"Looks like the Japanese Defense Ministry isn't being very honest..."
Night Blade let out a cold laugh. He refused to believe that the near-stampede of Japanese players choosing the lowest point coefficient characters, Takashi Komuro and Saeko Busujima, was merely a "happy coincidence."
"Watch out! The Dead are coming!"
As he spoke, several dozen Dead, shambling like drunkards along a narrow, man-made path through the woods, staggered toward them. Judging by their clothing, they appeared to be local residents who'd come up the mountain for flower viewing or a stroll.
Saphira, at this moment, displayed a domineering aura completely at odds with her petite frame. She swung her spiked mace with a fearsome wind, charging forward without the slightest hesitation.
Ross also dropped his usual playful demeanor. A glob of pungent-smelling, green, viscous liquid coalesced at the tip of his pink magic wand. He lobbed it over Saphira's head in a parabolic arc, where it accurately splattered across the face of the foremost Dead.
Sizzle—!
Thin plumes of smoke rose from the Dead's face. What was already half-missing was corroded away by the acid, exposing glistening white bone in several places. Then Saphira, charging up beside it, shattered its skull with a single blow from her mace.
"Hmm? That was a pretty combo..."
This was Night Blade's first time seeing the combat style of the two members of the One-Winged Angel squad.
Ross's skill was called Acid Missile, also an E-Rank White quality Arcane spell. While its direct damage output was even less than the generally derided Arcane Missile, it had the special effect of reducing the target's defense and inflicting persistent corrosive damage.
The Dead in the Highschool of the Dead Illusion were sturdier and more durable than the zombies in Dead Rising. F-Rank weapons below Purple quality could barely kill them in one hit. If represented in game terms, it would be a single strike leaving them critically wounded—a supremely awkward situation.
It was precisely because Ross was "sneakily" launching his attacks from behind, perfectly chipping away at the Dead's excess health and defense, that Saphira, charging at the front, could easily deliver a "one-hit kill" with her mace.
"Ah! Can't... can't go on anymore! Let me rest a minute..."
Saphira was just getting into the heat of battle when she heard Ross's wail. She had to abandon the Dead in front of her, quickly retreat, and glare at him with wide eyes, annoyance evident: "It's only been a little while! How come you're 'spent' again?"
"I'm dying... feel like my body's been hollowed out..."
Ross clung to a nearby tree, groaning incessantly, like someone who'd pulled an all-nighter gaming for three days straight, then been dragged off by two wealthy women for a night of "fun and games." His legs trembled uncontrollably, and his face was deathly pale.
Acid Missile, though not high in attack power, was still an E-Rank skill. Unless one had a cultivation method or bloodline that boosted mental attributes like Night Blade, the skill cost was simply not something an ordinary Tier 1 player could sustain for long. That Ross could fire off over a dozen Acid Missiles in a row was probably thanks to that "Barbie-like" magic wand. It likely had some special attribute that reduced skill costs.
"Night! There are more man-eating monsters coming from behind too!" Shizuka Marikawa hid behind Night Blade nervously, clutching the corner of his clothes.
This well-endowed "cute thing" didn't seem too surprised by Ross's seemingly physics-defying skills. Perhaps in her simple, straightforward logic, if Dead—monsters like these—could exist, then a little magic wasn't that strange. After all, it was all equally unscientific.
"It's okay, leave it to me."
Night Blade gently patted Shizuka Marikawa's soft little hand, motioning for Saphira to take care of her, then drew the Poison Maid: Puffer Toxin from his storage space.
Countless blue-and-white grids interwove around his body. His original Fujimi Academy uniform dissolved, replaced by a sleek, futuristic black combat suit. The chest, back, limbs, and joints were reinforced with hard, carbon-like armor plates.
Even when fighting a rabbit, a lion uses all its strength. Now that they were out of Fujimi Academy grounds, Night Blade had no more reservations and directly revealed his USS Combat Battlesuit - Prototype Type 1.
Shizuka Marikawa might not understand, but Ross and Saphira certainly did. The moment Night Blade's sleek high-tech battlesuit appeared, the two nearly swallowed their fists in shock. Regardless of the battlesuit's specific attributes, its exquisite appearance alone screamed that it was no cheap, mass-produced item.
They had previously thought that even if "Night Blade" was strong, he'd be roughly on par with the two of them combined. But now they fully understood—he'd been keeping a low profile and hiding his strength all along. Not to mention anything else, this battlesuit alone was probably worth nearly as much as all their equipment combined.
"Saphira, carry Ross. Follow me!"
Night Blade took the lead, charging into the oncoming horde of Dead. The blade of Poison Maid: Puffer Toxin gleamed like a rainbow, and several Dead heads went flying.
Saphira was shocked, almost dropping Ross off her back. She had expected a difficult breakthrough, but never imagined that the Dead, which had taken both her and Ross working together to barely handle, were as weak as papier-mâché in Night Blade's hands. No, it wasn't that the Dead had gotten weaker; it was that he was too strong—strong enough to effortlessly crush them.
Was this "Night Blade" really just an ordinary Tier 1 player?
"Don't stand there gawking, hurry up and follow!" Seeing Saphira in a daze, Night Blade slowed his pace slightly and reminded her, "These Dead might not pose a big threat to me, but if there are too many, I won't be able to look after you two..."
"Oh, right... right away!"
Saphira quickly gave Ross's rear a boost and hurried to follow behind Shizuka Marikawa.
Ross, that scoundrel, had already fallen asleep without a care in the world. His hand, hanging down, unconsciously squeezed Saphira's chest a few times.
"Ah... Dr. Marikawa... where are your breasts? Why are they as flat as Saphira's..."
Slap!
Night Blade heard this and glanced back instinctively. He saw Saphira with a livid face, having just executed a shoulder throw. Ross was sticking headfirst into the grass, his butt in the air, a clear furrow plowed into the ground by his face.
"Nothing. Slipped." Saphira patted the grass clippings off her clothes, her tone nonchalant.
"..."
Night Blade suddenly thought that for Ross to be so adept at courting death and still be alive, he must have some hidden "immortality" attribute. With such a masochistic constitution, it was a pity he wasn't a tank.
Half an hour later, inside the emergency exit of Fujimi Academy's gymnasium.
A burly-bearded Player wearing ornate crimson samurai armor was currently furious, roaring at over a dozen Player team leaders present:
"Baka! Who the hell killed my men! Speak up! Was it you Chinese Players! If you've got the guts, step forward!"