Chapter 39: The Competition Tournament, Section 9

“Lucky Loser” – Black Hair’s new nickname.
Yet no matter how ironic that nickname was, Black Hair’s strength was recognized by almost everyone.
After all, in over fifteen virtual wars, Lord Beck had achieved near-perfect victories. Even when he nearly lost a few times or faced overwhelming odds at first, he always managed to turn the situation around with unexpected tactics. Though he couldn’t achieve perfection, he could at least secure stunning draws.
Yes, stunning draws!! Because as an outsider, Black Hair didn’t know that those subsequent virtual wars in which he nearly lost were not just tests by the competition tournament but actual historical battles that had taken place in reality.
In those battles, the current cosmic hegemon, the mighty Moore Empire, had also suffered defeats. Three renowned generals had perished in those wars, and the empire paid a heavy price—enough to overthrow half of its realm. One particularly notable example was the recent local resistance battle Black Hair had just ended. By sacrificing his entire force, he delayed the enemy’s thousands of warships for half a month. But in reality, that fleet simply crushed the empire’s warships and advanced straight into the heart of the empire’s fleet, destroying nearly the entire empire’s army in one strike and delaying the empire’s expansion efforts by a full century!!
That war had long passed, and the empire was no longer as weak as before. Yet aside from Black Hair, everyone still remembered the empire’s tragic fate. Such a vast empire had been dealt such a devastating counterattack by a fleet of a conquered race. There was only one word to describe it: shame!!
The Moore Empire’s current prosperity did not come easily. It was the result of countless years of war, suffering, and separations. Perhaps in the eyes of other races in the universe, the Moore Empire was synonymous with demons, bloodthirsty executioners. But for the people of the Moore Empire, it represented pride.
That’s why they never forgot their past defeats. Although that race had been completely wiped out during another expedition a hundred years later, those past failures remained a thorn in people’s hearts. For this reason, many renowned commanders of the empire spent nights and days using virtual systems to simulate those battles over and over again. Yet, without exception, all ended in failure.

But today, that thorn was pulled out. Pulled out by someone who had just joined the army—a mere little lord. It exploded… Truly exploded… If there’s any word to describe the scenes at the competitive tournaments these past few days, it’s explosion. Almost every day, countless people gather around the tournament’s dedicated video systems, day and night, regardless of time. No matter how lively the surroundings, it doesn’t matter to them; all they desire is the next record set by Black Hair. Black Hair… no, it’s contestant number 336. He has become the greatest miracle in the Empire’s history since the inception of these tournaments. Yes, every battle is a desperate struggle against overwhelming odds. Every battle is unexpectedly thrilling. Although contestant number 336 doesn’t have many battle records, compared to the secretive tactics of other commanders, he stands out as a unique anomaly. All of his battle records are shown in full, without any omission, revealing the cruelty of his tactics. Indeed, it’s cruelty—extremely real, the cruelty of war. Perhaps due to the huge disparity in strength, every battle fought by commander number 336 comes at a high cost. Yet his sacrifices aren’t passive losses but deliberate actions—using his own warships as bait, even sacrificing entire fleets. Commander number 336 has done this more than once! Just like the art of sacrificing pieces in Go, with each sacrifice, he opens a new door for the audience. Behind that door, even the most seemingly hopeless situations are solved one by one. Playing chess is simply playing chess. No one understands Black Hair’s command skills. Most people are only shocked by the cruelty in his tactics. Only a very small number understand the meaning behind his commands. And the more they understand, the more they can’t believe it, the more shocked they become! Because in contestant number 336’s battle records, it’s not just simple killing. Every person, every warship, every aspect of the environment, even every order from higher-ups—these are all pieces in his game. In his hands, these pieces are moved around to set up visible and invisible traps. Some of these traps bring deadly danger to the enemy, while others merely pave the way for such traps.

There is no mercy, only pity. Contestant No. 336 exudes nothing but calmness—a calmness as frozen as an eternal glacier. Many imperial generals, after reviewing his battle records, firmly believed that even they themselves might inadvertently become pawns in his games during the wars he commanded. But one thing is beyond doubt: even if abandoned, they would surely pay a price sufficient to repay everything!!
That’s enough!!
Obtaining more benefits at a lower cost—this is the war theory of the Black-Haired man. In his view, war is no different from business; both are processes of exchange. As long as there is sufficient value, any sacrifice is acceptable.
Warriors, ships, planets, even entire races—everything is insignificant in the face of his war. Everything can become a pawn for him. As long as there is victory, yes, just victory. The Black-Haired man is even willing to sacrifice the most important asset… himself!!
This is war, this is the Black-Haired man’s war. In this war, there are no winners, nor compromises. There are only two outcomes: survival or destruction.
Today, inadvertently, this war theory appeared for the first time in this other world, before the subjects of the greatest cosmic empire, the Moor Empire.
The effect was stunning…
In just half a month, the entire Moor Empire was swept up in a frenzy to watch these battles. Every day, new spectators from all corners of the empire came to the Wild Star Region. Without exception, they were exhausted from their journeys; many had even endured arduous treks through dangerous regions. They rushed there as if afraid of missing something. Once they arrived at the competition, their only purpose was to watch.
They watched obsessively, fervently. All of the battle records related to Contestant No. 336 were retrieved by these enthusiastic spectators, watched over and over again, never tiring. Their numbers grew rapidly, reaching more than half of the entire arena’s audience in just a few days!! This made the imperial authorities nervous for the first time.
The reason was simple: these spectators were not ordinary subjects. Each of them was a gaunt Moorian, holding a current military rank in the empire—and without exception, they were outstanding soldiers, many of them leading forces in the empire’s current campaigns.
To put it bluntly, if someone were to pick one at random from them, it’s highly likely they would be a general commanding hundreds of Moorian warships!!

Such a group of powerful generals, such a crowd of fanatical spectators. What are they doing by suddenly gathering in the arena?
There is only one answer.
It’s the final round of the competition.
Unlike the events Black Hair had experienced on Earth in the past, the final round of the Moor Empire’s competition is called a final, but in reality, it’s not just between two teams. It’s a chaotic melee. Generally, hundreds or even thousands of contestants enter the final round at once. During the competition, they aren’t divided into groups but are instead placed in a pre-determined environment. Apart from the combat fleets assigned to them in advance, they receive no other assistance. As soon as all contestants enter the arena, the competition begins. It’s a complete simulation of actual combat with no rules at all. Whatever you want to do, no matter what methods you use, the empire won’t interfere. The contestant who emerges victorious from the final round becomes the champion.
It’s a brutal and merciless competition. Over the years, countless contestants have been forced to withdraw due to its cruelty. Many others have lost their ability to command after suffering fatal injuries in the competition. The numbers are impossible to count. It’s precisely because of this brutality that, at one point, it even reduced the empire’s officer corps by 30%, forcing the empire to decide to suspend such cruel competitions!!
But today, this competition format has been brought back.
The venue is the Barbarian Star Region.
This is also why officers came from all directions.
In just a few short days, contestant No. 336 has left an indelible impression on them, to the point where they can’t stop dreaming about those legendary battles. However, given the level of protection provided by virtual competitions, it’s impossible for them to discover this contestant’s true identity. So they had to resort to such a crude method.
After all, the empire’s final round is different from ordinary virtual competitions. It’s a real war, fought with real weapons, in a real environment. This is also why the Barbarian Star Region was chosen as the venue for this competition. If they can see the final match with their own eyes, they believe they’ll be able to identify contestant No. 336.
As time approaches, the eyes of all the spectators who have come become red with anticipation. They are eagerly waiting for that moment. The thought of witnessing the skills of that amazing contestant fills these active officers with excitement.

At this moment, contestant number 336, the one with black hair, had no idea at all about the situation outside. He had just removed his virtual operating system. With a long sigh, he slowly stepped out of the room he had been confined in for half a month…