A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 188

[Ah, seriously… How on earth do you do that? I’ve tried it a few times by myself, but I’ve never succeeded even once. It’s totally cheating.]

“Just now, that movement! What was that move by Rene?!”

“It’s a technique that utilizes the unique stuttering of the acceleration skill. If you know Rene, you know this is her signature move. Personally, I agree with Edde’s statement. Just because of that one move, I can’t even consider Rene’s openings as openings. If you foolishly try to exploit that, you might end up getting hit by that Warhammer… Just like Edde is now.”

Rene’s remaining HP is 72.48 percent.
Edde’s remaining HP is 70.38 percent.

She turned the accumulated damage, thanks to the Gae Bulg skill and the bleeding curse, into a swift counterattack.

That was the result of the combination of the Warhammer weapon and Rene’s skills.

[Shall I teach you later…?]
[…I’ll think about it after I win.]

“Ah! The two players, who were in a standoff, clash once again!”
“The bleeding curse from Gae Bulg lasts until the end of the PVP. So dragging the fight out gives Edde the advantage. Especially in a very large Coliseum like this. But Edde doesn’t seem to have that in mind.”
“That was my mistake! If I fight head-on again, I can win! Is that a sign of confidence?”
“It could be that, but… Edde bears the weight of the name she’s carrying right now.”

If Edde distances herself from Rene and wins using the bleeding now, what will people think?
Of course, they wouldn’t send her goodwill.

If the global ranking number one, known as the Empress of PVP, avoided a direct confrontation with a mere streamer who doesn’t even participate in ranked matches, that would be quite the scandal.

For Edde, who broadcasts showcasing her skills, that was a situation she absolutely had to avoid.

“Just now, both players allowed one strike; it was a skirmish, and now they’re continuing their intense exchanges!”

★

Edde began to relentlessly target the area around my chest, where the bleeding mark remained.

Having a designated attack area makes it easy to defend against.
In other words, counterattacking also becomes easy.

But Edde didn’t give any openings with her overwhelming skills.

She was light, fast, and sharp.
It was as if she was determined not to repeat the earlier mistake, focusing on sweeping attacks.
The stabbing attacks were minimal, merely for control.

Currently, my HP is about 50 percent.
And it’s decreasing due to the bleeding as time passes.

In other words, if it drags on like this, my defeat is certain.
So this is the moment to gamble.

Boom!
“Ugh?!”

When Edde slightly retreated to maintain distance, I slammed the Warhammer down with all my strength.

A massive amount of sand dust erupted.
Thanks to that, our visibility was completely blocked, and I immediately threw myself into the dust.

Would Edde just stand there waiting, retreat to regroup, push forward, or dodge sideways?
I had no idea.

But one thing was certain; I was far more used to situations like this than she was.

And Edde chose to retreat.
That was my favorite position.

Between someone rushing forward and someone retreating, it’s obvious the one rushing forward is more stable.
The one retreating can’t help but be a bit off-balance.

And to me, that slight imbalance was enough.

However, the opponent is also the global ranking number one.
She predicted my timing perfectly and thrust her spear forward.

I took it full on with my body.

“…Huh?”

Once again, I heard the sound of an unpleasant noise piercing my chest. In an instant, my HP dropped to 20 percent.

It’s alright. No problem at all.
…Yeah.
After all, I won’t actually die here, right?
That’s good enough.

After pinning Edde’s spear to keep her from retreating, I swung the Warhammer.

Boom!
Though I couldn’t put my full strength into it due to the distance being too close, it was enough to completely disrupt Edde’s balance.

“Are you kidding me…?!”

Just before her body fell completely backward, a darker shade of blue, slightly stronger than acceleration, enveloped Edde.

Jin-gak.
Once activated, it pushes all surrounding enemies back.

“Don’t!”

But my attack is faster than the activation of Jin-gak.

Boom!
Thus, the Jin-gak was canceled, and Edde fell flat on her back.

But the game wasn’t over yet.
At this close range, I couldn’t put enough strength into my attack, and I was currently in a situation where Edde’s spear was piercing my chest.

Would the combined damage of bleeding and piercing make my HP go to 0 first?
Or would my attack reduce Edde’s HP to 0 first?
It was a literal race against time.

And knowing that, Edde was twisting her spear, trying to inflict as much damage on me as possible.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

“This is insane…!”

How much time passed?
It felt both like an instant and an eternity.

And the result was.
[HP: 0.27%]
[You Win!]

A hair-raising victory.
One second.
Just one second slower in my action, and I would have been the one down.

“Haaah…”

With a relieved sigh, I began to think about the next round.
That strategy wouldn’t work again in the next round.

Blocking visibility must be effective only if the opponent can’t anticipate it.
If they anticipate it from the start, it becomes easy to devise a counter.

Moreover, in this strategy, what I can ultimately do is rush in, so if the opponent just keeps a cool head, they can maintain the weapon’s advantage.

So that meant I needed a totally different strategy for the next round.

First, it would be great if the field came out well.
If a foggy giant tree were to appear, that would be the best.

…And perhaps using this would be a good idea.

★

“First set! Rene wins, leaving only 0.27% HP!!!”
With Yong-ha’s declaration, the stage erupted in cheers.

There was no need to explain the underdog’s great revolt.
Even those who weren’t fans of Rene felt a thrilling exhilaration watching that match.

“What a reversal from the very first set!”
“Indeed! When Rene was skewered again, I thought Edde would win! She completely turned that prediction on its head!”
“I, too, thought it was over when the sand dust obscured my view. When I saw Edde move calmly and successfully counterattack, I thought, ‘This is done.’ But then this reversal happens!”

Tuni and Yong-ha were enthralled, expressing their admiration.
While Ga-eun, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, was asked by Tuni.
“Did you predict this result, Ga-eun?”

Ga-eun quietly nodded.
“I thought the initiative had shifted to Rene the moment visibility was blocked.”
“Why is that?”
“Edde enjoys the game New Dimension purely as PVP. But Rene, essentially, is accustomed to any situation that unfolds—I’m not sure if this is the right expression, but she’s from the PK player background. In other words, the more chaotic things get, the more familiar it becomes for Rene.”

Of course, Edde also went through numerous experiences to reach global ranking number one.
But compared to Rene, who has weathered many chaotic battles that wouldn’t happen in PVP, there were some shortcomings.

One representative scene was just when the sand dust rose.
“Of course, Edde was impressive too. The way she moved back quickly to regroup showed why she reached global ranking number one. But Rene, being far more accustomed to that kind of situation, seized that opening perfectly and took the victory.”

“I see! Now I understand why you two’s PVP was put as the main event!”
“But from now on, that strategy won’t work. It was a strategy intended to provoke sudden panic, so if it’s anticipated, it won’t be hard to counter.”

As Ga-eun continued explaining the recent battle, the event arena they were watching on the monitor shook once again.

The field was the most obstructed area; the Cemetery of the Burning Wolf.
And.
“Ah?! Rene changed her weapon!”
“Great Sword! It’s a great sword!”

Rene switched her weapon from the Warhammer to a great sword.
“That was the weapon that caused the biggest stir in the Holy War! I never expected such subtle techniques from a player like Rene! It’s the comment that received the most likes on the OnTube video that came up after the first Holy War!”
“And that! The skill made with the original connect system! It’s unbelievably cool, right?! I hope we get to see that skill here!”

“Tuni, using OC-created skills isn’t possible in PVP.”
“Ah… I’m sorry. I don’t know much about PVP…”
“No problem! What’s wrong with wanting to see it?!”
“Right?!”

Amidst the commentators’ cheers, the second match began.