Death Game: Starting as a Trickster, Pretending to Be a God

Swish, swish, swish!

On the narrow stone path, within that limited space, Snowy Owl had almost abandoned all thoughts of defense and evasion. Like a butterfly weaving through flowers, she recklessly launched a relentless assault around Mountaineer.

After all…

Time was not on her side.

Even standing still, Snowy Owl was slowly losing blood.

So she had to secure victory as quickly as possible—at the very least, within the limited time, she had to inflict this level of damage on Mountaineer too.

She was already fast, and now Snowy Owl pushed her speed to the absolute limit.

Snowy Owl’s [Exclusive Item] was called [Flow State]. It wasn’t the kind of item you activated to turn the tide and clinch a victory in one decisive blow.

Snowy Owl was also definitely not the type to gamble everything on a single throw.

So this [Item] didn’t even need to be ”activated.”

Its effect was permanent.

The more focused Snowy Owl was, the faster her speed and the more refined her skills became.

And now, the arena was deafeningly noisy, the Blackwood Sword still wasn’t quite comfortable in her hands, and the pain in her limbs and the dizziness from blood loss constantly disrupted her focus.

Yet Snowy Owl…

Was extremely focused right now.

Her movements grew faster and faster, her eyes locked almost solely on Mountaineer.

So much so that… not even the full image of Mountaineer registered in her sight at once.

”This time… the side of the waist!”

One precise ”surgical cut” after another was delivered with meticulous care.

This duel was destined to be unfair, because the points Snowy Owl had to strike were tiny, and the slightest deviation would cause her to miss.

What’s more, Mountaineer had deliberately chosen to collide into the blade several times, widening the contact area and triggering her [Item] effect again.

But even so…

Numerous small wounds appeared on Mountaineer’s body.

A dozen wounds emerged, then dozens, nearly a hundred!

Even the existing wounds received extra attention from Snowy Owl, constantly worsening as the battle continued.

Though there were far more missed strikes, Snowy Owl was just too fast!

It was like casting a wide enough net—you were bound to catch some fish.

Strike after strike, one was bound to hit!

From the intense pain, beads of sweat trickled down Mountaineer’s forehead.

”Wow, if my [Item] were being countered like this… wouldn’t that be the same as forcing my opponent to slice me to ribbons?”

But despite saying that, Mountaineer had no intention of stopping Snowy Owl.

After all…

Even though the pain was intense, in Mountaineer’s eyes, it was still within the realm of what she could endure.

Someone like her, who loved mountain climbing and various extreme-environment adventures, had a tolerance level that ranked among the best in the entire world, even globally.

Freezing heat, exhaustion, dizziness, hunger, thirst…

These discomforts that were unbearable for ordinary people were just a regular part of her life, even serving as powerful proof that she was truly alive.

Pain was no different!

The sore and tearing pains in her arms, legs, and core muscles, the pain of her fingers scraping against rock crevices, the pain from accidentally falling and colliding with rocks and ice…

Even though she rarely got hurt now with her [Hyper-Adaptive Malleable Body].

But those memories wouldn’t disappear—they were like her closest companions, forever etched into the deepest parts of her body, never to be forgotten.

”This level, I can still handle.”

Mountaineer gripped her hiking poles tightly, staring at Snowy Owl before her while sensing her own blood loss.

Snowy Owl was focused.

But… she was no slouch either.

As she calculated her own blood loss, she was also calculating Snowy Owl’s!

Indeed, the opponent was strong, and at this rate, she might actually end up being bled unconscious by her.

But…

”The one falling first will be her.”

Right now, her opponent’s blood loss had already far exceeded the ”safe threshold,” and she was purely holding on through sheer willpower.

That was admirable—but Mountaineer understood that while willpower could push someone beyond their limits, it wasn’t a modifier or a cheat code.

After willpower surpassed the limits… there was still an absolute, unbreakable ceiling.

She knew better than anyone just where the upper limit of human willpower lay.

Even though Snowy Owl’s movements grew faster, she was also growing weaker—she could only maintain her speed because of her [Item]’s boost.

In the end…

Just as Snowy Owl swung another strike, Mountaineer stepped forward.

The Blackwood Sword halted mid-air, and Snowy Owl lost consciousness.

But Mountaineer’s perfectly timed step forward caught her.

She held Snowy Owl’s body, preventing her from collapsing, and helped her sit down on the ground.

”It’s over!”

Bi Fang let out a sigh.

”She fought beautifully.”

The Grandmaster praised Snowy Owl, then looked at Loquat Candy. ”Treat her later, deduct it from my allowance.”

Loquat Candy nodded. ”No problem.”

The referee, Earl, watched the scene on the field and began counting.

But…

Even though Order and the Night Watchmen seemed to consider this match settled.

Over in the Free Alliance’s seats, this group still hadn’t relaxed, staring intently at Mountaineer’s movements.

As Mountaineer reached into her bosom, they began muttering under their breath.

”Don’t, don’t, don’t… Please don’t!”

But in the end…

Mountaineer pulled out a glass bottle.

She took a sip herself, and her injuries instantly healed.

Then…

She placed the mouth of the bottle against Snowy Owl’s lips and poured it down her throat.

”Oh man—Sis, what are you doing?!”

Phantom covered his face, letting out a wail.

The others all sighed in unison.

Soon, Snowy Owl slowly regained consciousness—at the same time, the injuries on her hands and feet had mostly healed.

She looked at Mountaineer before her, a puzzled expression on her face.

”What… did you do?”

”Just fed you some potion,” Mountaineer said with keen interest. ”Because earlier you mentioned you had two plans, right… I’ve experienced the second one, but there’s still the first one, isn’t there?”

”You said you’d use absolute offense to break through my defense ceiling—so I want to give it a try!”

With that, Mountaineer pulled a long blade from her bosom and tossed it to Snowy Owl.

”Here, this is your sword—I brought it for you.”

”With this blade, you should be able to go all out and unleash your strongest strike, right?”

Mountaineer spoke with eager anticipation.

Snowy Owl picked up the [Mountain-forge Weapon] blankly, then furrowed her brows.

”Are you insulting me?”

”Absolutely not,” Mountaineer said, pulling up her goggles to reveal her starlight-bright eyes. ”It’s just… my [Class] is [Mountaineer], so for me, challenging limits has been a constant throughout my life.”

”Just like that famous saying—’Because the mountain is there.’”

”We met on this arena platform… I absolutely refuse to let it all end so hastily!”

”Come on, Snowy Owl… I just want to witness your strongest technique, nothing more!”