No. 53: The Ten-Player Arc, Part III

No. 53: The Ten-Player Arc, Part III

Still, since he himself had no intention of venturing into the small arena to court hardship, he harbored no significant worries.

Yan watched An Ruina on the stage, elegant as a queen, with a helpless expression, a thought forming in his mind.

A bitter smile touched his lips as he turned to Ivan, who stood beside him, equally engrossed in the battle between Nan Shi and An Ruina.

“Hey, Ivan,” he inquired, “if you were to face that fencing player, what would you estimate your chances of victory to be?”

Upon hearing Yan’s question, Ivan’s brow furrowed slightly, and a bitter expression crossed his face.

“Hmm… perhaps… twenty percent…”

Oh, wow.

Yan’s mouth parted slightly in surprise at Ivan’s response.

If even the perpetually naive and optimistic young Ivan conceded such odds, it seemed An Ruina’s dominion over the small arena was truly unassailable.

“That player is indeed formidable.”

As if sensing the ‘lack of confidence’ in his assessment, Ivan scratched his head awkwardly. Then, his eyes, fixed on An Ruina on the large screen, gleamed with increasing admiration.

“The Fencing Big Sister is so cool!”

‘Was this guy about to switch allegiances?’

Yan watched Ivan, whose eyes now sparkled with adoration, and let out a wry, speechless chuckle.

“Ah, Nan Shi lost.”

When his gaze returned to the arena, Nan Shi’s figure had already vanished, leaving only An Ruina standing alone on the stage. She elegantly sheathed her rapier at her waist, a picture of a proud rose queen.

[Are you alright?]

Yan promptly sent a message to Nan Shi.

He mused, ‘Though I doubt a carefree person like Nan Shi would truly be disheartened by such a minor setback.’

[What could possibly happen to me?]

The instant reply, as always, brought a sense of relief to his friends when dealing with Nan Shi.

Yan exhaled slowly, a smile gracing his features.

[I already knew I wouldn’t be able to hold the arena in the end, didn’t I? I was mentally prepared for it…]

While a hint of helplessness seemed to color Nan Shi’s words, a greater sense of relief permeated them.

[I just didn’t expect to face such a formidable opponent. Honestly, in the small arena, even you might not be able to defeat An Ruina.]

“I agree,” Yan said with a bitter smile.

“So her name is An Ruina. It’s quite fitting.”

“Indeed, her fighting style is that of a solitary queen.”

[Where are you? Still on the event map, right?]

Yan typed out the message, his eyes scanning the bustling crowd for Nan Shi’s figure.

[Ah, I’m in the southeast corner. Where are you?]

Upon receiving Nan Shi’s message, Yan lifted his head, peering over the dense throng of people towards the southeast corner of the event map, where he immediately spotted Nan Shi’s familiar and dashing figure.

“Hey! Over here!” Yan called out, raising his arm.

Yet, he watched as Nan Shi quickly ducked his head, seemingly typing a message.

[Hey! Don’t shout so loudly! It’s embarrassing!]

Moments later, Yan received Nan Shi’s message and chuckled helplessly.

[Alright, come on over.]

Yan typed his reply, and soon after, Nan Shi struggled to weave his way through the dense crowd, eventually reaching Yan’s side.

Yan smiled, clapped him on the back, and then introduced him to Xiao and the rest of their group.

“So, if I understand correctly,” Nan Shi inquired, turning to Yan, “all five of you arena masters from the morning session are here watching the matches?”

“Precisely.”

“In that case, your small arena masters are likely in for a tough time. An Ruina is truly excessively powerful; anyone who faces her will be at a distinct disadvantage.”

Having personally faced An Ruina, he was undoubtedly the most qualified to make such a statement.

“Ah, I could already tell from watching your match,” An Dong remarked, his brow slightly furrowed as a bitter smile touched his lips.

“I want to fight Big Sister An Ruina!” Ivan declared.

In stark contrast to everyone else’s desire to avoid her, our innocent young Ivan eagerly volunteered, his face alight with excitement and longing.

“Oh?” Nan Shi uttered, a hint of surprise in his voice.

Nan Shi looked at Ivan, a touch of surprise in his gaze. Seeing the boy’s innocent yet excited smile, he couldn’t help but respond with a slight, almost infectious, grin of his own.

“I see. In that case, I’ll gladly explain her fighting style and the crucial points you’ll need to watch out for.”

“Oh!” Ivan exclaimed enthusiastically.

Ivan enthusiastically raised his small, pale right fist in response. Who could have imagined that beneath the formidable gauntlets of a [Fist Master], such delicate hands resided?

“First and foremost,” Nan Shi began, “you need to watch out for her [Rose Thrust]. It appears to be a short-distance movement skill with no cooldown…”

With that, the two of them moved to the side, engrossed in analyzing An Ruina’s fighting techniques.

Yan and An Dong exchanged a helpless glance, then turned their attention once more to the colossal screen suspended in the sky.

Now that Nan Shi had finished his match, Yan decided it was time to focus on the medium-sized arenas, curious about the challengers appearing there.

“Huh?”

Yan looked at the challenger who had just stepped onto the stage, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

‘Why isn’t this fellow equipped with a weapon?’

‘He hasn’t even equipped any armor! The clothes he’s wearing appear to be nothing more than cosmetic attire.’

‘What in the world?’

****

On the very arena Yan was observing.

“Oh? A new challenger has appeared?” the Spear Player, who had been holding the arena, sighed with a weary expression. “I’ve only defended four matches and I’m already this exhausted. How do those players with long winning streaks manage to keep going?”

The Spear Player’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“What’s your class? Why do you have no equipment visible?”

“Just as I expected, that reaction…” the Challenger remarked with a wry smile, unperturbed by the Spear Player’s bewilderment.

“Well, you’ll understand soon enough.”

“What do you mean?” the Spear Player questioned, his confusion deepening.

“Myriad Transformations!” the Challenger roared.

With that cry, the Challenger’s normal physique suddenly surged, towering to obscure half the sky. Before his colossal form, the Spear Player appeared utterly dwarfed.

“This is—!”

The Spear Player’s eyes bulged in sheer terror.

“Isn’t that the Region Boss [Cave Rock Ape] from the first area!?”

“Indeed.”

The Challenger, now transformed into a colossal ape, emitted a guttural, monstrous sound, his eyes gleaming with a terrifying crimson light.

“This is my Companion-Grade Skill: [Myriad Transformations].”

“It allows me to transform into any monster I’ve already defeated. My HP remains constant, but all other attributes, along with their skills, transform to match the monster’s. Crucially, I am unaffected by aggro.”

The monster he had currently transformed into was none other than the first area’s boss, the [Cave Rock Ape] that Yan had skewered with a single spear.

“Oh, and a quick note: operating a non-human body presents challenges and can impact mental connection strength.”

To safeguard player health, the full-dive helmet automatically severs the connection between the player and the game if mental connection strength dips below 90%. For instance, when Qing Bai was afflicted with nausea and ‘vomiting and diarrhea’ from the [River Frog Magic Potion], her mental connection strength had plummeted to 94%.

‘It appears even the Companion Skill [Myriad Transformations] isn’t without its restrictions…’

As the Spear Player processed this, the fear in his heart subsided somewhat. He gritted his teeth, steadied his nerves, and recovered from the initial shock.

“As for me, I’m a tank player, specialized in HP. This somewhat mitigates the drawback of [Myriad Transformations] not inheriting the boss’s health pool.” The colossal ape shook its unruly fur-covered head, its voice a strange, guttural rumble.

“I see, no wonder then…”

The Spear Player nodded, as if steeling his resolve, and gave a defiant flourish with the spear in his hand.

“A tank like you, capable of transforming into a Lord-tier monster, truly needs no equipment. In fact, equipping a weapon would likely be nothing more than a hindrance.”

“Hahahaha, you’re absolutely right.”

The colossal ape let out a grating, piercing laugh, oddly reminiscent of a monkey’s shriek.

“However, this is indeed quite tricky,” the Spear Player continued, a bitter expression appearing on his face. “Bosses inherently possess significantly higher attack and defense values than players of equivalent level. Strategies for defeating bosses typically rely on tanks drawing aggro, combined with coordinated teamwork and sustained damage from multiple players in the backline…”

“Yet, the monster you’ve transformed into is unaffected by aggro, allowing you to attack whoever you please. Regardless of your solo combat prowess, consider a team battle: if you bypass the tank and strike at the fragile backline professions, wouldn’t that inevitably lead to a team wipe?”

“Quite clever, you caught on quickly.” The colossal ape narrowed its eyes slightly, the dangerous red glinting within.

“Now that you understand the distinction between me and an ordinary Lord-tier monster, you must realize that facing me won’t be as straightforward as your previous encounters with the First Area’s Lord, the [Cave Rock Ape], will it?”

“Ah, indeed,” the Spear Player nodded helplessly.

“Given that, how about a surrender?” the colossal ape suggested, a strange gentleness in its monstrous tone. “You wouldn’t want to be defeated by a monster and be left with psychological trauma, would you?”

It seemed he understood that within a full-dive game, especially in the world of “Companion God Realm,” players’ experiences and perceptions were incredibly vivid, blurring the lines between reality and illusion.

To be defeated one-on-one by a monster of his caliber, he reasoned, would likely prove to be a far from pleasant memory, and leaving a lingering psychological scar would be an unsurprising outcome.

“No,” came the Spear Player’s resolute voice, unexpectedly firm.

He wielded his spear, his right hand gripping the shaft as he swept it to his side. He then crouched, adopting the classic opening stance of a Spear Player.

“While I know my chances of victory are slim, engaging with a unique player such as yourself is an honor.”

“Besides, when playing a game, how can one truly enjoy it without rising to a challenge?”

“Is that so…?” The red glow in the colossal ape’s eyes flickered, losing a hint of its malevolence.

“My name is Li Shang!” the Spear Player called out with a spirited voice, his brave stance causing the colossal ape to momentarily falter.

“Bring it on! Let me truly experience your strength!”

“Heh.” A faint smile touched the colossal ape’s face.

“My name is Zhen Bupo.”

“Then I shall…”

“Not hold back!” The colossal ape swung its massive arm, bringing it down heavily towards Li Shang.