booktalesy Chapter 4249 The Void Raider
Chapter 4249 The Void Raider
Chapter 4249 The Void Raider
What is "command"?
According to the masked referee, the goal is to help the weaker side develop strategic countermeasures in advance, enabling them to overcome the stronger side.
To put it simply, it's the role of a competition coach.
However, unlike conventional coaches, before the weaker side takes the field, the coach can make one choice: to let go or to manipulate.
Choosing "Leave it to the team" means that once the match begins, the coach will not interfere in the battle in any way, and all performance will be left to the team members.
If you choose "manipulate", the coach will become the manipulator, turning the team members into puppets in his hands. It may seem like the team members are on the field, but in reality, the one manipulating them is himself.
Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages.
In the words of the masked referees, "They are definitely more familiar with their own bodies, and it is easier for them to control the rhythm of the fight, so their fighting potential is higher."
"If you were in charge, the minimum standard would be even higher."
At this point, the masked referee added, "Of course, that's not absolute. If you're not familiar with the person you're controlling, the minimum level you can probably reach is also below their instinctive combat level."
It should also be mentioned that not all players can be controlled. Some players have weaker mental empathy, and forcibly controlling them will result in extremely low synchronization.
In this situation, it's best not to try to manipulate it.
In short, the rules of combat are roughly as described, and not difficult to understand. The only thing that puzzled Angor was that, so far, it didn't seem to have reached the point where it required a great deal of knowledge?
Just as Angell was wondering, the masked referee slowly said, "There are three battles in total. If the teammate you choose loses the battle, then you will be the one to face them in the end."
"And the opponent you are facing is in its complete form, without any weaknesses."
Angell: "..." He knew there would be a part like this.
Just like the inverted arena before, and the Frost Trolls, the true test of knowledge is for the one who emerges victorious; the slightest flaw will lead to a formidable opponent.
"So, can I find out who my opponent is for the first match?"
"So, can I find out who my teammates are for the first game?"
After the masked referee finished explaining all the rules, a new dialogue finally popped up in the text box.
Angell chose the first one.
"So, can I find out who my opponent is for the first match?"
The masked referee nodded leisurely: "Of course, the first opponent will be... it!"
A humanoid shadow slowly rose from the other side of the ring.
Its overall outline looks like a "person", but its feet are tiptoeing, somewhat like the way a ballet dancer walks.
It has no obvious face or body, or rather, its face and body are covered by shadows, which are somewhat like... solidified darkness, or a broken night sky.
At first glance, it looks a bit like a star worm, but the star worm's body is more like a "starry sky", while its shadow is more like a "night sky".
After the shadowy figure appeared, it simply stood on the arena, without any obvious features or aura.
"Now that you've seen your opponent, it's your turn to choose your teammates." The masked referee spoke again. After he finished speaking, he extended his slender, glazed fingers and touched the center of the white porcelain mask's brow, then pulled it outwards with great elegance... and a large amount of light and shadow surged out from the center of his brow.
These lights and shadows eventually converged in front of Angell, forming a huge light screen panel.
At this moment, hundreds of images appeared densely on the screen.
These are all thumbnails.
Each image contains a creature, strange and varied in shape.
Angell also saw a human wearing leather armor and holding a bow and arrow.
"You need to choose one of your teammates to start the first lopsided match." Masked referee: "Now, you can start making your selection."
As it finished speaking, Angell's "silence" was lifted.
The moment the restrictions were lifted, Angel asked, "Aren't there any introductions for the teammates?"
Angell only spoke tentatively, thinking that the masked referee would ignore him like the young man in the study. But to his surprise, the masked referee actually answered.
"As a participant in a lopsided arena, you don't even know your opponents and teammates? That's truly a pity... I can't help you with that."
Although he had already guessed the answer, Angell was still helpless.
It seems that this is where the knowledge test comes in.
Whether they are opponents or teammates, their ethnic identities, strengths and weaknesses... all of these need to be identified by the participants themselves.
This, in turn, tests the participants' knowledge base.
……
Next, Angell spoke with the masked referee.
He was happy to explain any rules that the referee had mentioned; however, he would remain silent once it came to the player's identity or other information.
After a moment of contemplation, Angell initiated a request for help.
The main problem is... Angel didn't recognize the "shadow figure" on the stage. He also couldn't recognize all of the hundreds of team members on the screen.
However, what is known is that he needs to select a teammate from the "player pool" who can relatively counter the "Shadow Man".
This is where Ingres's knowledge was lacking.
Therefore, he had no choice but to seek help from outsiders, and the person he sought help from was naturally the rabbit girl.
As soon as Angell made contact with the rabbit girl, he heard the familiar opening line: "This test of yours seems more suitable for me..."
Angell: "...You're right."
"Could it be that we're being targeted?" The rabbit girl sighed softly, not dwelling on it. "Getting back to the point, I saw the whole thing from outside, but the Flowing Light Disc couldn't hear anything, so I don't know the specifics. But I can roughly guess that you had to choose one person to fight against the invisible natural disaster on the other side, right?"
An invisible natural disaster?
Angell gleaned a crucial piece of information: the identity of the shadowy figure?
Although he was very curious, he didn't ask immediately. Instead, he nodded and said, "Yes, let me tell you the rules here first. This trial is called the Uneven Arena..."
After Angell explained the situation in a few words, the rabbit girl seemed to fall into a brief state of thought.
After a moment, she slowly spoke: "Your test is somewhat like a golden land."
The essence of Golden Land is strategy and game theory.
The essence of a lopsided arena is the same.
Its core lies in the fact that participants, under absolute military disadvantage, must construct the only correct formula for victory.
This equation consists of three variables: identifying the fatal weaknesses of the powerful party, and selecting the most targeted "key" from the weaker group.
And, between "manipulation" and "laissez-faire," make the choice that best suits the current situation.
Every step must be based on broad knowledge and calm calculation; any misjudgment at any stage will lead to complete failure.
The so-called unequal arena is actually a battlefield of strategy and competition!
Angell naturally noticed this as well. In terms of the breadth of the game alone, it certainly couldn't compare to the Golden City. However, the variables in the "battle of vast disparity" were too great, and the depth on a single level surpassed that of the Golden City.
Although the bunny girl cleared Golden Land with the help of super-powerful items, she is still top-notch in terms of combat strategy and tactics.
The key is……
The bunny girl could recognize the two opponents in the unequal arena!
"Although I can recognize most of the races in the player pool and know the weaknesses of the Invisible Calamity, there is one crucial point... individuals are different."
For example, two fire spirits born at the same time may have the same attributes and grow in the same environment, but one may be good at fire area attacks and the other may be good at single-target buffs.
Individual differences can significantly impact the final outcome.
For example, they successfully selected a player who can counter the invisible natural disaster, but what if this person is not good at combat? Or what if he is lazy and doesn't train his talent at all?
Therefore, the rabbit girl felt that something was wrong.
This kind of selection relies too much on luck.
Or is luck also a part of the game?
Angel thought for a moment: "These should fall within the scope of the rules and don't involve specific information. Perhaps the referee will give the answer. I'll ask the referee and see what he says."
The rabbit girl nodded: "Okay."
Within the shimmering disc, the rabbit girl saw Angel and the masked referee exchanging words.
About a minute or two later, Angell got back in touch with her.
"The referee's explanation was that both teammates and opponents were specially selected. They all possessed regular talent but no special talent, and were all at the middle average level within their respective groups."
The referee didn't elaborate on what constituted a special selection, but instead revealed a mysterious smile on the porcelain surface, saying, "You can think of it as a great gardener using scissors to prune away the excess branches, keeping only the thickest trunk."
In other words, the organizers of this disparate arena forcibly prune away individual differences in an unconventional way, leaving all the "branches" bare and identical.
From a civilized and moral standpoint, this kind of "gardener's pruning" is undoubtedly inhumane.
However, judging from the rules of the unequal arena, the biggest external variable has been completely eliminated.
However, although the external variables are forcibly smoothed out, the internal variables are still different.
For example, if two people have the same strength and talent, one is calm and the other is impetuous, then the winner will most likely be the former.
The slightly better thing is that internal variables can be compensated for through "manipulation".
However, it should be noted that the premise of "manipulation" is that Angell needs to understand and recognize the player's "normal talent".
What is meant by "common talent"? It is actually the most common and widespread talent of that group.
To give a simple example, the standard talent of the Ryoushi clan is "Mirror Destruction," the standard talent of the Hakage clan is "Super Speed," the standard talent of the Konoha clan is "Closeness to Nature," and Seto's standard talent is "Discerning Lies"...
These are the most common talents of this race; in fact, it could be said that everyone possesses them.
On the unequal arena, both the strong and the weak sides were pruned by the gardener until only their ordinary talents remained.
Therefore, choosing the most effective conventional talent to counter the opponent is actually the key to the game.
"Take this opponent, the Invisible Cataclysm, for example. Its weakness is the Howling Soul Stone that it exposes after it becomes visible. As long as you can attack the Howling Soul Stone in that instant, you can defeat it."
"Therefore, the selected players must primarily possess quick reflexes as their main talent..."
The bunny girl began to talk about her opponent in the first match of the lopsided arena.
The Invisible Calamity is not the name of the shadowy figure, but its well-known code name; its true identity is the "Void Raider."
This is a powerful creature that lives in the void, without a fixed habitat, like a ghost shark wandering in the deep sea, forever cruising in the darkness.
In addition, they are naturally able to merge with the void, and can almost always remain invisible. Every time they appear, a traveler walking in the void is inevitably hunted and devoured. Therefore, they are given the chilling title of "Invisible Calamity".
After all, the void is vast and boundless, and even the most experienced traveler cannot maintain the highest level of vigilance forever.
Mental fatigue and momentary lapses in concentration can both become fatal weaknesses.
The Void Raider excels at seizing this slightest opening, like an assassin waiting for its prey to exhaust itself, suddenly appearing and killing it with a single blow.
However, they are not truly invincible in their power.
Their terror largely stems from the "unknown" and the "surprise attack".
On the arena, where movement is clearly restricted, the so-called "unknown," or "invisibility," is not as unsolvable as it is in the void.
Its "surprise attack" ability is also its most crucial ability, which can be understood as its ability to unleash a burst of power instantly.
This instantaneous burst of power is extremely strong; even a formal wizard who is caught off guard could be greatly affected by it.
However, this explosive power is also its weakness.
This instantaneous, high-intensity burst originates from the "Wailing Soul Stone" within its body, a unique organ possessed by the Void Raider. It can absorb the power of the dead and then release it at a high frequency.
Normally, the Wailing Soulstone is hidden inside the body, only revealing itself on the chest during a burst of power.
At this point, as long as you can attack the Howling Soul Stone, you can hurt it!
Of course, attacking the Howling Soulstone from the outside will only injure the Void Raider; but on the Arena of the Unequal, its weakness is magnified countless times. As long as you can attack the weakness, you can take it down in one go!
After recounting the information about the Void Raiders, the rabbit girl began analyzing the player gacha pool.
What kind of team members are capable of killing the Void Raider?
That must be something that can react and launch a timely attack on the weak points when the Void Raider appears and launches a burst attack.
This requires extremely fast neural reaction speed.
After browsing through the pool of potential players, the bunny girl narrowed it down to three candidates:
A ratman, a dwarf boy, and a candle spirit.