"So, are you guys ready to hear what we have to say?" Seth asked Celine and I as the four of them turned back to us.

"Yeah, I guess," I replied, glancing at Celine. Her expression was unreadable, but I could feel the tension emanating from her.

"For starters, the duels weren't meant to end in victories. They were simply a demonstration of what you both could do," Seth explained. "As for your fighting styles... You both have potential, but you'll need to refine them. Starting off with Celine, you're actually pretty decent. You can switch styles, moving from long-range to mid-range, and your close combat techniques are adequate. As for you, Luquier..." Seth turned to me.

"...You're pretty terrible."

[OOF LOLOLOLOL]

I struggled to maintain my composure as Sephera spammed my vision with a myriad of amused expressions. Oh, I was going to find a way to mute her.

"And by terrible, I don't mean that you're bad at fighting or anything," Seth continued quickly, "It's just that... you don't really have any techniques or style. It's like you're just winging it."

That... was fair. I had done everything on the fly so far. Still, this feedback sucked.

"It's not a bad thing, Luquier. While you do possess monstrous and explosive power, the others and I are just worried that you might find yourself in a pinch if you were to suddenly lack that power," Seth finished with a reassuring smile. "You'll have plenty of time to train and hone your skills with us and your party. Just remember that not every fight can be won with brute force alone."

I wanted to be upset about the 'terrible' part, but Seth's words made sense. He could've easily ended the match as soon as he transformed, yet he held back to see what else I was capable of.

"With that said, do you two feel up for a training session?" Seth asked us with a smile. "We could use the extra help, and it's the best way for you to learn and grow."

I glanced over at Celine, who was still looking at Seth with an unreadable expression. She'd been quiet this whole time. I wondered what she was thinking.

"How long would the session be?"

Damn, it seemed like Celine was a much better team member than I was, eager to hop right into training. I couldn't let her outshine me here.

"We usually practice for a couple of hours. At most, maybe three or four," Gigi replied with a smile.

"Would it be possible for us to do an hour for today? I believe Luquier and I need the rest after being pushed to our limits in the duel," Celine surprisingly countered. I wasn't expecting her to voice her wants, much less do so out of consideration for me. Not that I was tired from dueling Seth, but it did feel nice that Celine was thinking about me. Maybe I was wrong about her.

"Sure," Seth grinned, nodding his approval. "An hour it is, then. Aurora and I will train with Luquier while Chronia and Gigi will train with Celine."

Fuck! I wanted to train with Gigi. Seth and Ophelia were fine too, but I didn't want to train with my sister.

Before we split into two groups and moved to opposite ends of the simulation room, Celine briefly caught my arm.

"I realize this might be a selfish request, but after practice today, would you be able to fly me somewhere?"

I blinked, taken aback by her willingness to fly with me. "Uh, sure. Somewhere important you need to be?" Whatever it was, it was important enough for Celine to want to cut practice down to an hour and ask for a flight from me.

"Yes, Immortal. There's a sale happening on a particular set that I was eagerly waiting for. I didn't have hope since I assumed we'd meet our assigned parties today, but it seems I may have the chance after all."

[ ._. ]

I stared at Celine as she walked away to join up with Gigi and Ophelia. Here I was, thinking she was a hard worker and caring teammate when all she thought about was making it to the sale on time.

[I definitely think it's because you took her on a shopping spree. Someone who hardly expresses themselves getting addicted to buying clothes? Luquier, you're an enabler.]

I wanted to snap at Sephera, but Seth called me over to where he and Aurora were. I sighed and jogged over.

"So, the way we train is from scratch," Seth explained, swiping the air in front of him. "Are you familiar with PvP dueling?"

"Not exactly," I shook my head. "I haven't really participated in one yet, but I've registered already."

"Oh?" Aurora raised an eyebrow. "My little bro is going to fight against other Players? When did you grow up to be such a bully?"

"You're one to talk, Awra," I retorted. "You were always the one who beat me up when we were kids."

Seth chuckled, shaking his head. "If you two are done, I have some more things to explain."

My sister and I fell silent, glancing at each other briefly before focusing our attention back on Seth.

"Anyway, in most PvP matches, they are not at all like duels. In duels outside of arenas, the stats of Players are unmodified. In PvP matches where rules have been created-"

"Both Players are equalized in some way?" I interrupted. Seth gave a nod of approval.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Yup. Either you've done your research, or you're pretty sharp," he complimented, giving a few more taps in the air in front of him.

I didn't want to say that it was because of my extensive history with gaming that I could easily guess that that was the case. In games with PvP, usually there was a ranked and unranked modes to keep the competition fresh. With how ludicrous stats could get in Last Stand, it wasn't hard to assume that PvP arenas in the real world had some sort of balancing system.

"Don't give him too much credit, Seth. Lu is a gamer, so he probably already figured out a lot about this world already," Aurora immediately called me out. Why did I have to pair up with her?

"Is that so?" Seth said with an amused smile. "Either way, it's been working out for him."

[System alert: Seth has invited you to a duel.]

[Restrictions: All Players set at level 1000, max 5000 Stat Points.]

I accepted the request, feeling my power drop significantly as the world around the three of us became replaced with a blue copy.

"Aside from stats, your weapons and equipment remain the same," Seth continued, stretching his body. "Though, the officials might bar you from using certain items if they deem it too powerful for duels. Like that wicked blue runic sword you got there, Luquier."

The Soultaker trembled in my hands, seemingly both proud and offended. Well, it meant I couldn't use the Silver Serpent either, unless I take back the extra damage I gave it.

"For today's practice session, I'll allow you to use it, since our stats are balanced now," Seth grinned, taking out the Behemoth fang. There was a flash of purple light, and I saw that the fang had been shaped into a blade. Aurora took out her giant broadsword, casually swinging it around.

"Now, I won't be too controlling and tell you how to divide your limited Stat Points. That'll be up to your discretion," Seth nodded towards me. "But, if you want my advice, I'd put it into areas you're familiar with. For me, I put most of it into Health and Magic."

"I put mine into Speed and Strength," Aurora chipped in. "My Avarice Title takes care of my lower stats."

"Right," I murmured, opening up my stats. Oof. Back at base 100 Health, and 5 all around except Risk and Magic. Memories of my time in Last Stand came back, causing me to shiver.

After I was done distributing my stats, I faced off against Seth and Aurora. I took a deep breath, gripping the Soultaker in my hands.

"In this balanced duel, technique is a very important factor," Seth murmured, closing his eyes for a moment. "Let's see who can outplay the other. The first session will be me and you, Luquier, then Aurora will take my place. Afterwards, we'll go in depth with your fighting style and help you improve or change."

I nodded. "That's fine by me. I'm ready whenever you guys are."

----------------------------------------

I'll admit it, I didn't do half as well as I expected. On the flip side, I didn't do that poorly either. Giving 1000 points in every stat, I was well-rounded, but my achievement really helped me go toe-to-toe with both of them, albeit for a short while.

True to Seth's claim, despite us being on even ground, I was gradually overwhelmed by his quick swordplay, unable to land any strikes before and after my achievement stat boost. Aurora was no different, sapping my strength as her more daring and heavier style overpowered me.

I ended up flat on my back, staring up at the blue gridlines of the ceiling. Seth and Aurora entered my vision with varying expressions of amusement.

"I'll be honest, you're much better than I thought," Seth chuckled, offering me a hand up. "For someone who's had no experience properly wielding a sword, you actually managed to keep up with us."

"I've had some practice," I replied vaguely, grabbing his hand and pulling myself up. Of course, dying over seven hundred times really sharpened my survival instinct. Or dampened it. Either way, I was technically filled with the memories of those countless lives I lost.

"I don't know... I mean, Lu has a careful fighting style," my sister remarked, stabbing her giant broadsword into the ground. "For all his strength, I thought he'd be more aggressive, like me."

'Being aggressive was what cost me so many lives in Last Stand' was what I wanted to retort with, but I held my tongue. This was practice after all, and it was a good indicator of my abilities should I ever find myself in this situation.

"No, it's actually pretty smart," Seth argued in my defense. Huh, he seemed like a good guy. "Sure, his abilities revolve around being immortal, but Luquier's got a sense of awareness and knows when not to push his luck."

"Well, if you say so," Aurora grumbled, wiping sweat from her brow. "I'm still going to beat him next time. Just you wait."

"Aside from that, I think the only pointers I have for you are to continue with your cautious swordplay," Seth grinned. "It’s a bit weird to put a dangerous amount of points into Risk, but it seems to work out for you, huh? Just practice on getting used to properly using the sword, just like we coached you."

As the virtual world faded back to reality, I saw Celine returning back with Gigi and Ophelia. They looked just as winded as we were, and the six of us shared tired smiles. We walked over, my body feeling rejuvenated after exiting the dueling simulation.

"Practice went well over here," Seth called out to them. "You guys?"

"Celine was adequate," Ophelia nodded back. "She could use more training, though."

"Same with Lu," Aurora added with a glance towards me. "He's not quite there yet."

"Don't listen to them," Seth clapped me on the shoulder with a friendly smirk. "They're just trying to be tough on you two. I can't speak for Celine, but you're definitely on the right track, Luquier."

"Thanks," I grinned back, relieved. It was nice to know that at least someone thought I was doing something right. "It's just practice, right? We can only get better from here."

"That's the spirit," Seth agreed. "Now, I know we said an hour of practice, but would you two be interested in more–"

"I apologize, Behemoth, but Immortal and I have plans to attend to," Celine uncharacteristically interrupted with a bow. "Thank you for the training today. We will return here tomorrow at the same time."

"O-oh, okay then..." Seth seemed momentarily taken aback by Celine's abruptness, but quickly recovered. "Well, you two have fun."

----------------------------------------

It didn't feel as fun flying Celine over to the grandiose shopping tower this time, since she was more focused on getting the outfit of her dreams rather than the terrifying speed we flew at. I gently dropped her off in front of the entrance, where a long line had begun to form.

"Thank you, Immortal," Celine nodded, glancing at me before turning her attention back to the line. "I'll see you tomorrow. Unless you'd like to wait in line with me?"

"Er, no, I'm good, thanks. I've got plans of my own." I glanced at the line, feeling a twinge of awe for Celine's dedication. "Have fun shopping. See you tomorrow."

I turned around and flew off, heading in the direction of the tower.

[Are you still planning to take on that demon dungeon?]

"Yeah," I muttered back, landing in front of the entrance after a couple of minutes. "I just need to check on something real quick."

I entered the familiar lobby, going through the blue portal to the 30th floor Safe Zone. The global level cap had been pushed to floor 35, and I was getting antsy about the halfway point.

[What are you doing here then? :o]

"Well, with all the stuff that's happened to me, I think it might be time to see if she's back."

[You mean...?]

"Yep," I confirmed with a nod, staring up at the old shop. "If Lucinda's here, that means she's got something new for me."