Chapter 32: The Gamble for Survival
[02:32 minutes left]
Luck makes the first move, using the reverse grip, he swings in a slashing arc, then spins the katana handle and makes another forward slash, this time with a traditional grip—repeating this movement 3 times.
Aiming to save as much stamina as possible, Alice blocks the slashes, quickly adapting to the technique. But after the third strike, Luck simply throws his sword upward.
Even confused, she advances with two slashes. Her opponent dodges with his hands behind his back and finishes by placing his foot to make Alice trip and fall to the ground.
Quickly, she starts to get up, turning her face up and seeing the katana falling on her. She throws herself to the side, narrowly dodging the flying weapon. Luck runs towards her, pulling his weapon from the ground and jumping on top of her.
[Flash Step + Scarlet Rain]
In a second, he was already above Alice, placing his palm in front as if aiming at something, while his other arm was thrown back, gripping so tightly that if it weren't for the armor, the player would see the limb covered in veins.
And then, he releases… A rain of air thrusts on top of Alice, so fast it creates the illusion of 50 red spears falling at once. She had less than a second to try to react.
Luck was so fast that his perception became as quick as his strikes, allowing him to see Alice futilely trying to use the sword to block the attacks, being instantly riddled with dozens, hundreds of strikes all over her body—if Luck didn't hold back his strength, she would have as many holes as Swiss cheese.
In 2 seconds, Alice was already lying on the ground, arms spread out, her armor extremely damaged, blood dripping from her mouth, but her sword was still intact. Which Luck finds strange, after all, that technique should have easily pulverized that common sword.
As his perception returns to normal, he decides to end the fight with one last strike—feeling guilty for overdoing it and concerned for his opponent's well-being—but something strange happens: he couldn't feel his arm.
His limb was dislocated, able to make only slight movements temporarily, the armor that protected it was no more, the skin of his arm was torn as if it had been burned. His now weak fingers dropped his beloved katana.
The question echoing in his mind was: "How is this possible? She was dominated by my attack… Could it be an enemy attack…", but he turns his attention to Alice and sees her still lying on the ground, but with a big smile on her face.
Going back a bit in time, when Luck launched the air thrusts, Alice was already prepared for a possible aerial attack—she just didn't know which one—so the moment the skill started, she decided to take a risky bet: using [Limit Extender: Defense], she dedicates that fraction of a second to perform a [Perfect Block] while taking the hits. Thus redirecting a strong thrust back to her attacker's arm.
The [Limit Extender: Defense] doesn't regenerate the user's HP, but creates a second smaller HP bar that will take all the damage—except for poisoning or bleeding—acting as an "imaginary armor."
[Shield: 00/20] ← 10% of Alice's HP
[HP: 110/195]
[Stamina: 95/190]
Even so, it was a risky maneuver, as it only prevented her body from taking physical damage but didn't nullify the pain of each impact on her body. A slight movement gave her the same pain as 5 strong cramps throughout her body.
[02:12 minutes left]
Without losing his composure, Luck spins in the air and lands on the ground—still clutching his arm. "Good counterattack…", he puts the limb back in place, releasing a slight groan of pain, "If you were stronger, maybe the fight would have ended there.", he extends his hand and catches his katana in the air.
Alice stands up, still writhing in pain but with no trace of hesitation in her eyes. "I don't need to be stronger than you,", she wipes the blood from her nose as if it were dust, "after all, if there's something I've learned in my many years in Arcadia…"
[Limit Extender: Speed]
[Alice's Speed: 25 (+10)]
[Stamina: 85/190]
"Strength is worthless if you can't hit me!"
"You remind me of when I was young. And that's not a compliment."
[Flash Step + Scarlet Scorpion]
Luck teleports to Alice, making a thrust with the tip of the katana at her abdomen—with such high speed that even his image couldn't keep up—but to his surprise, he hits nothing but air. His opponent simply disappeared at the same instant.
Suddenly, Luck is surprised by a wind slash coming from behind, he blocks the attack easily. However, the impact pushes the swordsman away from the center of the platform, which immediately starts to tilt. Not being an idiot, Luck prepares to advance to the center, but something stops him… Something sticky holding his foot.
[Stamina: 70/190]
[Mana: 10/50]
At that same second, Alice emerges in front of him, also preparing a thrust with her right hand. However, to Luck's surprise, he sees her opening her left palm and dropping a golden coin on the ground, falling in front of his face.
"I bet… That this skill will work!"
[Scarlet Rhino]
[Stamina: 50/190]
Before he can even react, Alice throws her arm at Luck. Creating an explosive impact that throws him out of the arena and dislocates the player's arm.
"The coin…?! But how…?!"
…
The platform rises again, bringing the two back to the surface. Even being there for a few hours, seeing that white field gave Alice a feeling of nostalgia.
"Oh, by the way.", he throws Alice's sword at her head, "Don't forget this."
The player catches it by pure instinct and reflex, surprised by her action. But she swallows her shocked expression and tries to look calm, as if she hadn't been surprised. "T-Thanks."
"And you can also keep this."
"Of course, I'm not going to force you to wear it. But I worked very hard on it, so…"
Alice smiles in gratitude, "Don't worry, I'll wear it. Master Luck."
Luck smiles back, but soon returns to a rigid posture, pushing Alice to move on. "Okay, you're no longer my problem! Go ahead, don't you have friends to save?!"
"Oh, right! Bye!" she runs off across the white fields.
"…", he keeps his eyes on Alice until she disappears into the vast horizon, "She has pot—"
[Experience: 153/1400]
"Never underestimate… The top 7 in Arcadia PvP!"
[01:43]
<…>
"You were excellent… Against 10% of my power."
"… Ten percent…?"
"Yes. No wonder he fell easily, that idiot spent almost all his energy in that Manifestation Zone."
A few minutes after the test's conclusion, Luck reappears—in his usual kimono—placing a large towel on the ground and pulling crab legs from a straw basket. He kneels and places two plates on the ground, then signals for Alice to come and enjoy.
She hesitates a little, thinking about the safety of Sophie, Solol, and Fedora, but she is reminded by the loud growl of her stomach that it's been a long time since she last ate something. So she sits down and grabs a leg.
"Since when did you have this ready?"
"What do you think I do in my free time? I hope you like it, it was my brother's favorite dish.", he grabs a leg and with a delicate force, CRACK, he opens and eats the meat inside. "When we were kids, every week we would hunt crabs and our mother would cook them. Lick loved breaking the shell.", comments the old man.
Alice momentarily stares at the food, which smells very good, then she grabs a leg.
CRACK
She eats. Tears run down her face, not because the food was divinely good, but because it was her father's favorite meal. When she spent the week at his house, every Friday, he would wake up early, go to the market and buy 10 crabs, and cook them all for the two to enjoy at lunch and dinner—Alice even joked with her father calling Friday "Crab Day", he loved it and still uses that nickname today.
"Is everything okay?" asks Luck gently.
Alice disguises by saying "Y-yes…! It was just… Very hot…" while wiping her tears. "It's very good, but my father's is unbeatable."
"Are there still crabs in the kingdom? Thanks to the Deities, I thought the nobles of Aerion had already extinguished them all. As if taking the kingdom wasn't enough, those golden vultures also wanted to take the few good foods left."
"Ah… Yes, there are still many crabs." Alice got distracted for a moment and forgot that wasn't her world. So she tries to change the subject, "So, now that I completed the challenge, do I get any reward?"
"I was thinking of teaching you a technique, but it looks like you're already ahead."
"Oh, right. He he he…"
Luck pulls a box from his kimono and hands it to Alice. "But there's a second reward."
"A new outfit?"
He points to Alice's armor, very broken due to the many fight cycles she went through, "If you're going to continue in the dungeon, at least wear something more dignified. I made it myself."
She opens the box and lifts a black kimono with red details, long sleeves, leather pants, and fingerless gloves. "Wow! This is so beautiful!", she turns the garment and sees a drawing of a slime on its back, she breathes in surprise and excitement, "OH MY GOD. IT'S PERFECT! Wait. How did you know I have a Slime friend?"
"I didn't. I just followed my heart."
"Or your programming." thinks Alice.
<…>
With the meal finished, the platform rises again, bringing the two back to the surface. Even being there for a few hours, seeing that white field gave Alice a feeling of nostalgia.
"Oh, before you leave…", he looks deep into Alice's eyes, as if judging her soul, "I'm curious, what do you intend to do if you get the Purgathory?"
"As I said before: save my friends."
"And after?"
She looks down momentarily, "I don't know. These last few days have been completely unpredictable.", and then she raises her face and responds with a determined smile, "But what's the fun in a bet without risks?"
Luck smiles back and thinks aloud, "Aerion doesn't deserve you.", but soon returns to a rigid posture, pushing Alice to move on. "Okay, you're no longer my problem! Go ahead, don't you have friends to save?!"
"Oh, right! Bye! Until next time, Master Luck!" she runs off across the white fields.
"…", he keeps his eyes on Alice until she disappears into the vast horizon, "I guess this time. I'll win this bet—"