ALL NOVEL Chapter 34
[Author: Pero Pero]
[Title: Arena Group A Kelberos Victory Interview Translation]
[Recommendation: 776]
Q. Could you please share your feelings about your victory?
A. I think it was a smooth win.
Q. Who do you think will come up as your next opponent?
A. It seems like a meaningless prediction. No matter who comes up, I’m confident in my victory.
Q. You brought out your sub-class, the Mage Knight. Was there a special reason?
A. While not to the extent of the Amsalja, I wanted to show that the Mage Knight is a strategy I can use as well. I hope my next opponent prepares for both classes.
……
Q. You were provoked by Gawol during the group drawing ceremony. Anything you’d like to say?
A. New players tend to act out to gain recognition. It’s a common occurrence for me. I think it’s a weight I must bear. However, popularity gained without skill doesn’t last long. She should be cautious as well.
—
[Author: Pero Pero]
[Title: Arena Group D Traveler Victory Interview]
[Recommendation: 345]
Q. Could you please share your feelings about your victory?
A. I’m happy that my preparations paid off.
Q. You displayed overwhelming performance. How did you prepare?
A. I always approach tournaments the same way. Practice and analysis. This time, the practice match data was effectively utilized.
Q. Did you work with Sparrow from your team to prepare?
A. No. Sparrow was on vacation, so I practiced with Gawol. That guy never turns on the game during his vacation.
Q. Did practicing with Gawol help you?
A. Unfortunately, yes.
Q. Tomorrow, Gawol will be competing in the first match of Group E. What are your predictions?
A. I understand many expect Rime to win. I might be the first to raise Gawol’s hand in an official setting. I think her chances aren’t small.
Q. That’s an unexpected choice. Is there a reason?
A. It’s a conclusion I reached after facing her directly. Could Gawol be the most underrated player in this arena? Of course, that’s separate from the controversy she carries.
……
Q. Lastly, if you have any final words?
A. The arena is an event-type tournament. Nevertheless, I want to convey that I’m doing my best as if it were an official tournament. I will meet the expectations of our fans.
—
*
《 Thank you for waiting! It’s the second day of the Infinity Arena finals. This is caster Ho-eun greeting you from the special stage. 》
Time passes even if you hang the clock upside down.
《 Once again, we have the commentary duo, Hae-hwa and Hwang-yul, with us for the broadcast. 》
《 Hello! 》
The finals of the arena began yesterday. Today, matches from Group E to Group H were scheduled.
Among them, my match was assigned as the very first one.
As I waited in the Player Waiting Room, the voices of the broadcasting crews from various countries echoed loudly.
The voices of the Koreans were particularly booming, but with a little tweak to the options, I blocked out the broadcasts of other countries.
《 The first match is Group E. It’s a match between Gawol and Rime! 》
《 Let’s check the match-up. 》
After I finished my turn, the remaining two would have their match. Depending on the results, I could determine who I’d face next and have a chance to gather the latest data.
Especially since Ripper was still lacking analysis, I needed to check on them for sure.
《 It’s indeed a longstanding counter matchup. The high defense and wide range are all elements that an Assassin would dislike, which fits the class of the Spearmen, doesn’t it? 》
《 Yet the player himself claimed confidence! Since Gawol is the one who called in Rime, I’m excited to see how she navigates this. 》
《 There’s a lot to say for both. The spotlight is on Gawol’s solution. 》
While the commentators blabbed on, one staff member guided me to the exit.
As I stepped out, I perfectly timed it to head right onto the stage.
《 The player enters. Main class Assassin, Gawol! 》
《 Next, Rime is entering. Main class is Spearmen! 》
My opponent was a hulking male figure I had seen so many times in matches.
While his body wouldn’t normally be that massive, Spearmen usually tend to grow in size.
This was largely due to the massive recoil of the Gunlance requiring added weight.
Standing right in front of him felt a bit unpleasant.
The size difference was so great that I had to look up at him.
Traveler hadn’t been this big.
Even during the handshake as per procedure, it felt off.
His palm was significantly larger than mine. It made me feel like a child, and it annoyed me.
Now I had one more reason to win.
—
[Infinity Arena Finals Group E – Match 1]
[Battlefield: Arena of Duel]
[vs LB Rime (Spearmen)]
As soon as my vision cleared, a fierce heat washed over me.
The source of the heat was bubbling lava.
The most formidable gimmick of this battlefield, it could inflict severe burn damage with just a touch.
Dark red rocks were scattered all around, providing many hiding spots, but… that wouldn’t mean much.
The Spearmen’s firepower was comparable to that of a regular Mage’s instant damage.
One misstep could send me to the realm of the dead along with the rocks.
Rather than attempting a clumsy sneak attack, it’s better not to allow any ranged fire from the start.
I found it.
Wasting time to find the best entry angle is a bad idea.
Since I’m agile, if I’m not properly prepared, neither will my opponent be.
I gripped my daggers tightly with both hands and jumped high into the air.
An attack enriched with force and magic drove down towards the enemy.
BAM!
I smashed through the shield that blocked me and landed a clean hit on their right shoulder blade.
A good start.
“Urgh!”
[Bonus damage applied due to surprise attack.]
[Enhanced paralysis poison effect applied to the enemy.]
A system message flashed in the corner of the screen.
Faster than that, the Spearmen’s shield struck, and I managed to brace myself to absorb the shock.
Despite just hitting a shield, my guard gauge plummeted close to empty.
It was partly due to the Assassin’s weak defense, but mainly because of the sheer mass I was dealing with.
I ducked deep to evade the thrusting spear.
As I slid along the ground, just as I was about to receive a shallow wound to my ankle, the Spearmen stomped down, causing the ground to quake.
“Ugh…”
The attack failed. And the shockwave pushed me back, preventing me from closing the distance.
But a sliver of accomplishment tingled in my mind.
I knew they would throw out this skill when they failed to shake me off.
Amidst the rising dust, a dagger blended among the stones flying around.
I extended a hand towards the dagger, and as my field of vision shifted, I grasped it.
The human defense is weakest when they are attacking—or right after an attack.
The nearest weak spot I could see was the nape of the neck, protected by chainmail rather than a steel plate.
It would be great if I could stab there, but when they hunch down, they’re covered by their helmet.
In the end, the best bet was from the shoulder to the nape of the neck.
It felt satisfying as the dagger pierced through the chain.
It was too firm and heavy for human skin. A skill came to mind.
I failed to inflict a lethal wound, but I eliminated one of their critical survival skills.
It was a satisfactory exchange.
Of course, this wasn’t the end of my turn.
“Wow, you block well. Pro gamers are something else, huh?”
“Ugh!”
“But is it okay to just watch here?”
A dark chain descended from the sky.
Rime raised the shield to block, and the diminished guard gauge transformed into flames within the Gunlance.
The technique that could have easily come up in this situation naturally formed in my mind.
I fired a weakened projectile without bracing myself.
Trading off accuracy to push the opponent back and buy some time.
The Gunlance affixed to their armor aimed at me, and they unleashed their fury.
There was no way I could avoid that attack from this direction and distance, even being me.
To be precise, I couldn’t evade it with my body.
[You receive the effect of ‘Blessing of the Ashen Moon’.]
[For up to 10 seconds, you merge with shadows within 7.5m of the player…]
The Spearmen’s firepower accompanied by a powerful boom and explosion.
The auditory and visual senses were almost rendered useless.
During that time, Rime protected himself out of habit.
Rather than clear the smoke immediately, he prioritized stabilizing his position.
Raising the shield to protect himself and taking a step to build a sturdy stance.
Only then did he swing the spear to clear the smoke.
He first checked what was directly in front.
Then confirmed the right side, which was vulnerable without the shield.
After checking the safe left side, he looked upwards at the sky, which had a time delay.
“You’re too predictable!”
Rime ignored the clone on the right.
In this timing, it’s expected for an Assassin to have placed a clone.
If that clone had a physical form, I might have to accept some damage, but it wouldn’t be severe.
The chances were low regardless.
The spear shot upwards, spewing flames.
This time the firing stance was stable, and the firepower was used without reservation.
There’s no way that Assassin could avoid a barrage in mid-air.
[The effect of ‘Blessing of the Ashen Moon’ is forcibly canceled.]
“Hello?”
“…!”
“Was that predictable too?”
An Assassin’s skills that allow for clone creation total to two.
Typically, only one is utilized for deception due to point distribution issues, but I had employed both for this mind game.
As I emerged from the shadows, I grabbed the opponent’s shield with my hand.
I fully intended to take their life in that instant—but it was rejected.
As soon as Rime realized his failure, he activated fortification.
A defense-maximizing buff, emblematic of Knight-class identities.
In contrast, I had employed a build that sacrificed some offensive power due to the presence of the clone.
It was impossible to end the game right away.
Still, I had a strategy prepared for this kind of situation.
The Gunlance, despite its toughness, has a weak mechanism relative to its bulk.
While it’s usually shielded by the guard of the lance, that weakness doesn’t go unnoticed in situations like this.
As I inserted the dagger into the cylinder of the Gunlance, a terrible sound of a mechanical failure was heard.
Once wasn’t enough, so I did it again.
I confirmed the system message that notified of a weapon break as I stepped back a few paces.