Chapter 34: First Expansion Pack(1)

The next expansion pack update was fast approaching.

There was about a month left.

The announcement for the upcoming expansion pack was a message preparing players for what was to come, but it also served as a message that would cause the value of all existing items to decrease.

The prices of equipment began to drop.

It was because of the new items that would be added with the upcoming expansion pack.

The number of players who were not participating in raids began to rise.

It was an inevitable phenomenon.

It would be better to spend the remaining time more leisurely than to continue raiding.

As the raid leader, I made an important decision.

The two active raids went into a break.

People started focusing on field farming.

Just like wild animals gather food to prepare for winter, players began gathering gold.

Among them, I became interested in the arena.

All stats are made equal.

The duels starting under the same conditions made me realize many things.

Beyond the bronze, silver, and gold badges, one enters the ranks of the sword.

The sword, an area for those with talent.

Those who had honed their senses as sharp as a sword competed in this area to show their skills.

I, too, stepped into the sword rank.

I thought every opponent was manageable.

I thought it was possible to win.

Innate talent led me to victory in every situation.

I was on a winning streak in the arena, using only my natural senses.

Then, I suffered a crushing defeat.

A series of losses followed.

The face of my opponent, smiling as they saw my stunned expression, wouldn’t leave my mind.

It was not a normal match.

The ranks, starting from the first sword, must surpass the tenth sword to reach the rank of the overlord.

This rank badge is only given to those in the top 10 of the arena rankings.

When I was promoted to the eighth sword, I was matched up against an overlord.

It was due to my excessively high MMR from my consecutive wins.

And I lost.

I lost every time we met.

I never reached victory, not once.

Why was that?

My talent was overwhelming.

The moment our weapons pointed at each other, I was sure of my victory.

It had to be that way.

It should have been me winning.

My innate and arrogant talent made me think this way.

There was certainly a difference between my talent and my opponent’s.

But I couldn’t win.

The certainty my senses had given me was shattered.

I kept queuing to meet that opponent.

As a result, my arena rank had climbed to the end of the tenth sword.

If I continued to raise my ranking, I would eventually receive the rank of [Overlord].

At that point, I queued once more, and finally, the opponent I had been waiting for appeared.

He looked at me and smiled slightly before twisting his wrist to spin his sword.

His movements were full of confidence.

[Overlord]
xiao

He didn’t even have a guild and was wearing the appearance of low-level store-bought items.

He didn’t say a word.

I never heard a response from him while fighting.

“Are you really Chinese?”

Foreign players weren’t uncommon in the game.

In the other world’s Deron, foreign players were often found, so this wasn’t unusual.

Once again, there was no response. I took a deep breath and aimed my sword.

My opponent’s class setup was the same as mine. A Highlander at rank 1, and a Paladin at rank 2.

In silence, our swords were aimed at each other.

My head tingled. My talent told me I could win.

But I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t win. It would be the same this time.

Time passed, and the battle began.

The sword I swung quickly slid across my opponent’s blade.

Their movements were as smooth as flowing water. The sword’s direction shifted as they released their force, and suddenly, their sword aimed at my neck.

The sharp strike came dangerously close.

I immediately pulled back, but the opponent followed me with strange movements.

If I continued retreating endlessly, I would be trapped against the wall and die.

I stretched my right leg behind me and lowered my body.

As my left leg, stretched forward, faltered, my opponent’s sword passed just above my head, and I too swung my sword.

I aimed a sharp strike at their waist.

It should have hit.

But with a sound of “clink!”, my sword was deflected.

My talent may have been superior, but my opponent was not lacking in skill either.

The attack missed, exposing their upper body. I charged forward to close the gap.

The blue mana that erupted from my body covered my unstable posture.

As my body, corrected by the system, dashed forward, blue mana erupted from my opponent’s body as well.

Thud!

Our bodies collided. As if anticipating that moment, a silvery trajectory flew like a snake.

My gaze fixed on the opponent’s sword. Despite seeing it, the best I could do was block.

As I tried to dodge, the opponent followed with strange movements.

Clink!

A faint light flashed, and the sword was deflected. I quickly recovered my stance and swung my sword again.

A white-hot sensation began to fill my head. My senses, extending to their extreme, observed my opponent’s movements closely.

It was the neck and the inner thigh. The burning pain gave rise to sensations that allowed me to predict the opponent’s attack direction.

I read two attack routes at once, but I couldn’t block both. I moved my sword to defend my neck. Then, my opponent’s eyes slightly gleamed.

A sharp sound rang out!

The opponent’s sword was swung quickly. As expected, their sword grazed the inside of my thigh deeply.

A stinging sensation made me frown.

After that, there were about ten exchanges of offense and defense.

But in the end, I wasn’t the one standing.

With a dull thud, the opponent’s sword pierced my chest.

It was a strange sensation. A slight pain, accompanied by rising irritation.

Suddenly, a breeze blew, causing my hair to sway.

At that moment, the sword that had pierced my chest pulled out, and it displayed strange movements in the air.

It moved like a wriggling snake.

• It was a snake.

His sword resembled a snake.

It had been like that from the beginning. If I had observed carefully, I might have understood more.

After the outcome of the match became clear, there was a brief wait.

I moved my restored body and attempted to replicate my opponent’s movements.

“Wow… I ranked second? They say I’ll get a silver sword costume as a reward?”

“They won’t give it to you.”

The season ended with me ranked second in the arena rankings.

I had been first a few times, but I couldn’t maintain it.

My status as a student and the curfew law were like shackles holding me back.

The points I could earn in a limited time couldn’t compete with the free time of someone unemployed.

In the end, I had to give up the first place.

The arena ranking rewards are only given to the top 3.

The sword costumes that could be worn on the back were: a golden sword for first place, a silver sword for second, and a bronze sword for third.

They were shiny, glittering costumes. They looked really, really cool.

“Sell it to the old guys. It’ll probably sell for a good price.”

“Why would I sell it?”

“It’s a design that only old guys would like.”

I glared at Harang for that remark.

A design that only old guys would like? That was absolutely not the case.

The sleek curve of the sword’s blade, the dragon’s head engraved on the hilt, and the long, flowing red thread.

This was definitely something worthy of being called a piece of art.

“Are you saying that because you’re jealous?”

“Do you really think so?”

“If I were to sell it, would you buy it?”

“Why would I buy something like that?”

“You just want it because you’re jealous. You want to take my sword.”

Harang stared blankly at my words.

He seemed surprised that I had immediately seen through his sly thoughts.

I would never sell it.

I lifted the corners of my mouth. A mocking smile spread across my face.

Harang frowned at my smile.

“If you want it, go play in the arena too.”

“I’m not doing it.”

“Let’s be clear. It’s not that you won’t do it; it’s that you can’t.”

“Ha…”

Harang couldn’t refute my words.

He sighed deeply, stood up, and left the living room.

It was clear he was avoiding the sharp truth I had thrown at him.