Duel of the Weak

The city square thrummed with energy, a tense mixture of curiosity, fear, and gossip. Merchants paused mid-count over coin, their hands frozen. Adventurers stopped, whispering, nudging each other. Even guild officers lingered at the edges, hands hovering near hilts as if violence might spill into chaos.

Aria adjusted her grip on her twin swords. Leather straps dug into her damp palms, but the weight steadied her nerves. Her stomach fluttered, half from fear, half from a strange surge of exhilaration. This was it—the real test.

Beside her, Ren’s calm was a mask, yet she caught the flicker of unease in his eyes. Her stomach dropped.

“This is it,” he muttered.

“Guild Officer Sebastian doesn’t lose. Not even to veterans. And you’re…” He trailed off.

Aria swallowed, throat dry. She had survived beasts, ambushes, and rival players—but this wasn’t a back-alley scuffle. This was a sanctioned duel, in the open square, against a guild officer more legend than man.

Sunlight caught the golden emblem above his head. The guild insignia gleamed like a crown, proclaiming authority in every glint.

+++
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 felt 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 through the crowd as Sebastian drew his sword, its edge 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, playful static ringing in her ears.

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

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

She rolled, twisted, weaved. Each dodge was almost preordained, muscles moving faster than thought. Sparks of Mana Friction Edge flickered along her blades—faint, blue, and unstable—but they gave her split-second edges, nudging her survival forward.

Her chest pulsed as if the faint etheric energy had burrowed into her veins. Duelists didn’t use mana—she knew this. Yet now, every dodge and strike sent tingling warmth radiating along her arms.

Her mind spun: What is happening to me? Is this a glitch? Or… something new? The thought made her stomach twist, but the pulse of power was addictive. She felt alive in a way grinding mobs had never given her.

+++

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

+++

Whispers rolled through the crowd:

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

“That’s impossible… she’s only a Level 15!?”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed, his tempo shifting.

“Interesting. You actually have reflexes,” he muttered, jaw tightening.

+++++++

Aria bared her teeth, refusing to show the tremor in her arms. Counter Instinct sparked alive. Sebastian overextended—tiny seam in his armor. Her blade slipped in.

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

The damage was laughable. The shock was not. Gasps and murmurs swirled like a rising storm.

Sebastian clenched his teeth, summoning a new attack: fire licked the air, merging with Bladestorm in a deadly dance of flame and steel. Cobblestones cracked, heat scorched her skin, lungs burned.

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

Her body flowed smoother. Each dodge chained into the next. Each counter redirected his momentum, forcing him to adjust. Sparks from Mana Friction Edge traced arcs in the sunlight as her swords kissed his steel.

Every strike pulsed faint energy. A split-second edge, unstable but palpable. Her chest thrummed in rhythm with it, adrenaline and ether intertwining.

Her thoughts raced: I’m bending the rules of the game… but at what cost? Fear and thrill collided, making every heartbeat scream. I can’t die here. Not now. Not when I’ve come this far.

+++++++

Sebastian lunged—a killing blow. His sword crashed down like a guillotine.

Instinct screamed: Move!

Aria rolled, ducked, and thrust upward. Blades found the joint of his armor.

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

The plaza erupted. Merchants froze mid-scream, adventurers gaped, and a child’s dropped basket clattered to the ground.

“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.

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.

Aria collapsed against a fountain, chest heaving, muscles trembling. I survived… and I’m… stronger? She could feel the faint pulse of hybrid energy along her arms, a reminder that something in her body had changed.

Ren clapped her shoulder, grinning.

“You see? Not a bug. You’re breaking the system itself.”

“I survived… I actually survived,” she whispered, exhaustion and exhilaration mingling.

The system chimed, glitching between singsong and static.

+++
[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!]
+++

She dared a glance at the new menu:

+++
[Hybrid Player Stats Updated]
Mana Friction Edge → Lv.1 Active
Hybrid Progression → Etheric Feedback Detected
Player Vitality → Heart-Rate Elevated by Adaptive Surge
+++

Her stomach twisted at the faint pulse along her arms. The energy wasn’t stable, wasn’t predictable—but it was hers now. Am I still just a player… or something else entirely?

+++++++

Above, on a shadowed balcony, Sebastian was reviewing her duel performance.

“What in the world…? A Level 15, and she’s—dodging me? Reading me? No ordinary bug could…” His mind raced, pride and fear tangled. “Guild laws protect her now… but I need to watch. She’s… dangerous.”

Below, the crowd murmured, whispering, gasping, recording. Every eye was a reminder: she wasn’t invisible. She had become legend overnight.

“A Level 15 who embarrasses my officer… Perhaps not a bug… but a weapon waiting to be claimed,” a shadowed voice whispered, fingers steepled.

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