I was uncertain about what to do next. I had to accept the possibility that he was immune to any kind of magical or magic-enhanced attack. I couldn't comprehend how he managed to achieve such immunity, but the evidence before me pointed to this conclusion. While non-magical attacks could still inflict some damage, his powerful ice armor mostly neutralized them.

This seemed like the most plausible explanation. However, I couldn't tell if this resistance was permanent or temporary. If it was temporary, then how long would it last? And if it wasn't, was there still a way for me to fight him?

You cannot beat high-level characters without magic-powered attacks!

Well... who said that? Is it really not possible? Let me try some tricks to make him bleed!

With my superior speed and strength, I knew I had an advantage. I thought I could use it to my benefit. I still had a chance as long as I kept avoiding his magic attacks.

However, every time I tried to get close, he teleported away to keep a safe distance from me. Determined to catch him off guard, I used a <> to follow him to a nearby stone pillar. From there, I landed a direct hit to his ribs, taking advantage of the column's stability to give me a better position to follow through with my kick.

I didn't use any magic for my kick to his ribs; it was just a solid hit that sent him flying, spinning against an NPC vendor stand.

Shit, a boots store!? Oh, fuck! I haven't seen this one! I had to concentrate hard to look at him and not at the boots, and before he could do anything, I kicked him again, sending him flying, then bombarded him in the face with two oranges. If magic items can't do anything to him, at least the oranges will piss him off. Unfortunately, I did not find lemons or grapefruits.

He shot a couple of bolts, but due to the spin I did give him, he missed me by miles.

This fucker must be ten levels below me. OK, maybe not ten, but not far from it. Where does his tremendous firepower come from?

I had to spell again <> to get rid of the fucking ice spreading over my legs. It pains as much as frostbite does pain because it is frostbite, damn it. At least, thanks to the pain, I did not forget to say my neutralizing spell.

He screamed angrily, cleaning his face, and cast another ice explosion spell concomitant with a tirade of angry words. I thought he would try it - I mean the ice explosion - and I already went into hiding behind a column the moment before.

I was giving myself brownie points for having guessed his next spell. Now he must have at least some 30 seconds cooldown on the spell.

The fight stabilized somehow, and a cat-and-mouse fight ensued. I, using my bare fists and non-magic boots, hitting and kicking like a kick-boxer, he, shooting ice bolts and fire bolts, and after thirty seconds, another ice explosion.

Unfortunately, I did not do much damage this way. Not against his strong ice armor. At least it worked; I did some damage and kept him busy.

His ice armor protected him almost completely; he even had a transparent, practically invisible cover over his face; however, a hit is a hit, and he flies each time like a crash test dummy. That must be at least uncomfortable.

Good that I had my <> skill. It turns on automatically when I take repeated damage of one type, gradually reducing it.

Yeah, but I was not sure how much this reduction counted against those fucking overpowered bolts. I managed to push his hand away, and the bolt he shot missed me. One bolt I may survive, but two… Well maybe. Better not risk any.

And that was my problem. As long as I did not make an error, I could prolong the fight, but time was not on my side.

Now to my trick. Well, it was not really a trick. I could not use my katars, daggers, swords, or any weapons with additional enchanted spell damage. My only sharp non-magic items were a knife and a fork from my cutlery. I decided to use the knife. I could have tried to use my fork too, but I thought the blade was better.

I got an excellent occasion as he had a stone column behind him. I sent him flying with a kick; he hit the column damn hard and came back almost as a ball would do. His ice armor worked this time against him, too strong to crack, elastic enough to send him back. Now I followed with a hit to his face. The knife passed perfectly in the narrow slit of his armor and struck his eye.

Why slits when he had a transparent covering? Probably because a covering would have distorted the view.

He screamed viciously, and for a short moment, I thought I could see a path to my victory. OK, he might have some scrolls or heal-potions, but I would continue to chase him and renew his wounds.

Stolen story; please report.

His ice explosion was in cooldown, but he used the arcane nova spell.

I did not expect that.

This is a fucking weak low-level spell that can be used to burn mosquitoes around the mage unless one specializes in arcane magic, and he was no arcane magic specialist.

However, in his case, the effect was tremendous. It threw me away with heavy arcane burns on my skin. OK, one can make the point that I was the annoying mosquito.

It was worse than the fireball before. This fucking arcane magic passes through armor and attacks the flesh directly.

Due to the blast, I flew several meters through the air, but it was not the hit against the wall that pained me but the burns all over. It must be second-degree burns over half of my body. The pain exceeded everything I had endured before. I never thought I would have to take this much pain in a game.

This is not real; this is not real!!

I rolled, sent another dispersion cloud to hide my presence, and jumped high on a column. Before the cloud dissipated, I grasped some ornaments from the stone pillar and fixed my feet in a crack in the ceiling, getting myself in a fixed position under the tiled roof in less than a second.

I whispered the spell <>, and camouflage covered me.

The position was draining, but I could keep it for hours if needed. I gritted my teeth and concentrated on not screaming, trying to ignore my pain and letting my regeneration work. It is slow, but at least the main wounds would close in due time.

He was raging, jumping from place to place and sending nova explosion after nova explosion and screaming:

“No mercy! No mercy! Come to me if you dare! Coward!”

I was breathing hard, assessing the situation: The obvious truth was that he had been toying with me until now. This arcane blasting would have made it impossible for me to come near him, and he seems to be able to blast as much as he wants. Fuck.

I have no good attacks from a distance. What? Throw my knife and fork at him? That's why I have Alice for long-range attacks. She would burn his ass continuously. Fuck. I do not have my Alice anymore. Only the thought pained me more than I imagined it would.

He started to blast the whole area systematically. Sooner or later, he'll get me, even if I stay hidden. Alice's resurrection time is running out. My crossbow is not good enough for this situation, I would be slower than he is at shooting, and my damage would be low to non-existent.

If my eating knife had been at least several centimeters longer, it could have reached into his damned brain. That comes close to fatal wounds, isn't it? But that needs perfect execution, a lot of power, and luck. Maybe more power than I have in my hands, as it is a non-magic weapon.

Dark thoughts of revenge flooded my brain. I'll stalk you and kill you, eliminate you, vaporize you…

Keep cool, Dolores. I need to keep a cool head.

I should go for the jugular. I think that is my only chance. If I push his head with one hand, that might make enough room for my knife to enter between the joints of his ice armor. His ice armor is like metal armor, not even an evolved ice armor, but with tremendous power behind the spell.

He stopped and drank a healing potion.

This is my moment.

I said my <> spell, covering the market with dark fog.

It is one of my strongest spells, ideal in such situations.

I stood still for the next 10-15 seconds. He sent arcane blasts, and then suddenly, the ice explosion spell. He tried to time it for the moment when he thought I would attack him. Only now, I ran at him to plant my knife in his jugular. He was still sending arcane blasts, but I had to risk another blast to hit his jugular.

That's when I stepped into the trap. After the moment I said darkness, he had thrown traps around him. I should have thought about such a possibility, but this is not a typical mage move. He must have a hunter friend, and both must have powered the spells in the traps.

I tried <> before the ice froze completely. Too late, it succeeded but only partially. I could unfreeze myself and one foot, but one foot remained frozen.

Repeating the spell will not help as it was no longer magic holding my foot but a hard block of ice.

He heard me and blasted me again.

I am in a dangerous area with my life points now; I must be looking like a zombie, and he'll finish me with the next blast. I feel like having passed through a harvester-thresher.

I tried to break free. Damn trap! I thought about cutting off my foot, but even for this, I'll need time with this blunt, not magically-enhanced knife. I still have some 10 seconds of darkness. Until I exchanged my weapon, he found me; he needed just one step to see me.

He looked at my dejected appearance:

“You lost the fight; accept or die!”

Instinctively, I tried to interrupt him with <>, but it did not work. Sure, it is a magic attack. His wand charged blue with the next powerful ice spell. I am dead. I am done. Defeated.

Damn, this should not be allowed in town! Even duels are forbidden in protected towns. Besides, he is too strong; this was not normal? What the hell? I'll go straight to the official channel to complain after this. I'll spam the official channel with this until they quarantine his char. They need to apologize for this; I always have the game logs running; I know it takes a lot of space, but it is very precious in such cases. No cheating with me.

“O.K. I lost!”

Once I said this word, an iron collar formed around my neck and I groaned. I shouldn't have given him the satisfaction but it still came out of my throat.

We'll meet inside the official channel for this, you bastard!.

Cala raised her hands in submission and put a knee to the ground.