“I thought we were friends,” says Ricard. “You’re a traitor...”

“How dare you say this to me?” I retort. “It isn’t my fault you didn’t believe us. We told you many times our sister was a pro player.”

He heavily exhales.

“Haaa… you’re right. But I always believed you were bragging to me… Right after the tournament, I thought it could be true, but the more I thought about it, the less I believed it. After all, it makes no sense you’re both lacking so much in basic game knowledge if you can ask your sister for anything.”

“Ahaha… There are… reasons for it.”

What can I say here? That we were in a strained relationship and barely did anything together? Even if he’s my friend I don’t want to go into so much detail. We aren’t that close yet.

I raise my head to look at Marta and Clara, who are talking excitedly close to us.

Laura is sitting on the ground with us, but she isn’t saying anything, with a pensive look on her face. From time to time, she sneaks a glance at us. I’m sure she thinks we don’t notice, but I sure do.

The fastest way to get fully healed and recover all EP and MP is to exit and reenter the dungeon, but Marta said it would take too long to reach a suitable place for the duel if we did. She also said it was easy for us to die in any other place than this training path.

It’s understandable. She didn’t plan for the duel because I only told her today.

So, right now, we’re sitting on the ground, right next to a healing fountain. We’re in a room beside the arena where we fought the colossal angel. For some reason that I don’t want to imagine, in case they would become true, she put a healing fountain here in case it was needed.

We’re waiting for Ricard to recover all his stats for the duel so he can get his ass beaten in a fair match. It’ll be a short break, it won’t take long for the healing fountain to do its work.

“I thought that, even if you were telling the truth, your sister would, at most, be a good player. Maybe in a high ranking, but certainly not one on the top seats… But it turned out your sister was Anthemia. THE Anthemia… What am I going to do now?”

”Well, maybe you were a little bit too arrogant for your own good.”

“Do you think so…? Haaaaa… you’re right. I wanted to show you my good side. That I’m a good fighter too, and not just a walking encyclopedia.... Absolve myself from all my previous errors.”

Well well well… look who’s conscious about his own lackings.

I never expected him to be the first to say it. In fact, I was expecting Laura to explode and tell him one day.

Clara and I actually made a bet about it, and I lost it, so…. I’ll have to do Clara’s bidding yet again. I hope it isn’t something I’ll hate…

“I’m sorry for not believing you, Andreu. Haaa… I’m so useless… The only thing I can do right is spout random things about the game, and be a decent frontliner. I always make mistakes… I brag about how much knowledge I have, but I’m incapable of putting it into use.”

“Hmmm… well, huh…” I’m going to regret this so much… In fact, I already regret it, and I haven’t spoken yet… But I must say it. For Ricard’s sake. “You know… you aren’t that bad, you know…?”

“Please, don’t encourage me with empty words. It’s better if you stay silent.”

“No, no. I really mean it. Deep down, very, very deep down, all of us appreciate your vast game knowledge. It’s thanks to you that we’ve survived on a lot of occasions.”

“Do you… do you, really think so?”

“I do. It’s just… You can be a little bit too enthusiastic about your explanations. You’re also too proud around weird stuff. Like, why do you act like a jerk when teaching us something? Do you think we enjoy it?”

“... I’m sorry. I…” He pauses for a moment. “From now on, I’ll do my best to stop doing those things. And thank you for not leaving me after all my mistakes.”

“Oh, come on! Who would throw away a friend for something like that!?”

“Hahaha… Thanks, bud.”

“You’re welcome.”

I swear, if this wasn’t a game, Ricard would be spilling a tear or two now. Me? Nah, this is an allergic reaction to telling the truth and acting like an adult.

Finally, Ricard’s previously glazed eyes return to normal. He then raises his head and stares at Marta. I’m sure he’s preparing mentally for the fight to come.

It doesn’t take long for Marta to turn to us and say “Are you ready? You should be in tip-top condition now.”

Instead of answering, Ricard turns to me. “Is this necessary? I was too full of myself, there’s no way I can win a fight against your sister…”

“What are you saying!? We both know it’s a good chance for you to improve.” I push his back, forcing him to stand up. “So, go there to get your ass beaten.”

“Hahaha, ok. I’ll go get my ass beaten.” He smiles at me, his previous expression gone from his face. “All right, let’s do this, Anthemia. Please, don’t be too hard on me.”

“Hmph! Who do you think you are? Did you really think I would go all-out against a weakling? The duel would end in a blink of an eye, and I wouldn’t enjoy it. I’ll go easy on you, but not because you asked for it.”

…why can’t you just agree like a normal person would? You know, something like ‘It’s fine, I was planning on going easy on you anyway’.

“Hahaha…” Ricard laughs awkwardly, scratching his head. “I’m ready.”

“Before we start,” says Marta. “I’m not sure if I’ve told you before or not, but I’m using an Angel as a champion, which has similar stats to your Death Knight, to make this fight fair. I’ll also put a handicap on myself: I won’t fly.” She raises her sword. “Now, give me your best. If you can’t hold out for at least a minute in these circumstances, you should stop playing DMA and go to some other game instead!”

“All right… Here I go!”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The fight starts with Ricard making the first strike, which Marta leisurely parries to the side.

It’s like watching David versus Goliath… if David had zero chances to win. Godzilla against an ant. God against an inanimate grain of salt!

…ok, ok, I’ll stop. I’m sure you know what I mean.

Poor Ricard… He’s in for a beating.

Which reminds me… where did I put them…? Oh, shit! I forgot to bring my virtual popcorn with me! What am I going to do now!?

Their fight continues as I despair at my lack of preparation.

Ricard tries with a barrage of strikes, but when he realizes none of them hit my sister, he decides to switch tactics and use Whirlwind instead.

It’s a good idea. Whirlwind is a skill, and one with a continuous effect, so it isn’t easy to avoid and it isn’t possible to parry it either.

But this doesn’t mean it can’t be avoided. As soon as Marta sees the first animation frames of the skill, she jumps backward to get out of the skill’s area of effect before it activates.

He then chases after her, with Whirlwind activated, and she runs away. When he realizes they have the same speed and he’ll never catch up, he stops and uses Dark Grab instead.

Dark, shadowy tendrils launch forward from his hand, entangling Marta and dragging her to him.

Dark Grab is one of those skills that’s impossible to avoid, it has an auto-locking function. Though not everything is free, because, for the damage it deals, it’s very expensive. Also, forcefully dragging the enemy into melee range isn’t always a good idea.

Ricard takes this chance to swing his sword again, and Marta takes the first hit, unable to evade it on time.

“Good job, Baldy!” I cheer him. “You landed one strike more than I expected! If you continue like this, you might even win. Hahaha!”

Marta’s brows twitch after listening to me. She sends me a glare, and, for the first time since the fight started, opens her mouth. Did she get angry?

“Good job with the combo. But you still have a lot to learn… once you have the initiative, you should follow up instead of rejoicing on your feat. Like this.”

It’s true that Ricard missed a chance there. While Marta was recovering from being dragged, he should have attacked her a few more times and he might have landed a few more hits. He lost his chance, and it might be the last one he gets in this duel.

True to her words, Marta starts an unrelenting barrage of sword strikes. They’re fast and accurate. Ricard struggles to evade them or block them with the shield, but he’s hit from time to time. In fact, about a third of the attacks hit him.

And every time he tries to step backward, Marta sends one or two flying strikes at him, forcing him to move in the way she wants to.

“Didn’t she say she would go easy on him?” Asks Laura from my side.

“She’s going easy on him,” I answer. “If you had seen her in serious mode, you’d immediately notice the difference.”

How am I so sure? Because she was serious when she was ‘training’ me. There’s a stark difference between her current attacks and those ones. I shiver.

“Is that so…?”

“Yes, she’s going easy,” confirms Clara. “If she was attacking seriously, he would be dead by now. She’s unstoppable! Hehehe!”

“Yeah…” I agree. “I’m sure she’s waiting for him to try something else. In times of despair, it’s when you grow the most. At least, this is what our sister likes to say.”

Laura shudders. “I see… A pro player's skills are really terrifying. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do what she’s doing now, and you say she’s going easy…”

I nod. “You’re right, I feel the same. For her, this is more like a drilling session than a duel. Look at the annoying geek’s face, can’t you see he’s smiling? I’m sure he realized it too, and is having the time of his life.”

“Ah, you’re right! I was too focused on Anthemia and didn’t notice it until now. Then, there’s no need for me to worry.”

“Nope, there’s no need.” I agree.

“Come on, Baldy! Do something! Do you want to die like a pathetic worm!?” Shouts Clara, taunting him.

Marta grins at him, taunting him even more.

“All right!” He shouts. “Let’s see how you avoid this!”

Letting her hit him for a moment, he forgets about defense and uses Dark Grab again. At first, I think it is to force her out of a comfortable position, but I’m surprised when, immediately after, he uses Whirlwind.

“What a fool…” I mutter.

“A fool?” Laura asks, not understanding anything. “Didn’t he achieve what he was looking for?”

“No, you’ll soon understand.”

“He made the worst mistake, hehehe!”

Marta, who can’t run away on time from the Whirlwind since she’s dragged right next to Ricard, starts taking damage.

But soon, she recovers her posture, and instead of doing anything, she stands there, with her arms crossed and the corners of her lips tilted upwards. She calmly observes him, disdain etched on her face.

A light film appears, covering her. Even as she stays inside the Whirlwind, she doesn’t take too much damage. I have no idea what skill it might be, but it’s clearly effective.

I’m sure Ricard did this because he knows they both move at the same speed, so she shouldn’t be able to run away once she’s inside the Whirlwind’s AoE. The problem is he didn’t take something even more important into account. Something that’ll make him lose this match.

Soon, what I was expecting becomes true. Whirlwind cancels on its own and Ricard falls to the ground, not expecting it.

“The duel is over,” I say.

Looking at him from above, Marta admonishes Ricard.

“You made the worst mistake. Do you know what’s the most important thing in a fight?” He looks at her, grasping for air, incapable of answering. “It’s keeping track of your stats. Do you know why you lost? You lost because you overused your expensive skills and ended up running out of EP.”

“Haa… haa… but, at least, I managed to put you in a difficult position, didn’t I?” He asks, grinning like a fool.

“...Do you really think so?” Marta uses Blink and appears a few meters away. “I could have run away anytime. But the match was decided when you decided to use those expensive skills, so there was no need for me to humiliate you anymore.”

Ricard’s mouth opens fully, but instead of despair, I can see his eyes glowing in excitement. He stands up and lowers her head.

“Anthemia, thank you for this match. I learned a lot.”

“Hmph! As long as you acknowledge my favor…” She turns her head to the side. “But you’re too green, you’re not worthy–”

“Please, can I be your pupil?” He interrupts. “Can you teach me everything I need to know to improve? It would be an honor to learn from the best of the best!”

“Hmm…” Marta looks around, troubled. “I…”

“Can I call you teacher? Or do you prefer great teacher? Great sage, maybe? Of course, I’ll adapt to anything you say, so feel free–”

“Absolutely not. And stop bothering me.” Marta cuts him.

Ooooh, look at this! The one that’s obsessed with trying to get others to call him ‘teacher’, willing to receive instructions from somebody else!

He grabs Marta’s arm and starts pleading. “Please, please, please! I’ll be the best pupil in the whole world, I swear!”

“Ugh…” She turns to look in our direction. “Can one of you do anything about this? It’s… annoying.”

“Sure,” I answer. “Clara, go and pick up our stupid teammate before he puts himself in an even more awkward situation.”

“Okay!” She flexes her tentacles. “It’s time for the Grappling Queen to shine again! Hehehe!”

I dismiss her with my hand. “Yeah… go have a nice time.”

It’s funny to see how Ricard, who’s almost as disgusted as I am of the Abyss units, struggles to stick to Marta as Clara starts pulling on him.

“Hey, Mad Rat… shouldn’t we help, too?” Asks Laura, still sitting with me on the ground.

“Huh? Why?”

I send a glance at my horrifying little sister, pulling on the even creepier Ricard, and my older sister, about to explode in a fit of anger.

Why should I bother with that mess? There’s no way I’m getting close to THAT.

[https://i.imgur.com/ZGSK4Pl.png]

Not too long after this, a new member would join Anthemia’s fan club. In time, that person would become one of the most devout followers, not missing a single one of her matches. But that’s a story for the future.