Fukuda Tsukasa and his fellow enthusiasts spent more than ten hours every day studying shogi, never stopping regardless of heat or cold.
Yet even with equal effort, the gap between them and professional players remained like an uncrossable chasm—far beyond reach. They were not even qualified to brush against the hems of those players' clothes.
Sometimes, the world was simply that cruel.
The barrier of lacking talent was not something effort alone could overcome.
That was why Fukuda Tsukasa sincerely hoped he would not run into a professional player too early.
He had a clear understanding of where his own strength stood. His goal for this trip was simple—crush weaker players for fun and make a little extra money while he was at it. Nothing more.
At least until he made it into the fourth round, he prayed he would not run into any of those monsters.
Looking around the venue, apart from those few professional players, he recognized quite a few familiar Reward Association members.
For now, only those with considerable skill remained calm. Most of the other contestants were overly nervous, looking every bit like a bunch of weaklings.
But it was one thing for skilled players to stay composed. Why were Natsume Chikage and Furukawa Ayuo, two obvious rookie nobodies, also so calm and unruffled?
Fukuda Tsukasa could not make sense of it no matter how much he thought about it. In the end, he could only chalk it up to ignorance being fearless.
Just then, a considerable commotion suddenly broke out in the venue.
The reason was simple: Akechi Sogo and Hino Hiroya—both professional fourth-dan players—had dramatically drawn each other as first-round opponents in the completely random draw.
Akechi Sogo and Hino Hiroya looked at each other, both seeing the deep helplessness and bitterness in the