Chapter 142: Duel (1) |
Go Nam-cheol was frankly displeased with the Black Scythe.
‘To trust and follow a commander who won’t even show his face. I can’t abide by that.’
Whether it’s the real Black Scythe or not doesn’t matter.
Isn’t the trustworthiness lacking here?
“How do we proceed with the duel?”
“First, let’s move to a more spacious location.”
As Ryu Min stepped outside, the members followed him.
“Nam-cheol, good luck.”
“Thanks.”
“Leave it to me.”
Some, seemingly already close to Go Nam-cheol, whispered words of encouragement.
10 members gathered in the front yard of the assembly area.
Everyone’s eyes sparkled with interest as they watched the two of them.
A duel in the dead of night, illuminated by street lamps.
“Would’ve been nice to have some popcorn.”
“Keke, indeed.”
Ryu Min chuckled, looking at the laughing audience.
‘Laugh all you want now. After this is over, it’s your turn.’
Ryu Min had no intention of dueling only with Go Nam-cheol from the start.
He planned to duel with all 10 members present.
Of course, it wasn’t just for the sake of a power struggle.
As a commander, he wanted to assess the skills, talents, and perseverance of the guys.
“Come a bit closer. We need to apply for the duel.”
“Understood.”
The two stood 10 meters apart.
Ryu Min manipulated something in the air, and a message visible only to Go Nam-cheol appeared.
[The opponent in front of you, has requested a duel.]
[Duel Type ▶ Non-lethal Simple Duel]
[Victory Condition ▶ Inflict any damage]
[If the opponent wins ▶ Correct Busan Warrior’s dialect, Recognize as commander]
[If Busan Warrior wins ▶ The opponent resigns from the commander position]
[Penalty for the opponent ▶ All equipment, skill usage prohibited]
[Penalty for Busan Warrior ▶ None]
[Do you accept the duel under these conditions? Y/N]
As Go Nam-cheol looked at the message in astonishment, Ryu Min spoke.
“If you accept, the duel will proceed under those conditions.”
“What’s this penalty thing?”
“Exactly what it says, penalties imposed only on me.”
“Then…”
“Yes. As you can see, I plan to face you after discarding all my items. I won’t use skills either.”
“…”
Go Nam-cheol’s lips twitched.
The commander was challenging his manhood.
“Don’t take it as an underestimation. It’s to balance things out. An 89-level player wearing gear can’t seriously fight a level 40.”
“Then, this victory condition?”
“When you win, those are the conditions you must adhere to. Kind of like a bet? Of course, you can’t break the promise. The system will force your actions as soon as you accept.”
“…”
Go Nam-cheol considered the scenario where he won.
‘If I win, he’ll resign from the commander position?’
Since actions are forced, he can’t even break the promise.
Of course, this is assuming he wins.
‘It’s doable. No matter how high his level, you can’t ignore the advantage of equipment.’
Simply calculating stats, an 89 level without gear is similar to a fully equipped level 40.
Actually, the level 40 might even be higher.
If they’re equipped with good gear.
Thus, Go Nam-cheol was confident.
His equipment was second to none.
‘Most of my equipment is rare. I even have a unique item.’
His survival up to level 40 was largely thanks to his items.
‘Even if his level is high, without equipment, his stats will be significantly lower. Then, there’s no way I’ll lose.’
With that thought, Go Nam-cheol confidently accepted.
[The duel has been set.]
[The duel between the two will start in 10 seconds.]
This message was sent to everyone nearby.
Go Nam-cheol distanced himself with a serious look.
‘I’ll make you regret imposing a penalty on yourself.’
However, he overlooked one fact.
Even without equipment, each of Ryu Min’s stats was nearing 300.
[Beep-! The duel begins!]
Tadadadat-
Go Nam-cheol closed the distance as soon as it started.
In the hands of the level 40 Blade Master was a sharp longsword.
He was serious since it was a non-lethal duel.
As the distance closed, he sequentially used three skills.
‘Sword Qi, Swift Blade, Blade Dance!’
The longsword was coated in a blue sword qi, increasing weapon damage by 70%.
The Swift Blade buff also increased his attack speed by 70%.
Then, Go Nam-cheol’s body moved dazzlingly as if dancing with the sword, aiming to slaughter his target.
Tap tap tap tap tap-!
“Huh?”
However, right after using the skills, Go Nam-cheol could only wear a dumbfounded expression.
Because he clearly saw the opponent deflecting the blade with his palm.
‘How, how is this possible? He deflected my blade with his hand?’
It wasn’t just a normal attack but a skill charged with five times the usual damage.
Deflecting the skill with his palm required precisely reading the trajectory of the blade and matching the exact speed, which was impossible.
‘This can’t be. It must be a fluke. If I try again, surely the outcome will be different.’
Despite what he saw, Go Nam-cheol swung his longsword again, unable to accept it.
Yet, as if Ryu Min knew every path of his attacks, he deflected them with his hand.
‘This is insane.’
How could one deflect a sword with bare hands, even in movies this is a hard move to pull!
Then, a welcome notification appeared.
[Blade Dance cooldown is over.]
‘This time. Try blocking this!’
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