[Flash]!
Nan Shi wielded his twin swords, unleashing two more slashes of light.
The sharp, white blades of light tore through the tranquil sky, striking his opponent with unerring precision.
Immediately, his opponent’s health bar depleted, their body dissolving into shimmering motes of light that gradually faded away.
Nan Shi straightened, sheathing his twin swords at his back before pulling a scoreboard from his pocket, his gaze fixed on the displayed text.
“The sixth.”
Only his whispered murmur remained on the empty arena stage.
The next moment, a shimmering blue light, signaling a teleport, materialized before his eyes, prompting him to reluctantly draw his twin swords once more and assume his stance.
****
The spatial teleportation gate of the event map pulsed momentarily. After a flash of light, Yan and his companions appeared within the activity zone.
“Ah! It’s Sister Qing Bai!”
From a distance, someone waved at them. Ivan, the [Fist Master], greeted Qing Bai.
“Pfft.”
Ivan’s innocent and endearing gesture seemed to amuse Qing Bai, who couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. She then joined the others in walking over to Ivan.
“Wow! How amazing! There are so many incredible people here.”
Ivan’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Yan and the other arena masters standing beside Qing Bai, speaking with palpable excitement.
“Could Sister Qing Bai be some kind of big shot?”
“No, it’s not because of me…”
Qing Bai replied with a helpless smile, her gaze flicking towards Yan beside her.
“It’s all because a certain ‘game-addicted good-for-nothing’ gentleman is too popular.”
“Hahaha.”
Yan chuckled, scratching the back of his head, then extended his right hand to Ivan with a smile.
“Hello, I’m Yan, the arena master for stage three in the morning session, and Qing Bai’s friend.”
“Mm-hmm! I know you! Yan, the [Spearmaster]!”
Ivan eagerly grasped Yan’s right hand with both of his, as if meeting an idol.
“I watched your matches, Yan! They were incredible! I’m Ivan, the [Fist Master] from stage two!”
‘Children truly don’t feel shame about such titles, only coolness, don’t they?’
Yan’s lips twitched in a helpless grimace, almost failing to maintain his smile.
Afterwards, Xiao and the others all greeted Ivan one by one, establishing their acquaintance.
“With this, all five arena masters from the morning session are now gathered here.”
Yan adopted a serious expression, stating gravely as he looked at the large screen.
“Everyone should focus on strong players who specialize in arena sizes similar to their own. You might be fighting them tonight, so prepare yourselves thoroughly.”
“Oh!”
The others acknowledged him, each turning their attention to their respective arenas.
Yet, Yan’s gaze did not settle on the two medium-sized arenas; instead, it roamed ceaselessly across all five stages, as if searching for something.
‘Ah, there he is.’
Yan smiled as he spotted Nan Shi’s struggling figure on arena stage two.
“Hey, Ivan, how many matches has that guy with the twin swords on arena stage two won?”
He turned his gaze to Ivan beside him, asking with a hint of curiosity.
“Eh? Oh, him? He’s already on a six-match winning streak, and it looks like he’ll win this seventh one too.”
Ivan answered candidly.
As he was the victorious arena master from the small stage two, he paid particular attention to the battles on stages one and two. He had watched every single one of Nan Shi’s fights without missing a beat.
“But he probably won’t be able to hold the stage until the end. He’s already looking a bit worn out.”
Ivan’s gaze also fell upon Nan Shi’s arena on stage two, a hint of confusion in his expression regarding Yan’s query.
“Why are you paying attention to him, Yan? It’s unlikely he’ll become one of the five arena masters for the afternoon session. Besides, you’re an arena master for a medium-sized stage, right? Even if he wins, he won’t be fighting you. At most, he might fight me.”
Yan offered a faint smile, not rushing to answer Ivan’s question, but instead posed a question of his own.
“If he were to face you, what do you think his chances of winning would be?”
“Hmm…”
Ivan pondered for a moment, gently pinching his chin.
“Less than ten percent.”
“I see…”
Yan offered a wry smile. The truth was undeniable: Ivan, with his highly flexible dual skill sets in both fist and magic, and his rich array of combos, was not an opponent Nan Shi could hope to defeat. On this point, he could not show Nan Shi any favoritism.
“That guy is my friend, Nan Shi.”
“Eh?”
Ivan’s expression turned flustered, and he quickly amended his statement.
“Ah… I misspoke just now. Perhaps around a fifty percent chance of winning?”
“Pfft.”
Yan couldn’t help but chuckle. This little shota (TL Note: A Japanese term referring to a young, attractive boy) was truly adorable.
“It’s fine. That guy isn’t suited for PvP (TL Note: Player versus Player combat) right now. Anyone can see that at a glance.”
“Oh…”
Ivan shook his golden hair, nodding with a look of partial understanding.
“Ah, he won.”
Ivan’s matter-of-fact voice reached Yan’s ears, and Yan’s gaze fell upon Nan Shi’s arena on the large screen.
Nan Shi had defeated his seventh opponent, raising his twin swords as he stood alone, gazing at the empty stage.
“Hmph, not bad.”
Yan smiled helplessly.
“It would be good if he could get a few more consecutive wins.”
He wished Nan Shi this from the bottom of his heart.
Unfortunately, things rarely go as one wishes.
“Someone else has stepped onto the stage.”
Yan’s eyes fixed on Nan Shi’s arena. A flash of blue teleportation light shimmered, and a tall, pristine white figure materialized on the stage.
‘This person!’
Yan’s gaze fell upon the sword at their waist. His eyes widened in shock, an instinctive premonition stirring within him.
‘Seems very strong!’
****
“Who could it be this time…”
Nan Shi, with a touch of weariness, drew the twin swords from his back, looking towards the figure gradually emerging from the blue light.
It was an exceptionally elegant female player. Pristine white light armor, reminiscent of a European knight, encased her tall, slender physique. A cascade of golden hair spilled out from beneath her silver helmet. Her hand gripped the rapier at her waist, and through the slits of her European knight’s helmet, her clear blue eyes were revealed.
She cast a haughty glance, then gracefully drew the sword from her waist.
“A one-handed sword player, then…”
Nan Shi eyed the sword in her hand with a touch of confusion, then suddenly realized something.
“No, this isn’t an ordinary one-handed sword.”
Her gentle red lips, unhidden by the lower half of her helmet, curved into a faint, enigmatic smile.
“Precisely, this is a rapier!”
She held the slender rapier upright before her, its sharp blade slightly tilted, pointing directly at Nan Shi not far away.
“An Ruina.”
Her red lips parted slightly as she announced her name.
“Nan Shi.”
Nan Shi’s face hardened. He tightened his grip on his twin swords and likewise stated his name.
He too realized the gravity of the situation.
Like Yan, this was his first encounter with a player wielding a rapier…
‘Would rapier skills be the same as one-handed sword skills? Or did they possess their own unique rapier techniques? Was she like Ivan, with two skill sets? Or like Guan Ying, capable of combining multiple skill sets?’
Knowing nothing of these matters, and utterly unaware of his opponent’s hidden cards, Nan Shi felt immense pressure facing such a battle.
“Nan Shi… Very well, I’ll remember that.”
An Ruina nodded gently, the golden hair spilling from beneath her helmet swaying slightly with her movement.
With a single step forward, she drew her rapier slightly towards her left side. Then, with a nimble slide forward, the rapier flashed out again, appearing before Nan Shi in an instant.
‘What!?’
Alarms blared in Nan Shi’s mind, and he hastily swung his twin swords.
“Rose Thrust!”
An Ruina let out a soft cry. Her rapier glowed with a faint violet light, its sharp blade deftly evading Nan Shi’s swinging twin swords before plunging into his body.
Nan Shi froze for a moment. Just as he was about to leap back to evade, An Ruina swiftly withdrew her rapier and unleashed another technique.
“Window of Drizzle!”
Her rapier emitted a brilliant emerald light. Immediately, the blade of the rapier seemed to vanish, transforming into dazzling streaks of emerald light that struck Nan Shi’s body.
‘This move was a twelve-hit combo!?’
Nan Shi watched his health bar steadily plummet, his inner panic intensifying.
‘This person! Their offense is incredibly fierce!’
He stared at An Ruina’s impassive lips beneath her helmet, a bitter frown creasing his brow.
‘I’m finished…’