NOVEL NEXT Chapter 503
A charming beer pub located in the bustling area of Sinchon.
People gathered in front of the large screen, each holding a draft beer, cheering on NoName with one heart and one mind.
But just one person wasn’t able to voice out properly.
[Mochidora International Couple]
[Just Chatting – Watching the Japan-Korea Match at a Japanese-Korean Couple’s Pub in Sinchon!]
[Broadcasting Time – 0:54:33]
[Number of Viewers – 2958]
That person was Mochi, a Japanese girlfriend who entered the pub with her Korean boyfriend, Dora.
[The fierce pressure from Narita Hiroyuki! He’s really pushing hard! The sword is too fast… Is NoName managing to handle all of this? NoName! Block and stab! NoName! Wow, this player is insane! Not collapsing from the front and holding on until the end!]
A mixture of admiration from the commentary and applause from the crowd erupted at the same time.
In the 11th minute of the first half, the breathtaking exchange between Narita Hiroyuki and NoName lasted over a minute.
However, Narita had the upper hand in speed and power.
The Barrier of Na-me, cloaked in Black Aurora, was being eroded little by little, filling the hearts of the Korean audience with despair.
Na-me’s feet were being pushed back little by little.
– Is this the Round of 64…?
– The level is ridiculously highㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– I can’t even see the sword
– How are you supposed to see and block all of this?
– NoName, please counter just onceㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– How do you beat that monster, damn it
– If we lose here, it’s over…
[‘Sushi is here!’ donated 1,000 won!]
– Mochi-chan, if you say your true feelings now, I’ll donate 10,000 won
“Narita-kun is amazing…!”
Mochi clenched her fist, successfully earning her 10,000 won with a bold statement.
“Mochi-chan, are you really excited? Are you very excited?”
“Keekeke, Na-me will do well too! The game isn’t over yet.”
In the gloomy atmosphere, Narita managed to land a solid hit on Na-me.
Na-me rolled around the training arena several times.
Sighs erupted from all corners, and the pub’s atmosphere plummeted.
NoName attempted to counter a couple more times, but all were blocked.
In a dire situation, Na-me pulled out the Demon King’s Horn, which was practically her trademark.
With wings of darkness flapping, she charged in, giving up all defense.
“Please…! This doesn’t seem like it’s going to work…!”
The guy squeezed his eyes shut.
Even after using many techniques, Narita’s defense was impenetrable; would such a straightforward attack work?
Everyone in the pub thought it was reckless.
[Huh? Is Narita pushing himself to the edge of the arena? Oh? If he moves further, it’ll be out of bounds! Oh my, what’s happening! Did he miss the wall? Big chance!]
Narita leapt back but crashed into the wall.
To make matters worse, his katana stuck into the barrier.
As Na-me crossed half the arena, the power of the aura was beyond words.
Black lightning flashed across the stadium.
[Round of 64 Group I Match 2]
[#2 Narita Hiroyuki (Japan)] [69% → 29% | 71%]
[#4 NoName (Republic of Korea)] [62% | 92%]
The shattered pieces of the barrier scattered like cherry blossoms blown by the spring wind.
A single strike.
With one blow, Na-me had completely turned the tables.
Everyone in the pub jumped to their feet.
[Oh my God, what’s happening! F-Forty percent! NoName has properly stabbed Narita’s heart!]
[I’ve never seen stats like this before while commentating! Wow… haha… what is happening with this player? He just successfully gambled all his assets in this match!]
[Can you hear the crowd roaring in the stadium? He sliced through Earth… no, he sliced through the universe! The Republic of Korea’s NoName! This is a miracle!]
“Waaaaaah! Na~me Na-me Na~me~!”
Just like people who made money from 100x leverage Bitcoin, the pub’s atmosphere skyrocketed in an instant.
Beer was flung in the air, and Na-me’s chant shook the ceiling and floor.
Mochi’s mouth hung open in shock.
Her boyfriend teased her as she struggled to accept the reality.
“Mochi-chan, thank you! Just like you said, the game isn’t over yet!”
“What is this, oh my, it doesn’t make sense…!”
– I can’t believe itㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– How did we turn this around like this?
– 40%, insaneㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– NoName! NoName! NoName!
– Yup, life is all about taking big risks~
– What’s this taste of victory, lolㅋ
The halftime break continued.
The national exchange tournament channel showed a replay with Na-me’s illusion magic data overlaid.
The casters and commentators couldn’t hide their bewilderment.
[Wait, what’s happening right now…!]
[Um? The scenery looks a bit different.]
The video played at 16 times speed from the 3rd to the 11th minute.
The illusion-created scenery of the training area was slightly distorted.
[It seems that NoName has applied an illusion barrier across the entire arena! Every time a small skirmish occurred, she moved the arena in the opposite direction of Narita’s movements with illusions. Ah, this makes it difficult for Narita to notice! He must have thought he was in better form than usual.]
[What a strategy to lead the opponent towards the outer wall from the start! What seems reckless about NoName’s strike is built upon tremendous groundwork!]
[It’s the kind of precise magic manipulation that’s unimaginable for a human… I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.]
[Also, viewers, NoName has set a new national exchange tournament record! With a single strike, she inflicted 40.3% damage, surpassing Axel Adorf’s 36.9% in 2029. NoName is truly writing history!]
– Is this a superstar?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– This is making people go insane, damn itㅋㅋㅋ
– I’d lost hope in that match with Narita, but Na-me just pierced through it with a spear
– Info: In the 2040s, players’ barrier output was strengthened by 20%.
– If it was in that era, it really would have taken half HP down, huh?
– The physical skills are important, but Na-me’s combat intelligence is several levels above everyone else.
– Mochi-chan, stop drinkingㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Glug glug-
The woman chugged a 1000cc draft beer down her throat.
“Hahahaha. Mochi-chan! Hey, are you okay?”
“Ughh… my throat is burning; it’s dry.”
“Why? Hehehe.”
“Isn’t that unfair? Players should play fairly, right? Hey?”
In the pub, the maximum happiness of the majority was achieved.
*
After a 10-minute break, the second half began.
[Narita Hiroyuki’s expression does not look good. In fact, if NoName can just hold on from now on, that should be enough.]
Cornered, Narita Hiroyuki acted impatiently, and he had every reason to be so.
He rushed at Na-me without mercy.
On the other hand, Na-me retracted the Black Aurora and the Demon King’s Horn, facing him bare-handed.
With bloodshot eyes, Narita pressured Na-me.
Dozens of lines of attacks intersected chaotically.
He swung his sword with the intent to tear apart and kill Na-me.
However, Na-me also had confidence in speed, maintaining her composure, reading the paths and only dodging the lethal attacks.
Clang-!
Ignoring the thrust aimed at her neck, she deflected a slice heading for her back.
Narita’s expression darkened further.
[It’s brutal. Very brutal… Isn’t NoName saying something like this? ‘Hey, that technique doesn’t work on me. If you have other techniques, show me.’ Narita is pulling out his tricks one by one, but NoName is devouring them all!]
[Haha, will she let one slip by?]
[Even if she had a hundred tricks, they wouldn’t be enough for NoName! If this goes on, she’ll just devour him whole!]
The commentators had regained enough composure to joke with each other.
The Barrier of NoName slowly chipped away at 1% per hit.
Eventually, it would open with enough pounding, but no one knew when that would be.
Na-me’s fortress-like defense was a reminder that the smallest hope was the deepest despair.
After dozens of stabs and hundreds of cuts.
When aimed at a vital point, all were blocked, but if she sliced the surface, the barrier’s recovery was quicker.
Pushed by the pressure of time, Narita Hiroyuki began taking bolder gambles.
He drastically increased the blade’s power, extending the sword’s length.
It was purely a base for increasing firepower, that is, movement energy.
While Na-me focused solely on dodging and defending, KBS commentary struck a thought.
[Narita Hiroyuki is pushing boldly, but the left side is wide open. Will he try to counterattack with an uppercut from here…?]
At that moment.
Na-me evaded the vertical blade that was brought down rapidly.
She planted her foot firmly onto the ground and swung the Skiabona.
[Imperial Palace Swordsmanship 2nd Form – Sky Cut]
Swooosh-!
A golden aura explosively spiraled around.
The hexagonal arrangement of the tiny barrier, which was barely holding up, crumbled.
Now the barrier would no longer recover.
[Round of 64 Group I Match 2]
[Time: 24:55]
[#2 Narita Hiroyuki (Japan)] [
19% (No recovery) | 70%]
[#4 NoName (Republic of Korea)] [39% | 89%]
With only 9 effective hits landed by Na-me, and 73 effective hits scored by Narita Hiroyuki.
But for some reason, the results looked completely opposite.
The audience smelled victory heavily.
– Wow, how did you predict this?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– The commentary today is top-notch
– The Japan-Korea match feels perfect…
– Almost there, Na-me! Don’t get careless until the end!
– It seems like Na-me took a lot of hits, but why is there still 39% left?
– This is so fun, so exhilarating; I love NoName!
Narita Hiroyuki suddenly dropped his sword.
There was no particular scheme behind it.
His chest and shoulders heaved heavily.
The body, having reached pure physical limits, showed no signs of recovering even after infusing aura.
“Uaaaaaah!”
A howl filled with rage from Narita Hiroyuki reached even the drone’s microphones.
His hands refused to obey commands from the brain.
He tossed the katana aside and prepared for pure hand-to-hand combat.
[Cast: Ventus Limis]
Whoosh-!
The air between Na-me and the boy thinned, creating a shortcut for acceleration.
He filled his mouth with oxygen, reducing air resistance and collided at full speed.
Boom-!
[Cast: Arabesque Knot – Gold]
Na-me was flung away as if hit by a truck.
But by densely concentrating the low-density aura to prolong the time of collision, she created a magical circle to land safely when falling.
The difference between those with tools and those without was apparent.
For the next 5 minutes until the end of the match, it would solely be Na-me’s free reign.
Also, since the barrier was now unrecoverable, fighters had to absorb part of the shock themselves.
They had entered the infamous 10% Death Road.
[Imperial Palace Swordsmanship 422nd Form – Crucifix Impale]
Thud-!
Normally, this merciless technique would destroy the opponent’s wrist and ankle ligaments, but due to the barrier, it was replaced with a stinging pain.
However, already drained, Hiroyuki collapsed to the ground.
Every time he tried to rise on his knees, Na-me poked his head down with the sheath of her sword.
The boy bared his sharp teeth and shouted.
“Just end it. Quickly strike my neck.”
“No. Why do Japanese always resort to seppuku to make things easy? I clearly warned you to take the full 30 minutes before the match. Stop talking and get up quick.”
“Grrrgh.”
“Who told you to get up without my permission! Stay down! Hehe.”
“Are you really a mad girl who got no upbringing at all…? I’ll kill you, you little brat!”
Na-me’s veins bulged in her head.
She raised her right hand, looking serious.
[Cast: Demon King’s Horn]
[Cast: Inertial Tensor Adjustment]
[Cast: Gravity Coefficient Adjustment]
Triple casting and external manifestation.
A giant demonic hand began to writhe, swelling in size and mass.
“Okay, if that’s what you want.”
“Hey, you crazy…!”
Na-me dropped her fist.
Bang-!
A single, loud sound enveloped the stadium.
The earth beneath the grass shot up in all directions.
Narita Hiroyuki’s body was buried in the earth, completely disappearing from the camera’s view.
Whirr-
Drones gathered above Na-me’s head to capture his demise.
[Round of 64 Group I Match 2]
[Time: 27:19]
[LOSE: Narita Hiroyuki (Japan)] [
5% (Complete Destruction) | 65%]
[WIN: NoName (Republic of Korea)] [37% | 88%]
It was an undeniable overwhelming victory for Na-me.
*
[Guys, I think there’s a bug in the Naver text broadcasting ㅡㅡ]
「Republic of Korea – NoName, after casting the Demon King’s Horn, lands a finishing blow. It strikes Narita. ⦁Narita Hiroyuki (Japan) [69% → 29% | 71%]」
I’m busy on the scene, just skimming through the texts, but what’s this bug about?
That dumb AI skipped everything in between and only explained the last action.
Ugh, I’m super curious about the combo.
[Comments]
– Mabu, that was just one hitㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– It’s hilarious to think it’s a bugㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– I went to the bathroom and came back to suddenly see a 40% vanish, so I was suspicious.
– It is a bug, NoName’s skills.