As the absolute protagonist of this E+ grade difficulty dungeon, if Batman were placed in an equivalent position in an enemy faction, Chris guessed he would at least be a Champion template. As a human, he would possess immense comprehensive combat strength. His four main attributes would all far exceed those of an ordinary person, yet no single attribute would be overwhelmingly exaggerated.
He wasn't like Chris, whose heavily strength-biased build was slowly turning him into a humanoid troll.
Chris's initial judgment was that a single charge could send Batman flying, buying him time to escape. He hadn't expected the Wayne Group's weapons R&D division to be quite that impressive. Their reverse-engineering of the Electrocutioner's gear had produced a device capable of temporarily granting Batman a massive boost in strength. Originally, Batman was merely superhuman; now, he was virtually a juvenile troll in terms of raw power.
Their Strength stats had perfectly matched, thus triggering the "Phase Movement" effect instead of a knockback.
Ironically, this only accelerated Chris's escape plan.
Chris phasing straight through him had severely rattled this particular Batman's worldview, a worldview that had not yet been thoroughly polluted by the existence of superpowered beings like Superman, The Flash, or Wonder Woman.
After all, no matter how outrageous the gang leaders currently occupying Gotham were, they still operated within the realm of comprehensible science and technology. Chris's Martian Manhunter-esque phasing ability completely exceeded the understanding of this "1989 movie version" Batman.
His mind may have been baffled, but his reflexes remained razor-sharp. Functioning almost entirely on muscle memory, the moment Chris passed through him, Batman cleanly threw out a wire-attached Batarang with a backhand flick.
Unfortunately, it wrapped around absolutely nothing. The Batarang harmlessly phased through Chris's ankle just as he took the stairs three at a time. It completely failed to bind onto any physical substance.
One could only say that if Batman's reaction speed had been just a fraction of a second slower, he might have been able to successfully snag Chris after the brief three-second Phase Movement effect ended.
By then, Chris had already reached the secluded, quiet alleyway above. Without missing a beat, he sprinted straight toward the brightly lit, heavily trafficked main street.
Naturally, Batman immediately chose to pursue.
However, the moment he emerged from the stairwell, years of rigorous training and honed combat instincts screamed at him. He instantly pitched into a lateral roll.
In the very spot he had been standing merely half a second prior, an emerald-green arrow embedded itself into the pavement.
Delayed by this single arrow, Chris had managed to put more distance between them. In reality, it was a gap Batman could have easily closed with a single swing of his grapple gun. However, the appearance of this emerald arrow caused Batman to decisively retreat back into the shadows of the tavern stairwell.
"So they really are working together..."
Batman's sharp gaze swept across every high-rise crevice and rooftop shadow that could conceal a sniper. Yet, whoever had fired the arrow had completely vanished.
The reason he jumped to this conclusion was based on his intelligence network. According to his informants, several identical emerald-green arrows had recently been discovered around the Mothcave in Gotham's eastern old industrial district.
With this realization, Batman took two steps backward, his entire figure melting seamlessly into the darkness of the tavern.
Completely unaware that he had just been remotely "helped," Chris merged into the bustling street. He had already un-equipped Captain America's Shield utilizing the template's feature. Yet, he acutely felt that he was drawing even more attention. Numerous pedestrians were covertly pointing at him and actively trying to put as much distance between them and him as discreetly as possible.
Chris was a bit puzzled at first, but when he looked down at his recently changed clothes, he immediately understood.
It seemed the Moth Gang uniform was infamous throughout the city, and utterly despised.
Indeed, this was one of the major drawbacks of a gang enforcing a standardized uniform. Other gangs in the city didn't suffer from this particular annoyance.
Chris, however, was thick-skinned. After confirming that Batman hadn't followed him for some unknown reason, he decisively pulled out his city map to check the gathering points of several other gangs. He was preparing to try and collect the profiles of a few other gang types.
Just then, a stranger's hand abruptly clamped down on his shoulder. Chris nearly jumped out of his skin. After landing and whipping around, he finally got a clear look at the person.
The newcomer was dressed remarkably like a cinematic Robin Hood. A fitted hat sat atop their head, and a scarf obscured the lower half of their face. However, their visible eyes and brow were so exquisitely delicate that, for a moment, Chris couldn't discern their gender.
Unfazed by Chris's highly dramatic flinch, the newcomer maintained a calm demeanor and asked bluntly.
"Friend, are you of the Shieldbearer class?"
...
Gotham City Main District, Burger Lord.
Chris, his mouth stretched impossibly wide, took a bite that annihilated nearly a third of his Burger Lord Triple-Cheese Beef Burger. Sitting across from him, the archer player, Irene, absentmindedly chewed on her straw, blowing bubbles into her Pepsi.
The table was completely covered with burgers, chicken nuggets, and large fries, all ordered specifically for Chris. The one treating him to this feast was, naturally, the beautiful player who had initiated the conversation.
After becoming Chosen Players and having their bodies digitized by the Space, it was common for players to experience a drastically heightened utilization rate of physical energy.
Players engaged in combat exerted physical and mental effort equal to their maximum stat panel outputs for extended periods. The cost of this was a massive expenditure of caloric energy. In layman's terms: they got incredibly hungry, incredibly fast.
To Chris, these piles of greasy burgers and chicken nuggets were premium fuel. Only by eating and drinking his fill could he have the energy to face the upcoming battles.
"As expected of a Shieldbearer. You really can eat."
Watching Chris shovel one high-calorie junk food item after another into his mouth, Irene voiced a heartfelt sigh of awe.
"Is 'Shieldbearer' your exclusive term for melee players who use shields?"
After inhaling his third burger and washing it down with milk, which they had to tip an employee extra to run out and buy, Chris finally asked his question tentatively.
"Huh? Are you a rookie?"
Picking up on the underlying ignorance in Chris's question, Irene raised a delicate eyebrow, staring into his eyes with blatant surprise.
"Yeah."
"Which trial number is this for you?"
"If the tutorial counts as one, then this is my first."
"Hah?! A complete newbie?! You've gotta be kidding me!"
Hearing his answer, Irene shot up from her seat. The screech of the chair legs, the jostling of the table, and her unrestrained volume instantly drew the eyes of nearly everyone in the dining hall toward the already eye-catching girl.
Noticing the myriad of stares, Irene visibly flushed red for a brief second. She quickly and obediently sat back down, pulling the brim of her hat lower before leaning across the table to whisper.
"Friend, you really aren't messing with me?"
"No. There's no reason to lie about it."
Chris continued popping chicken nuggets into his mouth without batting an eye. He then watched as the woman across from him stared blankly back, her face twisting into an incredibly conflicted and awkward expression that she clearly couldn't quite control.
"...Uh, I'm not trying to pry into your secrets or anything. I'm just purely curious... what was your tutorial blueprint?"
Realizing her question might have crossed a line in the Space's etiquette, Irene hastily appended an explanation.
"If you don't wanna say, you totally don't have to! I really don't mean any harm by it!"
"Ghosts 'n Goblins," Chris answered plainly.
"...Hah?" Irene froze.
"Ghosts... 'n... Goblins," Chris repeated, enunciating every syllable clearly.
Finally confirming that her ears hadn't deceived her, Irene slumped back into her chair, adopting a completely defeated slouch as her eyes glazed over in stunned disbelief.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]