Chapter 33

Just 300 seconds, a mere 5 minutes, is all the ultra-enhanced skill *Ravenous Wolf* can last.

While it is a rare skill like *Poison Snake's Droplets* that Lou controls, compared to the latter, which has no visible drawbacks other than MP consumption, *Ravenous Wolf* has a clear and significant disadvantage.

It's not about increasing debuffs or lowering defense.

The biggest flaw of this skill is not its apparent drawbacks, but the fact that the user's perception ability is not at all adjusted.

Just like the red wolf that Skuna once fought, which could only perform monotonous attacks due to its overwhelming speed.

Since it's not a machine that operates on a program, even if you are given specs beyond what you can handle, you won't be able to control them.

Even if you are given high stats, it wouldn't be so easy to handle them.

People tend to be deceived by the surface-level drawbacks, but this skill is one that is meant to be "mastered" to truly unleash its power.

However,

This is based on the premise of an ordinary player.

In VR games, it's not uncommon for players to gain physical abilities far beyond those in the real world, and with training, "familiarity" can be developed.

Even if this skill is used for the first time, a high-level player would be able to handle it without being overwhelmed.

And then, there is one exception.

☆

Recognizing the unprecedented power in her feet, Skuna smiled slightly.

And in the instant she stepped forward, she unleashed her doubled agility in an explosive burst.

The opponent in front of her had played their trump card. Lou, who had been intoxicated by this fact, suddenly felt a chill run down her back and instinctively clamped her sword.

"…!"

With a sharp metallic sound, the metal clashed.

In her first step, she circled around to the back, and with her second step, she aimed to crush Lou's head.

It was true that she had let her guard down for a moment.

However, the fact that her neck could have been severed in that moment made Lou's heart race.

"A, ha"

To kill the target she had set her sights on.

To mercilessly torture the minions.

To use deception and ambush without hesitation for the sake of killing.

All of this brought her pleasure.

But in front of her now, Lou felt a tingling sense of joy.

The golden staff and rapier clashed, but even with the skill's enhancement, Lou's strength seemed to be superior. Despite being in an unfavorable position, she managed to keep up without being overpowered, sparks flying.

However, the balance wouldn't last. Suddenly, Skuna released her weapon, and Lou's sword, which had been exerting force to prevent this, lost its control and floated in the air.

"Raaah!"

"Guh…"

Skuna's right foot ruthlessly gouged Lou's left side. She had spun on the spot the moment she released her weapon, delivering a roundhouse kick with the momentum.

Although the damage wasn't significant since it wasn't a skill, the roundhouse kick, delivered while Lou was off-balance, sent her flying several meters.

Lou, regaining her stance with a somersault, deflected a thrown knife with her rapier and immediately launched a sharp thrust at the invisible back.

"Ke-ho, that's a bit too much, isn't it?"

As the metallic sound rang out again, it indicated that Skuna's surprise attack had been blocked by the center of the golden staff.

"How did you know?"

"Would you believe it if I said a maiden's intuition?"

While cracking jokes, Lou struck three times in quick succession, but all were deflected by the golden staff.

However, despite the battle only lasting a few dozen seconds, Lou noticed a change in Skuna.

"Hmm, that skill… it consumes HP, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. But I can't beat Lou without using it."

Lou was familiar with skills that consume HP.

Normally, even the time for conversation would be a waste.

Yet, Skuna had engaged in it, which meant there was a reason.

"Watch out above."

Hearing this, Lou instinctively took a step back and nearly dropped her rapier due to the impact of an iron ball embedded in her shoulder.

She had been caught. She didn't know when it was thrown, but a trap had been set above her head.

Skuna had calculated Lou's step back and deliberately called out to her.

Facing Skuna's counterattack, Lou stopped trying to keep her distance.

She understood that Skuna's agility, which exceeded level 60, was far higher than her own.

Since she was at a disadvantage in agility, maintaining distance wasn't a good strategy.

Instead, she should leverage her superior strength and engage in close combat.

Fortunately, Skuna had a time limit. The effect could last at most 10 minutes.

There were several hypotheses, but the three main possibilities that came to mind were:

1. It continues until HP is depleted, and the user dies when it runs out.

2. The effect stops automatically when HP reaches 1.

3. The effect continues even if HP reaches 1, but the decrease stops.

In any case, it was easy to imagine that by the time the duration ended, Skuna would be at least critically injured.

The problem was Skuna's keen eyesight and reaction speed.

Like a mockery of the time it took Lou to adapt to her stats in the real world, this demon controlled her avatar with perfect precision.

Half-hearted attacks wouldn't work and would only create openings.

If Lou's arts were countered and she was hit with a powerful art, she could suffer fatal damage due to her lack of defensive stats.

The named skill of *Seductive Rapier* and Lou's rare skill only worked by dealing physical damage to the target.

This prey was simply not compatible with Lou's cards.

However, as a PK player, Lou was determined to kill any target she set her sights on.

The appearance of a snake in the bush was no reason to give up on PK. This kind of situation wasn't unprecedented.

She would kill Skuna as surely as she had killed the 66 other players.

No matter how ugly or dirty the fight, as long as she stood at the end, that was all that mattered.

(Not a funny situation, is it?)

She had only come to investigate the anomaly in the swamp and intended to PK on her way back, but she had drawn a stubborn opponent.

Rechecking her cards, she focused on the approaching demon.

Skuna wasn't the only one with a trump card.

There was a definite way to kill her.

Therefore, Lou chose a thorough war of attrition.

☆

Choosing a war of attrition was within my expectations.

No matter how high my agility became, all other stats were inferior to Lou's.

*Ravenous Wolf* was a necessary measure to prevent me from dying instantly, but receiving even one hit would drastically reduce its duration, putting me at a clear disadvantage.

Moreover, this game has SP.

Since faster and larger movements consume more, I would be in a more difficult situation, forced to keep attacking due to *Ravenous Wolf*'s time limit.

I couldn't afford to overestimate the girl in front of me, who was undoubtedly more experienced in PvP and knew how to handle a faster opponent.

From the cards she showed and the two kicks that landed, it was clear she was a speed-type swordsman with thin defense.

Her footwork wasn't particularly good, but her sword speed was top-notch, indicating high dexterity.

Her close combat was likely strong enough to be cautious.

While she had been disrupting me like a tightrope walker, from now on, attacks would only land if I could break her guard.

The sound of sword clashes echoed through the swamp. In this battle, I didn't use the dual staff.

It might seem contradictory, but in PvP, that weapon is difficult to handle. To be precise, it's not suitable for high-speed combat.

While the dual staff has a wide attack range, in actual combat, the ends are primarily used.

While it excels in sweeping attacks, it's less useful in other situations.

Conversely, it would be effective in close combat where we stop and exchange blows.

In monster battles, it would also have many opportunities to shine.

However, now I needed to pursue and attack Lou, who was focused on evasion.

Considering the use of throwing weapons, I didn't want to have both hands occupied, so I reluctantly sealed my new weapon and fought.

The golden staff, swung in a diagonal downward motion, was deflected.

A feinted back kick turned into a leg sweep, but Lou backstepped to avoid it, and a pebble flicked by my finger grazed her cheek.

"!"

Breaking her low stance with a breakdance-like move, I tried to follow up on the damage that made Lou flinch, but her returning blade mocked my offensive.

Deflecting it with the spikes on the staff, I stepped forward and delivered a horizontal *Smash*.

Lou, who couldn't fully avoid it, blocked it with her sword, but it had grazed her, reducing her HP.

The battle had been going on for just under two minutes. My remaining HP was over 60%, but Lou had taken about the same amount of damage.

Considering Lou's reaction speed, I couldn't use arts with large openings, so I was forced to use the lightest and fastest *Smash*, but it wasn't landing cleanly.

I regretted the lack of trees, but this was a flat swamp, and throwing items had limited effect beyond intimidation.

"Hehe, at this pace, who will die first?"

"I'll kill you."

"What a delightful invitation."

The exchange of techniques, evasion, and words. While I seemed to be on the offensive due to my superior perception and agility, the reality was tough.

Lou was more skilled at evasion than I had imagined. She was a player who had defeated named boss monsters, so she undoubtedly had the necessary player skills.

It wasn't that my attacks were landing, but that they were being allowed to land. Lou was sacrificing some HP to avoid clean hits, a result of her skill.

Intense time passed. The sword clashes grew more intense, resonating through the swamp like music.

I pursued, and Lou was pursued. From the outside, it might have looked like a dance.

To be honest, I was immersed in a sense of happiness.

Just like the battle with the red wolf, it was fun to use my brain to the fullest to devise ways to kill the enemy.

The world Lin had invited me to. A world where I could do things I couldn't in the stifling real world. I had jumped into it with just that desire.

It wasn't enough, I hadn't used everything. My limit wasn't here. I could attack faster, sharper, and more acutely!

Before I knew it, both Lou and I were smiling.

We were smiling, even forgetting that we were trying to kill each other.

That's why.

Because we were so focused on each other.

We didn't notice it.

With a thunderous roar, despair descended upon the swamp.

☆

It arrived with a thunderous roar.

The swamp shook. A crater formed at its feet, as if a missile had landed.

Yes, the monster had appeared from the sky.

A massive body clad in pitch-black armor.

Claws sharp enough to tear everything apart.

Eyes that glowed gold, and a tail that whipped up a storm with a single swing.

Everyone knew of its existence.

A symbol of fear, or perhaps an incarnation of a demon. And an absolute powerhouse that has been overused in countless works of fiction.

*True Dragon of Reason, Apocalypse Lv. ???*

It was the arrival of a dragon.