Depraved Hero's Path

'I still have Quickstep that multiplies my Agility by 1.5, giving me a fifty percent bonus. With the Basic Agility Boots, my Agility Stat rises to eight. Twelve when Quickstep is active.' Léa gulped, holding the Iron Sword in her hand tightly. 'I don't have my Flaming Spear. I'll have to use this. In any case, close-combat isn't the goal here.' She took a deep breath and focused on the necklace hanging around her neck. 'Not only can Elijah take Items from the others' Inventories, but he can even buy Items. The fact that Items can be bought during the preparation is something that the other side probably hasn't noticed.'

[Mana Necklace, [D] Rank Item: Mana Stat +10.]

'With a Mana Stat of 15, I can use it.'

***

"Hm…" Gin thought while staring at the different options.

[Buff 1: 100% more Health Points.]

[Buff 2: 200% faster Health Point Recovery.]

[Buff 3: 100% more Endurance Points.]

[Buff 4: 200% faster Endurance Points Recovery.]

'These Buffs are about survival. Healing and running away…'

[You can apply each Buff to either yourself or to a member of your Army.]

'The Army is here to fight and protect. Without the Army, nothing can happen.' Gin's eyes narrowed as he stared at Petra's back, the one who had been assigned the Role of Queen. They're percentage-based Buffs. The one with the highest Stats stands to gain the most from these Buffs. As such, the Queen and the Rooks should take them.'

Moments later, everything was set up.

The Army had been made and armed. The Buffs had been affected.

"One King, one Queen, two Rooks, two Bishops, two Knights, and four Pawns…" Rifna's gaze turned to the opposing side. "Are you going to be okay, Elijah?"

He stared at her for a moment.

"No, can you come help me?"

"Hahaha!"

Rifna laughed, before snapping her fingers.

Both Kings were seated on their respective Thrones.

Above Elijah floated the Black King's Crown; above Gin, the White King's Crown.

'Does that mean he gets to throw the first move?' Elijah asked himself, remaining vigilant.

[The King's Game will Start in 30 seconds.]

Marianne's eyes narrowed, her hands tightly holding the Twin Daggers of Fire & Ice.

Léa took a deep breath.

'They're positioning themselves like that?' The confused Gin asked himself. 'The Queen is standing in front of the King. In front of her stand both Rooks, and in front of her… Wait?'

Gin wasn't the only one to notice.

Indeed, just like the Kings had translucent crowns, the Queens had translucent Tissaras.

The Rooks had circlets over their heads, which both Marianne and Zarath liked.

The Bishops had translucent mitres, and the Knights had translucent helmets over their heads.

The lowly Pawns, however, only had a ribbon around the arm.

'He made her a Pawn? Not only that, but she's standing in front of the group? The one with the lowest Stats? What's the logic behind that? A sacrificial Pawn? Maybe he doesn't care about her… But even if he wanted to use her as a meat shield, why not make her a Bishop or Knight?'

Gin shook his head, remembering Petra's words.

'Don't think about this too hard. Don't let it get to my head. We're at a clear advantage. It's just about moving carefully now.'

Each side had noticed that the Roles brought more than Stats.

Petra, who was holding an Iron Shield, was covered by the whiteish aura brought on by the Tiara, the Symbol of the Queen. That aura concentrated around the Shield, strengthening it.

'Weaker Items are strengthened in the hands of a Role with higher value.' Elijah thought, his gaze moving towards Katherine.

The Black Magician's Staff she was holding didn't shine one bit.

She was standing behind the Pawn and the Rooks.

Following Elijah's instructions, Katherine was standing rather strangely.

'Huh?' Léa frowned as she noticed. 'Why…? She's holding the Staff vertically and behind her… Katherine is hiding what she's fighting with! Due to the translucent items that appear on us, we can't hide our Roles. However, we can hide our weapons. Right now, they have no idea if our Queen will fight with a Sword or with Magic! This is good! This is…'

Léa's thoughts trailed off as she watched the countdown approach 0.

'I… Didn't hear them talk about that.' Her gaze went beyond Katherine. 'Are they…' Her eyes darted, studying every member of the side she was fighting on for a moment. 'Talking telepathically?' Léa gulped. 'Of course they are! It's the logical thing to do here! But what about me? I'm still an outsider here! If I can't coordinate myself with them, then…' Léa felt her heart drop for a moment. 'I'm just a Pawn here. Coordinating with them is just-'

She locked eyes with Elijah.

The two stared at one another for a moment.

He nodded, and she turned around.

'I'm…' Léa's gaze went back to the opposing side, who were brandishing Sword, Axe, Shield, and Spear. 'Alone in this.'

The seconds slowly passed.

'No…' Léa tightened her grip on the Iron Sword, taking a deep breath. 'If I'm out of the loop, then it's their job to move according to what I do. Elijah will just have to coordinate them while taking into account what I'm doing. That's the only way it makes sense.'

[The King's Game will Start in 2 seconds.]

'I, as the Pawn…'

[The King's Game will Start in 1 second.]

'Am standing at the front.'

[The King's Game will Start in 0 seconds.]

'And so…'

[Game Quest: Defeat the opposing King!]

'I get…'

[Game, Start!]

'To throw the first move!'

As soon as the message appeared, Léa let go of her Iron Sword and extended her arms forward.

She focused all of her strength and energy on making it materialize.

'With a Mana Stat of 15, this should work!'

Before any other Participant could even move, Léa managed to activate her Skill.

A grayish aura appeared five steps away from her, and a fearsome beast materialized!

"What the…?"

A powerful roar echoed throughout the vault, as a menacing and grayish Saber-Toothed Cat appeared with its jaws open wide!

Léa activates the Summoning Skill she obtained by Clearing the Ghost of the Past Game!

'Next,' Her orange eyes shone. 'I have to…!'