Second Preliminary Round (3)

As my vision cleared, I spotted the warrior at the far end of the corridor.

A woman clad in white silk robes and light armor. She gripped a spear shaft as tall as herself in one hand, its downward-pointing blade gleaming silver. The white aura slowly rising around her carried unmistakable hostility.

There was no need for words between us. As if by prior agreement, we both broke into a run and closed the distance. In this Duelist's Corridor, after all, there was nowhere to hide and nothing that might obstruct a weapon's swing.

Then the crescent blade of her polearm left the first question.

Are you an opponent worthy of standing before me?

That boldly sweeping spear blade surely carried such ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a doubt.

Good momentum. Sharp, too.

But not fast. If I let that white attack hit me, my health bar would be shredded for sure. I lightly sidestepped and stomped down on the warrior's spear shaft from above. With that, her weapon was sealed for the moment. My strength wouldn't hold it long, but that was fine—because even in this fleeting gap, I could still swing a dagger.

Going straight for the neck would be greedy. I tried to rake her forearm, but she ducked and it missed. I decided to be satisfied with seizing the positional advantage.

Right. It'd be a problem if a promising rookie couldn't even dodge that much. She was on a team with Luce, after all.

Next, the spear shaft under my foot began to heave—she was trying to pull it free. She seemed to think she needed to recover her weapon first before anything else. Not a bad judgment. Obviously, a warrior's strength stat far exceeded an assassin's. If she lifted it with that kind of determination, I had no choice but to let go.

But there was one thing most people overlooked…

People never really know exactly how strong they are.

"What the—?!"

I willingly released the spear shaft as it surged upward, and instead hooked my legs over it, climbing right on top. I folded my legs inward to lock myself in place. The moment my stance settled, my body shot upward at tremendous speed. Riding her own strength, I slashed my dagger across the nape of her neck.

Shhhhk—!

Crimson blood sprayed as I landed the first solid hit.

Characters in Infinity Black were superhumans who far surpassed the biological limits of ordinary humans. A small, skinny girl's body like mine could be lifted with one hand. In reality, no matter how hard I pushed with my legs, I couldn't generate force beyond my own body weight—but in this world, it was a different story. When she put her full strength into it, a counterweight of my size was no obstacle at all. My opponent was a monster who could casually move dozens of kilograms. With the right approach, even climbing onto a weapon like this was possible.

"First time getting hit with something like this?"

Ah, that was a flustered face. An expression thick with emotion. A smile naturally bloomed on my face as well. Of course, I had no intention of ending it with just that.

We were close enough for fists to connect. But I held the slightly higher position. The warrior hurriedly tried to shake me off, but it was already too late.

"You underestimated me too much."

"Ugh…!"

As I leapt off the spear, I landed a hit to her side. With the other dagger, I stabbed her instep and sprang upward. The moment I jumped as if skipping rope, the spear shaft swept past beneath my feet.

For all intents and purposes, this match was over.

I gifted a dagger into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her shoulder blade and clung to the warrior's lower back. In ultra-close combat like this, a weapon like a spear was nothing but a hindrance. Having taken her back, I was essentially in a mounted position. She put up some resistance of her own… but the situation had already tilted far too heavily. My daggers stabbed wildly into her stomach, and the moment my hand dropped lower, I slit her throat to finish it.

In the end, the warrior's body crumbled. The match had been decided faster than I'd expected.

Before the second match began, the first thing I always did was review the previous one. What did my opponent think was the reason for her loss? And what solution would she bring next?

The turning point of the fight was crystal clear. It was that first big attack she'd thrown to test my skill. Losing control of her weapon there was what started the uphill battle. If she'd used the long reach of her spear from the start, things might have been different.

You probably reached the same conclusion, didn't you? An attack that won't land doesn't need to be powerful anyway. So lighten the body a bit and rebuild around counters and distance control.

But if you really think that way, you're going to regret it. Long-range weapons aren't exclusive to you, you know. You've never tasted this in the pro league, have you?

Meanwhile, the two streamers who had turned on their broadcast were also heating up. Elderin, in particular, showed unexpected talent. Sulbbang had always been a streamer with a certain recognized skill, but Elderin hadn't been. The hard studying she'd put in since the moment the cast was decided was bearing fruit.

"It's the Great Forest of Fairy Trees! Generally considered an assassin-favored battlefield—what do you think, Sulbbang?"

"That's generally correct. The Fairy Trees' cover and concealment, plus the elevation differences in the branches, have long been the exclusive domain of assassin-class players. Especially Ga-wol—needless to say. I've been on the receiving end enough times to know."

"Ahaha! So does that mean Camellia is at a disadvantage this match?"

"Not necessarily. Last round both of them closed into ultra-melee so there wasn't much room for skills, but this time should be different."

Sulbbang launched into a lengthy explanation. The age-old weakness of warrior-class characters was a special resource called Stamina. Without proper defense or counters to recover it, they faced a severe restriction that kept them from using skills properly. But in the mana-rich Great Forest of Fairy Trees, stamina recovery received a significant boost. Camellia had brought a build focused on counters and utility. The same kind of ultra-close brawl from before wouldn't happen. If Ga-wol charged in carelessly, it would be like sticking her head into a lion's mouth.

The moment she said that, Sulbbang let out a hollow laugh. The two players had just come into view.

"Ha. I half-expected it, but she's actually using it. Can you see? She's brought a Chain-Sickle against a second-string Pro Player."

"Whoa…! Anyone who's played assassin like me will know—the Chain-Sickle is an incredibly finicky weapon. Its practicality has always been controversial, and now it's finally on the testing ground."

"It's not the first time the Chain-Sickle has appeared. It shows up occasionally in the Japanese league, but usually as a support role. Ga-wol's build this time, though… no matter how you look at it, the Chain-Sickle is the main weapon."

In Korea, only Ga-wol used this weapon. That was why its practicality had always been so heavily doubted. Meanwhile, assassin players had been clamoring for her to release some play footage already. The moment word of this spread, the viewer count exploded, of course.

The chat was scrolling too fast to read under normal circumstances. The only way to gauge the mood was to freeze the scroll for a moment. Cold sweat beaded on Sulbbang's forehead as she cast. She'd expected it to make some waves. She hadn't expected this much. Things were getting way too big—but once water was spilled, there was no scooping it back up.

"Both players are closing the distance. As expected, Ga-wol, who took the high ground, spotted her opponent first."

On battlefields where you couldn't immediately confirm the enemy the way you could in the Duelist's Corridor, the privilege of spotting and striking first usually belonged to assassin-class characters. And among all players, Ga-wol was the assassin who had executed the most ambushes. While pro gamers devoted their time to combat itself, Ga-wol had dedicated herself solely to the art of killing her opponents.

The Chain-Sickle that plunged down through the Fairy Trees made no sound at all. So when Ga-wol's ambush failed, it wasn't a matter of incomplete execution. Camellia had simply acknowledged her enemy—along with a boiling competitive fire.

The system message rang out, and Camellia spun around. The spear blade rising from below collided with the Chain-Sickle in a clear, ringing note. Golden energy gathered at the spear tip, and the warrior's weapon carved a crescent moon. The wind it unleashed sheared through the Fairy Tree branches. The assassin moved to another branch, but the warrior's assault did not stop. Wherever she moved, the qi blades followed—as if determined to cut down every branch she crossed to.

"This is definitely different, Camellia!"

"Camellia's counters were considered another level even in the second division. That rookie-specific reaction speed, the tenacity that never lets an opportunity slip—this match is not going to be easy."