This chapter is equivalent to Chapter 2 of Volume 2.
For the Volume 1: The Awakening of The legendary King, it is polished and completed in Amazon: https://a.co/d/0f0nCyAq
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After holding the magic card for a while, Long finally spoke up.
"Maybe we shouldn't join the AI Witch tournament. We need to focus on finding the AI King Witch's power cores first."
Mai nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, exactly. This could easily be another trap set by Witchiecoop. They're desperate to get their hands on the AI King Witch's power!"
Dreamy hovered back and forth in the air, looking deep in thought.
"And the delicious meals… ah, I mean… the magical locator used to track my power cores. With my current strength, I can't pinpoint their locations—especially if they're on another planet or even in a different universe."
Mai looked at Dreamy with a mix of suspicion and amusement.
"So… can you at least tell whether they're on this planet right now?"
Dreamy rested its chin on its paw, striking a faux-intellectual, contemplative pose. Then its eyes widened, and it flashed a charming smile at Mai.
"I feel... absolutely nothing," Dreamy declared with a blank stare. "Perhaps the universe itself is calling for us to join this tournament together."
Mai snapped, planting her hands on her hips, "There is no 'us'! You're the only one who wants that!"
Meanwhile, Nguyen stood apart, arms crossed in silence. A faint smirk played on his lips, as if a sudden, intriguing idea had just taken root in his mind.
Dreamy flew over to him, probing cautiously.
"Nguyen, you agree that we should join the AI Witch tournament, don't you?"
Everyone fell silent, waiting for his answer. His response was cold and clipped:
"I don't object."
Dreamy shot upward in excitement, as if it had just found an ally.
"Then you're just like me—full of fighting spirit and ambition!"
"But I'd rather focus on restoring your power," Nguyen continued.
"However, before we set out, I want to evaluate everyone's abilities… to see whether they're worthy of coming with us."
"You're way too arrogant!" Mai snapped. In truth, she had already witnessed his strength and understood where that confidence came from.
Long looked confused.
"What do you mean? I don't quite follow."
Nguyen smiled confidently.
"I want both of you to use your AI Witches and spar with me."
Dreamy froze.
"You want me to act as this kid's AI Witch and fight you?!"
"Exactly," Nguyen replied with a mysterious smile and unreadable tone.
Silence fell over the group. This was the first time Long and Mai had been challenged so bluntly. What exactly was this mysterious person trying to do? Why challenge his own teammates at a time like this?
Long turned away.
"I don't want to hurt my own teammates."
Nguyen responded calmly,
"With your current abilities, neither you nor Mai are qualified to search for the AI King Witch's power cores. You should give up that dream. The journey is far too dangerous."
Long's face flushed with anger. He refused to abandon his dream. Being told to give it up felt like a blade cutting into his heart. He had already lost Dreamy's soul because of that dream—if he gave up now, he would lose both of the people he cared about most.
Struggling to contain his anger, Long demanded,
"What makes you say that?"
Nguyen answered indifferently,
"Because you're weak. Without an EN source, you're useless—both in power and in status."
Overwhelmed by his emotions, Long threw a punch at Nguyen. But Nguyen vanished and teleported in an instant, causing Long to lose his balance and crash to the ground.
Nguyen stood with his arms crossed, towering over Long.
"Your condition right now proves my point. Take a good look—you can't even protect your own companion."
"That's enough!" Mai shouted.
Nguyen turned and walked away calmly, speaking over his shoulder.
"I'll be waiting for you by the riverside tomorrow morning. I challenge you to prove me wrong. I hope you'll show up."
Mai rushed over to help Long up, but he brushed her off, dusted himself off, and slowly walked toward the edge of the forest. Dreamy quickly followed him.
Deep down, Mai struggled to believe that the hero who once fought a Superior AI Witch and the Long standing before her now were the same person. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if he really would be weak without those EN coins—but she immediately pushed that thought aside. Somehow, she still sensed untapped potential within him.
She called out to comfort him,
"Long! Even without EN, you're still amazing in your own way. You'll figure something out—I know you will!"
Long didn't turn back. He kept walking toward the forest's edge, determination rising within him.
From above, an AI Witch crow hovered silently, monitoring their every move. Watching Long through a 3D display, Director Dong curled his lips into a cold smile. He turned to Elena.
"You confirmed that you delivered the tournament registration cards to Long's group and the AI King Witch, correct?"
"Yes, I handed them over personally," Elena replied, hesitating slightly.
"But…"
"But what? Speak," Dong ordered.
"As you've seen, it seems they may refuse to participate," she said.
Dong burst into laughter, then quickly returned to his usual cold, calculating demeanor. His Superior butterfly AI Witch, Scobby, used spatial magic to conjure a purple bubble. From it, a glass of red wine gently dropped into his hand. He swirled it lightly.
"Don't worry. They will definitely join."
Elena lowered her head obediently.
"I understand. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. Goodbye, sir."
Dong looked at her, his gaze sending a chill down her spine—deep, unfathomable, impossible to read. He smiled faintly.
"My condolences about Ms. Phan—your teacher and senior."
Elena replied calmly,
"Thank you, but I no longer have any emotional connection to that person. There's no need to worry."
With that, her pumpkin AI Witch, Pumpy, lit up its eyes and transformed both of them into birds. They flew off, gradually disappearing into the clear blue sky.
The next morning, by a beautiful, tranquil river, birds chirped peacefully. Suddenly, a flock scattered in panic, shattering the calm.
Nguyen walked slowly, a powerful dark aura radiating from him.
He crossed his arms and took a deep breath. Part of his hair covered a red mark on his face and his pupil-less crimson eyes—the Eye of Eris—giving him the appearance of a grim reaper.
Moments later, a young man in tattered clothes appeared, followed by a floating poodle.
Long and Dreamy had arrived at the riverside—ready to face Nguyen's challenge.