Chapter 6 - Speed Swordswoman (2)
Speed Swordswoman (2)
Translator : Elizabeth
Chirp, chirp—
The cries of birds, whose species I couldn't identify, echoed through the Jungle. Dense foliage obstructed my view, and grotesque insects scurried across the uneven dirt floor.
The realism was so vivid it was hard to believe it was virtual reality. Perhaps it was these meticulous details that had made Legend Frontier the industry's number one game.
“…….”
I pushed through massive branches with my rapier, searching the Jungle for the monsters that would have spawned, moving at the speed of the wind itself.
In Legend Frontier, the spawn locations of Jungle monsters are never fixed. This simple fact forced Junglers to establish different rotations and strategies for every single match. It was impossible to simply follow an "optimal route" from a walkthrough and breeze through the farm.
In that regard, a Speed Swordswoman who had gone all-in on Agility possessed a massive early-game advantage in this Jungle. I could find the desired monsters faster than the enemy Jungler and monopolize the experience and gold.
Even if I were unlucky enough to encounter an enemy in the very beginning, I could simply use my superior speed as a weapon to escape. In a Jungle thick with vines and branches, pursuing a Speed Swordswoman with maxed-out Agility was no easy task for any opponent.
...Slaughter as many monsters as quickly as possible to stack gold and experience, then invade the enemy Jungle to devour their resources and widen the gap. This was the specific direction I had refined over three years of playing nothing but the Speed Swordswoman build.
— Kyarrrk?
"Ah."
After tearing through the Jungle like a gale for a short while, I finally spotted a golden monkey staring blankly at me from between the bushes. The monkey radiated a brilliant golden light, much like a Buddhist statue. Upon seeing it, I smiled with delight.
"Found you."
It was the so-called 'Golden Monkey,' which grants a buff that significantly increases all of the slayer's stats for three minutes. Due to the nature of the Speed Swordswoman, whose every stat except Agility is abysmal, I absolutely had to slay this Golden Monkey first to temporarily boost my capabilities.
Without it, my attack power and defense were too low for proper jungling. In the worst-case scenario, one could even die to a Jungle monster—a total catastrophe. Such a setback would delay my growth and eventually hand the initiative to the enemy Jungler.
Thus, finding and slaying the Golden Monkey as quickly as possible was a vital task for the Speed Swordswoman build.
"Point Break."
— Kieeeeeek!!
I activated 'Point Break'—a skill that heals HP upon landing a thrust—and pierced the Golden Monkey’s vital point. Since it wasn't a monster with particularly high defense, the Golden Monkey vanished into particles of light with a solitary scream.
Simultaneously, a faint golden glow began to emanate from my entire body. It meant that all my stats would be temporarily boosted for the next three minutes.
During these three minutes, I had to hunt as many monsters as possible and use the earned gold to buy items and buff scrolls. I also had to raise my level as much as I could. Depending on the timing and my leeway, I might even enter the enemy Jungle to eat their monsters as well.
"Let’s go."
I rolled my shoulders once and began to roam the Jungle at a speed even faster than before. Even though I was in Diamond tier—far below my original rank—I had no intention of playing half-heartedly.
I felt a bit sorry for the Diamond-tier opponents, but out of respect for them, I would engage in this battle with my full power. As they say, "spare the rod and spoil the child"; this would surely be a good learning experience for my enemies.
Because when it came to Legend Frontier, I was always serious.
02.
"Speed Swordswomaaaan? Bullshit!"
Kim Hyung-jun, a Spearman class player, let out a mocking snort as he checked the information on the enemy Jungler displayed on the small blue hologram in the corner of his vision.
"Crazy bastard. Who plays Speed Swordswoman in Diamond...?"
The enemy Jungler's class was the 'Speed Swordswoman'—the archetype known for roaming the battlefield faster than anyone else.
The Speed Swordswoman. To be precise, it referred to a build among the many Swordsman archetypes that went all-in on exactly one thing: speed.
They invested every single starting stat point into Agility. Their skill tree was packed to the brim with buff-type skills designed to supplement their lacking stats. It was a bizarre, niche build. If a Speed Swordswoman build actually worked out, it displayed overwhelming destructive power, slaughtering enemies in an instant at speeds they couldn't even react to. Sometimes, they even created the spectacle of winning a 1v4 because they simply couldn't be tracked by the naked eye.
However, with great power comes great responsibility. As much as the Speed Swordswoman build possessed immense destructive power and utility, it also came with numerous drawbacks.
...First, the control difficulty wasn't just hard; it was bordering on impossible.
Because the speed was so extreme, it was common for the users themselves to be unable to handle their own momentum. Many would fail to change directions and go flying past their targets, or struggle even to maintain their balance, let alone launch an attack. Even pro-gamers would quit halfway through, claiming they could never adapt and felt motion sickness every time they tried.
The second drawback was that all other stats—especially defense—were disastrously low.
A Speed Swordswoman had the durability of a wet paper towel, falling into a critical state from a single Fire Mage's Fireball or dying instantly to a Bomber's grenade. If they messed up their entry timing, they would melt in an instant without doing a single thing, becoming nothing more than an experience dispenser for the enemy.
Hard to control, and defense thinner than paper.
Due to that staggering difficulty, those trying a Speed Swordswoman for the first time frequently died even to Jungle monsters. It wasn't something that could be solved by practice alone; perhaps the Speed Swordswoman build was a matter of innate talent.
Among the Junglers who stubbornly brought the Speed Swordswoman build, Hyung-jun had never seen a single one who was actually good. If you asked Legend Frontier players which class they hated seeing most as their allied Jungler, they would answer 'Speed Swordswoman' in unison.
[Season 12 Individual Rank #7: Sion Highlights]
...However, the reason "Speed Swordswoman aspirants" continued to be born every now and then was due to a video on the video-sharing site B-Tube featuring a high-tier user.
"The Gale."
Ranked 7th in the Legend Frontier individual rankings, nickname: Sion.
The user known as 'The Gale' was the creator of the Speed Swordswoman build and likely the only person in Legend Frontier who knew how to handle it properly. Her highlight video, about ten minutes long, had nearly a million views on B-Tube.
A silver-haired girl standing over 20 meters away would suddenly close the distance like a sonic boom, piercing the throat of a dealer standing inside a tower before vanishing. She would lightly bypass the tanks guarding the dealer and strike from a blind spot with her sharp rapier.
Her combat style, finding gaps in any situation to secure a kill, made her look like a beautiful dancer. The wind that followed in her wake like an aftershock seemed to explain exactly why she was called 'The Gale.'
An unprecedented combat style and overwhelming skill.
Those who watched the highlight video couldn't hide their admiration, and many joined the fray after copying her build exactly, vowing to become the "second Gale."
But the Speed Swordswoman build wasn't a standard build. It was more like a mutation. Those who challenged it lightly would all give up after a few matches, spitting out curses.
— Dammit, this is unplayable.
Hyung-jun had once been inspired by the Gale and tried the Speed Swordswoman himself. But the result was, predictably, a total failure. His takeaway from the build was: "This isn't a build meant for humans to use."
The difficulty was simply insane. Likely, the only person who could use this build perfectly, now and in the future, was the Gale.
"This is a free win."
...Because Hyung-jun knew these facts all too well, the realization that the enemy Jungler was a Speed Swordswoman was a welcome surprise. Even the Speed Swordswomen he encountered on his main account—in the Grand Master tier—were clumsy as hell; a Speed Swordswoman in Diamond was bound to be utter trash.
Perhaps the player was currently suffering from a self-stun after slamming their head into a tree because they couldn't control their own speed. The probability of a Diamond-tier user—not a ranked pro—meaningfully handling a Speed Swordswoman build converged to zero.
He felt this game might be an even easier victory than expected.
"Hup!"
— Kyah!
Hyung-jun thrust his spear vigorously, slaying a Goblin in the Jungle. A small $ icon appeared in the corner of his vision, indicating he had earned experience and gold.
"Whew..."
He was already Level 4, and his jungle farm was progressing smoothly. The Plain and the Beach frontlines were also gradually falling into his team's favor.
"Maybe I should try counter-jungling."
Hyung-jun contemplated invading the enemy's side to take out the enemy Jungler entirely. He hadn't unlocked his ultimate skill yet, but as a Grand Master on his main, he didn't think he would lose to some Diamond-tier Speed Swordswoman on his alt.
"Alright."
Hyung-jun prepared to head toward the enemy Jungle. With the Plain and Beach at an advantage, killing the enemy Jungler now would surely tip the scales of victory in their favor.
"Let’s go!"
Readjusting his grip on his long spear, Hyung-jun moved toward the opponent’s side. At the thought of enjoying an overwhelming fight, his every step felt exceptionally light.
“…….”
"Huh...?"
...It was then that he ran into a grotesque mannequin whose face was covered by a black mask.
"Ah, shit, you scared me."
Hyung-jun was momentarily startled by the grotesque customization, but seeing the rapier in the mannequin's hand, he recognized it as the enemy Jungler, the Speed Swordswoman.
What? Did she come to counter-jungle?
Hyung-jun tilted his head. Why had the enemy Speed Swordswoman come all the way here? Had she come to steal his Jungle monsters? Or had she simply wandered in by accident while fumbling with her own speed?
Doesn't matter, I guess...
The latter seemed more likely, but the reason didn't matter. He was planning to hunt her down anyway. It was actually a welcome surprise that she had come to him; it saved him the trouble of finding her in the complex Jungle and saved quite a bit of time.
"...You came here on your own, so prepare yourself."
Hyung-jun gripped his spear tightly, preparing to pierce the solar plexus of the Speed Swordswoman named 'BOXY' in a single strike.
The player who takes 'First Blood' is granted bonus experience, gold, and extra points during the MVP evaluation. Hyung-jun vowed to kill this Jungler instantly and make his name echo across the battlefield.
“…….”
The enemy Speed Swordswoman also raised her rapier as if to counter-attack. He couldn't see her expression behind the mask, but Hyung-jun imagined she must be on the verge of tears. There was nothing more frustrating or sad than being forced into a fight where defeat was already certain.
“…….”
“…….”
A brief silence followed just before they clashed weapons. Hyung-jun loved this stillness right before a 1v1 duel. Here, on this Diamond-tier battlefield, he knew he would be the victor of every duel regardless. It was a silence that made him feel like the protagonist.
"Huh...?"
Hyung-jun was already visualizing his overwhelming victory. But then, from his field of vision, the enemy Speed Swordswoman suddenly vanished.
[You have been slain!]
"Huh?"
The next thing he felt was a gust of wind tickling his cheek, and a bright red hologram screen suddenly appearing to announce that he had died.
"Huh...?"
He had only had one brief thought, yet the hologram screen was telling him he was dead.
"Ah...?"
He felt red blood erupting from his neck, and a fierce wind—arriving late like a gale—sent Hyung-jun's clothes fluttering. Just before the pain could manifest more intensely, Hyung-jun's body began to turn into particles of light and disappear into the void.
What? What happened?Wait, I was the one who got killed?Impossible.Suddenly? Is this a bug?
Even as he turned into hologram particles and was teleported to the respawn waiting room, Hyung-jun’s head was filled with nothing but question marks.
[Notification!]
However, after a moment of bewilderment, a new notification screen appearing in his vision delivered a shocking piece of information.
[In the blink of an eye! Time to Kill: 1.06 seconds!]
Boxy → HJ 💀
"Wait...?"
The notification screen, plastered with exclamation marks, confirmed that Hyung-jun—a Grand Master on his main—had handed a kill to a mere Diamond-tier Speed Swordswoman, and had been deleted in exactly 1.06 seconds.
No, wait a damn minute,I died to that Speed Swordswoman?In one second?And it wasn't a bug?
Hyung-jun still couldn't understand the situation. A Speed Swordswoman who secures a kill in one second at the very beginning of the game—was that a creature that could even exist in Diamond? And before that, he hadn't even seen the Speed Swordswoman move. What on earth was going on?
Had he really died to that Speed Swordswoman? Was it not a system error?
The situation made no sense. He couldn't accept it.
However, regardless of the chaos in Hyung-jun’s heart, a very humiliating voice echoed across the Frontier of Boundaries.
[First Blood!]
[HJ has been slain by BOXY!]