Ch.266261 – Instinct

“I have one question for you, NoName.”

“Anything.”

“Did Master seem really disappointed in me when I stepped out earlier?”

She seemed to be referring to when I left the capsule earlier to take the potion.

“Hmm…”

The people she had faced weren’t pushovers.

Among them were players who gamed 14 hours a day, and to make matters worse, even a second-string professional gamer had joined in to completely destroy her.

Would I find Emika admirable for playing 46 matches without a break, or would I scold her for losing 15 matches?

“I think it’s better if Emika checks for herself?”

“I guess so…”

“But one thing’s for certain. If you beat me here, you can make all those past defeats disappear.”

“So how strong are you in this game?”

I answered with a smile.

“Why tell you? Feel it yourself while we fight. What combat power should we set?”

The 1v1 mode allowed free adjustment from low-power duels to high-power duels.

She had already experimented with various settings to find the range that would fully draw out her skills.

“Let’s start at 5,000 for both of us.”

“Just 5,000…? Fine.”

Considering Emika’s real-world physical abilities, I thought we should set it to at least 15,000, but she seemed to be going easy on me.

Combat power 5000.

With this body, I could run 100 meters in about 11 seconds.

Drawing from past memories, this was a level that track athletes could achieve even in worlds without mana.

“Since it’s virtual reality, don’t be surprised if I get too rough. It won’t really hurt.”

“Yeah, I think I’m pretty used to it by now. Whether it’s whips or four-sword style, nothing will surprise me anymore. As your gaming junior, I look forward to learning from you, NoName.”

“Used to it? You should be pulling your hair out in frustration by now. How should I put it… you’re too calm, Emika.”

“NoName?”

The sword felt perfect in my hand.

This feeling wouldn’t disappear even if I lived another life.

I lightly licked my dry upper lip while pondering about Emika.

Why did she lose at the National Exchange Competition?

Was it simply that she had no rivals in Japan, but there were far more talented people in world competitions?

She hasn’t fully bloomed her talent yet.

Bound by technical constraints and adults’ advice, she’s been moving as if chained by shackles.

So what should be done?

People only truly awaken their talents in moments of crisis.

With watchful eyes around, I couldn’t just throw her off a cliff like Klaus.

So I chose a very annoying and roundabout method of pushing her to the edge.

“Learning comes with a price. So endure it.”

* * *

How could simply changing an avatar create such a different sense of pressure?

As NoName swung her sword through the air, Emika’s feeling of “she’s so pretty” gradually changed to “she’s so cool.”

Suddenly, Emika felt deeply unsettled.

‘Is this person really NoName?’

Due to this inexplicable feeling, Emika’s grip on her sword tightened.

‘No, always stay calm. Always composed. Just do what I’ve been taught.’

She hadn’t forgotten the viewers’ advice.

[There’s a reason NoName is #1 in Story Mode. This person is completely inhuman. Whether it’s from living in VR for so long or what, it helps to think she’s not bound by physical limitations at all.]

[Like the movement hacks in old computer games… oh, do you know what hacks are? Anyway, with movement hacks you could at least see and dodge, but NoName predicts all attacks and reads their paths, making her much trickier. You definitely can’t beat her with orthodox methods.]

Viewers showered her with praise.

This was exactly why so many people wanted NoName to debut in the Academy Tournament.

People with excellent physical abilities in reality usually performed well in virtual reality games too, but unfortunately, the reverse was rarely true.

But the consensus was that someone with extraordinary talent like NoName would surely be different.

Combat power 5000 was similar to Emika’s level from three years ago.

She recalled that sensation and channeled aura into her sword.

‘Here she comes!’

NoName’s sword, filled with killing intent, fell toward her head.

At the same time, an incredibly cold gaze flashed by.

Clang-!

Emika’s eyes widened as she blocked the sword.

Even with different sword styles, Emika had enough experience to distinguish whether this was a proper sword path or not.

‘Perfect.’

It was a clean strike without a single flaw.

Had she learned swordsmanship before?

Unfortunately, there was no time to continue that thought.

“You think too much.”

“What?”

The deflected sword thrust toward her side again.

Reflexively, Emika twisted her flexible wrist to block the sword downward.

Bang-!

“Ugh!”

At that moment, the sword path twisted strangely, and the sword struck her shin.

The lower the combat power, the more important it is to prevent attacks.

With her small amount of aura already halved, Emika was already in danger.

NoName’s offensive didn’t stop.

“Focus until the end! Keep your shoulder down!”

She mentioned the shoulder, but NoName’s sword aimed for her knee.

Emika wouldn’t fall for the same trick she’d experienced at the National Exchange Competition.

As Emika desperately tried to retrieve her sword to block her knee—

Crack-zzzzt-!

‘Shoulder?’

The broadsword plunged into her shoulder.

Her arm was horribly mangled, and her health dropped massively.

“But it was clearly aiming for my knee…!”

“I told you it would be your shoulder.”

Her arm wouldn’t move.

Though she felt no pain, her arm dangled as if the ligaments had been severed, following her body’s movements.

Only then did Emika realize the seriousness of the situation and created distance to reassess.

“Seriously? You missed that opportunity? Again.”

In the end, she couldn’t handle the sword’s weight with just one arm.

As NoName brought down her sword with her body weight, Emika’s sword spun in the air and fell to the ground.

In a fair duel of sword against sword, without any of the tricks seen in previous matches,

Emika was completely defeated.

[Perfect Game!]

[NoName Win!]

“We’ll keep going until you get it. I’m not as kind as your masters.”

Same situation, same distance.

Again, it was NoName who closed the gap.

Emika gritted her teeth and widened her eyes.

Katsuhata Emika, Japan’s once-in-a-millennium prodigy.

The previous match played in her mind as she visualized the upcoming exchange.

‘Forward defense here.’

Her shoulders, finally level, easily blocked NoName’s first strike.

Without time to think, she immediately took a stance for an upper-right slash.

NoName easily deflected Emika’s sword and thrust toward her abdomen again.

She could feel the explosive power transferring from her lower body.

‘Now’s my chance!’

NoName’s movement was too big.

If she just blocked or dodged, it would expose a large opening.

She channeled aura into her legs to create distance, leaning her upper body forward to be ready to spring back at any moment.

When NoName’s feet touched the ground would be the signal to attack.

“What are you doing? I’m not stopping here.”

“…!”

A ticklish voice whispered like a lover.

In basic human movement, if the right foot touches the ground, the left foot follows.

But NoName pushed off with her right foot again and charged toward Emika, who had created distance.

Clang-!

“Hup!”

“Good, like that. Shall we continue?”

Emika’s subconscious blocked NoName’s sword.

An upward slash.

It was a bad habit that should be avoided in kendo, but it came out naturally.

Yet NoName smiled with satisfaction.

Since this was the first move Emika had shown spontaneously, all her actions from now on would be products of instinct.

NoName had shown Emika the scenery beyond the wall.

‘Now it’s entirely up to you whether to cross this threshold.’

NoName’s sword cut through the air, coming in to break her stance.

This wasn’t meant to deny Emika’s training.

Why do people train and practice?

It’s to elevate the realm of calculation to the realm of instinct.

There are dozens of explanations for why one takes a certain action.

But our brains don’t bother with such cumbersome processes.

Clang-!

NoName’s sword was deflected back.

‘When your life is at stake, there’s no time for thinking.’

Ka-ga-ga-gang-!

The two swords met at an angle, creating a sharp sound.

In the midst of the complex and fierce exchange, a smile appeared on the woman’s lips.

“How is it? Fun? Intense and thrilling, right?”

The two women’s faces were close enough to feel each other’s breath.

“NoName, you’re really…”

“You’re wondering where the combat assistance system begins and ends, right?”

The combat assistance system doesn’t smoothly connect movements.

In response to Emika’s observation, the woman stuck out her crimson tongue.

“I’m not telling you.”

* * *

The score: 9 to 1.

In the tenth match, Emika finally broke through NoName’s solid defense and successfully plunged her sword into her ample chest.

Emika burst into a bright smile like a hero who had defeated the demon lord.

Even when NoName tried to provoke her with petty moves, she just kept grinning.

Even NoName was taken aback by her obsession and raised both hands to change the combat power setting.

“What happens if we set it to 100,000?”

“At that point, it becomes a battle of superpowers, so it doesn’t mean much.”

“Let’s try it.”

“Really?”

“Huh? Um…”

Suddenly NoName opened the settings menu.

[▶Custom 1 – Unequip]

[▶Custom 2 – Equip]

Same face, same body type, same outfit.

Emika narrowed her eyes, trying to spot the differences like in a “find the differences” game.

Looking closely, she noticed the elf’s long ears had changed back to human ones.

And on her head, a pair of black horns had grown elegantly.

“A demon?”

“No, a demon lord. Aren’t you at the perfect age for this kind of chuunibyou stuff, sis?”