Hiro’s face paled. He really couldn’t imagine how being stabbed right in the chest with that silver scythe would feel. His heart started to beat much faster and his legs felt weak. He didn’t immediately move from where he fell.
“Tch. Missed.” The robed man pulled the scythe that had stabbed the layer of snow next to Hiro. However, he didn’t seem to have any intention of swinging it again.
“I almost forgot,” he muttered before turning around, leaving Hiro on the ground.
The other robed players seemed confused when they saw their leader turn around. Why did he suddenly change his mind?
They secretly speculated inside their minds, but none of them moved.
“Hurry and stand up, slacker!” Spyro had once again perched on Hiro’s shoulder and scolded him.
Snapped out of it, Hiro immediately stood up and pulled the greatsword not stuck at his side. He then moved to look at the six remaining robed players one by one, though he didn’t manage to catch a glimpse of their faces.
Hiro walked out of the circle and walked toward Jacob, who stretched out his arm for him. Now that he was in a row with the healed members of Immortal Knights, he felt a little safe.
“We did it, Hiro!” Jacob couldn’t hide his self-satisfaction. He didn’t feel a trace of what Hiro felt at death’s doorstep.
On the side, Hiro gulped. Dominic was now standing face-to-face with the silver scythe wielder.
“We found it first,” Dominic spoke with his charismatic voice. Even though the other party attacked him first just a few minutes ago, he didn’t seem to hold a grudge.
The wielder of the silver scythe smirked from under his robe. Nonetheless, no word came out of his mouth.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHiro, who was witnessing the interaction from the distance, also tensed up. However, he was once again confused by the scythe wielder when the man abruptly turned toward him and pointed his scythe at Hiro.
“A battle to the death. Solo, NightFall and I. If he wins, we’ll let you have this dungeon,” the man hissed like a snake.
“What!?” Dominic reflexively exclaimed. He looked at the robed man with wide eyes.
It wasn’t just Dominic. Even the other robed players were surprised by their leader’s sudden duel request, which prompted them to begin whispering among each other. Things weren’t going according to the plan they had agreed upon together.
Still, none of them dared to complain.
“What do you say?” the wielder of the silver scythe ignored Dominic, who was standing in front of him, and asked Hiro.
“No,” Dominic interjected. “This dungeon is not his responsibility. My people will take his place.”
It was clear that he was unwilling to put Hiro, who had saved him, in danger.
Hiro stared at the hidden face with his brows furrowed. Even though he couldn’t see the robed man’s face clearly, he was sure that this person was serious about challenging him. He didn’t know why he was doing this, but Hiro felt that he still had a chance of winning if he had to be involved in a duel against the man.
Moreover, this could be a chance for him to test his strength after working hard for several days.
“I accept,” he decided while swinging the Blood-Eater Vampire to his back and putting it there. The greatsword instantly attracted their attention.
“Good boy.” The robed man faintly smiled, satisfied with Hiro’s reaction.
From the side, Val started to walk toward Hiro.
“Kid, are you serious?” the barbarian of Immortal Knights patted Hiro’s shoulder and asked. He seemed somewhat worried.
Having their dungeon depend on a person they had just met, of course the members of Immortal Kights would be reluctant about it. But at the same time, only TheNinja specialized in one-on-one fights among them, and they weren’t sure that he would be able to secure victory with his current condition.
After all, he had received so many attacks from what happened several minutes ago before the five were poisoned with a weakening venom that slowly chipped away their HP.
“Leave him to me.” Hiro felt even more confident when he noticed the people around him doubt his capability. He was even more motivated to prove that they could count on him.
“What’s Boss planning?”
“I don’t know.”
“Does it matter? Boss will win easily anyway.”
Hiro heard the whispers of the robed players in front of him. He couldn’t wait to come out as the victor and make them eat their words.
“No rules. Whoever dies first loses.” The man spun his silver scythe in the air like a propeller.
In the end, Dominic was forced to agree to the duel and the dungeon’s fate was left in Hiro’s hands. Although they couldn’t see the future, they hoped that Hiro could be relied on.
Meanwhile, Jacob, who was obviously worried about his friend, could only pray that Hiro would be safe and win.
Those who weren’t involved in the one-on-one duel stepped back. Jacob and the members of Immortal Knights walked backward to the cave entrance, while the black-robed players walked backward to the dark forest.
Hiro walked on an empty space, face-to-face with the silver scythe wielder who was still unwilling to show what was hidden under his robe. Not being able to see his opponent’s equipment made it difficult for Hiro to estimate the threat level and his chance of victory.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmEven so, he had to win.
Swish!
Swish!
Hiro swung his Blood-Eater Vampire at the empty air with his eyes fully concentrated on his opponent. In the meantime, Spyro emitted a bluish glow from its protruding spine line, showing that the pet’s stats had been converted and added to buff its owner.
At least Hiro knew that his opponent didn’t have a pet.
“The battle will start on the count of three.”
As the match was between two barbarians, Val became the judge for the duel.
“One…”
Hiro took a deep breath, trying to sort his breathing to the best he could.
“Two…”
The wielder of the silver scythe walked sideways while spinning his scythe.
“Three. Battle start!”
The moment the battle started, Hiro immediately dashed forward. [Godspeed], his new passive skill, greatly boosted his movement speed.
Meanwhile, the scythe wielder still stood at the same spot with his scythe still spinning like a shield in front of him.
[Predicio]
Clink!
The sigil on the back of Hiro’s left hand suddenly glowed black for a second. At the same time, Hiro’s red iris turned black along with the rest of his eyes.