Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 31: Mountain Marshes （1）

[Welcome to the team battle map mode—Mountain Marshes.]

[The match will start in thirty seconds.]

Yuka quickly surveyed her surroundings.

She had to admit, the realism of this map hadn’t diminished despite the expanded terrain. She could even see the marsh in front of her bubbling and smell it.

Standing amidst sparse trees, with the marsh ahead, Yuka shifted her gaze to the cockpit screen displaying a map. Three red dots were marked: the largest represented her, while the other two indicated her teammates.

Feeling an earpiece snug in her ear, yet silent for now, Yuka prepared.

[The match begins.]

Swiftly retreating from the marsh’s edge to safer ground, Yuka cleared her throat and asked, "Teammates, are you there?"

"Here."

"Here too."

Two male voices responded in succession.

"Uh, should we pick a battle commander?" Yuka suggested.

In unison, the voices agreed, "You lead."

Yuka: ...

"Alright, I’ll do it." Adjusting her headset, she continued, "Please report your positions. I need to locate you on the map. I’m at the southernmost part, near a cluster of trees and a marsh. For convenience, let’s refer to ourselves as Numbers 1, 2, and 3, okay?"

"Understood, I’m Number 2, in the middle of the map, downstream of the river," came an immediate reply.

"I’m Number 3, also in the middle, but upstream," followed the other.

"Retreat from the riverbank, I’ll join you soon," Yuka instructed. "Find cover in the nearby woods and split up. Oh, and report your weapons."

"Long-range firepower with a broadsword," said Number 2.

"I’ve only got long-range firepower," added Number 3.

As they moved, outside the arena...

Roukujou was comforting his live stream audience, "Pinky hasn’t been around for two days. We’re clueless about her schedule... just relying on luck... Huh? Pinky’s appeared? Where?"

Following his viewers’ directions, he located Pinky’s screen.

"Whoa—" Roukujou gasped, "Pinky’s in a team battle?!"

About to comment, he suddenly heard the official announcer saying, "We’re watching the new Player 100 player, who’s opted for a team battle with randomly matched teammates. They’re on the Red team, currently far from the opposing Blue team."

Roukujou paused, then gave his audience a bitter smile. ’Right, Pinky’s made it to the top 100, of course, she’d have professional commentators.’

He barely managed to muster his energy and said to the audience in the live stream, "Since Pinky now has an official commentator0, let’s listen to what the guy would say about her."

[Pat pat, Saltyfish. You’ll surely be invited to commentate too!]

[Don’t cry, Saltyfish. Go for it, Pinky!]

The official commentator’s voice continued, "We can see that the team of Player 100 has chosen to disperse, while the opposing blue team gathered first and then started searching for their rivals."

On the field, Yuka suddenly remembered something and asked Min, "How long is the match?"

[It’s still half an hour.]

Yuka continued, "How do we distinguish between enemy mechas and our mechas?"

[Your team is the red side, and your mechas will have a wide red stripe on their bodies. The enemy’s mechas have blue stripes.]

Yuka nodded in understanding, then quickly ran towards the river according to the map.

Off the field, the commentator, seeing her move, immediately said, "Player 100 is on the move, following her route... she seems to be heading to meet up with her teammates. Meanwhile, we can see that the blue team has already assembled and is moving southward, about to encounter the red team’s Numbers."

On the field, Yuka had already crossed half of the map when suddenly a panicked voice from Number 2 came through her headset, "Number 1! I’m under attack!"

Yuka kept moving, "How many are there?"

Number 2, "Three, three of them!"

Yuka replied, "Try to hold them off, Number 2, don’t panic."

Yuka, "Number 2?"

There was no more sound in the headset.

On the map, the little red dot of Number 2 also disappeared.

Yuka’s expression darkened, and she quickened her pace.

Off the field, the commentator took a sip of tea and leisurely said, "The current situation on the field is that the red team has lost a player under the full attack of the blue team. Player 100 is still on her way. Can she arrive before the blue team loses another team member?"

On the field, Yuka said to Number 3, "Do you remember the location where Number 2 disappeared? Attack that spot with your long-range artillery, just one shot."

Number 3 hurriedly agreed.

After a loud boom, the commentator saw that the blue team had also lost a player and regretfully said, "The red team’s attack just now cost the blue team a player. But we can see that the blue team didn’t panic but moved towards the direction of the artillery fire, almost reaching the position of the red team’s players. Meanwhile, Player 100 is still on the way..."

Roukujou couldn’t help but frown.

"Is it my imagination?" he said, puzzled. "Why do I feel like the commentator is a bit biased against Pinky?"

[That’s right, he’s definitely targeting our Pinky!]

[I think it’s okay though?]

[Let’s listen a bit longer before drawing any conclusions.]

"Right," Roukujou said, "Let’s see."

On the field, after hearing the explosion, Yuka instructed Number 3, "Now, immediately evacuate your position, fire another shot, and then run backwards. I’ll come to your aid."

Number 3 responded, "Okay."

After a boom, Yuka heard another explosion. This booming sound was closer to her, obviously fired by the blue team.

Her expression became serious, and she asked Number 3, "Are you alright?"

Number 3’s voice was a bit distorted, "I’m okay... just lost a hand and my leg is damaged."

"As long as you’re alive," Yuka sighed in relief.

The fact that the opposing team could assemble so quickly indicated that they were not far apart from the very beginning of the match.

Her own team had lost a teammate early on due to being outnumbered, and now the other teammate was also severely weakened. To turn the tide, it was all down to her.

Off the field, the commentator spoke evenly, "As we can see, player 100 has finally reached her teammate’s location, but the blue team is also about to arrive. The red team is at a clear disadvantage. Can player 100 win?"

"The teams have run into each other!"

The commentator finally showed some excitement, "The blue team initiated the attack with short cannons... but player 100 dodged them."

On the field, Yuka evaded the attack and raised her short cannon to fire back at the rival.

Unsurprisingly, she missed.

The commentator hesitated for a moment, then said, "I had heard that player 100 was not good at firepower attacks, but I didn’t expect her attacks to be this off."

The two blue team players were startled by Yuka’s action and stepped back, but realized the fire didn’t hit them.

Yuka charged forward while they retreated, now close to the two mechas.

She swung her boomerang and then kicked one of the mechas’ cockpits.

The pilot was shaken and dazed, and before he could react, Yuka followed up with a punch to his cockpit.

The other mecha, seeing its teammate under attack, hurried over to help, swinging its long sword directly at Yuka.

Yuka, without even turning her head, kicked her left leg high backwards while punching, hitting the chest of the other mecha.

She controlled her mecha as naturally as her own body, snatching the long sword from the falling mecha and mercilessly slashing at it.

The mecha behind Yuka wobbled to its feet, its cockpit heavily shattered, but it stubbornly raised its left arm’s firepower cannon, preparing to attack her with a short cannon.

Number 3, standing not far away, wanted to help, but he only had a long-range heavy cannon. If he attacked now, all four of them, including himself, would "die" there.

Perhaps one of them would be lucky enough not to have their cockpit completely shattered, but Number 3 couldn’t guarantee that the survivor would be from their team.

While Number 3 hesitated, Yuka’s thrown boomerang had already returned.

Yuka quickly sheathed her sword, turned around, and threw a punch at the mecha behind her holding the short cannon.

The mecha, startled by her, instantly stepped back in the opposite direction of her punch.

It was only then that he realized that at the previous distance, she couldn’t have hit him.

But he had no more time to think.

The returning boomerang fiercely pierced his already heavily damaged cockpit, sending him out of the game.

Yuka swung her sword backward, forcing the approaching mecha to retreat. Then she turned and leaped up, raising the long sword in her hand.

In no time, she slashed down at the junction of the mecha’s head and chest.

The last remaining mecha of the blue team tried to raise its right arm in a last struggle, intending to take Yuka out with its firepower cannon.

But Yuka was faster. The long sword grated against the mecha’s body with a shrill noise.

Yuka landed lightly, half-crouching, and stood up with her sword sheathed.

The blue team’s mecha had been diagonally sliced into two halves.

With all mechas of the blue team down, the match ended.

Number 3 stood there dazed, still not recovered from Yuka’s spectacular close combat.

It was only after the system ejected him from the game that he belatedly realized he had, somehow, won without having to do much.

Off the field, the commentator, who had been silent since Yuka started fighting, finally spoke, "So we can see, the red team has won this match. Player 100’s performance... was very good, winning against two opponents in the final moments. That’s the end of the commentary for this match, thank you everyone..."

Roukujou was genuinely angry this time, "What’s up with this commentator? Did he say anything substantial at all?"

[After listening to all of that, it’s final: this commentator is biased.]

[Absolutely biased against Pinky, right?]

[Did you hear his tone at the end? Praising Pinky was like cutting his own flesh, so reluctant.]

[Exactly. Other commentators focus on the top 100 players, but he was supporting the blue team in his words. He barely mentioned Pinky, no analysis of her tactics or the situation, and even his tone was dismissive.]

[Does he have a grudge against Pinky?]

[Here comes the scoop: the commentator indeed has a grudge against Pinky because he’s a fan of the previous player 100 and has never accepted Pinky defeating his idol!]

[Really?]

[Absolutely true, trust me.]

[Saltyfish, you should be the commentator! You’d be way better than this lousy one!]

Roukujou chuckled bitterly, "But the underground arena organizers would have to invite me..."

"Is this Mr. Roukujou?"

A man in a black suit and sunglasses appeared in the live stream, gesturing invitingly towards Roukujou, and said, "Our boss would like to invite you to be the official commentator for player 100. What do you say?"

Roukujou was stunned.

The chat exploded: [Saltyfish! Wow, you made it!]

[Go for it! Don’t miss this chance!]

Roukujou excitedly said, "Yes! I can do it right now!"

He followed the man in the suit into a small room, where he was asked to turn off the live stream. The room was empty except for a contract on the table. The terms were very generous, and Roukujou almost signed without thinking.

He was then led to a professional commentator’s booth, equipped with better facilities and a clearer view of the battle. He could commentate and stream at the same time!

Calming down a bit, Roukujou asked the man in the suit, "May I ask why you chose me?"

’With so many people and more professional commentators available, why choose a small streamer with just a few tens of thousands of followers?’

The man in the suit smiled, "Our boss said you’re the right fit. I won’t disturb you any longer."

After the man left, Roukujou turned his attention to the screen.

This was Pinky’s exclusive commentary booth. As soon as she entered a match, the screens would automatically lock onto her, saving Roukujou the trouble of searching through multiple screens like before.

Roukujou reopened the live stream, ignoring the frantic barrage of comments. Taking a sip of water to steady himself, he addressed the audience, "I don’t mean to dampen spirits, but have you noticed that Pinky isn’t really cut out for leadership roles?"

[Why do you say that?]

[Wow, don’t say that. Such a bummer.]

[Saltyfish is right, Pinky really isn’t cut out for a commanding role.]

"Yes," Roukujou said, reading the chat. "I stand by my earlier point. Even though Pinky’s weaknesses are evident, she’s better off as a lone wolf. She’s not suited for commanding or being commanded. She’s her own person, with her own style of fighting."

"If there really needs to be a commander, they must be able to work with Pinky’s actions, planning around her," Roukujou added.

[That kind of commander is hard to come by, isn’t it?]

Roukujou nodded, "Yes, that’s why I say Pinky is better off fighting alone. I hope she won’t choose team battles next time."

[Saltyfish, not to rain on your parade, but Pinky just entered another team battle.]

Roukujou was taken aback. He quickly turned and saw that the pink mecha had indeed entered the team battle mode again, still on the Mountain Marshes map.

On the field, Yuka sighed softly.

She had realized that she might not have a talent for leadership.

Back in her days of fighting as a warrior, she simply charged ahead to slash at insectoids, while others followed to finish the job, no need for intricate commands.

She silently planned to tell her teammates once the match started, asking if they could do without a commander...

[The match begins.]

"Can you hear me?"

Yuka replied, "I can hear you."

Another player quickly said, "Ready!"

"Good," the first voice continued, "I’d like to volunteer as the combat commander."

Just as Yuka was about to speak, the person added, "I won’t interfere with your attacks or movements, but I need you to report to me, and I’ll offer suggestions. Whether you follow them is up to you. I’ll fully cooperate with you. Any problems with that?"

Yuka paused, then answered, "No problem."

The other teammate said eagerly, "Commander, you can command me however you like. I don’t like to think too much, I’m very obedient."

The commander, sounding slightly amused, said, "Okay. Then, I’ll be Number 3. I’m in the middle of the map, near the riverside forest. My weapons are long-range firepower and a long sword. Who wants to be Number 1 and 2?"

The other player responded, "I’ll take Number 2. I’m north of the river, among those rocks with lots of cover. My weapons are a sniper rifle and a short cannon."

Yuka said, "Then I’ll be Number 1. I’m in the western bushes, armed with a boomerang and a short cannon."

Number 3 responded, "Understood. Number 2, please stay put for now. Number 1, if possible, move towards my location."

"Just to confirm," Yuka asked, "I can engage freely on the field, right?"

"Yes," Number 3 answered.

Yuka smiled, "Alright, looking forward to working together."

’What an amazing teammate!’ Yuka gripped her boomerang tighter and started running towards Number 3’s position.

Meanwhile, Roukujou watched the match anxiously, "Dear audience, the situation looks challenging."

"Pinky’s opponents this time... it’s the former player 100 and his team."