A second explosion erupted when the Arahaktar saw me mid-flight. Just as I imagined, he could still use that skill one more time.

  I'd get a few burns, but that was fine—as long as I finished this fight.

  The air thickened around me, almost as if the monster was releasing an explosive gas. The blast hit just as I unleashed a second [Lightning Momentum].

  I closed my eyes, but the flames scorched my skin and hair as I outstretched my hand. I'd aimed for its heart, but it was hard to tell what would happen amidst the chaos.

  My [Lightning Momentum] proved strong enough to push through the explosion, and when the blade pierced the Arahaktar’s flesh, he gasped.

  The inertia dragged us to the ground, and I twisted the blade, making it serrated.

  My hair was on fire—I knew that—but I didn’t care.

  I pulled the blade free. I'd missed the heart. The warrior grunted in pain, swinging its weapon at my chest, but my armor stopped it from tearing me apart. It still knocked me to the side, though.

  I rolled as the monster got up, but I wouldn’t give him another opening. Another [Lightning Momentum] sent me flying again. I was starting to feel drained from using it so much, but I could spare one more.

  I threw my dagger, the white line at its center guiding my aim, and watched as it lodged into the monster’s shoulder, just near its neck.

  When I got close enough, I tackled the creature, slamming us both to the ground.

  I punched him in the face. My right hand was working just fine. I punched again as the monster tried to shove me off, but now I had at least five extra points in strength and ten in constitution.

  He wouldn’t get me off before he was dead.

  Then, his left hand found my torn one, and he grabbed it with all his strength. He twisted the remnants of it, and all the pain came in a rush—the pain I must’ve been feeling throughout the fight.

  "You'll not win this," the monster hissed as he turned my hand to the side, forcing me to roll left. Now I was the one getting punched in the face as he held me by my torn hand.

  He slowly got up, hitting me with brutal force. My consciousness started to fade. Constitution granted me the edge I needed to stay alive—but not enough to save me.

  However, each punch sent a wave of shock through the monster as my aura stunned him.

  I had just enough time to catch my breath between blows, but after the third punch, I was only breathing blood.

  I needed to do something now to end the fight, or I’d be gone.

  With nothing left to try and no better ideas, I waited for the next punch—and then came the shock.

  In that small moment, I yanked my blade from his shoulder, letting the blood pour, and summoned my wand.

  I jammed it into his flesh. He realized what I was about to do, released my left hand, and reached for my right—but it was too late. The lightning bolt had already fired.

  The Arahaktar convulsed, thrashing in place as his sweat and blood fried his skin. I wasn’t going to wait for it to be over.

  He was stunned, arms limp at his sides, body trembling.

  I attacked upward, half standing, half kneeling. With my serrated blade in hand I drove it into his heart—this time, I didn’t miss.

  I pierced leathery skin, muscle, and then the heart. His ribcage pressed against the blade’s edge, but I pushed harder, determined to cut through bone if I had to.

  As soon as I struck the heart, the monster’s eyes widened. He looked down.

  “Huh?”

  It was all he managed before he collapsed to his knees, dead.

  Title upgraded

  Title: [Duel Champion] upgraded to [Duel Veteran]

  You fought two traditional duels against mighty Arahaktar foes. This title is upgradable. Win more duels to increase your power.

  Constitution: +4

  Ding! Congratulations! Your soul core has been upgraded.

  Calculating…

  General Rank upgraded.

  Strength upgraded.

  New Stats:

  Subject: Zach Walker

  Race: Human (Earth)

  Class: Mage, Rogue

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  Merged Class: Undergoing calculations

  General Rank: F3

  Constitution: F0

  Magic: F2

  Mana: F3

  Speed: F3

  Strength: F1

  I wanted to feel pride at the messages, but all my body sensed was pain—unmatched pain.

  Then came the healing, and for a second, the pain intensified.

  But I was already numb to it.

  "Hold his hand in place and extinguish the fire!" Tress called, and then someone grabbed my hand while a wave of water crashed over my body. It wasn’t pleasant—it was fucking awful.

  But the moon in the sky was so beautiful. I almost forgot where I was.

  It reminded me of the night Barry died—but not the bad part. The good one.

  It was good to feel cared for, even loved. He took care of me, asking for nothing in return.

  Tress’s eyes found mine.

  "You’ll be all right, I promise," she said, making me gulp down a potion. I savored the orange juice flavor while I stared into her eyes.

  Yellow, like the bright moon behind her face.

  I wanted to say thank you, but an overwhelming force took over my body—healing and peace I hadn’t felt in a long time.

  I kept my eyes open, staring into the deep yellow pool of her gaze, and she stayed there, chanting the song she always used to soothe my heart, cupping my face.

  Was she crying?

  A droplet fell on my chin, then another on my armor plate.

  It was raining.

  Tress wiped her eyes and moved to the side. Elk was in front of me now.

  "We need to go, mate. Max is right at our side, on the far right of the slope, and there's a big group on the left."

  The Arahaktar helped me up, and I shook off the daze.

  I looked down at my hand. It was completely healed, but this time, there was a scar—a raised mark in the palm that traced a straight line between my index and middle finger.

  "How many?" I asked.

  "On the left? Fifteen. With Max, another twelve. He made alliances on the way. Six of us dead."

  "Six? That makes us seven. We're fucked."

  I looked in the direction we needed to run—two enemies on both sides.

  "Not quite. Look."

  Elk gestured with his head to the side. The two Arahaktar and the woman we'd saved from the quicksand stood beside him. The woman, Emilia, smiled, while the two Arahaktar grinned.

  "I killed one of them today," the female Arahaktar—the leader of the trio—stated, then crossed her arms.

  "I told you you could do it. Now, are you coming with us?"

  She nodded, Emilia more eager, the other Arahaktar more reserved.

  "My name is Kira. This is Vart, and this is Emilia." She pointed to her allies, then asked, "This Max guy—he a bastard?"

  "Worse than this fucker." I kicked the dead Arahaktar at my feet.

  Elk grimaced at that. Did they know each other? I'd have to ask later.

  "Let's push through. We lost some time, but we're on track."

  I tried to inject some confidence into them, but Mila’s group had been torn apart. All the ones who died had been her friends. She wasn’t in a good place. I approached her.

  "Whatever happens, being here is better than being down there. I assure you, the system is dropping the worst on those who don’t compete. We'll get to the city stone, and it’ll be safe."

  She nodded in agreement, and we started climbing the slope again.

  The bastard I'd killed had 4,000 credits on him, which I claimed while another grabbed his longsword. Mary took the short one—it could come in handy if she lost access to her defensive skills later.

  I took the lead, walking with Tress by my side. There were no more monkeys in the trees, and the rain washed over us, making it hard to talk.

  Thankfully, the ground became rockier and less muddy with every step we took.

  "The wind told you nothing?" I asked.

  "Nothing since 'three fires will bring you relief'!" she shouted over the rain pounding against the tree canopies.

  "That was days ago!" I practically had to scream for her to hear me. She grimaced, her face a mask of pain.

  "We’ll need to fend for ourselves. Sometimes, it’s like that," she tried to reassure me.

  "I've had to fend for myself my whole life. I’m used to it." I grinned at her as water slid down my face, and she grinned back.

  "I'll be on your side. It'll be easier." She grabbed my hand for a brief moment in reassurance, then pressed forward with more speed.

  I rushed to catch up, and the others behind me did the same.

  We kept going for hours, the rain seemingly never-ending. They were trying to defeat us through exhaustion, but my people kept moving.

  Our predictions went to shit as the rain turned the terrain into a river. Thankfully, the others on the right and left didn’t seem bothered by it.

  Day came before we realized, the sun hidden beneath dark clouds. We wanted to stop, rest, and eat, but if we did, the rain would send us tumbling down the slope, which was getting steeper by the second.

  It was past midday when we reached the forest’s edge.

  And just like we were in some intergalactic game show, the moment we crossed the treeline, the rain stopped. Instead, the sun was nearing sunset.

  Ahead, the slope stretched on, and I could finally see what awaited us. A few miles away, the mountain summit wasn’t pointy as it should have been—it was square. At its center, a light burst into the sky.

  It was the city stone.

  Three roads led to it, with a few platforms in between.

  On one of the closest platforms, white creatures waited.

  It didn’t take long for me to realize they were all Vorrak alphas.

  I looked to my right and left, watching as the other two groups emerged from the forest.

  We all had a clear path forward—mighty enemies ahead and terrible odds against us, considering we were the smallest group of them all.

  On the right, Max stood at the front of his group. I could see his blond hair shining from a distance. Beside him was the dark-skinned man I'd swum with to get the shard box a few days ago, and behind them, a small army—apparently all humans.

  The group on the left was larger, but they were farther ahead. They wore what seemed to be white armor, and one of them held a torch.

  "Three fires will bring you relief," Tress muttered.

  "What?" I asked, my eyes darting from one threat to another.

  "When Mila helped us, she had a torch in her hand. When Kira arrived to help me and Elk, she killed the Arahaktar with a branch lit on fire." She smiled, amused.

  But I didn’t follow.

  "There, Zach! Look. The third fire."

  She pointed toward the group on the left—the large one, carrying torches and dressed in white armor.

  "They're my people. They came for our aid."