Chapter 043: The Master of Verbal Sparring

After Chiyuki Kamihara left, Su Cheng found himself alone in the spacious apartment.

Ryousuke Araki usually returned from singing at the bar after three in the morning, and Uncle Yasui worked overtime almost every night until ten, so he wouldn't be back any time soon.

What lingered in Su Cheng's mind was what Uncle Yasui had said before he left last time, warning him to be careful of foxes. Then, he encountered a fox spirit in the Asakusa Temple instance. Was it really just a coincidence?

"Perhaps it was just chance. Uncle Yasui doesn't seem to be a horror game player," Su Cheng mused, opening the horror game icon on his phone. There was still a week before the next instance would open, giving him time to rest and improve his abilities.

He tapped to check his character attributes, and a stream of information appeared on the screen.

Player: Su Cheng
Title: Maniac Swordsman (Swordsmanship proficiency +10%)
Class: None
Skill Specialization: D+ Swordsmanship, E Archery
Rank: Bronze, Tier Three
Equipment: [Eye of Sin], [Demon-Breaking Bow: Red Phoenix], [Shadow of the Gale] (class weapon)
Game Points: 8150

The story instance had been extremely difficult, but the rewards and experience gained were generous, propelling Su Cheng from Bronze Tier Four to Bronze Tier Three.

"E-level Archery specialization? I don't recall unlocking that skill," Su Cheng pondered. It was likely that players could unlock and improve specialization skills by training them in real life. If he practiced archery often enough, perhaps his proficiency in archery would improve in the game as well.

That would save him a good deal of game points, and using experience books to raise proficiency was like receiving enlightenment in a martial arts novel—one could gain powerful skills quickly, but they would feel rigid and formulaic, lacking flexibility.

Still, to improve his proficiency in archery and swordsmanship, Su Cheng needed a suitable venue, such as an archery club. Tokyo had no shortage of archery and kendo clubs, but most were membership-based and quite expensive.

He had just received his reward for clearing the "Nightmare at Asakusa Temple" instance from Night God Wei, so money wasn't an issue.

Besides daily practice, combat was another way to increase skill proficiency and harmony.

"Arena?"

Now, Su Cheng noticed that after reaching Bronze Tier Three, the game's arena feature had unlocked. Any player could challenge others in the arena, and defeat there did not result in death, so one could fight without worry.

According to the arena rules, players could only participate in one arena battle per day, and needed to pay 500 points for an entry ticket.

In arena mode, a player could win up to twelve matches, but after three losses, their run was over. The more victories, the better the rewards. While players could use any equipment or items, consumables like potions and talismans were forbidden.

"Interesting."

A slight smile curled Su Cheng's lips as he purchased an arena ticket and queued up.

The horror game's arena had five ranks: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Supreme, and King.

Since almost all players at this stage were Bronze rank, Su Cheng matched with an opponent within seconds.

The arena had a "face-morphing" feature, allowing players to freely change their appearance and hide their identity. With enough skill, you could create the face of an international superstar in moments.

Su Cheng didn’t bother with face-morphing; he simply put on the Slaughter Demon mask to conceal his face.

"Match successful. Player entering arena."

The moment the system voice sounded, a wave of scorching heat swept over Su Cheng.

In the next instant, the scenery shifted: he found himself in what seemed to be the Buddhist vision of Avici Hell. Crimson earth cracked open, spewing fires hot enough to melt steel instantly. Giant bronze cauldrons boiled with molten iron.

Terrifying wails echoed all around. Su Cheng saw countless souls tossed into the cauldrons like dumplings, suffering as their flesh, bones, and blood were fused with magma and flame.

"This scene is truly terrifying," he thought.

Despite being in Avici Hell, Su Cheng felt only heat and no real danger. It seemed the hell was a phantom setting, not real.

Yet, seeing the tormented souls and hearing their desperate howls was still unsettling.

A flash of light, and not far ahead appeared a blond, blue-eyed man.

This must be his first opponent.

Su Cheng was surprised to see that the player had chosen the face of Leon S. Kennedy, the protagonist from Resident Evil.

"Hey, looks like a newbie. Today’s my lucky day," the blond man said, a veteran of the arena who immediately recognized Su Cheng as a first-time arena fighter. He spoke with relaxed confidence.

The horror game’s arena was unlike those in ordinary mobile games—not only did you face other players, but you also had to overcome psychological fear.

Many newcomers froze, unable to perform under the hellish setting, and were crushed by their opponents.

But Su Cheng quickly adapted to the arena’s environment, focusing and slipping into battle mode.

"Huh, adapted already? This newbie’s not bad," the blond man remarked, though his expression remained casual.

Su Cheng's equipment consisted only of a sword and a demon mask, making him look rather shabby.

"Haha, just a broken sword? You’d better surrender now, or you’ll get your face smashed," the blond man sneered.

His rank was Bronze Tier Three, but his trash talk was King-level. Perhaps his title was "Master of Trash Talk," as he had been taunting Su Cheng since the start.

It was a tactic, a way to put psychological pressure on his opponent.

But such taunts were nothing to Su Cheng—like a mosquito’s bite, utterly harmless.

While the blond man kept babbling, Su Cheng suddenly kicked off and charged straight at him.

"You fell for it! Fool, challenging me head-on," the blond man sneered. In the arena, the first to attack was usually at a disadvantage. He used his trash talk to bait Su Cheng into attacking first, gaining the upper hand.

His plan seemed to be working.

But just as the blond man congratulated himself, Su Cheng was already upon him, blade slashing from the front.

"Wait, why is this newbie so fast?"

The blond man froze for half a second before raising a police riot shield in front of him.

The riot shield, taken from a Resident Evil instance, reflected damage and was tough for ordinary melee weapons to break.

The blond man had defeated many melee players by reflecting their attacks with this shield.

"Demon mask guy, you’re too young. No one can breach my defense!" he said confidently, ready to counter as soon as Su Cheng’s attack bounced off the shield.

He assumed Su Cheng specialized in agility, not strength—so he couldn’t possibly break through.

A pitch-black streak of blade swept in front of the blond man, followed by a surge of power slamming into the shield.

Feeling the immense force transmitted through the shield, the blond man was stunned—it seemed far beyond what the shield could withstand.

Crack.

The shield in front of him was sliced in half by the long blade.

Blade light flashed; the blond man’s vision went dark, and when he came to, he had vanished from the arena.

On the arena scoreboard, a big red cross marked his defeat.

"Damn it, I got one-shot by that newbie? What kind of joke is this?"

In a single apartment in Tokyo's Shibuya district, a pimply, bespectacled young man bellowed in disbelief, as though he had swallowed a fly and now wanted to spit blood.

He hadn’t even shown his true strength, and was instantly defeated.

"Again. I refuse to accept this!"

Whether his luck was good or bad, he matched with Su Cheng once more.

"You again?"

Su Cheng frowned; the blond man’s strength was so lacking, it felt like bullying a rookie—no challenge at all. Su Cheng had come to the arena to hone his swordsmanship, and fighting the blond man did nothing to help.

If the blond man knew Su Cheng was disappointed with his lack of skill, he would probably spit three liters of blood in rage.

"Last time was just luck. This time, you won't be so fortunate," the blond man said, hiding behind his riot shield as he pulled out a Desert Eagle and aimed at Su Cheng.

"Let me show you the power of gun-shield tactics!"

He shouted, determined to regain his dignity.

But this time, he didn’t even get the chance to fire—Su Cheng stabbed right through the shield with a single blow, finishing the match amid laughter and cheers.

"Damn it, how did I lose twice in a row to a newbie? I don't believe it!"

The blond man was wild with frustration, but his third match landed him against a professional. He barely lasted a minute before ending his arena run with three consecutive defeats.

His mindset shattered, the bespectacled man logged into the player chat group and vented about his experience.

"Unbelievable, I just encountered a newbie in the arena and got sliced in one blow."

Soon, someone replied.

"No way, with your skill, you shouldn’t have been one-shotted."

"That bastard must be using cheats—my riot shield couldn’t stop him!"

"There’s no way to cheat in a horror game. You must’ve run into a master. I’m free now, so I’ll head to the arena and see if I can meet this expert."

"Haha, who dares call themselves a master in front of Ye God?"

"Let’s all go watch Ye God crush that demon mask guy!"

With someone stirring up trouble, all the players in the chat group swarmed into the arena to spectate.