Second Preliminaries (6)

– You can see here, right? The order is a little different from what we saw.

– There’s a time delay for skills to activate, so they used the chain scythe to trap the opponent in advance.

– If you look, even Gawol’s movement was limited to certain positions.

– While it’s impressive that this combo is executed so precisely, I want to give a higher score to the skill of planning this structure.

“Hmm…”

Pleasant sounds kept coming from the video I had left playing.

I was a bit disappointed that no one had recognized it, but now I felt like my efforts were finally being acknowledged.

I had practiced hard too. The effects on the new item looked good.

Still, I wasn’t planning to use the chain scythe for a while.

With weapons like this, the more often you show them, the more countermeasures are developed.

It’s enough that I’ve imprinted its existence.

Considering that the main tournament would proceed in a group league format, I needed to save it.

The opponents I meet then will surely come after analyzing me.

The more cards I can use, the better.

– For the 2nd and 3rd rounds… do we really need to cover them?

– Compared to Camellia, they were a bit lacking, weren’t they?

– I’ll just briefly touch on them.

– Actually, this part feels like it was just overwhelmed by physical prowess.

Indeed, the opponents I met after Camellia weren’t that impressive.

It’s not that they were bad, but they lacked uniqueness?

Their nicknames were unnecessarily difficult, so they didn’t stick in my memory.

So, it was already the 4th round.

By now, SoolBbang and Elderin would have started their broadcast, maybe with some small talk.

At first, I was quite nervous about the fact that my matches were being broadcasted, but now I had gotten somewhat used to it.

Enough to watch others’ videos while waiting for a match.

Actually, this was more comfortable than watching their broadcast right away.

You could say the weight was different. Thinking that all those numbers were people coming to watch me made me feel queasy.

I enjoyed looking at the reactions after the broadcast much more.

Of course, if I lose, I won’t look at them.

Even if I think the reactions might be bad, I won’t look.

[Infinity Arena 2nd Preliminaries – Final Phase matching completed.]

[Do you accept the match? Y/N]

[…You will be moved to the battlefield in 20 seconds.]

I don’t think I used to be this weak before.

Maybe it’s because I’ve lived as a loner for too long.

If I win this tournament, will my thirst be somewhat quenched?

I don’t know. I’m scared that it might be like drinking seawater…

No. If my thoughts start drifting in this direction, there’s no end to it.

I consciously cut off my wandering thoughts, but I need to start acknowledging it.

My mind isn’t as solid as it used to be.

I get nervous easily, get depressed easily, and get swept up in emotions easily.

It seemed like it was already rusted or rotten in places, making it difficult to fix.

…Hm, I said I’d think of something else, but here I am digging again.

Fortunately, Elderin’s whisper arrived at a good timing, breaking the flow.

[Whisper from Elderin]

– Gawol, is it okay to talk for a moment?

– It seems you’ve been matched, I’m sorry.

“It’s fine. I haven’t entered the game yet. What’s the matter?”

– Well, I just got a message from Luche.

“Luche? Pro gamer Luche?”

Injecting tension into my relaxed mind.

– Yes. She’s streaming now and asked if she could watch together with us.

– She said she’d direct donations to our side.

– We’ll do whatever you decide, Gawol.

– What do you want to do?

It was something I didn’t even need to think about.

Luche is going to watch my match?

And with her broadcast on?

My eyes widened involuntarily.

All I needed was a bit of composure.

I just had to manage my expression and voice so my excitement wouldn’t show.

“I don’t mind. Please tell her thanks.”

– Okay! I’ll tell her that.

– Oh, and come back victorious!

Of course.

I’ll win no matter what.

[Battlefield: Shadow Hall]

[vs Haruka(Kunoichi)]

[Notice: Auto-translation function is active.]

* * *

[Battle will begin in 5 seconds… 00:02]

[We wish for your victory.]

A dark and gloomy space.

As soon as the battle started, torches on the wall emitted a dim light.

A search battle began to find each other first.

By now, the opponent must be moving through the shadows looking for me too.

To avoid giving clues, I moved stealthily, sometimes hiding my body behind pillars or on the ceiling.

This is a battlefield with clear contrast between light and shadow, befitting its name ‘Shadow Hall’.

All light from outside is blocked. Without special means, you have to rely on torches for vision.

But some of the battlefield’s torches randomly go out, and sometimes it becomes a complete dark room without warning.

The key is to calmly deal with the constantly changing light.

In a situation where both sides are assassin types like now, the match could be decided by a momentary variable.

‘Have we already passed each other once? Or they could be nearby.’

The floor of the Shadow Hall doesn’t make footsteps if you walk carefully.

But there weren’t no clues to find the enemy.

For instance, the dust on the floor.

Faint footprints were left as ash from burned torches settled.

I stopped moving for a moment and held my breath.

I have the advantage in the first search battle.

Kunoichi is a class that gives up some assassin abilities in exchange for using ninjutsu.

I should have the upper hand in stealth or close combat related traits.

That would have been the case if there were no variables.

“…!”

“Tch.”

The battlefield’s torches all lit up at once.

As the light blazed, all darkness disappeared and our positions became visible.

The enemy was much closer than expected.

A figure in flowing white robes covering a highly revealing outfit.

We discovered each other at a distance close enough to reach with one leap.

In this situation, surprise attacks are ineffective.

I immediately closed the distance.

Parrying while deflecting throwing weapons with my dagger.

I deflected all three shuriken, but one that bounced off to the side had a talisman attached.

A small explosion occurred, and my body was pushed back by the air pressure.

[‘Ghost Fire’ engraves the mark of ‘Ryō (蜽)’.]

[Lasts for 30 seconds, and fire resistance is reduced by 12.]

[If all 4 marks of Kijin Ryōkon (鬼人魎魂) are gathered, you may receive fatal damage.]

This is why it’s inconvenient to have a small body.

The damage I just took was about 3% of my maximum health. Considering natural recovery, it was just a scratch.

But because my body itself is light, I was pushed back.

As a result, I failed to close the distance with the kunoichi.

Enough time for an assassin class to prepare a plausible skill.

To make matters worse, half of the torches went out, obscuring the kunoichi’s figure.

This is bad.

I should have seen what was coming next to be prepared.

It seems my luck with the battlefield is harsh today.

[‘Ghost Step’ engraves the mark of ‘Ki (鬼)’.]

[Lasts for 30 seconds, and dark resistance is reduced by 12.]

“This time… think that you were unlucky.”

A voice from behind.

The calculations in my head were finished too.

[‘Fox Claw’ engraves the mark of ‘Jin (人)’.]

[Lasts for 30 seconds, and physical defense is reduced by 18.]

I won’t die from just this one time anyway.

If it’s an attack that’s hard to avoid, let’s close the distance even more and at least protect the vital spots.

While offering my right shoulder, I attempted a counterattack from the opposite side.

A pain like being burned on a hot iron plate rose from my pierced shoulder.

It’s okay. It’s bearable.

[‘Weakening Curse Technique’ engraves the mark of ‘Kon (魂)’.]

[Lasts for 30 seconds, and physical defense is reduced by 18.]

More than that, there was a good feeling from my left dagger.

I probably stabbed the thigh or side. I couldn’t see exactly, but it didn’t matter.

From now on, I wouldn’t care about such minor injuries.

Since it’s come to this, let’s turn it into a mud fight.

I’ll make you regret hastily closing the distance.

I pushed my body backwards, pressing against the kunoichi.

At this distance, neither of us can use our main skills.

If we had the skill to miss that cast time, we wouldn’t have come this far.

The desire for victory deceived my senses like a drug.

Some kind of exhilaration made my blood boil more than the dizzying pain from my shoulder.

“Stuck together, huh?”

“You’re insane…!”

I turned my body and grabbed the opponent’s waist, throwing them to the ground.

My waist was stabbed a few times, but I also slashed from ankle to thigh.

My right arm suddenly doesn’t move.

Maybe tendons or something, some part must have received a critical hit judgment and become unusable.

From the sensation I feel, it seems like everything from the wrist to the forearm is gone.

Meanwhile, I also made the opponent’s left arm useless, so it was a good exchange.

“You just think you were unlucky too!”

Why am I like this?

Even though various parts of my body are crying out in pain, my mouth held a smile.

Now an extremely close combat that can’t be separated.

We both have weapons in hand, and can’t defend against the opponent’s attacks.

Then all that’s left is an endless slaughter until one side dies.

With a chilling sound, the dagger – kunai – tore through the opponent’s body.

Somehow avoiding vital spots, just one more hit!

From my left hand, I felt the eerie sensation of tearing flesh and muscle.

At the same time, a terrible foreign sensation between the ribs on my right side.

The pain that followed made it hard to breathe.

With each stab of the blade, both sides’ HP drained at a crazy speed.

Finally, when my dagger pierced the kunoichi’s throat.

The blood-stained kunai stopped in front of my throat.

The arm that lost its vitality collapsed, losing strength with a thud, and the weapon rolled on the floor.

Only then could I stop my arm too.

[You have won Round 4-1.]

[The next battle will begin in 3 minutes.]

[Battlefield: Shadow Hall]

“Phuhu…”

[Remaining Health: 1.7%]

The pain disappears as if everything until now was an illusion.

However, I couldn’t get up for a while, holding my trembling arm.

But.

Nevertheless.

Feeling like I could fly from happiness.

I hugged both arms tightly and laughed.