Chapter 18 : Chapter 18
Chapter 18. The Game Officially Begins.
The grassland.
A gentle breeze blew across the sea of green.
It should have been a peaceful scene, if not for the bizarre sight at the center of the field.
A crude humanoid dummy made from grass stalks and scraps of cloth had been firmly fixed into the ground.
On the dummy’s “head,” a fresh carrot had been stuck in place in a ridiculous fashion.
As for the “body,” a small figure had been tied to it with vines.
It was none other than our “future Great Archmage,” Vivian.
Her whole body was bound to the grass dummy, with only her head, hands, and feet able to move.
Her big emerald eyes brimmed with tears.
Her little face had gone deathly pale with fright as she let out a world-shaking wail.
“Help—!!! Murder—!!! Wuwuwuwu! Is nobody going to do anything—?!”
Her cries echoed across the open grassland and startled several birds from the treetops in the distance.
About a dozen meters around her, more than twenty Gale Rabbits with fluffy fur and crimson eyes were being drawn in by the carrot and by the living scent coming from Vivian.
They hopped and circled cautiously, probing as they formed a loose encirclement.
These rabbits were extremely fast and nimble at a glance.
They were obviously not easy to deal with.
Wu You stood about seven or eight meters away from Vivian with his sword in hand, his back facing her as he vigilantly swept his gaze over the rabbit pack drawing ever closer.
Hearing Vivian’s screaming, loud enough to wake the dead, the veins on his forehead bulged.
Unable to endure it any longer, he turned around and shouted, “Shut up! Stop screaming! You are going to scare the rabbits to death! I am here, so what are you afraid of?!”
“Wuwu... I-I am afraid!” Vivian cried so hard she could barely catch her breath.
As she struggled, she shouted through her tears, “You are just an E-rank swordsman! You do not even have Battle Aura! Of course I am afraid! Help! I do not want to be bait! I am a great mage, not a carrot stand! Villain! Let me go! Wuwuwu...”
Wu You’s face darkened at her “E-rank swordsman” and “carrot stand.”
Just as he was about to curse her again, the corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of a Gale Rabbit slightly larger than the others.
Taking advantage of the moment when Wu You had turned his head and Vivian was crying, it shot soundlessly out of his rear blind spot like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Its hind legs kicked off the ground and stirred up a small gust of wind.
It was so fast that it left only a gray blur on the retina as it charged straight at the helpless Vivian tied to the dummy.
Vivian’s crying stopped abruptly.
Her emerald eyes instantly widened, and her pupils shrank in terror.
She saw the Gale Rabbit’s savage red eyes and its split mouth slightly open, exposing sharp front teeth.
“Villain! Behind you!!!” she screamed with all her strength, her voice cracking out of tune.
Before she had even finished shouting, the gray blur had already closed to within less than two meters of Wu You’s back.
Its hind legs kicked off once more.
It was about to pounce straight at the bait.
Vivian’s heart nearly stopped.
Her mind went blank, leaving behind nothing but despair.
And then, in that split second of lightning and fire.
Vivian did not even see how Wu You moved.
She only saw that the seemingly defenseless E-rank swordsman with his back to the rabbit had already been waiting there.
With a speed and precision she could not comprehend, the arm holding his sword thrust backward without the slightest warning.
There was no flashy turn.
No battle cry.
He did not even look back.
It was the simplest, most basic movement possible.
Straight Thrust.
And yet in Vivian’s eyes, that thrust seemed to break through the limits of space itself.
The sword tip dragged a nearly invisible glimmering trail through the air like a streak of firefly light.
Fast.
Accurate.
Ruthless.
“Thk!”
A very soft sound rang out, like something piercing a fully ripened fruit.
That gray blur froze in midair as if someone had pressed pause, still more than half a meter away from Wu You’s body.
In the next second, it dropped onto the grass with a thud, twitched twice, and stopped moving.
A tiny hole had appeared between its brows.
No blood flowed out.
Only a trace of radiant light carrying a purifying aura flashed and vanished.
Everything had happened too quickly.
From the rabbit’s sneak attack, to Vivian’s scream, to the rabbit’s death, the entire sequence took less than two seconds.
The grassland fell into dead silence.
The remaining Gale Rabbits seemed to have been intimidated by their companion’s sudden death.
They stopped advancing and stared at Wu You with wary, uncertain red eyes.
Still tied to the grass dummy, Vivian remained frozen in a daze.
Her mouth was still hanging open in an “O.”
Her large emerald eyes did not blink as she stared at the dead Gale Rabbit on the ground, then slowly shifted toward Wu You, who still had his back to her and looked as calm as if he had merely swatted a mosquito to death.
Her brain had completely crashed.
What... had just happened?
That E-rank swordsman... that poor swordsman without even a trace of Battle Aura... h-he... how had he done that?
He had not even turned around!
Meanwhile, inside Wu You’s mind, Radiant Thrust transmitted an arrogant thought tinged with lingering dissatisfaction.
[That is all?]
[Its speed was acceptable, but its trajectory was simple and its intent obvious.]
[A sneak attack? Before my perception and speed, that was nothing but a joke.]
[Host, could you perhaps find me... a more decent opponent next time?]
Wu You flicked his wrist and inwardly gave Radiant Thrust high praise for its efficiency.
But outwardly, he gave all his skills a unified lecture in his mind.
“All of you, stay sharp! That was only one! There are still more than twenty left! Do not think that just because they are fast, they can do whatever they want! Pay attention to coordination! Quick Step, be ready to reposition me at any moment! Horizontal Slash, watch the flanks and the front! Enhanced Upward Slash and Block, act according to the situation!”
Only then did he seem to remember Vivian’s abruptly cut-off scream.
He glanced back at her and, seeing her blank little face, let out a mocking laugh.
“So now you know fear? Weren’t you screaming quite happily just now?”
He turned around and faced the restless Gale Rabbit pack head-on.
His iron sword angled toward the ground as a rather malicious smile curled onto his lips.
“Alright, rabbits...”
“The game officially begins.”