Chapter 09 ~ A Hard Battle (2/2)
Across the wide grassy plains of Stonefield Edge, fragments of broken gray rock were scattered sparsely across the landscape—remnants of the Monkeys' rampage.
The battlefield had fallen into an eerie silence.
The fighting had finally calmed enough that the soft whisper of the wind once again danced over the fields.
Crackle—!
Sparks snapped sharply through the air.
Kazuki stood firm amidst the silence, electric arcs of blue dancing furiously around his body, his breathing controlled but sharp.
He clenched his fists, glaring across the field as he growled:
"Asaka... were you trying to kill me, the same way you almost did with Miryana?"
Asaka stepped forward.
Clad in his black ninja garb, he advanced with unwavering, confident steps, his right hand gripping a blade of shimmering blue-gray steel—the Water Fox Fang.
"Mock me if you want," Asaka said coolly, his voice edged with irritation.
"But that attack wasn't meant for you.
If I hadn't fired it, that bastard would have grabbed the invisibility potion.
If he had, things would've gotten a lot more complicated."
Kazuki's piercing blue eyes narrowed, his voice firm:
"You really need to work on your aim. Still struggling to tame the Water Fox Fang?"
Asaka's eyes flickered briefly to his weapon as he continued walking forward.
"It's not hard to control," he muttered.
"But when you're fighting alongside a team, precision matters more than raw power."
He ruffled his brown hair with his free hand, sighing.
"The least I can do for Miryana is protect her gold and her potions."
His grip tightened on his blade, eyes glinting dangerously.
"I'll split that bastard in two."
He reached Kazuki at last.
The two ninjas stood side by side, blue electricity crackling around one and a cold, lethal aura emanating from the other—blue and black, level 14 and level 17.
Perfectly in sync.
On the opposite side of the field, dressed in nothing more than the default adventurer's outfit, Hikari pressed a hand against his knee, struggling slightly as he pushed himself upright.
The grass around him trembled in the soft breeze.
He rose slowly, steadily.
Golden hair fluttered lazily in the wind, framing sharp, ocean-blue eyes that remained calm despite the heavy atmosphere pressing down on the field.
Everyone could feel it.
The final moment was here.
Asaka called out, his voice breaking the growing tension:
"Tell me something, Hikari... how can you stand against those so far above your level without fear?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"No... how are you this good in your very first moments inside the game?"
Hikari's answer was simple.
He stretched his hands forward slightly.
"Inventory call... Apple. Blue Bolt."
With a shimmering pulse of blue light, two items materialized in his palms:
A brilliant red apple in his right hand, and a slim vial of clear blue elixir in his left.
He stared at them quietly.
This is my last shot... I have no choice but to succeed.
Kazuki raised an eyebrow, sparks crackling around him.
"You're telling me you're too lazy to even travel and complete quests?"
Hikari casually bit into the apple, chewing slowly.
He lifted his gaze toward them and spoke aloud, his voice lazy but sharp:
"I hate RPGs for one reason," he said, shrugging lightly.
"All that tedious crap—gathering equipment, leveling up, grinding herbs and resources for hours... It's boring."
He took another perfect bite, chewing deliberately.
"I hate wasting time on that stuff.
But you know what?"
He tilted his head slightly, the golden strands of his hair catching the breeze.
"There's nothing more satisfying than beating others without climbing through all those hurdles."
His ocean-blue eyes glinted with defiance.
"Low level? So what?
As long as they can't hit me...
I won't lose."
Across the field, Asaka's eyes flickered faintly with interest.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
A low-level player beating high-level opponents... where have I heard that before...?
Kazuki's voice snapped sharply through the air, the electricity around him intensifying:
"No need to think about it, Asaka!
He's just a cocky brat. His candle's about to burn out!"
With a final, careless toss, Hikari threw the apple core onto the grass.
A soft green light enveloped him.
HP Recovery: +80
Current HP: 300 / 500
Almost immediately after, he uncorked the Blue Bolt Elixir and downed it in one smooth gulp.
A soft blue glow flashed across his body.
Elixir Activated: Blue Bolt
Duration Remaining: 15 seconds
A small, ticking timer appeared in the corner of his vision, counting down rapidly:
15... 14... 13...
Kazuki sneered, watching the surge of power radiate around Hikari.
"You think that cheap little potion is going to save you?" he scoffed.
"You think it's the same as mine?"
Hikari smiled lazily.
"Unfortunately... it's better."
Kazuki's smirk faded.
"What do you mean?"
Hikari slowly clenched both fists, drawing in the crackling energy that sparked wildly around him.
Unlike Kazuki's refined bolts, Hikari's lightning was wild—untamed.
It snapped and burned the grass into ashes at his feet, sending embers whirling into the wind.
"You can move at the speed of lightning," Hikari said softly.
"But me—"
At that moment, Kazuki blurred into motion, moving like a blue streak toward him, and Asaka drew his Water Fox Fang tightly in preparation.
But Hikari moved faster.
He leapt high into the air and shouted:
"I can electrify everything around me!!"
CRACK-BOOM!
A violent storm of lightning exploded from Hikari's body.
Dozens of blue arcs burst outward, flashing in wild, chaotic directions.
Thunder rolled across the field, shaking the ground.
Kazuki twisted and dodged instinctively, his body flickering in a zig-zag motion like a desperate ghost, avoiding the wild bolts.
But getting close was impossible.
The storm around Hikari was shifting constantly—each bolt unpredictable, flickering and reverberating through the air.
The grass beneath scorched black wherever the lightning touched.
On the other side, Asaka braced himself.
He swung his Water Fox Fang to deflect a bolt—
CRASH!
The blade collided with a bolt of pure electricity, sending sprays of enchanted water into the air.
But—
The water droplets became conductors.
Tiny chains of lightning leapt from droplet to droplet, forming a deadly web around Asaka.
The numbers began stacking rapidly:
Damage Taken:
-560
-40
-30
-30
-30
Asaka's body jerked violently with each surge, the shocks chaining through him faster than he could react.
His eyes widened in horror.
T-this water blade... it's making the lightning worse!
Realizing the danger, he pushed off with a powerful leap, clearing himself from the deadly radius.
Damn it... Water Fox Fang is playing against me with this lightning ability!
How much HP do I have left—?!
As he landed, he quickly glanced at his system interface:
HP Remaining: 410 / 1700
The HP bar was now flashing orange.
Low and critical.
Meanwhile, Kazuki had also withdrawn, forced back by the wild arcs.
The entire field buzzed with the lingering energy of Hikari's unleashed storm.
The static zone around him continued to crackle, even though Kazuki and Asaka had escaped the random range of the arcs.
Hikari landed lightly on the charred grass, a confident smirk playing at his lips.
He casually pointed two fingers toward Kazuki, mimicking a playful pistol.
His ocean-blue eyes gleamed, one eyelid drooping in a lazy wink.
"I only have a few seconds left to shine," he said teasingly.
"Not fair if you run away now."
Zaaap!
Hikari fired a concentrated lightning bolt.
The shockwave pushed his golden hair back, and the brilliant blue flash reflected off the swaying grass, casting long shadows across the trembling field.
The air screamed as the bolt sliced through it, tearing a path toward Kazuki.
Kazuki's heart lurched.
I have to dodge—now!!
But just as he tried to move, something shifted.
The blue electricity that once surged confidently around Kazuki's body... vanished.
His eyes widened in shock as a notification appeared at the corner of his vision:
Notice:
Electro Speed Elixir has expired.
Kazuki stood frozen for a heartbeat, horror creeping into his chest.
I-it's over... my elixir wore off...!