Chapter 57: Arena Tournament(6)

I bit my lip as I watched the mage grinning smugly from afar.

I had been too complacent. Far too complacent.

I had become too fixated on emulating the swordsmanship displayed by pro players.

The newfound joy of learning had clouded my judgment.

But this tournament wasn’t exclusively for VRS pros.

Players like me—those who simply enjoyed Deron for what it was—also participated.

This defeat was entirely my fault.

I hadn’t even bothered to figure out my opponent’s class.

If I had at least reviewed their previous gameplay footage, this wouldn’t have happened.

As the waiting time neared its end, I exhaled slowly and gripped my sword tightly.

I already knew how to counter mages.

In Deron, mages made up the largest portion of the class distribution.

Their easy gameplay and low skill difficulty made them a popular choice.

I needed to change my playstyle.

When facing a mage, swordsmanship wasn’t as crucial.

This wasn’t a duel of blade against blade.

To overpower them, I needed to rely on transcendent sensory abilities.

Once the waiting time was over, the match began.

Contrary to their earlier cocky demeanor, the mage now moved with caution.

Ice arrows began flying toward me from a distance.

I calmly deflected each one with my sword.

I didn’t allow a single arrow to hit me.

I tracked the countless frost crystals filling the air with my eyes, following the straight trajectories of the icy projectiles.

Reading the precise path of the incoming frost, I swung my sword.

The moment a searing white pain flared across my mind, my sword moved instinctively.

With flawless precision, I cut through every possible angle of attack, neutralizing the assault.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sharp ringing of steel echoed repeatedly.

Seeing my completely different performance from the previous match, the mage’s expression hardened.

Despite the endless barrage of ice arrows, I didn’t stop advancing.

The longer the battle dragged on, the worse it became for the mage.

Their mana was limited.

Although their class passively granted enhanced mana regeneration, potions were prohibited in the arena.

Their limit would soon be reached.

I poured all my focus into deflecting the ice arrows.

I formed a wall of blades, not allowing a single projectile to pass.

The mage grew visibly flustered.

Biting their lip, they began a long casting sequence.

It was their only option to turn the tide.

A long cast meant a powerful spell—but it also left them completely vulnerable during the casting process.

I didn’t move in.

Their 3rd-rank class was Arcane Scholar.

There were surely invisible magitech mines planted all around the area.

Instead, I maintained my intense focus.

The faint ringing in my head grew louder, filling my ears.

The moment the mage swung their staff, the ground erupted.

Massive ice spikes shot out from below.

Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gak!

As the towering ice spikes surged forward at terrifying speed, I twisted my body and sidestepped.

The instant I slipped past the attack, I activated [Charge].

I surged forward, leaping over the massive spikes as if scaling them.

The jagged ice beneath my feet inflicted continuous damage, but I endured it.

Thanks to [Charge], I was unaffected by the freeze effect.

As my HP decreased, my charge speed accelerated further.

The Berserker’s unique passives began activating.

With my health plummeting, [Frenzy] was fully triggered.

It felt as if the heavy shackles weighing me down had suddenly fallen away.

My arms and legs felt lighter than ever before—incomparable to how they were just moments ago.

Out in the regular field, I had always fought with all my passives fully activated.

I was already accustomed to this immense speed.

The moment my previously mismatched senses aligned, the effect of [Charge] dissipated, leaving me fully exposed before my opponent.

But I didn’t stop.

Instead, I pressed forward.

I immediately used the Paladin’s healing skill to restore my health.

Flash!

The healing effect’s glow burst outward, momentarily blinding my opponent.

Kwaang!

At point-blank range, I swung my sword.

It struck against the mage’s mana barrier.

However, the force behind my blow was overwhelming—the barrier shattered instantly.

If I hesitated here, I would die.

Without pause, I activated a buff.

A golden light extended from the blade, leaving a long, glowing trail in its wake.

The radiant sword energy stretched out into the air like a trailing comet tail.

Without slowing my charge, I slammed my sword into the ground.

Quang!

The slight twist in my waist transferred all the force into the strike.

As the full weight of my power surged into my outstretched leg, the invisible magitech mines embedded in the ground activated.

Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gang!

A massive explosion erupted.

My HP plummeted in an instant.

But my opponent couldn’t move.

[Frenzied Strike] had been triggered.

The impact of my ground slam launched the mage into the air.

“Hyaaaaah!”

I let out a debuff-inflicting roar, simultaneously activating [Undying].

My HP dropped to 1, but all of my Berserker skills were fully activated.

Blood-red sword energy streaked through the air.

Shuaaak!

I didn’t even need all five consecutive hits to connect.

The frail body of the mage stood no chance against the fully unleashed might of a Berserker.

Before [Undying]’s duration could end, the mage’s body was torn apart.

Winner:
[Yeon]
1 win, 1 loss.

Loser:
[SnowMage]
1 win, 1 loss.

As the match concluded, my body and the mage’s were enveloped in a faint light, returning us to our original positions.

Now, with 1 win and 1 loss recorded, I rested my sword over my shoulder, replaying the feeling of battling the mage in my mind.

The mage stood there, stunned, mouth agape, unable to believe what had just happened.

I smirked.

They had no idea.

I had placed 2nd in last season’s arena rankings.

Sure, I had given away the first match due to carelessness, but that wouldn’t happen again.

Once the waiting time ended, the next match began, and a similar situation unfolded.

The mage kept their distance, relentlessly firing ice arrows.

A textbook kiting playstyle.

But I remained patient.

I waited for them to exhaust all their mana, steadily closing the distance.

I aimed for their long-casting spell—the kind that couldn’t be canceled midway.

The mage surely knew it too.

If they wanted to turn the tables, they had no choice but to attempt a long-casting spell.

Against any other opponent, they might have succeeded in reversing the situation using their 4th-rank Battle Mage skills.

As the prolonged standoff continued, the invisible magitech mines I had placed earlier reached their duration limit and automatically detonated.

Kwa-ga-ga-gang!

I had planted an absurd number of them.

The explosion engulfed a wide area centered around where the mage stood.

Seeing this as a signal, the opponent initiated an approach.

Trusting the blue mana barrier wrapped around their body, they rushed forward, swinging their staff.

Battle Mages specialized in close-quarters combat, wielding their staff as a melee weapon.

By coating the staff with mana, they transformed it into a blade-like weapon.

Shuaaak!

The azure mana sword clashed midair with my golden, holy power-infused blade.

At that moment, I immediately withdrew my sword and took a step back.

My flawless, lightning-quick reaction caught the mage completely off guard—their face twisted in shock.

Flash!

As expected, the mage was casting Blink.

It was the same trap they had caught me with before.

But I wasn’t foolish enough to fall for it again.

It seemed they had intended to teleport both of us onto one of my magitech mines.

However, realizing their plan had failed, the mage’s expression turned defeated.

That move decided the match.

The mage had expended too much mana setting up their magitech mines.

I held my ground, refusing to engage, patiently waiting for their mines’ duration to expire.

As time slipped by, another explosion erupted beneath the mage’s feet.

Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gang!

With their mana completely drained, the mage was nothing more than easy prey.

Realizing their impending defeat, the mage nodded calmly, accepting their fate.

Tap…

I slowly approached, my footsteps echoing lightly.

“Hey… I did pretty well, didn’t I?”

“You did.”

“Ah! Then… can I join your guild?”

“It’s possible.”

With those words, I swung my sword, still wreathed in divine power.

With a clean, precise slash, the mage’s head was severed.

Even as they died, the mage smiled.

To my surprise, I had just recruited a decent talent from an unexpected encounter.

“Yahoo!!!”

The severed head, still grinning, let out a cheerful shout of joy.

The sight was somewhat grotesque.

Winner:
[Yeon]
2 wins, 1 loss.

Loser:
[SnowMage]
1 win, 2 losses.

[Yeon advances to the Round of 16.]

The match was over.

After a brief waiting period, I was forcibly ejected from the arena.

SnowMage: – [BloodLord!!! Please let me join your guild!!!]

It seemed they had sent a message immediately after the match ended.

They must have been desperate to beg so earnestly.

I sent a guild invitation to the user SnowMage.

[‘SnowMage’ has joined the guild ‘Malleable Chewy Cow.’]

SnowMage: – [Hello!!!!]

Although they had been caught off guard, SnowMage was still someone who had defeated me once.

That alone was enough to qualify them for the guild.

Leaving SnowMage in the hands of the welcoming guild members, I began researching my next opponent.

The player advancing to the Round of 16 was a pro gamer from VRS.

Their nickname: [N.R-Abox].

Their preferred weapon in VRS: dual blades.

Their Deron class build was familiar:

• Rank 1 & 2: [Assassin]
• Rank 3 & 4: [Night Walker]

It was the same build as my guildmate Iyeap’s.

With the remaining prep time, I started watching videos of the player.

I crammed my head full of footage from tournament matches and VRS gameplay.

Time passed, and the Round of 16 began.

A dim light enveloped me, and my body was teleported into the arena.

From across the field, I could feel a piercing gaze.

[N.R-Abox]

Before the match even started, they had already drawn their dual blades, glaring at me with fierce intensity.

There was no trace of complacency in their eyes.

Like me, they were ready to fight at full power from the start.

Observing my opponent’s sharp aura, I drew my sword as well.

The razor-sharp blade caught the sunlight, scattering a gentle, blue glimmer in all directions.

Just then, the countdown ended, and the match began.

The opponent immediately utilized their overwhelming mobility, rapidly closing the distance.

As the gap shrank, a dark shadow flickered beneath their feet, and their figure vanished in an instant.

They didn’t stop.

Without even the slightest delay, they activated a skill.

This seamless execution meant the player was perfectly attuned to the game Deron.

In the next moment, the empty air split open with a sudden tear, and black shadows poured out.