100x Odds
What? One hundred times the odds? These fucking bastards… Just how much do they have to look down on me before they spit out numbers like this?
For the sake of my pride if nothing else, I step into the arena with a vow to win no matter what. Beneath the pouring roar of the crowd, I burn with fighting spirit once again and think.
(Maximum bet is one hundred thousand won…)(With 100x odds, Elphy’s share alone is ten million… and if I add my own cut on top…!) Twenty million. Of course, that’s only if I win. But I have a promise with Elphy, so I have to win no matter what.
I turn the arena’s rules over in my mind and check the timer hanging from the ceiling.
(Thirty seconds left… I guess…)
The rules are so simple it’s embarrassing to even call them rules. Just fight and win the moment that timer hits zero. That’s it. So I loosen up my body and wait for the monster I saw from above to appear. But twenty seconds have already passed. Staring at the still-empty arena fills me with a strange sense of unease.
The monster…
Just where the hell does that thing called a Drake come from?
I’d assumed there would be some kind of tunnel once I got down here, but now that I’m on the ground there are no tunnels—just solid round walls in every direction. I can’t even imagine how something the size of what I saw earlier is supposed to show up in a place like this… It’s not going to smash through the wall, is it?
“…”
No way… That can’t be it. I saw it from above earlier… No matter what, that seems a bit much.
I try to deny the image of a red dragon bursting through the wall in my head, but I never dreamed—not even in my wildest imagination—that it would appear in a way that completely defied common sense.
The crowd erupts in fervent cheers for the champion’s entrance, as if every last one of them shares a single heart and mind. I stand there half-dazed, staring blankly at the phenomenon of space itself splitting open before my eyes.
“Rise up!!”
“Rise up!!!”
“Rise up!!!!!!”
“…”
The chants explode in perfect rhythm, like a fight song, swallowing me whole. An overwhelming pressure I’ve never felt before pushes me back step by step.
(Fuck… what the hell is this?)
(No… it comes out like that?)
A sight so horrifying I couldn’t have seen it from the stands. It was pure terror, the kind of fear I had never experienced. I am crushed, overpowered by the sheer presence of the red dragon forcing its way out of the rift.
“5…!”
“4…!!”
“3…!!!”
“…”
A colossal monster with yellow eyes the size of buildings, its body a towering mass of red. The crowd’s merciless countdown races toward zero. My earlier lack of confidence now feels like it’s mocking the arrogant version of me from the past.
Are you going to die?
Can I really beat something the size of a house?
I’m scared. I’m terrified. My breathing shakes. Both hands are already slick with sweat.
Fuck, why is it so big…? Huh? They say you don’t know until you compare sizes, but I think I already know without even trying.
With trembling eyes I stare once more at the overwhelming difference in power, yet I plant both feet firmly on the ground and raise my hands.
(Yeah… I promised Elphy…)
(I’ve come this far, so let’s do this…!!)
In terms of weight class it’s a complete mismatch, but I have a trump card called Future Sight. If I can dodge every attack and only strike at the openings, I might be able to win. So I try to stay calm and scrape together whatever confidence I can, but…
Why… isn’t it saying anything?
“…”
It usually says something by now. The unexpected silence leaves my forehead drenched in cold sweat. I feel my heart hammering wildly and realize with sudden clarity.
(Now that I think about it…)
(I’ve never actually activated it with my own will before, have I?)
“…”
The thought that I’m completely fucked turns my mind pure white. The confidence that had been blazing inside me flips into panic and anxiety, swallowing me whole.
(Fuck… why…)
(Why the hell is it silent at the worst possible moment?)
It was working fine until a few days ago—no, it was fine just moments ago. Why is it quiet now? It always turned on by itself, so this sudden change is genuinely throwing me off… Maybe if I speak to it like I did that time, it’ll answer?
“Hey!!”
“…”
“Hey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“…”
Clutching at straws. Begging for any kind of response. I shout with everything I have, but the thing gives no reply. As if in a trance, I watch the approaching monster and think.
(I’m fucked…)
It’s all over… I need a plan, but my brain… my head has gone completely blank and won’t function anymore. I just stand there stupidly with my mouth open, looking up. The monster swings its tail indifferently, and in that instant the merciless blow lands.
BAAAAAAM…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“…”
My consciousness cuts out for a moment amid the enormous sound. It wasn’t simply the noise of something swinging and slicing through air. It was like a cannon or a missile being fired—an intense explosion that seemed to detonate the very atmosphere. It struck me square on like a red whip, piercing both ears like a spear.
Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing—
A ringing that shakes the soul echoes deafeningly inside my skull. The view that had been level with the ground loses all balance. I collapse powerlessly and roll across the floor.
Did it hit…? Of course it did. I got knocked flying in one hit just like the guy I saw from above…
My head is spinning, I’m completely out of it, and on top of that it feels like my whole body has been beaten black and blue. Feeling that I’m still alive, I grit my teeth and force myself up.
(Goddamn… that really fucking hurt…)
(Surely… nothing’s cracked or broken, right?)
The warped, blurry world slowly rights itself. With a half-crumpled expression I steady my hazy mind and think.
(Fuck… what the hell did I just do?)
(How am I still alive…?)
Even though I experienced it with my entire body, it doesn’t feel real. Even though I’m standing here on my own two feet, it still doesn’t sink in. Beneath the pouring cheers I wear a somewhat dazed expression, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stand there stupidly doing nothing like before.
BAAAAAAM…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“!!!”
The sound of air not just being cut but detonated. The pressure of the wind I felt earlier presses down on me once again. A fast, heavy strike. It had been so quick its shape was barely visible, but this time is different.
“CLANG!!!!!!!!!!”
“Ugh…!!”
A sharp metallic ring of hard objects colliding spreads through my ears. At the same time, crushing pain shoots from my arm all the way to my shoulder. The impact is so violent it feels like my whole body is vibrating, strong enough to make me imagine my arm snapping in two. Yet the arm wrapped in armor is far harder than the pain suggests. At the same time, a familiar voice begins to echo inside my head.
Calibration in progress.
Verifying user’s reaction speed and stats in real combat.
New suggestion. Recommend attempting the new skill Pixel LV.1.
“!!!”
Like a single ray of light. The familiar voice makes my blood boil. With movements far lighter than before, I dodge the attack and shout.
“You son of a bitch!!”
“Why are you only coming back now?! Future Sight… Hurry up and turn Future Sight on…!!!”
…
Impossible.
Please carry out the given instructions.
“What?!!!”
Impossible…? What the hell does that mean? I stand there dumbly for a second at the bolt from the blue. Then a flashing streak of light slashes across the edge of my vision. I instinctively throw my body out of the path of the scorching heat.
“Ugh…!”
Like a laser. Scorching flames erupt from the monster’s maw, piercing everything from the floor to the stands like a lightsaber. I glance at the passing flames and instinctively call out for Elphy, but the dragon’s attack collapses powerlessly the moment it touches an invisible wall protecting the audience seats.
“…What?”
This area is protected by powerful defensive magic.
There is no need to worry.
“…?”
(Protective magic? So no matter what it does, the attacks won’t reach the stands?)
(Good… Then…!)
I refocus with everything I have. I start running to avoid the rapidly approaching tail. Like a manga protagonist, the instant its tail slams into the ground I leap into the air, pour every ounce of strength and body weight into my right arm like punching a strength-testing machine, and swing.
“Hup…!!!”
A short, fierce shout. It was my determination to knock the thing down with everything I had. I strike its belly with all my power. At the same time, an incredible shock and pain surge back through me.
CLAAAAAANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Aargh…!”
It feels like punching concrete with a bare fist. A sharp metallic screech sinks into my ear and right arm. I barely dodge the next tail swing and create distance.
(Damn it…)
(Can I even scratch it by hitting like this…?)
My sure-kill blow fizzling out so pathetically makes my confidence drop through the floor. Regardless, the monster begins spewing flames at me nonstop. Every time I dodge the sweeping fire I only get farther away.
(Shit… I need to close the distance…)
(I need to get in close or I have no chance…!!)
I have to stick right next to it so neither its tail nor its flames can reach me. But the clever angles formed by tail and fire, those deadly lines, its sharp aim strikes my torso once again. Just like before, I fly helplessly and slam into the ground.
“Cough…!!!”
I roll across the floor like an empty can, feeling my entire body breaking. The pain that flares with every breath and the blood filling my mouth tell me the match has tilted heavily in its favor.
(Goddamn it…)
(Can I even win this? Is there no draw?)
I promised Elphy I’d win without taking a single hit, yet my whole body is already a bloody rag. I can barely control my breathing, but I force myself upright and try to dodge its attacks. My stamina and willpower no longer obey me.
“Huk… huk… huk…”
My movements grow slower and slower. I hang my head inside the hazy cloud of dust, gasping harshly. It’s exhausting. I’m dizzy. But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up. It was simply that something on the floor I hadn’t noticed before had drawn my gaze downward. It was like a single ray of light. It awakens my exhausted mind and sends an electric jolt through my body, forcing my feet to move again.
(What is that…)
(A scale? Did it fall off from my attack earlier?)
I can win… If I pull myself together right now, I can win…!!! Blood and adrenaline begin to boil once more. Feeling stabbing pain in my side with every breath and hearing the explosive rush of air, I charge toward the monster.
Of course it isn’t easy. It resists fiercely with tail and flame. If things continue like this I’ll only be pushed farther away. But if I break through head-on…!
“Grrrrrrrrk…!!!!!!”
Using both arms as a shield, I charge straight into the flames it spews. The heat is far hotter than I expected; my eyes close on their own and it feels like my face and arms are burning in an instant. But that’s all. This level of firepower can’t bring me down. I burst through the pillar of fire, leap high, and throw my fist with everything I have…!!!
“!!!!”
I was going to land a clean hit, but I never expected it to attack with its foreleg here. In the unexpected situation I barely manage to block its claws, but it’s already too late to dodge the fiercely approaching tail.
BAAAAAAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“…”
The intense sound pierces my ears again. With a strange sensation as if time is slowing down, I watch the tail coming toward me.
(Ah… goddamn it…)
(If I get hit by that… will I even be able to stand up again?)
If only I had thought and moved just a little sooner. If only I could have used some kind of defensive magic… As if in a trance I imagine a small wall blocking the attack, but right now gritting my teeth is probably better. Yes, that was the plan. But… why… why is this happening?
CLAAAAAANG!!!!
“?!!”
The sound of something hard shattering something hard rings out. I, having been knocked down, stagger to my feet with a bewildered expression.
(What is this?)
(Just where did this black plate come from?)
A small, thin rectangular wall—no, a single plate. It had severed the trajectory of the swinging tail. The monster lets out a pained scream and shakes off its thick scales like shaking off frost. It’s bewildering. But the guidance voice in my head speaks to me as if nothing unusual has happened.
Pixel LV.1 Usage Quest Completed (1/1)
We hope you make good use of your new skill.