The one-hour ring match ended quickly.
As Betty announced the conclusion of tonight's matches, Andy once again walked away with over forty silver coins from the accumulated prize pool. The sheer number sent waves of excitement through the crowd.
Back on the second-floor booth area, Betty's shoulders slumped slightly from fatigue. When she saw Ron André waving at her from a nearby booth, she immediately forced herself to perk up and jogged over.
"Can you handle it? If it's too tiring, you can rotate with someone else—you don't have to host every day," Ron asked.
Betty quickly shook her head, smiling happily.
"It is tiring, but it's only one hour a day—I can manage."
"And this kind of high-intensity commentary is actually deepening my understanding of magic dueling."
"Especially that boy, Andy. He's probably under even more pressure than I am—I've learned a lot from him."
"If I make a small mistake, it's fine—I can adjust. But if he makes even one mistake and loses, all his previous wins become meaningless."
"Thinking about that pressure… It's honestly terrifying."
Seeing that Betty wasn't resistant to the role, Ron felt reassured.
For now, her commentary was clearly well-received among the first-floor audience—far better than the hastily assigned host from before.
It seemed that the role of a professional female commentator for future Magic Duel tournaments was basically secured.
Given Betty's current enthusiasm, she would likely accept the opportunity to commentate on larger events in front of bigger audiences.
After chatting for a bit, Betty took her leave.
It was late, and she needed to head home before getting scolded by her father.
…
After parting with Betty, Ron and Nora returned to the first floor.
Although the ring match had ended, the excitement hadn't faded.
Some challengers were still arguing, loudly analyzing how they could have defeated Andy if they had made different moves.
Others quickly refuted them.
Before long, arguments escalated into duels in the battle area.
Of course, not physical fights—but Magic Duels.
After all, this was the Seventh Prince's establishment—no one dared cause real trouble.
Some who hadn't gotten a chance to challenge were clearly frustrated, insisting that if they had gone up, the dozens of silver coins would have been theirs.
That immediately provoked those who had participated, leading to more duels.
Meanwhile, Andy, still catching his breath after the intense matches, sat nearby drinking water.
A crowd gathered around him, discussing the highlights.
When asked about specific decisions, he patiently explained his reasoning.
At that moment, Andy caught sight of Ron and Nora coming downstairs.
He immediately stood up and walked over, his youthful face serious as he bowed deeply.
"Your Highness Ron, Miss Nora—thank you for giving me this opportunity. I'll keep working hard!"
"This is something you earned with your own ability," Ron said, patting his shoulder.
"With so many people here, you became the champion. That means you're naturally suited for this."
"Magic dueling is an industry I value highly. In the future, there won't just be ring matches—there will be many kinds of competitions."
"Participants will be able to earn significant rewards."
"One day, you might even stand at the center of the grand arena—like those warriors and mages in the Spring Martial Tournament—and receive the cheers of thousands."
Andy straightened, stunned by the vision.
Standing on this stage was already beyond anything he had imagined.
As for larger tournaments…
Or the grand arena…
That was almost unimaginable.
Even novels wouldn't dare write something like that.
"You don't need to rush," Ron continued. "For now, focus on improving your skills."
"And don't get complacent. People like that get left behind."
"As far as I know, Wardson and Rowell aren't necessarily weaker than you."
"They may not care about ring matches—but future tournaments are another story."
"You'll face them eventually."
"Yes!" Andy nodded firmly.
After offering guidance, Ron left with Nora.
How much Andy would truly absorb—that was up to him.
Magic dueling, at this stage, resembled early esports from Ron's previous world.
It was growing—but not universally accepted.
Ron was willing to provide opportunities to talented players like Andy.
But whether they could maintain discipline in the face of money—that wasn't something he could control.
…
Finding Soren André in the arena, Ron saw him standing beside a match, watching intently.
Ron tapped his shoulder and teased:
"What's so interesting about magic dueling? Old Maid is better, right?"
Soren André snapped out of it, coughing awkwardly.
"If I had to play, I still don't think it's that interesting."
"But just watching—without thinking—it's actually pretty good."
Then he leaned closer and whispered:
"Are you still recruiting for that commentator position?"
Ron looked at him suspiciously. "What are you planning?"
"Applying, of course."
"…What?"
Ron sized him up, wondering if something had possessed him.
"You don't even understand the game fully—how would you commentate?"
Soren André grinned shamelessly.
"Standing at the edge is too far. And I'm not squeezing into the crowd."
"The commentator's spot has a great view."
Ron couldn't help but laugh.
So even this woman-obsessed guy had been drawn in.
"Fine. If you can memorize the entire magic compendium chart, I'll let you try."
"Deal!"
…
After that, Ron prepared to leave—but Soren André stayed behind, unwilling to go.
"Have fun. I'm heading out."
Ron left with Nora.
Outside, the moon was hidden behind clouds, and the night deepened into darkness.
Sitting in the carriage, holding Nora close, Ron began planning.
"Right now, the arena gets about 200–300 visitors daily. Total registered users are over 2,000," Nora reported, checking her notes.
"Over 100 visit more than five times a week, 500 more than three times, and around 700 come once."
"The rest either just came to look—or tried once and never returned."
"We used to get 50–200 new visitors daily, with about 20–30 becoming regulars."
"With the ring matches, we've attracted another 700–800 curious visitors."
"The conversion rate is low—but the numbers are promising."
Based on this, it still wasn't the right time to host major tournaments.
The system required 1,000 spectators.
That was still uncertain.
Magic dueling was popular—but its complexity limited its audience.
Growth would take time.
After all, it had only been a few months since its introduction—and the arena itself hadn't even been open for a month.
"Floors three and four will be ready by the end of the month," Nora added.
"Then we can start preparing…" Ron said, thinking.
"Ranked matches."
"New Element Cards. New skins. New events…"
"Give me the recent match data—I'll design ranking requirements."
Nora would then turn it into an announcement.
Ron smiled, clearly intrigued.
"We'll need Bronze and Silver badges."
"Players who reach higher floors can wear them—showing their skill."
Just like rank badges in his previous world—
A symbol of pride.
And motivation.
After confirming this plan, Ron continued:
"For the next skin—let's use the God of Magic, Magico."
"Ailemont is more popular, but we shouldn't play favorites."
"It's too early for a rerun, but we can give some away as prizes."
"As for standard cards—add more detailed designs."
At that moment, Ron suddenly thought of the system's skin interface.
He grinned.
If he couldn't get the skins he wanted…
He'd just borrow the designs.
Not stealing—just… adapting.
A perfectly reasonable use of system resources.
Surely the system wouldn't mind… right?