa chuckled and walked towards table 10, preparing to submit the match roster to the referee.

Takeuchi Takumi stood there dumbfounded.

He finally understood: this guy didn't care about swordsmanship or anything like that.

Tazaki-kun just wants to show off!

Yes, that's right.

Tsukasa Tazaki just wanted to show off.

After submitting the competition list, he looked up and scanned the audience in the venue.

Hoshino Hanami is hiding among these tens of thousands of people. She might be too angry to pay special attention to me. Only by making a big fuss will she be able to refocus her attention on me.

Dear older sister, please look at me!

At 10:00 AM, Tsukasa Tazaki directly opened the system interface and redeemed the passive skill from the August shop.

[Perception Enhancement (Passive): 500000]

[Current skill has been purchased.]

[Remaining available funds: 1306030]

"In the first round of Group A, the red team, Tokyo Kitagawa Private Academy, faces the white team, Tokyo Kamiyama High School. The first game is now starting!"

The referee's voice rang out.

Tazaki Tsukasa closed the system interface and calmly put on the helmet.

He took the bamboo knife, stood up, and walked to the center of stage number 10.

Come on.

Tasaki show time!

"Both hands in greeting!"

As the referee's voice rang out, the athlete from Mount Kami slowly bent down, sizing up his opponent.

His face was hidden behind a mask, and although occasional light shone through the gaps onto his face, it was impossible to see clearly. He was neither tall nor muscular, and seemed to be an agile opponent.

"Game start!"

The athlete gripped the knife handles tightly with both hands, starting from a mid-range stance and slowly pressing forward.

As a striker, his job was to knock the opposing striker off the table and then exhaust the opposing second striker's stamina. Judging from Kitagawa's skill level, he felt he might be able to pull off a stunning comeback against three opponents.

As for defeating five opponents single-handedly and winning the first Daring to Fight Award in this competition, he didn't even dare to dream of such a thing.

Even if their skills were far superior to their opponents', given that they were both high school students, their physical strength was insufficient to support such a large expenditure.

As the distance closed, the athlete from Shenshan tentatively dipped the tip of his blade downwards and pushed it forward.

"noodle!"

A loud shout came from under the opponent's mask, and the bamboo sword stabbed out as fast as lightning. Before the Kamiyama fighter could react, he was knocked off balance and half-fell to the ground.

"Red wins the first round and takes the point!"

All three referees simultaneously raised the red flag, declaring the score valid.

I was careless... Kamiyama straightened up again, his brows furrowed tightly beneath his mask.

A kendo match is a three-point game, so I need to be on my toes. If I underestimate my opponent again, I will lose, and if I lose to Kitagawa, I will be laughed at by the whole school!

"Game start!"

"noodle!"

boom!

Kamiyama collapsed to the floor, ripped off his mask, and yelled, "I'm not playing anymore! He's bullying me too much! I'm going back to Tokyo! ╥﹏╥"

"Red wins the second round and takes the point!"

The three referees, with unfazed expressions, raised the red flag, declaring the score valid and effectively announcing the defeat and departure of the Shenshan forward.

"In the first round of Group A, the red team, Tokyo Kitagawa Private Academy, faces the white team, Tokyo Kamiyama High School. The second game is now starting!"

Shenshan's second striker, center forward, and vice-captain all came on and off the field in quick succession.

As the lights focused, sweat poured, flags fluttered, and the shouts of the audience inside the stadium grew louder, the heated atmosphere was continuously pushed to a climax.

With the arrival of the main player from Mount Kami, table 10 has become the focus of attention since the start of the competition.

Nearly half of the reporters gathered around, and the live camera on the big screen inside the stadium was also pointed at this side. An irrepressible feeling of excitement began to fill the air above the stadium.

Is the first five-man daredevil prize of this tournament coming so soon?

Ueda Masanami clenched his fists tightly, the pounding of his heart sending shivers through his entire body, and even his knees, which were kneeling, began to go numb.

Beside him, Takeuchi Takumi's lips were pressed into a line, and his breathing became increasingly heavy.

In Japan, individual heroism is highly revered.

Even Kuriyama Sakura couldn't resist sneaking away from the women's team competition to watch Tazaki Tsukasa's match live.

Although Kichikawa is also preparing to win five games in one go, how can a women's competition be as exciting as a men's competition, right?

"In the first round of Group A, the red team, Tokyo Kitagawa Private Academy, faces the white team, Tokyo Kamiyama High School. The fifth game is now starting!"

With the referee's command, this highly anticipated match officially began.

In just 0.2 seconds, Kamiyama's captain, Minamino Sawahei, rushed in front of Tazaki Tsukasa and roared, "Die!"

He swung the bamboo sword down at Tsukasa Tazaki's head.

This was a powerful strike, filled with boundless rage. He was prepared to defeat Tazaki Tsukasa in the fastest and most direct way, to deflate his momentum and release the anger that had been building up inside him.

How could I not be angry?

Being outmaneuvered by such a pretty boy, losing four out of four, and suffering a humiliating defeat without scoring a single point, made the commander of Shenshan turn green with rage.

He didn't care whether this attack would score a point or whether it was a foul. As long as he could embarrass Tazaki, it would be a great victory!

"Ah~"

Tsukasa Tazaki yawned.

I feel a little regretful.

I wish I hadn't redeemed this passive skill; now it's no fun at all in the game.

Facing Minamino Sawahei's slash, Tazaki Tsukasa quickly visualized a clear attack trajectory in his mind, with himself standing on one end and Minamino Sawahei charging at him from the other.

This is the predictive buff brought about by [Augmented Perception].

Tazaki Tsukasa's body tilted slightly, and the image of himself in his mind went off track.

Less than a second later, Minamino Sawahei's bamboo sword slashed down, skimming past his mask. He missed, panicked, and quickly adjusted his position, turning to look at Tazaki Tsukasa.

Through the gap in the mask, there was no emotional fluctuation on the other person's face; their indifferent gaze was as if they were observing something that had nothing to do with them.

Minamino Sawa felt a pang of sadness and shouted in a wronged tone, "You better get serious!"

"How can I take this seriously when a master is beating an apprentice?" Tazaki Tsukasa thought to himself, raising his bamboo sword high with both hands and launching a downward attack on the helmet.

Come on, I'm not afraid!

As Minamino Sawahei roared, he gripped the bamboo sword horizontally with both hands, assuming a defensive stance.

As long as Tsukasa Tazaki's slash lands on the blade, he can quickly sheathe his sword and launch a counterattack, resetting the offensive and defensive states of both sides.

However... Tsukasa Tazaki suddenly took half a step back.

The bamboo swords, which should have collided with each other, instead fell with their tips grazing the blades, and then eerily stopped in front of Minamino Sawami.

"noodle!"

With a roar, Tazaki Tsukasa channeled his power from the soles of his feet to his waist, then to his hands, and thrust it towards the opponent's face with a sudden, powerful attack.

Before he could understand what was happening, Minamino Sawahei heard a "bang" and then his body fell backward uncontrollably, his head buzzing.

"Red wins the first round and takes the point!"

"noodle!"

"Red wins the second round and takes the point!"

The match had barely begun when Minamino Sawahei suffered two consecutive defeats, losing cleanly and decisively without any hesitation.

The entire arena fell silent. The audience, judges, staff, and everyone watching the live broadcast on television stared in disbelief at what was happening on stage number 10.

Rows of meticulously designed spotlights crisscrossed each other, casting beams of light.

Tsukasa Tazaki took off his helmet, looked at the camera pointed at him, and smiled brightly. This handsome smile, perfect from every angle, immediately appeared in close-up on the stadium's big screen.

Beneath that smile, even the lights seemed to dim considerably.

Everyone involuntarily took a deep breath, basking in the radiance of his smile. Everything about him was irresistibly charming, and their hearts were stirred by his irresistible allure.