C16 The Opponent Was a Newbie Girl

Selina had departed, leaving Lin Luo lingering at the entrance of the gravity room, his gaze contemplative as he mulled over the promise he'd made with her moments earlier. A twinge of regret crept in; he felt he'd been shortchanged. Selina's proposal was simple: join the Academy Team, secure a stellar performance, and she'd agree to a date. But the specifics were murky. What exactly qualified as a "stellar performance"? Making it to the top eight or four? Securing second place, or clinching the top spot? His youthful naivety was to blame.

Out of the blue, Lin Luo's communicator buzzed to life. Indeed, it was a communicator, a testament to the Empire's advanced rune technology that had birthed devices akin to mobile phones. Only a select few had Lin Luo's number, and without a second thought, he knew who was on the other end—it had to be the Assassin Girl. She'd likely woken up, realized he was done with his club obligations, and was now eager to dive back into their joint venture on the War Net.

Lin Luo felt duped by the Goddess. The thought of staying in this place of disappointment was unbearable. The War Net beckoned as a welcome escape. He dashed to the Battle Network Training Room, where the Assassin Girl was already waiting.

"Let's go in. We're not coming out until morning," she declared, ever succinct.

A shadow passed over Lin Luo's face. They had indulged in such marathons before, but classes were resuming tomorrow. Was it wise to lose themselves in the game like this? Nevertheless, Lin Luo re-entered the War Net, settling in for the wait. The last battle had made one thing clear: opponents at his current level offered little in the way of improvement. He could amass reward points, sure, but without a system upgrade, even D-class Ninjutsu would scarcely enhance his abilities. His plan was to watch videos of elite-level players after a couple of matches to glean insights into their strategies.

Before long, the system paired him with an opponent. ID: Lilith, Record: 0 wins, 0 losses, 0 draws. A newcomer? Lin Luo couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness.

Lin Luo couldn't gain much combat experience by sparring with newcomers.

The War Net had evolved to become the most favored pastime among the Empire Academy's youth.

Today marked the start of the school year, which explained the influx of rookies he was encountering.

It reminded him of a five-player game from his past life; during holidays, elementary students would swarm in, causing him no end of trouble.

The principle was the same.

He glanced at his opponent's ID: Lilith. Clearly, she was a girl.

This posed a bit of a dilemma.

Should he charge at her and pulverize her with a single punch?

The War Net wouldn't actually let players die, but its hyper-realistic simulation meant players would feel most of the pain associated with death.

And that was not a pleasant experience.

He couldn't bring himself to be that harsh with a novice girl. He needed a subtler approach.

Then it hit him.

Why was he, a ninja, fighting with his bare hands?

He could use a Ninjutsu tool.

Surely being taken out by a Ninjutsu tool was preferable to being blown to smithereens.

If he could manifest the Ninjutsu tools from his mind within the War Net, he wouldn't need to resort to such brute force.

They readied themselves, and the environment shifted.

The setting was still the arena.

Lilith had selected a pair of Rune Pistols, her role being that of a Marksman.

Lin Luo stood in the center of the arena, and with a mere thought, a massive shuriken materialized in his grasp.

It was the formidable Funma shuriken.

Lacking the specific Ninjutsu to accompany it, he could still wield the Funma shuriken using chakura.

The War Net could indeed bring Ninjutsu tools to life, and Lin Luo was quietly thrilled.

He attempted to summon his arsenal once more.

Come forth, three mighty weapons: the Sword of Totsuka, the Yata Mirror, and the Eight Shaku Curved Jewel.

Regrettably, there was no change in his weaponry.

Lin Luo felt a twinge of embarrassment, surmising that only Ninjutsu tools redeemed from the system could be visualized in the War Net.

Both combatants were ready.

Unbeknownst to Lin Luo, the number of spectators in the stands had surpassed a hundred.

For the powerhouses at the Elite Level, attracting tens of thousands of spectators to a single match was commonplace. To them, an audience of merely a hundred was insignificant.

But this was the beginner's area.

Here, having over a hundred people tune in to watch a match was quite an achievement.