Chapter 74

EP.74 The Saintess Who Said It Was Only a Matter of What Was Bound to Happen

God does not play dice.

The greatest physicist since the birth of humanity said so.

He, who denied the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics, refused to acknowledge the Copenhagen interpretation even when it meant introducing God into physics.

When I was young and ignorant, I believed the adults who said that even Einstein acknowledged the existence of God, and that he, too, was a churchgoer.

In any case, there was a book that quoted this and analyzed it statistically.

The author was some David something.

The core theme of the book was that.

God does not play dice.

It was only a matter of what was bound to happen.

...

...

...

Time flowed and flowed,

and the day of the tournament arrived.

In a room where the scent of out-of-season peaches lingered, I was drying my hair, which was wet from the shower.

Despite not putting in much effort, my lustrous hair, long and abundant, made it a real struggle to dry it every time.

The old hair dryer, overheating and making a frail rattling sound, seemed to be protesting against me.

Taking nearly an hour to dry my hair was one of the things I, as a man, could never get used to.

Sometimes, out of frustration with this daily waste of time, I would resolve to cut it short,

but that resolve would easily break like a thin branch every time I looked in the mirror after drying it well.

Right now, for example.

“...”

Watching my radiant blonde hair, which was beautifully wavy and softly draped over my body,

the frustration I felt just a moment ago vanished without a trace.

My mood, which had taken a different path and reached a different result from before the shower, improved as I ran my eyes over my body.

When I noticed the red marks on my snow-white skin, which had turned red as if tortured,

I felt embarrassed and couldn't bear to look at the innocent eyes that would never believe I had done something shameful.

It was already one of the daily occurrences to hastily leave the mirror.

Then, I would roughly have a meal,

and it was time to turn on the broadcast.

After a while,

some viewers arrived quickly.

I waited until enough people had gathered.

However, the chat window today felt a bit strange.

[ :-( ]

[ What should we do about our room owner? :-( ]

[ Nana... ]

[ Condolence action beam ]

[ ?? ]

[ Did we come to a funeral? Why is the atmosphere like this from the start? ]

[ The tournament bracket for today is out ]

[ But the opponent is really good ]

[ We're going to lose from the start ]

[ That guy is a real jerk ]

[ Be careful, sis ]

That was the gist of it.

I followed the link someone had posted in the chat and checked the tournament bracket for today.

I didn't look at anything else, just trying to find out who my opponent was, wondering why the viewers were reacting this way.

"Barian" was a nickname I had never seen before.

However, I immediately understood why everyone was making such a fuss.

It was because of the tier listed next to the nickname.

600 points in Red.

He was someone who was practically at the doorstep of Rainbow.

For me, who was barely fluctuating in the Orange 1 range, he was an opponent I couldn't possibly match.

The last time, the knight player who was all about "kill, kill" had a lower score than my current opponent.

Winning even one match against someone who was that much stronger seemed like a distant dream.

On the bright side,

since so many people were participating in the tournament, the first round was a single match.

It would be impossible to win several matches due to the overwhelming skill gap,

but there was a chance that I might win one match by sheer luck.

So I didn't lose my fighting spirit.

I don't want to give up just because I think I can't do it.

If there was one thing I had ever put effort into, despite packaging everything else in life as "too troublesome" because I lacked talent,

it was this game.

Moreover, things were different now,

I no longer struggled with fingers that wouldn't move or a body that didn't follow my mind.

Sometimes, my body would react appropriately even when my mind couldn't process things instantly.

So I decided to give it a try.

The length of the match would only be known after it started.

I finished my mental preparation.

...

...

...

Under the setting sun, on a vast desert of cold sand, two people were engaged in a life-or-death battle.

Actually, only the woman was risking her life, while her opponent was completely at ease.

Perhaps he had intentionally customized his character this way, the thin-faced man with a sardonic smile juggled two daggers, one in each hand, throwing them into the air and catching them with the opposite hand.

It was something no one would do in the middle of a battle, a performance for the audience to see the skill gap.

The situation had been unfavorable from the start.

The opponent was toying with the saintess.

Based on a thief character, he chose dual swords and, as a top-tier Red player, displayed dazzling movements.

When he appeared in front, he would stab her side with snake-like movements, and when she tried to counterattack, he would disappear into the shadows or illusions, leaving her no way to respond.

This was due to the difference in weapons; a heavy two-handed blunt weapon warrior had limited options against a weapon that could be as fast as a triple sword.

Moreover, the triple sword's flexibility confused the viewer's eyes.

Top-tier players would maintain minimal damage and then deliver a powerful blow to finish the opponent, but all my attempts ended in misses.

My health was gradually being drained,

and the match seemed almost decided.

The skill gap was overwhelmingly obvious.

“...”

Still, this is a bit frustrating.

At some point, the opponent, noticing the saintess's stamina was depleted and she was panting, approached and began to perform limb destruction.

In this game, limb destruction usually refers to cutting off a large monster's tail or breaking its horns to create weaknesses or prevent certain skills.

However, in the case of human characters,

it usually occurred when one of the limbs was severed or a specific part of the armor was damaged.

The joints of the saintess's armor were surprisingly easy to cut.

Due to the limb destruction judgment, a part of the metal armor on the left side fell to the ground with a clatter.

The saintess's pale shoulder, drenched in sweat, was exposed on the dry desert.

It was a difficult technique with daggers, but he managed to do it.

There was no time to admire it.

I managed to shake off the opponent with the remaining health, but it was only for a moment.

Thinking he would retreat, he soon approached again, relentlessly attacking.

While retreating, I tried to counterattack, but this time I allowed an attack on my right leg.

How could he stab so accurately? The joint on my thigh was severed,

and the saintess had no choice but to expose her long, white thigh and leg.

The subsequent attacks were all focused on limb destruction.

Even though he had several opportunities to end the match and take her life, he deliberately avoided it.

Was this what the viewers meant by calling him a jerk?

Still, he should have some sense of time and place, doing this in a tournament where many people are watching...

I momentarily considered surrendering.

It was a shameful and embarrassing thing,

but it wouldn't be as shameful as continuing to endure this humiliation.

While I was momentarily distracted by these thoughts, another dagger approached and completely dismantled the saintess's chest armor.

Although the game system didn't allow the character to be completely exposed, the saintess, with her armor completely stripped, was pitifully covering herself with a thin piece of cloth.

As someone who deeply empathized with the character, it was a sight I couldn't bear to see.

But I didn't give up.

Out of anger.

I couldn't calm down without landing a hit on the opponent,

and I was burning with determination.

How could I turn the situation around?

If I had an ultimate skill that caused an earthquake, it might be different,

but in a game designed 6:6, 1v1 ultimate skills were locked to maintain balance.

So, reversing the situation with an ultimate skill was impossible.

Moreover, the opponent was really persistent.

The saintess, with no more armor to dismantle,

should have been finished off by now,

but the opponent deliberately avoided fatal attacks and continued to taunt her, leaving marks on her skin.

Stabbing her thigh, slicing it, touching her shoulder, hitting her elbow...

After a dozen or so exchanges, which could hardly be called a battle, the saintess was a mess.

If I hadn't tried to counterattack and seize any opportunity, the match would have ended long ago.

The first few times were manageable,

but the steady loss of health due to bleeding was taking its toll.

The saintess's vision, indicating her near death, was becoming increasingly blurry.

Was he done with his fun?

The opponent was preparing for the final blow.

The hand holding the dagger pointed at the saintess's neck.

“...”

At that moment,

I, who had been waiting for the perfect moment, saw my chance.

Dagger users, while fast, have the disadvantage of high stamina consumption.

Due to the short reach of the weapon, they need to move more,

and since defense with the weapon is almost impossible, they focus on evasion.

Despite this, the opponent, being skilled, had efficiently moved to induce the saintess's misses, kept his distance, and conserved his stamina as much as possible.

However, due to the prolonged match, his character's stamina must have been nearly depleted.

My