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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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A four-versus-one situation.
While the number of opponents had drastically decreased since the beginning of the match, this battle was decidedly disadvantageous.
The remaining opponents were not pushovers, they were genuine monsters. Facing all four of them simultaneously was a daunting task.
– Master, sword energy incoming towards your left and right ankles.
– Master, a sword energy storm approaching from the front.
– Master, projectiles incoming diagonally.
– Master, from above…
– Master…
I dodged and blocked Lee Seo-yeon and Asuka’s attacks with Aegis, my body moving constantly.
Arthur deflected the barrage of minigun fire with her sword and the skill “Natural Fortress.”
Noah blocked the lightning storm with a shield of holy fire.
My mind raced, trying to find a way to break through their defenses.
What to do… I maintained suppressive fire while running simulations.
A black space appeared in my mind, replaying the current situation.
Me, clad in armor, firing two miniguns and thirty-three Thunderbolts, Arthur and Noah blocking the incoming fire, Lee Seo-yeon and Asuka attacking from behind, the distance between us closing rapidly.
Based on this scenario, several simulations were formulated.
Simulation 1: Maintain suppressive fire while dodging and blocking.
Result: The distance closed before Arthur’s mana and Noah’s holy power depleted. Lee Seo-yeon’s talent, “Master of Sword and Gun,” disintegrated all my firearms, leaving me momentarily defenseless. I lost in that brief opening.
Conclusion: Unviable due to Lee Seo-yeon’s ability to disable firearms at close range.
Simulation 2: Activate Speed Limit Removal.
Result: While the rubber bullets were non-lethal, the cheat amplified their power significantly, inflicting critical injuries on all four opponents.
Conclusion: Unviable as this was a ranking competition, not a deathmatch.
Simulation 3: Deploy drones and golems.
Result: The exploding drones momentarily obscured my vision. The four opponents seized the opportunity to close the distance, leading to the same outcome as Simulation 1.
Result 2: The golems were destroyed before they could fully transform. The brief obstruction of my vision led to the same outcome as Simulation 1.
Conclusion: Unviable due to obstructed vision.
Simulation 4: Use Sky Steps.
Result: Reducing the number of Thunderbolts to create telekinetic platforms weakened my firepower. Arthur switched to offense, quickly closing the distance. A brief melee ensued, but Lee Seo-yeon joined the fray, disintegrating my firearms, resulting in defeat.
Conclusion: Unviable as reducing firepower would allow them to close the distance too quickly.
Every simulation resulted in failure, all due to Lee Seo-yeon’s evolved talent, “Instant Disintegration,” which could disintegrate any firearm, regardless of rank, with a mere touch, or even a stray wisp of mana.
‘That ability is seriously broken.’
For a firearms specialist like me, Lee Seo-yeon’s talent was the ultimate counter.
Arthur, Asuka, and Noah also possessed exceptional strength, but they weren’t as much of a threat as Lee Seo-yeon, who could completely nullify my primary weapons.
With my improved equipment and stats, I could handle them individually. But Lee Seo-yeon’s presence was a game-changer. She was my hard counter.
‘I need a solution, and fast.’
The distance was closing. A few more steps, and Lee Seo-yeon’s talent would render my firearms useless.
I could use Astra, but… I couldn’t reveal that unknown weapon here. I needed to save it for the Named Fallen attack, when they least expected it.
I racked my brain, searching for a solution that didn’t involve Astra.
– Master, do you really need to rely on firearms?
Terra’s question made me pause.
‘Well, they are my primary weapons.’
As soon as I thought that, I realized the flaw in my logic.
Terra was right.
I didn’t need to limit myself to firearms in this battle. Or any battle, for that matter.
Having the Infinite Items cheat made firearms incredibly powerful, but if they were ineffective against a particular opponent… Even the best weapon is useless if it can’t be used.
A sense of clarity washed over me.
‘Thanks for the assist, Terra.’
I praised Terra for her insightful question. I immediately put my new plan into action.
I dropped all my firearms to the ground.
“What…?”
“What’s he…?”
Arthur and Noah, who had been blocking my attacks, and Lee Seo-yeon and Asuka, who had been launching projectiles, stared at me in bewilderment.
They couldn’t comprehend my sudden disarmament.
I chuckled.
“You’re not just going to stand there and watch while your opponent disarms, are you?”
As if realizing their mistake, they immediately resumed their attacks.
But I was faster. Two Aegis shields materialized in my hands, blocking their attacks with ease.
Thanks to “Sniper’s Sharp Sense (A+)” and the “Master of Melee Combat (A+)” talent, which activated as they approached, I could predict their attacks with pinpoint accuracy.
“Someone once said, even shields can hurt when they hit you.”
Those were the words of “BestOffenseIsShield,” a fellow veteran player of Arena Academy.
A shield was not just armor, it was a powerful weapon.
I transferred thirty-three Aegis shields into the air, transforming them into shields and lifting them with telekinesis.
My newfound talent didn’t make me a master shield wielder, but that didn’t matter. I wasn’t planning on using any fancy techniques, just simple shield bashes.
But thirty-five simultaneous shield bashes are a different story.
The two shields in my hands and the thirty-three floating shields swung towards my opponents.
My classmates switched from offense to defense.
Even seasoned close-combat specialists couldn’t maintain their offensive against thirty-five incoming shields.
But they didn’t realize that even while being used offensively, the Aegis shields were still considered defensive equipment. And Aegis didn’t just absorb damage, it also reflected damage and had a petrification effect.
A flash of light was followed by an explosion.
“Gah!”
Arthur, hit by her own reflected damage, staggered backward.
Crack-!
“W-What?! What’s happening?!”
Asuka, frozen stiff by the petrification effect, cried out in alarm.
Lee Seo-yeon and Noah realized that the Aegis shields had additional effects and tried to evade, but dodging thirty-five shields coming from all directions was impossible.
“Damn it!”
Noah cursed as he too was petrified, his hand frozen mid-attack.
“This effect… I can dispel it with…”
He muttered, trying to ignite holy flames.
I didn’t give him the chance.
“Ugh!”
My shield bash sent Noah flying like he’d been hit by a truck. He tumbled across the arena and out of bounds.
One down.
I immediately targeted my next opponent.
Arthur, recovering from the reflected damage, charged towards me.
Lee Seo-yeon desperately dodged the thirty-three Aegis shields now focused on her.
“When is this going to wear off?!”
Asuka, still petrified, could only shout in frustration.
My next target was decided.
I launched myself towards Asuka.
“I can move…! W-What?!”
As the petrification wore off, Asuka’s momentary joy turned to terror as I slammed my shield into her.
“Argh!”
She flew across the arena like a projectile, following Noah out of bounds.
Two down.
Only Arthur and Lee Seo-yeon remained.
I charged towards Arthur, recalling the thirty-three Aegis shields and redirecting them towards myself.
Arthur’s Excalibur blazed with golden light, and the sword energy on its blade ignited like flames.
She raised her sword and, as I closed the distance, swung it downwards with a powerful shout.
A wave of golden flames erupted, threatening to bisect me. I raised the thirty-three Aegis shields.
Like the grenades at the outpost, the shields began to disintegrate under the onslaught of the golden flames.
However, perhaps because the attack wasn’t as powerful as the explosions, or because Arthur was holding back in the competition setting, the wave dissipated after destroying only twelve shields.
“Impressive.”
I complimented Arthur, retrieving twelve new Aegis shields from my inventory.
Arthur chuckled wryly and… instead of lowering her sword, she unleashed an even stronger attack.
The Aegis shield I raised cracked under the force of the blow.
I discarded it, drew a new one, and swung two shields at Arthur.
A deafening roar echoed through the arena.
I glanced at Lee Seo-yeon, who was now approaching, and transferred a large number of concussion grenades towards her. As expected…
The grenades, classified as firearms, disintegrated the moment they came into contact with the mana radiating from Lee Seo-yeon.
I launched twenty Aegis shields towards her and swung the remaining fifteen at Arthur.
“Ugh!”
Arthur groaned, struck by the shields.
No matter how fast her swordsmanship was, she only had two hands. Fifteen shields were more than she could handle.
The continuous impacts, combined with the Aegis effects…
Flashes of light, explosions and cracking sounds… triggered both the damage reflection and petrification effects.
[HP: □□□□□□□□□□]
Arthur’s HP bracelet depleted, signaling her elimination.
“I lost.”
She muttered, collapsing to the ground. Despite her words and actions, her expression seemed oddly satisfied.
I acknowledged her effort and turned towards the sharp killing intent emanating from behind me.
The moment I turned, I saw Lee Seo-yeon’s sword slashing towards me.
I blocked the direct attack with ease and launched all my Aegis shields at her.
The arena reverberated with the clang of sword against shield. But it didn’t last long.
Lee Seo-yeon, having witnessed Arthur’s defeat, quickly succumbed to the same fate.
“I lost.”
She said, her expression impassive, but with a hint of disappointment, as she sheathed her sword.
I deactivated Atlas Armor, enjoying the fresh air now that I no longer needed the filtered air supply.
“Good work, everyone.”
The second match, Free-for-all, concluded.
[Free-for-all Ranking]
1st Place: Lee Yu-jin
2nd Place: Lee Seo-yeon
3rd Place: Arthur Pendragon
4th Place: Shuhei Asuka
5th Place: Noah
6th Place: Im Da-hee
…
1st place achieved.
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100 chapters! Congrats!
It’s been a very fun ride so far!