NOVEL NEXT Chapter 34
The battlefield, thick with the smell of blood.
A multitude of soldiers lay dead, devoid of distinction between allies and foes.
Amidst this chaos, a boy staggered to his feet.
His body swayed and his uneven breaths were clear signs of something being gravely wrong. Surely, some part of him was broken.
Yet, he had no thoughts of complaining. The very fact that he could think, even with a body that felt numb and cumbersome, was proof he was still alive.
The dead do not speak.
For a moment, he faced the unblinking eyes of his fallen comrades, then limped forward.
There was still a long way to go. Staying here meant sharing the fate of his fallen friends.
Though he was inexplicably left alive, he resolved to cling to life, no matter how miserable that existence might be.
He would return and deliver the news of his companions’ deaths to their families. He would keep the promises made to his mother and siblings.
With that determination, the boy soldier dragged his injured leg towards the eastern stronghold.
The eastern stronghold still stood, untouched. If he could make it there, his chances of survival would increase dramatically.
How long did he desperately traverse those few minutes?
At last, the boy spotted the eastern stronghold. A grand iron gate and a red flag fluttering in the wind.
Just as he was waving his hand, oblivious to the fatigue weighing down his body—
–!
A deafening roar pierced through the air, accompanied by a blinding flash.
The boy, who had been feeling relieved, merely stumbled as he tripped over a rock.
But soon he lifted his gaze to the sky, only to lower his head in despair.
The stronghold, the very goal he had raced toward, was ablaze.
Simultaneously, the sky was adorned with countless sparks. The soldier, who had already survived a hellish ordeal, understood all too well what this spectacle meant.
It was the precursor to a grand spell that would turn the tide of the battlefield. The enemy’s mage must have unleashed their magic to bring down the eastern stronghold.
Feeling his doom approaching, the boy closed his eyes. A massive inferno would surely soon rain down from the sky.
Oh, mother. It seems I cannot keep my promise. Carlson, Smith, Jerry… I’ll be with you soon.
Despite his efforts to stay composed, the looming death brought forth a paralyzing fear as he trembled, eyes shut tight.
…?
It was a few minutes later that he felt something strange and opened his eyes.
No matter how mentally prepared he was, the expected brightness did not blind him, nor did the world tremble with a deafening blast.
Thus, when the boy opened his eyes, he saw it.
The sky was opening.
No exaggeration, pure and simple truth. The sky was indeed parting.
Clouds that had occupied a corner of the sky were vanishing, as if a hole had been punctured, allowing a bright light to stream down from that very spot.
The clouds that had been present vanished, and suddenly, it was as if a hole had been opened, with bright light pouring down from that spot.
The light, which felt divine just by looking at it, gradually approached and took shape.
Finally, as the radiant light began to fade, a figure emerged from the beams of light.
The soldier momentarily forgot that this place was a battlefield, staring blankly at the figure.
It resembled an angel, akin to those that commonly exist in human minds.
With skin like white jade and hair as pure as snow, topped by an oval halo hovering above.
It was a divine being descending from the celestial realms, and the soldier couldn’t take his eyes off the angel clad in fluttering white robes.
Whether the angel was aware of the soldier’s gaze or not, it was preoccupied rummaging through something in its embrace.
What, what is it going to take out?
The boy soldier asked himself and sought the answer within.
Perhaps it was a weapon for battle. After all, this was the heart of the war zone.
He didn’t think of running away. The angel that appeared unexpectedly seemed to harbor no hostility towards him, and besides, he was in no condition to flee.
In the absence of fear and tension lay a vague curiosity.
What kind of weapon would the angel use?
The soldier was inwardly curious about what kind of weapon this entity, resembling a legend, would pull out.
Would it be a rosary commonly used by priests? Or perhaps a holy book? A unique arcana that only those beloved by the deity could wield?
However, the weapon that the angel eventually produced shattered all the soldier’s expectations in an instant.
It wasn’t entirely a foreign type, nor was it something he had never seen before. It was more that in this context, he was surprised because he found it familiar.
He had never anticipated such a weapon to come out. From the soldier’s perspective, he had expected the being before him to wield something more extraordinary.
The soldier’s gaze was directed at the angel’s fingertips gripping the weapon.
In the angel’s tiny, white hand was a rather blunt mace, which seemed mismatched for its appearance.
*
“Huuh….”
A sigh of relief echoed from beyond Discord.
Though exhausted, the faint smile at the corner of their lips hinted at a hard-won victory.
This round had been particularly fraught with difficulties from the start, but Riri ultimately proved her worth by emerging victorious.
[Wow]
[This game is incredibly intense, haha]
[You won? You won? You won? You won?]
[There’s romance in the bronze ranks….]
[For bronze, you’re doing well, for real]
[What kind of build is this? Never seen it before]
[Calliope with a mace…? What kind of hybrid is this]
[If that’s the case, just play as the paladin Alex straight up]
[But Alex is ugly with hairy legs and all…]
[Alex can’t use Angelic Descent]
[Mace Calliope? What a ridiculous build]
[Ridiculous? This is a historically rich build that’s been around since season 1]
[It’s a historic build that has been passed down since Season 1.]
[It was indeed a daily build since Season 1, lol.]
[Who knew Kayak would know the details of the Mace Kali?]
[At first, I was like, why are you recommending this? But now it looks good.]
[Does Kayak think the Mace Kali she rebuilt looks like Joss?]
[How does Kayak have so many builds while only focusing on Camilla?]
[Kayak’s build storage is intimidating!]
[Hmm… No matter how I look at it, it’s trash.]
People seemed to be quite impressed by Riri’s efforts, as the chat exploded with messages.
A total record of 3 wins and 2 losses. This was the outcome after Riri declared her transition to a supporter and played 5 matches.
Considering most of the heroes she used were former ADCs, her performance was quite commendable.
Even in the losing games, she didn’t slack off; she did everything within her means, which was a definite plus.
First and foremost, her absorption skills are excellent. Had she been playing Abyss for about a year or so?
You couldn’t really call her a newbie with that kind of time, but it appeared to be her first time properly learning about the game from someone.
It was immensely satisfying to watch her absorb everything I taught her like a sponge.
Of course, with sponges, once you pour water on them, half of it drips out, but that’s manageable. Just remind her enough times to not forget.
Most importantly, she’s really trying, huh?
Even a newbie is valuable, but a hardworking newbie is just adorable.
Though the influx of users these days has dulled the value of newbies, back in the day, having just one newbie would make everyone from fossils to the elderly rush out to teach them the game.
While reminiscing about the old days, I suddenly heard the cute voice of my student through my headphones.
“Teacher, I… um…”
She picks her words slowly. This is a broadcast of Riri that I kept on to check her habits and focus while playing the game.
She hesitated for so long that I checked the screen, and it became clear what she wanted to say.
“Good job, Riri. The last match was also good. The hit rate of the Mace was surprisingly high.”
“Hehe, thank you. It’s all thanks to you, Teacher!”
“Even if I tell them, there are still people out there who can’t do as well. Anyway, shall we call it a day and get some rest?”
“Can I really do that?”
There were visible bags under her eyes. If I could see it through the cam, I could only imagine how bad it really was.
While I did feel a bit greedy for my smart student, it wouldn’t be good if she pushed herself too hard. After all, today was her actual first practice day.
She was probably the one to bring it up first because she’s extremely observant—I had to say something before she did.
I could have just said it’s time to head in after I’ve done enough. Am I still that difficult?
Still, when it comes to playing the game, I don’t beat around the bush, and my confidence has subtly risen, so I shouldn’t encounter issues with communication within the team.
After sending Riri off, I ended the broadcast as well.
As usual, people were trying to hold me back, saying not to go, but all the other team members had already turned off their streams, and I was getting hungry, so unfortunately, there would be no extra broadcast today.
After ordering food through an app, I flopped onto my bed. I know it’s not good to rely on takeout all the time, but I’m too tired today to deal with it.
They said it would arrive in 40 minutes.
After confirming my order was received, I grabbed my phone and rolled around for a bit.
What can I do until the food arrives, or while eating?
That was when I thought of my first disciple, Nicang. I had been browsing VTube and communities, and during that time, I logged into Twitzy to check out some broadcasts.
I had managed to create a second disciple today. Speaking of which, I heard my first disciple, Nicang, was participating in this competition too.
Although we weren’t on the same team, I was curious about how she was doing. I peeked in to see if she was streaming and realized she had just started her broadcast.
“A short solo queue before the group practice.”
It was an interesting stream that was good for killing time. I quickly set myself up to watch.
Let’s see, do I have any beer left…
-Hmm, what should I do? ADC won’t do… It’s awkward to match the composition…
Just then, I pulled out a rolling beer from the fridge. Before I knew it, it was Nicang’s turn to pick.
Hearing her mumble, I checked the composition and felt a bit bewildered.
Isn’t it obvious what to pick?
I immediately started typing in the chat. Just in case Nicang didn’t realize.
[It’s a Camilla angle, Camilla ㄱㄱ]
[You can pick either Scourge Camilla or Balanced Camilla]
[If it’s Scourge Camilla, the opposing Miriam won’t even breathe ㅇㅈ?]
However, it seemed Nicang didn’t have time to check the chat and pondered until the pick time was almost up.
-I guess I’ll pick Lennok.
What a strange pick that was.
Then, after belatedly checking the chat, Nicang covered her mouth.
-What the… Oh! Teacher, you’re here? I saw the chat late. If I had seen it, I would have picked Camilla immediately.
[….]
[Disappointment.]
-No, Teacher. It’s not like that. I have my reasons. Ah, the game has started. I’ll explain after this match!
After that, I stopped typing in the chat and just quietly sipped my beer while watching the broadcast.
Such disappointment, hmph. Just lose already.
Then, about 30 minutes later, just as the food I ordered arrived, Nicang lost like a ghost.