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Soul Warfare is said to be a game whose depth grows the more you play it.

Of course, if I were to post something like this in the community, most people would drown me in ridicule and tell me to shove it.

And rightly so, considering how in the low tiers, players often spam their combat skills mindlessly until they tire out, swinging their weapons like windmills and ending up self-destructing.

With their field of vision narrowed, they’re often exposed to archers, becoming like porcupines, or they end up surrounded by shock troopers on a rainy day, taking a beating like they’re in a mud pit.

There are even times when you waste time tangling with an object or engaging in a ridiculous duel.

However, in what’s commonly referred to as the divine realm, the same game unfolds in a different manner.

When it comes to map reading and confronting an opponent, maintaining distance is basic.

Every part of your body is included in the hitbox, meaning the player’s physical skills have a greater impact than stats or weapons compared to other games.

For example….

‘Just like now!’

Half of a sword master glittered as they skillfully countered the great sword that was coming down with a dominant strike.

My brief hope that they would collapse was dashed as the armored knight recovered their sword without the slightest hesitation and pushed forward with their shoulder.

“Ugh!”

As I leapt back, I was met with the ferocious gaze of a predator, a tempest of massive successive strikes from the great sword.

If a person were to swing a telephone pole around, it might resemble the scene before me.

If I hesitated for even a second, I’d get swept away in the storm of the great sword and be torn to shreds.

I adjusted my steps, narrowly avoiding the trajectory of the blade with the bare minimum of movement.

No matter how strong the wind, it can’t uproot a deeply rooted reed.

“Techat!”

A resounding battle cry erupted from my opponent—a roar reminiscent of a dragon’s.

Any average player would be startled at such a booming voice strong enough to rattle mountains.

In this virtual reality game, I found a renewed joy in the creative way opponents try to shake you.

But that wasn’t the main attack.

—Kwah-kach!

The great sword sliced through the smooth floor of the castle, performing a reverse downward strike as if to cleave me from below.

An attack aimed to uproot my evasive maneuver.

—Taah!

I freed my muscles like a spring and tumbled, avoiding the sword’s path.

Three steps back from my tumble left the massive sword slicing only through thin air.

When my attack yielded nothing, the armored knight charged at me to finish me off.

After dodging and evading this much, their stamina was remarkable.

Did they put enough points into their stats just to overcome the stiffness?

My posture after stumbling from the tumble was far from perfect. My evasion would be half a beat too late.

‘In that case….’

Though it was just the short blade of a Broken Greatsword, I firmly grasped it, waiting for the incoming strike from the great sword.

The moment that felt like an eternity passed in an instant.

The blade of the Broken Greatsword glinted as it reflected the light.

—Ching!

The Broken Greatsword plunged into the massive sword’s blade.

The fierce, self-righteous strike was countered by waves crashing in from the side, yielding just a brief moment of stiffness.

Even with incredible strength, the great sword’s rebound revealed a split second of vulnerability.

My hand effortlessly slid along the redirected surface of the great sword, pushing the Broken Greatsword into my opponent.

“Shib!”

Just before the sword embedded into their chest, a voice of shock burst forth from within the armor.

What an honest emotional response from them.

—Pook!

The broken blade pierced their torso.

With a critical hit due to the vital strike, their body went limp as if it were a paraglider in the wind.

“Haah!”

That was quite a tough opponent.

This armored knight was a user from the opposing team who had literally ground my team to dust in the maze’s opposite circuit, capable of being referred to as their ace.

I somehow turned the tides in our favor, and just as we were about to push for the center with a couple of my teammates, I managed to hold them off evenly.

If I had opened up a small gap, perhaps it could have been me lying here instead.

That much skill was admirable.

The distance was despairing for blocking with a Broken Greatsword, making it almost impossible to counter.

It felt like they were playing cleanly, only pouring out unilateral attacks as if conscious of parrying.

While it might be different for those in the lower tiers, is it so common among mid-tier players in the divine realm?

Perhaps I’ve only faced the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings.

‘This is interesting.’

[Friede Season 200’s Mad Movie on]

[This guy’s a big shot in the divine realm—he’s going for it!]

[Lol, this is crazy. How many consecutive tumbles can he do in place?]

[Hey, did you used to be a gymnast?]

[I heard the Lotus was aiming to be a gymnast before gaming!]

[They say that those from that background tend to excel a bit.]

[He’s a master, but I know a guy from a sword club who moves quite well too, omg.]

I was a hero, after all.

Of course, there was no need to reveal that, so I just chuckled.

In the end, this is the kind of game it is.

Stats affect equipment that can be worn or systems like stiffness or grogginess and bleed, but that’s as far as it goes.

All defense, evasion, attack, and action, except for combat skills, are entirely in the player’s hands.

What this means is, it requires far more physicality than any other game.

I had always wondered how physical skills in reality could affect virtual reality.

It seems that when scanning for avatar creation at the beginning, the information gathered is quite precise.

Not being an expert in that field, I’ll skip the details….

There are 5 matches left to win.

If I win just 5 matches, I could finally qualify for the coveted Challenger tier.

That’s right.

I’m currently on a grind for that Challenger tier, what you might call going for ‘the king after playing!’

A long time or a short one; it was the beginning of the broadcast after a brief day of urgent rest.

Once again, here I am tirelessly running and running for that Challenger climb.

[Sensei, aren’t the streamers participating now on another level? Aren’t you going to analyze?]

[Hey, you fools, Friede just wrecked a pro! Do you think others can compete? Ahahaha!]

[The viewers… Giving advice?]

[But this brawl is a bit savage. Even a pro wouldn’t want to put their name in this. The vibe is totally like a world martial arts contest!]

[Last year felt average, but this one is legit!]

[Friede’s fans, just don’t cry your hearts out when your sister completely falls apart!]

[Shut that guy up!]

[Looks like the STK team put in a lot of effort on this one.]

[Yeah, but it’s still just producing talented players to sell to other teams, you know?]

[Don’t you all know about the legends that stretch from legendary battles? When will you stop busting your brains in front of the shining Mashe Sensei?]

[If they’re that good, they’d probably shout STK even if their heads got split!]

[Go!!!!!!!]

The viewers were clamoring to analyze the play of the streamers and users participating in the brawl, but what could I do?

I’m a man—no, a person—with pride.

If I keep winning, my profile will eventually be exposed everywhere from the preliminaries.

If I show up as a Grand Master instead of a Challenger, wouldn’t that feel a bit faded?

To achieve Challenger as quickly as possible, I simply couldn’t spare any time on such analyses.

The nickname Friede and the tier of Challenger.

These two matching keywords weren’t things I usually had to worry about.

Well, in short, that’s it. Just….

‘I want to show off a bit…’

Even heroes have money; they must have some pride too.

…Huh?

 

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