NABC Chapter 20
Chapter 20
[Title: Skill-Oriented Healing Stream]
[‘Eldorin’ is now streaming.]
For a moment, there was silence. Normally, a streamer like Eldorin would be alert and aware of the situation. Yet, her stream had gone quiet, the screen dark except for the system messages floating across it.
[You were killed by an unknown adventurer.]
[Death Penalty: Restricted Access (4 hours)]
[You can reconnect in 3 hours, 56 minutes, and 43 seconds.]
She needed to say something—anything to fill the silence. It took her too long to realize that.
“Uh... I just died. That was Gawol, right?”
Eldorin scratched the side of her head, awkwardly. The chat was filled with concerned comments, most of them worrying about her. Fortunately, no one pointed out the brief lapse in audio.
However, the tone toward Gawol had taken a sharp turn.
Eldorin’s viewers were very invested in her streams. She wasn’t a huge corporate streamer with massive numbers, but she had a loyal and engaged audience. So, when their beloved streamer was interrupted during a hunt, it was natural for them to react with anger.
“Everyone, please calm down. I think we’ll have to call it for Infinity Black today. Maybe we can chat for a bit before I log off?”
Slowly, Eldorin worked to calm her viewers down.
In truth, she wasn’t too upset about dying. Death in the middle of a hunt wasn’t exactly pleasant, but she had been planning to end the stream soon anyway. Even if Gawol hadn’t shown up, she would have logged off before long.
On reflection, the experience wasn’t all that bothersome. At first, she had panicked when her throat felt tight, but her sensory synchronization was only set at 25%. She had lowered the pain synchronization even further, so what she felt was more like mild discomfort in her neck.@@@@
In fact, other sensations had been more noticeable. For instance, she distinctly recalled the sound of breathing behind her neck.
‘I should switch the screen and delete the replay, right?’
It likely hadn’t come across clearly on stream, but she couldn’t shake the memory of that slightly warm breath. Even the faint sound of Gawol’s laugh had been oddly alluring.
And in the final moment... hadn’t Gawol hugged her? It should’ve felt unsettling, but instead, it struck her as somewhat pitiable.
Was she overthinking it? Maybe she should be careful how she phrased it.
“I think that was my first time encountering Gawol. She’s really good, huh? I’ve heard that high-ranking players have a different kind of movement, and it’s true. It felt like I was up against someone from another world. I couldn’t do anything.”
- Yeah, she’s really good.
- She’s always doing PKs; it’d be weird if she wasn’t good.
- Heard she did pretty well when she mercenary’d in a siege battle too.
- Someone said if she went pro, she’d be top-tier. Who was that again?
- But solo-queue warriors don’t always translate well to the pro scene, so that might be an overstatement.
- Still, she did beat Traveler one-on-one.
“Oh, I’ve heard of Traveler. Right, Gawol’s an assassin, right? Ugh, assassins... I wish I could’ve gotten good at playing one. I found them too hard to master.”
Eldorin spoke with a hint of envy. Though she was a mage now, she had focused on playing an assassin just a few months ago. It didn’t take long for her to realize it wasn’t the right path for her.
Combat in Infinity Black was heavily movement-based. In other words, you had to control a character that was almost superhuman in speed and agility. While the system provided some assistance, it was still no easy feat.
A famous person had said that, so it was probably true. She could decide later about the arena match.
[Infinity Arena – 2nd Preliminary, 4th Phase]
[Map: Sanctuary of the Dead]
[vs. Unknown Adventurer (Protector)]
For now, she needed to focus on the fight.
Her opponent was a troublesome one. The Protector was the class with the highest defense in the game. Although it wasn’t an impossible match-up, it would take a long time to bring him down.
Normally, this would turn into a slow and tedious battle... but a faint smile crept across her lips. She had thought of a way to enjoy this game.
“Heh.”
In the Sanctuary of the Dead, as the name suggests, many undead monsters spawn. They’re slow-moving enemies that provide no real reward and act more as obstacles. The map is designed to force players to keep moving as they fight.
And the Protector was one of the slowest classes in the game.
Eldorin began making her way toward the high ground.
About ten minutes later, the Protector was kicked down the hill, rolling toward the bottom.
The undead grasped at his body, forcing him to twist and struggle to break free. He shoved them away with his shield, and a hand that tried to grab his leg was smashed by a holy hammer. Just as he tried to take another step, the assassin appeared again, kicking him in the back of the head before disappearing.
No. She didn’t just run away.
[You have been poisoned by Neurotoxin.]
[The strength of your divine power resisted the poison.]
[You are immune to poison damage, but your movement speed has decreased by 10%.]
The assassin continued to harass him relentlessly.
Whenever he tried to take a step, or when he finally broke free from the undead, the silver-haired assassin would reappear and push him right back into the horde of undead, laughing the whole time.
“Pfft... Haha!”
She could have killed him if she wanted to, but she made sure never to deal a fatal blow. By now, even a fool would realize they were being toyed with. After being kicked in the back of the head for the fourth time, the Protector’s patience reached its limit.
He tried to express his frustration—about how this was poor sportsmanship, a cruel and disrespectful way to play the game. But when he attempted to voice his complaint in-game, the system’s language filter butchered his words into an incoherent mess.
“You bad kid! Enjoying the game! I come to ask your well-being!”
Realizing his message had not been conveyed properly, the Protector’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Goodbye... in sadness.”
[Your opponent has forfeited.]
[Victory! You have gained 28 ranking points.]