139 – Trial Tower 6Th Floor_Parrying
[Sunset: James and Quickdraw Duel Victory and 6th Floor Clear]
James, the Gunslinger of the Wasteland, was a wall for most academy students. The powerful bullets that were shot without a bullet hole and the pressure of instant death that approached as time passed.
In addition, he was a boss with a gimmick.
In the desolate wasteland where the roulette wheel rolls, the sun is in the middle of the sky at the time of entry. James uses various patterns, such as shooting like rain from the sky and throwing bolas.
Time-wasting patterns, such as a herd of buffalo charging from the other side of the map, have also been added. If you don’t wait in the right place, you’ll be swept away.
As time passes, the sun gradually sets and sinks below the horizon, and at that time, the Western-style BGM plays softly and instant death flies all over the battlefield.
It’s a magic bullet that kills you if you get hit.
So, you had to satisfy the so-called ‘deal cut’.
As you break through various patterns, you had to separate James’ head and neck before the instant death flew. That’s why most of them couldn’t get past James. There’s no such thing as a deal that doesn’t exist, no matter how desperate you are.
At least there had to be someone in the party who had reached the realm of allegory, or there had to be so many of them that they could just press it.
6th Floor Gunslinger of the Wasteland James // 11 minutes (MVP: Tara)
The Bennett party had passed through Tara’s deal cut.
The six members of the tower attack team sat down together and began to discuss. Envers and Luna sat together, and the other four sat together. Three of the four were stuck together.
First of all, the interpretation of the conditions is a problem. The Trial Tower kindly informs the players of the challenge conditions through system messages, but…
“What is Quickdraw, Bennett?”
-It says it means to draw quickly, but it doesn’t mean to fight with swordsmanship, right?
“Draw quickly… Bennett, should we go and try to draw quickly?”
-I think we’ll draw faster if we do it together, Bennett.
“…What are you guys talking about now. It’s forbidden by the academy rules?!”
Selvia was startled by the subtle and flirtatious atmosphere between the men. What is this? Do those guys mean they’ve already climbed the ladder of adulthood? Niole… When did that happen?!
However, Bennett took the pink atmosphere as if he was used to it and said,
“I think I’ll ask.”
“…Who are you going to ask?”
“Of course, to James, the Gunslinger of the Wasteland.”
“I don’t understand that idea at all…”
The idea of asking the target of the challenge about the challenge. But in a way, it was a natural story.
If the challenge is to fulfill the wishes of the tower’s inhabitants, then the one who wishes is on that side.
“Let’s hear it directly.”
“You said it was real, and I… I believe the 8th floor is real. The Trial Tower could just be an illusion magic.”
“Even if this is an illusion. A crazy wizard is just weird, but he’s a rational person. Let’s say he gave a puzzle.”
The answer-inheritance, the labyrinth of tentacles, and the many classes that followed all had clear ways to clear them. So it would be the same with this Trial Tower.
There is an answer somewhere. And if it’s a word you’ve never heard before, it would be easier to plant the information than to go through the old books in the library.
“Or maybe there’s a note hidden somewhere on the 6th floor.”
-Then shall we go in first? We can think about it after we try it.
“Yes. Let’s not rush.”
The party entered the Trial Tower.
—- —-
On the wasteland, a man with a cowboy hat in his mouth is standing with his legs crossed. In terms of martial arts, it was a wide-open stance, but most of his firepower comes from his pistols.
So the thing to watch out for is his hands. The posture overall may seem loose, but his fingers and arm muscles are tense with keen tension. He was always ready to shoot.
The moment his opponent attacks, James also begins his attack.
Other parties used this strange gap to consume with preemptive attacks, and so did Bennett, but this time it was different. Bennett didn’t draw his sword and approached a few steps with his bare hands. James’ eyes sparkled with interest.
Bennett asked James, who was twirling his pistol, bluntly.
“What is a Quickdraw Duel?””Oh, a showdown! Are you interested? No, you should be interested. It’s been a while since I’ve seen something so mouthwatering. It’s a sacred ritual of the West. It’s a confrontation that requires guts and skill.”
James told him about the Western duel with great delight. Two people facing each other. They shoot each other quickly and accurately. It’s not romantic if it doesn’t end with the first shot.
Bennett nodded after listening carefully to the rules.
“If that’s the case, I’d like to settle it with that.”
“Oh, yeah! That’s the real showdown! A man who grew up in the wilderness should go out in style. Do you have a gun?”
“If you’re talking about that artifact that makes a thunderous sound, I don’t have one.”
“You talk like a native. Okay, brother. I’ll lend you a gun, so let’s play with it.”
“…!!”
Selvier had a thunderstruck expression at the smoothly unfolding development. He wondered if he could have roasted that short dwarf with words.
“No, no. That’s not good. How short he was…”
Selvier erased his regret with the new grape meta. And wasn’t the simultaneous hit of three ballista shots really cool? That’s it. That’s it.
James lent Bennett a pistol.
Then he took off his clothes and began to remove the steel plates and artifacts one by one. Defensive amulet, shock absorption field generator, recovery artifact⋯⋯.
Bennett also took off his armor and prepared for the duel. James’ expression was full of a broad smile as he matched his romance. The crazy wizard also laughed.
The rest of the party took their seats in the stands (a suitably high rock).
Tara had a tired expression on her face at the sight of James’ tanking equipment, which was still pouring out. It was enough to build a small tower.
“It’s so dirty and hard.”
-Did you hit it really hard when you were annoyed?
“Yeah, I didn’t have to suck it up because I was so full of regret. I just had to hit it hard. It’s annoying!”
-But it only took about 10 minutes. You were cool then, Tara.
Selvier slipped in and asked, looking at Tara and Niole, who were laughing and talking.
“Excuse me… Are you not worried?”
-Oh, Selvier. Worried?
“I mean Bennett. Of course, it’s okay to get hurt in the Tower of Trials, but I think I’d be nervous if it were me….”
“I have a reason to believe. Was it Selvier? It’s okay for us to just watch.”
Tara patted Selvier on the shoulder and sat back comfortably. Niole, on the other hand, took out an artifact. Communication equipment? Selvier wondered what the situation was, but he sat down for now.
The Western duel began.
A spinning top rolls between Bennett and James, and the sandy wind brushes against the court.
If he had been a student with no experience, he would have had to die two or three times to learn how to handle a gun. However, he already knew how to operate it from his experience in this world.
Of course, he’s not proficient.
Compared to James, who shoots his gun at a speed that is invisible to the eye, there is a huge gap in technique between the two. But that doesn’t matter.
“It’s because Niole believes in me.”
-Don’t forget, Bennett? 23, 47, 59, paint, 42, 17, fire.
Bennett shot according to Niole’s orders through telepathy. The firing sounds overlapped with a slight pause.
Bang, taang──!!
A static sound flowed along with the pungent smell of gunpowder.
Bennett slumped down, clutching his side, and James fell backward with a hole in his head. Tara rushed to Bennett to heal him.
The wounds would disappear when he left the tower, but he did so with the ulterior motive of nagging him under the pretext of healing.
Envers muttered as he watched the scene.
“…We could have done it too.”
“No.”
“We could have done it. If you, like that… Niole, read James’ movements. And if I shot like Bennett…!”
“Idiot.”
Luna drew circles of different sizes with both hands. It meant that the difference in specs was inevitable. The shooting just now didn’t seem to require any physicality….
-It wasn’t a fair fight. Was it?
“Yeah.”
-The gun Bennett received was less powerful, and James didn’t remove all his defenses. At first glance, it seemed like a fair one-on-one duel, but the scales were tipped in James’ favor.
“There, physicality.”Venette’s legendary guardian is the sword of the mind. Since the reversal and summoning were free, he summoned the sword for a moment when he was hit, and used it as a shield – an inclined armor.
And.
– I bounced James’s magic bullet that was shot into the sky with magic once more. I returned it. He… shot a magic bullet that would kill instantly after some time. I thought he would shoot it in this match too.
“So, it hit the top of the head. Not the forehead.”
It was the end of the match that happened in an instant.
Cleared the 6th floor of the Tower of Trials.
—- —-
▲ Venette
▲ Envers