Chapter 24 – Oops, I Won?

You ever punch someone on accident and win a fight you weren't even trying to be in?

Yeah. That's basically what happened.

Scene: Guild Ranking Exams – Day Two. Combat Duel Brackets.

"MC," Lina said, dragging me by the collar toward the dueling platform, "you said we weren't gonna stand out."

"I didn't mean to stand out!" I wheezed. "My whole life strategy is based on lowering expectations!"

"Well, someone hit a goblin into the sky, made a speech that spawned three fan clubs, and now has a squirrel battalion following him."

One of the squirrels waved a tiny flag with my face on it.

"Et tu, Chonk?" I whispered.

"Next Duel: MC of the Unranked Chaos Guild… vs. Valen of Diamond Fang!"

"Oh no," Iris murmured, adjusting her glasses. "That's a top-ten guilder. His magic specializes in multi-elemental casting. He's known for melting people."

"I don't wanna get melted," I said.

Valen strutted onto the platform like a model from Arrogant Mage Monthly. Flowing cape. Gleaming teeth. A jawline that could cut stone.

"Prepare to taste defeat," he said smoothly, summoning an orbiting ring of fire and lightning spheres. "Try not to cry."

I raised my hand.

"I forfeit."

The crowd booed.

Valen smirked. "Too late. Duel already started."

"Wait, what?!"

He attacked.

I panicked.

I didn't think. I just reacted.

Instinctively, my system flickered — an echo of a Link with Iris surged through me.

Temporary Skill: Time Skip Spark (Lv. 1)Effect: You skip half a second forward and shock your enemies with a time-lag echo.

Which meant—

Valen launched a triple-cast fire spear.

I blinked forward, accidentally dodged it, and slapped his face.

A tiny boop.

The magical echo triggered like a glitch in the Matrix.

Valen's own magic rebounded. His fancy elemental ring imploded into a dazzling, blinding burst of light and sound.

CRACK–BOOM–ZAP.

Silence.

Then—

DING!

WINNER: MC.

I stared at my hands.

Valen lay twitching, hair smoking, pants singed, ego obliterated.

The crowd stared in stunned silence. Then erupted.

"HE BEAT VALEN!""HE USED COUNTER-MAGIC!""IS HE A TACTICAL GENIUS?!""NO, HE'S TOTALLY A FRAUD!!"

Ten minutes later, I was sitting behind the arena, wrapped in a blanket, holding cocoa, eyes wide.

"I don't even know what I did," I whispered.

"You used a copied time-skip spell and reflected his attack through his own feedback loop," Iris said.

"But… I slapped him."

Lina looked proud. "A slap of destiny."

Kaela just shook her head. "You're not human. I'm sure of it."

I groaned. "Now I have two nicknames trending. 'Slap Mage' and 'The Bugged Hero.'"

Back at the scoreboard, a judge tapped his pen and looked at me like I was a math problem that had learned to walk.

"This… shouldn't be possible. Your power signature is inconsistent. Your aura flutters like an untrained novice, but your results are elite-tier."

I tried to smile.

He frowned. "You're either a prodigy with performance anxiety… or the most suspicious person we've tested in years."

"Can't I be both?"

Later That Night

Fan messages.

Spell theory nerds trying to recruit me.

Other guilds trying to challenge me.

And, worst of all—

A package arrived labeled: "Valen's Official Apology Kit."

Inside: a signed headshot, a bag of premium hair gel, and a coupon for therapy.

End of Chapter 24