He also used hiding as a means of attack when fighting against me. The specs are excellent. He cant escape from the innate limitations of an assassin?

Surprisingly, Grid was appreciating this battle between Kraugel and Tarma. It was testament to the fact that Grids thinking ability had evolved to another level after competition with the high rankers and elites during the National Competition.

I dont know about assassination, but using stealth as a means of attack isnt advisable in an all-out war. It was obvious that the assassin would eventually reappear, and if they could predict where he would reappear depending on the situation, the strength of the hiding ability would become meaningless. It can be dealt with using a wide range attack.

Tarma was a shadow assassin. Since he could use shadows as a means of attack and defense, it was better to leave it as a hidden card than to use it to attack. Just like the shadow assassin Grid once met in Winston. Wasnt he called the king of shadows, Kasim? He utilized not just his own shadow, but all the shadows from the NPCs around him.

His ability to utilize stealth was also great...

When he first heard the name King of Shadows, he thought it was a bluff. Now that he thought about it, Kasim was a really strong man.

...A named NPC.

What if Kasim at that time had pointed a knife at him?

There is a 100% probability I wouldve died. He didnt run away because he was afraid.

He let Grid off. It was questionable.

Why?

Grid thought deeply, but he had no way of knowing the truth. Thats right. Despite how high his stats and insight rose compared to the past, Grid still didnt know. The great king of shadows was guarding his son, Lord!

***

PvP.

The area of one-on-one matches where no one was allowed to intervene. Only an individuals ability controlled the game. The victors of PvP could enjoy the feelings of joy and pride, while the losers felt the shame of defeat. A scene where hearts intersected.

"Waaahhhhhhhh!"

The crowd shouted loudly. The spectacular battles of the greatest representatives of each country was making the crowd excited.

Hey, who is this? Isnt it the 3rd ranked user who ran away from me with his tail between his legs the other day?

The 31st match that occurred after dozens of matches.

Chris vs Seuron. Two men who were the masters of one of the seven guilds stood on stage. Soul Predator Seuron started talking.

"Watching your weak self, I once again realized that the concept of ranking is pointless. Isnt that right? No matter how high your level, your skills are weak.

The meeting of the seven guilds that occurred a few months ago. Seuron and Chris had fought after an argument. The result was Seurons one-sided victory. Chris was defeated without being about to strike back at Seuron. Was Seuron stronger than Chris?

No. It was because Chris hid his power. At the time, Chris had refused to join the alliance of guilds and they were suspicious that he was allied with Grid, leaving him isolated in the middle of enemy territory. He was in danger of being killed, and accepted the shameful defeat because of that.

But now the situation had changed. This was one-on-one, not the middle of enemy territory. No one could intervene in the battle.

As you said, rankings arent an absolute measure of strength. Otherwise, Zibal wouldnt be ranked second right now. However, Im different.

"Kukk kuk, you have already been one-sidedly crushed by me. What are you going on about?

Then take a look.

Clink!

Chris pulled out Grids Greatsword, which he used 1.2 billion won to strengthen to +9. The blue-black sword was covered in a white fog, looking overbearing, yet beautiful. Seuron frowned at the sight.

Youre using the same weapon as Grid! The rumor that youre allied with Grid is true!

Who says my weapon is the same as Grids? It isnt. Isnt it completely different?

Chris spoke a lie that seemed absurd. Seuron raised his voice.

Nonsense! The greatsword you are holding right now looks exactly the same as Grids greatsword! It is the same weapon!!"

Chris shrugged.

"Its different. Grids Greatsword is only +8, while mine is +9."

"...

Grid bowed his head with a grim expression as he watched the match from the standby seat.

Hah.

Grid could only sigh. The legendary blacksmith, Pagmas Descendant, had a passive that increased the chances of item enhancement. Grid should have more highly enhanced items than anyone else. But Grid had only been able to enhance items up to +8 around 15 times. In particular, he only enhanced 3 items to +9.

Reaching the maximum enhancement that was +10? It was a product of his imagination.

"...There is no chance with my bad luck.

Grid couldnt lift his head because he was ashamed. The other players looked at him with sympathy, while Chris and Seuron pointed swords at each other.

I will show you the power of a unique rated combat class!

Seuron had already trampled on Chris once, but he couldnt help shouting angrily at Chris. On the other hand, Chris was calm.

"Its useless if you dont support your class with skills.

No more words were necessary.

Peeng!

The moment the host called the start of the match, Seuron used Soul Explosion as a driving force to narrow the distance between him and Chris. At the same time, his sword moved at a fast speed. The number of people who could react to Seurons sudden attack could probably be counted on one hand.

But Chris was 3rd on the rankings. He didnt raise his level quickly because he got a special class optimized in hunting like Zibal. Chris was comparable to Kraugel, not Zibal. He was a man who came to his present position with his swordsmanship and skills!

Peeeeeong!

...!

Seurons eyes widened with surprise.

He blocked it?

Setting aside Grid, the majority of people who used greatswords had slow attack speeds. It was the same for Chris, who was at the peak of greatsword users. He distributed stats based on strength and stamina rather than agility, and the greatsword itself caused a decrease in attack speed.

But for Chris, the concept of attack speed was meaningless. He overcame the disadvantages by extracting maximum efficiency for minimal movements. It wasnt enough to stop Seurons sword, so once the two swords collided, Chris concentrated his strength and threw Seurons body back before counterattacking.

Using attack and defense at the same time...!

Seuron was amazed as he summoned Soul Armor to minimize the damage caused by Chris counterattack. Then he fired Soul Arrows.

Pepepepeong!

Using a ranged attack while moving backwards was a very effective way to keep an enemy in check. Especially if an attack motion wasnt used. Seurons attack skills used souls, so he was able to use them without any motions and his casting time was also fast. This was the tremendous ability of a combat specific class!

"Hup!"

Chris couldnt catch up and stopped the Soul Arrows with his greatsword. Seuron secured the desired distance and used Soul Transformation to strengthen the Brutal Heavy Sword.

Wuuuong...

Just like Chris, the Brutal Heavy Sword had been enhanced to +9 and it was wrapped in a strong blue light. Then the light shot out.

Swaeeeeek!

Grid was convinced.

It should unconditionally be avoided.

It was a powerful attack where the damage couldnt be completely adsorbed, even if a tanker blocked with a shield. If Chris blocked with the greatsword, he would receive a heavy blow and his greatsword would be damaged. Grid would unconditionally avoid it instead of facing it head on. The attack was so sharp and quick that it would be hard to use Revolve.

But Chris thought differently. In the first place, for a greatsword user with low agility, avoiding was something they were bad at! He boldly gave up on defense and swung the greatsword to counterattack!

Seokeok!

Puok!

Ack...!

"Hup!"

Chris and Sueron groaned at the same time. However, the one who suffered greater damage was Chris. Chris greatsword had struck Seurons shoulder, while Seurons sword was pushed deep into Chris heart. At this moment, Seuron was sure of his victory.

He recovered his shield, summoned Soul Spear to block Chris movements and cause additional damage, and tried to stab forward again. However, Chris toughness was beyond imagination due to the unique rated second class, Tyrant. He overcame the stiffness that occurred due to the deadly blow. Then he ignored the soul bombardment and sent more power into the hands gripping the greatsword.

Ttududuk!

"Kuaaaaak!"

Chris greatsword dug further into Seurons shoulder, causing him to scream and bend his knees. Due to this, the orbit of his sword was twisted and he couldnt reach Chris. The battlefield sharply tilted. Chris used the oppression of a Tyrant to deal a fatal combo. Sueron deployed Soul Prison to block Chris and try to fix the situation,. However, his health quickly became depleted because of Chris strong power.

Victory! Chris!!

"Wahhhhh!

"This is a high ranker!

"Different from Zibal!

The fierce battle heated up the atmosphere of the Stade de France.

Now! Lets introduce the players who will be fighting in the next round!

The miracle of the continent! The dragon of China! Genius at fighting Hao!!

A monster who won four gold medals and raised South Korea to the top of the overall rankings! The first legendary class! Pagmas Descendant, Grid!!

The protagonist appears.

Grid climbed up on stage. The beautiful sword Iyarugt dazzled the spectators as it scattered jewel-like blood red light. Hao declared in front of everyone.

"10 minutes. I will knock you down in 10 minutes.

Grid wanted to be the new sky? It wasnt even funny. Kraugel was the only sky and someday, Hao would break him.

Grid replied to Hao, who was burning with fighting spirit.

I will take one hour. I will knock you out shortly before the time limit.

...?

Why did it feel like the two people had changed? Grid always took down his opponents in a short amount of time, so his declaration made the commentators and crowd feel bewildered.