Chapter 140
In games with various weapons, there's a tendency to stick to your favorite ones—a feeling many gamers probably know.
Reasons vary: you like the look, it seems strong, you used it in another game, or you heard beforehand that this weapon was powerful.
As for me, I try to use every weapon I come across, thinking I should at least try them all once.
"Hey, hey, can you really use that thing seriously?""Rest assured, it's among my top five most proficient weapons."
Perhaps because of my stance of using weapons I've taken a liking to after trying them, I have quite a few usable weapons besides spears.The bow I used the other day is one example.That was a favorite of mine too; I have memories of creating a character and mastering it.
The great hammer I'm using this time isn't as mastered as the bow, but it's sufficient to pummel ten soldiers who are sneering and laughing derisively at the bizarre combination of a child with a great hammer, completely letting their guard down.
"Lord Jakaran defeated even more people single-handedly. Don't struggle against the likes of us, oh 'Hero'?"
They are completely looking down on me.
"Is that so? By the way, about how many minutes did it take Lord Jakaran to defeat all of you?"
No doubt the Boldrinde Duke has prepared somewhat skilled soldiers in an attempt to crush the Edelgard Duke's reputation.By the looks of them, around Class 3.If they were game NPCs, they'd be considered fairly competent soldiers.
I should keep an eye on the one guy at the very back, staring intently at me.Unlike the soldiers who are sneering, laughing, and provoking me, this man, with one eye covered by a patch, is observing me.
"Less than a minute! He is a true, genuine hero after all!"
I wonder what they see in Jakaran's violence. They've given up on training themselves to become stronger than they are now, refuse to surpass their limits, and look upon Jakaran's cruel strength with envious eyes.
"I see. Well then, shall I defeat all of you in thirty seconds?""Hah?"
Their attitude has left me cold.Even though this is just a venue prepared for entertainment, I've decided to finish this efficiently and quickly.Using polite language isn't out of respect; it's to create distance with my words, because I don't want to be thought of as friendly with these people.
"Are you looking down on us?""I'm not looking down on you. I'm merely stating a fact."
This dialogue is nothing more than an act to somehow gauge the opponent's strength.I swing the great hammer behind me and take a stance.
"Tch, don't think we'll go easy on you just because you're a kid!!"
I try to convey without words that I have no intention of talking further. They begin to take stances with their weapons, moving so textbook-perfectly for underlings that you'd call them model examples.But contrary to their words, their equipment and movements are serious.
Oh, how utterly immature.They're going all out against a child.
Three vanguards with sword and shield, two spearmen, two archers, one who looks like a healer, and two magic-users with staves. The one to watch out for is that eyepatch-wearing magic user.He seems to be the leader type, that guy.They have their shield-bearers properly lined up in front to protect the rear line, showing they can coordinate.
One child versus ten adults—just the visual alone makes it look like bullying, doesn't it?The referee is probably a Knight of the Royal Guard.He looks at me with slight worry, then looks at the soldiers as if to ask if they're really going to fight seriously, confirms neither side will back down, closes his eyes once...
"In the presence of the Goddess of Dueling, may you both fight fairly and honorably! Then—"
The knight acting as referee raises his right hand high to start the exhibition match.
"Begin!"
He swings it down.
"Hah!"
The moment he does, I dash, attacking the shield-bearing soldier head-on with a horizontal swing of the great hammer aimed at his shield.
"Fool! Heavy Stance!"
The skill he activates in response to my attack is one that increases his own weight to prevent being blown away.He probably intends to block the great hammer's blow with this, allowing the spearmen in the rear to attack.But if you declare "I won't move!" so boldly, it makes me want to smash your shins instead of your shield, doesn't it?
I slightly adjust the horizontal swing's trajectory, bringing it down diagonally.*CRACK* A sound rings out, clearly indicating a bone has been thoroughly broken.
"!?!?!?!"
The shield guy's face turns pale with a soundless scream. The other soldiers immediately move to support him, and the healer tries to heal his leg.But carelessly approaching a great hammer user who's already in motion is ill-advised.Attacks come from left and right, as if saying the posture I used to smash his leg is a perfect opening.If this continues, it would be over, but...
"Hoist!"
Using the momentum from the hammer swing, I perform a spinning kick, kicking the jaw of the first shield guy whose leg I broke, knocking him unconscious.
"Present for you!"
I say with terrible English pronunciation and shove him towards the team approaching from the left.
"Whoa!?""He's in the way!"
It takes them a fraction of a second to push him aside.That fraction of a second is enough.
"Alright, number two."
The trick to mastering a great hammer is to manipulate its rotation fluidly without killing the centrifugal force.Don't kill the swing momentum once created; guide it, don't stop it, let it flow.Adjusting my grip, I spin the hammer around, step to evade the thrust from the spearman approaching from the right, and as we pass, counter with a sharp blow to his shoulder area.
"Gahhh!?"
From the feel of it, his shoulder is shattered.That's two out of the fight.It took about five seconds to take down the shield and spearman.
I don't stop this spinning momentum. The more you accelerate the centrifugal force, the more a great hammer's power increases.But if you only go in one direction, your patterns become easy to read and you'll be dodged.Large weapons also have large openings after an attack.Skill is needed to resolve that.
"Got you!!!""Nah, thanks for that."
In FBO PvP, they wouldn't call the opening after my attack an 'opening.'The shield bearer stationed on the right, carelessly leaping in.Using my smaller body as the axis, I swing the hammer not just with my arms but with my whole body, thinking only of changing its flow without resisting the force.
"Number three.""Guhoh!?"
Thrusting a sword while holding a shield is faithful to basics, a clean attack worthy of their training.Hence, it's easy to read.I change the trajectory of the centrifugal force-laden hammer to draw an infinity symbol, slamming that momentum directly into the shield-bearing man.The blow from diagonally above transmits the impact through the shield, making his body stagger from the force.
"Gak-ha!?"
I slam him into the ground and use the momentum to leap into the air.
"He jumped!?"
It's good that they instinctively stopped, thinking it dangerous to approach, but being surprised and switching to defense there isn't great.
"Heavy Stance! Guard Move! Fortress!!"
He's probably using all his defensive skills, but with the stat difference, I think blocking will be difficult.I'm adding centrifugal force to gravitational acceleration.Considering the stat difference, to block the descending hammer attack with a raised shield...
"That shield isn't enough."
It's a wooden training shield, albeit reinforced with metal.But the man's movements are those of actual combat gear used regularly.If it were a sturdier, practical combat shield, it might have blocked this wooden hammer's attack.
"!?"
But he can't do that this time.'Fortress' is a skill to prevent being blown away. It seems good at first glance, but because you stay in place, the damage doesn't dissipate.I smash the shield along with the bones in his arm, and with the shaft, I punch the face of the man whose eyes are wide with pain.
"Number four."
Great hammers are fun to use because the knockback effects are flashy and cool.They're often effective against large monsters too, and used well, you can chain high-power strikes like this to aim for massive damage.The knockback effect is excellent, and combining skills allows for weapon or armor destruction.
"Eek!?"
Where did the face that looked down on me as a child just moments ago go?The spearman looks at me with a gaze as if seeing a monster, his resolve wavering.As a fellow spear user, I have some thoughts about his demeanor.
"Number five."
But if he came here to fight, I won't hold back.I dodge the panicked thrust and counter by slamming the hammer into his abdomen.
"Guh!?"
Even through the armor, the impact forces the air from his lungs, temporarily choking him. He writhes and crouches, unable to move.Now, only the rear line remains: two archers, two mages, and the healer.
"I won't go easy!""Protect Hudie!!"
My target is the healer who carelessly stepped forward to heal.Seems his name is Hudie.The vanguard was wiped out in an instant. The eyepatch man hastily takes command, trying to fight with the remaining forces, but...
"A bit slow, aren't you?"
Having a formation means the allies are close to each other.They have a set formation for coordination, so breaking it causes immediate dysfunction.
"Dammit!!!"
Frantically, almost desperately, the healer swings his staff to attack, but I can just crush that attack along with the staff.
"Number six!"
The arrow and magic attacks won't make it in time.The healer flies away to the sky.
"Whoops, even if the arrowheads are blunted, it'd still hurt if they hit."
I dodge the arrows shot right after that attack and look towards the direction they came from. The remaining rear line is huddled together, defending.
"Shoot!! Don't let him get close!!"
At the eyepatch man's command, magic and arrows are unleashed at me all at once.Quantity over quality. Perhaps seeing my low defense, they're using skills focused on rapid fire and creating a barrage.
"Hmm, glad they're not debuff types."
I was worried the eyepatch man might be a debuff mage, but seeing him use fire-based magic skills, he seems like a regular mage.The long-range barrage from two archers and two mages is troublesome enough to prevent approach if targeted, but with my speed, I can dodge it by running.
"Well then, shall I show you the great hammer's long-range attack?!"
It's insulting to think a great hammer has no long-range options.Skill attacks for great hammers do include long-range ones, but since I have no great hammer skills, I find a suitably sized stone lying nearby and...
"Glad I played golf!!"
I swing the hammer head low, skimming the ground, and strike the stone as if scooping it up.
"!? Dodge!""Eh?"
It hits one archer directly in the abdomen. The archer clutches his stomach and writhes.
"Number seven! Hehe! Next one!!"
With one attacker gone, the barrage thins accordingly.I start running again, dashing through the now-thinner barrage.
"Ahh— I might have gone over thirty seconds."
A bit disappointed at missing my target time, I look at the enemies. Despite me attacking, they remain as fixed turrets, maintaining their barrage.Fixed turrets can indeed be strong depending on how they're used, but if their defense is weak, they become perfect targets.If you're going to be a fixed turret, you should place shield bearers to secure your defense properly.Well, the crucial shield bearers are lying on the ground because of me.
"Ah well, whatever! Number eight!!"
A helmet from one of those fallen shield bearers was lying on the ground, so I seize the opportunity and perform another golf swing.
"Guh-ha!?"
The one hit directly is the mage without the eyepatch.The eyepatch man had already taken an evasive posture when I entered my swing stance.His reaction is quite fast.
"Next!"
But the barrage thins even more.
"Uwaaaaaah!!"
I dodge the frantic attacks of the panicked archer as I close in, slip inside his guard, and...
"Number nine!!"
Another one flies away to the sky!A single blow from the great hammer to the abdomen bends the archer into a U-shape, sending him flying to the edge of the training ground where he crashes into the wall and loses consciousness.
Now, only the eyepatch man remains, but...
"I surrender."
He readily lets go of his staff, raises both hands, and turns his face towards the referee, surrendering.
"Understood. The match is over! The winner is Liberta!!"
His response is a bit unexpected.Is surrender even allowed in this fight involving noble honor?Thinking the final outcome is rather anticlimactic, the waiting medics rush into the arena en masse and begin treating the soldiers I pummeled.
"You went quite all out, didn't you?""Did it seem heroic?""More like... a child being attacked by bandits, swinging a great hammer to fight them off.""Ah—, well, I suppose if you just go by looks, it might seem that way."
The fight is over.I don't know if Jakaran's record was broken, but my strength should be somewhat recognized now.No applause, no cheers, only the murmuring of the nobles remains.
I know I can't be recognized as a hero from a fight like this, but it's a rather bleak ending.
"Lord Edelgard is waiting. Let's go.""Yes."
But now the nobles have seen my face..."...Sigh.""What's wrong? You're sighing.""Nothing, just thinking the nobles have memorized my face now...""It's very like you to lament that. Normally, commoners strive to have nobles remember their faces."
I just hope no trouble comes from this.