Chapter 16: Victory and Defeat

Borrowing the shadows of the buildings in the vicinity, I reached Shir’s battle location in less than a minute.

When I looked over, a large-scale barrier had already covered the empty s.p.a.ce in front of the library, but it’s exterior was transparent, so I was able to see the situation inside.

Krans | Male

LV 23 Broadsword Wielder

[Neutral] [Calm] [Doge Military School Student] [Monte Kingdom Knight] [Baron]

LV 23? Looks like based on level alone, Shir’s at a disadvantage, huh.

But the level difference isn’t that big, and ability-wise, there isn’t much of a difference either. To obtain victory, Shir just have to watch his attacks and react accordingly.

In usual cases, a Magician’s biggest weaknesses are the control of their casting time and their judgment towards their enemies’ actions, especially so, if their enemies specialize in melee combat. If the enemies were to simply attack recklessly, magicians will have the upper hand. However, if the enemies were to attack continuously, the moment the magicians lose control of the flow of the battle, the magicians will definitely lose.

And currently, Shir’s situation did not look too good.

A large tornado barrier was protecting Shir within, and outside, Krans, who was wielding his broadsword, simply smiled as he looked at Shir who was in the tornado.

There were traces of injuries on Shir’s body, but his HP was currently slowly recovering. Looks like he brought along recovery potions.

While on the other side, although he did have wounds on his body, he did not bother recovering his HP.

Is he too confident?

No, some warriors possess skills that can increase their damage when their HP is low. If this guy does possess such an ability…

There’s nothing I can do. Currently, the only thing I do know, is that this guy has the 【Calm】t.i.tle, so there’s a high possibility that he does possess such a skill.

‘Dale, mind investigating the skills of this guy called Krans? He’s a knight from the Monte Kingdom.’

‘Alright… There’s no information on his skills. He’s just a regular Baron who inherited his position from his father. There’s no special information about him.”

‘What about his family background? Are you sure there’s nothing special about him?”

‘Un… None… Wait a minute, this guy’s profile is too clean, it basically looks like he just came out from thin air! Either his profile is being fabricated, or his kingdom did not keep records of his information.’

‘Is that so.’

I thought for a moment, and then, tapped on my active skill.

【Phad’s Eye】Open! Krans Monte | Male

LV 23 Earth Broadsword Wielder

[Neutral] [Calm] [Doge Military School Student] [Monte Kingdom Knight] [Baron]

【Disguised】[Hidden Prince] 【Inferior Blade】

What the h.e.l.l, it’s no wonder there’s no intel on him. This guy is actually a prince disguising as a regular n.o.ble?

To think I was able to instantly find out such a mysterious setting… Well, whatever. Currently, I have no time to pay attention to this sort of weird scenario in whatever kingdom. It’s best that we deal with the current situation for now.

But he’s an Earth elemental user, huh… So he has a perfect advantage over those who wield the Wind element. Looks like our enemies’ reaction are quite fast, they actually sent the most suitable personnel to attack each and every one of us.

Didn’t they say they were not going to initiate a joint attack against us? Ah whatever, rather, believing my opponents in times like this appears to be too naive of me.

Though, isn’t this also a good opportunity to earn some points?

But Shir’s currently… I believe that tornado barrier will end really soon, right?

If his opponent were to attack the instant the tornado disappears, then Shir will definitely be in danger.

Currently, Krans had already taken his stance, and a deep yellow light was slowly emitting from his armor!

“Arcane…”

Looks like Krans was already preparing to attack. Shir’s definitely going to be in danger…

But…

In that instant, Shir was actually smiling!

Hey hey, you’re telling me… he actually has a way to resolve this crisis?

Just when the tornado was about to disappear, Shir suddenly took something out and pinched it, and a white fog instantly filled up within the green tornado!

Oh, oh, oh! He actually learnt to camouflage himself? Not bad! As my disciple, he’s really living up to my name!

And his opponent was evidently shocked, as he stopped his skill which was already half-prepared.

“How is this…”

But in the next second, he moved. A giant slash immediately flew towards the tornado which was about to disappear!

The sword wave instantly sliced apart the disappearing tornado, but in the next second, he found out that there was nothing within the tornado!

That’s of course. From the movement of his name, I could clearly see that, the moment the white fog built up, Shir had already summoned another tornado within to send himself flying in the air.

“… Arcane – Wind Blade – Cloud Dispersing Wind!”

Chanting at high speed, numerous magic formations appeared around Krans at the same time. Immediately after, countless of wind blades shot towards Krans!

“d.a.m.n it! Arcane – Black Battle Armor Equip!”

After his body was struck by two wind blades, he immediately reacted. Stabbing his broadsword into the ground, a black armor instantly appeared on his body!

But with a large number of wind blades striking him, his HP had still dropped below half.

“We’re actually at a disadvantage? Looks like you guys are indeed not that simple.” The leader of 【Black Prince】, Arnus, suddenly walked over, and smiled to me.

“Is that so… Speaking of which, isn’t this a joint attack against us? This is totally different from what you guys said in the morning, you know.”

“Well… Because our superiors told us that we had to definitely give you guys a little pressure, so we had to make slight changes to plans.”

“If you win, you will be able to obtain points, but even if you lose, you will not lose any, so you guys decided to attack right at the start. Did I hit the mark?”

“Un, I suddenly have the urge to exterminate you guys. I have a feeling that, if you guys were allowed to continue battling, it will definitely become dangerous for us.”

“And here I was thinking of having a open and fair battle with you guys~ But you have to think it through, alright? Even if you guys were to come down hard on us, we won’t be afraid either.”

“… Well, it’s best to leave this kind of thing for later.” “That’s right, after all, you guys are about to lose.”

“Is that so? You have to know that Krans’ abilities get stronger the more damage he takes.”

“As I thought. But that no longer matters, because the moment he judged that using a defensive skill was his best option… he had already lost!”

“What!?”

“His defense did improve greatly with that defensive skill he used, but Shir specializes in fast incantations, so… You guys have lost.”

That’s right, even after all the wind blades had finished attacking, Shir was still slowly descending from the skies.

This proved two things. One, the enemy has yet to find out Shir’s position, and two, the moment he dispels his armor, he will lose!

As I thought, after the attack ended, Krans immediately dispelled his defensive skill. And the moment he dispelled it, a gigantic spear had already appeared in Shir’s hands!

“… Super Arcane – Thunderclap – Sorrow of the Wind.”

Shir hurled the spear towards the ground, and with a flash of green light, the barrier instantly disappeared.

Ting~

【NEET Tea Party】Shir obtained victory. Points Awarded: 1 Total Points: 1

【NEET Tea Party】Falan obtained victory. Points Awarded: 1 Total Points: 2

【Knight of the Blue Seas】Haris obtained victory. Points Deducted: 1 Total Points: 1

Eh?

Anne lost?

‘Bai Yueguang, what’s the situation!?’

I immediately used the messaging system to contact Bai Yueguang.

‘The opponent used a large-sized equipment, which seemed to be waterproof and used oxygen as an energy source. Anne’s spells did not even have the slightest effect on him.’

‘Technology… huh? Dale, is that one of your inventions?’ ‘No, that’s the Doll Exoskeleton Conversion Technology.’

‘The Smuu household is randomly selling things again, huh… Alright, I will take

care of it.’

“Shir, you did well!”

Looking at Shir who was walking over, I laughed as I patted on his shoulder. “Fir! I did really well, right!?”

“That’s right! That’s how it should be! But right now, we have to head over to aid

Anne.” “Alright.”

“You’re leaving just like that?”

Arnus laughed.

“If you’re going to treat me dinner, I don’t really mind staying.” “Kuh… It’s not like it’s impossible…”

“Though, that will have to wait for later. It’s best that you head over to console

your team member for now.” “You’re right.”

I then turned to Shir.

“Let’s go.”

“Fir… I’m sorry. I lost my first battle.”

Arriving at the central square, the first thing I saw was Princess Anne being healed by her attendant.

Seeing me quickly rushing over, she bitterly smiled, and apologized softly. “Wow, I feel really humbled, to actually receive a princess’ apology.”

I laughed, gave Bai Yueguang a glance, and then, looked towards the other side of the square.

An armored knight was currently walking down a three-meter tall exoskeleton doll, and… he sure looked pretty satisfied.

Using an equipment like that to win, and your mind is actually still at peace?

Let’s see… An exoskeleton doll seems to be an enlarged version of a doll. The enlarged portion is where a human could load into it, which also allows the human to be the core of the doll. That sure is a good idea.

To a large degree, the doll supplements the human’s defense and judgment, and of course, the doll’s ability to judge comes from an unknown component inside the doll. But, it would be more convenient to have humans control some of the dolls’ parts. That was probably why this exoskeleton was invented.

But this thing was actually already materialized. Are these already nearing the stage of ma.s.s production?

“Interesting. This Knight Squad called 【Knight of the Blue Seas】actually uses such robotic equipment. Dale, did you hear me? Are you able to find any information about them?”

I used the direct call function to contact Dale, but… I did not hear any reply. This guy, did he head out for dinner or something?

“Dale, did you hear me?”

I asked once again, but I actually heard another response.

Ting~

【NEET Tea Party】Dale initiated a challenge to 【Knight of the Blue Seas】 Haris.

Haris accepted the challenge.

Because there’s no restriction on the number of battles an individual can partic.i.p.ate in, as long as the target accepts the challenge, he can still continue battling.

But, why did Dale suddenly want to challenge him? Didn’t he say that he liked staying in the office more?

When I heard this broadcast, I was really shocked. But whatever, it’s good to have more practice.

Just at this moment, Dale, who was riding his segway, rushed towards the site at

high speed, and towards the center of the square.

“That guy over there, I’m not going to have a discussion over how you won my teammate with such a despicable method. But, since you accepted my challenge, then, I will guarantee that I will definitely, and absolutely… defeat you very easily.”

Dale walked down from his segway, and pushed his gla.s.ses up as he looked at Krans.

“… Very well! You’re doomed, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”

Haris immediately leaped into the exoskeleton, carried up the big-scaled iron rod beside him, and rushed over!

Really straightforward. I like it.

But it’s a pity that you’re an enemy.

“Do you know? As a warrior, you shouldn’t be believing those weird external data in the armor. You guys are people who rely on your abilities to battle. The moment you start believing in some other power, you have already lost. Special Tech – Control Override.”

As he said that, Dale raised his right hand, and did a ‘stop’ gesture at Haris.

Right after, an unbelievable thing happened.

Haris instantly stopped moving, and the iron rod in his hand stopped in the air. As if time had stopped, the exoskeleton completely froze on the spot.

This guy… In that short period of time, just what did he do to that person’s armor? He sure is frightening.

“Although I can use your own armor to kill you, you wouldn’t be content with that, right?”

After saying that, Dale pointed his right hand to the right, and an equipment that looked like a launcher appeared beside him.

“Special Tech – Railgun – Stored Heavy Blast”

An electrical light flashed from the muzzle, and immediately after, a thick electrical ray pierced straight into the opponent’s armor.

The purple electrical right instantly penetrated the opponent’s body, and the exterior of the exoskeleton began emitting a series of electrical sparks. After the entire exoskeleton shook for a few moments, it fell onto the ground with a loud bang.

That’s sure neat and quick… As expected of a hacker.

“But you haven’t lost, right? However, with your exoskeleton’s current position, it’s impossible for you to directly escape from it. Then I will… personally send you off. Do you know? By having an oxygen-storing device in such a large-scale equipment, it’s similar to having a medium-sized bomb being placed inside your clothes~”

After saying that, he pushed up his gla.s.ses, and took out his staff.

It’s really rare to see him take out his staff, huh. Looks like this guy is really excited as well.

“Super Arcane – Lightning Meteor!”

Like a pouring rain, thunderbolts came descending from the sky, and continuously struck onto the armor. A series of electrical currents flowed continuously into the exoskeleton, and finally…

Bang!!!

The exoskeleton exploded, and the countless pieces of sc.r.a.ps scattered around the square, but Dale, who had already summoned a shield, did not move at all.

Ting

【NEET Tea Party】Dale obtained victory. Points Awarded: 1

Total Points: 2

From start to finish, Dale did not even move from his initial position. He sure is stealing the spotlight, huh.

As I thought, the strength of a technology lover can never be underestimated.

Dale looked at the debris around the barrier, walked over to a side, and picked something off the ground.

Then, he sat on his segway and came over. “Princess Anne, are you alright?”

“Eh? Ah, I’m fine, I’m fine~ Although I was unable to deal any damage to him, I was able to use my water defenses to greatly reduce the impact of his attacks, so I’m fine.”

Dale nodded, and then came to me. “Alright, then I will be returning to base.”

“Ah, looks like you’re really familiar with your skills. What did you pick up just now?”

“Ah, that…”

He looked at the small box in his hands.

“It’s something similar to a black box. Back then, in the Smuu household, I have seen information regarding this exoskeleton, but I had never seen the actual thing. And, the database did not have any detailed information on them. But, I knew there were a control system and a black box installed in this thing, so I decided to come out and collect them.”

“I see…”

This guy sure is professional in the way he do things.

“Well, although I know of the technology, I’m still not really familiar with magic. Since there’s someone willing to provide the data, then of course, I have to take it.”

“Alright, then let’s return together. Anyway, there’s nothing else to be done, right?”

“Hey hey! Are you guys simply going to leave like this?”

And at this moment, a small girl carrying a heavy mace leaped over from afar and landed before us.

“Masha-chan~ In the morning, you people said that you wouldn’t initiate a joint attack on us, but, not even half a day later, you people went back on your words, huh.”

“This… Ah… Umm…”

When she heard my words, Masha, who was initially furious, immediately panicked like a little kitten, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

“Because you received a request from the people backing you, right?”

“Ah… So you knew about it. Geez, if you knew about it, why did you still ask!?” “I just wanted to confirm if it’s true.”

“What a jerk… Well~ We’re in the wrong too, but what you must understand is…”

“This is a war, I know. Alright, then let’s just leave it at that. Unless you’re planning to treat us to dinner?”

“Ah? Well, dinner, huh…”

Looking at her panicked expression, I started to wonder… Is this girl actually… a very innocent idiot?

“Alright, next time then.” “Eh?”

“Then we’re done here. Bye bye~”

“Eh, ah, just why am I feeling so troubled for~! You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”

Looking her vexed expression, I could not help but realize the reason why she was their squad’s leader.

She sure is cute, this girl…