CH 186

Data.176 – Old Bowman, One Down

“Huh? It’s over already?”

As I searched for the next enemy, it was announced that the battle was over.

The results were 3 vs 0. The Ghost Guild had won.

Apparently, Satomi had died taking down Core, which meant it might have been a total victory for us if I had helped him… No, I wouldn’t think about such things now.

There is no difference between winning with everyone surviving and just one of us surviving. 

You moved forward in the tournament with every win, no matter how close it was. And no matter how well you fight, one loss means you’re out.

“That’s one down…!”

As soon as our victory was decided, all the tension left me.

We would have to do this five more times and win every single one in order to achieve glory.

That’s why it was something that had value.

“Now, I should go back to the waiting area and rest until the next battle.”

Besides, I wanted to celebrate our victory with the others!

◆　◆　◆

“We did it! We won the first round! Yes!!”

After we had gathered together, it was Anne who was the most excited.

In the first place, she didn’t have much experience with PvP, and so she wasn’t used to the excitement of beating another player. So it was no wonder that she was on such a high.

Whether it’s a fighting game, puzzle game or shooter, winning against another player could become addicting.

It was different from fighting an NPC.

“It ended with you, Anne. How did you do it?”

“About that!”

“Ohh! There you are! Hey! Let’s go and talk to them!”

It was the four from Mad Slime CORE.

They seemed rather cheerful considering they had just lost.

Well, except for one of them…

“Uuu… I’m so sorry…”

“Stop crying Ashido. There’s no need for you to be sorry, as it would have been impossible for you to turn things around at that point. We’re all at fault!”

“But… It’s the way that I died that is so lame… I’ll be a laughing stock online…”

“No you won’t! It will take a lot more than that to become eternally famous on the internet! If anything, you’ll be completely forgotten in no time!”

“You…I don’t know if you’re encouraging me or mocking me…!”

A large man who wore a hood and carried a bazooka on his back was crying uncontrollably.

Judging by the conversation, this was clearly the last surviving member of Mad Slime CORE. The one that Anne had beaten.

“Ah! That’s the guy I defeated! Well, it really just a coincidence…!”

“A-a coincidence…?”

“I received information that you were all fighting the enemy, and so I was getting quite nervous, knowing that my time was coming! And so I started swinging my spiked ball around as I walked, in order to prevent an ambush!”

“I see. It’s true that no one would be able to get close to you if you were swinging that around. And so, uh…did he get caught in it…?”

“Wait! Even I am not that stupid! Don’t get me wrong! In the first place, my weapon is a bazooka! I don’t need to get close to someone in order to ambush them!”

“S-sorry… Anne, could you continue?”

“Ah, well, there isn’t much else to say. As I was swinging it around, my hand grew tired, and I accidentally let go of the chain! And then the iron ball went flying off and hit that guy…!”

“That’s right! It hit me by accident! I was completely hidden and aiming with my bazooka. She wasn’t even looking at me when the iron ball came flying in my direction, so I couldn’t dodge it! How was I…supposed to predict that!? Right?!”

But the members of Mad Slime CORE were trying to hold back their laughter.

They really did seem like an amusing group…

“And it hit me in the worst place! While it wasn’t an instant death, it crushed my right arm! So I couldn’t use the bazooka, as it’s a two-handed weapon, and she was quick with the followup attack, which was very powerful! Why!”

“The followup attack was mostly just reflexes! I was so shocked that I moved without thinking! I did a lot of damage because I was using a skill that gives you a boost the more you swing it. I had thought that it was a questionable skill, as it takes a long time to get fired up, but it was quite useful this time!”

“Tsk! So luck was on your side this time! Because you’re a nun!”

“It’s just a costume.”

So now we know the truth of Anne’s fight.

An unfortunate accident…that led to a quick followup attack and victory.

While she lacked experience, Anne’s battle instincts had led her to fight in the best way, which is what made her strong.

“Well, regardless of any of that, we were still defeated in the first round. You’ve really done it! I have nothing else to say to you. A loser shouldn’t be giving a winner any advice, and I’m not going to add more pressure by asking you to win for us. Just fight in your own way and win. Besides, I can still enjoy the benefits of a family member winning 25 million.”

“I’m not giving you a single yen.”

Satomi said flatly.

And then they both laughed.

“You could at least buy me lunch then! Also, you better check out your next opponent!”

So saying, Core and the others left.

Our next opponent…was already decided.

Because they were the people who won the battle before ours.

As our battle was coming up, I had been quite nervous while watching them, and so I remembered their name clearly.

They were called…G’z.

Apparently, they were a party made up of grandfathers…!