CHAPTER 151: THE FIRST VICTORY

The duel began under a wave of eager anticipation.

Ryan had explained earlier that in the treacherous terrain of Dreadful Mire, Aspect of the Cheetah’s speed boost would be cut down to only twenty-four percent. The swamp’s natural twenty-percent slowing effect made it far more punishing than most maps.

Smoking Gun, however, had dismissed the concern with confidence. If Ryan’s strategy held water, then even a reduced bonus would be enough for him to prevail.

AJ hadn’t been privy to whatever private plan the guild leader had shared with Smoking Gun. Not that he cared. He was facing a Marksmanship Hunter—the flimsiest of the three Hunter specializations—and his confidence burned hot. Countless victories had taught him that Hunters were easy prey for a seasoned Warrior.

When the countdown ended, AJ lunged forward with Charge, closing the gap in an instant. But before he could swing, his body locked in place, encased in ice.

A Freezing Trap. Predictable. He had expected it all along, and he didn’t waste energy panicking. Once the cooldown on Charge reset, the Hunter would have nowhere left to run.

"Go, Smoking Gun! Do it for the Hunters!"

The voice came from Evelyn, who stood among the spectators. As a fellow Marksmanship Hunter, she knew better than anyone the frustrations of the class. Unlike most Hunters, she was a regular in dungeon runs thanks to her role as a core guild member, but even so, she carried the same sense of helplessness every Hunter felt. Yet watching Smoking Gun step forward with such certainty against a Protection Warrior sent a thrill racing through her.

She wasn’t the only one. Farther off, CBlack, the Orc Hunter using Eagle Eye to watch the match, whispered a prayer of his own. In this moment, faction lines didn’t matter. All that mattered was the chance to raise the Hunter’s standing.

Still frozen, AJ watched as Smoking Gun nocked an arrow for Aimed Shot, the same tired opener he always used. Disappointment tightened AJ’s chest. ’So this is it? If you refuse to change, your dream is about to shatter right here.’

But AJ failed to notice something subtle: the usual follow-up was missing. There was no Serpent Sting. Instead, Smoking Gun loosed a single Explosive Shot, quick and sharp, the blast biting at AJ’s health bar but dealing little real harm.

AJ laughed, his voice edged with scorn. "Smoking Gun, nothing’s changed. You’re going to lose again!"

The damage barely scratched his heavy armor. He braced himself, readying for Intercept, certain he would close the gap once the freezing effect faded.

But then Smoking Gun blurred into motion, Aspect of the Cheetah igniting at full strength. He streaked across the swampy ground, opening space between them faster than AJ could cover. The distance stretched just beyond his reach.

Intercept required at least eight yards but no more than twenty-five. A Marksmanship Hunter’s arrows reached thirty. As long as Smoking Gun kept that slim buffer, he could kite AJ until the Warrior dropped.

Yet AJ still had an ace in his pocket. At level twenty, Warriors gained Shattering Throw: a ranged strike that hurled a spectral dagger. The damage was trivial, but it applied a thirty-percent slow from thirty-five yards away—farther than a Hunter’s bow could reach. One well-timed throw, and the Hunter’s speed advantage would collapse. The gap would close, Intercept would land, and the fight would end in AJ’s favor.

No Hunter had ever escaped him once he played that card.

AJ’s plan was simple. He would hold his trump card until Smoking Gun finally used Concussive Shot. The instant the slowing arrow left the bowstring, he would unleash Shattering Throw and end the fight.

But Smoking Gun never gave him the chance. Instead of opening with Concussive Shot, he stuck to steady basic attacks, only breaking rhythm with the occasional short burst of Explosive Shot when his focus hit full.

He never let his focus dip too low either, always hovering around half, careful, measured, in control.

AJ’s patience frayed. As a guild Tank, his armor was solid, his defenses built to absorb punishment. The arrows chipped away at him, but the damage was slow, more irritating than threatening. Yet irritation was precisely what gnawed at him.

Then he noticed something stranger: Smoking Gun’s pet hadn’t moved from his side. No fangs, no claws, no damage at all.

"How’s it feel, AJ?"

Smoking Gun’s voice carried across the field. His excitement was obvious now. He kept up his calm rhythm, kiting AJ back and forth exactly the way his guild leader had described. The once untouchable Protection Warrior was being toyed with, locked just inside his firing range but never close enough to strike.

AJ’s health ticked lower. Sixty percent remained, but each arrow made the gap feel wider, heavier. The difference between twenty-five and thirty yards wasn’t much—two steps at most. Normally AJ could close that space in less than a second. Now, it may as well have been a canyon.

Smoking Gun wasn’t trying to crush him with overwhelming damage. He wasn’t gambling for a big moment. He was simply avoiding mistakes, stepping back every time AJ tried to move in, not even caring if his arrows struck hard.

At last, AJ snapped. The instant Smoking Gun loosed another arrow, AJ hurled his trump card. A spectral blade whistled through the air, streaking toward its target.

"Got you!" he thought—until Smoking Gun gave a startled cry and switched Aspects at the last possible moment. Aspect of the Cheetah vanished, and with it, the risk of being slowed.

Before AJ could react, a Concussive Shot slammed into him. His movements faltered under the forty-percent slow, his feet dragging as though the swamp itself had swallowed them whole.

Smoking Gun immediately reactivated Aspect of the Cheetah, his speed restored, his control absolute. AJ tried to push forward, but the Hunter had answered every trick.

He let out a long breath. It was over. The last tool in his kit had failed him. He still had a ranged weapon, yes, but with its limited thirty-yard reach and sluggish wind-up, it wasn’t worth trying. Smoking Gun would simply switch Aspects again and make the effort meaningless.

For the first time in a long while, AJ felt powerless. Truly powerless.

"You win."

The words appeared in chat as AJ entered the concede command. His avatar dropped to its knees in defeat, and when he rose in the real world, he was smiling despite himself.

"You win," he repeated aloud.