kscans

Chapter 471 - A Duel with the Dinosaur Tamer

A man in a Tyrannosaurus costume riding the pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus named Deeger. He readily accepted Parfait's challenge to a duel.

His appearance was beyond surreal, but his skill was the real deal. His PvP rank was lower than Parfait's, and he wasn't a ranker. This was because it was difficult to fight alongside a flying pet due to the nature of PvP.

The PvP arena was an enclosed dome, and you couldn't fight outside its boundaries. This meant Deeger couldn't use his preferred tactics, hence his low rank. However, in battles on wide-open fields like this, such as territory disputes, he was strong enough to hold his own against rankers.

Parfait recalled Orion saying as much.

Orion, who had given her that advice, was now staring at Parfait with a question mark floating above his head, his eyes wide.

"Huh!? Wait? Is this okay!? Is this really okay!?"

Only Orion was panicking. Natsu and Parfait's other friends seemed to think nothing of it and were looking around for any remaining enemies. They also had to find the catnip stored at the base, so they didn't have time to worry about the duel.

Among her friends, only Wilnel was watching Parfait with sparkling eyes. This was probably the difference between having known her for a long time or a short one, but Orion approached Wilnel, who was watching the fight.

"Um, Wilnel-chan. Why is Parfait-chan trying to fight? It's fine to fight, but there's no need for a one-on-one duel, right?"

"Orion-san. Why do people climb mountains? Because they are there. Are you familiar with those words?"

"I've heard them, but...?"

"That's what this is."

"I see... So what does that mean?"

Parfait, completely oblivious to the exchange happening around her, was feeling exhilarated.

Here was an opponent who could unleash an attack on the same level as her master, Benitsuru. Whether she could win or not was another question, but Parfait wanted to know just how skilled he was.

Parfait recalled the fundamental principle of the Azuma-ryu sword style, "a mind as clear as a polished mirror," and did her best to remain calm.

Her master, Benitsuru, didn't seem to possess such a mind at all and was a poor example, but Simon, who was a teacher at her school, was a good reference. Parfait had been taught that it wasn't about thinking of nothing, but about clearing her mind of distracting thoughts and focusing solely on defeating her opponent.

From what she'd heard, it sounded like the mindset of a psychopath, but she could understand the idea of shutting out unnecessary things.

Parfait took a deep breath and focused on the fight.

"You showed enough strength to become a ranker on your first day, which is impressive, but that is real-world strength. Know that it is different from in-game strength!"

Whether he was just getting into it or was simply a passionate person, Parfait didn't know, but his appearance was so surreal that she felt her motivation drain. Still, she was a little impressed that what he said was not wrong.

The previous PvP match had been like a real-world fight. That was why she had been able to beat a ranker, but the current battle would reflect their in-game strength. Her weapon and armor were decent, a gift from Diite, but they were inferior to what a veteran player would have.

Even Orion, who normally let his pet do the fighting and didn't fight himself, was wearing armor that significantly boosted his stats, and it was far stronger than Parfait's equipment.

And though it was surreal, the Tyrannosaurus costume was also strong. It gave a -10 penalty to the MAG stat, which affects magic power, but it provided a whopping +10 to STR, which boosts physical attack and HP.

Looks aside, it was definitely strong equipment for physical combat. It did have the demerit of preventing other pieces of equipment from being worn, but its high defense made it not so bad.

In game terms, Parfait was quite weak. Even so, Parfait was calm. That was because of something Ginny had once said.

"No matter how strong an attack is, if it doesn't hit, it doesn't matter!"

For some reason, Ginny had said that with a satisfied look. Parfait had assumed it was a line from a manga or something, but she understood the sentiment.

Considering the performance of their equipment, their stats, and damage bonuses from skills, she would be finished after taking two or three hits from her opponent. In that case, all she had to do was dodge every attack.

Parfait took another deep breath and faced Deeger.

"Here I come!"

Deeger said as he charged from the air. It wasn't a linear attack that plunged into the ground, but a charge that followed a rollercoaster-like trajectory, descending to just above the ground. The speed was considerable, and he was upon her in an instant.

Parfait drew her sword, flicking the outstretched lance upwards from below.

Immediately after the high-pitched clang, Parfait rolled across the ground.

"Parfait-chan!?"

"She's alright. That was to dodge the pterosaur's body slam. The lance was knocked off course by her quick-draw, so it didn't hit her."

Wilnel's explanation relieved Orion, but he immediately furrowed his brow.

"She matched that attack with a quick-draw, and then dodged by rolling on the ground?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, but 'yes'? You can't just do that because it's virtual reality, you know!?"

"Parfait-san can do at least that much. The question is whether she can win even if she can dodge the attacks. I'm looking forward to seeing how she'll fight."

"I knew she was strong since she became a ranker on her first day, and she was strong in the fight against the Elder Griffon, so I get it, but I don't think a normal person can do that."

"Parfait-san is not normal."

"Oh, right... I'm not sure I can accept that!"

"Orion-san, shh! Here he comes!"

Deeger, who had already returned to the sky, now began to charge repeatedly, as if to say that once was not enough. He would dive from the sky to just above the ground, charge, return to the sky, make a small turn, and charge again. He repeated this over and over.

For her part, Parfait parried the lance with her quick-draw and dodged the pterosaur's body slams and claw attacks by rolling on the ground. It was a repetitive cycle.

After this happened several times, Orion spoke.

"I was just thinking, couldn't she just dodge everything from the start? Why does she bother parrying the lance with a quick-draw?"

"There must be a reason. Something I can't think of..."

Orion and Wilnel were having this conversation, but in truth, Parfait wasn't thinking about anything. She was simply checking if she could properly parry an attack of the same caliber as Benitsuru's.

However, it was a bit of a letdown. The impact on her hands was certainly on the same level as her master, Benitsuru's, but a telegraphed attack wasn't particularly dangerous.

(The only dangerous one was the first surprise attack. I haven't fought many people yet, but Benny-sensei and Simon-sensei are just on another level. A lot of their attacks are dangerous even when you know they're coming... It's like they're at the upper limit of human capability. What do you have to do to max out your combat skills in real life?)

Compared to their attacks, she could dodge an attack like this any number of times. Parfait thought as she mechanically continued to receive the attacks.

Her movements gradually became more refined. At first, Parfait had been rolling on the ground to dodge, but now she was dodging while standing. Moreover, she was parrying the lance with her quick-draw less and less.

As she became able to dodge the charges by a hair's breadth, the eyes of Deeger and Orion widened. And Wilnel was staring at Parfait with a rapturous expression. Natsu and the others, used to it, showed no particular change.

(I wonder if I can counter now?)

Just as she thought that, the next charge came, and Parfait put strength into the hand holding her scabbard.

As they passed each other, she unleashed a quick-draw slash, not at the pterosaur, but at Deeger himself.

Deeger and Orion's mouths fell open, as if they couldn't believe what they had seen.

Parfait's attack had not decided the match. In terms of in-game damage, she would have to do the same thing another thirty times to defeat Deeger.

But Deeger, who had been turning in the air, returned his lance to his item bag and raised his short front legs in a gesture of surrender. Then he slowly descended to the ground and dismounted his pterosaur.

"I lose."

"Huh? Are you sure?"

"Yes. To have that attack dodged and then be countered... I realized there's no way I can win, no matter how hard I struggle."

"Um, in that case, can we have the catnip?"

"No, I don't have it. My comrades have some, and the rest was in the box at our base—no, you might not believe me. Very well, you can do with me as you please!"

With that, Deeger lay down on the ground. It was the pose of surrender that animals often do, showing their belly. Parfait didn't know if dinosaurs did that.

"Um, I believe you, so you don't have to go that far. And honestly, it's too surreal for me to cut you..."

Since it was a realistic Tyrannosaurus costume, even if a small one, it felt like something she shouldn't do. In fact, if he were in human form, she could cut him, Parfait thought.

"No, I want to prove that my words are true! Come, do it!"

"...Can I leave the rest to Orion-san?"

"...Why did you think that was a good idea?"

After that, they discussed what to do with the Tyrannosaurus rolling on the ground. In the end, Chris finished him off with an assassination skill without any hesitation, and the battle between the clans ended in a victory for "Cats are God".