Chapter 383 - 383: The Mark Strikes Back. Go! Level 5 Nanao!

I logged out and checked a few World threads online.

Some of it was interesting, so I pinged the Top Ten about it.

I left the house and got on my bike. Ride to the station meetup. Hot. Summer, so of course it is hot. I was already regretting it.

World has weather and seasons too. The effect on a Master is tiny. You stay comfortable on purpose.

Japan's muggy heat felt like torture.

I parked at the station lot and went to the hamburger shop. The AC inside was brutal. Sweat vanished at once. Evaporation even made it a little cold.

They had a box seat on the second floor. They spotted me and smiled.

"Yo, Aoi. You actually came. We were waiting."

Of course you were.

They had been running private PvP among themselves. Private PvP gives no EXP. Win and you get one medal.

You can only take a medal from the same user once a week.

What makes PvP serious is that, depending on the settings, you can steal the other guy's character cards.

To block that you pay G. Higher level card, bigger fee.

Your first scanned character also gets better stats and growth than the rest, so nobody wants to lose that one.

I could not tell if they wanted G or cards. Probably G. They knew my characters were low level and thought I was easy.

"You have never done private PvP, right? Watch a match. We will show you."

High and mighty. Die. Stuff those fries in your nose and mouth and die.

"Got it."

Maybe the obedient answer made them happy. They sat me where I could see. One used a tablet, easy to watch. The others still had bulky HMDs on, even with the smaller models out now.

GDs are expensive. Not something an ordinary college student can buy.

I own one, though.

Two of them were fighting. I did not miss the first setting. Practice. No steal.

Master level popped up. Master name Koumei. MLv21.

Hn? MLv? Master level?

That exists? I had not paid attention.

Nanao is Lv5, so maybe I went up a little too.

Koumei as a Master name still hurts.

Master name Magi of the Blue Sky. MLv19.

Someone even worse.

Koumei and Magi of the Blue Sky both ran full six-person parties, the normal cap.

Koumei: two Knights, one Fighter, one Archer, one Healer, one Magician. Boring. No flavor.

All men too. Is he stupid. Only the healer was a woman, and I already have Akie, so I did not care.

Magi of the Blue Sky at least tried, for how cringe the name is.

One Soldier. One Fighter (Bunny Girl). One Hunter (Matagi). Male healer in a doctor look. One Magician (Sailor Uniform), a pretty girl. One Magician (School Swimsuit), also cute.

I like a lineup that is just college lust with the wrapper off. The Master name still hurts.

The cringe one won. His cards looked like paid packs. Rarity is hidden, but they felt R or better.

Higher level still loses to higher rarity. Makes sense. Nobody would buy packs otherwise.

"You get it? Same as monster fights. Master wide-area magic matters. We are a bit higher level, but that is fine, right? Experience."

A bit higher level. Die. Smash your head on that half-eaten burger and die.

"Launch MANHUNT and shake your phone. I will invite you to private."

I did. VS Battle came up. Tap.

Match terms. Steal on, of course.

"Hit OK."

Heh. I will. Do not regret it.

Right as the field started to form I put the GD on.

Immersion matters.

"Whoa, that is a glass display."

"Why does Aoi have one?"

"That is a custom model. No way."

Keep yelling. It is starting.

First opponent, Koumei. Dull.

"Eh? One Fighter (Sailor Uniform)?"

"Level 5? Serious?"

"He is not putting out his scan character?"

"Six versus one."

Like I would. If they see Akie Omoi I do not know what they will say.

A mid-20 Master is not beating Nanao Usami anyway.

That is exactly what happened.

I had set the top punch skill, Ultimate Punch, as priority. Nanao's AI decided she did not need it.

She picked High Punch, the first punch skill, hit six times, done.

No enemy turn.

"Eh?"

"What?"

"What happened?"

"What are you doing?"

They thought Koumei botched it and ate himself without attacking.

Fine. Let them think that.

I won so hard I got to pick one of his cards. He fired the Master skill Guard and protected one.

I do not need any of them. I picked the highest level Knight left in the five.

"Damn it."

He looked wrecked and offered G to cancel the steal. I do not need the Knight. I hit OK.

Koumei looked relieved and gave me a tiny bow. So he does have a head he can lower. He can still die.

"What was that? Ultimate gear?"

"No. I think it was just High Punch."

"How does a plain High Punch one-shot a level 20?"

They muttered. Are we done?

"Me next. Shake again?"

I thought it would be Magi of the Blue Sky. Different guy.

Master name UZA. Uza? MLv32? Oh. The beta tester.

Time to spend the grudge from missing the beta. Now.

Knight (Lancer), Fighter (Bouncer), High Soldier (Ripper), Hunter (Matagi), Priest, Magician (Swimsuit).

The Priest was probably his scan character. Older woman. Not his mom, I hope. Not even pretty. The high-leg swimsuit Magician was cute.

Maybe I take that one.

Fight.

Nanao punched out the Knight and the Fighter, then the High Soldier cut her. Ripper fits. Fast, short blade.

She slipped it easy. Counter fired and the High Soldier went down.

His healer Reborned the Knight. No Revival yet, the full-HP raise.

Nanao punched the Knight down again.

The Hunter shot a gun. Guns are allowed?

She dodged that too. Counter, one hit.

The Magician cast. First hit on us. Not physical, so she could not slip it.

Firestorm.

A swirl of flame wrapped her. Looked hot.

"Whoa, she is not dead."

"Why? She is level 5, right?"

Level shows. HP and MP do not. They would never guess a Lv5 Fighter (Sailor Uniform) has over 800 HP.

Healer and Magician, punch, done.

UZA Guarded the healer. I took Magician (Swimsuit).

He asked to pay G. Swimsuit girl is fine. The brown hair annoyed me, so I accepted.

He did not bow. He even clicked his tongue.

I heard that. Die. Pull that shake over your head and die.

Their faces had real panic now. Stop here?

"Aoi. What is with that Fighter? Level 5, right?"

"Yeah."

I cannot say I spent the whole time fucking her and training her as a masochist. Play dumb.

"I will try. Wait."

He tapped his phone. From the glance, he was slotting a paid rare weapon.

Go ahead. Enjoy.

"Let's start."

I tapped VS Battle.

The field opened and a notice said Magi of the Blue Sky used wide-area magic.

Clearly.

A scan spell. HP, MP, priority skills.

Hm.

He picked the fight to parse why Nanao is strong. I get the feeling.

Waste.

I have the passive Ultimate Hide up. Plain Clearly will not show anything new.

"Damn it, why?"

While he fussed, Nanao carved his party.

His healer Multi Reborned two corpses. She beat those to death too. No time to test the rare weapon.

Magician (Sailor Uniform) and Magician (School Swimsuit) combo-cast Double Ice Pillar. A huge ice column wrapped Nanao. He had bought the paid Ice Scroll that lets them do that.

Ice magic adds a stun window. She had been first-striking the whole time, so if it worked it would have been smart.

The pillar cracked right away.

"Uwa."

They did not think it would break that fast. I have a wide-area spell up that clears status. Too bad.

His party wiped. Nanao looked fine.

"Wh-what is this?"

"I have never seen this."

Steal time. Magi of the Blue Sky Guarded Magician (Sailor Uniform).

Figures. That is obviously his first scan. He thinks I will take Magician (School Swimsuit) and let him buy it back with G.

Die.

I fired the Master skill Ultimate Expose. His Guard peeled off.

"Eh?"

I took Magician (Sailor Uniform).

"Eh, why? Eh? Eh?"

He panicked. If he stalls, the count runs out and he cannot even offer G.

Magi of the Blue Sky sent a G cancel. Big number. Definitely the first scan.

I pressed a button, slow.

Not OK.

NO.