Chapter 1-45 : The PVP Event Begins
「Your nickname? So… You’re the Tempest Queen?」(Alice)
「Yup…」(Rin)
「Hold on… To have a nickname, you have to be a famous player in this game, right?」(Alice)
「Well, yeah. You know, a lot has happened lately. Sometimes, I joined raids when I didn’t play with you or Shougo, and I contributed a lot in the battles. Since then, people started calling me that.」(Rin)
Looks like Rin became famous while I was busy playing solo.
Wait… Since she’s a celebrity now, does that mean I will also gather people’s attention when I’m around her?
Ugh, I don’t want to stand out, but I don’t want to avoid Rin either. However, if I had to choose, I would rather bask in people’s attention rather than avoid my best friend.
「Why didn’t you tell me? Having a nickname is a huge achievement, you know?」(Alice)
「Is that so? It’s kinda embarrassing, so I didn’t tell you.」(Rin)
「Really? “Tempest Queen” sounds cool, though.」(Alice)
「Fufu~ I knew you would say that, but, still…」(Rin)
『The preliminary round for Group E will begin shortly. All the contestants in the Group E waiting room will be automatically teleported to the arena soon. Please be ready.』(Taurus)
While we were chatting, we heard Taurus-kun’s voice coming from the audio speakers installed on the edges of the waiting room.
Seems like the event will begin soon.
『Before we begin, let me explain the rules for this preliminary round. There are two hundred people in Group E, and your objective is simpleー Survive!』(Taurus)
Survive?
Don’t tell me… Is it going to be a battle royale!?
『You will be fighting against each other, and the contestants will be disqualified if they are killed or knocked out of the ring. The last ten survivors will be the winners and can proceed to the final round.』(Taurus)
Being the last ten out of two hundred people? Ugh… This round will be tougher than I thought…
「Khu… Khu khu khu~…」(Rin)
While I was thinking of a strategy to survive this round, Rin grinned and giggled next to me.
「Rin? What’s wrong?」(Alice)
「Ahh, it’s nothing~ I’m just thinking that those rules were made just for me~」(Rin)
「What do you mean?」(Alice)
「Fufu~ Before I tell you, Alice, since we only have to survive, how about we work together in this round?」(Rin)
That’s right. I don’t have to fight Rin. For the two of us to be able to proceed to the final round, we just have to be among the last ten people.
Working together with her will be a wise decision here.
「Alright. So, what’s the plan?」(Alice)
「That’s my best friend~ Now, listen carefully.」(Rin)
Rin wrapped her arm around my shoulder and whispered to me.
「Eh!? You can do that!?」(Alice)
「Yup~ But I’m sure people will target me first, so I need your help.」(Rin)
「Of course, I will help!」(Alice)
「Good~ Let’s do our best together~!」(Rin)
「Un!」(Alice)
『Everyone, I hope you are ready. I will teleport you to the arena in ten… Nine… Eight… Seven… Six… 』(Taurus)
We might get separated after we are teleported, so while Taurus was counting, Rin and I hugged each other, hoping we would end up at the same position in the arena.
『Five… Four… Three… Two… One! Have fun, everyone!』(Taurus)
Right after Taurus finished counting down, a bright light filled my vision, and once I regained my vision, Rin, I, and the other contestants were spawned in the arena.
Several meters above the arena, there was a holographic image of a countdown, starting from 3… 2… 1… and then it turned into the words, “Battle Starts!”
「Alice, are you ready?」(Rin)
「I’m ready!」(Alice)
The preliminary round has started.
Rin summoned her magic staff while I drew my wakizashi from its sheath.
As we were prepared to fight, the other players were coming at us.
「Kill her!」
「Kill the Tempest Queen!」
「「UWOOOOOOO!!」」(contestants)
Just as Rin expected, most of the contestants were targeting her first.
「Hmph! I knew it! We need to clean up this arena from these people. Alice, stay close to me!」(Rin)
「Un!」(Alice)
The melee fighters were running toward us while the ranged combatants were shooting projectiles and magic spells at us.
However, before they could reach us, Rin raised her magic staff and quickly cast a spell.
「O’wind, rage and blow away my enemies!【STURM】ーー！！」(Rin)
ーBWOOOOOOOOOOOSSHHHH！！！
A tremendous wind appeared and turned into a huge storm that covered the entire arena.
Only an area about a five-meter radius around Rin and me was unaffected by the storm. It feels like I’m standing in the center of a giant tornado.
「Whoaaa! This is amazing! As expected from the Tempest Queen!」(Alice)
「Oh, come on. Don’t call me that. That’s embarrassing!」(Rin)
Rin doesn’t seem to like her nickname, but I do think it’s cool.
「GWAAAAAAAAAAAー!!」
「Dammit! We’re too late!」
「Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiyyyー I don’t wanna dieeee!!」
「Help me!! Mamaaaa!!」
「GYAAAAAAAAAAAー!!」(contestants)
All the players except for the two of us were hit by the raging wind and blown out of the arena one by one.
Not just players, but the projectiles and magic spells that were flying toward us were also repelled by the wind.
However, some players, especially those with heavy armor, managed to withstand the storm. They were walking slowly toward us, trying to stop Rin.
Rin is unable to move and vulnerable to attacks while channeling this huge spell, and it’s my job to protect her from the intruders.
「Alice, don’t let them in!」(Rin)
「You can leave them to me!」(Alice)
I activated my【Sever】skill and looked at the nearby player, who was a male player with full-body armor and a big shield.
I could barely see red lines on him because his entire body was covered in thick armor, but I saw two on his ankles.
He walked slowly toward us, and right when he set foot in our safe zone, I dashed toward him.
「Tsk! Tempest Queen’s friend, huh? Get out of my way!【Shield Bash】! 」(knight-type player)
He swung his big shield, trying to hit me with it, but he was too slow. Seems like he’s the type of player who prioritizes defense over other stats like agility.
On the other hand, with my high stat in agility, I was able to dodge his shield easily. Right after, I bowed slightly down and hit the red lines on his ankles.
「Haa!」(Alice)
「Dammit!」(knight-type player)
He lost his balance, and I used that opportunity to kick him in the torso, pushing him out of the safe zone.
「GUAAAAAAAAAAA!!」(knight-type player)
Unable to withstand the raging wind like before with his injured ankles, he was blown out of the arena right away.
As a defensive-type player, he shouldn’t be easy to kill. It would have taken me some time if I fought him normally, so I used my head instead to end it quickly.
After dealing with him, I shifted my gaze toward another player walking over here. When he saw me approaching, he raised his hands, trying to show that he had no ill intentions.
「W-wait, wait, wait!! I don’t wanna fight! I just want to enter, please! I promise I won’t do anything! Please! Let me in!」(cowardly player)
Looks like he wants to enter our safe zone so that he can proceed to the next round for free.
「Rin, what do you say?」(Alice)
「Alice, you know I don’t want intruders in our private zone, right~? Don’t let anyone in, even if they were Shougo~!」(Rin)
「Phu phu! Roger that~」(Alice)
I bet Shougo would cry if he heard it.
I returned my gaze to the intruder and dashed toward him.
「You heard the queen. You need to get out.」(Alice)
「No, no! Please! I’ll give you some of my reward money if I win!」(cowardly player)
「Nope. Sorry~」(Alice)
Just like when I defeated the knight, I hit his ankles with my blade and pushed him back into the raging wind with a kick.
「GODDAMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTーー！！」(cowardly player)
He was blown away into the sky, leaving the arena.
I kept repelling the intruders one after another while Rin was concentrating on maintaining the storm, and about ten minutes later, we heard Taurus-kun’s announcement voice.
『The battle is over! The preliminary round of Group E has been concluded! Everyone, you can drop your weapons now!』(Taurus)
「Phew, finally…」(Rin)
Rin took a deep breath and lowered her magic staff. At the same time, the storm calmed down and disappeared.
I could now see the surroundings clearly and spotted eight players other than us who were still in the arena. They survived the raging wind by stabbing their weapons into the ground and holding onto them. That’s clever.
「Good work, Rin! Your magic is amazing!」(Alice)
「Fufu~ I wouldn’t have done it without you. Thank you for protecting me, Alice~」(Rin)
We smiled at each other and did a high-five.
Just like that, the two of us successfully passed the preliminary round and proceeded to the final.
*/TL : The name of the spell was【Sturm】. It’s German for “storm”.
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