"Where are you?"

Mother Mash regained her vision and hearing. She looked around but there was no sign of Nathan.

"[Search]"

The grid pattern again appears on the arena.

She carefully looks around, holding her halberd closely in case Nathan suddenly attacks, as she walked.

Shortly she shook her head and finally stopped searching.

"You again hid in the ground. So this is why you used the flashbang but-"

Swosh-

"-'[Search]' detects pits and traps too!"

Bang-!

She suddenly smashed her halberd on the ground!

The brown wooden board covering a pit was blasted to bits. The halberd doesn't stop and smashes 'something' hiding inside the pit.

Mother Mash sighed and pulled back the halberd.

"You shouldn't have used the same trick twice."

"I agree"

"Wha-?!"

Clang-!

Nathan, falling from the sky, swings the greatsword in his hand. Mother Mash barely blocks the attack at the last second.

The added weight from the fall makes it difficult to block but with her high strength, she manages.

Swish-

Suddenly three spears fly out of the pit and attack her. She couldn't block the spears as she was blocking Nathan.

What Mother Mash hit inside the pit were weapons Nathan left there. Out of all the weapons, he left. Only these 3 spears were not broken.

Clang-!

A yellow hue covers Mother Mash's body. The spears bounce off her skin as if it was made of steel.

"As I thought, your [Steel Body] can't be hurt with Common-grade weapons."

"If you know the-"

"Catch"

Nathan throws a cylindrical object in the air.

Mother Mash reflexively closes her eyes to protect herself from vision impairment because of the flashbang.

Fwoosh-

However, it was a smoke grenade.

Thick smoke spreads in the arena. It became impossible to see farther than a foot.

Mother Mash's expression turns serious.

Nathan's fighting method was too unique and unconventional. She has never seen an awakener using flashbangs and smokescreen to fight.

Slowly, Mother Mash is losing her composure.

"What are you playing at? I can use my skill to find you."

"Then do it."

Swish- Swish-

A greatsword and a longsword attack her from behind, but they bounce off without harming her.

"[Search]"

The grid pattern spread, but no response came.

Crack- Crack-

The sound of cracks opening comes from all over the arena.

She throws her halberd repeatedly but continues to miss.

Finally, after missing 5 times, she stops.

"Why aren't throwing your halberd? Is the skill not working? Use it again. Maybe it will work, or are your aura reserves already low?"

Swosh-

She swings her halberd from where the voice came, but there was already no one there.

Mother Mash's expression turns rough. Nathan's words hit the mark.

[Search] detects the objects connected to the ground. This was how she found the pit, by detecting the wooden board covering the pit.

Nathan was using his weapons to stand above the ground. [Search] won't detect him.

She bought [Search] recently in case Nathan does what he did back in the 1st round. She didn't have time to look for a proper skill. She had to buy a skill with high energy cost.

Though she can still use [Search] a few times, she is trying to save aura for her other skill.

Moreover, recalling her halberd also consumes aura. It is the halberd's weapon skill, to go back to its master.

'Does he know about my skills and stats? No, it shouldn't be possible, but then why does his every move feel so …calculated.'

Swish- Swish- Swish-

A dagger, a hammer, and a spear attack Mother Mash from three different sides.

However, the outcome was no different.

Mother Mash swats the hammer away while the dagger and spear bounce off her skin.

"Can't find me?"

Swosh-

The halberd again passes through the empty air.

Unlike Mother Mash, Nathan wasn't completely helpless in the smokescreen. He was using his art to find her location.

Nathan cannot open his cracks if they are being obstructed. He can't open the cracks inside objects.

He had spread the cracks all over the arena. The area where he couldn't open the cracks was Mother Mash's location.

Mother Mash tightly grips the halberd and decides to wait. The smoke was already thinning. It won't take long for the smokescreen to be lifted.

"Are you thinking of going on the defensive until the smokescreen lifts?"

Gulp-

'Is he planning to do something in hiding? Dammit, I shouldn't have underestimated a mage'

Mages don't fight in close quarters, but there are a few minorities who do.

They are all called battle mages.

Battle mages depend more on tricks and mind games than on spells to win.

Mother Mash knew a few battle mages, but none of them use such unconventional means to fight.

"So, what? Aren't you also using these petty tricks? Do you think you stand a chance after the smokescreen is lifted?"

"Okay, then I'll do as you say."

Nathan agrees to her provocation.

Mother Mash suspects that it is another trick of his.

Surprisingly, Nathan doesn't attack and waits for the smokescreen to lift.

The smokescreen lifts and Nathan waves at her.

He starts chanting another spell and dashes toward her.

'Isn't he a mage? Why is coming in close quarters?'

Mother Mash becomes vigilant at his strange actions.

She tries to focus on her ears, to see if she knows what spell Nathan is casting, but Nathan's voice is too low for her to discern anything.

Mother Mash increasingly becomes agitated.

She suspected Nathan prepared traps while hiding in the smokescreen.

'I must finish him before he can do anything!'

She pulls her halberd back and waits.

Nathan's spell is completed, and he clashes with Mother Mash.

"[Power]"

"<Water Shield>"

"Wha-?!"

A water sphere surrounds Nathan.

'He was chanting a defense spell!?' Mother Mash was caught off guard.

His confidence and immediate dash made her believe that the spell was going to be something more lethal.

She expected Nathan to use anything but a defense spell!

Blop-!

The halberd hit the water sphere.

The water sphere acts as a cushion and absorbs a large portion of the force behind the strike.

Swish-

Mother Mash is looking out for traps when Nathan suddenly attacks with a shortsword in his hand.

?