Mist was an incredible staff wielder. He spun the prayer staff in his hand as though it was a battoujutsu staff instead of something used for healing. Each time he lashed out against Gaia, his staff would smack the woman across her face, breasts, or butt, and all of them did exactly ten points of damage. Gaia tried to attack with [Energy Bolt], but Mist was too close and able to constantly evade her attacks. Bolts of magical energy flew from her staff, none of them hitting Mist, who was like his namesake. His style of combat made him almost seem like mist.
-10; -10; -10!
“Why is he attacking her butt and breasts?” asked Titania with a curled upper lip. “Is he sexist?”
“That’s not it.” Adam shook his head. “His attacks are as much psychological ones as they are physical ones.”
“What do you mean?” asked Aris.
“How many women do you know who enjoy getting hit on the breasts and butt by some random person they don’t even know?” Adam saw the confused looks on their faces, but he didn’t give them time to answer his rhetorical question. “None, of course. No woman wants a man she doesn’t know smacking ass and breasts. Most don’t even like men they are intimate with doing that. He’s doing this to enrage Gaia. It’s hard to make tactically sound decisions when you’re so angry you can’t even think straight.”
While Titania still didn’t look convinced, Aris and Lilith both nodded. Lilith used this tactic many times herself—on men. Aris probably didn’t understand like Lilith did, but she was Adam’s biggest supporter and would take anything he said at face value.
“That… is actually a very viable method of combat,” Fayte said after several seconds of silence. “I can’t say I approve of fighting like that, but I can’t deny it’s a brilliant strategy. He’s robbing the woman of her ability to think, which leaves her prone to making mistakes.”
“Exactly,” Adam said.
Titania huffed but said nothing further.
The crowd was not silent as the battle progressed. Men were laughing and jeering, which further antagonized the thoroughly humiliated Gaia. With a rage-filled scream, she cast [Earth Dragon], which consumed more than half her remaining MP. The [Earth Dragon] was a massive creature created from stone, stood on four legs, and had a long tail that swept out behind it. It locked onto Mist and roared before trying to hit him.
Mist ignored it. Completely.
Gaia probably never expected that Mist would ignore her greatest attack spell in favor of attacking her. He moved around Gaia, interposing her between him and the dragon, then continued attacking until her HP was reduced to zero. Once she was “killed,” the [Earth Dragon] spell was disrupted and broke apart.
It was a flawless victory.
“That was impressive,” Fayte admitted. “A little vulgar, but I can respect Mist’s tenacity and ingenuity, if not his methods.”
“It was repulsive,” Titania said.
“His method of fighting was perfectly viable,” the quietest among their group said. Everyone looked at Lilith, who shrugged. “I have used this method to fight men before. I target their groin and their pride. Men hate it when you chip away at their pride.”
No one could deny those words.
The faces on the screen flashed again, and two faces suddenly appeared. Fayte gasped in shock while Susan went completely pale.
The next battle was Susan versus Connor Sword.
Rage
Susan’s entire body was shaking as she stared at her image on the screen next to Connor’s. The blood had drained from her already pale face, making it look almost translucent. Even someone who didn’t know her would be able to sense the terror in her gaze.
If Adam needed any more proof that Susan and Connor had some kind of history or relationship, this was it.
Connor was grinning as he walked onto the platform. He sent a look Susan’s way, which caused the girl to shake even more. She was like a frightened dog who knew it was about to be abused by its owner.
“Su…” Fayte murmured. Her eyes displayed clear worry and her voice was laced with concern.
Aris placed a hand on Adam’s back and pushed him forward. “Adam, say something.”
“I’m not sure anything I say will help,” Adam whispered to Aris, frowning.
“That isn’t true.” Aris shook her head and gave him an odd smile that he couldn’t quite place. It was half-loving and half-mischievous. “Everyone here looks up to you. You’re the only one who can help her right now, so stop thinking about it and just help her.”
Aris pushed him from behind again, and Adam didn’t resist as he walked forward, until he was standing right in front of Susan. The youngest among them tilted her head to look up at him. Her body was still shivering, her eyes held traces of tears, and her lips trembled fiercely. She looked seconds away from having a nervous breakdown.
“Susan?”
“Uh… yes?”
Adam placed his hands on Susan’s shoulder and looked into the girl’s eyes, locking her in place. His presence washed over her. She couldn’t have moved even if she wanted to.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said.
“Uh… huh?”
“Maybe in the real world, you are the kind of person who is meek, who can’t tell others no, and who is afraid of conflict… but that’s the real world. It isn’t this one.” Adam was choosing each word carefully. He needed to give her strength, but he also understood that true strength couldn’t be acquired in a single day or from simple words. “In this world, you are one of the strongest players in existence. Your level is higher than Connor’s, your stats are better than his, and your class is better than his. In this world, you are a strong and courageous woman who has braved numerous dangers with me and the others. He cannot beat you.”
Adam had always possessed a natural charisma. It was this charisma that made Lilith give herself to him, which made the other assassins follow him when he rebelled against Lucifer. He normally didn’t use his charisma like this anymore because it was dangerous, but he used it now, pushing his presence onto this girl.
Susan suddenly stood straighter, eyes widening as color returned to her face. She blinked at him several times like this was her first time really looking at him. Then she sucked in a deep breath, held it, and closed her eyes. When she released that breath in a single gust, she opened her eyes and gave him a thankful smile.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“Are you going to beat him?”
“Y-yes!” Susan nodded once.
Adam smiled even as he resisted the urge to gently kiss her forehead. While his charisma might be considered dangerous, especially to members of the opposite sex, Susan’s shy demeanor and meek personality were also dangerous to someone like him.
Instead of kissing her on the head, he squeezed her shoulders once before letting go and stepping back.
Susan looked a lot more confident now. Her back was straight, and while her eyes still shook, she walked onto the platform without hesitation.
Connor was staring at her with a frown, eyes flickering to Adam, the frown deepening further.
“Thank you for helping her,” Fayte said to Adam.
Adam shook his head. “I didn’t do much.”
“I don’t know why you can’t accept a compliment.” Fayte sighed bitterly. “You might not think what you did was much, but I have been trying without success to help Susan gain some confidence for a long time now. You just did what I couldn’t do after five years of knowing her, and you did it with just a few words. That isn’t what I would call ‘not much doing much.’”
Adam had never been the greatest at accepting compliments, perhaps because only one person had ever complimented him before. He closed his eyes and thought of Lexi. It had been more than nine years since he had seen her, but her very existence was still etched firmly into his heart even now.
Fayte perhaps sensed his reluctance to speak further about this and grew quiet. Aris hugged his arm as if she too could sense his conflicted e
motions.
Titania looked at Kureha, now resting on top of Adam’s head. “I do not understand human relationships.”
The fox yokai just looked at her and yipped.
On the stage, Susan and Connor were standing about one dozen yards apart. Susan’s shaking had stopped. She still didn’t look good, face still pale, but she at least no longer looked terrified.
“I’m surprised you found the courage to get on stage, my bride,” Connor said with a lazy grin. His words had been loud enough that everyone could hear them. Adam furrowed his brow as he glanced at Fayte, but the blonde woman was not looking at him. Her eyes were focused on Susan.
Susan didn’t say anything, but the way she pursed her lips was telling.
“Well, whatever.” Connor swung the sword in his hand. “It doesn’t matter where you found your courage. It won’t make a single difference.”
“It seems these two have some kind of history together,” Sandra said. “Is this a battle between husband and wife?! A marriage showdown?! Either way, let’s start this battle now!”
While the battle had started, neither side moved at first. Connor merely stared at Susan with that same lazy grin. It was mocking and arrogant, and it seemed to put pressure on Susan.
“You should just give up,” Connor said. “Forfeit right now. A bride should not go against her future husband.”
“… No,” Susan said in a soft voice.
“What was that?”
Susan took a deep breath. Then she suddenly straightened her back, raised her bow, and aimed it at Connor.
“I said no. I’m not… going to forfeit.”
Connor’s face went flat, his eyes growing cold. It only lasted for a second before the lazy grin returned.
“Is that so? You won’t give up, huh? Well, do your best then. I’m not going to hold back just because we’re getting married.”
Susan didn’t say anything to his provocative words. She knocked an arrow back and took aim. Connor clicked his tongue as he held the sword in a standard two-handed grip, shifted his feet against the ground, and adopted the Speed Form of his family’s sword style.
A moment of silence passed, the tension rising as the two stared at each other. It didn’t last long. Connor blasted off the ground with his dominant foot propelling him forward. He was fast, but it was nowhere near as fast as the people in Susan’s party.
Susan unleashed a [Fairy Shot] from her bow. The arrow traveled in a straight line toward Connor, but he stopped running and shifted his stance into the Defense Form. This form was wider and more grounded, which meant he couldn’t move much, but his swings would also contain more power. Adam narrowed his eyes when the man swung his sword and struck the arrow head-on, knocking it away.
“You know, I’ve always wondered how combat works in this game,” Adam said.
“Excuse me?” Titania asked with narrowed eyes.
Adam didn’t know why she seemed so angry, but he continued talking as he watched the fight. “I’ve noticed this before, but even though stats determine how fights progress to some degree, they don’t determine everything. This battle is a good example. Susan’s stats are clearly way higher than Connor’s, but he was able to deflect her arrow as if it was nothing.”
“I noticed that as well.” Fayte nodded once. “There seems to be an odd level of realism added into the game’s combat system. Your fights are all good examples of this. It should not be possible for you to dodge an AOE attack at point-blank range, but I have seen you do so on any number of occasions.”
“I do not know what you people are talking about, but stats do not determine everything,” Titania said, sounding bitter.
“What do you mean?” asked Aris.
“I mean stats only determine your base power,” Titania explained. “They don’t determine how well you can fight. The reason Adam and Lilith can do what most people would consider impossible is because they have previous combat experience—and a lot of it at that.”
“So you’re saying that knowing how to fight is more important than your stats?” asked Fayte.
Titania shrugged. “Stats determine how much damage you do, how much damage you take, whether or not an attack will hit, and other such matters, but they do not determine how good you are at fighting.”
“In other words, real combat experience is just as important in this game as your stats,” Adam concluded.
Once again, Titania looked at him like she was displeased by something, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what had upset her.
On the platform, Connor closed the distance between him and Susan. He swung his sword to activate the [slash] skill, but Susan leaped away from him and avoided it. She was fast. Much faster than Connor. Within a split second, she had already cleared several yards of distance. Taking aim once again, she shot her arrow, but this time she shot it high into the air.
[Rain of Arrows] was the Archer Class’ only AOE skill. When Susan fired her arrow into the sky, it turned into hundreds of arrows that rained down from above. While AOE skills against a single opponent might sound silly, against an opponent who could knock her arrows away with a swing of his sword, it was a good strategy.
But Connor once again changed forms and began moving in an erratic pattern as if he could see where the arrows would land before they struck the ground. Adam thought he could sense some energy being infused into the man’s eyes and wondered if Connor was using an esper power. He somehow managed to dodge each arrow, though it wasn’t easy. His face was drawn tight and sweat formed on his brow.
Susan aimed her arrow at Connor while he was dodging, waited for several seconds, and released the bowstring when he was forced to stop. Her arrow this time flew true. It struck him in the chest, but it didn’t cause any damage. The man screamed when vines sprouted from the arrow, entangling him where he stood. It wasn’t long before all of his limbs and most of his body was covered in vines. Only his face remained visible.
“Don’t do this, Susan! Think about our positions! Think about our marriage!” Connor suddenly shouted as he tried to struggle free. It wouldn’t work. He’d remain stuck like that for 120 seconds. “I am your husband!”
“Y-you aren’t my husband yet, and I… I don’t want to marry you anyway,” Susan said as she knocked back an arrow. She didn’t say anything else before releasing the arrow. The skill she used was [Deadeye], another Archer Class skill used by beginners. It might not have hit Connor under normal circumstances, but with his body entangled in vines, he could do nothing as the arrow impaled him through the forehead.
-7,540!
Connor only had four hundred HP, so Susan’s attack instantly killed him. His body vanished and reappeared next to Levon and the Four Elements, his health reduced to just one. When he realized what happened, his face morphed into an expression of outrage.
“It looks like Little_Su has won!” Sandra exclaimed.
Shouts and cheers suddenly erupted from the audience. Everyone seemed shocked but ecstatic by the surprising upset. An unknown girl had just defeated the player ranked third on the International Power Rankings. What’s more, Connor had called this girl his bride, meaning they were engaged. This was the kind of drama average people lived for, and it was happening right in front of them. How could they not be excited?
As Susan walked down the platform, the enraged Connor marched over to her, but Adam and Fayte ran interference. Fayte raced forward and engulfed Susan in a hug. Adam, on the other hand, gave Kureha to Lilith, had Titania sit on Aris’s shoulder, and stepped in front of Connor.
“Out of my way,” Connor said, his voice an enraged growl.
“If you want me to move, you’ll need to make me.” Adam tapped the butt of his spear against the ground. “Go on, feel free to attack me. See where it gets you.”
Connor’s face became truly twisted and dark as he stared at Adam. They both knew he couldn’t do anything. Not only was he not stronger than Adam, but fighting in the arena when it wasn’t his turn
would result in him being sent outside. It would also further ruin his reputation. Tens of thousands of people had already seen what happened here, and more would find out when the videos of this tournament spread through online forums.
“Come back, Connor,” Levon said.
After several seconds of silence, Connor clicked his tongue and stormed back over to Levon. The Pleonexia Alliance leader did not seem too upset by what happened. He gave Adam a polite nod as if to apologize on behalf of his subordinate. It was a truly wonderful performance.
Adam did not pay attention to Connor anymore. He turned around and looked at Fayte and Susan as they hugged. Fayte was stroking the young girl’s hair.
“I’m so proud of you, Su,” she said.
“Th-thank you,” Susan muttered. She removed herself from Fayte’s embrace a moment later and walked over to Adam. There was a faint but proud smile on her face. “I… I did it. I won.”
“You did.” Adam smiled back even though he knew she couldn’t see it. “You did a great job.”
“Eh heh heh…”
Susan rubbed the back of her head and looked down and gave a happy but embarrassed smile. Behind her, Fayte watched the interaction with a gentle look in her eyes.
The battle after Susan’s was between Daniel Frost and Aris, and it was probably the least suspenseful battle Adam had ever seen. Daniel Frost tried to launch a spell at Aris, but his lover had merely used her incredible speed to close the distance between them and launch a single attack, which reduced all of his health to zero. It happened so fast that even Adam felt like he missed something.
“That girl’s speed is something else,” said Titania, arms crossed.
“She’s definitely the fastest player in the game,” Adam agreed.
After the battle between Aris and Daniel Frost was the battle between Mist and American Samurai, which was a lot more intense and ended with American Samurai barely pulling out a victory against the insanely skilled Priest.
The faces that appeared on the screen after that battle was, shockingly, Adam’s and Lilith’s. Adam and Lilith shared a look before stepping onto the stage. In the sky above them, Sandra began talking into her microphone.
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