*
-The match will begin soon. Players on both sides in the waiting areas, please come up onto the ring.
The transparent glass door of the waiting area opened automatically. In the center of the square ring, a referee NPC was waiting with a red flag raised high.
When Bae Sinhyo and Pyeonghwa stepped onto the ring, the referee lowered his arm with a precise motion, pointing to the ground with the tip of the flag. It was a signal to come closer and face each other.
“Wow, how much money did you pour into this?”
Pyeonghwa looked Bae Sinhyo up and down as he walked from the opposite side and clicked his tongue. Bae Sinhyo’s massive body was wrapped in splendid armor mixed with red and silver. Adding the helmet and cape that appeared to be a set, it seemed worth at least a building.
The weapon on his shoulder was even more spectacular. Originally he used a guandao in spear form, but this time he brought out a halberd with a spear blade and axe combined at the end of a thick pole. The halberd was much longer and larger than Bae Sinhyo’s body, so the closer he got, the more intimidated Pyeonghwa felt for no reason.
[? Excuse me, you’re pretty impressive too]
[That’s team-sponsored gear but yours is personal gear lol]
[I can’t even fathom how rich this bastard is]
Reading the chat window, Pyeonghwa pursed his lips. It pissed him off more because he’d bought it with his own money. He’d barely managed to change equipment with points scraped together to crush the opponent’s morale from the start, but he felt inferior to him who’d easily become resplendent with corporate capital.
“Hey, you… did you take out loans?”
Bae Sinhyo, who stopped at a certain distance, asked in a quite serious voice. He was suspicious because all items except his trademark gas mask had been replaced with new ones.
Pyeonghwa wore a black mechanic suit with fluorescent lime-green points softly glowing. The hooded cape draped over it had its ends torn to shreds, but it fluttered automatically even without a single breeze.
Pyeonghwa’s weapon was a hammer with a complex iron mass attached to the end of a long shaft. From afar, he’d thought it was a giant squeaky hammer, but up close, it was shaped with black parts interlocking in layers. Hot pink neon light leaked through the gaps between parts. It looked more like a machine than a hammer.
He’d wondered why weapons changed frequently even normally, but today exceeded common sense levels. Bae Sinhyo knew well that Pyeonghwa wasn’t rich enough to casually buy items like that.
“I sold my organs.”
Pyeonghwa replied listlessly. No one in the chat believed it, but Bae Sinhyo’s face was colored with shock. He thought that Noh Pyeonghwa might remove organs in a fit of anger.
“You crazy bastard! How could you sell that!”
“He believes it.”
“……”
Realizing he’d been fooled, Bae Sinhyo’s face crumpled mercilessly. Just as he was about to pour out curses at Pyeonghwa, the referee shouted in a resounding voice.
“Today’s final match at Arena 3 is a Death Match!”
Except for the spectator seats, the central area had a sound amplification skill cast on it, so the referee’s voice rang throughout the entire arena even without a microphone. Pyeonghwa and Bae Sinhyo’s voices were the same.
“Death Matches continue until one side dies, with no time limit or skill restrictions! Surrender is impossible, and going outside the ring does not result in disqualification!”
“Did you hear? Even if you cry and beg for mercy, I won’t let you off.”
“Reflect.”
“Ha, rainbow reflect.”
“Black hole white hole crystal aurora universe reflect.”
“Fuck! I’m done! Are you an elementary schooler?”
Even while the referee’s explanation continued, Pyeonghwa and Bae Sinhyo bickered. The two seemed to antagonize each other but also strangely seemed close.
[Bae Sinhyo wasn’t originally this kind of character]
[He looks like that but he’s 20 lol Now he looks his age]
[Wow then Pax was a minor when he first started too]
[Guys I just got here why are they close? Are they friends?]
[Yeah they cut ties]
Viewers poured out their own theories about which of the two was responsible for them growing apart. Those who said it was Bae Sinhyo’s fault mentioned the story about Pax’s mom he’d casually brought up earlier. Saying no matter how close they were, that was a topic to be careful about. And those who said Pyeonghwa was at fault cited his personality as grounds. Saying his personality was weird so he seemed to have no friends…….
Normally Pyeonghwa would have read the chat and thrown a fit, but Bae Sinhyo’s momentum was more threatening than he’d thought, so he had no mental energy to read chat. Even while casually exchanging words, he inwardly sensed something was off and was extremely tense.
‘This bastard changed somehow.’
The Bae Sinhyo Pyeonghwa knew was a coward who feared fighting, unlike his fierce-looking appearance. It was the same when he debuted in the pro league 2 years ago. Even though it was just virtual reality, he clearly showed aversion to violence. But now it was as if he’d overcome that weakness…….
‘Fuck! I almost actually got beat up yesterday!’
Remembering how he’d stuck his face in Bae Sinhyo’s face when he came to his house and provoked him to hit him, he got goosebumps. Being a natural beauty was his only pride, but he’d almost become a plastic surgery beauty if things had gone slightly wrong.
‘Wow, how did he do it when I thought he could never fix it even if he died and came back to life?’
Bae Sinhyo’s fear wasn’t simply a matter of dislike. The moment he felt terror, his whole body’s muscles stiffened and he forgot to breathe.
He must have received treatment abroad while resting. Being from a rich family, support would have been abundant. And yet in interviews he lied about doing manual labor abroad? Pyeonghwa, who didn’t know that Bae Sinhyo had overcome countless near-death experiences in Goehae, inwardly grumbled that he lived life easily.
“Both players, please step back ten paces!”
The referee raised the red flag upward. Pyeonghwa and Bae Sinhyo glared at each other fiercely while moving their steps. As the two widened the distance, the referee announced the start of the match in a loud voice.
“Bae Sinhyo versus Pax! Pax versus Bae Sinhyo! The match begins!”
Kuwoong!
When the referee swung the red flag down sharply, an intense sound effect burst out strong enough to vibrate the chairs in the audience. The referee instantly disappeared, leaving only the two on the ring.
Bae Sinhyo lowered the halberd from his shoulder, gripped it, and walked trudging toward Pyeonghwa. It was a leisurely pace, neither fast nor slow. Pyeonghwa felt unpleasant, like a dwarf before a giant as the distance narrowed.
‘Tch, but the skills should be similar.’
Awakeners who contracted with high-ranking constellations like Bae Sinhyo don’t feel great merit in skill books. Because constellation-unique skills were far superior to what could be obtained through skill books.
So even if he’d obtained new skills, there was a high probability they were offensive skills befitting the constellation’s epithet of ‘Frenzied Slaughter.’
‘I have Manmulsang though.’
Pyeonghwa grinned inside his gas mask. The basic skills Agreon gave were utterly pathetic, but with Manmulsang alone, he didn’t envy high-ranking constellations.
The skill books sold at Manmulsang were incomparably better quality than skill books circulating on the market. The downside was that they were expensive though.
“Not dodging?”
Swoosh!
Bae Sinhyo, who’d approached close, swung his halberd. Though it was a simple attack without any skills, it was fast and heavy. Whether it was an item option, flame fragments flickered where afterimages remained.
Kwang!
Pyeonghwa gripped the hammer’s shaft with both hands and blocked the attack head-on. Even with stats restricted, there was a considerable difference in basic strength. He tried to endure by gritting his teeth, but ended up tumbling to the floor.
“Ugh, stupidly strong with only brute force!”
“Fight properly, bastard. Don’t mess around!”
Swoosh!
Bae Sinhyo struck the halberd down toward the fallen Pyeonghwa. Just before the large axe blade split Pyeonghwa’s body in half, Pyeonghwa’s form became hazy.
Kwaang!
The halberd was driven into the empty floor. At the same time, Bae Sinhyo raised his arm and took a defensive stance.
Pyeok!
Pyeonghwa, who appeared behind Bae Sinhyo, swung the hammer while fox ears and tail swayed. Bae Sinhyo tilted his body diagonally to disperse the impact on his arm and pulled out the halberd stuck in the ground.
Then he stabbed at Pyeonghwa’s side with the sharp spear blade attached to the back of the halberd, but Pyeonghwa deflected it while rotating the hammer shaft once.
Hwaleuleuk!
When Bae Sinhyo used the ‘Berserker Lance’ skill, the halberd was engulfed in flames up to the handle. It was Bae Sinhyo’s signature skill that exponentially increased attack power and attack speed. The flashy effect of fluttering flames was its characteristic.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
Pyeonghwa blocked Bae Sinhyo’s indiscriminate series of attacks, then chose the direction of retreat when the fox transformation skill effect disappeared. Pyeonghwa’s form became hazy once again.
<Active Skill 「Return Link Lv.1」
Saves spatial data from the most recent 10 seconds, and upon use immediately returns to coordinates from 10 seconds ago.
Cooldown 1 minute
Lv.2 Required AP: 10>
Pyeonghwa used Return Link to return to his position from 10 seconds ago, widening the distance from Bae Sinhyo. People who’d been watching while holding their breath finally gasped for air.
[?????what]
[Fake broadcast seems like they’re in on it together]
[How do you block that<-said this 10 times while watching but he blocks everything fuck]
