The Villainess Dismembers the Paladin

Blood droplets from the game splattered across my face. Even though it was just a game, the depiction of blood was strikingly realistic. Maybe it was because I'd completed the adult verification during registration. Without thinking, I licked my lips, and the metallic taste of iron ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spread across my tongue.

"Kgh, ugh... Where the hell..."

The man grimaced as he gripped his greatsword. Even after I'd sliced deep into his back, he hadn't gone down. I'd meant to drop him in a single blow. It was probably because his stats were higher than mine. The man before me had arrived at the boss room later than I had, so he'd likely fought his way through the mobs to get here. That meant there was a gap in our growth.

And one more thing.

"You must be a Paladin."

I spoke in a gentle voice, but the man showed no particular reaction. The Paladin was the signature character of the Labyrinthos series. In the previous games, he'd basically been the protagonist, and it looked like he'd taken on that role in this new one as well. As for me—Lora Iris—I was the villainess known as the "Haughty Villainess." Being the antagonist, I'd naturally clashed quite a bit with the protagonist's party. That was why I knew the Paladin so well. Just how many times had I faced him over those ten years?

"Hup!"

The man dressed as a Paladin exhaled sharply and swung his greatsword. The sword path was crude compared to the "original Paladin." Since he'd been matched with a newbie like me, the opposing player probably wasn't that skilled.

Still, I can't afford to get hit.

The Paladin I remembered was a brute who relied on raw power. He was the kind of guy who could drop a dragon with one overhead smash. This version was probably the same. With no armor on, taking that sword head-on would turn me into paste. That's why fights against a Paladin always came down to one thing: how to dodge his blade.

I lowered my stance and charged forward.

"Huh?"

The Paladin looked startled when I advanced instead of retreating. A greatsword was inherently large, long, and heavy. Land a hit and the destructive power was enormous, but the risk of missing was equally huge. Distance. I'd slipped past his swing by a hair's breadth and closed the gap considerably.

Now, how would he respond? From the Paladin's perspective, this had to be incredibly difficult to deal with. He'd just swung that heavy weapon, so swinging it again right away wouldn't be easy. Besides, a greatsword was never meant for close-quarters combat. It was a weapon designed to dominate from range. Once you gave up that distance, it was nothing more than a fancy paperweight.

So the Paladin had no choice but to try something else. He lifted his right leg for a kick.

What flew away wasn't the kick—it was the Paladin's foot. My sword had already severed his ankle. The kick had been far too predictable. Once I'd closed the distance, his options were limited: shoulder charge, backstep, or kick. Of those, a kick was the most likely. With both hands locked onto that greatsword, using his arms would be difficult, so his thought process had probably been to try and handle it with his legs.

Must be a beginner.

He clearly lacked combat experience. That was why his thinking had been so easy to read. Still, I wasn't about to let my guard down. Even with one foot gone, the Paladin could still end me in a single hit. After all, I wasn't wearing any armor. If he managed to land that greatsword, I was dead.

And sure enough, the Paladin hadn't given up. I could see it in his eyes—the sheer determination to land at least one solid blow. That was why I backed off. If I kept pressing, I'd probably win, but there was still that 1% chance I could lose. If I wanted a perfect victory, creating distance again was the right move.

With one leg destroyed, the Paladin had already lost his mobility. He was essentially a sitting duck now. I circled around behind him and targeted his exposed back.

"Goddamn it! What a shitty game!"

Oh my, such lovely praise. Looked like my opponent had quite the temper. Without a foot, turning was difficult. In other words, he had no means of defending his back. I took his arm as well.

I could have gone for the neck, but since he'd done some farming before reaching the boss room, his stats were still higher than mine. Considering the possibility he might survive a single hit, I'd deliberately gone for the weapon first. Now the opponent had lost not only his mobility but his means of attack as well.

All the Paladin had left... was maybe his teeth. If he could sink them into my neck, sure, he might still win. Naturally, I had no intention of closing the distance. I tossed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠aside my one-handed sword and picked up the fallen greatsword—the one that had belonged to the Paladin.

"Can't even call this a fight when you're such a beginner."

Muttering to myself, I brought the greatsword down on the Paladin.

"...What the hell is that?"

Leon, who had been watching, swallowed hard without realizing it. He knew Lora was good at games, but he'd always assumed that only applied to PC games. It made sense—the required skill sets were completely different. PC games were controlled with just a mouse and keyboard. VR ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠games, on the other hand, used your entire body.

Of course, what was moving in there wasn't Lora's actual physical body. It was just a convincingly made avatar. That was why even people with zero athletic ability could move decently in VR—the game system provided all sorts of assistance and corrections.

Even so, being good at VR fundamentally required an understanding of the human body. How to swing a fist more effectively. How to swing a sword more effectively. Those kinds of realizations couldn't be gained just by running simulations in your head. You had to move your own body and experience it firsthand.

So even if someone stood out in PC games, becoming an overlord in VR overnight was no easy feat.

But what exactly is that woman...?

Leon reflected on the past three years of living together. If he had to describe her, she was definitely on the lazy side. She'd pushed all the housework onto him, slept in late claiming that noble ladies didn't wake up early, had no job so she lounged around the house all day, spent nearly every waking hour shut up in her room playing PC games, and insisted on holding tea parties several times a week to feel satisfied. She didn't even go to the gym.

Yet she never gained weight and somehow maintained a perfect figure.

...He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was genuinely envious.

That was why Leon had assumed she wouldn't be any good at using her body. That she couldn't possibly excel at combat that required actual physical movement.

...Or so he'd thought.

Even if the opponent had been a beginner, Lora's movements were on par with a seasoned veteran.

"......"

She had the feel for it. Of course, compared to Lora, Leon's own gaming skills were nothing special. So he wasn't in any position to comment on her ability, nor had he intended to. It was just... a strange spark.

Leon felt as if he were standing at a crossroads of fate.

And right on cue—

Leon picked up the ringing phone.

"Hello."

[Leon, sorry for calling so late.]

"It's fine. I'm in the industry too, after all."

People in this line of work tended to have late starts and even later nights. It wasn't uncommon for some to go to bed at six in the morning. Compared to them, Leon lived a relatively regular life, but it seemed the CEO was still working even at this hour.

[I heard you want to quit.]

"...Yes."

[Why?]

"Because I realized I don't have any talent."

As he spoke, Leon unconsciously glanced at the monitor. On screen, Lora was already queuing for her next match.

[Talent, huh. Leon, I don't believe talent is everything in this industry. Even without talent, if you just endure, things have a way of working out. Like your seniors.]

"In my opinion, the ability to endure is a kind of talent."

[That's not wrong. ...Are you really set on quitting? The fans will be very disappointed.]

"Fans..."

Leon's voice trembled without him realizing it. Just hearing the word "fans" made his throat tighten. He felt like he'd become a criminal in an instant. It was as if a weight had been hung from his chin, forcing his head to drop. Being loved was undoubtedly a blessing, but sometimes it was a curse. Only those who deserved to be loved could bear that curse. Or perhaps only those with ironclad talent.

After running a few more Single Combat matches, I started to get a feel for it. There were three main strategies worth using in Single Combat: farm to get stronger, ignore everything and take down the boss, or just go straight for the other player and kill them.

Of course, depending on the character, new strategies might emerge, certain advantages could be strengthened, or weaknesses could be reduced. I liked it quite a bit. It wasn't just a pure physical clash—it was a game that forced you to use your head to some degree. That made the satisfaction of winning through brainpower feel especially sweet.

"If one-on-one matches are already this good, the six-on-six battles must be on a whole other level."

From what I'd heard, Labyrinthos's main content was the 6v6 Gate Attack Mode. I definitely wanted to try that out too.

I won too easily and didn't even get to use any skills.

Maybe it was because I was still a newbie. My rating was so low that I could win using basic attacks alone. As a result, I still hadn't properly grasped the character's capabilities.

Of course, I had the "ten years" of experience living as Lora Iris. So I already had a rough idea of what playstyle each character favored. But I couldn't blindly trust those ten years. With a new game, some characters' performance was bound to have changed. If I didn't account for those differences, I'd regret it later.

Especially in 6v6 battles, coordination with your team was crucial. That meant I needed to learn what skills each character possessed.

"I should force myself to use skills next time."

I also needed to pay close attention to what skills my opponents were using. It was a shame that I hadn't seen a single one of the Paladin's skills in that first match. With that thought in mind, I queued up again, completely unaware of what was happening outside the game.