The World Of Skill

The Princess Party

「Silent Moon has asked you for a duel. Will you accept it? 」

There are two modes of duel inside the game. The first is the free mode where every player has no restriction on their level, skill, stats, and the duel when ends if the player health depletes. There is no death penalty and the duel participant will be immediately respawned. The second is the restricted mode where the player can choose to set whether they will have the same stats, a limited amount of skill, and many more customization. There is also an option to bet or wager which needs to be approved by both sides. The winner may be able to win gold, items, or any condition that has discussed beforehand.

「The loser of the duel must be with the winner party and need to maintain a distance of not more than 100m from the winner. Contract duration: 1 week. Failure to complete the contract will result in Level -10. 」

The condition for the duel is what Azalea mentioned before and the penalty for breaching the contract is harsh. Ryu however has no plan to back out from this.

「Ryu has accepted your duel invitation. Initiating duel mode in 5 seconds. 」

Ryu can see the countdown before the duel starts after he accepted the challenge. Azalea also cracking her first and make some warm-up movements. The system then asked to stand 10 meters apart from each other, then the battle officially starts.

“Brat, be prepare for some beating.”

As soon as the counter turns to 0, Azalea immediately dashed forward. With 10 meters distance, Ryu has the chance to launch the first attack as a ranged attacker. He readied his bow and aimed at the incoming target.

*swish*

The arrow aimed perfectly at Azalea but before it managed to hit, Azalea used her right hand to block the arrow. As her right hand is covered with gauntlets, she managed to block it however she still received some damage as the damage is greater than her defense.

-25

［It seems that his arrow pack quite a punch. I shouldn’t block it and try to dodge it instead. ］

Ryu released another arrow aimed at her head this time but Azalea managed to dodge to the side and continue her momentum forward.

［She has good sight and reflex. Seems like this girl isn’t all talk. ］

As the distance is getting closer, it will be disadvantageous for Ryu to engage in close combat with Azalea. He tried to move backward while keep launching arrows at her but it was futile. Ryu who has no extra point invested in agility couldn’t outrun her and the outcome is clear. It will be a dogfight.  His last resort is by unleashing his only active skill 《power shot》.

Right now, Ryu is only biding his time while moving backward. He is going to release his skill as late as he can to build up the damage. Azalea who has no arrow blocking her path is moving quickly to reach Ryu. 1 more second and she can start to beat up the boy who is making her annoyed.

“Being in a party with this princess is your honor. You should just obediently get beaten up and be my slave for a week after.”

Azalea punches with her right hand aiming for Ryu but at the last moment when her attack is going to hit, she sensed something is wrong. She realizes that at the tip of Ryu’s arrow, a little bit of wind is accumulated.

「Sh*t it’s a skill. 」

She tried to move away in a flurried manner but she is too close and it is too late to dodge. She could only move her hand in front of her to block it.

「Now’s the time! 」

Ryu’s arrow is released from his bow and it immediately sprung forward faster than his earlier attack. It managed to lands on Azalea’s hand and send her backward a couple of meters. The distance that she worked so hard do cover is now widened again.

「How can his attack hurt so much? 」

Ryu’s earlier attack actually managed to depletes half of Azalea’s HP. Even though the attack was unleashed through a skill, the damage is still out of the norm.

「It seems like I should stop playing around and not underestimate him. He traveled from Veloz and could reach this place safely means he got a little bit of skill. 」

Azalea hates to admit it but the fact that Ryu can still keep his calm even though she managed to close in on him earlier really showcase his talent. Ryu hated to admit it but he actually got scared when Azalea comes rushing in earlier. However, his experience from the past few days playing the game changed him.

At first, he was just a newbie who stumbled when a mad rabbit come to attack him. Right now, he already hunted monster on the way from Veloz to here and learn how to keep his composure. After all, when holding the bow Ryu’s aura somehow changed. It seems that he can do anything with his bow. Keeping his calm and composure as he knows his own ability with the bow won’t fail him.

If it was the Ryu from when he just started to play the game, he won’t even consider waiting for Azalea to come really close before unleashing his skill. He will just attack wildly in panic. The difference of stats, the existence of skill, those external conditions might make him lose but he is confident that his aiming skill is the best so he might lose or die but he won’t miss his mark.

“Why are you smiling like an i***t? You think that you will win just because you managed to hit me? It is time for me to get serious and wipe that smirk from your face.”

“Haha. You can only say that after you managed to defeat me.”

Ryu once again aimed his bow towards Azalea and prepared to attack. However, it is different from his expectation as Azalea isn’t charging forward again. The power shot that landed perfectly and causing her hand to feel some pain brought her to calm down. Recklessly charging in isn’t the only solution.

She moves forward but with caution this time. As there is some distance between them, Azalea can dodge Ryu’s arrow with her reflect and use the delay in between his attack to approach. Of course, the closer she is to Ryu the harder it is to dodge but she already prepared a surprise for Ryu.

As she dodges Ryu’s arrow one after another, she finally managed to come near him again. The last arrow managed to graze her body a little bit but it doesn’t cause much damage and she reached her goal.

“《Leap! 》”.

Azalea who is standing 4 meters away from Ryu suddenly jumped forward. Ryu didn’t prepare for such a move as he is still loading his arrow and couldn’t react. Azalea who is now standing in front of him is letting out a really cute smile.

“Are you ready?”

One short question that is signaling the start of the pain-train for Ryu. Azalea class is 【Fighter】. 1st basic class that could turn into a 【Pugilist】, 【Gladiator】 and many more melee combatant classes. They could deal devastating damage up close and excel in burst damage.

It was like eating a popping candy only to realize that the taste inside is very spicy. Ryu experienced a whole new experience of pain and being tossed around without any chance to retaliate.

Either Ryu who is accustomed to archery has a slower reflex and is bad at combat or the girl is just too good at bullying someone. There is no hope for making a comeback for Ryu as his body is being hit continuously.

With no stats point spent on vitality to increase his health point, Ryu’s HP is gone in only 5 seconds of combos.

「You have lost the duel. 」

“hahaha! Take that, you i***t. How can you act so smug just because one arrow managed to hit me? You couldn’t escape your fate in the end. You should just obediently comply at first. Now you have to be my slave for a week on top of losing.”

“As expected of the princess. You managed to win the duel easily. However, you should still try to maintain your image princess. You need to be more graceful. “

“It’s not my fault Geoffrey. It’s his fault for making me angry.”

Ryu has no way to refute to her words as he loses the duel. He knows very well that he already tried his best earlier but he still lost in the end.

“Yeah, it’s my complete lose this time.”

“Alright then, Azalea you should stop saying mean things to him. Afterall Ryu will be helping us for a week starting now.”

Ryu feels a little bit sad as he lost to Azalea but hearing Marina’s word immediately cheer him up. Such a caring big sister, her personality is really the best.

“Alright my slave no.1. Now, you will join our party and help us clear the swamp dungeon. Honestly, there is no disadvantage for you since you will still earn experience and I might give the loot for you.”

Of course, Ryu is willing to help if she could just ask him nicely. It is all started because of how haughty Azalea acts but there’s no way for him to stop her as he lost to her in the duel.

「You has joined ‘The Princess’ party.

Party member:

1.       Silent Moon Level 16 Fighter – 540/540

2.       Princess Azalea is the cutest in the world Level 16 Guard – 3280/3280

3.       Silent Water Level 14 Magician – 350/350

4.       Ryu Level 11 Archer – 230/230」