Chapter 4 – Duel of the Weak

The city square thrummed with energy, but it was a dangerous, brittle kind of energy—anticipation laced with gossip and fear.

Merchants peeked from behind their stalls, hands frozen mid-count over coin. Adventurers paused mid-step, whispering, nudging each other. Even guild officers lingered at the edges, hands hovering close to their hilts as if violence might spill over at any moment.

Aria adjusted her grip on her twin swords. The leather straps dug into her damp palms, but the weight of the blades steadied her nerves.

Beside her, Ren wore his calm like a mask. She caught the quick flicker of unease in his eyes, and her stomach dropped.

“This is it,” he muttered. “Guild Officer Sebastian doesn’t lose. Not even to veterans. And you’re…” He didn’t finish.

Aria swallowed, throat dry. She had survived beasts, ambushes, and rival players. But this was no back-alley brawl. This was a sanctioned duel, in the open square, against a guild officer who was more legend than man.

Sunlight caught on the golden emblem above his head as he stepped forward. The guild insignia gleamed like a crown.

+++
Sebastian D. — Lv. 68 Guild Officer
HP: 6,200 / 6,200
Skills: Bladestorm Lv.3, Counter Strike Lv.2, Armor Break Lv.1
+++

Her own stats were pitiful in comparison.

+++
Aria — Lv. 15
HP: 420 / 420
MP: 150 / 150
Skills: Evasion Instinct Lv.2, Adaptive Reflex Lv.3, Counter Instinct Lv.1
+++

A murmur rippled across the crowd as Sebastian drew his sword, the blade hissing through the air like judgment made steel.

“So, you’re the infamous bug,” he said smoothly, voice carrying to the far corners of the square. “Insect, really. I’ll squash you quickly.”

Aria’s heart thundered, but she straightened her back and forced her voice steady.
“I… I won’t lose.”

+++++++

Sebastian moved first. His sword blurred, summoning a cyclone of shimmering arcs—Bladestorm Lv.3.

The air screamed with cutting wind.

Aria dove sideways, cobblestones scraping her palms raw as the edge of the storm clipped her.

+++
–120 HP!
HP: 300 / 420
+++

The system chimed in her ear, cheerful as always:

+++
[Adaptive Protocol Triggered → Survive High-Level PvP Encounter]
[Warning: Odds of survival < 1%. Oops ♥]
+++

Her breath hitched, but the world sharpened. Every twitch of Sebastian’s shoulder, the tightening of his grip, even the smallest breath intake—her body translated them into predictions.

She rolled, twisted, and weaved between attacks that should have cleaved her in half.

+++
[Evasion Instinct Lv.3]
[Adaptive Reflex Lv.4]
+++

Whispers cut through the square.

“She’s dodging him… like she knows where he’ll strike!”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed, his tempo shifting.

“Interesting. You actually have reflexes.”

Aria bared her teeth, refusing to let him see the tremor in her arms.

Counter Instinct sparked alive. His overextended slash left a tiny seam in his armor—and her blade slipped into it.

+++
–85 HP!
Sebastian D. HP: 6,115 / 6,200
+++

The damage was laughable. But the shock was not. Murmurs grew louder; gasps rolled like thunder.

+++++++

Sebastian snarled, summoning a new attack. Fire licked the air, merging with his Bladestorm in a deadly dance of flame and wind.

Heat seared her skin, cobblestones cracked beneath the pressure. Aria staggered, lungs burning, vision spotted with sweat and ash.

The system chimed again, lines flickering with a playful static.

+++
[Adaptive Event → Skill Evolution Detected]
[Counter Instinct Lv.2]
[Comment: Are you… sure you’re Level 15?]
+++

Her body flowed smoother now. Each dodge chained into the next. Each counter redirected his momentum, forcing him to adjust. It wasn’t strength that turned the duel in her favor—it was disruption.

Steel clashed, sparks flew, fire roared. Every breath was borrowed time, but the crowd’s gasps spurred her on.

+++++++

Sebastian lunged, a killing blow. His blade crashed down like a guillotine.

Her instincts screamed—move!

She rolled, ducked under the trailing arc, and thrust upward, her swords biting into the joint of his armor.

+++
–420 HP!
Sebastian D. HP: 5,695 / 6,200
+++

The crowd exploded.

“She hit him!”

“A newbie?!”

“No way—this isn’t real!”

Aria’s chest heaved, sweat and blood streaking down her dirt-stained face. Every nerve screamed exhaustion, but exhilaration burned brighter.

She had struck him. She had forced him back.

Sebastian staggered, shock flashing across his face. Then, with a slow exhale, he sheathed his blade.

“You…” His voice was low, but it carried.

“You’re not a bug. You’re a threat.”

He turned to the crowd, posture stiff with fury. But guild laws bound him—duels in the square were one-strike matches. To press further would risk sanctions even a guild officer couldn’t afford.

“I’ll be watching you,” he hissed, before striding away under a storm of whispers.

+++++++

The plaza buzzed with chaos. Merchants whispered, adventurers gawked, guild lackeys hurried off with grim faces.

Ren grabbed her shoulder, grinning wide. “See? I told you—you’re no bug. You’re breaking the system itself!”

Aria could barely stand, but laughter bubbled in her chest. “I survived… I actually survived.”

The system flickered again, letters dancing almost mischievously.

+++
[Adaptive Reward → PvP Survival Completed]
[Skills Improved → Adaptive Reflex Lv.5 | Counter Instinct Lv.3]
[Bonus Agility +3]
[Side Note: Survival odds updated → 3%. Yay progress!]
+++

Her exhaustion trembled into a smile. Survival is Progression.

But the triumph carried a shadow. Guild officers had seen her. Guilds had noticed her.

Above the rooftops, in the shadow of a high balcony, a figure leaned forward, fingers steepled.

“A Level 15 who embarrasses my officer…” The voice was low, edged with intrigue.

“Perhaps not a bug… but a weapon waiting to be claimed.”

The city square would not forget her name. And neither would the guilds.