Chapter 97
No Killing Intent.
But my scythe-spear’s thrust, aimed dead-serious at the face, is designed to flow seamlessly into a slashing follow-up with the blade upon retracting, even if deflected.
Most players familiar with my weapon’s shape could predict this motion.
But for first-timers who dodge the initial thrust and assume they can land a single counterattack before the spear retracts—there awaits the second blade.
The second slash, delivered by the magically lengthened and sharpened scythe edge, should be an attack nearly impossible to foresee.
"......"
Yet, in the briefest flicker of her gaze, Claudia didn’t look behind her—but at my feet. Or rather, judging by the angle of her vision, the movement of my hips, not my thighs.
While keeping my upper body in her sight,
gathered predictive information from my lower body’s motion at the furthest visible angle.
As I pulled my left foot back, poised to slash her throat with the scythe’s edge on the retraction—she didn’t pursue. Instead, she ducked with minimal movement, letting the incoming blade pass overhead, then unleashed a compact fist from her tightly folded right arm straight into my gut.
"Gh—!"
My posture, mid-scythe swing, left me unable to retract the long spear in time.
But I’ve fought my share of PvP battles.
I’ve faced high-tier brawler-type players before.
And I know the speed and power of Claudia’s punches.
There’s just enough time to wedge the spear’s shaft between her fist and my body—but not enough to fully block it.
"Hmph."
Then I’ll just let the force send me flying.
Right before being launched, I heard Claudia let out a noise of surprise.
Her small, childlike frame combined with the sheer power of her punch sent me flying farther than expected—too far for an immediate follow-up.
"Class 6, Level 200 or so, huh?"
Plus, though I was sent flying horizontally, my ingrained reflexes kicked in. I twisted midair to avoid catching my spear on the ground, rolling sideways like a wheel before landing cleanly.
Assessing the impact, the distance I was sent, and my own stats, I felt relief—she hadn’t yet reached her in-game stats from when we first met in the original story.
"My arm… still works."
The biggest factor was diverting the core of the impact. Even so, the shock was staggering.
No wonder players called her the "Heretic Monk."
"Using my own attack to create distance? Even seasoned warriors would struggle to evade that strike. I put enough force into it to shatter weapons even if blocked. Yet yours remains intact, and now I’m back in spear range… Are you a dwarven warrior?"
"No, just a regular human."
Now, the term "Heretic Monk" implies a cleric who violates doctrine, but in Claudia’s case, it’s due to her skill composition.
Among brawler-types, she’s specialized in destruction—limbs, armor, defenses, even monster hides—while also mastering internal-penetration strikes.
In short, she’s the kind of battle maiden you never want close, capable of breaking you inside and out.
"I see."
"!?"
And with her aura-based skills, it’s not just about raw power—
"Kuh—!?"
She can fire ki blasts, attacking from beyond spear range.
Fist-sized clumps of mana, launched like jabs with no tell.
Fast projectile speed, rapid-fire capable.
And at my current level, even one clean hit would mean instant game over.
Too far, and she overwhelms me.
Too close, and I’m crushed.
Even at mid-range, there’s no respite.
If I turtle up, the ki blasts whittle me down.
This time, I have to close the gap myself.
"......"
But charging blindly would just make me target practice.
Gripping the scythe-spear in my right hand, I use my left to deflect incoming ki blasts, leaning forward as if bowing.
My left hand touches the ground, preventing full contact—creating a pseudo-tripod stance.
Then, kicking off with my right foot, I dart forward at ground level.
"Like a beast!"
Being forced low isn’t ideal, but intercepting a low stance requires finesse.
From Claudia’s posture, aiming at me now means her ki blasts angle downward from chest height.
Creating a sliver of space just ahead.
I slip into that gap the moment she adjusts, buying acceleration time.
But she quickly adapts, filling the space with ki blasts—just as I anticipated.
In raw speed, even at full tilt, Claudia can track me.
In stamina, my child-sized, lower-level body would give out first.
Meaning, a stat-based fight is hopeless.
My only advantages:
I know Claudia’s skill composition, while she underestimates me, likely pegging me as Class 3 or 4.
Despite my childlike appearance, my player-honed movement mastery.
These two hopes.
A few seconds into my advance—
Dodging sideways, surging forward, sudden stops—my erratic, unpredictable movements resemble not a human’s, but a beastman’s.
This is a PvP technique inspired by attempts to replicate the movements of beastman NPCs back in the game era.
In reality, quadrupedal motion for humans is biomechanically awkward—the 100m world record for two-legged sprinting (under 10 seconds) dwarfs the quadrupedal record (over 15).
Human skeletal structure and muscle balance aren’t built for it.
But this isn’t reality.
It’s a game world.
Even with physics engines, fantasy stats allow movements that defy anatomy.
And FBO’s beastmen provide a template for these "impossible" techniques.
"Hah!!"
"First a dwarven warrior, now a beastman’s tactics!?"
Mastering bestial movement is grueling, but once learned, it’s surprisingly viable. Exploiting Claudia’s blind spots, I re-enter spear range.
Dodging ki blasts, my low-angle thrust snakes upward, again aiming for her throat.
"Impressive! But—"
Given my attack power versus Claudia’s defensive skills, damaging her is like smashing rock with a wooden sword.
I must target weak points—critical hits.
Ironically, just like against the Earth Dragon.
But weak points are small, and my attack speed lags behind Claudia’s.
As if to prove how easily small targets are avoided, she palm-strikes the blade aside, sending my spear veering wide.
No time to recover it for defense.
In the same motion, her other fist arcs toward me.
"!?"
But I was waiting for this!!
My one-handed spear thrust sends the weapon flying far away—leaving me unarmed.
The perfect opening.
No feints, no hesitation.
A clean, fight-ending strike.
I focus every nerve.
I expected the spear to be deflected.
With inferior stats and slower attack speed, landing a spear hit was never realistic.
Back in my gaming days, one PvP technique was practically mandatory—
Non-Skill Skills.
Techniques outside the skill system.
Swordsmanship, martial arts, spearmanship, magic—
Amidst these combat skills, some techniques exist outside the system.
One famous example: real-world ancient martial arts.
Centuries-old combat disciplines designed to break people, surviving into modernity.
All they demand is relentless training.
No attack boosts. No accuracy corrections.
But even without skills, techniques can be executed.
No skill slots needed—just raw stats.
Timing it perfectly, I grab her sleeve, step into her striking rhythm, and pivot into a throw.
A judo ippon seoi nage—but modified for PvP.
Instead of slamming her back-first, I—
"Hah!!!"
—drive her head-first into the ground.
A damage-optimized, borderline-cheap move.
Putting everything into the throw with this child’s body, I hear Claudia gasp as she’s flipped.
In this world, skill builds revolve around primary skills.
Unless you’re running a bizarre setup, deviations are rare.
That’s the optimal path—skill slots are limited.
And using "strong" skills is the norm.
Hence, techniques align with those skills.
So, estimating my level and slot count, Claudia assumed I was still developing my spear skills.
The idea of me having a throw? Unthinkable.
Against an opponent with no reason to suspect hand-to-hand proficiency, these "non-skill" techniques shine.
"I’m impressed, Liberta."
"!?"
But she shattered that gaming convention.
As if countering "non-skill" with "non-skill," Claudia stabbed her free hand into the ground—using it as an anchor to absorb the throw’s momentum.
Pivoting on that arm, she handstands midair.
Bad.
My PvP instincts scream danger.
I have fractions of a second to release her and leap back—
"Guh—!?"
Gritting my teeth, I cross my arms in a desperate guard, bracing for impact—
Crack.
A sickening sound from my left arm.
"First dwarven tactics, then beastman movements. A spearman, yet you wield throws like this."
In this skill-centric society, unorthodox tricks usually work wonders.
But against her, it seems all they did was briefly surprise a legend.
"Evading the full impact by leaping back was masterful. I was eager to see what else you’d show me… but this is unfortunate. Disarmed, and with one hand, you can’t win."
Slowly righting herself, she plants both feet and pulls her embedded arm free.
The fighting spirit in her eyes dims, replaced by something like regret.
"Had we fought a few years later, it might’ve been a better match."
My scythe-spear lies ten meters from my right hand.
My left arm is broken—numb from adrenaline, but the pain is creeping in.
Almost no paths to victory remain.
With my left intact, I’d have options. Now, only one remains.
A razor-thin chance.
"...My apologies. Words are wasted on a warrior."
But I can still win.
I raise my limp left arm as a decoy, hiding my right.
Claudia reignites her aura—stronger than ever, layering every self-buff she has.
The prep takes mere seconds.
"Here I come."
Her first step is the signal.
At her current level, she hasn’t yet perfected that combo.
The one I must overcome to beat Claudia.
Thunder Step—a movement skill allowing lightning-fast straight-line advances—brings her instantly into my face.
Blink, and she’s there.
Then, Quaking Stomp.
A feint resembling a footwork skill, but secretly activating another technique:
Shadow Trample.
A skill that immobilizes by stepping on the opponent’s shadow.
My feet lock in place.
I twitch my left arm.
I imagine a pulley.
A crawling sensation slithers down my back as I brace for the coming pain.
Now, a binary choice:
Fist or foot?
Guess wrong, and I lose.
Her movements up to the immobilization are a blur—I rely on intuition.
Forming my left hand into a blade, I channel Magic Edge.
As I sense her fist nearing the point where my Magic Edge would deflect it—
I lunge with my hidden right hand.
T/n From tomorrow onward updates wil became unstable