The Grand Duelist

Chapter 136: Abandoned Kingdom[7]

The randomly chosen map for the battle was a map called Armistice.

It was quite a queer map within the world of Victory considering the fact that this was a map filled with modern buildings and all sorts of billboards along with asphalt roads and neon lights. This map really perfectly depicted what the world was today and it gave a sense of familiarity for Joseph.

This is a pretty nice map. I didn't expect that Victory would have something like this. But I say that I don't really have any experience of fighting against someone in a terrain like this. From the looks of it, that girl is pretty good in duels. 

She really has me in her grasp, to think that she would choose such a map.

If not for the fact that I have prior experience fighting against those NPCs in the Festival of Battles then I wouldn't even dare challenge the tournament...

Joseph shook his head and gave a sigh. Afterwards, a look of excitement appeared on his face when the reality that he won a fifty-thousand pesos tournament struck him. He wiped both of his palms together and walked towards the center of the map.

"Ethan, look at the smile on that bastard's face!" Stafford pointed at the monitors.

Ethan followed his finger and his eyes also landed on one of the monitors. Seeing the look of excitement on Joseph's face, Ethan turned to look at Stafford once again and said.

"Ford... I think that we possibly made a mistake..."

Stafford raised an eyebrow and asked, "We made a mistake? What are you talking about?"

He had a look of confusion on his face, but Stafford was someone that could read along the lines so he quickly caught on what Ethan was hinting about as he continued, "Are you saying that we shouldn't have offended that guy?"

Ethan nodded his head, he didn't hide his anxiety anymore as he replied, "I don't know man, but my gut feeling is telling me that we made a bad decision of offending that guy..." 

"Gut feeling?" Stafford coldly chuckled, "Just admit that you're a scaredy-cat."

"No, I'm not! I'm just saying that we really shouldn't have offended that guy since we don't really know his background."

Stafford paused, he thought for a moment before saying, "His background? Do you think a beggar like that guy can have a significant background? Now you're just being delusional... Ethan, can you not be so paranoid?"

Ethan turned to look at Stafford and he suddenly realized that he didn't know his friend of several years anymore. 

A sigh escaped from his lips as he said, "Ford, you really did change after becoming a reservist."

"Huh? What's the connection of that in this?" Stafford replied he looked quite annoyed. 

"Nothing..." Ethan shook his head, "Next week I won't be able to join you and Clarisse on playing in this Cafe."

Stafford furrowed his eyebrows, "What's the matter all of a sudden? We made that promise a month ago and just a week before the event itself you suddenly don't want to go? Don't be like that, man..."

Ethan stared at Stafford.

Stafford was his longtime friend.

They were best friends since high school but after high school, their paths differed.

Ethan went into college while Stafford joined the military and became an army reservist. After a few years, the two reunited once again along with Clarisse who was also their longtime friend, but Ethan realized that his best friend Stafford, had changed...

Ethan didn't know if that change was for the better but he found out that his friend, who was a meek and timid guy that often went along with the flow and never fought against the current of life now had a determined and unyielding attitude.

An unyielding attitude always accompanied pride and pride would always be paired with arrogance. Ethan found out today that his friend Stafford that he knew since high school wasn't really that Stafford that he knew anymore. 

However...

Seeing the look on Stafford's face right now.

Ethan felt conflicted.

No matter what...

Even though Stafford had significantly changed, he was still his best friend and Ethan was ready to accept that fact. However, witnessing Stafford's arrogance today towards a young man whom they really didn't know. It was clear for Ethan that Stafford's arrogance was somewhat unbridled.

Ethan sighed.

He decided to give his friend a second chance as he said, "Okay, fine... I'll go to that event. But Stafford, can you not be like this to strangers again? Your attitude towards others really feels scummy to me and if you do something like this again, then forget that we were even friends."

Stafford's eyes narrowed into slits, "What the hell are you talking about, Ethan? Are you saying that I am doing something wrong? Is it wrong to be suspicious of strangers?"

"No, I am not saying that being suspicious of strangers is wrong. What I'm saying is that you shouldn't casually accuse someone of being a scammer, that is quite a heavy accusation right there..."

"If you said that he's suspicious then I wouldn't complain, but directly accusing someone of being a scammer?"

"That's going too far..."

"Every person accused of something bad are all innocent until proven guilty. That is why I don't want you to do something like again..." Ethan finally completed his rant.

Stafford stared at him wide-eyed before a chuckle escaped through his mouth.

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"Pfft... Innocent until proven guilty? It seems like the several years of studying the law made you such a dull and cowardly man..."

"Okay, fine. If you do not approve of what I am then, scram! Forget that we are friends. I will never be friends with such a weak-ass pussy..." Stafford coldly spat and sneered in disdain.

Ethan's figure trembled.

He couldn't believe that this longtime friend of his would blatantly mock him like this. Did I do anything wrong? I just said that he should change his ways since what he was doing wasn't really right, but why is he mocking me? Did I say anything wrong? Am I the asshole here?

Ethan doubted his judgment. He stood there rooted, his eyes darted to the monitors as he observed the battlefield, yet his mind wasn't even thinking about the upcoming battle. He just stood there as if he lost his life, completely unmoving.

Stafford saw Ethan's strange antics and he couldn't help but scoff. In the end, he didn't say anything but he also didn't bother about Ethan anymore as he turned his attention to the game and stared at the monitors for the upcoming battle within the Arena.

The characters of the two players finally loaded in the game and their equipment and items were revealed to the spectators.

Clarisse's character had the name Solar Equinox. Her main class was Magician that she advanced to Elementalist through the use of the second-advancement mechanics.

Her second-class could be Assassin, Ranger, or Hunter...

There wasn't that much information that you could get about her second-class apart from the fact that she had a dagger strapped on her thighs. 

Speaking of her thighs, everyone's eyes were attracted to her thick thighs. The kneesocks that she wore were tight, but instead of making her look fat. It further increased her charm when everyone saw the protruding fat that seemed to be struggling whilst being covered by the tight kneesocks.

Her daggers were placed, precisely on the gap between her skirt and her thighs so it was impossible for anyone not to admire how gorgeous she was due to this genius weapon placement.

Ever since the dawn of MMORPG Games, it has been an illogical, yet indisputable fact that skimpily dressed characters had higher defenses than other characters that were covered by armor from head to toe.

But it wasn't because metal was far weaker than fabric...

It was because of the concept called fan-service.

This illogical phenomenon is far more prominent in games that catered towards males. Victory was a game that contained a lot of violence so it was safe to say that this game was for adults.

Knowing that fact, how could the developers not capitalize on creating items that barely covered the body yet gave incredibly high defenses?

Such error in logic also existed in Victory.

Sure, it was a surprise for first-time players since Victory advertised that they advocated for realism.

But even though it was a surprise...

It surely was a welcome one, especially for the men.

The audience all nodded their heads towards each other.

The women in the spectators frowned, while the men had wide smiles on their faces.

Of course, not everyone within the audience was perverted...

But all of them were men of culture that had an eye for aesthetics. 

They all nodded in mutual understanding as the wide monitors switched over their focus to Joseph and then...

"Pffft!"

"What the fuck?"

"What? What is that? What is he wearing?"

Joseph held no weapon in his hands as he casually walked towards the center of the map.

His eyes swept across the surroundings and a languid smile could be seen on his lips as he admired the scenery.

Armistice really did perfectly imitated what the modern world was, not just on the looks but also the atmosphere.

I think it's probably because of the neon lights, but I don't know. This map just feels like I'm in the middle of Sibu.

He couldn't help but comment and express his admiration towards the developers of the game to himself.

Meanwhile, the spectators outside were astonished.

"What are those equipment?"

A man who couldn't believe what he was seeing asked in a voice that didn't hide his shock.

"I also want to know, is what he's wearing even legitimate equipment? They look like the cum socks buried underneath my bed and was left fermenting for three years..."

"Holy shit, that's some pretty detailed description right there. Speaking from personal experience?"

"Shut up!"

Joseph maintained a smile on his face as he casually walked on the streets.

He didn't know that the spectators outside were currently speechless due to the equipment that his character wore. His character that also had the name, Joseph, wore the tunic that Julie and Hulie made for him while he was unconscious back then at that damned place.

Joseph didn't find it abnormal to wear this tunic for it had a lot of sentimental value for him.

But he himself wasn't probably aware of the fact that his equipment right now looked abnormal and disgusting to everyone. 

But why?

It was because everyone who had the same level as Joseph had equipment that looked dashing, cool, and admirable. If not, then at least it wouldn't be as dirty as the tunic that Joseph was wearing right now. 

The clothes that Julie and Hulie made for Joseph remained durable after everything that it had gone through, but it hadn't experienced the baptism of being washed clean.

Fair enough, this was a virtual world so Joseph probably didn't care about laundry but does he not care about appearances?

Nope...

As long as it was comfortable to wear, why not wear it?

This was Joseph's mindset.

But this mindset itself was abnormal to everyone here.

This was why they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"Like I told you, Ethan. You were just too paranoid. Look at that silly smile on his face and the way that he looks at everything in the map. It's probably the first time that he entered that map..."

"I think we can now say that we have this win in the bag, hahaha..."

Stafford laughed and made a sidelong glance at Ethan.

Ethan had a frown on his face.

Was my gut feeling really mistaken? He glanced at Stafford and thought: Even if my gut feeling is mistaken, Stafford's attitude right now is not good. If that attitude of his continues, he'll offend someone capable in the future and get himself into deep trouble.

Ethan heaved a deep sigh before he turned his attention towards the game once again.

The map, Armistice was a map that really wasn't that huge. It only had a diameter of six kilometers. The only reason why you would think that Armistice was a huge map was because of its terrain and the number of buildings squeezed in the entire map. 

The Elementalist Solar Equinox first arrived at the center. She used a scouting skill and discovered that Joseph was casually walking his way also towards the center of the map. A sneer appeared on her face as she whispered into the air, "What a foolish guy, it seems like he can only talk and brag." 

She then raised both of her hands into the air and started chanting.

"Sa tanan lalaki sa tibuok kalibutan, ang nagsuwat ra gyu'y dako'g otin..." 

Several dozens of magical runes appeared around her at once before they materialized and formed several magic circles that floated above her head. These runes then rotated clockwise around her body.

When the magic circles appeared, Solar Equinox placed her left hand on the dagger plastered on her thighs.

"W-Wait... She's going to use Meteor's Descent? That's an ultimate skill! Can she really complete her chant before her enemy catches up to her?"

The spectators gasped at once.

The cameras turned to Joseph and found that even though he could see Solar Equinox chanting in the distance, he still remained as casual as ever. The languid smile on his lips never disappeared as if he was walking on his backyard instead of a battlefield.

"That guy... Is he stupid or what? Why is he not running towards that girl?!"

One of the spectators exclaimed.

A gentleman who looked quite scholarly commented, "Probably because he's aware of the plans of that girl? Take a look at her left hand, it's on her dagger near her thighs..."

"I reckon that she's probably doing this to force that guy in a corner. If the chanting isn't stopped, that guy will die, but if he went near her to interrupt the chant then her dagger will strike!"

"Really? But wait! That doesn't make sense! What if that guy interrupts her chanting from a distance? Wouldn't her preparations be useless in the end?" One of the spectators asked, there was a clear frown on his face.

"I'm sure your main class is probably not Magician, right?" The scholarly man replied.

The man who asked nodded his head, "Does that even matter in this discussion?"

"Of course! If a Magician's Chanting Mastery was leveled to the maximum, they could only be interrupted at close-range! Apart from snipers, there's nothing that could interrupt their chanting from a distance!"

"And also, I don't think that her enemy is a Gunner..."

"If that guy was indeed a Gunner then he would've taken the high ground from the start!"

Gunners were vulnerable on the ground.

They had to take a position with a proper vantage point so they could use their abilities to the fullest.

Joseph who remained walking on the ground probably wasn't a Gunner since he didn't know how a Gunner operated on the battlefield.

But seeing that there was no weapon in his hands. Just what was his class?

The spectators wondered.

Clarisse had a clear frown on her face as she observed the nonchalant Joseph. Several dozens of ideas appeared in her mind as to why Joseph was casually walking towards him, but then a system notification took her away from her contemplation.

[Chanting preparations complete! Meteor Descent; Ready!]

A sneer appeared on Solar Equinox's face. 

Since you do not dare to approach me, then I'll attack you from here!

"Meteor Descent!" 

With a scream from her, the magic circles that surrounded her body collapsed and transformed into a meteor that rapidly descended from the skies. From the speed and how big the meteor was, it was practically impossible for anyone to dodge this attack.

Joseph stopped in his tracks, he stared at the skies, and the image of the meteor descending gradually grew bigger in his eyes.

"It's done, game over..." 

The spectators sighed in regret. They wanted a fierce and exciting battle, but what they got in return was a boring one.

"What is he doing? Why is he not moving?"

"Isn't that obvious? It's hopeless to dodge that meteor so why would he bother trying?"

"Tssk... What a disappointment..."

The spectators mumbled one by one. 

Meanwhile, within the game, Solar Equinox maintained her focus as she stared right at Joseph's figure. Meteor's Descent was an extremely powerful skill that could instantly kill anyone in the current stage of the game if they were directly struck.

Despite its activation, Solar Equinox didn't let her guard down.

She was ready for her enemy's avoidance and she was already taking several steps ahead on defeating Joseph in this battle. However, while she was tightly holding her dagger, she found out that Joseph really had no intention of dodging the incoming meteor.

When the meteor was only about thirty meters away from Joseph, Solar Equinox whispered in astonishment. 

"What the hell is he doing?" 

Her question was soon answered for the meteor finally completed its descent.

It directly struck Joseph causing a huge explosion of such a massive scale that it turned every building in a hundred meters radius around Joseph into dust. Solar Equinox flew backwards from the shockwave, relief, and excitement could be seen on her face.

I won! 

I defeated him in just under ten seconds of him coming into contact with me!

Clarisse didn't even hide her joy, if not for the fact that she was currently in the air.

She would've jumped up and down from the happiness that she was feeling right now.

But her happiness was extinguished when she saw that there wasn't a system announcement of her Victory.

What the heck? What happened? He's not dead?

She hurriedly stabilized herself in the air and started chanting. Within the dust, the magical runes that materialized around her body served as a beacon of light amidst the darkness as a particularly horrifying voice came from behind her and sent shivers down her spine.

"Looking for me?"

Solar Equinox swiftly turned around, but her eyes were robbed of its light by the dazzling brilliance that Joseph held in his right hand.

"The Grand Duelist's Graceful Swordsmanship, First Form..."

Joseph teleported behind Solar Equinox through the use of The Grand Duelist's Dash. 

The reason why Joseph didn't instantly teleport behind her as soon as he caught the Meteor's Descent through the use of Parry, was because he couldn't see her due to the dust that the explosion swept up in the air.

But unfortunately for Clarisse...

Her chanting became the beacon of light that guided Joseph to her location.

As soon as the light of the magical runes shone around her body.

Joseph instantly activated The Grand Duelist's Dash and teleported right behind her. 

Taking the familiar stance of the Grand Duelist, the tip of the Rapier of Grandeur and Beauty that Joseph held in his right hand shone in a brilliant light that robbed Solar Equinox of her eyesight.

Seeing his disoriented enemy, Joseph lifted a smile on his face as he whispered.

"Discharge, Point..."

What came next was a thrust and a system announcement that said.

VICTORY!

Instant-kill!!!