Labellehar’s Colosseum Showdown
“This is Heretic’s defense party, and I’m about to show you how I break it.”
When I came to my senses, Elodie and I had been happily talking about Galaxy Train for nearly three hours.
It was insanely fun just being able to gush about this stuff to a girl without holding anything back, but Elodie’s reactions were so good that talking to her was a joy all on its own.
And I, who really should have known better, had somehow brought Elodie over to my computer.
...I couldn’t resist bragging about my account.
No, but how was I supposed to resist? How could I not show off an account with two Full Limit Break and Full Materials characters and a clan battle first-place finish?!
“Um... Elodie unni, I just thought of something and wanted to ask. Do you happen to use any kind of community board or forum?”
“I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never used one.”
Yesss! So that meant she didn’t know about the weird things I’d been doing on the Galaxy Train gallery or in internet broadcasts, right?
“Oh my, Lady Seah’s Celine has quite a different look, doesn’t it?”
“That’s because of a skin I got for taking first place in clan battle. What do you think? Cute, right?”
“The usual outfit is lovely as well, but the golden bunny-girl costume suits you remarkably well. It has a very clear sensual appeal—I’m sure men would adore it.”
Heh. Yeah. Honestly, when I looked at it as a guy, it felt a little tacky and yet absurdly sexy at the same time.
“R-Really? You think so too, Elodie unni? Look here, here—see this little fold around the crotch? The modeling there is so detailed, isn’t it incredibly naughty?”
“Oh my, they even made something that embarrassing... Heh. The way the Y-zone stands out so much is certainly indecent, but sexy appeal is supposed to be like that, isn’t it?”
Who would’ve thought I’d ever be having this kind of perverted conversation with a girl?
Hah... but getting validated instead of shut down felt kind of creepy in a way, and yet incredibly good.
“So how did you do in clan battle, Elodie unni?”
“My characters are all on the low side in level, so I never joined a clan.”
“Uh... how low are we talking?”
“The Meiling I’ve worked so hard to raise is probably around level 70, I’d say?”
Oh... I see? So a normal player wasn’t even at max level yet.
Come to think of it, maybe I was the weird one for dumping paid currency into the game twenty or thirty times a day and forcing every character I decided to raise all the way to max level.
...Ah, why is my face suddenly burning?
“What does the writing in this hallway say?”
Congratulations on taking first place in clan battle! ‘Hawawa Middle School Girl!’
Hero of clan battle first place! ‘Labellehar’
“Eek... th-that is, well. The one on top is the name of our clan, and the one on the bottom is my game ID.”
“Oh my, Lady Seah, unlike me, you seem to have made your ID with a nickname rather than your real name?”
W-Well, people don’t usually make their ID with their actual name, do they?
...No way. Was I the unusual one here?
“A-anyway, look! You can see my ID code, right?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll send you a friend request right away.”
Elodie hadn’t been joking when she said she played the game.
Would you like to accept this friend request?
Elodie - Lv. 31
Uwaa... she really had set her actual name as her ID?
And why is the world level gap so huge?
I was going to hit level 61 in a bit, though?
“Lady Seah, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, may I ask you something I’m curious about?”
“Ah, yes! Of course! Ask me whatever you want, really! And now that we’re friends, if a story stage or dungeon ever gets difficult, just borrow my characters as much as you like!”
Smiling, Elodie pointed at the UI where the Colosseum was burning away in a blaze of effects.
“Are you also skilled at this Colosseum mode?”
“Huh? You don’t do clan battle, but you’re interested in this?”
“I came across it naturally while clearing quests.”
Ah, right, there was definitely a guide quest that lightly introduced you to it.
“Heheh... what can I do for you, Elodie unni?”
I clicked the icon right away and entered the Colosseum content.
Labellehar
Legend
Rank: 1
9,870 points
“Oh my, as expected, you really are a clever young lady. To be in first place is quite impressive.”
“Ah... well, I wasn’t showing you that to brag or anything. Haha, I just wanted to show you that I, um, have this kind of s-skill? So I could help you out in my own way.”
There was actually a beauty out there praising me for being first place in a game with such a serious tone...!
It made my thighs itch with embarrassment and awkwardness, but once all was said and done, it still felt good to be praised.
“I understand this mode as something where you fight the opponent you choose, earn points for winning, and raise your rank, yes?”
“Yes, that’s right. What part are you stuck on?”
“Hmm... since I entered Gold Rank, unlike before, no matter which opponent I choose, I lose quite easily, so I can’t seem to build up any points at all.”
“That’s probably because the opponents you fought while climbing from Bronze to Gold were bots—AI opponents you could beat. But once you hit Gold Rank, the rewards change, and there are a lot more real players, so it gets harder to win.”
I quickly hit refresh and clicked on the player named Heretic, who had been stuck in second place for three days straight.
Heretic
Defense Formation
MeilingSarenNanakaRenako
“Usually, the other side’s party looks something like this, right?”
“Oh my, you’re speaking as if you saw my screen. As expected, Lady Seah, you really do have excellent sense.”
“It’s a defense party that’s become trendy lately. It’s so standardized that, ironically, there are some openings that make it easier to break through.”
I quickly went into party formation for my attack team.
“Elodie unni, which five-star characters do you have?”
“Meiling and Renako, I believe.”
“Uh... did you not pull Serena or Ha Eunrich?”
“I tried gacha because Celine’s outfit was beautiful, but I didn’t get them.”
Ah, so she got spooked by a different unit. That’s why she has Renako?
“Good. Then I’ll show you an example. This opponent’s party is one that counters with Meiling.”
I pointed at Heretic’s defense party.
“Using Saren and Nanaka’s skills, they make Meiling absurdly tough, then force a situation where every time we attack, we get countered, so attacking itself becomes a loss.”
“Oh my... hearing that explanation, it sounds unbeatable.”
“Exactly. That’s why most players are using this party right now. But it’s not invincible.”
I changed my attack team to Meiling, Lina, Nanaka, and Renako.
“You have all the characters here, right?”
“Yes, they’re characters I’ve already developed.”
“This party uses Meiling, Nanaka, and Renako to defend against enemy attacks while Lina’s AoE damage slowly cooks them alive.”
“Oh? I’m attacking, but I’m defending?”
I smiled at her.
“Yes. Meiling’s counterattack doesn’t react to AoE attacks. So what we do is make the same obnoxious party as everyone else’s, then swap out just one character and mercilessly exploit the enemy’s weakness.”
“That’s a remarkably clever method!”
Right in front of Elodie, I casually demonstrated how to roast Heretic’s party with Lina’s AoE damage.
— Earth, burn! Lina the Break!!!
Lina’s flashy finisher instantly reduced Heretic’s party to a near-death state, and Renako, whose healing ability had a serious flaw, couldn’t save them.
In that situation, Heretic’s Saren attacked my Meiling, only to get countered and explode on the spot.
“If Elodie unni ran the party, she’d get a similar result.”
“I copied the party you’re using now and tried it myself... hehe, look. I won this time, unlike before!”
Watching Elodie beam as she held up her smartphone made my heart thump a little harder for no reason at all.
Being good at a game and getting acknowledged for being strong was more satisfying than I expected.
Still, there was a tiny bit of disappointment. Elodie was too much of a newbie and didn’t know how much money I’d poured in, so she couldn’t fully appreciate the parts I most wanted to brag about.
Ugh, there must be tons of people online who would notice those things instantly and give the exact reaction I want...!
Ah, so if I want to be praised this thoroughly, do I really need to become an internet broadcaster...
Feeling oddly let down, I clicked the mouse again and again.
* * *
Heretic’s broadcast had more viewers than usual.
Unlike the usual wave of people who came because they’d fallen for her skill, this time they had gathered to watch her suffer helplessly against the wall that was second place for the fourth day in a row.
“Agh... dammit...”
While Kwon Seah leisurely got taken care of by Elodie, chatted about the past, and used Heretic as a test subject for recommending Colosseum decks, Heretic was getting utterly and thoroughly demolished.
“Sh-Shut up, all of you?! Just shut up! Don’t poke at me! I said don’t poke at me!!!”
Heretic shouted pitifully, standing up and sitting down again in place.
“I can win, okay? What do you guys know, anyway! I already showed you the calculation I made earlier!”
Snarling, Heretic clicked on Kwon Seah’s defense deck the moment she got another chance to attack.
“I’m telling you, I can still win without Ianess! I’ll show you!”
Labellehar
Defense Formation
Ha EunrichSarenIanessOmega
Kwon Seah was currently using a bizarre, bizarre defense party that no one else in Galaxy Train used at all.
“Everybody shut up already! If Saren gets first turn this time, then...”
─ There is no need for tricks or clever gambits in victory. If you prepare enough, you simply win as a matter of course!
Unlike Heretic had hoped, Kwon Seah’s Ianess was again the fastest and used her ultimate first.
“Huh, wha—why? No, why?! I checked the speed earlier and raised it!”
“You... you farmed again and raised the s-speed stat?”
─ The entire universe is whispering to me!
Kwon Seah’s Omega, now at 100 percent ultimate gauge, fired off her ultimate immediately.
The effect reduced Heretic’s party speed by 30 percent on the spot.
Having lost the turn order cleanly, Heretic never even managed a proper attack and was wiped out completely.
She had no choice but to sit there dazed and watch Kwon Seah’s characters slaughter hers.
“Agh... dammit...”
“Agh... seriously!!! Enough!! There are way too many trolls right now, so I’m raising the donation minimum!”
Heretic couldn’t shut donations off because of her pride.
The chat had already long since gone to hell, and Heretic clicked the accelerator again with a scowl.
“Th-this... damn it!! This makes no sense! Why does Ianess only go to the clan that got first place! PVP should at least be fair, shouldn’t it?! If I’d only had Ianess, I would’ve crushed her...!”
“Ugh...!”
Her prized calculations couldn’t hold her focus because she was far too easy to rile up, and she moved the mouse frantically to ban people.
─ Bam-baka-bam!!!
“Huh?”
Startled by the notification sound that played when she received a donation of over 50,000 won, Heretic whipped her monitor around.
"I took Ianess out, so go on and try again."
“Labellehar donated 1,000,000 won”
[I took Ianess out, so try it again.]
— ???
— What?
— Huh? Is that the rank 1 player herself?
— Wait, what???
— What is this, fake or something?
Heretic stared blankly at the sudden one-million-won donation, then let out a snort.
“Am I just being toyed with...!”
Even while saying that, Heretic hit refresh.
“Huh?”
Labellehar
Defense Formation
Ha EunrichSarenIrelOmega
“No... hey! Don’t regret it later! Don’t get scared and sneak Ianess back into the party afterward to desperately defend your points!”
Heretic, so obviously hooked by the provocation, breathed hard.
The person behind the one-million-won donation was, of course, Kwon Seah herself.
While Elodie was setting out dinner, she had logged into the Galaxy Train gallery and thoroughly read the top posts she’d missed while being cared for.
Then she’d enjoyed watching clips of Heretic cursing while crashing headfirst into her Rank 1 deck.
She even felt a little disappointed that she hadn’t been able to watch that entertaining broadcast from beginning to end while Elodie was taking care of her.
“Seriously! I lost because Ianess is busted as hell, so don’t whine just because you ended up in second place!”
Spring Season
Time Remaining - 10 hours 54 minutes
— Let’s go lolololol
— No Ianess, so she has to get first place for sure, right?
— We believed in you, Heretic lol
— Theoretical maximum: ten straight wins and first place, whoa
— The guide? Where’s the Heretube guide? Where’s the Heretube guide? Heretube
Kwon Seah had already gotten up to eat without even leaving the broadcast on, but Heretic was more serious than anyone else.
Because if she could keep beating Kwon Seah within the remaining eleven hours, she might actually take first place!