What the Hell Just Happened?

In martial arts novels, there are terms used to classify different styles of swordsmanship.

The Swift Sword, which focuses purely on speed.

The Tyrant Sword, which overwhelms with relentless attacks.

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Heavy Sword, which slowly but surely dominates the enemy's space.

While these terms were hard to apply to real-world combat sports, things were a bit different in Infinity Realm.

After all, these expressions were originally created to describe imaginary forces.

Now that what was once mere imagination had been realized in reality through the medium of a game, there was no reason for those terms to remain purely fictional.

In an environment where not only individual combat styles but also the very nature of power differed, these martial arts terms were perfect for defining complex playstyles in a single word.

And my impression after clashing with Havoc for the first time was—

Heavy.

The moment I blocked his massive hammer head-on, a heavy shockwave erupted, accompanied by a gust of wind.

The shaft of my axe vibrated as if screaming, leaving a stinging numbness in my fingertips.

Intense shockwaves continued to batter my body.

I planted both feet firmly to keep from being blown away by the wind pressure.

Gritting my teeth, I braced for the next attack.

Though he wielded a hammer, Havoc was the very definition of the Heavy Sword.

He dominated the space with wide, sweeping attacks from the flanks.

His slow but devastating strikes forced a constant 50-50 choice, and he kept advancing, pressing down on me.

Escaping to the side or backing away was out of the question.

This was usually what I did to others.

Experiencing it from the receiving end was incredibly annoying.

Moreover, the longer this exchange continued, the worse off I would be.

While Havoc had sacrificed speed, I had sacrificed defense.

Thanks to that, I could seize the initiative, but the shockwaves were slowly eating away at my health.

Even now, the accumulated damage was steadily mounting.

For me, "Strength" was an area where I held the upper hand against almost every opponent.

It meant that whenever I lacked skill in close combat, I solved most of my problems through sheer force.

But that reliable pillar of support didn't work against Havoc.

The Destroyer's colossal hammer head alone was as tall as I was.

Simply holding my ground against that massive mass weapon was a miracle in itself.

My current strength was slightly inferior to Havoc's.

Every time our attacks clashed, my body was naturally pushed back.

My axe, which had always driven enemies away, now refused to obey, as if writhing in pain.

The only reason I was even holding my own was due to meticulous preparation.

Left leg forward. Center of gravity low-mid. Stance duration under 0.45 seconds. The skill I can use to swing within that window is...!

I reverse-engineered Havoc's posture, his center of gravity, and the duration of his stance.

The simultaneously activated skills canceled each other out with a violent clash.

While the shockwave inevitably chipped away at my health, I had managed to maintain the initiative.

I would be the one to dictate the flow of the next exchange.

I am weak at mind games.

In fact, they are practically impossible for me.

For someone who struggles to even communicate with others, reading an opponent's intentions was far too difficult.

But I didn't just give up.

I had my own domain that could replace mind games.

Calculation.

If it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could be expressed in numbers and logic, I was confident.

My knowledge of the system, the computational ability to apply it in real-time, and my innate sense of rhythm to measure time—these were my weapons.

My time advantage so far is 2.17 seconds. Just a little more, and...

Faster than before, I swung my axe as if to cleave my opponent's torso.

For Havoc, there was no downside to continuing this exchange.

So he readily accepted the attack, recovered his stance, and resumed the fight.

Meanwhile, my movements were slightly faster than Havoc's.

Thus, with every clash, I gained a fraction of a second.

I continuously measured this accumulated time.

The moment was drawing near.

Should I step in a bit deeper beforehand?

There was no need to be intimidated by his fearsome appearance.

The system does not lie.

Right now, I was clashing a bladed axe against a mass weapon.

In reality, the blade would have chipped long ago, but the system's indestructible ruling protected my axe.

No matter how powerful he looked, as long as this was a game, the system was absolute.

Getting hit by that hammer would hurt, but it wouldn't kill me in one shot.

If I could force a close-quarters brawl, I would be the one laughing.

I had seen it once before.

Bruisers were surprisingly weak in extreme close-quarters combat.

This was especially true for classes that relied heavily on the power of their weapons.

I knew a player who had defeated Havoc using an absurd tactic.

Close combat, where you fight within the reach of each other's weapons.

And extreme close-quarters combat, where you fight so close that even weapons are hard to use.

The two seemed similar at first glance, but they unfolded in completely different ways.

In close combat, the difference in reach due to physical size is absolute.

But does that hold true when you're close enough to touch hands?

Long limbs actually make it harder to exert force at point-blank range.

Especially in Infinity Realm, where a player's physical build does not correlate with their strength.

A tiny girl like me could engage in a test of strength with a muscular man like him.

If so, completely flipping the matchup was not impossible.

After a couple more exchanges.

The "time advantage" I held finally surpassed the target of 2.4 seconds.

There was no need to hesitate.

I trusted my sense of rhythm.

I pulled my axe far back into a wind-up stance.

Havoc noticed immediately and launched a counterattack, but... it was already too late.

This was the time I had earned by slowly breaking down his posture.

The slow Destroyer could never squeeze an attack within this 2.4-second window.

I had fought this entire match just to secure this brief moment.

By a hair's breadth, my attack struck Havoc first.

The important thing was that his body faltered.

I did not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠waste this brief moment of stagger.

He was a better gamer than me.

If the situation reverted to standard close combat, I would ultimately lose.

Therefore, I had to risk everything right now, in this very moment, to end the fight.

I decided to use everything I had been saving.

My signature skill, and even my weapon!

My large battleaxe was, in the end, an axe.

And the most prominent feature of an axe was that it was easy to incorporate curves or notches into the blade.

I hooked my axe onto the shaft of his hammer and held on.

Normally, a test of strength would ensue to gain control of the weapons.

This was a tactic used when the axe wielder was confident in their strength.

By locking the enemy's weapon, they earned the right to the next strike.

But why would I do that?

I would obviously lose.

What I wanted was the very situation of our weapons being locked together.

The moment Havoc engaged in the test of strength, I let go of my weapon without a shred of regret.

Instead, I slipped under Havoc's armpit, targeting the spot I had already eyed.

I don't care what happens next...!

From here on, it was no longer a matter of calculation.

I was simply fighting in a way that gave me a slight edge.

And with my axe gone, there was only one way left for me to fight.

A brutal, close-quarters fistfight that wouldn't end until one of us was dead!

Leaping into the air, I slammed my fist right into Havoc's cheek.

Thwack!

The tiny fist delivered a blow that was anything but light.

Havoc, who had remained stoic throughout, showed bewilderment for the first time.

His eyes widened, his face practically screaming:

What the hell? What did she just do to me?

His bewilderment didn't stop there.

Yu Nabi was throwing punches repeatedly, as if her life depended on it.

By the time the third punch turned into a fourth, Havoc realized this absurd situation was actually working.

The rate at which his health was dropping was impossible to ignore.

Furthermore, her physical capabilities were barely inferior to his.

He couldn't shake her off with one hand, and he couldn't possibly attack her with the weapon in his grasp.

The massive difference in their sizes made it impossible for him to exert his strength properly.

Disadvantaged by his own large frame.

How many times had he experienced this while playing this game?

It felt like being mauled by a relentless beast.

In ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the end, he was left with only one choice.

To discard his weapon and engage in the fistfight.

The Berserker's Frenzy was a buff that increased damage and granted lifesteal.

The Destroyer's Endure Pain was a buff that reduced incoming damage.

While they seemed balanced on paper, the matchup was terrible right now.

A Destroyer's damage was based on the mass of their hammer.

Pushing back Yu Nabi, who had invested everything into strength and attack power, was largely thanks to his weapon.

But now that both were disarmed, Havoc had lost far more than Yu Nabi.

The man and the girl traded punches to the face.

The giant's punches were fearsome in their own right, but Yu Nabi's fists were shrouded in a crimson aura.

Frenzy converted a portion of the damage dealt back into health.

Every time her hands battered Havoc, her health bar filled up slightly.

At some point, Yu Nabi's health surpassed Havoc's.

Before long, the sickening sound of impact ceased.