Arena Finals (3)

The blade aimed at my eyes sliced through the air.

All of the magic swordsman’s combat starts based on Blink.

Since he didn’t move near me, it means he’s going to cast magic.

Without needing to think, I closed the distance.

‘Deep blue effect. As expected, it’s lightning-based.’

It’s difficult to avoid lightning magic in Where the Storm Sleeps.

The rain in this battlefield never stops, and the floor of the shipwreck is always so wet that water splashes around.

All electric-type magic receives a considerable bonus to attack range and power.

However, that doesn’t mean the unique weaknesses of electric-type disappear somewhere.

Casting speed inversely proportional to the fast projectile speed. And a mechanism where the caster themselves can easily take damage.

Unlike other magic where you just need to get out of range, with lightning, you need to distance yourself from the hit target as well.

So, if you stubbornly close the distance, you can do something like this.

I grab Cerberus’s sword with my hand.

My flesh was cut by the sharp blade, but the current rising from the floor enveloped both of us.

The shocking impact of electrocution. Muscles involuntarily contracted and convulsed.

[‘Status Ailment: Electrocution’ effect received.]

[For 120 seconds, all action speed…]

Damage to both sides.

The price for misjudging the assassin’s speed.

If he had used the ice system with faster casting, it would have been different.

It wouldn’t have been possible with a normal shadow build, but now it’s somehow manageable.

Even Cerberus seems to have miscalculated the speed of a physical-type assassin.

It’s not a commonly chosen build, and there would be few people who could handle this.

In the end, he’s human too.

[‘White Moon’s Contract’ effect received.]

[All physical-related skills receive enhancement effects. All action speed…]

[Unable to use any shadow-type skills.]

[Remaining duration: 19 minutes 58 seconds]

Originally, the dynamic between magic swordsman and assassin is predictable.

The magic swordsman attempts to outfight with Blink, and the assassin accumulates damage by following through shadows.

Usually, it becomes a battle centered on spatial perception ability.

But… if the assassin side is confident.

If they’re confident they can respond to the magic swordsman’s Blink without using the unique long invincibility judgment of shadows.

They can compete with a physical-focused build like this.

A build boasting the fastest speed an assassin can use.

Numerous charge skills and sharp power. Defensive judgment decreasing in inverse proportion.

‘You dare to try an exploratory battle in front of me?’

The success or failure of an attack is determined within just 0.1 seconds.

It’s literally become a battle on the edge of a knife.

Without any complex thoughts or anything, you have to continue the engagement solely with your reaction speed, dynamic vision, and innate instincts.

It’s about fighting like a beast, putting aside all half-baked thoughts.

A faint white energy settled on my body.

It’s an effect not usually visible, but it was particularly noticeable, perhaps because the surroundings were dark.

A kick aimed at my side is blocked around my elbow.

I check the hand trying to grab my foot with a dagger, and immediately switch to a reverse grip and strike down.

I throw a throwing dagger towards Cerberus who escaped with Blink.

And when I leap towards the opponent – the distance with Cerberus closes at a speed even I find difficult to adapt to.

I check the longsword with the dagger in my right hand and lowered my posture as if sitting down.

The ankle visible right in front of me.

Now that I have an overwhelming advantage in speed – there was no reason not to aim for it.

After successfully landing the attack, I retreated by pushing off with the hand that had touched the ground.

“Ha…!”

“How’s it going?”

“I misjudged. This will be the last time I use a magic swordsman today.”

“How nice if you had done that from the start.”

A laugh as if in disbelief.

I charged again towards him who looked strangely pleased.

Cerberus’s magic changed from offense to defense-oriented.

Left hand as shield, right hand as sword. It seems he’s trying to utilize his sense of playing as a dark knight.

Familiar play styles can reduce thinking time.

The moment I dug into his side, Cerberus’s figure suddenly disappeared.

A silhouette briefly visible at the edge of my vision. Direction: upper left. Is he aiming for the rear?

Given the angle, counterattack is difficult, so I evade. I persistently dig into the inside again and aim for the lower body.

Deflect the blade with a dagger and go low.

Draw attention with a throw and go low again.

Avoid magic, attempt a ground move, fail immediately, and go low again.

Due to the dizzying speed, the sound of wind roars loudly with every movement.

The rain pouring on my face is so stinging, and incoming projectiles combined with my approach speed feel like a kind of flash.

I was even careful about breathing, lest my concentration break.

But the burden of this grotesque speed battle is the same for Cerberus.

After persistent attacks, I finally managed to sever his Achilles tendon and tendons.

My back was quite damaged in exchange, but it was a sufficiently satisfying trade.

When we reached a brief lull, I smirked.

“Say it again. What about my low attacks?”

“I didn’t say anything wrong. The completeness itself is still…”

“Still what?”

“Relatively lacking. But it’s that much more aggressive. How did it come to take this form?”

“You don’t need to know that much.”

It wasn’t particularly a great secret.

If I use low attacks aggressively, it would be difficult to target my legs in return.

It was a necessary choice to hide that my left leg is a weak point.

It’s a bit of a blow to my pride, but… there was also a reason because my body is small.

There’s a big height difference with large knights like Cerberus, so it’s difficult to aim when I lower my posture sharply.

Of course, I had no intention of telling him.

Anyway, with that last attack, Cerberus lost his mobility.

The magic swordsman’s unique Blink would still be there, but foot techniques are as important as weapons to a swordsman.

When there’s an obstacle in advancing and retreating one step, it becomes uncontrollably fatal.

Cerberus started to falter bit by bit in our exchange of attacks.

[‘Enhanced Paralysis Poison’ effect successfully applied.]

[The enemy’s all action speed…]

No matter how versatile a magic swordsman is, they’re not as solid as a knight.

Of course, they’re not as fast as an assassin either.

Even if he attempts a long-range wheel formation, he can’t escape my speed in this state.

I break through the ice spikes that rose up at close range, and use the cut cross-section as a foothold to jump and take his back.

One hit to the forearm while breaking the hastily created shield.

I take an unavoidable counterattack while stabbing a dagger into his thigh.

I try to aim for the collarbone with the hidden weapon I had planted earlier, and retrieve my original dagger in the gap as his body moves away.

On the way back, there was a good opportunity, so I tore into his ribs.

In exchange, I gave up quite a bit of my right shoulder.

[‘Vital Point Attack: Internal Organs’ effect successfully activated.]

[‘Enhanced Bleeding Poison’ effect has been applied multiple times.]

[‘Enhanced Bleeding Poison’ effect has been changed to ‘Unstoppable Bleeding’.]

As time passed, the match tilted significantly.

Between Cerberus and me, it seems I was the one closer to a beast.

With our weapons aimed at each other, a moment of silence arose in the process of looking for an opening.

“Have you thought about going pro?”

“…I’m not sure.”

“That’s a shame. If you ever consider it, contact me anytime.”

Words that complicate my thoughts.

Not now. I consciously erased it from my mind.

This isn’t an opponent I can beat while having wavering feelings.

It would be better to finish him off quickly.

As I continued to focus on lower attacks, suddenly something caught my eye.

Behind Cerberus. There was no railing at the edge of the shipwreck.

If I push, wouldn’t he fall into the sea?

“Come to think of it, there was a promise.”

“A promise? Did we make such a thing?”

“It’s okay. I’ll make you remember.”

The disadvantage of this speed battle is that stable operation is impossible.

You have to ‘continuously’ create variables too chaotic for the opponent’s calculations to keep up.

So, a bit more boldly. I engaged in combat without sparing my body.

I deflect the blade surface with the tip of my dagger.

I avoid magic with a skill that has an instantaneous movement judgment, and for a descending surprise attack from above – cancel.

I stop midway while stabbing my dagger into the rising ice spikes.

There was no need to stop for long.

As I charged again by kicking off the pillar, a huge opportunity appeared in my eyes.

The upper body was open. If now, I could hit vital points like the neck or heart.

But.

‘A trap?’

According to my reason, it’s the opponent’s ploy.

Just before the match collapses, Cerberus is attempting a gamble.

If I succeed in a frontal breakthrough, I could end the match, but the damage I would take is at least from the abdomen to the heart.

It would certainly be a fatal wound.

On the contrary, my intuition whispered that it was an opportunity worth grabbing.

There’s not much time to judge for too long. I’m no exception to the time pressure in this terrible speed battle.

So I made a decision right away. It’s a gamble worth trying.

Who cares about danger, it’s fine if I succeed, right?

I immediately closed the distance again, and our blades tore into each other’s bodies.

“Kuhh…!”

My dagger plunged its blade into Cerberus’s neck.

Yet the persistent guy didn’t end.

Cerberus’s sword pierces my abdomen.

From bottom to top. The blade came up as if to tear all my organs and bones.

But I didn’t lose consciousness, and my character is still alive.

I completely ruined my arm to stop it. Then he uses his knee.

If that goes up any further, it’s the heart.

Can I block it with my own strength? It’s doubtful.

The strength stat might not be much behind, but it will be a power struggle of arm against leg.

I wasn’t confident. Time didn’t allow for leisure this time either.

Let’s be a bit more daring. There’s still some leeway in my health.

I decided to pull out the sword stuck in me from my side.

Using the dagger as a hook, I tore the longsword out as if ripping my own body.

Although my health bar was terribly shredded, I didn’t die.

As the blood-stained sword rolled on the floor, Cerberus’s last hope disappeared.

If it comes to this-

“I win.”

“…It seems so.”

A tingling pleasure overlays the pain.

My dagger stabbed Cerberus’s neck again, and for confirmation, I planted the remaining dagger between his eyebrows.

Finally, I kicked the powerless corpse.

As the system message popped up, a corpse fell into the seawater.

“I… told you. That I’d definitely soak you in seawater.”

The first set ended with my victory.