Chapter: 30
“Next question! About 100 years ago, there was a competition known as Guild Wars. What was the shortest match time during the annihilation battle in the final round of this Guild Wars? If you tell me the answer, I’ll throw in an up and down as well…”
Beep—
“15 minutes and 57 seconds.”
“That’s correct!”
Hearing that the questions mainly revolved around adventurers, I thought I’d participate in the quiz show to learn some new trivia.
But it seems they’re solely pulling out ancient questions—perhaps to ramp up the difficulty.
“What is the self-destruct command for the first-generation battle golem?”
“Left right A B.”
“This photograph I’m presenting now is of the helmet used by the dragon slayer Louis Vuitton.”
“That looks like a fake.”
“The declaration made during the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philia Empire and the Elven Kingdom of Vegeteria…”
“We were divided by our differences and ignorance. We have come together thanks to the efforts of one hero. This must surely have been the intention of Ernest…”
It was already a foregone conclusion that I’d tear everything apart.
“You are just like me, Ahae.”
“What do you mean? I just answered the question you asked!”
And he got kicked out for his habitual heretical propaganda antics.
In contrast, I was merely engaging in a fair competition. If treated with the same contempt as a child’s innocent evil tricks, it feels grossly unfair.
“Hey, you over there.”
“Me?”
Just as I was about to quickly choose the next booth to prevent Maria from dashing into the mock duel, a voice shot in from behind, piercing my ear.
“Yes. You, scarecrow.”
He was a wizard with a particularly sharp and rough impression, more so than others.
In terms of attitude and vocal tone, he was of a type I hadn’t encountered at events before. My gut told me trouble was brewing.
“It seems you’ve been making a name for yourself lately.”
Lilith mentioned that there would be few who would openly oppose her. But “few” means there are still some willing to step up.
As anticipated, he began to rev up and elevate the intensity of his words.
“No matter how much I think about it, I just can’t fathom it. Why should we adventurers, who are meant to hunt monsters, accept you, a monster, as our fellow adventurer?”
To be fair, his words and reasoning were valid.
Even with the elves, whom I had no special dealings with, the emotional gap was that deep. There’s no way to easily embrace a monster with which one has a life-or-death relationship.
“Maria, I know that guy.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. He’s an A-class adventurer named Derek. When Maria was still B-class, he kept boasting about his A-class. So Maria got promoted to A-class the very next week.”
“Hmm.”
My inclination to defend him took a nosedive.
Maybe it was this guy who taught Maria to play the rank game.
“Y-you little brat! How dare you get cocky just because you have a little talent!”
“A little…?”
“Just a little talent, okay?!”
“Hah.”
‘In the meantime, I admit that Maria is indeed talented.’
I have a pretty good grasp of what sort of character he is.
His behavior is a bit delinquent, but he doesn’t sink to levels of absolute evil; he’s more of a lovable failure who still has room for redemption.
“So what exactly do you want from me?”
“I’m here to warn you. Don’t you dare act all high and mighty on this turf—you’re a monster!”
“Aha…”
Thinking this would be fitting, I responded casually while behind me, I secretly poked my group, requesting that they lay down the groundwork I had asked for earlier.
“Instead of all that, how about we have a fair fight?”
“Yeah! Standing around like this would be a disgrace.”
“W-what?!”
Soon enough, curious onlookers gravitated towards the scene, eager for the potential pay-per-view fight.
And just like that, Derek found himself ensnared in a human trap. Before he knew it, it had become a foregone conclusion that he would be going toe-to-toe with me.
“No way, I didn’t intend to take it this far…”
“Are you scared?”
“For me to fight alongside an A-class like Maria… My rank is weeping out loud. I want to return this A-class.”
Can he really endure such humiliation before this crowd?
Without needing confirmation, I could see Derek’s face cycling through red and blue.
“Fine! Let this be the chance to clarify the hunter-prey relationship!”
The con artist crew quietly exchanged high-fives among themselves as they reveled in their successful baiting.
A tad pitiful, but what can we do? We didn’t provoke someone who was just minding their own business, right?
If you start a fight, you better be prepared for a head-on collision.
“Well then, it’s settled. I have the Ikki Toryu skill, so let’s use that.”
“Suit yourself.”
“A prompt has appeared! Just accept it.”
I had been pushed into this scenario just as much, yet Derek, whose eyes were widely opened, failed to catch even the slightest hint of my nonchalance.
By accepting the challenge without a second thought, he effectively booted away what could have been his last chance to escape.
Woosh—
The system generated a transparent dome encasing the two duelists.
The spectators were pushed back to the perimeter, and several screens materialized in the air, clearly displaying the interior.
“In here, even if you get hurt or die, you’ll return to normal after the duel ends. So you don’t need to fight carefully.”
“Is there even a need to restrain firepower against monsters?”
Derek only switched his staff after hearing the explanation—not so intimidating now, was he?
I chuckled inwardly at the familiar sight and kept track of the countdown in silence.
Boom—!
The moment it hit zero, a fireball rained down.
Derek was startled first by the realization that I had nimbly dodged it, and secondly by the implications lurking behind it.
“What the heck, why is it like this?!”
It had to be attributed to the temporary drop in stats.
Unlike ranked matches, personal PVP allows for level adjustments to be set.
If Maria is the youngest among A-class, then I’m likely the lowest tier. My stats must have severely tanked.
“Damn it…!!”
Derek, who had been blasting spells, shifted his tactics, probably moving from quick assaults to strategy.
The mana that had previously flowed against him surged forward. A scarlet mark appeared above my head as the count ticked up by one.
“Brother, that mark means ‘instant death.’ You can’t let it stack to three!”
“Shut it, you little brat! Can’t you keep your mouth shut?!!”
I already knew that, but I didn’t want to lose my cool over some child. He didn’t even have the ability to bluff!
The flurry of spells shed any pretense of subtlety and transformed wholly into suppression tactics. It was clearly a ruse, aiming to stall for time until all the marks were gathered.
‘It takes about 2 minutes for all the marks to come together from the first sign showing.’
The standard tactic would be to immobilize the caster before they could amass the marks.
But rather than schoolyard drama, I was in a situation where I needed to systematically weaken my opponent rather than strengthen myself.
That was easier said than done. In particular, struggling to navigate around his flood of spells was daunting.
‘There might be one opportunity.’
Sure, I might be clueless and a mood-swinger, but he’s a veteran wizard with A-class status.
Even with the true extent of his powers now laid bare, he won’t fall for the same trick twice or let his guard down easily.
I would have to give something of mine to create an opening and then aim for a definitive strike.
While I plotted my maneuvers, the count ticked up.
Only one mark remained. A hint of composure began seeping into Derek’s demeanor.
Looks like he thinks he’s got it in the bag.
‘Derek plays with three elemental properties—fire, wind, and lightning.’
Among them, I could neutralize fire using tricks akin to a firecracker.
When comparing the average MP for mages at this level and the amount of mana poured into restraining spells, the culmination would likely be through the instant death mark.
All that was left was to hit the right timing.
‘Now!’
With a slight buffer of time, I charged forward. Better to control the pace than get rushed.
Fire, which had played a pivotal role in his containment, converged and nestled in my sickle, flinging open the way.
Though I refined the timing prematurely, his reaction was sluggish. I had to weave between the wind and dodge bolts of lightning, leading to a razor-thin margin.
Unbeknownst to me, he wore a smirk all around—the kind that’s all too sweet.
“I see you crawled up here with some dedication, but it’s already too late!”
Boom—!!
In this charged atmosphere, both sides brimming with confidence in their impending victory, we launched our decisive attacks.
As the eager punters peered through the haze, the solitary victor standing amidst the battlefield was the blond scarecrow—me!
“This can’t be happening. The marks of instant death were all collected, right??”
“It wasn’t for nothing that the royal family gave me the A-class designation…”
“Ugh! My hard-earned cash!!”
“What did I say? Hand over the money quick.”
“I fixed it so Maria couldn’t escape.”
“H-how did you…?”
The loser lay collapsed on the ground, Derek desperately questioned.
If he had failed to assemble the marks, I’d get it, but he gathered them all yet still lost—defying the notion of common sense.
“I never considered you an enemy.”
The instant death mark is actually not a spell that bestows instant death.
It was a type of fixed damage attack, inflicting damage equivalent to your total health.
“What’s… that…?”
It must be a hard pill to swallow. If the spell’s weight superseded the system, damage reduction wouldn’t even factor into the equation.
Understanding is one thing, but it’s too early for him to get caught that deeply in despair.
(Choose 2)
– Random items in possession
– 10% of total experience
– 10% of total HP
– 10% of total MP
– 10% of total STR
– 10% of total INT
– 10% of total VIT
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There’s still more to come.
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