Ark Simulator, I Don't Have a Physical Body, Do I?

After all, you can't expect a short-statured spaceman to wear Astartes ' power armor.

After familiarizing himself with the armor and the sword in his hand, Su Rui charged towards Maria. With the clang of swords clashing against each other, an afternoon passed just like that.

With Su Rui's Scanning Vision assist, Su Rui and Maria should actually be evenly matched. After all, they can predict each other's movements, and without an overwhelming numerical advantage, the stalemate should continue.

Su Rui had no intention of cheating by using his armor's power system; there was no point in cheating at this point.

Taking this opportunity, Su Rui familiarized himself with his body. Just as Su Rui had requested from the Upper System before, after Su Rui body was adjusted, it was on par with the Terra of the same race. His defense was not as outrageous as before, but at the cost of improving the performance of other aspects of his body.

The clanging of swords gradually diminished as Su Rui and Maria's duel continued. Time passed in a blur, and soon it was time to step onto the arena.

Maria and Su Rui sat together in the players' lounge, looking a little nervous.

"What's wrong? It can't be stage fright, can it? You've never had this problem before."

Su Rui looked at Maria with a puzzled expression, only to hear Maria ask a seemingly random question, "Su Rui, is there a problem with your status as a contestant?"

"Isn't it a bit too late to worry about this now? Besides, the Commercial Union is just a toy to me now. As for my identity and such, any problems can be turned into no problems. Furthermore, isn't it easy for my technical means to fool the Kazimierz system?"

Su Rui's explanation made Maria nod, but the girl was still nervous. She wasn't worried about Su Rui's status as a contestant, but rather about the subconscious nervousness she felt when she stepped onto the competition stage.

"What? Is it because I'm not in your mind anymore? Are you afraid to go on stage alone?"

"But Su Rui, you're right here with me."

"You know that's not what I meant." Su Rui looked at the nervous Maria and spoke directly in her mind, "Don't be nervous, you can do this very well even without me."

The voice that echoed in her mind made Maria breathe a sigh of relief, and Su Rui was now completely certain of the reason.

"Alright, just relax and focus on how to crush your opponent. Don't overthink it. We'll deal with the rest later. I'm here for you."

They appeared together in Volume 5, Chapter 289.

Maria nodded, and then walked into the arena with Su Rui.

"Unexpectedly, Knight Maria chose a new competitive knight as her teammate, not one we're familiar with. However, I think those of you who are well-informed have heard of him. He's Knight Maria's rumored boyfriend from the news. Let me see, his name is Su Rui. I wonder what kind of surprise Knight Su Rui will bring us?!"

Various sounds, ranging from cheers to shouts, filled the entire stadium.

Su Rui had already guessed what they were going to say, so she didn't bother using her Scanning Vision to listen, lest she hear something that would upset her.

However, Su Rui did see some familiar faces in the stands.

Zofia was sitting in her VIP seat near the arena, which she had bought with her ticket, when she suddenly heard the sound of high heels next to her. She turned her head in surprise and saw that it was Viviana, the Candle Knight, coming over.

The other person quietly sat down beside her, nodded to Zofia, and then looked at the scene in the arena.

"... Are you here to watch your opponent's match too?" Zofia thought for a moment, then asked with some concern. After all, she was worried that the Candle Knight might be here not because of Maria, but because of Su Rui.

The Candle Knight nodded. "Before we meet again, I need to get to know my companions."

So you really did come here for Su Rui, right?

Zofia rolled her eyes in annoyance, her tone carrying a warning. "Su Rui is Maria's boyfriend, don't even think about doing anything to him!"

The Candle Knight didn't speak, but instead turned to stare at Zofia with a calm gaze, making Zofia feel a little guilty. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"... Don't worry, I won't do anything at these times. Now is your stage to perform."

The Candle Knight didn't say it too explicitly, but it made Zofia feel a little guilty. "What are you talking about? I didn't have that kind of thought. It would be too cruel to lay a hand on my niece's boyfriend." Besides, Su Rui looked so... In short, laying a hand on Su Rui would make Zofia feel a strong sense of guilt.

However, the Candle Knight didn't say anything to Zofia's words, "Let's watch the match first, you'll figure it out."

I would never consider laying a hand on Maria's boyfriend.

Zofia calmed herself down after feeling a sudden pang of guilt and turned her attention to the arena.

At this moment, Su Rui and Maria's opponent, the Withered Knight of the Sarkaz, appeared on the field.

The aura of despair and fear emanating from the two Sarkaz even silenced many spectators, who stared nervously at the two Sarkaz knights on the field, as if they could take the life of anyone on the field at any moment.

Maria was also a little nervous, and subconsciously asked Su Rui in her mind: ' Su Rui, do you know that our opponents this time are these two Sarkaz?'

"Of course I know. The Commercial Union originally intended to use them against your Sarkaz Withered Knight. If one of them fell, the other would be strengthened. Because of my purge, some of the programs malfunctioned, and they almost missed the match."

'And then what? Why are they still here?'

Even Maria couldn't help but feel angry at this moment. The two opponents in front of her looked troublesome, not in the sense of being opponents... but in the sense that they were there to take her life.

Su Rui glanced at the nervous Maria, gripped her sword tighter, and slightly distanced herself from Maria.

"Because I helped them complete the paperwork."

'But Su Rui, why?'

Maria initially wanted to swear, even though her education meant that swear words were almost entirely absent from Maria vocabulary. However, faced with this situation, she found it difficult to suppress the urge to lose her temper.

However, Maria now knew who was behind this. Upon hearing that it was Su Rui's plan, Maria swallowed her original words and asked:

"So, Su Rui, are you planning to use these two knights to train me?"

"Of course, experience always needs to be combined with practice. Are you ready? I'll deal with the melee fighter, and you take on the archer."

"I see."

Maria nodded and ran straight toward the Withered Knight archer. The armor slammed heavily against the ground beneath her feet. With Su Rui's Scanning Vision and Maria's own experience, she always managed to dodge the arrows that were shot at Maria.

Su Rui then approached the Withered Knight wielding the great hammer, parrying the heavy hammer with her sword, causing the Withered Knight to stagger and nearly fall.

"Oh, and remember not to go too far. Although they want you dead, they're being forced into it."

As Su Rui spoke, he kicked the Withered Knight in the knee, causing him to lose his balance and involuntarily kneel down. When the Withered Knight looked up, Su Rui had already raised the sword above his head and brought it down heavily on his head.

Maria felt helpless at Su Rui's words. "Su Rui, do you want to hear what you're saying? I understand, I'll try to go easy on you."

"Just kidding. These two Sarkaz will still be somewhat useful, but we've already taken care of all the bastards behind this... If you're still not satisfied, I'll grab a few more criminals to appease you?"

Maria rolled her eyes in exasperation, deflecting the arrows while simultaneously reaching the Withered Knight wielding the bow, and slashing the bow in his hand with her sword.

Maria's sword and strength were not strong enough to break her opponent's bow, so the Withered Knight was only knocked back a few steps.

However, if the archer is caught in close combat and doesn't use other weapons, it's usually difficult to deal with what happens next. Under Maria's pursuit, the Withered Knight couldn't help but look rather disheveled.

Although the Withered Knight in front of Su Rui was wearing a helmet, he still felt dizzy and unsteady after being hit hard by Su Rui, and tried to stand up.

But Su Rui naturally wouldn't give him a chance. She took a few steps back, then raised her longsword above her head again and swung it down hard like a club.

The Withered Knight in front of him was just trying to shove Su Rui aside, taking his head and crashing it into the blade Su Rui Su Rui was swinging down, as if he had offered his head up to take the blow himself.

This powerful blow Withered Knight, rendering him unable to move.

Meanwhile, the Withered Knight in front of Maria was strengthened because of the fall of his companion.

Volume 5, Chapter 290: Scandals on the Field

"It's up to you now~ I'm done on my end."

Su Rui kicked the unconscious Withered Knight, and after confirming that he wouldn't wake up anytime soon, Su Rui tossed him outside the arena. Then he waved to Maria, leaned on his longsword, and looked at Maria not far away.

'Couldn't you at least come and help me out?'

Maria was somewhat helpless, but her knights were almost finished off. The Wither Archer, who was being approached, had no other weapon and could only use his bow to deal with Maria had already closed in.

"Remember to make the moves flashy when you defeat him, use some Originium Arts, and let the audience feel like they didn't waste their money."

'Easy for you to say, Su Rui, why didn't you use that method to defeat your opponent just now?'

Maria was somewhat dissatisfied, but she still complied with Su Rui's request. The blade shone with a golden light, and after striking the same spot on the bow several times, it finally severed the bow in two.

"Look, what a brilliant strike! The Withered Knight has now lost her weapon. Although her teammates show no sign of coming to help, Maria Knight's victory is assured!"

Amid cheers from the audience, Maria knocked down the Withered Knight in front of her with a single sword strike. Then, she saw that Su Rui had appeared at the spot where the Withered Knight had been knocked away. Suri then swung her longsword, spinning 180 degrees like she was playing golf, sending the Withered Knight flying towards her flying away and landing directly outside the arena.

"... Su Rui, didn't you just say you were going to go easy on her?"

Maria looked at the Withered Knight, who had been knocked away and was unconscious, bouncing twice on the ground, and looked at Su Rui with some helplessness.

"The Sarkaz are physically very strong, and this makes for good entertainment. Besides, they really intend to kill you. Are you really going to let them go just because of something I said? That's a bit too foolish."

As Su Rui spoke, she raised her sword and flashed a triumphant smile at the camera, "Victory is ours."

Amid cheers from the arena, Maria came to Su Rui's side. After hearing the result, she and Su Rui walked together towards the rest area below the arena.

Maria hesitated slightly before reaching out, since this was a public place. However, after a brief hesitation, Maria still put her arm around Su Rui's shoulder.

After all, her relationship with Su Rui had already been published as news, so there was nothing left to hide.

"What?" Su Rui was walking along peacefully when Maria suddenly pulled her into her arms, the clinking of their armor making a crisp sound.

"It's nothing. Isn't it only natural for us to do these things given our relationship?"

As Maria spoke, a slight smile appeared on her lips. Having figured things out, Maria's actions naturally became somewhat arrogant. She even turned her head to glance at the camera behind her, seemingly showing off.

Whenever Zofia saw Maria's smug expression on the big screen, she couldn't help but wonder how tomorrow's newspapers would report it, and she instinctively covered her cheeks.

"Maria, really... has she become so smug after getting close to Su Rui?"

Viviana, who was standing next to her, didn't respond. She simply stood up silently, nodded to Zofia, and then left the audience.

Back in the car, Maria and Su Rui heard Zofia complaining:

"You two were really messing around in this fight. Putting aside Su Rui's childish, baseball-like swordsmanship, Maria, why did you look at the camera at the end? I can already imagine what those guys in the newspapers will say about you tomorrow."

"What will the newspapers say about me tomorrow?" Maria couldn't help but worry, looking at Su Rui and Zofia. What if the newspapers distorted her image and portrayed her as some kind of bad person?

But with Su Rui around, this kind of thing probably won't happen, right?

Maria looked at Su Rui and then saw Su Rui scrolling through some news reports within her Scanning Vision.

Maria, who knew about Su Rui's abilities, immediately came over. "Su Rui, what are you looking at?"

"Those reporters already had their headlines ready."

As Su Rui spoke, she showed the screens to Maria: "Enjoy the coverage about you."

Maria nodded, looking at the screens. "Even the reporters probably wouldn't have their articles ready so quickly, right? We just finished a match!"

"Some fast-moving reporters will come up with several headlines while watching the game, so they can finish their articles faster. Speed is one of the most important attributes in journalism."

Maria then saw several headlines, the first being about Su Rui's fighting moves, which, although somewhat childish, made Su Rui's appearance the highlight.

Maria couldn't help but laugh as she watched the edited footage of Su Rui wielding a club-like fighting style. It was Su Rui doing all that, and it all looked rather endearing.

While Maria felt happy, she suddenly didn't want to share the sight of Su Rui doing these things with others.

Su Rui is already hers, so it's better not to show these videos to anyone else.

With this thought in mind, Maria couldn't help but purse her lips. She wanted to Su Rui, but then she remembered that Su Rui had said she wouldn't arbitrarily modify particularly harmless news. This should be considered harmless, right?

With that in mind, Maria didn't dwell on it too much and continued flipping through the news headlines in her hand.

Then she saw a headline that made her even more upset: <Hesitation? Testing the waters? The relationship doesn't seem to be quite right yet?! Girls still have a chance!>

The accompanying image shows Maria's momentary hesitation as she reaches out to hug Su Rui, captured by a camera.

Seriously, are all these reporters' eyes that sharp? I immediately concealed those expressions.

Maria suppressed her temper and decided to mark the title, then tell Su Rui about all the titles later so Su Rui could help her delete them.

Then, after temporarily skipping that headline, Maria saw another one that sent her blood pressure soaring:

<Arrogant? Or just bluffing?> Two images showing the contrast between Maria's smiling expression as she turns around and her hesitant look.

"... I want these news stories to disappear right now!" Maria couldn't help but grit her teeth and glare at Su Rui with resentment.

"Please help me, Su Rui! I'll do anything!"

Volume 5, Chapter 291: Drinking? Give me a plate of fennel beans.

"Okay, so, which topics do you want to delete?"

Su Rui looked up at Maria with a puzzled expression, pressed her cheek against hers, and looked at the topics Maria was browsing. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Wow, I didn't expect that. Those reporters have pretty good observation skills. Did they go through the video frame by frame?"

"Alright, Su Rui, stop making sarcastic remarks and help me now!"

Maria couldn't wait any longer and couldn't help but hug Su Rui's wrist and shake him affectionately, only to have Su Rui reach out and press her cheek against his.

"Alright, these headlines are just headlines for now. The reporters haven't finished their articles yet. These are just headlines stored on their computers. Even if you delete them, it won't make a difference. Wait a little longer. Once the articles are finished, these articles might even be rejected."

"Okay, I understand." Maria nodded, but she was still somewhat unwilling. This despicable title and idea should never have appeared in the first place!