Outside the Beginner Village (2)

PvP is impossible inside the Beginner Village. So if they want to start something, they have to come out here first.

Ting— She flicks the sword in its scabbard with her finger.

Hoo— Feeling her body lighten from the skill activation, she grips the slightly drawn blade, lowers her upper body slightly, and assumes her stance.

The key to Iaidō is speed and timing. She focuses all her nerves on those two things.

Now.

The moment she charges at Chaerin, Chaerin raises her arms.

"It's over! I'm fucked!!!"

Ishina-ryu, Battōken.

Slash— Chaerin's foul blood sprays up like a fountain.

Chaerin's health bar drops by a quarter in an instant, and almost simultaneously—clang! Sparks fly near Chaerin's neck, the sound of metal clashing against metal.

"Kuh!"

"Neeek!! …Huh? Hiiik!!"

Thud! One of Chaerinji's arms hits the ground.

Oh right. She should've told him to stay still.

"Wha, huh? Wha? Huh?"

"This one's not critting."

Somehow, the crits she wasn't even aiming for only landed on Chaerin. Exactly fifty-fifty, just like it said.

"H-how…"

A panicked male voice echoes in the air, and with it, a black silhouette slowly reveals itself.

Black hair tied back, red eyes, an unnatural face. The nickname: GoblinEater.

This guy's the one? The guy from that wanted poster. Probably been harassing newbies like this from the start.

But how? Because I'm a beastkin, duh? Can't you tell at a glance? These ears… Oh right, right now they're human ears. Guess he picked the wrong opponent.

Flick— Without even glancing at the assassin, she shakes the blood off her blade.

A beastkin with heightened senses is poison to assassins. Even one can ruin everything. Even a veteran assassin who perfectly hides their appearance, sound, and scent—beastkin sniff them out like ghosts. It's that inexplicable animal instinct.

But this guy just half-assed the invisibility. His footsteps were sloppy too—tiptoeing on his heels like an amateur.

"He really underestimated me, huh."

Even a third-rate martial artist would've noticed that. It was that crude, and the fact annoyed her a bit.

Shing— She sheathes the sword again and straightens her stance.

Level 51. The stat difference between them is probably like heaven and earth.

Still, 'I don't like him.' She just couldn't stand cowards like this.

"Fuck! You're no newbie, are you?"

…As expected? What, does he know me?

"…I think he's probably your sniper."

Chaerin, who had been dazed, snaps out of it and speaks up.

Aha, that explains it. How else would he know to wait right when we stepped out?

One skill's cooldown ends, and another's begins right away. She could wait it out, but that might let him strike first. Especially since he's an assassin class—probably faster than her.

So.

'Strike first.'

Ishina-ryu

"Battōken!"

——!

Her silhouette shoots forward with the sound of wind.

Clang! His short dagger clashes with her katana.

And at the same time, her body is pushed back.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

'Blocked.' She attacked first, but got repelled—that means the stat gap is huge.

Blood trickles slightly.

But rat-tat-tat-tat—

"Fuck..!"

Looks like he didn't block properly.

"…."

"…."

Her technique is superior, but his raw stats are way higher.

'Looks like a fair fight.'

——!

This time, both silhouettes launch simultaneously.

Their blades clash and halt right in front of each other's eyes.

Just before being repelled again, five thrusts rain down on her.

She blocks all five while being pushed back.

Ishina-ryu, Cherry Blossom Drift.

"What the…?"

His face goes blank in confusion. That was clearly beyond his level.

"A skill, huh?"

She lets herself be pushed back without resisting, raising her blade diagonally upward, then rotating her shoulder, torso, hips, and legs in sequence.

She commits to the spin, leaning diagonally in midair.

And swings her sword from below upward.

Clang! The clear ring of metal echoes once more.

“Keurgh…!”

Two slashes he couldn't even see slice through his left shoulder and leg.

One knee hits the ground.

Ishina-ryu, Phantom Blade Double Strike.

“Fuck…! Why won't it move…!”

She'd precisely targeted the tendons. He probably won't move for a while.

But no time ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to let her guard down. Assassins always hide something dirty up their sleeve.

The moment she tenses up, his figure vanishes.

And then—

"…You're hacking, huh?"

Such words reach her ears.

What the hell is he talking about?

******

Something's off.

'This isn't right.'

From the moment his first ambush was blocked, something felt wrong.

'How did she know…!'

"Fuck! You're no newbie either!"

Invisibility was definitely active. He'd approached carefully without a sound.

Chaerin hadn't even noticed until the blade was at her neck.

'But how did you…!!'

The woman with Iaidō above her head assumes her stance.

Her silhouette shoots forward in an instant.

With the combat guide's help, he counters.

Clang! Sparks fly, and his health drops simultaneously.

'Kugh..! As expected..!'

No way this is a fresh-out-of-Beginner-Village newbie's skill.

'Did a crit land too?'

Possible. Samurai get critical chance bonuses based on proficiency.

'But even so, just once or twice.'

No matter how veteran she is, those stats have limits.

'Next clash, then!'

——!

This time, he won't just block—he swings his dagger.

The blades clash head-on.

Clang—! A parry spark signals it.

'Again!?'

Just like when he went for Chaerin's neck.

Iaidō is pushed back, but her balance doesn't falter.

'Skill, Shadow Thrust!'

He scatters five daggers at the woman, all hurtling toward vital points.

But they all drop with parry effects.

He barely blocks the follow-up spinning attack by raising his arm.

Clang-!

'Blocked, keugh!'

A thrust he couldn't track tears through his shoulder and leg.

Thud— One leg hits the ground.

“Fuck…! Why won't it move…!”

Grasping his leg on the dirt, thoughts race through his mind.

'Newbie?? That's a newbie? No way.'

'Then a crazy veteran who reset their account?'

'Or a high-rank awakener?'

'Or… or…'

'…Ah.'

In that instant, he realizes the answer to the doubt he'd felt from the start.

'Yeah, that makes sense. It never added up anyway.'

From the moment she claimed it was her first time in VR, he'd suspected she was lying.

'If it's really her first time, what's with that pro-level play?'

Thinking it was a solo game, none of it made sense.

So what else? She's just like him—a basement-dweller sniping a female streamer.

But even so, something still didn't add up about their swordfight.

'Did a veteran reset their account?'

If so, how obsessed with sniping is she?

That's what he'd thought.

But now, that flips completely, replaced by a new possibility.

She really was a newbie.

Just one who turned on hacks now.

The thought hits, and he activates stealth and his ultimate while speaking.

"…You're hacking, huh?"

'Pretend newbie, then turn on hacks when the chance comes?'

Save Chaerin with hacks at the clutch moment, get praise, upload to MeTube, play the genius.

'But you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠used it too obviously.'

Who parries five times in a row? Even A-rank awakeners say they can't chain more than three. And you do five? What, you an S-rank?

Hacks need subtlety to go unnoticed.

"…?"

Iaidō furrows her brow, glaring like she's denying it with a 'What bullshit is this?'

But that's over now.

He activates Haste, Swift Steps, and three other speed-boost skills.

'Try parrying this.'

Then she can't deny it anymore. You're caught red-handed.

******

What an idiot.

She'd been in this world less than a day.

And hacks? Her? What even is that? How do you do it?

As she panics, his figure vanishes.

Footsteps fade, and soon his scent too.

In that instant, her instincts blare a warning.

Vicious killing intent crawls from her fingers up her nape.

This one's definitely dangerous.

“Hoo…”

She exhales, relaxes her stance, and spreads her legs wide.

What to do.

She shuts down all senses except one, sharpening it to the extreme.

The chosen sense: touch.

She feels the air's movement and the thick killing intent.

And beyond it, his form takes shape.

Hand. Foot. Arms and legs. Torso.

And.

“Head.”

“Keurgh…!”

Her sword halves his head.

Naturally, a critical.

Meanwhile, his dagger misses her side by a hair.

The dagger's blade loses momentum.

The skill cancels on the caster's death.

“As expected…!”

"Must suck."

Half-opening her eyes, she glances at him.

His silhouette dissolves into white particles from the head down.

And from those particles, his mouth mutters a final curse:

“Fuck you, hacker…”

Before vanishing completely.

I'm really not.