251 Extreme Competition

The area is very open, seemingly an alien town still in the Middle Ages. There are rivers and farmland on the outskirts, covering a vast area. Some spherical creatures float in the sky, looking fluffy and like cute sheep. They can be used to drain blood and restore health.

There aren't many houses, and they're all made of wood, except for a clock tower in the center of the village that's made of stone.

"The terrain isn't great; it's mostly flat land with only two hills and a forest on the south side. If we can't win it, we might as well destroy it."

This terrain is somewhat disadvantageous if the opponent is Spellcasters or a sniper.

Caramel Snail scanned its surroundings, quickly making plans in its mind.

"If the opponent is a melee unit, I can occupy the hills and the houses on the east side, and use my [Brutal Sword Intent] to suppress the opponent. If it is a long-range Spellcasters, I will roll into the ditch, use the bridge piers and water mill as cover, lure the opponent into the complex environment, and engage in close combat."

Even for the Gamma-rank, terrain still has a significant impact in 1v1 mode. After all, the Gamma-rank doesn't have the ability to demolish an entire city in one go. With such a large map, if the opponent hides and fights a guerrilla war, it will be difficult to deal with them.

"If only the city environment were better..."

For a lightly armored cleaver like the Caramel Snail, the advantage of close combat lies in the complexity and narrowness of the terrain, especially with tall buildings, which allows it to jump around freely and perform better.

After assessing the map environment, Caramel Snail, realizing it didn't have much of an advantage, cheered itself up. "Don't be discouraged. If the opponent also has light armor and heavy weapons, then I'll have the advantage—"

Before the words were even finished, the opponent's preparation area not far away lit up, and then a [mage] with purplish-red skin and wearing a mysterious ancient robe was teleported in. The latter looked in this direction, smiled slightly, and revealed a mouthful of shark teeth.

Long-armed, mage, or Fiendkin...?

The Caramel Snail almost instantly felt its heart and lungs stop.

"Hello, judging from your appearance, you must be a contestant from Yanxia, right?"

The Fiendkin mage, however, was quite outgoing and chatted with him with a smile:

"It's a player from Agincourt. Although our two countries are friendly neighbors with close ties, I won't hold back."

Caramel Snail glanced at the other party's identity information:

ID: (A string of foreign words I can't understand)

Name: Jean Reno Léopardon "Hello Reno."

Caramel Snail waved goodbye in a friendly manner. "This is my first time participating in such an international competition, and I'm a little nervous."

"Hehe, me too. Just go all out, Jiao. Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't leave empty-handed."

Reno didn't waste any words. He raised his staff and checked his condition, looking like he was seriously preparing for battle.

The respect shown by their opponent made Caramel Snail calm down and dare not be careless.

'They're really serious. In that case, I'll give it my all too!'

The Caramel Snail checks its equipment and warms up thoroughly to adapt to its environment.

[Playing the competition rules:]

[In this match, drafted characters will not be actually killed; players can freely demonstrate their skills and defeat their opponents using various methods and tactics.]

This match is a best-of-three series. Please conduct tactical actions within the designated combat area. Exceeding the combat area will result in a deduction of 10% of your maximum health per second.

Two minutes later, the two were enveloped in a beam of light and teleported to the main battle area.

[Jiao Ziniu, contestant from the Yanxia Zone]

Matchup:

[Jean Reno Léopardon, Agincourt District Competitor]

The Caramel Snail materialized beside a dry well. It scanned its surroundings, finding only houses and thick walls, with some areas marked as indestructible.

"Damn it, if this position is ambushed, we're doomed."

Clang.

He quickly planned his route, and as soon as the operation began, he leaped into the residential area.

Both teams are in position.

Ding ding—

The first match has officially begun.

"Boo! "Caramel Snail gripped the longsword at its waist with one hand, leaped off the wall, and flew into the interior of a residential house. Just as it was about to activate its [Eye of Truth] to scan the outside, the ceiling above its head was instantly blasted open.

Boom! A blue fireball descended from the sky, instantly leveling the entire house like a 500-kilogram bomb. Fortunately, Caramel Snail reacted quickly. He activated Shadowing Step, instantly accelerated, and rushed out of the window. His Gamma-rank power erupted instantly, and he leaped into the air, rising sixty meters into the sky, stepping on the wall.

Taking advantage of his high position, Caramel Snail quickly activated [Eye of Truth] to see through the entire scene and immediately spotted a figure in the church attic not far away.

Judging from the other party's gestures and the way they raised their staff, it can be basically concluded that they are preparing a new spell.

"That's it!"

Gravity Deflection

Caramel Snail instantly changed direction in mid-air, swooping down towards the church. He raised his longsword and, like a rocket, burst through the roof, reaching his opponent. He then thrust forward with his sword raised.

Thud! The blade pierced the target's body, but no blood or flesh splattered. Reno in front of him quickly transformed into a puppet and fell to the ground.

"A fake body?"

Caramel Snail was startled. A whooshing sound came from behind him. He instinctively spun his blade and parried with Su Qin's sword-carrying technique.

Bang! The energy swirling around the blade deflected the blue flames, and the White Candle Star Crystal Armor protecting the Caramel Snail greatly reduced the damage it received.

At the same time, Caramel Snail instantly turned around and moved, its left hand immediately transforming, its muscles cracking, turning into a blood pressure cannon, and firing a burst of bullets at the opponent.

*Gurgle gurgle—! Reno, who had launched a sneak attack from behind, was instantly forced back to the other side of the wall. The scorching, corrosive blood corroded and pierced through the cover, carving several dents into his shoulder.

Thankfully, this was just a submachine gun. If it had been a standard rifle-style armor, he would have lost at least a seventh of his health.

From being ambushed to retaliating, it took less than half a second.

"That was a quick reaction!"

Reno gave a praise, then twisted his staff, leaped over the overhead cover, and fired six small fireballs in quick succession.

With a whoosh, Caramel Snail raised its hand and swung its sword, sweeping away all the enemies with a single sword strike. Just as it was about to press its advantage, the marble beneath its feet suddenly turned into a mud pit.

Flesh to Mud.

"A polymorph spell? But he's only equipped with one staff—that means there are other Casting Unit lying in ambush!"

Caramel Snail reacted quickly, raising its gravity shield in front of it. But even with its fast reaction, it still took a huge hit. The armor on its chest and neck was burned through by the flames, leaving charred marks on its fleshy body.

—The opponent's [Intelligence] attribute is very high. This is armor produced by the White Candle Star workshop, and its magic resistance is quite high.

He simultaneously activated the Eye of Truth and scanned his surroundings, quickly discovering a small golem hidden in a pile of debris not far away.

"They actually used the 'Disguise Technique' to transform into a broken wooden bowl—that's incredibly tactical!"

Speechless, Caramel Snail threw a Pyroblast Scroll in that direction. With a violent explosion, the golem was destroyed, and his body was immediately freed.

"Huh? You players from Azure Planet can actually use Magic Scroll?"

Reno exclaimed in surprise, then quickly retreated, waving his staff as he went, unleashing Arcane Missiles and even summoning a massive, Oily Monster to block Caramel Snail's path.

"However, how do you deal with the Oily Monster that has high health and defense and explodes when attacked with bullets?"

His tactics are a typical example of a "fire and barbecue" style, with the Oily Monster" being the finishing touch.

The smaller the space of the explosion, the greater the damage. Under high pressure, the air blast and flames will repeatedly impact the human body.

These common-sense principles also apply to games.

If Caramel Snail dares to engage in close combat in a confined space like indoors, he will immediately unleash Fire Magic to detonate both his opponent and the Oily Monster.

[Soul-Inscribed Sword Saint — Wargod]

The Caramel Snail's sword blade was entangled in a dark purple aura, and a ferocious Evil Spirit Samurai quickly appeared behind it. As it swung its longsword, the Evil Spirit Samurai also swung an even larger blade, instantly overturning and smashing the Oily Monster along with half a house to pieces.

Reno paused for a moment.

"What is that... Aoneng?"

It's one thing for a [Destruction] type Martial Artist to become a [Swordmaster], but to equip them with Implant Cannons and use Magic Scroll is another matter entirely.

Why would it still Aoneng? "—Oh, that was done by Li Aoz."

The fragments fell like rain, and the Caramel Snail spoke calmly.