251. Extreme-Speed Competition
The playing field was wide open, seemingly some medieval-era alien town. Its outskirts included a river and farmlands, quite expansive, and the sky featured a few floating spherical creatures—furry things resembling adorable sheep. They could be used to drain blood and restore health.
The buildings were few and all made of wood, except for a stone tower in the center of the village.
"The terrain's not great—it's mostly a large, flat plain with just two hills. There's a forest on the south side; if I can't claim it, I might as well burn it down."
If the opponent was a spellcaster or sniper, this terrain would be a disadvantage for him.
Caramel Snail surveyed the area, his mind quickly sizing up his options.
"If the opponent's melee, I can take the hills and the eastern residential area, then use my [Ruthless Sword Intent] to suppress them. If they have long-range magic or sniping, I'll dive into the ditch, using the bridge piers and the watermill as cover, luring them into more complex terrain for close-quarters combat."
Even for Gamma-tier, in a 1v1 mode, terrain had a big impact. After all, Gamma-tier still couldn't demolish an entire city in one go. This massive map made it tough if an opponent decided to hide and run guerrilla tactics.
"A city environment would've been better…"
For a lightly armored "cleaver" type fighter like Caramel Snail, a complicated, narrow setting with tall buildings to jump around was best.
Having assessed the map and found no major advantage, Caramel Snail steeled himself:
"Don't lose heart. If the other guy's also a light-armor cleaver, I might have the upper hand—"
Before he could finish, the opposing spawn point flashed, revealing a purple-red-skinned [Mage] in a mysterious, ancient robe. The mage glanced over and smiled, revealing a mouthful of sharklike teeth.
Long-range, caster, and a demon-blood…
Caramel Snail practically felt his heart stop.
"Hello there. Judging by your looks, you're from Yanxia, right?"
The demon-blood mage was quite friendly, chatting happily:
"I'm a player from Agincourt, and though our countries are close allies, I won't be holding back."
Caramel Snail glanced at the opponent's details:
ID: (A string of incomprehensible foreign text)
Name: Jean Reno Leopoldon
"Hello, Reno."
Caramel Snail waved amicably.
"It's my first time at an international event like this. I'm pretty nervous."
"Heh, same here. Let's go all out, Jiao. Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't feel this trip was wasted."
Reno didn't bother with more words. He raised his staff, making checks on his status in earnest preparation.
The opponent's seriousness prompted Caramel Snail to likewise steady himself, not daring to slack off.
'He's taking this seriously; I'll give it everything I've got too!'
Caramel Snail verified his gear and warmed up, getting used to the environment.
[Playing the match rules:]
[In this competition, summoned characters cannot be truly killed. Show off your control and tactics freely to defeat your opponent by any means.]
[This match is a best-of-three format. Conduct your tactical engagements within the designated battle area. Exiting this area inflicts 10% of max HP loss per second.]
Two minutes later, both were engulfed by a beam of light and transferred to the official combat zone.
[Yanxia Region Competitor—Jiao Ziniu]
versus:
[Agincourt Region Competitor—Jean Reno Leopoldon]
Caramel Snail's form manifested next to a dried-up well. Surveying the surroundings, he saw walls and buildings, with some structures marked as indestructible.
"Damn, if I get ambushed here, I'm finished."
Clang.
Quickly planning a route, the moment the match started, he dashed into the residential area.
[Both competitors are in position]
Clang, clang—
The first round officially began.
Swoosh!
Caramel Snail gripped the longsword at his waist. He sprang off a wall and into the interior of a house, preparing to activate [Truth Eye] for a scan. Instantly, the ceiling above him was blasted open.
Boom!
A cerulean fireball crashed down, akin to a 500 kg bomb, leveling the entire building. Fortunately, Caramel Snail reacted swiftly; he activated Shadow Step to accelerate and charge out a window. Then, unleashing his Gamma-tier power, he used the walls as footing and vaulted 60 meters into the air.
Gaining that high vantage, Caramel Snail promptly activated [Truth Eye] to scan the scene. Immediately he spotted a figure in the church attic nearby.
Judging by the staff raised in a casting gesture, it was clear another spell was being prepared.
"Over there!"
[Gravity Deflection]
Caramel Snail instantly changed course in midair, diving at the church. He raised his sword, rocketing through the roof and arriving before his opponent, thrusting his blade forward.
Squelch!
The blade stabbed into the target's body, but there was no spray of blood. Reno's form swiftly turned into a puppet and collapsed to the floor.
"A decoy?"
Caramel Snail froze. Instantly, behind him came the sound of something slicing the air. He instinctively twisted his blade in a Su Qin Back-Sword stance, blocking in reverse.
Bang!
The qi energy coiled around his sword deflected the blue flames, and combined with his White Candle Star crystal armor, the damage was greatly reduced.
Meanwhile, Caramel Snail pivoted and sidestepped, letting his left arm mutate—muscles splitting open into a blood-pressure colonial cannon—and fired a burst in that direction.
Squelch, squelch—!
Reno, who'd attacked from behind, was forced back behind a wall. The searing, corrosive blood tore through the cover and carved some craters in his shoulder.
Luckily, it was only a micro-SMG-style weapon. If it had been a rifle-style colonial gun, he'd have lost about one-seventh of his HP.
From being ambushed to striking back took under half a second total.
"Impressive reflexes!"
Reno gave a shout of admiration while twisting his staff above the cover, launching six chained mini firebolts.
Swoosh!
Caramel Snail raised his sword and swept away the firebolts with a single slash. He was about to press the attack when the marble floor beneath him turned to mud.
[Transmute Rock to Mud]
"A morphing spell? But he only wields one staff—that means there's another caster hidden somewhere!"
Caramel Snail reacted fast, propping a gravity shield in front. Even so, he was hammered by a big wave of damage. Flames scorched through his chest and neck armor, leaving charred marks on his flesh.
—His opponent's [Intelligence] was high indeed. That armor was a White Candle Star workshop creation, with decent magic resistance.
He again used [Truth Eye] to scan nearby, quickly spotting a small golem hidden in a pile of junk.
"They used "Camouflage" to disguise it as a broken wooden bowl—that's quite a tactic!"
Caramel Snail cursed under his breath and hurled a Flame Burst scroll at it. Following an intense explosion, the golem was destroyed, freeing him from the swampy trap.
"Huh? You Azure Star players can actually use spell scrolls?"
Reno exclaimed in surprise, retreating swiftly and waving his staff to release a barrage of arcane missiles. He even summoned a massive, corpulent Ooze Beast to block Caramel Snail's path.
"But against a thick-hided creature with high defense that explodes under gunfire, how do you plan to handle that?"
His tactic was a classic fire-and-roast build, and the Ooze Beast was its finishing touch.
The smaller the space, the greater the explosion's power; under high pressure, shockwaves and flames repeatedly slammed into a person.
Common sense applied here, just like in any game.
If Caramel Snail dared engage in close quarters inside these narrow rooms, Reno would immediately trigger a flame spell, blasting both him and the Ooze Beast in an explosion.
[Soul Engraving Sword Saint·Battle Demon]
Caramel Snail's blade glowed with eerie purple energy, and a ferocious demon warrior spirit manifested behind him. As he slashed, the demonic figure swung an even larger blade, shattering the Ooze Beast and half the building in an instant.
Reno paused, slightly stunned.
"What is that…Omega Energy?"
A first-turn [Destruction] Warrior—a [Sword Master]—equipped with colonial guns and using magic scrolls was already enough of a surprise.
Why did he also have Omega Energy?
"—Oh, that's something Li Aozi arranged."
Debris rained down. Caramel Snail spoke calmly.