"And the winner is... participant number two!" said the referee as soon as the battle was over.

"Fuck my life..." Axel said as soon as he heard the results.

Axel looked over the table to find his friend, who had a wide smile on his face.

"Sorry, bro. If you wanted to win, you should have teamed up with the other two." Adam said.

"It is not about the win. It is something much more serious." Axel said with a pained expression while standing up from the table.

"What? What is it?" Adam asked with a mix of surprise and concern.

"You... you killed Snowflake!"

"Snowflake? Do you mean that snake? Since when does it have a name?" Adam asked, surprised.

"Since a few minutes ago," Axel replied, unable to suppress a smile on his face.

"I told you that you should have stabbed him on the back when you got the opportunity!" William shouted from a few meters away.

As they were about to leave the place, the referee approached Adam.

"The next round will start soon, so pay attention to any announcement so you know where you have to go." The referee explained.

After thanking him for the advice, the three friends decided to leave the area to talk a bit.

"I mean, in the end, it is logical that Adam won. It is difficult to compensate for the difference of a whole rank in a duel." William said.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Well, I don't see this fight as a loss. In the end, I got a few ideas for my world, so I think I have won more than I have lost. " Axel said with a smile.

"Oh, really? Do you plan on using the breakthrough of the snake to continue with your cultivation add-on?" William asked curiously.

"More or less. Using pure elemental energy doesn't sound like a bad plan, and I have an idea about how to make it available for anyone that wants to break through, so it would end up being pretty nice." Axel explained."I also have a few ideas to make my beasts better and an idea for the new add-on, so coming to this convention has been pretty worth it in the end."

"Luckily, you didn't win the tournament. If you did and you received advice from a professional worldbuilder, at your current pace, you will become God in a few months." William said while laughing.

"You will see. I will reach your rank in no time, and before you realize it, I will become stronger than you." Axel said with a smug face.

"We will see that. I still have a chance of winning the tournament. Who knows. Maybe the tips I might receive would help me to break through the next few ranks, so I could become a professional." Adam said while laughing.

After that, they continued talking for a few minutes before an announcer called for the tournament's participants through some speakers.

"Participants of the third round. Come to the battle area in the next ten minutes to participate in the battle. Those that aren't present by that time would be disqualified for abandonment." Said a voice through the speakers.

"Well, I guess it is time to go," Adam said.

"As I don't have to participate in the battle, I will go to the bathroom as fast as I can. I think I have time to go back and forth before you start the battle." Axel said.

"Be fast. I don't promise you that I won't destroy my enemies before you arrive." Adam said while laughing.

Axel turned and checked on one of the convention's maps to see where the bathroom was. When he found it, he began to run across the whole fairgrounds until he reached them, only to find a long queue to enter them.

'This might be a problem.' Axel thought.

He waited for a few minutes before he managed to get into one of the baths.

As soon as he entered, he pulled down his pants, sat in the bath, and began to concentrate to see his inner world.

Without even looking at his world, he changed the image in front of him to see his world's core. Even though it was not full of energy, it still had enough to do some little tweaks.

He stood still for a few seconds, thinking about how to formulate all the changes he wanted to make.

'Think about it carefully, Axel. Focus on the important things: Runes and Tribulations."