kscans

Chapter 111 - The Main Selection Tournament, Match One

A regular in the 'Four Pillar War' vanguard bracket, [ElephantThree]—or Zou-san, as he was commonly known.

This being his sixth time entering, he stepped into the main selection tournament arena with an air of unconcealed confidence.

Emerging from the teleportation light, he found himself in the familiar circular colosseum.

The stage, about fifty meters in diameter, was small compared to the preliminary arenas he had passed through in the past... but the sheer number of spectator seats, almost excessive for such a small stage, spoke to the level of attention this supreme entertainment garnered.

In this first round of the tournament, it probably wouldn't be a huge deal. But as he won each match, the scene would draw closer to something resembling a packed martial arts hall, and that was a thrill he couldn't get enough of.

To showcase the might of his painstakingly trained avatar before that massive crowd—the exhilaration was beyond description.

Unfortunately, advancing indefinitely was difficult. He wasn't so conceited as to believe he was an exceptional player on the level of a 'Ranker.'

However, this time—

"Facing a rookie... Lucky me. Sorry, newbie-kun."

On the tournament bracket he'd been sent, next to his own name was an unfamiliar one: [Haru]. The white star next to it marked the player as one who had cleared the preliminaries; this was his first-round opponent.

Haru—a common player name even in Arcadia, but he couldn't recall anyone with that name among those with a combat record.

He was almost certainly a rookie making his public debut.

Whether this was his first time participating or not, he couldn't say, as it was impossible to keep track of all the preliminary participants. But at the very least, he had no memory of seeing that name in the main selection tournament before.

He acknowledged the skill it took to win out of a hundred contestants, and the player was surely a skilled fighter who stood a head above the average line—but in the selection tournament, the preliminaries and the main tournament were entirely different beasts.

Gathered in this main tournament were only the fiercest of warriors, those deemed worthy of participating in the actual 'Four Pillar War.' The fundamental level of their strength was worlds apart from that of ordinary players.

In fact, most of the players seeded directly into the main tournament, himself included, could probably breeze through the preliminaries without breaking a sweat.

And unfortunately, it was customary for players who came up from the preliminaries to be eliminated in the first round.

There were some who were tripped up by newcomers, but... his name was ElephantThree, and true to it, he had a solid, steadfast build. There was no chance of him losing his footing and having an accident.

Considering his advancement to the second round a foregone conclusion wouldn't even be overconfidence.

Across the stage—his opponent had also finished entering, and his appearance was, as expected, unfamiliar. His guess was most likely correct.

Taking a closer look... the equipment he wore was surprisingly fine. That said, what he could see from the front was only a matching set of clothes for his upper and lower body, and similarly matched gauntlets and boots.

The clothes were probably made from materials of the flying pest, the [White-Shining Bird of Fortune]. For clothing-type gear, it was durable and had a reasonably high luck bonus, so it was a piece sometimes adopted by eccentric light warriors.

And considering that in combination with the hand and foot gear, which was likely made primarily from [Misty Snake] materials... he was, nine times out of ten, an agility-specialized light warrior.

As for why he couldn't see a weapon, either he planned to draw it just before the start, or he had a small weapon slung on his back, hidden from view.

Whatever the case, fighting light warriors was his specialty. There was not one chance in ten thousand that he would lose—he boasted inwardly, a declaration meant as much for his own encouragement as anything else.

He turned to face his opponent directly... and found that [Haru] was staring up at the sky with a somewhat dazed expression.

To put it nicely, he didn't seem nervous; to put it poorly, his mind was elsewhere. The countdown was about to begin; was he going to be okay—

—The first match of the selection tournament will now begin.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the system announcement echoed through the venue, and the crowd, though still small, numbering no less than several hundred, began to stir.

His opponent—ah, good. He seemed to pull himself together, slapping his own cheeks, and the gaze he directed this way now held a decent amount of fighting spirit.

He recognized his own advantage as a fact, but he wasn't looking down on or underestimating the guy. As a fellow member of Istia aiming for the 'battlefield,' his true desire was to clash with all his might, so neither would have any regrets.

If the other guy knew what was on his mind, he'd probably think him a condescending senior, but he was well aware of that. He was used to being disliked by his juniors at his corporate job—so he would act as a wall for this precious up-and-comer, a trial for him to overcome.

He nodded at his opponent, who now showed sufficient fighting spirit, and raised his one-handed mace and round shield, which had long become extensions of his own body.

His opponent, however—did not take a stance.

"What...?"

He didn't seem dazed like before. But he remained relaxed, showing no sign of even lowering his stance. Something felt off.

Was he unarmed... no, that wasn't it. The eyes of his avatar, far sharper than in reality, belatedly caught sight of a red ring glowing on his right hand.

I see, he was probably a close-quarters mage who fought primarily unarmed. Looking at it that way, he could see metal reinforcements on the gauntlets and boots that could supplement his punches and kicks.

It was a stroke of luck to have figured that out before the pre-battle countdown ended.

He didn't know what kind of magic the guy would use, but... in the Istia selection tournament, where one was expected to be able to handle any kind of opponent, not having a weakness was the most basic of basics.

In that case, his task remained the same. Observe, adapt, and crush.

Countdown zero.

Don't hold it against me, he thought, his expression hardening as he lowered his stance, ready to go all out.

And then, before his eyes—

"Huh?"

The pale blue figure vanished, and a tremendous impact struck his abdomen.

◇◆◇◆◇

"Tch...!"

I summoned [Panga Fool] at the opening bell, pulled the trigger, and slammed on every mobility skill I had, including [Ignition], to steal the first attack.

The stone butt of [Demon Horn Spear: Crimson Valor] slammed into the abdomen of the mace-and-shield warrior, who had shown no reaction, sending out a spray of red damage effects as the swaying crimson cloth on the spear extended.

The damage was—light, just under ten percent. Considering the cost of [Ignition], I'd have liked a bit more of a return, but factoring in the charge for the crimson cloth, it was a slight gain.

...I thought he was wearing some sturdy-looking light armor, but as expected of someone from the main tournament. Damn, he's tough for a clean hit to his unguarded gut!!

Furthermore, his reaction speed was on a completely different level from the players I faced in the preliminaries. Despite his expression of shock and confusion, he accurately swung his left-hand mace—no, it was a shield bash from his right, flying in a horizontal arc.

His response was fast, but since it was a split-second reaction, its trajectory was linear. For something like this, I don't even need my [Prescient Eye]!!

"Hah!!"

My hands moved with what I'd call fluid grace, flicking the long spear up. The spinning crimson whirlwind struck the approaching round shield from below.

It was an off-balance blow, coming right after he'd taken a hit—not a chance, this guy's strong?! C'mon, roar, my muscles (STR 300)!!

"Ngh... you...!"

I forced the round shield up with all my strength and took another step toward [ElephantThree], whose face was a mask of shock and frustration. The [Demon Horn Spear: Crimson Valor] stopped its circular motion dead in its tracks, and I slammed its butt into him for a second helping.

"Tch—!"

At that moment, I felt a bad premonition and chose to immediately retreat. Right in front of me, something like a glowing shockwave erupted from ElephantThre—you know what, can I just call him Zou-san? His body.

That was close...! If I'd taken that head-on and gotten stunned, it would've been over...!

Calming the frantic beating of my virtual heart from the tension unique to PvP, I slammed the butt of my long spear, its crimson cloth now even longer, into the arena floor.

"Imbue me!"

The command word was recognized by the system. The crimson cloth on the spear glowed, and a crimson light burst forth from it, settling into my avatar.

The amount of HP the spear absorbed was a little under twenty percent from the two hits. The enhancement effect from [Demon Horn Spear: Crimson Valor] provides an AGI boost and a small amount of continuous mana recovery (MP Regen).

The effect scales with the amount of HP absorbed, so with this much charge, the status boost is less than ten percent, and the duration is two minutes... no, it'd be lucky to last one.

It's just a bonus effect, after all. It's more effective against monsters with huge health pools than against players with relatively low HP.

"...!"

However, in a PvP match, the process of buffing up and the intimidating crimson light effect have a greater impact than the ability itself.

To be beaten so soundly, and then to see your opponent get stronger because of it. If the opponent understands what's happening, the psychological damage must be considerable.

The余裕 that had been radiating from Zou-san's eyes before the match was now gone, replaced by a sharp glare. I'm honored you're taking me seriously—let's turn it up, old-timer!!

Thanks to the effect of [Rabbit Run], which reduces the necessary movements for a step-in, my leap is guaranteed the same result as a full-power jump with just a light push off the ground.

On the flip side, it's a bit of a wild horse, making it difficult to adjust for a light jump, but being able to transition from a slight motion to a large movement is a massive advantage in terms of surprise attacks.

On top of that, with the critical jump bonus from [Fataless Jumper], my insane AGI of 350 truly shows its worth.

What the hell is a critical jump anyway!!

From a silent, subtle takeoff, my avatar crosses the hundred-kilometer-per-hour barrier in a single step, devouring the dozen or so meters between us in an instant.

Since I'm not using [Ignition], there's no cheating zero-to-one-hundred acceleration, so unlike the initial surprise attack, this time he obviously reacts. He reacts, but—I activate [Tremble Slide].

"Wha—he vanished—?!"

He'll probably adapt if I use it too many times, but a 350-kilometer-per-hour slide isn't something you can easily see through on the first try. I slip past the mace he raises to meet me, circling around behind him—[Blink Switch].

I summon the [Giant's Hand Axe]. This is the main tournament, where I have to start seriously thinking about information leaks to the audience. I won't show too much; I'll just smash him with this—

"?!"

Just as I was bringing down the unnaturally large black battle-axe, Zou-san's eyes, which had turned to me with unprecedented speed, clearly locked onto me as I was about to deliver the lethal attack.

—Dwelling in those eyes was a green light effect.

Then, the moment I saw the round shield in his right hand become enveloped in a yellow light effect,

"—Tch!"

"Hah...?!"

[Blink Switch]—The battle-axe, which had been tearing through the air with a roar, vanished with a faint light effect. The round shield, having lost its target, stopped its motion, still glowing.

While dispelling the [Giant's Hand Axe], I let my downward swing's momentum carry me through.

Ducking low enough to scrape the ground, I slipped under the raised shield and into his guard. From my hands—with almost no motion—I unleashed a multitude of 'crimson' projectiles.

Zou-san's eyes widened as over ten of them—the Parabellum Bullets—struck his entire body, carving away a huge chunk of the warrior's HP.

Missing an active skill, and taking repeated hits. Trapped by the inescapable constraints of the system, he was unable to move, though his glowing eyes continued to track me.

And then,

"[Blink—"

"Tch..."

"—Switch]!!"

"Gah—aaah!!"

Once again, I summoned the crimson long spear.

The blade, soaring up from just above the floor as if in flight, slipped past the mace that twitched in resistance—and its crimson-scarlet tip pierced deep into the warrior's chest.

"...Tch...!!"

Continuous tension, and an unexpected counterattack, had my breath coming in ragged gasps behind my composed expression.

My opponent, who had let out a final, furious cry of 'frustration' at the very end, looked at me and—

"...Not bad, new face."

—with his brows lowered into a surprisingly good-natured smile... he scattered his HP and dissolved into red phosphorescence.

"...Haaaaah!"

As the resistance vanished and the now-light crimson spear was pulled back with a twirl, the breath I had been holding rushed out of my mouth in a great whoosh.

—Man, that was terrifying...!! That thing where his eyes glowed was a thought acceleration skill, wasn't it?! Don't tell me he's a former agility-focused light warrior who changed his build... He's a hardcore player!!

The fight lasted less than a few minutes, but... I feel like, for the first time in this game, I experienced a real 'battle of wits.'

"...Hah, well then."

Anyway... was that really such a surprising spectacle? What's with the dead silence in this venue?

Right... if I follow Lotta's example, it should be like this, right?

I tapped the floor with the butt of the long spear in my hand, and with my free hand, I thrust it vigorously into the air with my best commercial smile.

Pushing past my embarrassment, I struck the victory pose. For a moment, the several hundred spectators fell so silent you could feel it—

"""—————————!!!"""

And then, the cheers erupted.

Staggering from the sheer sound pressure, I forced back a wry smile and continued to hold my fist high.

◇◆◇◆◇

"Haha... That was a complete victory."

As always, there were too many things to comment on, and the words wouldn't come out right.

This was only the first match, so it hadn't drawn the attention of the other staff members yet. The special seats were empty except for the two of us. I turned to the girl beside me with a wry smile.

"...Yes, he was amazing."

The girl didn't turn to face him. Her amber eyes were fixed solely on the young man in the center of the roaring crowd, who wore a practiced smile that seemed strangely fitting.

Her flushed cheeks, her lips that couldn't hide a happy smile, her eyes moist with excitement, all of which she believed to be nothing more than trust in her partner.

"...What an interesting pair."

Half amused, half intrigued. Lotta smiled, savoring the good fortune of having been able to add the names of these two to his friends list.

As he watched over the rookies, who were filled with various kinds of passion in more ways than one, he leaned back deep into his special seat and narrowed his eyes.

The cheers still hadn't subsided... and the sight of the young man in the middle of the stage, who was beginning to look flustered, was dazzlingly bright in his eyes.