NOVPUB“Hmm?”
Skada, the raid leader of the Skada Attack Team and a seasoned mage, approached the entrance to the Azure Death King’s Sanctuary. She was there to meet Park Jeong-gwon, the team’s tank.
Although the formal raid attempts typically began after all the members had returned from work in the evening, she often teamed up with Park Jeong-gwon during the day for daily quests and to strategize for the next attempt.
But today, instead of seeing her team’s tank ready and waiting, she found him in the midst of a chaotic scene.
Clang! Clang-clang!
“Your invincibility skill is down! I told you not to hesitate on using cooldowns to maintain invincibility frames! Haven’t you learned Sword Barrier in the Grave of Swords? If your counters and evasive maneuvers are on cooldown, activate your Sword Barrier immediately!”
“Ugh!”
Thud!
“If the Azure Death King’s weapon is devastating swordsmanship, then the player’s weapon is invincibility frames that cut through time and space! A martial artist’s movement-based invincibility is longer than a swordsman’s, isn’t it? You should have landed a Sky Fist before your invincibility wore off!”
“Of course, I know that!”
Wham! Crash!
Whirl.
In the midst of the clashing chaos, a small figure spun gracefully, evading and deflecting the incoming strikes of both a massive gauntlet and a heavy sword with a lightness that seemed almost effortless.
“She just parried Death’s gauntlet and immediately turned to deflect Jeong-gwon’s sword. How the hell is she doing that?”
“She used Just Guard back-to-back. That’s the only explanation.”
The intense 2:1 PVP match had drawn a large crowd of onlookers.
Skada pushed through the spectators, her gaze fixed on the unfolding battle.
The sight before her was almost surreal.
Two towering men, their physiques reminiscent of giants, were locked in combat with a diminutive girl. At first glance, it looked like a case of overwhelming bullying, but the reality was far from it.
It was the two hulking men who were on the receiving end of a relentless thrashing.
Tap-tap. Swoosh!
Park Jeong-gwon, thrown off balance by a Just Guard, used his evasive skill to retreat, creating some distance. His sword began to glow with starlight—a prelude to the swordsman’s ranged attack skill, Starlight Sword Slash. The sky filled with countless shimmering beams, streaking toward the silver-haired girl.
Unfazed, she danced through the starlight, her movements almost like a choreographed performance. Not a single beam managed to graze her.
Tap-tap. Boom!
While her attention seemed fixed on the incoming beams, Death of Deaths closed in from below, weaving through her strikes. With a fierce body blow aimed at her midsection, he unleashed his Sky Fist, a ground-shaking strike loaded with energy.
The girl seemed cornered.
But then.
Swoosh.
Her form blurred, leaving behind an afterimage as her figure flickered like a mirage.
Thwack! Crash!
“Ugh!”
The girl, having repositioned herself with eerie precision, launched a pommel strike to the back of Death of Deaths’ head, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Standing atop his prone figure, she smiled brightly.
“Your coordination was good. If you two work together, you could land a hit on even the Azure Death King’s Echo. But in the real raid, you’ll be ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) alone. You need to improve individually.”
“Damn it!”
Whoosh!
Still stunned from the CC effect of her pommel strike, Death of Deaths remained incapacitated.
Park Jeong-gwon gritted his teeth and charged.
The girl’s sharp eyes caught his approach, and she moved her sword to her waist.
Tap-tap-tap!
The familiar Starlight Sword Slash now burst forth from her blade. Shocked, Park Jeong-gwon canceled his charge and activated his Sword Barrier.
Clang-clang-clang!
His Sword Barrier barely withstood the onslaught of light, flickering precariously.
“Charging skills let you close distance quickly, sure. But do you think the Azure Death King’s Spirit will just stand there and watch? Charge skills don’t have invincibility frames. What’s the player’s greatest weapon again?”
“Ugh... Invincibility...”
“So, after creating distance, how should you approach the Azure Death King?”
“Uh... with my Sword Barrier?”
“Wrong!”
Having prematurely used his Sword Barrier, Park Jeong-gwon wasted his cooldown reset opportunity. He tried to retaliate by firing off his own Starlight Sword Slash, flooding the area with starlight once again.
This time, the girl didn’t avoid it.
She glanced briefly at the incoming beams before abruptly turning her back to him.
“She turned around?”
Even Skada, watching from the sidelines, was taken aback.
The silver-haired girl’s quick turn was a bold move, especially in the face of a flurry of lethal projectiles.
Tap-tap!
Just as the starlight beams seemed poised to tear her apart, the girl’s figure wavered.
In the blink of an eye, she closed the gap, appearing right in front of Park Jeong-gwon.
“Turn, dodge backward, then charge forward.”
Thwack! Crash!
“Guh!”
Unable to react, Park Jeong-gwon took a direct hit to his exposed midsection, a kick that left him stunned and kneeling.
Both tanks from the leading raid teams lay defeated.
“Charging blindly won’t work. Turn, dodge backward, then charge forward. That way, you surround yourself with invincibility frames while closing the gap. Plus, the invincibility lingers briefly after the backward dodge. Use it to initiate your charge.”
The girl stood over them, a playful smile on her face.
“When closing in on your target, always cloak yourself in invincibility frames. That’s the player’s greatest weapon. If your swordsmanship isn’t enough, use the system to outplay your opponent.”
Thus ended the small but intense lecture of the silver-haired girl, Drizzle Rain, surrounded by the awe-struck crowd.
*
As I organized my tasks for the day, including the daily quests, I felt someone approaching from my side. Turning my head, I saw a tall, elegant mage with long brown hair—Skada, the raid leader of the Skada Attack Team.
“Oh, Skada.”
“Hello, Rain. I saw your sparring earlier. It must be tough, training those tanks.”
“Well, I need them to clear the raid so I can start farming.”
“So, it’s true then. You and Chris actually cleared the Azure Death King’s Sanctuary together? You’re always one step ahead. Farming, huh... Are you planning to set up another alt raid team like last time? Makes sense—beating it once is one thing, but consistently farming with just two people is a bit much.”
I twisted awkwardly at her praise, which made Skada chuckle as she watched me.
“Still, it’s remarkable.”
“What is?”
“You, Rain. I remember when we first met, you could barely speak in front of a crowd. And now, you’re chattering away, instructing tanks like it’s nothing. Heh.”
“Chattering?”
That’s a bit much.
Still, she wasn’t wrong. Lately, I’d gotten better at interacting with people in Astria, even as Rain. Compared to when I first arrived on the continent and avoided others like a shy child, it was a significant improvement. I owed that to Chris, no doubt.
Skada gave me a knowing smile.
“Hm... But this sparring match wasn’t just a lesson for the raid, was it? A little intimidation, perhaps? Honestly, with your overpowered abilities, who could ever beat you? Even Death of Deaths, the top-ranked player in the arena, didn’t stand a chance against you.”
“Intimidation? Arena?”
I tilted my head, confused.
Skada’s comment came out of nowhere.
Seeing my clueless expression, she tilted her head in return.
“You don’t know? The entire game’s buzzing about it.”
“I haven’t logged in all week. Today’s my first day back.”
“Ah, that explains it. If you didn’t check the forums or the official site during your break, you wouldn’t have seen it.”
“...I was on vacation with Chris, at the beach.”
“Oh my, really? Hehe. I’d love to go on a trip with you someday.”
“With me...?”
“And Chris, too, of course.”
Skada smiled playfully, and I instinctively tensed.
Though Skada was a reliable comrade, at most, we’d spent a month together raiding with my alt team. If Chris caught wind of her getting too friendly, I could already imagine the consequences—and they weren’t pretty.
Chris was always hyper-vigilant around women who approached me, claiming they were worse than men. Something about my body supposedly emitting hormones that enchanted women, making me a constant target for attention.
“...Anyway, here, take a look. You should have one in your inbox too.”
Ding!
Skada shared a World Quest notice with me. Reading it, my eyes widened in surprise.
Caught up in taking care of the tanks, I hadn’t had time to check my mail since logging in. Just as Skada said, a letter had been sitting in my inbox.
-World Quest Notification-
The Emperor of the Betarion Empire invites participants to the “Great Martial Arts Tournament.”
[Top 16 players from each server’s arena rankings automatically qualify for the finals.]
[Tournament begins in 28 days, 14 hours, and 50 minutes.]
At the conclusion of this season’s Endless Ravine expansion, which had been triggered by a World Quest issued by the Emperor of the Alfarion Empire...
Another World Quest had now emerged, issued by the Emperor of the Betarion Empire.
The Great Martial Arts Tournament was about to begin.
