The Healing Solaris Cleric
Chapter 339: Super Rookie (2)

Chapter 339: Super Rookie (2)

MID Online’s Duel Arena was an independent space that didn’t belong to any country. In fact, when moving to the Duel Arena through a city’s teleport gate, one would be summoned to a large, round island floating somewhere over the sea.

Kai, who currently wore his hood, was no exception. After teleporting to the Duel Arena, Kai found himself at the bottom of a long staircase where the sound of crashing waves could be heard.

So this is the famous Challenger's Stairway.

Even Kai, who was unfamiliar with the Duel Arena, had heard of it before. At the Challenger's Stairway, where a new statue of the League Champion was displayed every month...

"It's all Katherine."

A total of fifty-two statues of Katherine had been raised. Anyone seeing it would think it was not the Challenger’s Stairway but a Katherine Museum.

Passing by the statues of Katherine, each with different poses, the entrance finally appeared, where crowds bustled.

"Welcome to the Seaborne Duel Arena!"

"Hey you, adventurer! Want to become a champion on the battlefield of mad dogs?"

"Jackpot odds! Betting gold for victory predictions! A chance to turn your life around!"

The entrance to the Duel Arena swarmed with people like insects.

There are so many people.

Ignoring the diverse crowds gathered from across the continent, Kai headed toward the registration desk.

A bulky man showing off massive muscles grinned broadly. "A challenger, huh? Judging by your awkward look, is this your first time in the arena?"

Kai gave a brief nod. "Yes."

"If it’s your first time, I recommend getting a feel for it with a normal match."

"Is the only difference between normal and ranked matches the point system?"

"Well, to be honest, the skill level in ranked matches is much higher."

"Then I’ll register for a ranked match, please."

The bulky man blinked in slight surprise at Kai’s words, then burst out laughing. "Ahaha, you’ve got some guts. Alright! I’ll register you for ranked matches. You can choose to reveal your name and face, or head over there and buy a mask or helmet to participate anonymously."

"Anonymous entry?"

Kai turned his head in the direction the bulky man pointed. There, a variety of masks and helmets were hanging.

"That’s..."

As if drawn by something, Kai approached a particular helmet.

Then, again came the hearty laughter unique to the bulky man. "So you like that helmet too, huh? It’s a replica of the one worn by Count Kai, the first adventurer to rise to the rank of Count. His alias back then was Unknown, so we just call it the Unknown Helmet for convenience."

"Do a lot of people wear it...?"

"Of course. Most anonymous applicants use that one. That’s how famous Count Kai is."

"I see. Then I’ll register anonymously."

"Got it. Huh?"

By the time the bulky man looked up after finishing the registration, Kai had already disappeared.

Chuckling while looking at the Unknown Helmet still hanging on the wall, he muttered, "That guy... must’ve been so nervous he forgot to actually take the helmet. Well, I suppose he’ll come back eventually."

***

Unfortunately, Kai did not return to buy the helmet. Instead, he went into the bathroom and pulled out the Black Gnoll Helmet from his inventory and placed it over his head.

It’s been a long time since I wore this.

It was the gear that had accompanied him through his hardest times, so how could he not feel attached to it?

Having finished his "disguise," Kai headed straight to the Duel Arena.

"The waiting room is this way."

Entering the inside of the Duel Arena, the path split into two. One led to the spectator stands, and the other to the player waiting room.

The NPC guide pointed Kai to the right. "Enter through that portal."

Since there were so many participants, there were naturally many waiting rooms. It would have been inefficient to walk to each room, so teleporting players to their rooms was standard.

When Kai teleported into the waiting room, nearly thirty players turned their heads to look at him all at once. Their gazes quickly scanned his body and stopped at the Unknown Helmet. Naturally, the waiting room was soon filled with mockery.

"Seriously? Unknown? That's so outdated."

"They’re way behind the trend."

"Are they not even embarrassed?"

"Tsk, just because you wear that doesn’t make you Unknown."

Thanks to that, their interest quickly faded.

The less attention, the better for me.

Quietly taking a seat, Kai observed the other players, feeling a hint of concern.

Master Huey told me to come here so I came, but... will a place like this really wear me down?

Honestly speaking, no one looked like a threat no matter how much he looked around.

Maybe if I raise my rank score higher there’ll be real strong ones there.

The way to raise a ranked score was simple. Win matches, and the score goes up. Defeat opponents with higher scores, and the score rises even more. However, the higher the score rose, the greater the amount lost when defeated.

That was what made Katherine so incredible. She had reached 3,000 points without a single defeat.

At that moment, the door to the waiting room opened and a manager shouted, "Banish! Your match is ready! Please come out!"

The one who stood up at the call was none other than Kai.

"Here."

As he slowly walked toward the manager, the other players sent him words of encouragement out of courtesy.

"Well, good luck out there."

"We’ll watch from here."

"Once you start rolling around the arena, a few losses won’t even matter. It'll all become part of your growth."

Kai lightly nodded in response and walked down a long hallway toward the arena.

The spectator seats were already packed with tens of thousands, roaring with deafening cheers.

"Luke! Go for it! I bet on you!"

"I looked it up, and that Banish guy is making their debut. Bahaha! Free money!"

"What? Damn it, no wonder the odds were so high! Hey! You with the Unknown head! If you lose, you’re dead meat!"

"Oh Unknown, please bless this rookie with your protection..."

Just then, the announcer stepped onto the stage and pointed to Kai's opponent. "With 853 rank points! The Swift Blademaster, Luke!"

"Yeaaaaahh!"

"That guy’s swordsmanship is insane. It’s dazzling to watch."

"If Luke keeps it up, he’ll easily hit 2,000 points someday."

The crowd’s evaluations were mostly favorable.

"Facing him is a surprise debut match challenger! An anonymous participant, Banishhhh! Starting with a base rank of 500 points!"

"Booooo!"

"Stop booing, you jerks! Hey! I bet on you!"

"You're just throwing your money away. Don’t you know people wearing the Unknown Helmet have less than a 2% win rate?"

"Facing Luke, who's on the rise lately... Talk about bad luck!"

Laughter erupted from the stands. Even Luke, Kai’s opponent, chuckled a little.

Of course, Kai wasn't the type to be shaken by such external factors.

Erase myself...

His habits, tendencies, and patterns. Could he completely redefine all of them here? That’s all he could think about.

He had learned about a method from Master Huey.

It’s tough, but he said to fill myself with my opponent first.

In other words, he had to completely erase his own style.

"Let the match... begin!" the announcer shouted and then quickly retreated from the stage.

At the same time, Luke tilted his chin toward Kai’s gear. "Looks like you just dropped by the arena for fun, huh? Didn’t invest a thing into your gear."

Kai slightly looked down and looked at his own equipment. To avoid being recognized, he had bought low-grade items from the auction house.

Honestly, this stage is stacked against me.

Because in the duel arena, there was a certain degree of stat adjustment to prevent high-level players from winning easily just by relying on their stats.

My stats really dropped.

Checking his status window, Kai shrugged. His current stats were likely only slightly above Luke’s. From that, he could roughly estimate Luke’s level.

He’s about level 280. That’s nearly half of mine.

Of course, his abilities would be fully restored once he left the arena, so there was no need to worry.

Shiing.

The Swift Blademaster, Luke, lightly grasped the hilt of his sword and said, "You're unlucky to meet me in your debut match. But in the arena, even your matchup luck matters."

Kai didn’t bother to reply.

"I mean, offering advice to a rookie visiting the arena for fun... I’m too soft, huh?"

Luke flashed a smile and drew his sword. His sword danced in an instant. His sword, which moved as unpredictably as falling cherry blossoms, pressured Kai's entire body from eight directions.

Erase myself...

Kai didn’t move even as Luke’s sword approached as close to his nose.

Fill myself with the opponent.

A plain iron sword shot forward at a speed like a flash of light. Surprisingly, the sword Kai swung slightly resembled Luke's swordsmanship.

Ugh, this is harder than I thought.

The unfortunate part was that Kai wasn’t a genius. No matter how hard he tried to imitate Luke’s swordsmanship, he couldn’t perfectly replicate it.

I wouldn't usually even bother with this.

Normally, he could overwhelm someone like Luke in a second with his superior stats.

"Wait, are you trying to copy my swordplay?"

The first to sense something strange was, of course, Luke, who was exchanging blows with Kai. At first, he laughed at Kai’s clumsy swordsmanship, but when he realized it resembled his own, he became genuinely furious.

"Are you mocking me?!"

"No, that's not it..."

Luke's sword became even faster.

In response, Kai had no choice but to swing his sword a beat quicker as well. The sight of two swift swordsmen aiming for each other's vital points was naturally spectacular.

"Wooooow!"

"Is that guy actually copying Luke’s swordplay?"

"What the hell, I just got back from the bathroom and now it’s a honey sweet epic match?!"

The spectators loved a good show. From their perspective, the duel between Luke and Banish was far more entertaining than expected.

As Luke and Kai exchanged attacks, scratches gradually increased on both their bodies. To the average viewer, it looked like an incredibly close match. However, the participants, and those who could truly read a fight, thought differently.

W-what’s with this guy...?

Banish, was it? Interesting.

Even if he’s mimicking, his swordsmanship is terrible. But still...

He’s striking only at Luke’s weak spots, while allowing hits only in non-lethal areas.

A textbook case of sacrificing flesh to break bones.

As time passed, Luke’s movements slowed, but Kai was different. From start to finish, he maintained a consistent pace, relentlessly pressing Luke.

"Huff, huff..."

After thirteen minutes of crazily swinging their swords, Luke’s blade slightly wavered as he reached his mental limit.

Kai didn’t miss the opportunity.

End it here.

Using not his own technique, but Luke’s.

Luke failed to block the swords instantly coming at him from eight directions, and the eight fountains of blood that burst from his body signaled the end of the match.

Thud!

With his HP depleted, his body turned into polygons and vanished. Of course, dying in the arena didn’t count as game over, so he would have been transported back to the waiting room.

"V-Victor, Banish! Rank points, 542!"

"... Wooooaaaah!"

"That was fire!"

"Unknown Head! You broke the 2% win rate curse!"

"Banish! Banish!"

Leaving behind the crowd chanting his name, Kai entered the hallway leading to the waiting room.

He felt he could understand, just slightly, what Master Huey had said.

The arena. Every opponent you face there will become your teacher. Steal their techniques, their thoughts, and their ways of fighting until your own scent fades. Until your opponent, even while looking straight at you, sees someone else instead.

It was the first time since Kai had taken up the sword that he had achieved victory using a sword technique other than the Swordsmanship of the Dawn.