252. Entering the Hall
"Li Aozi"
Reno immediately gripped his staff with both hands and struck it against the ground.
[Summon Earth Golem]
Soil rapidly swirled together, molding into the shape of five burly soldiers, like a wall thoroughly shielding Reno at the rear.
"He helped us get to a magical alien planet first."
Caramel Snail instantly shifted his stance, sprang off a wall, spun midair like a high-speed top, and slashed downward in a wild dance. The blade, wreathed in purple ghostly flames, severed the five golems at the waist.
'He's increasing his cutting power through spinning?! Isn't he worried I'll turn him into Swiss cheese?'
Reno was about to cast a spell, but he noticed the air around his opponent distorting.
'—I see. He's warping space. If I tried an attack spell just then, I'd have revealed an opening and gotten finished in one go.'
Make a clean break when necessary!
Reno summoned a tempest to blow him back; Caramel Snail immediately activated super-armor, bracing against the gale. He raised his hand to slice apart the fireball, then unleashed a flurry of sword energy in return, colliding fiercely with Reno's arcane missiles.
Literal sparks of sword flashes and fiery eruptions lit up the field. The dazzling visual effects instantly ignited cheers and shrieks from the audience stands.
"He's so cool! He's practically a Sword Saint!"
"That demonic samurai phantom behind him is so epic! What Omega Energy is that? I want it too!"
"Caramel Snail... Wait, isn't he...one of the people who followed my Li Aozi into space back then?"
Schk!
Caramel Snail flicked his wrist, transforming his arm into a colonial firearm. Pulling the trigger with one hand while advancing at close range, he simultaneously whirled his sword in a frenzy. Occasionally, he used gravity to pivot and twist, firing dense sword waves that drove Reno into a narrow alley.
Even so, Reno was an excellent competitor in the Agincourt server. Despite being cornered by the terrain, he still calmly displayed his class strengths.
A Mage has nothing if not a deep mana pool and loads of spells!
First, he cast a low-level invisibility trick on two flame vials, hiding them among thrown rubble. When Caramel Snail used his sword screen to block, the blade shattered the concealed vials, causing an instant fiery explosion.
"Huh?!"
Flames, flashes, and thick smoke startled him, triggering a blind effect. Reno immediately followed up with a salvo of spell missiles, then raised a magic tome.
Huala——
The pages of the tome flipped rapidly, each recorded spell firing like a mounted machine gun at a rate of six thousand rounds per minute, unleashing a dense barrage that quickly drained Caramel Snail's HP.
Fortunately, as a [Destruction]-type player, his high HP saved him from that blind state without actually dying.
'I can't let this drag on... A Mage's kiting potential is too strong. Without Omega Energy, I probably wouldn't even get close.'
Caramel Snail quickly thrust out his arm, using gravity to propel himself faster. He moved rapidly while splitting off an illusion that leaped high into the air.
'A Mage who dares close in like this is definitely maximizing DPS, but no, Yu Tianxiao told me before: if a Mage dares face-tank, that means they must have some trump card for close quarters.'
He himself charged straight at Reno!
[Royal Car Shift]
The illusion didn't distract Reno at all. He sharply sensed the lethal intent of Caramel Snail's blade and almost instinctively pulled out a magic scroll, aiming at the incoming Caramel Snail.
[Blazing Sunray]
This was his trump card, perfect for a situation like this.
"Goodbye!"
Reno felt reassured.
Although the opponent's reaction speed and control were shockingly good—definitely not typical of a first-time competitor—talent was one thing. He likely practiced a lot against high-level players.
Yet no matter how skilled, sword beams and all, once you walk into a trap, you can't escape.
A scorching flash erupted, dragging the entire street into a sea of fire. Caramel Snail's HP plunged, nearly hitting zero.
But Caramel Snail was waiting exactly for this moment.
[Royal Car Shift] triggered!
After enduring 0.24 seconds of damage, his illusion and main body instantly swapped positions.
[Royal Car Shift] can be activated regardless of the main body's condition!
This feature gave Caramel Snail a chance to turn the tables!
"—He's above!"
Reno reacted instantly, lacking time to destroy the illusion and instead shifting his magic scroll's aim upward. But turning the scroll's firepower—like rotating a tank turret—required major effort and was painfully slow.
Just a little more, just a graze on Caramel Snail's body—and he'd win!
Swoosh!
Caramel Snail descended from above, hurling his weapon with his right hand.
[Remaining Moon] triggered!
This rented Omega Energy briefly let him slip into two-dimensional space. Even so, the extremely abstract nature of this Omega Energy meant it was quite difficult to use, and he had spent a long time learning it.
Finally, it played its part!
While in the two-dimensional space, Caramel Snail used [Royal Car Shift] again.
Reno was so anxious to blast him that he raised the scroll skyward without destroying the prior illusion.
"You're too quick on the draw, Brother Reno."
Caramel Snail's body reappeared like a phantom right before Reno. He raised his hand, the blood-pressure gun barrel popping from his palm, pressing against Reno's forehead as he struggled to aim the upward turret.
Squelch-squelch-squelch-squelch——!
Scorching corrosive ammo poured out, emptying 300ml of preloaded toxic blood. Caramel Snail shattered Reno's Mage Shield and fully blew his skull apart, dropping his HP to zero.
[Jean Reno Leopoldon's HP has reached zero]
[Round One—Won by Competitor Jiao Ziniu]
"Huff...huff...hah..."
Caramel Snail gasped for air, pupils contracting and dilating furiously. The adrenaline surged, leaving his entire body nearly numb.
"That was...so close..."
Removing the character's helmet, he revealed sweat-soaked, partially singed hair. Blood and burn marks on his face testified how tough the battle was.
"Who'd have thought...both Gamma-tier, but top players are way harder to fight than White Candle Star's NPCs."
"Ziniu!"
Over the comm channel came Xia Yubing's excited voice:
"Congratulations on your first win!"
"I...I fought so awkwardly... That was just the first opponent, but I nearly died...and he was only a rookie."
Caramel Snail was still reeling from Reno's swift responses and oppressive magic. His brain had been in high gear the entire fight, feeling close to crashing.
"This was just some newbie's first match, and I'm already this ragged..."
"What newbie? You didn't see his ID?" Xia Yubing said, puzzled. "That's actually the #4 player on the overall "Star Abyss" leaderboard, the top Mage of Agincourt—coissant!"
"...Huh?"
"Jiao Ziniu, you're amazing! The forum's blowing up over the first match—a total e-sports newcomer took down Agincourt's #1 champion in an upset. It's huge news!"
"I..."
Caramel Snail raised his hand in disbelief.
"I—I beat the world's #4 top player?"
Beep—beep—beep—
Caramel Snail glanced at messages from various friends:
[XXG]Cumin Powder: Yo, Niu Niu, good job on your first match, taking down croissant in Round One. I'll give you a reward later.
[LGY]Garidun: Bro, you've become unrecognizable in just six months.
[Qiongyu]Yu Tianxiao: Congrats! His barbecue combo can be brutal. Keep going—knock out croissant in Round One!
[Endless Pioneer]Nightblade Sword: Mm (the other party is typing).
...
Slap!
He clenched his fist, doubt and confusion gone from his eyes, replaced by resolve.
"Yeah, I'm not inferior to anyone!"
Caramel Snail calmed himself and gathered his focus, preparing for Round Two:
"I've been preparing for six months, which in-game is five whole years. I'm definitely not the same rookie I was back then!"
Five years…
Those five years turned him from a basic Martial Artist, once chased around by goblins, into a swordsman proficient in swordsmanship.
Moreover, he took several quests from Li Aozi, transforming him into a colonial body and granting him the secondary class [Mutant]. He fully acquired the Omega Energy he'd yearned for: [Soul Engraving Sword Saint].
「Though I'm not sure why you're so happy, this might be the most excited you've been since the Guardian God descended into my body...」
The conscription body, Saga Qi, suddenly spoke:
"Now that we've come this far, let's push forward together!"
Saga Qi rarely spoke, so Caramel Snail paused for a second before responding.
"Yeah, Li Aozi and all my friends have helped me so much along the way... It's about time I got stronger."
Caramel Snail nodded, facing Reno once again, who had revived and was regrouping. He solemnly switched weapons.
"Let's see just how far I can go at full strength!"
Zing——!
A jet-black tachi left its scabbard, and Caramel Snail gripped the shadowy blade, confronting Reno once more.
"That weapon..." Reno exclaimed:"Is that a 「Masterpiece of Legend」?!"
"Heh heh. I put in a ton of effort to get it off Li Aozi."
Caramel Snail slung the tachi over his shoulder, scratched his head, and grinned sheepishly:
"Its name is Tsu•Shadow's Edge—er, though it prefers me to call it 'Ghostshade.'"
"What...a sword girl, or something?"
Reno couldn't help but poke fun:
"All this time, you keep mentioning Li Aozi—almost more than someone calling out their wife's name."
"Him?"
Caramel Snail chuckled:
"Li Aozi has a bunch of titles—[Domination] system mentor, the master of White Candle Star, mayor of Faithkeep City. You're welcome to visit White Candle Star. The travel route just opened, and you Valkyrie Fortress–Frontier Planet players can come anytime. We're always happy to host."
"I can sense it. He must be an interesting person."
Reno nodded, smiling as he raised his staff, light gleaming:
"Before that, let's give the audience a spectacular show!"
「Raylial, you're the same as ever—fond of flames, drawn to explosions. How nostalgic. Back in the Craft Garden, we used to help each other with &*^#——」
[Recognition Filter Engaged]
Caramel Snail smiled, green light flickering in his eyes:
"Gladly!"