“Aaagh?!”
“Ugh?!”
Jigoro stepped in with terrifying speed, and with his massive fists, he one-sidedly struck down those standing on either side of the young man who was lecturing us earlier. In this case, the players cannot do any damage to each other. However, it seems possible to knock them down with force. Just like the young man, the two individuals were sent flying backward.
“Wh-What are you doing?!”
“Huh? You guys started the fight. I’ll beat you down just as you wished.”
The remaining two also drew their weapons, but they were hesitant in the face of the sudden violence. Meanwhile, Jigoro was clearly ready to go all out.
“Diamond magic circle, remote activation, magic bomb.”
“Aaaagh?!”
Good, if blowing them away is allowed, then it’s possible. It seems their attention had been too focused on Jigoro and they completely forgot about me. Those who caught the full brunt of the exploding magic bomb were blown away.
The impact could have easily blown their heads apart, but since there was no damage, all five were unharmed. Instead, they seemed to be fueled by anger at being made fools of. They were shouting angrily as they approached us. Alright, let’s quickly finish the enchantments.
“…The enchantment is complete. Brother, how many should I take on?”
“No need… but I’ll give you one. Oh, it’s been a while since we’ve rampaged together, just the two of us!”
“That’s right, it’s been rare for us to be just the two of us since that time.”
Of course, “that time” referred to the incident in the northern mountains of Firth. Since that incident, it had been just the three of us, and soon after, we had added Genjuro and Ruby to our group. So, it was rare for just the two of us to be together like this.
I stowed away my staff and instead pulled out my large scythe. Since we couldn’t deal damage anyway, I figured this would be easier to fight with. Normally, I might have prioritized magic even if it was difficult to fight, but today I felt exhilarated. Perhaps it was the memory of that time.
When the other players rushed at us, Jigoro charged straight at the leader at the front. The young man who seemed to be the leader took a stance, but Jigoro went around him and attacked the others behind him. It seemed that he wanted to leave the leader to me.
However, without even a glance in my direction, the young man struck at Jigoro from behind. Hey, don’t ignore me.
“Hmph!”
“Daah?! You bastard!”
When I struck his unprotected back, the young man glared at me irritably, as if annoyed. Yes, that’s right, focus on me.
“A mage trying to fight me?!”
“What’s the matter, scared of losing to a mage? That’s too bad.”
“Don’t get cocky!”
Caught amusingly by the simple taunt, the young man swung his sword in anger and irritation. Perhaps due to his lack of composure, his swordplay was quite rough. It seemed he relied solely on his stat and I didn’t feel the fear and sharpness of fighters like Jigoro and Genjuro.
So it was easy to deflect his sword with a calm observation. Moreover, his attacks were all brute force, without any clever feints or mixed moves. As long as I could maintain my concentration, I could probably defend against him forever.
“Why aren’t my attacks hitting you?”
“Well, I’m blocking so you won’t hit me.”
“Don’t mock me! Hundred Fierce Thrusts!”
At this point, the young man used a martial technique. It was a powerful martial technique that delivered thrusts at tremendous speed; it was a significant move that could cause considerable damage if all the thrusts connected.
Although martial techniques allow some freedom, they fundamentally enforce a fixed pattern of movement. For example, with the Triple Slash martial technique of [Scythe Mastery], while you can adjust the direction of the slashes, you cannot cancel the action once you start the three consecutive slashes. This is why Jigoro and Genjuro seldom used martial techniques other than for those that boosted their stats.
Such techniques restrict freedom of movement, but even beginners can perform these movements with force, so ordinary players often use them. In fact, in our group, only the two of them didn’t use them; the rest of us regularly used martial techniques.
“Oops.”
However, even I knew that powerful martial techniques tend to expose significant openings during activation. The young man’s Hundred Fierce Thrusts were formidable, but they greatly restricted his movements until he completed all hundred thrusts.
Knowing this made it easy. I simply stepped back significantly to dodge while taking full advantage of the massive opening presented by his attack.
“Ah?!”
“You’re underestimating me too much; that was careless.”
Therefore, when using a major martial technique, it is fundamental to exploit openings in the attack or disrupt the enemy’s posture before striking. At this level, it’s impossible not to be aware of this; he simply underestimated me, thinking I was inferior, and let his guard down.
The scene was quite surreal with the high speed and the repeated thrusting into thin air, but I was under no obligation to wait for it to end. I swept the young man’s feet out from under him with my scythe from the right, causing him to fall. His martial technique was interrupted, and when he recovered from being forced to move, he quickly got up and readied his sword again. However, he no longer attacked me recklessly.
“What’s the matter? Not coming?”
“Damn it! A scythe-wielder who can use magic? You tricked me!”
“Uh? I am indeed a mage. The scythe is merely for self-defense.”
“Lies! A mere mage couldn’t knock me down!”
“That’s simply because I’ve enhanced my strength and agility with [Enchantment]. Convinced now?”
Though I spoke the truth, the young man didn’t seem to believe it and just edged closer cautiously. Hmm, if he wouldn’t come at me, perhaps I should make the first move.
I took out the talismans from my clothes and scattered them. These were my handmade talismans made by [Talismanry]. While they were considerably less powerful than when I wielded them directly, now was as good a time as any to use them.
“Here you go.”
“Haaah?!”
He didn’t expect me to launch an attack with multiple spells without a staff in my hand. Caught off guard, the young man hastily raised his shield, but his surprise delayed his reaction. Good, I’ve blocked his view now.
“Behead.”
“Gah?!”
When he raised his shield which blocked his view of me, I used a short teleport talisman to move behind the young man. Then I delivered a martial technique to his neck that would kill him instantly if it hit.
Of course, no damage was dealt and no status ailments took effect, so he didn’t die instantly. But what if this had been a normal field? This young man would have been sent back to his last checkpoint by now.
“Do you concede defeat?”
“Not by a long shot!”
“That is enough.”
Just as the young man tried to turn around with my blade at his throat, a voice stopped both of us. It came from a shiny ball that had appeared between us.
The ball just suddenly materialized without any warning. Inside was a clock face and a pentagram. The hands of the clock continued to move, and the pentagram rotated while constantly changing in size. I remembered that there was a goddess who had these two as her sacred symbols.
“Are you affiliated with the ‘Goddess of Time and Space’, Calfee?”
“Yes, precisely. I am an angel serving Lady Calfee.”
Hmm, an angel himself has come to intervene. Though he looks quite different from White Dynamis, that’s to be expected since they serve different deities.
More than anything, it was his ability to communicate fluently that should be noted. The White Dynamis I had fought before, was like a slaughtering machine, but the dandy-voiced angel who had conveyed Lady Yifa’s message spoke in the same manner as the ball before me. I surmised that this difference likely stemmed from a disparity in their ranks.
So the ball in front of me appeared to be a high-ranking angel. It was palm-sized and didn’t look very strong, but appearances can be deceiving. After all, in this game, there are beings like Nenashi who can imitate other beings.
“Could you lower your blade, please?”
“Yes, of course.”
“And… could you stop him as well? It seems my words don’t reach him.”
When I looked at Jigoro, he was going on a rampage and overpowering four men. He had one man pinned underfoot to immobilize him, was swinging two others by their ankles in each hand as if they were weapons, and was pummeling the last one.
How this situation had come about was unclear, but Jigoro really turned into a veritable Asura just like his race name. Since we weren’t far from the spawn point, the players observing were taken aback by the fight.
As his sworn brother, I was used to seeing him fight every day, but I am well aware that such behavior is far from normal. He seemed quite angry, so it was no surprise that an outsider’s voice couldn’t reach him.
“Ah… That’s enough, Jigoro!”
“…Tch! I’ll let them off this time.”
Jigoro reluctantly tossed aside the players he was holding in each hand as if they were trash and kicked away the player he had been stepping on. The smoldering flames of his anger were conveyed by the roughness of his actions.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all, don’t mention it—woah?!”
“You’re dead!”
While I was talking to the angel, the young man took the opportunity to strike at me! I was too slow to block with my scythe, but someone charged at him with the speed of a bullet and knocked him away with a spear-like front kick. That was close!
“You let your guard down, brother.”
“I have no retorts, but thank you. So, Sir Angel, have you come to punish us?”
“Simply put, yes. You are aware of the reasons.”
“Yes. I didn’t think we could cause such a ruckus without facing some consequences.”
A penalty was indeed likely. This was not a consensual duel but a complete brawl. Moreover, if it weren’t for the event rules, probably all the young men would have respawned.
In essence, it was as if we were engaged in a public brawl. Though we didn’t involve others, causing a ruckus in an event that specifically forbade player conflicts was definitely problematic. To overlook this would be like abdicating their responsibilities as administrators. We should just accept it.
“I appreciate your understanding. As for the penalty we’re imposing on you, you will be restricted from participating in the event for the duration of today. Specifically, you will not be able to enter the event area for the next twenty-four hours in real-time.”
“…Is that all? Honestly, I was expecting something more severe.”
I had thought we might be barred from accessing the game itself for several days, so this seemed like a lenient measure.
“Our fault also lies in assuming that by disabling PK actions and advising players to call a GM should any dispute arise, no problems would occur. We have taken that into consideration.”
“I see; that’s how it is then. In that case, we shall leave peacefully. Let’s go, Jigoro.”
“Right behind you.”
“Wait!”
Although Jigoro and I were about to leave quietly, appreciating the leniency shown, the young man who had tangled with us called out. He probably wouldn’t say anything worthwhile, so we might as well ignore him and go.
“I said wait, you cheating scum!”
“Huh?”
“What?”
Could he be accusing us of cheating? We haven’t used any cheats. While I understand why someone might suspect Jigoro, it would be impossible for us to receive the goddess’s blessing if we were cheating.
I had heard that several layers of cheat prevention had recently been implemented. Also, in a game that is run 24/7 by highly advanced AIs called the Goddess and the Angels, cheating is almost impossible. You would realize that if you thought about it a little… I could do without such baseless accusations.
“They have not engaged in any cheating. If they had, the penalties would have been much harsher.”
“That’s a lie!”
“It’s not a lie. Their victory was the result of their own abilities.”
“What…!”
The angel also vouched for us. This should prevent our companions, starting with Hanna and Roja, from being subjected to slander.
“Also, do not forget that you too are subject to penalties. The penalties are the same as theirs…”
“Pfft, don’t joke around! We’re the victims here?!”
“Were you not simply beaten in return? Who drew their weapon first is recorded in the log.”
The young man might continue to protest for a while, but we should make a swift exit. The excitement had worn off, and I had no interest in indulging in the embarrassing and incoherent excuses being made.
Just as we were about to leave, I noticed a message from a friend had arrived. Wondering who it could be from, I saw it was from Usuba, with the title “Glad you’re having fun.” Ah, that guy; he must have been watching us from somewhere!
“…. Well, at least this proves that I can keep my promise.”
“What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Jigoro gave me a puzzled look at my muttered remark, but I decided to brush it off and head to our base.
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