> That day, I stood before the armies of Sandirk with an arrogant sneer on my lips.

>

> They charged. My blade streaked forth, cleaving through thousands. My victory was inevitable. I finally revealed the full extent of my power, reveling in their dying screams.

>

> It took centuries to understand I should have done things differently.

>

> — Craven’s Journal, chapter 490, page 3,299

Through a host of turns and stairways, Deeya arrived at the luxury suite on the top floor of the dueling arena. It was exclusively reserved for the Cartwright family and their honored guests. Today, she was one of them.

I hate these political games.

She wouldn’t be there at all if it weren’t for the express invitation of Lady Mallenda Cartwright, a nobless you did not refuse. Deeya was surprised Mallenda knew she existed. They’d only met once in passing at a winter ball last year.

She drew in a breath and rapped loudly on the door before entering.

“Come in, my dear,” the old hag muttered, gesturing to a seat by her side. “I’m glad you came. Watching duels alone is far less fun.”

Deeya cast a cursory look around the lavish suite, taking in the mountain of untouched food on a trestle at the back. She helped herself to a glass of fruit juice and carefully lowered herself into a padded seat beside her host. “I’m surprised to see you here in Strathburn, your ladyship. Especially for something as trite as a duel. I had no idea you held Lord Easton in such high favor.”

Mallenda tutted. “It’s not him I’m interested in, darling. Or perhaps I should clarify, not only him. This duel is of great importance to my family. It heralds the end of an era. And I thought you to be the perfect viewing partner, what with your history with … ” Her gaze narrowed in on Deeya’s oblivious expression like a snake sighting a mouse. “Oh, this is a rare delight! You don’t know, do you?”

Deeya’s grip tightened, and her gloves created the barest of squeaks against the glass. “Know what, your ladyship?”

Mallenda turned to the viewing window, peering down at the two contenders approaching their respective positions. “If my sources in Bastion are correct, I believe you’ll find this duel positively enthralling.”

Deeya followed her gaze, locking onto the unmistakable figure of her former dungeon tour guide.

“RIN!”

The girl leaped to her feet and pressed her palms tight against the window. She didn’t even notice her glass shattering on the floor.

Mallenda’s malevolent grin went from ear to ear. “I do so enjoy a good plan coming to fruition.”

Deeya spun around. Her recent journey to Strathburn with Lord Easton came to mind. The puzzle pieces clicked together. “Why? Why do you hate him so?”

“Pah! A most outrageous request! I’m hardly going to reveal my secrets to the likes of you, girl.”

“I swear on the Game of the Gods that I won’t tell a soul, living or dead.”

A flash of blue mana essence swirled around her body as the gods acknowledged her oath.

Mallenda paused, appraising her with a piercing gaze. “A bold and foolish maneuver, child. Alright, I’ll tell you. Your friend Rin is not the only bastard of House Cartwright. As fate would have it, my son is a bastard also. My bastard, not his father’s, little does the boy know. Therefore, if Rin should ever wish to challenge his claim, he’d win, for by the law of the land, the blood inherited through the male line trumps my own.”

Deeya’s eyes swelled wide with shock. She knew how Mallenda schemed, and what she’d just learned was dangerous knowledge indeed. No matter what she’d vowed to the Game of the Gods, if word of this ever got out, it would be her head on a platter.

The girl swallowed. “I wish I’d never asked.”

Mallenda huffed as if the fact was plain to see and joined her at the window.

“Sometimes I wonder why I didn’t kill him as a baby. But then there’s days like this.” She gestured with an outstretched palm at the dueling arena below. “This is far more fun. Don’t you agree?”

***

“Are you ready, m’lord?” asked Duncan Yarvot, the city auditor.

“Of course,” said Easton, casually handling his bejeweled sword like an umbrella with its tip dug into the grit floor.

“May I present the boy’s ring. An unusual specimen, I daresay.”

After triggering Identify, Easton scratched his chin in thought, his brow scrunched. “It appears altogether useless, but … soulbound?”

The auditor nodded. “Legendary rarity, at least. No idea how he got his muddy paws on it.”

Easton’s eyes gleamed. “I want it.”

“Aye. You shall have it. And with that, our deal will be complete.” The man coughed gently into a fist. “I also require your ring, m’lord.” The auditor wore a smarmy grin as he motioned at the crowds. “There are witnesses. It wouldn’t do for any of their testimonies to disagree with the proceedings. Not to mention the gods …”

Lord Easton reluctantly handed him the storage ring from his finger, a gaudy, hulking thing with a fat ruby as its centerpiece. “I’m watching you, Yarvot. If I suspect you’ve double-crossed me for even a moment, it will be you with an assassin’s contract on your head, not your competitors.

The auditor kept his face a blank mask, giving a deferential bow as he backed away. “Wouldn’t dream of it, m’lord.”

***

Rin watched the interaction between the auditor and Lord Easton like a hawk, making sure the noble gave up his ring as he was supposed to. The officiant stepped to the middle of the arena and raised a short wand to his lips, amplifying his voice.

“Lords and ladies! Merchants, adventurers, and peasants! I give you the first event to kick off the day’s festivities. It is sure to be one for the history books! Lord Kevin Easton—a gracious noble of our beautiful city and level 56 Duelist—has challenged this Cursed on behalf of House Cartwright. The level 6 Potato Farmer, Rin Cartwright, the interloper, the bastard, will defend against this challenge. What say you, City of Strathburn?”

The crowd rose to the occasion, responding with a swelling roar and casting streamers and random pieces of trash into the arena. It was impossible to tell who they were cheering for. Perhaps they didn’t care.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Rin had never experienced anything like it. To him, the cacophony was overpowering.

The officiant beckoned the combatants to step forward into the dueling ring proper. The moment Rin’s foot touched down on the grit, a notification appeared in his mind.

Challenge Encounter

“Defeat a person stronger than you by 50 levels or more”

Note: This duel has been designated a Challenge Encounter in the Game of the Gods. If you are victorious, it will count as one of three challenges necessary for success in the Game.

Good luck.

Rin’s brow rose in realization.

This is the other challenge where Craven mentioned I had a chance.

The city auditor raised his arm. “On my command!”

The crowd hushed.

Easton’s lips twisted into a mocking smile.

Rin’s hands curled into fists. He activated his buffs, flaring embers and ash from underneath a glittering space robe that appeared from thin air.

Easton’s smile cracked.

The officiant’s arm fell. “FIGHT!”

Rin launched forward with Meteor Dash, appearing instantly before a shocked Lord Easton.

The boy launched a steel web, but the man’s sword was there, swatting it from the air.

Rin launched another and another. But Easton was on the move now, his fleet-footed Dexterity propelling him in a tight circle around the boy.

The noble was at Rin’s back before the boy could move, plunging his sword into the Reflection Robe. Easton screamed a moment later as his weapon turned against him, its magical blade sinking deep into his own arm.

Rin cursed his abysmal level 6 Dexterity. He was still in the middle of twisting around when he triggered Ash Explosion.

Easton’s feet glowed blue, and he leaped back, catching the edge of the blast. The boiling ash cloud made him backpedal faster, hopping repeatedly until he reached safety.

The noble paused, reassessing his options.

The cloud of ash faded to reveal Rin casually standing there, unbowed and unharmed. His Reflection Robe was blown to pieces. He checked his MP and conjured another.

The crowd cheered.

Easton panted, his clothes a charred mess. Blood dripped from his arm, pooling in the grit. While Rin watched, a red potion bottle appeared in the man’s hand, and he downed it in one gulp.

Rin’s eyes swelled.

Where did he get that from?

Easton laughed as the wound sealed itself before their eyes. He rotated his shoulders and cracked his neck. His eyes were wild and feral.

“You thought I yielded all my storage items? FOOL!” He spat a wad of blood onto the arena floor.

His murderous gaze locked onto Rin. “My turn.”

The outline of the man’s body shimmered and he became a sudden blur, jabbing into Rin’s weak spots before the boy could react.

Easton had learned of the Reflection Robe’s effect the hard way. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again. His blade targeted the exposed flesh of Rin’s hands and neck.

It was only Rin’s Ash Armor that saved him. By the time he used Meteor Dash to gain some distance, blood seeped from deep cuts in a dozen places.

He activated Meteor Dash a second time, taking him to the outermost limit of the dueling ring. Activating Partial Transmutation, he changed as much of his body as possible into the Vortex Warrior, leaning on its Recovery stat to boost his HP quickly. His body remained unchanged, but a whirling wind spun about his body. Mere seconds passed before he had to abandon the effort.

Easton charged.

The noble was within six feet when Rin opened his mouth, unleashing the Banshee’s Scream at point-blank range.

Easton’s attack faltered and blood exploded from his eyes and ears. He staggered aside.

Rin shot a steel web at the man’s face. This time, the attack landed and pinned Easton to the floor. Two more webs struck his torso before Rin dismissed his robe to recover some MP.

Still pinned, Easton peered up to find an enormous steel hat descending on him. The man screamed, crushing a teleportation crystal that appeared in his raised hand.

With a bright flash, the noble reappeared a hundred feet away. He lay prone in the exact same position, his arm still raised and his body now free of webbing.

The Smash Hat crashed down on his deserted location, showering dirt in all directions.

With another Meteor Dash, Rin arrived at the noble’s new location, but the man was no longer there. To Rin’s astonishment, he was running away, downing another health potion.

Easton flung an artifact in the boy’s direction.

Rin used another Meteor Dash to back away, nervous about what trick the noble was playing. The boy stood there, his lungs heaving, channeling the Vortex Warrior again to recover HP.

The thrown artifact hit the ground and expanded into a sizable rock, then a boulder, then a stone golem a dozen feet tall. The golem’s limbs materialized as its massive body unfolded.

The boy wasted no time, imagining his shoes to become rapidly growing heels. The effect launched him at the golem’s face.

Rin unleashed the Banshee’s Sonic Shatter as the golem rotated its arm for a strike.

It exploded into dust.

The boy rolled as he landed. When he rose to his feet, Lord Easton was standing still, appraising him with begrudging appreciation from twenty feet away. Thanks to all the potions he’d imbibed, the man was healthy and hale.

His clothes told a different story.

They clung in tatters to his frame, revealing the type of finely honed muscles that could only come from years of physical training.

“You’ve got skill. I’ll grant you that.” Easton gestured at his exposed abs, taking the opportunity to flex. “But I could do this all day. I have a plentiful supply of potions.” He hoisted his sword to rest on his shoulder. “How about you? Is that all you’ve got?”

Rin checked his MP. Despite the low mana cost of his abilities, he was in the danger zone, close to bottoming out completely. He switched from channeling the Vortex Warrior to the skink and watched his MP tick upward.

I need to stall. Get him talking.

“I still don’t understand,” said Rin. “Why me? Why bother?”

Easton tutted, leveling his sword in the boy’s direction. “I’m having none of that, boy. I’ve won hundreds of duels. How do you think I got my Duelist class? I know full well when my opponent is stalling for time. It took longer than I anticipated, but you’ve spent your MP, haven’t you?” The man’s grin tore wide, bordering on manic. “You’re right where I want you.”

With a dash so fast it was beyond Rin’s perception, Easton appeared before him, lunging with his glowing sword aimed at the boy’s heart.

It was a killing blow.

Without Rin’s Reflection Robe, the sword penetrated his Ash Armor, sinking deep into his chest.

The boy fell to the ground, rigid as a board and with the haunting face of a corpse, long dead. His skin wrinkled into a raisin-like texture and the light in his eyes faded.

Easton cried out and leaped back at the sight, aghast. He stood there gawping as the officiator strode up.

“Congratulations, m’lord—Oh, by the GODS!” The auditor held his hand over his mouth, holding back a wave of nausea. “That smell! What kind of curse did this boy have?”

Lord Easton sheathed his sword, shaking his head with a frown. “One like I’ve never seen. It certainly explains his abilities.” He turned to the man, and they stepped away from the corpse, eager to get upwind of the gut-wrenching scent of rotting flesh. “Now give me that ring.”

“M’lord, we’ve yet to receive the notification from the Game of the Gods. It would be unwise—”

“NOW.”

The auditor hurriedly handed over both rings.

Lord Easton held the plain pewter band up to the light, using Identify on it once more. “Hmm. It still says it’s soulbound.”

“My lord?”

“No matter. It’ll change soon enough.” Easton slipped the band onto his index finger.

He grinned with anticipation and his gaze tilted up with the trademark behavior of someone reading a mental notification. As he read the words, his smile fled, replaced by a look of pure horror.

Lord Kevin Easton gave a single shriek, then fell to the ground, gurgling. Creamy green foam bubbled from his mouth. His body stilled.

A dozen feet away, Rin deactivated Phantasmal Drift and staggered to his feet, receiving a notification of his own.

2 of 3 challenges completed successfully

“Defeat a person stronger than you by 50 levels or more”

The boy tapped the auditor on the shoulder. The man yelped and accidentally launched Lord Easton’s gaudy ring into the air.

Rin snatched it before it touched the ground. “I’ll be taking that, thank you.”

The boy leaned down and wrenched his poison ring from Lord Easton’s gnarled fingers. On further consideration, he palmed the noble’s bracelet, necklace, and a garish brooch on the man’s lapel. The items were likely magical or valuable or both. Either way, Rin had no qualms about taking them.

Good riddance, scumbag.

He gave the corpse a hearty kick in the ribs before turning away. “To the victor go the spoils,” he said aloud, half-daring the auditor to challenge him on it. But the man was still staring at him with his mouth agape, afraid to get too close.

Rin shrugged. He held up his poison ring and it winked in the light.

A terrifying rhinoceros appeared with a horn enrobed in lightning. It stomped its hooves in a mighty display of sparks, knocking the auditor onto his rear.

Rin climbed aboard the monster’s back and rode from the arena with his fist raised in triumph.

The crowd went wild.