Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 497: Renard Versus Gus Hopper

Gus Hopper.

He was considered one of the strongest antagonists in the early stages of ELO.

Many players didn’t know that he was a Summoner who could bring forth not just two but four monsters at the same time.

And these monsters were usually a Rank higher than him.

Given that Gus was Rank 4, summoning four Rank 5 Alpha Crimson Mantises was no problem.

If a player accidentally encountered him in any part of the story quest, a battle was inevitable.

If the player and their teammates weren’t wearing the best equipment they could have gotten their hands on, the chances of winning against Gus were zero.

Even now, this rule held true.

The Summoner wasn’t meant to be fought in a one-on-one battle. A fully equipped team was required to defeat him. Even then, the battle would not be easy.

Why?

Because Gus himself had another trump card.

Since he sounded so overpowered, how could Renard win against Gus? After all, the former was a rank higher than him, could summon four Rank 5 Monsters at the same time, and even had one more trump card to ensure his victory.

The answer was really simple, and Renard would demonstrate it in the battle that was about to begin.

"Please welcome Renard Vale!"

The spectators exploded in cheers as the young man made his appearance.

For some reason, more people supported Renard than Gus.

’I guess his personality has done him no favors,’ Alex noted.

Even Henry’s supporters were cheering for Renard, preferring to see him avenge the Gallant Blade.

Renard briefly glanced at Alex before walking toward the centre of the arena, ready to fight Gus until only one of them remained.

"I’ve waited enough already," Gus complained. "Let’s start this battle, shall we?"

Renard narrowed his gaze before pointing his finger at Gus, making the latter arch an eyebrow.

"I will never lose to someone like you," Renard declared.

This earned him a louder cheer from the crowd because who could resist supporting the underdog?

Especially an underdog who—thanks to Alex’s talent of making things up—had a happy ending with Lady Celestria waiting for him!

Compared to the arrogant Summoner getting on everyone’s nerves, Renard was the obvious choice!

"Leave the big talk behind with your dreams, punk." Gus sneered. "Don’t sprout such nonsense when you are awake. Hey, Mr. Commentator, what are you waiting for? Start the fight already!"

Alex nodded and raised his hand.

"Battle Start!"

Gus immediately pressed his palms together, creating two magic circles in front of him.

"Summon!"

A flash of light emerged from the magic circles before two Rank 5 Alpha Crimson Mantises rose from them.

At the same time, Renard pressed his hand on the ground and shouted.

"Summon!"

A magic circle flashed brightly in front of him, and something small sauntered out of the magical formation.

"... Huh?" Lady Celestria blinked several times and rubbed her eyes, but the creature that Renard had summoned did not change!

The rest of the audience was also in a state of confusion because Renard’s summon was a familiar little bun with gangster sunglasses.

"Is this a joke?" Gus frowned. "Have you given up? Is this the best you can do?"

The Summoner scoffed as he looked at Dim Dim, who was adjusting its sunglasses to make sure they wouldn’t fall off during the battle later.

The little bun then slowly reached to its side and took out something from its dimensional storage.

Gus watched with bated breath to see what the bun’s secret weapon was.

It was... a wooden sandal.

As the Summoner doubled over in laughter, Renard turned to Dim Dim.

"Dim Dim, can you really take care of those two insects?" Renard asked.

Dim Dim nodded. "Dim!"

Before the duel, Alex had told Renard there was a way to defeat the mantises quickly so he could focus on targeting Gus.

At first, Renard had thought that his club president was just messing with him.

However, after Alex had reminded him of how their club’s finances hinged on his victory, he had understood that even Alex couldn’t joke during a time like this.

"Kill him and crush that little thing as well!" Gus ordered his two Monsters. "Make it quick!"

As soon as the order was given, the two Crimson Mantises lunged at Renard, ignoring Dim Dim for the time being.

That was a mistake.

With a speed that rivaled a baseball being thrown by the world’s best pitcher, Dim Dim bounced into the air and slapped the two Mantises aside.

Like normal-sized insects that had been swatted, the two flew through the air and crashed against the protective barrier.

"W-What?!" Gus’ shock was written all over his face.

His earlier smugness and arrogance disappeared completely, replaced by confusion.

But before he could fully comprehend what was happening, he noticed that Renard was only a few meters away from him, about to land a killing blow.

Faced with this threat, Gus once again clapped his hands, creating a magic circle beneath his feet before jumping back.

He wasn’t called Gus Hopper for nothing.

His jump resembled that of a grasshopper’s. With a single hop, he distanced himself significantly in just a few seconds.

A third Rank 5 Alpha Crimson Mantis appeared, ready to engage Renard.

Before that could happen, a flying sandal smacked the creature’s cheek, turning it into particles of light instantly.

The wooden sandal then flew back to Dim Dim’s hand after insta-killing its target.

Gus was still in a state of shock, but things were going as planned for his opponents.

After all, this was the very ability they were counting on to win.

———

< Grandma Agnes’ Sandal >

"More effective than fire, poison, and prayers combined."

Item Grade: Legendary

— Grants the passive skill, Insect Slayer [EX]

———

Gus was indeed an opponent who was nearly impossible to defeat for someone who had just started playing ELO.

However, he had met his nemesis—the Dim Sum God’s La Chancla!

Gus scanned the arena and realized that the first two Alpha Crimson Mantises had already been defeated by the little bun. It was even shaking its head while muttering, "Mada Mada Dane."

Alex had told Dim Dim to eliminate anything Gus summoned and leave the Summoner himself to Renard.

It wouldn’t actively attack Gus because this was not its battle. Its role here was to support Renard, allowing him to fight the antagonist that had given Alex many painful memories from his time as a novice player.

’Kukuku! Who’s your daddy now?’ Alex was laughing internally.

The look on Gus’ face after seeing that his summons had been defeated so easily was priceless.

’Too bad, I don’t have a camera,’ Alex thought. ’I’d snap a picture as a memory.’

While Alex was gloating, Gus was gritting his teeth. Aside from summoning a Crimson Mantis one last time, there was only one other thing that he could do to overturn the battle.

Seeing that Gus was striking a familiar pose, Alex crossed his arms.

Back then, he had wondered if the developers of ELO were making fun of the players by creating a character like Gus.

But he now knew that Gus was real, and as much as it annoyed him and countless other players, this cheat character held an ability that was very popular back on earth.

"Henshin!"

Suddenly, a bright flash of light wrapped Gus’ entire body.

When the light receded, the young man was wearing a suit of armor that looked like a red grasshopper with red eyes.

"Gus Hopper Red!" Gus stated, making another fighting pose.

Alex almost facepalmed. This seemed to confirm that the developers had no part in Gus’ skill set and antics.

Since ELO was the real world, it meant that Gus might have discovered some kind of legacy, allowing him to use this special ability that would have made the kids back on Earth look at him with sparkling eyes.

Heck, even Dim Dim’s eyes were sparkling after seeing Gus transform into someone wearing a superhero costume!

’Thank the Gods, there’s no fireworks and no background music.’ Alex patted his chest in relief. ’If that really happened, I don’t know how I would react.’

Gus pointed at Renard, his voice filled with hate. "You’re the first person who managed to corner me like this. I’ll reward you by making you suffer!"

As soon as he finished talking, Gus jumped forward at great speed, leaving booms in his wake.

Renard was barely able to raise his arms to defend himself when the boom momentarily deafened everyone.

Gus was now fighting using his full powers. Unless Renard had other trump cards that he could use in battle, his defeat was only a matter of time.