CHAPTER 830: 830: DIVINE GAME – CARD SWAP 79

Rita didn’t stop moving—thinking could be done mid-battle.

She swapped weapons constantly, using her old battered dagger for probing and early attacks, then switching to the better one Lightchaser had given her once she found the weak point.

Without casting materials she couldn’t use her divine-granted healing, but the regular healing spells she’d learned at school were enough if used sparingly.

The problem was that the worms’ weak points followed no pattern at all. The first Chernor Worm’s was its eye, while the second’s was just a random patch of unremarkable fat.

Her only option was to test piece by piece, watching for reactions to find the spot.

It was clumsy work.

She tried using AoE attacks to force the worm to protect its weak point, but every time she did, the Chernor Worm just dove underground.

No tricks worked. No skill could brute-force it. The only way to win was to find that coin-sized weak point.

And do it while losing 2% of her HP every time she got hit.

By 4 p.m., she had only killed fifteen.

When she went after the next worm, an icy hand plucked the dagger right out of her grip.

She hadn’t even noticed anyone approach.

Before she could react, a familiar voice said, "I’ll show you once. Watch carefully."

That tall figure stepped ahead, and the hail striking her lessened immediately.

Grinning, Rita followed. "I thought I’d be spending the night out here."

"With this pace, you think you can beat my record?"

"People should have dreams."

"...Watch."

Once again Rita saw a battle that was pure art. Lightchaser seemed to predict every attack before it landed.

"Don’t watch its eyes or mouth—that’s meant to throw you off. Watch the way the force travels through its body when it moves. That’s battle deception, and you can learn it.

"You learned combat technique from that white bear, didn’t you? Why aren’t you using it?"

Lightchaser kicked the worm into the air and sprang after it, keeping it airborne with a flurry of blows.

"See which direction it’s desperate to avoid even in free fall?"

The answer was obvious—Debone.

"The enemy’s shiver and fear will tell you whether your blade is close or far from the weak point. Adjust your strikes faster than you ever have before."

The elf spun midair, her silver dagger flashing through the dusk. A spray of blood erupted, and she and the dead Chernor Worm hit the ground almost together.

It was pure, violent beauty.

Standing against the light, Lightchaser handed the dagger back to her. "Go on, little Lightchaser."

Rita grinned and took it. "Will you come get me at nine?"

Lightchaser was already walking toward where the stardrake had flown off. "I’ll be here the moment you finish the course."

But at nine o’clock, it was Wail who showed up.

Catching Rita’s searching look, Wail said, "I sent her back. You’re here to learn to fight, not be coddled into uselessness by her soft spots."

Rita instantly shelved her disappointment. "Of course."

Though honestly, she’d never seen Lightchaser be "soft" a day in her life—but this was not the moment to argue.

Because Wail’s smile tonight was nothing like the warm ones she wore over dinner at Lightchaser’s place. It was colder, sharper, carrying a sense of danger that made every instinct in Rita’s body go still.

Small-animal survival sense told her this was not a time to get mouthy.

"You want to open GodDraw77 four years in a row?"

"Yeah."

"You want Kasilanar to think of Lightchaser Moment as equal in status to GodDraw77?"

"Right! I want Lightchaser Moment to stand on the same level."

"Good. Remember that—you don’t get to take it back."

Rita eyed her warily. "You’ll at least leave me alive, right?"

"...Yes," Wail said after a pause, and this time she smiled for real.

"That’s all I need."

...

Rita had once thought Lightchaser throwing her into the arena right after she’d learned to use a dagger was aggressive.

Compared to Wail, Lightchaser was downright cautious.

The second day’s training was still on the icefield, but Wail sealed both her healing skills and her ability to fly.

[Deathmatch]: All cooldowns reduced by 50%. In exchange, you cannot be healed. Duration: 30 minutes.

[Flight Lock]: Your wings and all flight abilities are disabled. Duration: 6 hours.

And in that state, she had to fight five Chernor Worms at once.

Somehow, Wail made it so that these supposedly indifferent-to-their-own-kind worms all attacked her at the same time like a pack.

The only comfort was that Wail stood watching the whole time, promising to step in if her HP dropped to 1%.

Rita didn’t believe it for a second—this was basic math. If each hit took 2%, there was no way she’d ever end up at exactly 1%. Who was she trying to fool?

If things really got dire, Rita was ready to burn Mystic Force even if it got her thrown out. She trusted Lightchaser. Wail? Not so much.

Thankfully, it wasn’t that bad—Deathmatch only lasted half an hour. Even if Wail reapplied it, she’d get a minute between cycles to heal herself to full.

Which meant one thing—she had to avoid hitting rock bottom within each thirty-minute window.

Once she got used to the rhythm, she focused on the fight.

But every time she made progress, Wail added another worm into the fray.

It was like she could read Rita’s limits at a glance, keeping her teetering on the edge where she had to give everything just to survive.

"This year’s Divine Game, you did well," Wail said. "But it’s far from enough—because you won when no one cared about you. From now on, each Divine Game will be harder than the last.

"I’m not insulting you. I’m stating a fact.

"When Lightchaser opened GodDraw77 in her fourth year, in every match after that, if an opponent met her alone, they would immediately forfeit. But if other players were nearby, they’d all stop fighting each other and form a temporary alliance. Their first and only priority—take her out.

"As long as she was there, no one else could hope to win.

"Her Lightchaser Moment was an entire generation’s darkest hour."

"If she could do it three years in a row..." Rita’s voice was tight—she was already giving all she had just to fight. "Why did GodDraw77 end up going to Cinders in the end?"