CHAPTER 55: THE WAR GODDESS DUELS THE MONSTER GUILD LEADER

The damage from Weapon Enchantment – Command far outclassed that of Radiant Light, the earlier skill Ryan had learned. In fact, its base attack nearly rivaled the power of his other offensive abilities.

The nearby Orc Rogues dropped like flies. Even after the clash, Ryan still had around 300 health left. He finally released the Radiant Glory he’d been saving, watching as it surged through him and refilled his health bar in full.

Wiping out seven or eight monsters—each a level higher than him—barely cost him any effort. Grinning, Ryan knelt to loot the corpses, picking up scattered copper coins and scraps of linen cloth.

Off in the distance, Moonlight Beauty was clearing her own path through the Orc Rogues. She wasn’t as aggressive as Ryan—she preferred to lure them in one by one—but her kill rate was still impressive.

By the time Ryan had finished off the last of his group, she had already slain four or five.

"Guild Leader, you’re a total monster!"

She had clearly noticed his side of the battlefield. Seeing the wide circle of fallen Orcs around him, she let out a soft gasp.

Though the Orc Rogues weren’t particularly dangerous to heavily armored characters, Ryan’s performance was still nothing short of brutal.

"Monster?" Ryan laughed. "You’ll be like this too once you’ve geared up properly. Once we start running dungeons as a guild, you’ll have all the equipment you could want."

His tone was casual, but he was clearly pleased by the compliment. Coming from the "War Goddess" herself, it meant something.

In time, his accomplishments would far surpass Moonlight Beauty’s. But for now, while she was steadily gaining recognition, Ryan was still quietly grinding in obscurity.

They could have teamed up from the beginning—cleared quests faster, leveled more efficiently. But Ryan knew better. Moonlight Beauty was fiercely proud. Sure, she’d joined his guild without much fuss, but if he ever failed to impress her, she’d leave just as easily.

In his previous life, Moonlight Beauty had been known for her skill. Yet, she remained a solo player for much of the early game. Why? Because she didn’t respect her guild leaders. No one could keep up with her. In the end, it caused a rift, and the guild fell apart.

Even if he’d managed to surprise her for now, Ryan knew it wouldn’t last. Sooner or later, she’d want to spar—test him directly. That was just who she was.

Moonlight Beauty was proud. Warlike. Distant. That was her core. Ryan had no intention of merely keeping up with her—he planned to overwhelm her. To leave no doubt that this was the guild worth staying in.

There had been a hundred Orc Rogues total. The number sounded intimidating on paper, but under the unspoken competition between them, the field cleared fast.

Ryan kept quiet as he tallied the kills: sixty-four on his side. Moonlight Beauty had taken down forty.

The twenty four extra kills came from Ryan pulling more enemies, but it was still a gap Moonlight Beauty couldn’t close—not without admitting it bothered her.

"Guild Leader," she said, walking over, her tone light but edged with challenge, "you’re really something. No wonder you’ve earned so many Glorious Achievements. How about a duel? Let’s see how you handle a real opponent."

Ryan raised a brow, amused. "Right now? Out here in the wild? What if you get jumped by a stray mob with your health low?"

She smirked. "So what if I die? Worst case, I pay a bit in repair fees and lose some stamina. I’ve got over a thousand. What’s a little loss?"

Moonlight Beauty spoke casually, but her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Alright," Ryan said with a shrug. "If you want a duel, let’s have one. I’ll heal you after, so it won’t be a total loss."

While stamina was plentiful in the early game—especially inside racial heartlands—things changed once players entered contested zones. Getting killed by an enemy player in those areas could cost a painful chunk of stamina.

Most players made sure to save at least 300 stamina daily to cushion against unexpected deaths. Without it, they’d be locked out of key content. Dungeons and battlegrounds, in particular, were major stamina drains. Entering one cost 50 stamina upfront; if you didn’t have enough, you couldn’t even get in.

Later on, stamina became one of the most limited resources in the game. Players never complained about having too much—only too little.

"You want me to drop my buffs?" Ryan asked, raising a hand, ready to dispel his active enchantments.

But Moonlight Beauty shook her head. "No need. Anything you’ve earned in this game is fair game. If I can’t handle it, then that’s on me."

She was confident—clearly. Without another word, she sent over a duel request.

A system prompt appeared before Ryan. He accepted it without hesitation.

—

Duel request accepted. Countdown: 3... 2... 1—Begin!

—

The moment the timer hit zero... nothing happened.

Ryan blinked. "Huh? Why aren’t you charging?"

It was odd. Warriors typically opened fights with a Charge—everyone knew that. Then he realized: she was showing restraint. Old etiquette. Back when players actually showed courtesy to tanks.

Protection-spec classes like his didn’t deal as much damage as DPS specs. That was a given. But Ryan didn’t want her holding back out of politeness.

"Come on!" he shouted. "Charge me already. I’ll drop you in a second!"

The provocation landed.

Moonlight Beauty’s pride flared instantly. She launched into action, activating the warrior’s signature skill—Charge.

A crimson aura burst from her as she dashed forward like a cannonball. The impact hit Ryan squarely, stunning him and rooting him in place. The whole exchange took less than half a second.

He didn’t budge.

He didn’t need to.

After finishing off those monsters earlier, Ryan’s Divine Power sat comfortably at 9 out of 9. That meant one thing: invincibility.

Moonlight Beauty’s greatsword came crashing down on him, cutting through the air with force. The blade struck his armor with a sharp clang and took off about 140 health.

Ryan didn’t even blink.

"That’s it?" he smirked. "You call that an attack? Keep going."

She kept swinging, pouring out skill after skill—but Ryan just stood there, unphased. He let his health drop, bit by bit, until it hit the one-third mark.

Then he moved.

View the correct content at f|ree(w)ebn\o.vel.co(m)

KO!

View the correct content at fr\eewe.bno vel.c(o)m

It was over in a single blow.