"You, me, duel now!"

Veronica groaned as she turned around to be met by the sight she had been dreading. Bo was as arrogant as ever with his chest puffed up, shoulders back, and his head held high. He held no weapons, but she knew they were hardly needed as the two bull horns atop his head were perfectly capable of taking out his prey, if his raw strength didn't do the trick. She shivered as she thought back to the first time she had died, she really wasn't eager to have a repeat.

Taking a glance back at Seraphina, she merely received a shrug before the elven woman pulled out an apple, polishing it before taking a big bite from it. Where she kept getting them from, she wasn't sure, but one thing was more than clear. Seraphina didn't plan to intervene unless Veronica lost, this was one battle she'd have to face on her own. Let's just hope her training was starting to pay off...

Stepping out into the hall, Veronica grabbed her staff nervously. She watched Bo carefully, determined not to make the first move. Most of her training had been focused on dodging and retaliating at opportune times. It would be foolish for her to go out of her way to change things up now. Thanks to her role as Dungeon Master, she could see perfectly in the dark hallway whereas Bo had to rely on the light attached at his hip, which left more gaps in his defense than he really should want. Well, no one ever said he was intelligent.

With a sudden, explosive movement, Bo charged forward, his footsteps loud in the small space they shared. He closed the distance between them with terrifying speed. Veronica's reflexes weren't as good as they should be, but she had improved more than a little bit in the few months she had been in this world. She quickly sidestepped the initial charge with a graceful pivot, her body movements resembling that of a leaf caught in the wind. Bo barreled past and she took the opportunity to strike out at his ribcage with her longstaff, the impact resonating through her arms as she did so.

Veronica grinned as Bo let out a roar of anger, already feeling more confident in her martial arts training. The bull-headed man skidded to a halt, swinging his massive arm in a wide arc, which Veronica barely ducked out of the way of. Schooling her expression, she prepared for his next attack. This was no time to get ahead of herself.

A backhand swipe came at her faster than she was expecting, sending her sprawling to the ground. The force of the hit left her momentarily dazed, but she quickly recovered, rolling to her feet as she tried to anticipate his next attack. It wasn't like this was anything new, she was used to being battered and bruised during her training with Seraphina.

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The battle continued on, Veronica doing her best to dodge what attacks she could, taking the rare opportunity to retaliate with strikes and kicks. She aimed for the vulnerable points that she had been taught to look out for during her training, seeking to exploit any opening she could in Bo's defenses. However, her movements were slow as she didn't have the years of experience to back her movements up and Bo was growing angrier and more dangerous with each passing minute.

He was a far tougher opponent than she could handle as his thick skin absorbed every blow she directed his way. His sheer size and strength made it difficult to land any decisive blows and he was still far more experienced in battle than she was, even if he wasn't the brightest bulb. He was relentless, fighting with the primal fury of a beast, his attacks growing more powerful and unyielding as his anger grew in tandem.

When Veronica landed a blow, he responded with a counterattack that left her on the defensive. It was beginning to feel impossible to win this fight. Despite how little time had actually passed, she simply didn't have the stamina for extended combat and she was quickly growing weary. Bo's horns continued to be a constant threat and she had to once more avoid being gored by them as he charged her. However, she must not have been fast enough as, the next thing she knew, his massive fists were hammering down upon her like sledgehammers, leaving her to choke up blood.

Things only got worse from there. Her breaths came in ragged gasps, sweat streaming down her face and stinging her eyes. Bruises and cuts marked her skin, each a testament to the brutal nature of combat. However, she had no choice but to continue to fight to the death. She wasn't going to go down without giving it her all, she didn't want to die and giving up wasn't an option.

With a bellow of rage, Bo swung his head to the side, catching Veronica with one of his horns and sending her flying through the air. She hit the ground hard, the impact driving the air from her lungs and leaving her stunned for just long enough for him to finish her off. After all that effort she had still lost, once more losing to the stubborn, bull-headed man who had it out for her.

When she regained consciousness, she was once more in the dungeon core room. Seraphina looked down at her with concern, but she didn't offer any words of comfort. Instead, she merely stated

"He's gone now, didn't even try to come in here. I don't think he has any interest in destroying your dungeon, he just wants to fight against you. You should count yourself lucky."

Right, lucky... She'd have to consider that some other time. All she could think about right now was the images of the battle she had just died from that were flashing past her eyes. While she was grateful to Seraphina that she could stand her ground far better than she could when she first transmigrated to this world, it still hadn't been enough to win. Veronica knew that, if she ever wanted to overcome the obstacle that was Bo, she'd have to train far harder.