Jack didn't manage to dodge. He was hit with [Ensnaring Arrow], rooted in place. He knew that Silent Acacia had involuntarily discovered his weak spot. He had no skill to escape the immobilizing effect, always confident in his own ability to dodge.
[-1764!]
Seeing his arrow hit successfully, Silent Acacia shouted with a grin:
"Sorry for that!"
"Just do it..."
"Sure."
The two friends both felt that this was the decider of their match. Silent Acacia instantly unleashed his other skills. [Biting Arrow] and [Flurry] came one after the other.
Jack could still move his upper body. In a last-ditch effort, he waved his hand and conjured a layer of water around his body.
Since this was again a skill without cast time, it only offered little defensive value. Now it deepened purely on his stats if he could survive Silent Acacia's onslaught and gain a chance for a counterattack.
[-4028!]
[-3024!]
[-3024!]
Jack trembled, shocked by the enormous damage. He only had a bit more than 8000HP. If it weren't for his water shield blocking some of the damage, he would already be dead.
Suddenly the mage regained his movement. He instantly attempted to use his flash step to get to safety. Mana filled his body. His cells rejoiced.
But right then Jack let out a sigh. An arrow had arrived in front of his chest.
I'm still not skilled enough...
A wry smile was on Jack's face as an arrow pierced through his chest, taking the last bit of his HP.
Silent Acacia stood up straight, deeply relieved. When his skills didn't take down Jack, he feared the mage might be able to get away. Luckily his arrow reached the opponent at the last moment, ending the fight.
"Roar!"
When Jack fell, his skill dissipated, and Korn was finally freed from its earthen cage. The tiger angrily bared its teeth. Since Jack had already disappeared, it could only swing its claws helplessly at the air.
After venting for a moment Korn spotted Silent Acacia and quickly flew over. Feeling guilty for not being of any help it rubbed its head against Silent Acacia's hand, glancing at his face with cute, innocent eyes.
Silent Acacia stood in the arena with a sunny smile and used his other hand to pet Korn's head.
Countless hearts melted at that moment. There were many people creating lists for fun. In all the lists ranking the cutest pets Korn instantly climbed a few ranks.
A moment later Silent Acacia waved to the crowd before he was sent back to his friends. Immediately a warm hug welcomed him.
"Babe, you were awesome!"
The others wanted to congratulate Silent Acacia as well, but seeing the scene they suddenly got sour throats.
"Please have some empathy!", complained Bloody Edge.
"Edge is right. Could you not show off in front of us poor singles?", echoed Radiant Shield.
"Mhm."
"True."
"They are right."
The friends all agreed jokingly. Silent Acacia was embarrassed and tried to break the hug but Quickstep wouldn't have it. She grabbed him tightly and sealed his lips with her own.
The friends were stunned for a moment. Radiant Shield was the first to lament dramatically:
"Ah, the morals of this world are decaying."
The others also commented loudly.
"So mean!"
"Get a room!"
"Damn, I need a girlfriend."
The situation caught the attention of the guild members sitting close to the friends, who also joined the fun.
Liam was stunned by Quickstep's boldness for a moment before he suddenly thought of something. He quickly shielded Serena's eyes with his hand.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing?"
Serena pulled on Liam's hand, but it was impossible for her to move him.
"That's not something children should see."
"Hey, I'm not a child anymore! I know what kissing is!"
"What? How?"
Liam was taken aback. He quickly went through a few possibilities in his mind. If Serena dared to mention Braag's name, he wouldn't care about the arena's rules and beat him up on the spot.
Serena hesitated for a moment, deepening Liam's suspicion. Finally, she answered in a low voice:
"Mom and dad often kissed. When I asked mom why, she explained that it's to show love..."
"Oh..."
Mentioning this topic quickly dampened the sibling's spirits. Liam let out a sigh and moved his hand away from Serena's eyes, using it to caress her head.
Maybe it's time that I look for our parents. Since the challenge says to find them, they should still be alive. But where should I start? And what about Serena if something happens to me?
Liam and Serena spent each other comfort as they each had their own thoughts. However, in the current atmosphere the siblings couldn't brood for too long.
Soon they joined the conversation again, their mood quickly improving thanks to the presence of their friends.
The tournament was entering a tense phase. Gradually the real favourites emerged. Hotpot had four players participating in the solo contest, namely Bleary Mirage, Silent Acacia, Quickstep, and Cyclone.
Except for Liam everyone had to fight today. Silent Acacia already snatched his first victory. Now, a few hours later, it was Cyclone's turn.
The friends switched arenas and wished Cyclone good luck.
"Ok. No need to be nervous. Just give it your best!", advised Silent Acacia as he suppressed the shaking of his own hands.
Cyclone looked at him strangely.
"I'm not nervous. I'm so strong, I got this easily."
"Of course. And don't worry, even if you lose no one will blame you."
"I won't lose!"
Cyclone furrowed her brows somewhat angrily. Her friends overheard the conversation and couldn't help but chuckle. Finally, Quickstep pulled her boyfriend back.
After one last round of good luck wishes Cyclone flashed and appeared on the arena floor.
A moment later her opponent appeared as well. She was a demon warrior in gorgeous silver armor holding a heavy halberd, its sharp tip gleaming in the sun.
The audience loudly cheered for their two heroes. As less participants were left in the tournament, the spectators dispersed towards the remaining matches, gradually increasing the average number.
Additionally, the remaining contestants were mostly famous players with their own following, which bolstered the number of spectators even further, creating an increasingly boisterous atmosphere.
Now, Cyclone's match attracted close to four million viewers. Their combined noise reached a terrifying volume, causing the arena to tremble.
Cyclone's opponent, Holyver, took in the atmosphere and let out a disappointed sigh. She was part of a top guild herself, working hard day and night, but she just never managed to garner any substantial fame. Now even a newly emerged guild leader like Cyclone was accompanied by more fans than her.
However, Holyver didn't get angry at Cyclone like Green Streaked Blood. Instead, she balled her fists, vowing to do even better in the future.
But just then an unexpected shout came from her opponent:
"Ah! You're Holyver! Wow, I'm a big fan! You're great!"
Holyver was taken aback, scrutinizing Cyclone and finding an earnest admiration in the young woman's face. She didn't even know how to react.
"Eh... really?"
"Of course! I've followed you ever since you joined Dominant! You're so cool with that silver halberd! And that match against Dark Corner was amazing! And... when you swept the floor with Folwev..."
Cyclone continued listing Holyver's achievements, leaving the woman speechless. With every word, the smile on her face increased and her chest swelled with pride.
Suddenly she found Cyclone extremely pleasing to the eye and Holyver began to sweettalk as well:
"Stop, stop. You're flattering me. I can't compare to your achievements. Founding such a successful guild is simply incredible!"
Meanwhile the audience couldn't hear what the contestants were saying. Instead, they continued to battle with words, cheering for their favourites while talking down on the opponent.
The only one who could hear both sides was the caster standing in the sky. Her eyes twitched as she listened. While Cyclone and Holyver were on the way to become sworn sisters, the audience was just short of drawing their weapons.
Although she would like to listen for a bit longer, the caster knew that the match had to start and finally counted down the last three seconds.
Cyclone and Holyver were still flattering each other even as the arena floor had already changed, transforming into a paradisiacal island surrounded by water.
Finally, the match officially started.
"Oh, we need to fight.", said Cyclone, somewhat disappointed.
"Yes. What a pity. I feel like we could talk forever."
"Same!"
"You know what, let's add each other as friends after the match!"
"I would love too, but it doesn't work. Silent Acacia tried to add his last opponent but C told him you can't add people from other servers."
"Oh..."
"Yeah..."
The two young women both felt a little sad. The looked at each other, not really knowing what to do.
Outside, the audience stared at the arena floor with dumbfounded faces.
"Why aren't they starting?"
"Could it be they didn't hear the caster?"
"Stupid! They are gauging each other's weakness!"
"Yeah, look how they are eying each other. Like ruthless predators ready to strike at any moment."
"Really huh..."