Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

There, a petite girl with purple hair was leading a group of young people in a frantic rush to complete a project. The construction speed was so fast that it left many who thought it impossible speechless. After noticing the audience on the other side of the screen, the petite girl temporarily put down her work and walked over. Her face, covered in dust but still undeniably cute, suddenly became large in the frame.

"Oh, oh. Filming, huh..." The girl tapped on the screen, and a dinging sound came from the other end. "Well then, hello everyone, I'm Neki, the Black Dragon King, in charge of the construction team for the Little Garden. The place you're in right now is the venue that our construction team is building. I hope you have a great time here these next few days. We'll finish the journey home before the morning's activities end, so don't worry about leaving it to us!"

When Negi introduced herself, a gasp of shock rang out. It's likely that many people had never seen the true face of the Black Dragon King. Many never imagined that such a young girl would be one of the five Dragon Kings of the Labyrinth Country's Little Garden, and even leading the Little Garden's construction team to work all over the place. Some people from outside the Little Garden finally understood why their leaders had allied with the Little Garden.

The miniature garden truly has the ability to shoulder the heavy responsibility of rebuilding the world.

Then, the image on the crystal panel disappeared, and everyone's attention shifted back to Li's projection.

“Then I won’t waste any more words.” Li’s face showed a mischievous smile. “Welcome everyone to the Alliance’s first Harvest Celebration. We have prepared a small gift for everyone who has come to the venue. Attentive friends may have noticed that this seat can be opened, and inside are the gifts we have carefully prepared for you.”

"Oh, a gift."

Fino was thinking of saying something to Kuroba when she turned around and saw that Kuroba had already impatiently opened the seat and taken out the gift box inside. After quickly opening the box with magic, what landed in her hand was a booklet with a travel guide and a familiar little crystal.

“Here’s the thing,” Li explained, “Since many people still have questions about this celebration, we won’t waste time explaining them all here. Most of the answers to your questions can be found in the guide. If you still have questions, you can ask our staff. Also, that little crystal is a map of the maze. Once you inject magic into it, it will automatically analyze your location in the maze, thus preventing you from getting lost. Finally, there’s a rather special little gift. Due to time constraints, we can only produce three hundred of them.”

Only three hundred.

The entire venue erupted in commotion. There were ten thousand people in the hall, but only three hundred of those small gifts were available—meaning the odds of winning were only three percent? What could be so precious? This question caused a stir in the hall, with everyone searching for those who had received the special gift. Kuroba was slightly disappointed because she hadn't received the gift. The travel guide and the maze map held little appeal for her; she had only come to take a look.

"Eh... what is this..."

At this moment, Fino also took out her small gift and opened the gift box. Inside were four items. The two extra items were a crystal slab that she already owned and a booklet with instructions. Now, Kuroba couldn't say that these gifts weren't attractive to her; the item was undoubtedly a replica of the phone.

"Ahem," Li coughed lightly twice to quiet the room, "This rather special little gift is a terminal we co-produced with Sangu Workshop. We haven't named it yet, but you can call it a mobile phone. The specific usage instructions are written in the included manual. It's a device that enables long-distance communication. You just need to inject magic into it to use it normally. It also has some interesting functions, which I won't go into detail here. I hope that the three hundred winners will come to Sangu Workshop to share their thoughts later. Those who didn't get one, don't worry. We are still working hard to increase production. Next month, we will guarantee a production of one thousand units. However, we won't be giving them away for free then. Of course, the price won't be very high either. We will only sell each unit for one silver coin. Because it's a prototype, the price will be low. If you are interested, please wait until next month."

The entire venue erupted in excitement over the news. This announcement was incredibly significant; the ability to conduct long-distance conversations alone could be a game-changer. Moreover, this device, called a mobile phone, possessed other functions, and many were already eyeing it with predatory intent.

Without much thought, Fino handed the extra phone to Kuroba, knowing without a doubt that Kuroba desperately needed it. Besides, she couldn't resist the look in Kuroba's eyes.

"W-Is it okay?" Kuroba hesitated instead.

“It’s alright.” Finoer took out her crystal plate. “I have one too. Besides, Li was probably too busy and forgot to make your copy.”

"Well then, thank you..." Kuroba blushed as he took the crystal plate and instruction manual from Finoer's hand.

This harvest celebration has truly given her many surprises, and she's starting to look forward to it. What other exciting things will this celebration have in store?

The projected image changed again. This time, it wasn't just Li who appeared on the screen; other people standing next to her were also shown. The people in the projection were all acquaintances of the two of them.

Demon King Xuanze, Queen Elise of Alyas, Elf Queen, Prince Savi, Ning, and Imperial Agent Edman.

The people appearing in the picture are some of the representative figures of our time.

"Alright, enough of that, let's get down to business." Li flashed a stunning smile and began to explain, "We've gathered here today for no other reason than to celebrate the initial success of our reconstruction efforts, which is why we've organized this celebration. I hope everyone has a great time."

After explaining the reasoning, Ning added more details.

"Since this is the first time we've held this event, there are some things that are still a bit immature. We hope you can forgive any shortcomings. Our celebration will last for seven days, with a special event every day. In addition to these special events, there are also shops and games available outside the venue for everyone to enjoy. These are explained in detail in the guide, and we hope you will come and support us."

“Well then,” Elise stepped forward, “I shall announce the theme of the first day of the celebration.”

At that moment, all the crystal panels lit up again, focusing the magical light on the center of the venue, and the two large characters "Hero" appeared prominently on the stage.

"As the saying goes, times create heroes. In our past battles, many heroes have emerged. They may have been brave warriors, adventurers, ordinary civilians, or knights. But they are all heroes, without a doubt. And today, we are going to find the hero among heroes. In other words, the time has come to show your true strength, everyone."

Alice gave a provocative smile.

"Is there any hero who can fight them?"

With a wave of her slender hand, Alice displayed the images of several people on the crystal plate.

The figures displayed on the crystal panel include Xiao, Ist, Sindrasa, and many others; they are all heroes who distinguished themselves in past battles.

"Today, we will give everyone in the audience a chance to challenge our heroes. At the same time, we will find the strongest hero and reward them! This world needs more heroes! Everyone is welcome to come and challenge us!"

Chapter 32 Heroic Contest: Brawl (Part 1)

"I mean... is it really a good idea to start with something like this?"

After what could hardly be called an opening ceremony, the people who had just appeared on the projection were already in the lounge.

The person who asked this question was naturally reasonable. Originally, she didn't really support this kind of project, but later she was persuaded by everyone to hold this kind of competitive event.

“It’s alright.” Alice smiled and said, “The simulated battles between adventurers are quite entertaining, and some people want to prove themselves in this way. Since there is demand, we should support this behavior. Of course, we should stop here, otherwise even with Chu Chu here, someone would probably die.”

"Hmm... alright..." After hesitating for a while, Li came to a conclusion. "Well, it's not like there aren't boxing matches on Earth. Thinking about it, I think I can understand what's going on... By the way... Savi... are you going to participate in the fight?"

"Ok?"

Of the people appearing on the projection, Edman is currently working hard to maintain order at the main grandstand, Ning is gathering information on the participants, Xuanze is too lazy to get involved, and as for Saiwei, he is currently checking his equipment, looking like he is planning to participate.

“Yes.” Savi nodded and sheathed his sword. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a real fight, so I’d like to give it a try. It’s a rare opportunity, and I want to fight those who are called heroes. It would be a good experience.”

"I see..." Li nodded and said, "I'll cheer you on, but you have to be careful not to get hurt."

“…!” Savi blushed, unable to process Li’s concern for a moment.

"How innocent," Alice teased.

"None of your business!" Saiwei said angrily.

"I advise you to give up as soon as possible," Alice said helplessly. "Li and Ning are already a publicly acknowledged couple. There's no point in you struggling anymore."

"Alice... let's not talk about this..."

Li felt somewhat embarrassed about this topic.

“Whatever!” Saivi said. “That’s my freedom. And what about you in the end?”

“Me?” Elise pointed to herself, a question mark appearing above her head.

“Yes, you,” Savi asked, “As a queen, you’re old enough, shouldn’t you be thinking about your future partner?”

"Hey," Alice chuckled strangely, "Are you implying something to me?"

"No!" Saiwei immediately denied, "I'm serious!"

"Haha, just kidding." Alice chuckled, her expression suddenly softening. "I've already thought it through. The future and all that..."

Alice's expression at this moment was somewhat unfair, and even Sevi, who had originally intended to retaliate, sensed the change in atmosphere. Looking at Alice's expression, Li inexplicably connected the dots and then asked a question.

“You wouldn’t be…” Li asked tentatively.

"Yes, I have one, my boyfriend." Alice didn't intend to hide it anymore, "It's the Demon King Xuanze."

"Eh?!?!?!"

"An unexpected combination!" Savi and Li exclaimed in surprise. Demon King Xuanze and Queen Alice—what a strange combination! They had no idea how the two of them had gotten together; it was all so sudden!

“What’s so surprising?” Alice explained, “Although I doubt others would notice, I actually have quite a bit of contact with Xuanze, and I quite like him. When we met alone, I jokingly asked him if I wanted to be his girlfriend or something, and who knew he would seriously agree…”

As Alice spoke, her face grew increasingly flushed, clearly realizing how embarrassing it was. If it were Xuanze, he probably wouldn't have reacted this way; he could have finished speaking without batting an eye. Come to think of it, is he just trying to seize this opportunity to find a girlfriend? That would be so pitiful for Alice.

Thinking of this, Li secretly decided that she would talk to Xuanze about this matter alone later.

“Really… I can understand that Li and Ning, those two demons, can fall in love across species through some special skills,” Saiwei said with a headache, “but I really can’t figure out how you got together with Xuanze.”

"Well, I can't really explain it either..." Alice said helplessly, "Just consider it something I did on a whim."

Thinking back to their encounter when they returned to Earth, he offered his help: "Actually, Xuanze may seem like a demon king on the surface, but he's actually a very thoughtful and considerate man. He's just a bit unpredictable in his actions, but he might be someone you can trust."

"Aaaaah... Does that mean I'm the only one left who's still single?" Saiwei screamed, clutching his head.

“If you’re not in a hurry, you still have that princess from the Empire, don’t you?” Alice teased him again, bringing up the princess from the Empire. “Besides, Edelman probably won’t mind.”

"Why do you always like to tease people about their sore spots?"

While the three of them were joking around, Ning pushed open the door to the lounge and came back.

"I'm back." Ning pushed open the door, sat down next to Li, and then naturally leaned against him.

"You've worked hard," Li said with a word of comfort. "How's it going? How many people are there?"

"This is completely unexpected," Ning said helplessly. "Who knew that so many people would sign up?"

"two hundred!?"

Then, the Elf Queen returned with more than two hundred registration forms, and she looked very tired.

“So many humans…” The Elf Queen leaned wearily on Elise’s shoulder.

"I'm sorry to trouble you with this kind of thing."

Elise extended a finger, and the Elf Queen reached out both hands to touch it, drawing magic from her. A moment later, the Elf Queen's wings regained their radiance. After the elves signed a pact with the new kingdom of Alyas, they began a life of symbiosis with the kingdom. Because the excess magic had been returned to the core, they could no longer maintain their normal human size indefinitely.

When their magic power is insufficient, they shrink to the size of a palm, the same size as fairies like Sleina. Existing in this form doesn't require a large amount of magic power to maintain, so they appear quite small. The Elf Queen is quite cute at this size; it feels like having a small pet.

Speaking of which, Demon King Xuanze seems to have a pet like Serena, so the two do seem quite well-matched.

"There are so many people...!"

"Oh, right, hurry up and bring Negi back. There aren't enough seats in the venue, and there are even people waiting outside."

"Waaaaah... It's all over..."

Everyone underestimated the number of participants in this celebration. Not only were there not enough seats in the venue, but there were also more contestants than expected. They might have to work overtime tonight to fix more things.

“How about this,” Li suggested, “we can move part of the crystal screens inside the venue to the outside and assemble them into a large screen, so that people outside can also see the live broadcast inside the venue through the crystal screens.”

"Hmm..." Alice thought for a moment and said, "I think it's feasible. Why don't we distribute some more crystal screens to some shops so that people in the shops can also watch the match through the broadcast? Ning, how many are left?"

“We have a hundred spare crystal screens. If we dismantle some of them from the venue and use them elsewhere, that should be enough.” Ning also paused the discussion. “Okay, I’ll make the arrangements later. Also, I think we need to temporarily change the rules of today’s Hero Duel because there are just too many people.”

“Hmm, two hundred people… one-on-one duels definitely can’t be finished in a day,” Saiwei asked. “Ning, do you have any suggestions?”

"Of course there is." Ning revealed an expression as if she had thought of something interesting.

A sudden, unpleasant premonition arose in Saiwei's heart. He felt that Ning was like a demon king at this moment, and that she definitely had some ominous thoughts.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Soon after, Negi returned with her construction team. They dismantled some of the crystal screens inside the venue and took them outside. Some were sent to shops in the city, and the rest were assembled outside the venue into four large mobile phone screens, which were then fixed high up so that most people could see them. After testing, the crystal screens displayed the images from inside the venue.

"Everyone, it's been a long wait."

Li and Alice sat in the center of the frame, and Alice began the explanation.

"Because we considered that there were also spectators outside the venue who wanted to watch the game, we moved some of the crystal screens from inside the venue to the outside. There are four large crystal screens outside the venue for people to watch the game objectively. We have also set up crystal screens in some shops, so that we can take care of everyone to the greatest extent."

"So, today's match will be commentated by Alice and me," Li continued. "Because the number of participants exceeded our expectations, we have decided to change the format from one-on-one duels to a free-for-all. The battle arena is in the center, so you can show off your skills to your heart's content, but please keep your exchanges within reasonable limits."

"The rules are simple," Elise said. "Don't hold back, just remember to stop when you've made your move. Once the free-for-all begins, the Time-Space Dragon King, who is right next to me, will set up a barrier to prevent any impact on the audience. Contestants just need to fight to the very end. There is only one condition for victory: the person who ends up standing on this stage is the winner. Being unable to fight or falling out of the arena will result in a loss, so please be careful not to fall out of the arena, as you will be disqualified from the competition."

The rules of the arena battles are very ordinary and common, but the addition of a free-for-all element makes them more exciting, giving even the weaker fighter a chance to win. Moreover, the audience enjoys seeing such battles; a victory against all odds is commendable, and in such fights, as long as one wins and has a clear conscience, that's enough. The audience responded with cheers, expressing their high spirits.

"It seems everyone is eagerly anticipating the heroes' victory. Now, please welcome our 237 heroes to the arena!"

As the 237 contestants entered, Li stood up and released his magic to cover the entire battle arena. The silver magic light transformed into a transparent spatial wall that isolated the battle arena. At the same time, half of the crystal screen turned the image onto the 237 contestants on the battle arena. Each of them was full of fighting spirit and ready to fight. When Li announced the start, they would immediately start a wonderful battle.

Inside the arena, Xiao's hands rested on her two small katanas, sensing the atmosphere and the gazes focused on her. She guessed there were already several betting games in the audience, which was part of the entertainment in this world. Xiao could also feel the heavy responsibility on her shoulders; as a potential winner, she must have received many bets.

Of course, Akatsuki wouldn't hold back. She took off the bag from her back and took out two more small katanas. Even before they were drawn, the aura emanating from the four katanas was enough to make one feel suffocated. Akatsuki also wore the two katanas on her waist. At this moment, she noticed that the gazes focused on her had decreased. For Akatsuki, it was a good thing that they had given up.

It's true she's strong, but that doesn't mean she can handle more than fifty people simultaneously in such a chaotic battle, not to mention that some of them are elites among elites. Perhaps some of her friends might even sneak up on her in the chaos. She wouldn't get angry, but it would be quite awkward if that situation actually occurred; she might really be eliminated immediately.

Xiao gripped the hilt of her sword tightly and drew two small katanas, ready to fight. She certainly wouldn't hold back; even if she encountered an acquaintance, she would wield her sword without mercy. Now, all she had to do was wait for the battle to begin.

On the main stand, Elise flew high on the wings of the Elf Queen, then raised a hand, her fingertips shimmering with seven-colored magical light. Those who noticed this turned serious, drawing their weapons and unleashing their magic. In an instant, the arena was illuminated by flames of various colors, and silence fell, awaiting Elise's command.

The seven-colored magical light gradually intensified. Elise smiled gently and shot the magic into the sky, where it transformed into beautiful fireworks.

"The match begins—!!"

Chapter 33 Heroic Contest: Brawl (Part 2)

boom----!

After the official announcement of the start of the match, a deafening roar erupted from the battle platform. Following this explosion, some of the participants on the right side of the platform were blasted off the stage by the force of the magic. At the center of the magical outburst was Prince Sevi. The instant he declared the start of the battle, Sevi unleashed his pent-up magical power, which instantly blasted away the surrounding contestants.

Immediately, Savi drew his sword, assumed a fighting stance, and charged towards his opponent. Those contestants who had been blasted away by Savi were disqualified before they could even react; they were instantly teleported outside the arena by the barrier. Those who reacted struggled briefly before returning to the arena. Once the audience realized what had happened, the citizens of the duchy in the stands erupted in wild cheers.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Alice, who had returned to the main stands, appeared on the crystal screen. "Oh, we can see that His Highness Prince Sevi of the Duchy eliminated several contestants the moment the match started. That kind of surprise tactic is really quite good. What do you think?"

"Huh? Wait... let me think about it." After thinking for a moment, he said, "Well, this method can indeed effectively defeat most opponents by surprise. However, this tactic can probably only be used at the beginning. After that, once everyone notices this attack, they will probably start to defend against it. So we can't always rely on this method."

“Yes, yes, that’s right,” Alice agreed. “Besides, Your Highness, isn’t this a bit of a sleight of hand? Such a little trick will likely make people resentful, won’t it? Are you sure it’s okay?”

"I don't know about that..." Li declined to comment.

Savi, listening to the comments from the two on the main spectator stand, wore a rather subtle expression. He felt this was a regular occurrence, and he was used to it. However, Elise was right; he had also sensed some killing intent directed at him. Although it was supposed to be a free-for-all, there was no rule against grouping up. His explosion earlier had probably pushed some teammates off the field, so many people were targeting him.

Just as the two were giving their commentary, one or two groups of people gathered around; it seemed these were the players Sevier's next opponents. However…

“That suits me perfectly.” Sevi held his sword in reverse, entering a state of magical burn. “Don’t treat me like some kind of prince during the competition. I am also a king born of adventurers, so just fight to your heart’s content!”

The two teams besieging Sevi were stunned for a moment, then looked at him with admiration before shouting and launching their attack. However, the chaotic battle had already begun. Various skills were bombarding the area within the barrier, and the adventurers were displaying their skills to the fullest, defeating their opponents before choosing the next to continue the fight. Several small battles were unfolding on the battle platform.