Season 2 - Chapter 218 - 1 vs. 42 (1)
Right after the tournament began, the broadcasters prepared explanations about the game mode.
"First of all, the game has just started. This ninja mode, could you please explain it?"
Since not much happened in the early stages of a battle royale game, they aimed to make the game more understandable with explanations. Above all, their purpose wasn’t really to provide live commentary but to promote the game.
As their explanation began, Fantasia's official channel started streaming.
— Oh, Fantasia's channel
— What's this ninja mode in Battle Large?
— That's inventive...
— Is this a tournament?
— G-Star has started, wow.
— 100 chickens? Wow.
The commentators kept these factors in mind while commenting.
"Ah, to those who've just joined through Fantasia's official channel, it's okay to start watching from here. Now, commentator, what makes ninja mode different?"
"Yes, ninja mode! It's a new mode introduced in Battle Large. It’s quite different from the existing game’s battle royale characteristics."
"It’s that different?"
The caster and commentator enthusiastically continued introducing the game as scripted. The script consisted of a five minute talk, assuming nothing significant happened during this time.
"Yes! Special items exclusive to ninja mode include the jutsu scroll!"
"Jutsu scroll?"
"Yes."
"Is it like in the comics? Can you use Rasengan? Chidori! Lightning Blade!? Those kinds of things?"
"No, that would really be a shock."
Light laughter spread across the audience when they joked about a famous ninja manga.
— Lol, Rasengan
— Lol
— Literally a gag
— What's this Chidori?
"The ninjas in Battle Large are real ninjas. They’re not agile mages, but real ninjas."
"What do you mean by that?!"
"It means they rely on ninja-like jutsu only."
"Ninja-like jutsu? Does that include things like disguise, stealth, body flicker, or clone techniques?"
"Yes! Exactly! I believe these jutsu will be crucial for combat in ninja mode."
The audience buzzed with excitement after the explanation of jutsu scrolls.
Clone technique? Body flicker technique? Could these actually be used in Battle Large? It felt quite different from the battle royale games they knew.
— Oh, body flicker technique??? Lol
— Looks fun
— Isn't a clone technique almost magic? Lol
— Playing battle royale with clone technique? Lol
— This is almost like LIL's survival mode, isn't it?
"Ah, so the focus is on disrupting the opponent?"
"Yes. There's no magic like burning someone to death just by making eye contact."
"Anyway, incorporating jutsu into a battle royale genre is refreshing. Are there other unique aspects?"
It wasn’t just jutsu that distinguished it from other battle royale games.
"Yes, there's no hierarchy among weapons in this ninja mode!"
In the normal Battle Large, weapons were categorized into rarity levels like rare, hero, and legendary. In ninja mode, such classifications didn't exist. A shuriken was a shuriken. A ring blade was a ring blade and a greatsword was a greatsword.
"Does that mean farming is not that important?"
"Instead, farming for jutsu scrolls will be more important."
In traditional battle royale genres, the disparity in equipment obtained with farming made a difference. In this ninja mode, the gap between equipment had narrowed and farming for jutsu scrolls was more crucial.
"The combat style is also quite unique."
"How so?"
"To increase realism, it's an instant kill if you correctly slice the neck with a sword! It's a system introduced for the first time in Battle Large. Real combat could end in an instant!"
"Instant kill?"
Although instant kills occurred in the normal Battle Large from situations like headshots, it was due to the damage of a headshot exceeding a player’s total health and not because the system guaranteed an instant kill.
Instant kills became a mechanic with the transition to sword fighting. Unlike guns shot from a distance, close-range weapons like swords didn't have the issue of not cutting where they were supposed to cut. The target's health couldn’t just simply decrease a little even after being sliced in the neck. That would greatly reduce realism.
— Instant kill, wow
— If this goes wrong, it could ruin everything
— Instant kill?
— Wow, lol
"Of course, it will be very difficult to achieve!"
"Right! Headshots are hard enough, let alone perfectly slicing an opponent's neck with force... That's much harder!"
"Yes, slashing might be easier, but I tried and instant kills are a bit difficult... Wait, what's that?!"
Just five minutes into the game, a casualty occurred.
"Just as we said instant kills were difficult, an instant kill has occurred!"
"And it's the first kill of the game!? What's going on…?"
The much discussed instant kill just became the game's first kill.
"Ah... Could it be that person?"
"Who? Observer, can we switch to that screen?"
Whispers began to spread about that person, which was mentioned by the commentators in the chat and the audience.
"Is it number forty-two? That Fry Guy?"
"He's a ninja game veteran, so it probably is."
"An instant kill? It must be Fry Guy."
Meanwhile, the observer showed the player's screen.
"Ah, the observer is showing us now! It's a replay! Let's see what ninja action looks like in Battle Large's ninja mode!"
In the replay viewed from a third-person perspective, a ninja swinging a sword caused all the bystanders in the marketplace to flee.
— ???
— What's up with the NPCs?
— Is this Battle Large??
— Lol
— This is bad
New viewers felt shocked by the sight of Battle Large being filled with NPCs. They missed it when the ninja started to dash.
— What's that?
— A person?
— ??
The dark figure swiftly weaved through the pedestrians. Then, his sword flashed brilliantly. A moment later, blood spurted out.
The bystanders panicked even more, scattering in all directions.
— ???
— Is that a kill?
— Did they fast forward this?
— Wow
It was impossible to understand what happened at the original speed.
[1 → 28]
[Instant Kill]
[59/60]
The text appeared slightly later and precisely explained what just occurred.
"Wow, what speed! Insane, right!? But, can we see that a bit slower?"
Upon the caster's request, the scene was replayed at about 0.3 times the speed.
"Now it looks normal."
— Lol, really
— If it weren't for the NPCs, it'd seem normal
— Wow
— Why is it so fast?
"At any rate, he was incredibly fast. Is this also a kind of ninjutsu?"
"I'll take a look," said Yu Ji-Ho, the pro gamer invited to commentate. He stared intently at the slowed replay and asked, "No, is this person from the Hidden Leaf Village?"
— Lol
— Seriously lol
— Talking as if he was going to analyze and that's it? Lol
— Analysis over? Lol
"First of all... he utilized the chakra emission very well at the exact moments. Plus, he used the ninja running technique in between to double his acceleration, reaching maximum speed in an instant."
"Ah... So if we compare it to cars, his zero to one hundred is remarkable?"
"Yes. And he perfectly turned corners in the process? He made such a play while being surrounded by NPCs."
— Just like a real ninja
— So cool
— Who is this person? Even their silhouette looks handsome.
— Must be from the Hidden Leaf Village
— Seems like it's Almond? Just came from his livestream
While the chat slowly leaked that the player was Almond, it hadn't been mentioned at G-Star yet.
"It’s definitely Fry Guy."
"He's got some serious ninja skills."
Most people still thought it was Fry Guy because the ninja outfit didn't reveal faces properly.
"Plus, the time he took to identify his opponent was incredibly short. He realized their movement was different from the NPCs... and that person's appearance was almost indistinguishable from the NPCs, right?"
"Ah? Is this perhaps that ninjutsu?"
"Yes. It seems to be a disguise technique, but it was too easily spotted."
"Right. Wait, what? In the blink of an eye, a head flew off!"
People still thought he was Fry Guy.
The caster casually mentioned, "So that was player number one's screen!"
The audience went silent for a moment and started murmuring.
"... Number 1?"
"Wasn't it number forty-two?"
"What? Who is that?"
"It’s not Fry Guy?"
They felt puzzled about who number one could be while viewers on Fantasia’s official account stream found the situation amusing.
— It's Almond.
— No, number 1 isn't Almond. It's Hodu.
— Number 1 is Almond???
— Those jerks, stop socializing and look at the internet! If you see Almond's live stream, you'll know!
— Did they bet without knowing Almond was there? Number 1's odds are insane! Lol
— Well, if they’re there, are they gonna turn this on to watch? They have a huge live screen right in front of them...
"Shall we go to the one who received the most bets next?"
"Yes, number forty-two, right? This player is also in a similar place. The marketplace seems to be the hotspot."
"Ah, it’s like the original mode's armory..."
***
Meanwhile, Almond had finished off the enemy with an instant kill and remained in the marketplace where he bought several more weapons with the money he stole. He was well-equipped now.
The encircling barrier still spared the marketplace, allowing him to stay there longer. His starting location was like hitting the jackpot in battle royale terms.
[40 → 4]
[Shuriken]
[50/60]
[46 → 39]
[Excessive Bleeding]
[49/60]
As the survivors dwindled to the forties, Almond still desired something even though he was well-armed.
"Are there no more ninjutsu scrolls?"
That something was a ninjutsu scroll. He had found a book on the ninja he instantly killed.
[Ninjutsu Scroll - Disguise Technique]
[The disguise technique is a skill, or ninjutsu, that allows ninjas to perfectly transform into someone else. If you possess this scroll, you may use the disguise technique.]
[Collecting three of the same ninjutsu scrolls will evolve it to the next stage.]
The ninjutsu scroll contained the seal for the disguise technique.
"Disguise technique..."
He finally understood why that ninja wasn't wearing traditional ninja attire. The enemy had used the disguise technique to hide among the NPCs.
Almond couldn't find him even after closely looking. He only noticed when the enemy’s movements completely diverged from the NPCs.
"It can evolve with three...?"
It was just his intuition. He felt that this ninjutsu scroll would play an important role in this game.
"Where did he get this disguise technique from?"
— Right?
— Must be close by??
— Maybe somewhere around here? The game hasn't started for long.
Right, it had to be nearby. Almond thought the same after asking. The game just started, so it wouldn't make sense if it had been found far away.
"Is there a ninjutsu scroll shop?"
Almond roamed the marketplace to see if there were any more shops, but the only shop available in the marketplace was the general store. If everything was available here, the balance would probably be too off.
"Then it's not a shop..."
Almond entered one of the nearby tiled houses.
"What, what is this!? Who's jumping over the wall!?"
NPCs shrieked and threw a fit, but no one stopped him.
Almond walked around the house, inspecting every book and scroll.
"You, you brute! Can't you see the elder is studying?!"
Click.
He even snatched a book an NPC, who looked like a nobleman, was reading.
[Solve and solve again, a hundred revisions... - Yi Hwang]
It wasn't a ninjutsu scroll. It was just a textbook.
— The title lol
— Special lecture for civil service exams
— What's with that deadly serious title? lol
— The study method of a loyal subject lol
"This isn't the way to find it..."
It would take forever to find the ninjutsu scrolls like this. Items available to farm wouldn't be so ambiguous. The developers would have made it more noticeable.
"Huh?"
Almond turned and gazed at the bookshelf.
Wooing...
Something was faintly glowing blue. It looked like a ninjutsu scroll. He approached the bookshelf.
Boom!
Something exploded in the courtyard of the tiled house.
Ssshhhhhh!
It was a smoke bomb.
"An enemy?"
Player number forty-two had started his ambush.