Chapter 183: The Results of Training Part 1

Third round. Round of fate.

Both of their gauges filled to the max level, they assumed their positions. Their current location was pretty much remote, so there wouldn’t be any NPC Villains here for a while, and there was nowhere to hide or to escape to.

「I must say that just a little while ago I was somewhat disappointed, sorry about that.」

「Don’t worry, I’m pretty much used to people behaving like that anyways.」

Both of them could fire off their Ultimate Move anytime now. Meetias’s “Meteor Strike” was extraordinary deadly, covering both destructive power and vast area of effect. Clock Fire experienced that first-hand, and did my Cursed Prison, so I know what I’m talking about.

However, even something as OP as Meteor Strike had its weaknesses, and part of Silvia Goldberg’s strength was effectively covering that weakness.

(That special effect jump kick…… Its effect are far more dangerous than any other Ultimate Move in this game.)

Strictly speaking, it’s a strategy of taking a few steps back just before unleashing the Ultimate Move and assuming a very specific backwards stance. By doing that, you can increase the range and the duration of the technique, making a simple kick a deadly weapon that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Not to mention that thanks to Silvia’s abilities and familiarity with the character the distance and obstacles are hardly a problem for her, and they can even work to her advantage.

She was also not shackled down by any kind of role play. If Cursed Prison save its Ultimate Move “Prison Break” at that time instead of activating it to help an NPC, the results of that previous match could have been different.

(Well, even if he was aware of that, I think that he would still choose to act in a way he did.)

Gaming is always a matter of choice between fun and winning. And only people who are unhappy would prioritize winning over having fun.

(Over there? I could get there if I used my gauge right now, but then I’d have to somehow deal with her Ultimate Move first……)

As for the third round, the location of the Chaos Cube is still unknown, but Katsu already had a rough idea.

In this game there are some subtle patterns and signs that seem to signal the whereabouts of the Chaos Cube. Because let’s face it: if you had to search basically every single nook and cranny in order to find that damned thing, this would pretty much devolve into a sh*tty game in no-time.

For that reason, the Chaos Cube would usually appear in one of three pre-set location, with some exceptions to that rule.

First one would the center of an open and flat area with a great view, such as parks or a stadium. It would float in the air above some landmarks such as a fountain, for example. As a side note, one of such locations could be the stadium that Pencilgton blown up today. We verified that last night.

The second place are the roofs of the buildings. This however, is only the case if a heliport spawns in the city during the first round. Also, the shape of the building with the heliport in it is pretty distinct, so you can easily spot it if you search around.

And the third option…… the only place in the entire Chaos City that retains its shape no matter how much the surrounding area changes. The Chaos Tower. The observation deck at the top of the tower is the last place where the Chaos Cube can appear.

They kept on staring each other down. Did Silvia also managed to figure out the Cube’s location?

With more and more time passing, the tension was slowly raising as well. None of them wanted to move first, because not always it would spell advantage, but if someone decided to move first, you could fall behind in a matter of seconds.

The plan of bringing some of the Villain NPCs with them here would not work, either. Katsu wanted to believe that Silvia also thought like that, not wanting to be locked in many-versus-one scenario.

「Could it be another of my bad habits?」

Silvia and Sanraku are “move before thinking” type of players, while both Pencilgton and Katsu are “think before you move” types. What’s more, Katsu and Pencilgton can always adapt to any situation, depending on the changing circumstances.

If in trouble, slow down and think. Blindly rushing in was almost always sure to get you severely injured or even killed.

(Secure the Cube. Don’t think about anything else.)

Think about what you need to do. You’re up against a strong opponent, so focus on them entirely.

He has lost many times and committed to countless research. This monster right in front of him was growing stronger each time they met, but the underlying foundation and battle style always remained the same.

「……!!!」

Silver Jumper decided to take the lead. In fact, he started to run straight at Meetias, without trying to dodge or evade. Meetias smiles seeing that and accelerates as well, getting closer to Silver Jumper faster than he could close the distance himself.

「Now then, try to catch up!」

「You’ll have to overtake me first……!」

In reality, there was no reason for Uomi Kei to get stronger. He just needed to understand the process of becoming stronger.

Silvia’s dominant foot should be her right one, so she shouldn’t be able to counterattack. Of course, there was nothing that would stop her from kicking with her left foot, but if she had a choice she’d always go with her right one for attacking. Katsu had no idea if he would be able to mimic some other games’ techniques as flawlessly as Sanraku was doing that, but for that one occasion he practiced a whole lot.

「Thank you, “Aikodo VR Class”……!」

If you decide to try a different approach and change tactics, your efforts will never be in vain. Right about now, his body trained to counter Silvia Goldberg’s actions was far deadlier weapon than the actual sharp blades or bullets.

The root of Silvia Goldberg’s battle styles is based in martial arts that accentuates footwork. It is quite advantageous compared to other sports or battle styles, but in virtual reality, where physical attributes have little to no use, that merit was almost non-existent.

「As usual, you’re so nice, Kei! You accept everything I throw your way!」

「Don’t put it like that! People might get the wrong idea!」

「Okay. So to put it another way: Kei is a good “catcher”.」

「Kuh……!! A psychological attack……!!」

Right now he wasn’t at the level where he could accurately predict the flow of the entire combat, but he had a good grasp on what Silvia’s next move would be and what he should do in order to counter it.

However, just because he could predict it, it doesn’t mean he can perfectly counter them. He had to make sure to stay on his guard and look for those slight traces of a pathway, that would eventually lead him towards victory.

「……!!!」

Sanraku calls this “the moment when you can see the other side while balancing on a tightrope”, and Pencilgton calls it “the moment you set off the fireworks.”

For Kei, it meant that one of many keys he was holding in his hands have finally managed to find its respective keyhole. He gave a silent prayer to one of the RNG gods, even though he knew that his friends would scoff at him for doing that.

Galaxia Heroes: Chaos held many chaotic elements, some of which have proven to be very powerful weapons against Silvia.

The situation right now…… it was something totally unreasonable, something that would never happen in your normal fighting game. That situation was the door that would eventually lead to Kei’s victory.

Villain “Cursed Prison” sacrificed himself to protect a small child. That action was controversial, but well-received by the public. It’s the so-called paradox of picking up a stray kitten on a rainy day.

But there are those who don’t like scenes like that, and who wouldn’t like to see the same exact scene happening twice.

To put in in a simpler terms: there are NPCs worth attacking and there are NPCs worth protecting. And when it comes to previous matches, they were all about brave Heroes putting an end to their Nemesis’ evil deeps.

Perhaps running away from a hungry beast could only get him so far. And it just so happened that a small miracle managed to occur right close to them at that time. By sheer coincidence, a familiar-looking woman NPC was about to be attacked by a bunch of NPC Villains completely out of the blue.

Looking closely, the NPC in trouble really turned out to be that one mother-NPC, who just happened to be nicknamed “Chestnut-chan” by Pencilgton not so long ago. That was when the miracle would finally be able to occur.