CH 107

Data.100 – Old Bowman, Ophiuchus Battle

After becoming a meteor that rose into the sky, I shot past the Serpent Palace once, and then started to plunge down.

The surface of the Serpent Palace was right below me.

I could finally see the part that wasn’t visible from the ground.

In the center, there was a square stage that was made of pure white stone.

And in the four corners were pillars that looked like they were from a Greek temple.

Furthermore, on the outer rim, there were small recreations of mountains, hills and other natural terrain.

I had landed right on the stage.

It wasn’t a crash landing, as my speed had slowed down right before, and I was able to land on one knee.

‘So you came just as you are then. Well, I did expect it.’

The person waiting for me there…was Charin.

But she was different from usual.

Not just her clothes and hair style, but her physique and face were also different from the Charin that I was used to seeing.

But more than anything, she didn’t say ‘nyon’!

However, there were still traces of the old person. Like in the voice.

So…what was this?

‘I was created as the face of Medalion Online. The original Charin was very different from the latest one, and she was nothing but a classic pretty blonde girl who was featured on the packaging.’

“So this is…”

‘Exactly! The original Charin! The origin!’

“Origin…”

‘The latest version of me has been altered to attract attention. That means more provocative clothing, and being taller and more voluptuous, as well as saying ‘nyon’ in order to be more memorable! Even the constellation elements were added later, after I noticed the common point between the gameplay involving collecting shiny medals and collecting shiny stars in order to make constellations!’

Indeed, the Charin in front of me was a typical pretty character.

She was thin, and her hair was more of a realistic twin tail.

She wasn’t as alluring or unique.

Yes, a much more forgettable character, that was for sure.

However, the current Charin was maybe a little too unique…

So perhaps this old Charin was a better fit for a final boss.

‘I support management, answer complaints, create tutorial videos for new players, dance, sing, work in other games, and continue to adapt to changes. Do not think that you can beat me! While I may look like the old me, my insides are new!’

So, the fight was finally going to begin… Or so I thought. But then Charin stuck up two fingers and made the peace sign.

Was that an attack…!?

‘Before we fight, I have to explain to you about 2 additional rules. First, there is a time limit, which is 30 minutes.’

“What!”

They’ve added a time limit now…?

While 30 minutes sounded like a long time, it was different when it came to boss fights…

‘If I cannot defeat you in 30 minutes, then you win. In other words, this is a rule to restrict me. A long, drawn out fight will mean it will be harder to get an opening for attack, so it’s like a handicap for me. Though, it hardly matters this time, since it will be finished in 5 minutes.’

“…”

‘The other rule is also to restrict me. I have 13 constellation weapons, and will be able to use the Ophiuchus one at any time. However, the remaining 12 weapons can only be used depending on the number of party members there are. If I am fighting one person, I can use 3. If there are two then I can use 6…etcetera. Since you and your Unison make up two, I can use up to 6 weapons.’

…She seemed so different.

I didn’t expect her to come off so much cooler just by dropping the ‘nyon.’

Her attitude was also extremely confident, and I understood what people meant when they said that they didn’t feel like they could win.

However, sometimes, that realization that you could win comes out randomly in the middle of a battle!

‘Those are the 2 additional rules. The rest is the same as before.’

“Yeah, I prepared my items. So I’m ready when you are.”

‘Very good. But you still won’t be able to win. You may be strong in PvE, but you have some fatal flaws when it comes to PvP.’

PvE. Player vs Environment.

Games that had enemy NPCs that were like monsters.

Normal adventuring in NSO was like that.

PvP was Player vs Player.

Like with the Battle Royale and Turf War.

Charin was saying that my fighting style was flawed in PvP.

…To be honest, I had an idea of what she was talking about!

‘The battlefield is this entire Serpent Palace. So you can get off of this stone stage if you want. As for what position to start at, you can also decide. My starting position is on this stage…so why don’t you go to that rocky mountain over there? You can start fighting with some distance between us.’

Charin pointed to the outer area of the Serpent Palace.

If I wanted to make use of my Range and shoot someone who was in the center of the stage, then there was no better position.

That showed how much she understood my style.

“Alright, I’ll do that then.”

And so I didn’t argue with her.

I didn’t think about possible traps.

If I was stubborn and tried to start from a different position, I would only be at a disadvantage.

Besides, I had been eyeing that rock from the beginning.

Perhaps I could win if I camped there…

‘Alright, you will be warped!’

And so I was teleported to the top of the rock.

Yes, it gave me a good view of the stage and there was nothing blocking my line of sight.

Charin would probably start running towards me as soon as the fight began.

If she took the shortest route, she would have to go through the forest and cross the river.

If I couldn’t take her down before she reached the bottom of the rock, then I would use Warp Arrow to escape to a different highground.

It was a rather boring and crude strategy, but that’s the only way I could make use of my Range.

No matter how high my stats or how strong my weapons, it would be pointless if I couldn’t attack.

I just needed to survive for 30 minutes in order to win. And so I had to chip away from a distance!

‘Are you ready? The battle will start in 10 seconds!’

Charin’s voice echoed around the Serpent Palace.

And then the countdown started.

10…9… I could even hear the voice coming from the ground below us.

That’s right. You were able to watch the battle from the fountain plaza as well!

I wished that I hadn’t remembered that…

People watching it live added even more pressure.

I was nervous… But I couldn’t allow it to get the best of me now!

“Yeah, come at me…!”

I roused myself with my own words.

And then the countdown went to 0.

‘Battle Start! Here I come! Collect Boots Pisces Ver.NSO!’

The armor around Charin’s legs changed.

They were now boots that were covered in fish scales and splashing water patterns on them.

‘Jump! Like the Pisces constellation!’

Charin then disappeared from my vision.

No, she had moved an unbelievable distance with just one step!

She had lept and was moving right towards me!

However, that meant that for a moment, her feet were not on the ground.

“Burning Arrow Storm!”

I fired off a storm of arrows right into her trajectory.

They were as fast as bullets and would be impossible to dodge.

And so Charin charged right into the numerous exploding bullets!

“Alright! The first hit!”

And it was a big one!

It was great that I was able to make this quick decision and use my trump card so early when I had the chance.

Clearly my fighting sensibilities had been polished through all this fighting…!

No, I wouldn’t praise myself any more than that.

Even I knew that she was far from defeated.

I needed to unleash a follow up attack…

‘You have one flaw… You are completely lacking in caution towards counters. It’s quite common in players with these skills.’

The storm of arrows…was being sucked in!

Towards the two swords that Charin was wielding…!

‘Synchro! Like the Gemini constellation! Collect Sword Gemini Ver.NSO!’

Once all of the arrows were absorbed, the two swords glowed.

Charin didn’t take any damage as far as I could see.

Had she really nullified the attack completely…!?

‘But someone with your style should be especially cautious. After all, if one returned the same attack as it is, then the range would also be the same. It will reach you even if you’re far away! Collect Burst Burning Arrow Storm!’

Her blades lit up even more brightly and then unleashed numerous arrows.

This… She really was returning Burning Arrow Storm right back at me!

My trump card had backfired…!