Chapter 38: Garurumon

Speaking of which, the experience bar had also changed. Previously, no matter how much excess experience there was, it always appeared as full. But now, when one experience bar filled up, another would appear. At the moment, the first bar was full, and the second was at seventy percent, which happened to correspond to a total combat power of one hundred and seventy points. In fact, in his view, ever since the new content update, this total combat power could already be considered as the experience bar, making the duplication unnecessary.

In any case, whether or not it would eventually disappear, for now, it still existed. Since it remained, perhaps its existence still held some meaning, however slight.

[Battle Start!]

[Burrowing Smash] Almost at the very moment the system prompt sounded, the little Kabuterimon charged directly at Digimon One.

[Shield of Control] At the sight, Digimon One’s eyes flashed, and he raised his shield, colliding head-on with the little Kabuterimon. Fine cracks appeared along the shield, not severe, but enough to show that the previous attack had already broken through his defense.

To break through his defense, the little Kabuterimon’s attack must have reached at least three hundred and eighty points. Yet in the next moment, Digimon One brought his sword down upon his opponent.

Though the Kabuterimon’s armor appeared quite formidable, it could not withstand the blade of Digimon One. With a single slash, the armor was torn open, leaving a gaping wound. Kabuterimon’s health dropped by seven percent in an instant.

It was clear that the Kabuterimon’s defense was somewhat better than its attack; both stats seemed close to Digimon One’s own, though still a bit inferior.

So, when Digimon One still had forty-three percent of his health remaining, the little Kabuterimon had already been cut down and killed.

[This skill has no added effects at all. I wonder if the developers will ever update skill effects...] As Digimon One reflected on the battle, thoughts resurfaced of issues he had previously overlooked.

In past battles within the digital world, it hadn’t been like a game, so there’d been no need for visualized skill effects. Now, even as attack and defense had grown, the skills themselves seemed unchanged, with no stacking effects. He felt there was something off about that...

Still, such matters were for the Digimon company to worry about. All Digimon One had to do was play the game in peace. After all, the current situation was in his favor.

“I didn’t expect you to be so strong.” The player opposite eyed Digimon One with clear wariness.

Digimon One replied nonchalantly, “It’s nothing.”

He had originally intended to activate his Burst Mode this match, but unexpectedly, he had no need to do so and secured an easy victory. That alone was something to be pleased about.

The other player spoke again, “I’ve fought the top-ranked player from another server before. I couldn’t beat her. So, if you don’t mind, could you wait here for a moment while I go fetch her?”

Digimon One waved him off, unconcerned. “I need to finish my quest. I’m sure you all know what I’m here for. Once I’m done, I’ll leave. So if you want to do this, make it quick.”

“All right, understood.” Clearly, the player knew what Digimon One was up to. In fact, it was highly likely that most of those gathered in the arena were there for the same quest.

After all, this quest had no level requirement. Even players from the beginner village could take it, so it wasn’t unusual to see so many here.

Having said his piece, the player led his group away.

Not long after their departure, another crowd surged forward. Only then did Digimon One realize he’d forgotten to reset his preferences. He considered doing so, but after a moment’s thought, decided against it.

“Enough talk, let’s get started.” From the crowd, a brash-looking man stepped forward.

“Very well.” Digimon One’s brows knitted slightly and a hint of displeasure crossed his face, but he said nothing more. After all, he needed to complete his quest, and it didn’t matter whom he fought to do so.

“Wait a second, your Digimon is at the Champion stage?” During the preparation phase, after Digimon One summoned his Digimon, he noticed that the brash man had summoned a Champion-level Garurumon.

Garurumon—a beast-type vaccine Digimon at the Champion stage, whose signature move was [Foxfire]. Its body was covered in blue and silvery fur as hard as the legendary rare metal mithril. The blades protruding from its shoulders were razor-sharp, capable of slicing through anything. With muscles honed in the harshest cold and a fierce fighting instinct, Garurumon possessed the agility of a carnivore and deadly precision. Highly intelligent, it was fiercely loyal to those it recognized as master or leader.

The brash man burst out laughing, “Hey, there’s no rule at the entrance that Champion Digimon can’t be used. What, having second thoughts? It’s fine if you want to back out. I don’t even know who you are—our skin tones are similar, but whether we’re from the same server is anyone’s guess. So if you want to quit, I won’t mind.”

Digimon One stared at the man for a moment, then turned his gaze to the Garurumon, a cold smile appearing on his lips. “It’s just a Champion Digimon. What’s there to fear? Come, fight!”

Only after hearing the man’s words did Digimon One realize that during his earlier reset, he’d set the rules to default. In other words, any Digimon could be summoned, not just those capped at the Rookie stage.

Still, it was only the beginning of the game. Not many had Champion Digimon yet; even if they did, most would be unwilling to use them to bully lower-level opponents.

The strongest Rookie Digimon typically had a total combat power of one hundred, while the weakest Champion Digimon started at one hundred and one. But this didn’t mean all Digimon were so neatly categorized. Some exceptional Rookies, such as Digimon One, could break the hundred-point barrier.

Though facing a Champion Digimon was a greater challenge, Digimon One had defeated them before. If all else failed, he could always go Burst Mode—what was there to fear?