Chapter 11
Episode 11
Hanjo received information about the intruder's predicted movement path from a member of the OnePiece guild and proceeded to set up traps.
'Even lions do their best when catching rabbits.'
No, considering that the OnePiece members were caught off guard, it would be more accurate to say it was a wolf than a rabbit. Of course, that wouldn't apply to him.
It was by no means arrogance. In fact, Hanjo was far from such words.
He was a skilled player who ranked within the Top 100 in LaSe, a game with over 500 million users worldwide.
'But that's as far as it goes.'
He couldn't climb any higher.
To enter the Top 20 area, where talent, luck, and effort had to burst forth, was impossible for him.
'And to think they appointed such a backer!'
The backer Hanjo chose was a 6-star backer, so the grade wasn't bad. However, it was only a superficial grade.
It was one of those 'trusted and rejected' backers that users commonly referred to—a neglectful backer who paid no attention to what the player did or didn't do.
It was common in the early days of the game when information about the game was scarce.
The frustration of seeing others who were less talented and hardworking climb up with the help of backers was indescribable.
'Pff. Even someone like me is getting excited.'
As he recalled his previous character's backer, he momentarily put too much force into it, causing the trap to break. Hanjo composed himself again and proceeded to set up the trap.
'But even that is coming to an end now.'
In truth, there had been much hesitation before deleting the character. Why wouldn't there be? He was a character ranked in the Top 100!
But for Hanjo, there was a reason to aim higher.
'Combat God.'
A user he met in the arena of 'Real Fantasia,' the game he played before LaSe—not his previous character.
A phenomenal fighter who suddenly appeared and wreaked havoc in the arena, climbing up to the 2nd rank.
Hanjo had fought against him in the arena as well and suffered a complete defeat.
'He truly has overwhelming talent.'
While Hanjo boasted that he was unmatched in combat sense, there was a subtle gap that he couldn't overcome.
'One more time!'
After the defeat, he wanted to fight him again, but he couldn't. Just like when he appeared, he disappeared suddenly like an illusion.
But it wasn't difficult to guess his whereabouts. There was a masterpiece game called Last Savior, after all.
'Combat God is definitely here.'
Could such talent just go to waste?
Perhaps he might be in the Top 20... No, if so, he might be in the Top 10, known as the unreachable realm. And those in the Top 10 were mountains that players ranked in the top 100 dared not climb.
'I want to fight Combat God again.'
Such a desire ultimately led Hanjo to make a big decision as a 'sub-character'... and the result was very successful. He had chosen a much better backer than before!
Ding.
[Successfully completed setting up the Flame Trap.]
[When a target passes over the Flame Trap, flames will erupt, dealing fire damage to the opponent. The target hit has a very low chance of falling into the 'burning' status effect.]
"Alright."
Hanjo completed setting up the traps and concealed himself above a nearby tree. With this, the job was done.
'Even though it's a contract, bothering beginners doesn't sit well with me.'
Back when he played as his previous character, Hanjo owed a considerable debt to the leader of the Mammonist guild. To repay the favor, he agreed to fight for Mammonist just three times, and this was the final third time.
Just like the previous two times, after subduing the opponent and completing the friend registration, Hanjo decided it was time to collect his reward.
Rustle.
A figure emerged from the bushes. Hanjo instinctively sensed that this was his target.
"So, if you go this way, you'll find a lot of mutant deer, right?"
He was an ordinary-looking man. With an average build and a friendly demeanor, he looked like the epitome of 'harmless.' However, Hanjo narrowed his eyes slightly.
'A streamer?'
It was highly likely that he was a streamer if he was talking to himself like that with no one around. While there were occasions where users conversed with their backers, it was unlikely that a user would build such a close relationship with their backer here.
"I wonder if fewer OnePiece folks will show up. I want to collect more items."
By now, it was certain.
This intruder was a streamer. And there was no doubt he was broadcasting content of eliminating OnePiece members with his sub-character!
"Good! If the opponent is also a sub-character, then I might have some fun..."
Hanjo thought until there and then shook his head. The opponent was unlucky. If it were his previous self, the 'Gumjae,' the match might have been interesting.
'In ninja combat, the element of surprise is key!'
Unfortunately, the opponent wouldn't even recognize him and would collapse without a fight. Hanjo held his breath and observed the man.
"Hmm. Is it around here?"
Step.
The man took another step, precisely in the direction where Hanjo had set up the trap.
'Once the Flame Trap is triggered, I'll approach from the rear and aim for the vital points.'
Hanjo silently drew his dagger.
Step.
The moment the man entered the trap's area.
[The Flame Trap has been activated.]
Flames began to flicker beneath the man's feet.
'Now!'
Hanjo swiftly leaped down from the tree, aiming for the enemy's rear. It was the perfect timing!
However, as he approached halfway, he realized something was wrong.
'Why are there flames?'
The opponent had clearly triggered the Flame Trap. The notification had appeared without a doubt.
But the output of the flames was abnormal. Normally, the Flame Trap spewed out flames large enough to engulf an adult male in an instant.
An efficient trap that combined flame damage with sight-obscuring effects. That was the 'Flame Trap,' also known as the truth trap in the low-level range.
However... why couldn't the flames reach even the knees to obscure the opponent's vision?
[The Flame Trap has been forcibly deactivated.]
"Argh! Deactivated?!"
Could it be that the opponent had noticed the trap?! In an unexpected situation, Hanjo was also taken aback. He had already exerted all his strength, so hiding again was not an option.
'No choice. I have to... hmm?'
As Hanjo prepared to switch to a frontal assault after the ambush was exposed, he sensed something strange. The opponent who successfully deactivated the trap seemed to be panicking for some reason. It was unusual for someone to be so flustered even after directly encountering a Flame Trap.
The question 'why?' filled his mind, but his body reacted first. With too much experience under his belt to let such a big opening slip by, Hanjo seized the opportunity.
[Activating Special Skill 'Divine Wind.']
[Agility status increased by 20% for 20 seconds.]
Hanjo, seizing the opening, brandished a formidable move. It was a 'Special Skill' that could only be learned after achieving a certain level of affinity with the backer. Thanks to the proper tinkering of the previous character's backer, Hanjo and this backer were a perfect match. They had obtained a job at level 10 and even acquired a Special Skill simultaneously!
'Had I known I would acquire such a skill, I wouldn't have skipped the entire agility tree.'
Still, Hanjo had belatedly focused all his stats on agility. With that, his achieved agility stat was 25. With the Divine Wind effect applied, it precisely hit 30.
Compared to others at the same level, it was an overwhelming agility stat. Coupled with the physique of a former top-ranked player, it was practically impossible for a level 10 user to evade his attacks!
Swoosh!
In no time, Hanjo's dagger, which had approached within arm's reach, drew a smooth arc aiming for the man's neck. As Hanjo had guaranteed, it was a swift slash that any other level 10 user wouldn't even have time to react to.
However, Hanjo overlooked one thing.
In the world of Last Savior, countless hidden aces existed, resulting in irregularities beyond the norm.
For example, a level 1 player with physical prowess close to 30.
"Huh?!"
Hanjo's anticipation was wrong once again. At the moment when the dagger swung with all his might to sever the neck, the man swiftly tilted his head, causing the dagger to slip past. As the dagger swept by, tiny droplets of blood scattered into the air.
And what followed left Hanjo astonished.
The ordinary-looking man, Karpe, precisely kicked the hand holding the weapon away. Hanjo was captivated by the intense sensation.
"Could it be... a Weapon Drop?!"
In LaSe, where one-on-one PvP wasn't as prevalent, it was an unfamiliar concept. However, for veterans of another virtual reality game, Real Fantasia, it was a technique they all knew.
As the name suggested, it was a tactic to disarm the opponent by attacking their hands and making them drop their weapon.
Yes, it was not a skill but a 'tactic.'
It wasn't registered as a skill in the system and had to be performed entirely based on the user's intuition. At first glance, it seemed like a simple technique, but in reality, it was far from it.
It was an advanced tactic that required keen visual tracking of swiftly moving weapons, judgment, and concentration to predict the enemy's movements.
"This can't be happening!"
The reason for Hanjo's astonishment wasn't just because the opponent executed a Weapon Drop. While Weapon Drop was considered a high-level skill, it was occasionally seen among top-ranked duelists.
The reason for his shock was the quality of the technique itself.
It was cleaner than any Weapon Drop he had ever seen before. As far as Hanjo knew, there was only one person capable of executing such a flawless Weapon Drop.
A figure symbolizing 'Weapon Drop' in Real Fantasia. A fighting machine who had displayed more precise Weapon Drops than anyone else!
Forgetting he was in the midst of battle, Hanjo shouted in urgency.
"Surely, the-"
But the shout couldn't continue.
Thunk!
[A powerful blow to a vital point has been allowed!]
[You are stunned for 7 seconds.]
Karpe's kick landed precisely on Hanjo's carotid artery.
* * *
Thud!
"Ah, that was a surprise."
Karpe heaved a sigh of relief as he looked at the fallen foe who had taken the kick. If the opponent had been a little faster, he might have lost his neck. It was all due to being caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events.
-Well, who would have thought?
"Yeah, it was really surprising."
In fact, Karpe had already noticed the presence of the foe. Moreover, he had already grasped that the foe had set up a 'Flame Trap'. It was all thanks to his keen insight.
So, pretending to fall into the trap intentionally, he endured the Flame Trap with his high health stats, then devised a simple plan to 'ambush and take down the charging enemy!'
-A skill like cheating, isn't it?
The moment he stepped on the Flame Trap, notifications started pouring into Karpe's field of vision.
Ding.
[You have stepped on the Flame Trap. There is a very low chance of suffering the 'Burn' status effect along with Flame Damage.]
[You have been afflicted with the 'Burn' status effect.]
Up to this point, everything was as expected... No, 'a very low chance of Burn' was certainly not expected. It was such a terrible stroke of luck that it was beyond comprehension. However, he gritted his teeth against the urge to rage, trusting in his luck of a thousand horses.
But what truly surprised him was what came next.
[The skill 'Unlock' is activated.]
[The trap 'Flame Trap' is deactivated.]
[Deactivation successful!]
[The skill 'Unlock' is activated.]
[The 'Burn' status effect is lifted.]
[Lifting successful!]
"W-what is this?!"
-What? Deactivation? Are you kidding me?!
It was the moment when the secret of the original 10-star skill 'Unlock' was revealed once again.
Enjoying the story? Don't forget to rate 5 stars and review in NovelUpdte!