[You have challenged the leader of the black wolves, 〈Requiem〉, to a duel.]
[Though still unhealed from injuries sustained in a duel with the white wolf leader, he has chosen to accept your challenge.]
[Defeating Requiem will automatically complete the ‘Lord’s Request 2’ quest.]
[The 1:1 duel chance granted as a quest reward will be consumed.]
Walking the path opened by the black wolves, Yuda read the messages appearing before him.
‘Injured, huh…’
Though he was unsure how severe the injuries were, if they weren’t fully healed, some of its stats must have decreased. Yuda’s gaze fixed on Requiem. Just like during the duel with Korkan, the black wolves cleared space around their leader, forming an arena. Standing in the center of this wide clearing, Requiem awaited Yuda, exuding an imposing presence that made it hard to believe it was injured. Its usually impassive eyes sparkled with interest, as if the duel was quite intriguing. What a bold creature. Yuda felt almost captivated by Requiem’s demeanor.
‘Status window.’
──────────────────────────────
「Status Window」
[Name: Requiem]
[Title: The Noble One]
[True Name: Leader of the Pack]
[Level: 38]
[Job: King]
[Race: Black Wolf]
[Strength: 61(-11) (C) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 53(-10) (C) / Potential B]
[Agility: 63(-12) (B) / Potential A]
[Mana: 44(C) / Potential B]
[Mana Resistance: 53(C) / Potential B]
[Charisma: 66(B) / Potential A]
「Traits 3/5」
[Primal Instinct] - Rank: B
[Leader] - Rank: B
[Under the Moonlight] - Rank: B
「Skills 5/5」
[Stealth] - Rank: C
[Ambush Attack] - Rank: C
[Howling] - Rank: B
[Mana Burst] - Rank: C
[Weapon Break] - Rank: C
──────────────────────
Maybe the injuries were significant, as its strength, agility and stamina were all reduced by about 20%.Yet, despite the reductions, its level and stats were higher than expected.
‘I thought it was around level 30.’
It was 8 levels higher than that. In the game, its stats were boosted for group battles to avoid instant kills, but Yuda hadn’t expected it to backfire like this. Fortunately, the substantial stat reductions offered some relief.
He wasn’t planning to flee, so it was a minor issue. Passing the bowing wolves, Yuda suddenly realized he was holding a torch.
Whoosh!
The torch blazed fiercely, as if saying, “What are you looking at?” The oil-soaked cloth must have been of high quality, as it burned for a long time. Having light in the darkness was undoubtedly beneficial, but holding it during a fight was cumbersome.
‘Moonlight…’
Looking up, he saw a near-full moon. How fortunate. Was a moonlit night a condition for meeting Requiem? The bright light of the large moon illuminated the plains. In a forest, dense foliage would have obscured it, but in the open plains, the moonlight shone directly overhead, making it easy to see in the darkness.
Yuda tapped the ground with his boot, exposing moist, fertile soil beneath nameless grass. He thrust the torch into it, kicked the handle to snap it, and smothered the flames with dirt.
The moment the fire went out, the darkness closed in further. The light that had illuminated the surroundings dimmed, making it temporarily hard to see, but Yuda’s eyes soon adjusted. Activating 〈Shadow Sorcery Form 2 - Magic Eye〉 made the surroundings clearer even under moonlight. Requiem patiently waited, sitting on its haunches, until Yuda completed his preparations. Holding a bastard sword and drawing a dagger from his waist to grip in reverse, Yuda assumed his stance.
Seeing Yuda ready, Requiem rose and sauntered forward. Smiling faintly, Yuda said,
“Thanks for waiting.”
…….
Requiem remained silent, only smirking with its eyes and stepping forward. Its predator’s gaze sent thrilling shivers through Yuda. Then, Requiem’s form blurred into the background and vanished.
‘Stealth?’
A blunt whoosh distorted the air in front of Yuda. He ducked quickly and lunged forward, feeling something pass over his head. Turning immediately, he stared at the empty air. Nothing was there, but overgrown overgrown weeds were flattened, as if something heavy had pressed down on them.
Pah!
Yuda saw his black wolf hide clothing torn by something sharp.
‘Oh, shit.’
Glancing at the torn fabric, Yuda swung his bastard sword upward, feeling resistance but no solid hit. No blood stained the blade’s tip, suggesting he had only grazed Requiem’s fur or hide. However, the moment the sword connected, it seemed to register as an attack, causing Requiem’s stealthed form to reappear. Its eyes seemed to say, Not bad, before it melted back into the air.
Frowning and stepping back, Yuda activated 〈Shadow Swordsmanship - Form 1: Potential Unleash〉, a technique he had rarely used. While it continuously consumed a small amount of mana, it granted a bonus to reaction speed and swordsmanship as long as he held his sword.
The effect wasn’t particularly significant, but activating the skill made Yuda’s sword swings smoother and faster. Still, Requiem’s attacks remained blurry and hard to track. Its massive size meant a wide attack range, forcing Yuda to dodge with exaggerated movements.
‘The efficiency of Stealth is higher than expected.’
Of course in the game, the Stealth skill was more efficient than typical buff skills. It increased evasion, boosted attack power, and allowed the user to vanish from the enemy’s sight. That efficiency carried over into this world as well.
Yuda had thought Tia’s B-rank mastered Stealth was quite threatening, but Requiem’s C-rank Stealth was no less formidable. However, the difference in rank was significant; Requiem’s presence was relatively easier to sense, and the air shimmered faintly with its movements, making it easier to gauge its position.
When standing on the widely spread shadows, Requiem’s position even appeared as a red dot on the 〈map〉. The problem was that, while Yuda could track its location, he couldn’t precisely predict how it would attack.
Yuda could somewhat respond thanks to the heightened intuition granted by 〈Warrior’s Spirit〉 and the fact that Requiem’s lower-rank Stealth briefly dispelled during attacks or defenses. Of course, this weakness would vanish if Requiem had mastered B-rank Stealth, but…
‘At least not now.’
Dodging Requiem’s attack, Yuda threw the dagger held in reverse in his left hand. Requiem deflected it with its hind leg, briefly revealing itself as Stealth broke. Instead of throwing another dagger, Yuda opened his 〈Inventory〉 and pulled out three small glass vials filled with fluorescent liquid. These were items he had stored with Tia long ago and hadn’t removed, fortunately having plenty in stock. With deft skill, he wedged the vials between his fingers and threw them all at once toward Requiem.
…!
The vials glinted in the moonlight, and perhaps mistaking them for daggers, Requiem turned and swatted them with its forepaw. That was exactly what Yuda wanted. The moment its sharp claws struck the vials, they shattered with a crisp sound, splattering fluorescent liquid over its paw. Though Requiem vanished again with Stealth after defending, the glowing liquid on its paw shone brightly in the darkness. Not just its paw. But any part touched by the liquid glowed. Requiem looked down at its fluorescently glowing forepaw with a visibly flustered expression.
If it had been ordinary blood or dye, it would have vanished with Requiem’s Stealth, but this was a mana-infused substance crafted by alchemists. It would naturally ignite and disappear after a time, but until then, Stealth was useless. Yuda let out a satisfied chuckle at the sight.
“Sorry. But with our size difference, you’ll forgive a little cheating, right?”
…….
…!
Speaking leisurely, Yuda charged without hesitation toward Requiem, now glowing like a firefly. Unlike his earlier passive stance, he was now aggressive. Requiem, perhaps realizing Stealth was futile, stopped using it and began fighting Yuda with pure physical prowess.
“On this stage…!”
Ducking his head, Yuda narrowly avoided a vicious paw with razor-sharp claws slicing through the air. If he had taken it head-on without blocking, it would have torn flesh and shattered bones. Feeling a chilling thrill and sweating palms, Yuda locked eyes with Requiem and continued.
“Doesn’t it feel like we’re dancing? You and me!”
It was an atmospheric night. Unlike a man and woman whispering sweet nothings while dancing, a beast and a human were wielding weapons to take each other’s lives, yet it felt much like a dance. At the very least, they were indeed dancing on the stage called the plains.
…….
…!
The taciturn Requiem, perhaps understanding Yuda’s words, bared its gums and lunged with sharp fangs, aiming to snap his neck in one bite. Yuda leaped back, kicking off the ground. Hearing the sound of jaws snapping through the air, he let out a chuckle.
A gap appeared, and Yuda didn’t miss it. Pulling his sword close, he activated 〈Shadow Swordsmanship - Form 3: Single Point〉. Black particles generated by Yuda’s mana gathered along the bastard sword’s blade, transforming it into a massive lance. Stepping forward, he thrust the sword with all his might.
Krrang!
At that moment, Requiem’s eyes flashed, and mana began to flow from its body. Yuda’s eyes widened, his pupils contracting.
‘Mana Burst!’
It was a skill used in the game to push back nearby enemies. Yuda recalled its range was about two meters, and being hit would cause temporary stun. Seeing Requiem assume the exact same stance and motion as in the game, Yuda burst into laughter.
“Ha, hahaha!”
Canceling the Shadow Swordsmanship activation, Yuda swiftly retreated. Just before Requiem unleashed its Mana Burst, Yuda had already moved beyond the two-meter radius.
Kwaaaaa!
Intangible mana burst forth from Requiem’s body, spreading in all directions, but it caused no harm to Yuda, who had already escaped its range. The fight was brutal and intense, far beyond a mere dance between beast and human.
Fortunately, Yuda’s countless battles with black wolves proved useful, allowing him to skillfully dodge Requiem’s attacks. However, Requiem didn’t simply take hits. Mere sword swings couldn’t land a critical blow. To deal significant damage, Yuda needed to use Shadow Swordsmanship, but the techniques available required large motions. Requiem wasn’t an opponent who would patiently wait for such obvious attacks, and even if an opportunity arose, it repeatedly used Mana Burst as soon as the cooldown allowed, blocking Yuda’s attempts.
‘The duration is about to run out.’
The glow of the fluorescent liquid on Requiem’s forepaw had significantly faded. As Yuda opened his 〈inventory> to grab another vial〉.
"!"
Yuda realized his mistake. Distracted momentarily by the vial, he thought he had dodged Requiem’s forepaw, but it spun with the momentum, attacking with its hind leg. It was the same technique Korkan had used two years ago. Even if Yuda dodged this, a tail attack would follow. He raised the bastard sword from his 〈Inventory〉, bracing it with his hand against the blade.
─────!
Requiem’s hind leg struck the sword’s blade, sending a resounding clang through the air. The immense impact made Yuda grimace, and he barely managed to stay grounded as his body threatened to fly back. Gritting his teeth, he absorbed the shock coursing through his body, letting out a deep sigh and breathing heavily. His stamina was reaching its limit. As he released his hand from the blade and prepared to raise the sword again, an ominous sound came from the bastard sword.
Crack!
“Huh?”
The blade of the bastard sword in Yuda’s hand broke. It seemed Requiem’s 〈Weapon Destruction〉had activated. Holding the broken sword, Yuda retreated, but Requiem pursued closely, its eyes glinting menacingly as if determined to seize the chance to bring him down.
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