A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 60

[Rene]

[It’s been a while]

[New Dimension | 1,443 viewers | 01:16:31]

…This is strange.

Why is this happening?

I definitely attacked at the exact timing. No, it was a perfect timing, yet my Warhammer didn’t even graze the hem of his clothes and just sliced through the air.

The result? Two sets of consecutive losses.

I only successfully landed a proper attack once when I first started.

─In the end, Edaki is still Edaki.

─Isn’t the opponent just too strong?

─How could a human win against a god, haha.

─Shouldn’t we rather praise the leader who landed that initial attack?

─If I hadn’t stopped then, I might have taken at least one set.

The chat window was bustling with a variety of discussions all about my situation.

Of course, no one expected me to win.

It was only natural after losing so miserably for two consecutive rounds.

Well, anyway, the important thing right now isn’t their chat.

What I needed to think about was why my attacks weren’t working on him.

〔Are You Ready?〕

But as if to not give me any breathing room, the chime of the Great Bell Tower tickled my ears once again.

〔Fight!〕

And just as that phrase flashed before me, he rushed toward me first, once again.

The counterattack I once did was no longer effective.

That was merely a variable I created by utilizing the preconceptions of weapons and the battlefield.

If he’s already predicting it, then it’s no longer a variable.

Ultimately, I had to retreat again and endure his assault.

…Now.

Shwaaaak!

The Warhammer, cutting through even the air itself.

This was definitely an accurate and perfectly timed strike.

A decisive blow that made it impossible for him to dodge by reading his attack.

“Hmm.”

But once again, my attack didn’t even graze the hem of his clothing.

It merely sliced through the void.

And I had to pay the price for that.

No matter how much I used the acceleration skill, I was still equipped with a Warhammer and full body armor.

I couldn’t be faster than him with knuckles and light armor.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Just for missing one attack, I had to endure three strikes in return.

As a result, my HP dropped by about 10 percent.

It was too great a cost to label it a small mistake.

But in a situation like this, this was the only way for me to defeat him.

To back off and block his attacks as best as I could.

And if a gap appeared, I would swing my Warhammer toward it.

It would be nice if I could move first, but… in a situation where I understood nothing about my opponent, that would merely be a declaration to be manipulated more one-sidedly.

What could be the problem?

It would have been easier if he blindly attacked, believing in his advantage.

But he moved with caution and certainty, as if he would not miss a single one of my movements.

Well, I guess this level of skill is necessary to be ranked number one and win tournaments.

“Hmm…”

Before I knew it, my HP had dropped to 25 percent.

Yet I still couldn’t find a way out.

How should I put this?

It felt like I was fighting someone who lived in a slightly different world…

“Gasp!”

“…Ah.”

Lost in such thoughts, my reaction momentarily slowed.

He, who was barely out of reach, ducked down and threw a punch.

I realized it was already too late, but I swung my Warhammer anyway.

And.

“Ah?”

Puhuh, my Warhammer grazed past his shoulder.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a direct hit, only shaving off about 2 percent of his HP.

And he didn’t stop with just a slight falter; he continued his assault.

As a result, my HP dropped another 10 percent.

A trade of 2 percent for 10 percent. A clear loss.

But it didn’t matter.

Right now, the fact that my attack succeeded was what mattered most.

Why?

Despite the fact that my reaction was slower than ever, why did it succeed this time?

─Now, he can’t counter anymore, haha.

─How can a martial artist hit like that, for real?

─I feel so relieved watching a hacker get schooled, haha.

─Can’t even win after using hacks, you idiot, haha.

─Damn, there are so many idiots now.

─Get rid of those guys.

─Just give me my little Rene back…

─Let’s find a manager, Rene.

I turned my gaze away from the rapidly rising chat window.

And thought.

How that outcome had come about.

Simply put, if I were to reproduce that attack, I could do it.

But the opponent was a person on top.

With such a gamble focused on mere luck, he would quickly figure out my intention and counter it.

So right now, what I need to do is turn that recent stroke of luck into inevitability.

I recall how he moved.

How his shoulder moved. What posture did he take to attack me? What direction did he dive in?

Was I too deeply focused?

Before I knew it, I hadn’t even noticed he was coming toward me.

What caught my attention was his leg, specifically the movement of his foot.

That which is colloquially referred to as a step in combat sports.

“…Ah.”

Now that I think about it, this person mentioned he used to be a kickboxer.

“I got it.”

I slightly pulled back to deflect his attack and then swung my Warhammer upward from below.

This time, it was really precise, a perfect timing strike.

Bang!

The sound resonated far thicker than when knuckles hit full body armor, and he flew backward just like the first set.

About 15 percent of his HP disappeared.

Of course, I took some damage too because I reacted late, but I didn’t really care.

Now I clearly understood what the trick was.

While attacking, I could slightly step back to create gaps to deflect my opponent’s attacks whenever needed.

Thanks to that, attacking at what I thought was precise timing turned out to be an oddly faster hit.

Such a technique was unimaginable.

Is that why he attacks from a different world? One might think.

…Sure enough.

In that other world, it seems magic developed more than such intricate techniques.

It’s already been more than a year since I came to Earth, and I still find my head thinking based on that other world quite often.

If I had considered from the start that my opponent was a kickboxer, I might have figured it out faster.

Alright.

Then it’s my turn now.

The reason I didn’t rush to attack him when he fell during the first set was because I felt some disharmony.

Even though it was a timing he couldn’t defend against, he managed to defend and reduce the damage.

But now, I clearly understand the reason.

So there’s no longer a need to avoid a direct confrontation.

“Whew…”

After taking a deep breath, I stepped forward and accelerated.

The opponent was looking at me with both hands raised in front of his face, as if ready to give me a counter.

But I didn’t care about that.

As long as I know what the basis of those movements was, I could respond to any application.

I know I shouldn’t compare, but… while techniques might not be on par, the speed of the Paladins from our cult is much greater.

Swish!

As the distance closed, I dodged the incoming punch and stepped forward without hesitation to slam my Warhammer down toward his head.

He twisted his body violently to barely block my attack, but because of that, his stance completely broke.

And I wasn’t about to let that opening go.

“Ugh?!”

Hearing his cry of horror, I pressed the attack. Striking faster and more accurately.

With such speed, he wouldn’t have a chance to retaliate.

It didn’t really matter that he was managing to block my attacks somehow.

No matter how successful he was in defending, the limits of light armor were surely reducing his HP.

90 percent. 80 percent. 76 percent. 63 percent. 50 percent. 43 percent.

I can win. No, I will win.

There is no longer, at least for now, any means left for him.

30 percent. 25 percent.

And the moment his HP dropped to 12 percent.

“Ah…”

He seemed completely to lose focus and fell backward entirely.

Now, he couldn’t defend at all.

If I slammed my Warhammer down like this, all of his remaining HP would disappear.

Just as my Warhammer was about to touch his head.

〔Time Over〕

The notification that the PVP time was over appeared before my eyes.

〔You Lose〕

The result.

What appeared was a message announcing my defeat.

My remaining HP was 11.79 percent, and his was 12.04 percent.

A mere 0.25 percent loss.

─Wow, that’s so disappointing.

─I thought I had a round.

─Did you use hacks because you got scared at the end? Haha.

─I acknowledge that this set was a classic match.

─You idiots, Ga-eun deliberately let him win. Can’t you tell?

So disappointing. I had it all won.

[…Thank you for your hard work, Rene. Thank you for accepting such a sudden request.]

“Oh, no, it’s fine. I, um, had a good experience… Thank you…”

[I should probably head out soon since my schedule is coming up. Is that alright?]

“Oh, yes. Goodbye…”

[Thank you. …And I’ll be waiting.]

As I transitioned to the PVP waiting room, that was the last thing he said… no, Ga-eun ended her New Dimension and Miscode session.

A pro gamer.

It seemed like she was quite busy, being someone at the top.

…She really was outstanding.

If that last set had continued, I would have surely won, but that was only thanks to Ga-eun being flustered after revealing her hand.

As a professional gamer who was also a former kickboxer, surely that technique was not all she had.

So would I have eventually lost in the next set?

That level of skill is required to win at tournaments like the world competition.

“Hmm… That last bit was a bit disappointing. I could have won…”

─Seriously.

─If I had taken even one set, it would have been something to brag about for a lifetime.

─I already made friends with Ga-eun, and we did PVP, so isn’t that already a lifetime brag?

─I agree, haha.

─But Ga-eun is really good.

“Oh, I was surprised myself…”

In response to my statement, the chat window filled with compliments for Ga-eun.

Continuously, it was all praises for her.

“….”

…That’s somewhat bothering me.

Of course, I knew she was good, but after all, this is my broadcast.

And in the end, I technically won, didn’t I?

The chat was filled with so many comments saying that A-grade Edaki would never take a single set, yet didn’t my performance deserve some praise too?

“Hm. Ahem… So, everyone…?

─?

─Yes.

─I also want to try PVP with Ga-eun.

But I felt a bit embarrassed to say that outright, so I said it a little indirectly.

“Still, I mean, I almost won in the end…? The opponent was a world champion, Ga-eun, and… I’m an A-grade, so… hmm…”

─Haha.

─Hahaha.

…For some reason, the chat was flooded with laughter at my words.

Why? What’s going on?

─If you want compliments, just say it directly haha.

“…Yes. I want to be complimented. How did I do…? I was cool, right…?”

─Honestly, the first and last were pretty epic.

─Agreed.

─Great Demon Rene.

─I was almost charmed, haha.

─But why is this girl suddenly acting cute?

─This is not how our trolling gallery master should be…

─Honestly, I’m kind of feeling it…

─Not kinda, just feeling it.

“Hu, hehe… heehee… Wasn’t it cool? Hehe…”

As I filled my self-esteem while looking at the praises of the Rebongi.

─That laughter is seriously insane.

─Why does this guy’s laugh make me crazy?

─My heart melts, damn…

=‘ㅇㅇ’ has donated 70,000 won.

(‘Rene vs Ga-eun PVP.mp4’)

I had already prepared that sound for when someone donated over 50,000 won, but I hadn’t expected it to happen, so it truly surprised me.

What the heck.

Why are they acting like this?

…But earlier.

“I’ll be waiting.”

What did Ga-eun mean by that?