Chapter 54
“You know you messed up, right?”
Marcus walked towards Ben with an imposing stride. Marcus took his time, barely able to control his excitement.
The crowd of Eagle players watched eagerly.
“Oh snap, this is going to be good.”
“I feel bad for that guy. I bet he has his pain setting on maximum.”
Ben stepped forward to meet Marcus halfway. Eve stayed behind, on the back of White Fang. White Fang released a low, menacing growl but quieted when Ben raised a hand.
When they met, the two couldn’t have looked more different.
Even though Ben was made a few inches taller at initial character creation, Marcus still towered over him.
Marcus wore armor of shimmering blue scales that looked like it belonged to the hide of a dragon. He wore matching gauntlets. A cape billowed behind him with the symbol of an Eagle holding two lightning bolts.
Marcus looked larger than life, the hero of any story. Ben looked like an NPC in comparison.
His gear was the shabby leather that he got from the Lizardmen. He held his halberd, but even that was unassuming.
Ben looked unremarkable in just about every way.
The last notable difference between the two was the presence of the dragon mask Ben wore to hide his identity.
Marcus wore no headgear. His handsome face and charismatic smile were always on full display for everyone to see
“You’re a lot bigger in person,” Ben said.
Marcus noted how calm Ben sounded. Most people were in awe of either his size or his fame, even in real life.
“I get that a lot,” Marcus said.
Ben raised his hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am a pretty big fan. I have seen a ton of your streams. I have even watched a few of your fights. The championship fights, at least.”
Marcus raised a brow and ultimately shook Ben’s hand. Ben felt the power in that handshake.
“Playing nice won’t stop what’s going to happen next,” Marcus said.
Ben frowned.
“We don’t have to do this. We want the same thing. We can work together.”
Marcus narrowed his eyes.
“What do you think you know about what I want?”
They dropped their handshake. Ben looked past Marcus, towards the entrance to the swamp dungeon.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“You came out of the dungeon empty-handed. You failed to beat it. I can help.”
Marcus heard whispers from the crowd behind him.
“He failed again? I thought he’d beat it for sure this time.”
“So it wasn’t just us. That dungeon is no joke.”
“Man, even Marcus couldn’t beat it with his most elite squad. Maybe the quest is broken.”
Marcus sneered. He had been trying to avoid bringing attention to his recent failure. Marcus clenched his fists.
“What makes you think I need your help? I’ll beat it. I’ve beaten it before,” Marcus insisted.
Ben looked up at Marcus calmly.
“Even if that is the case, the fact that you failed means it’s not as simple as it seems. Maybe you could keep attacking it until you win, but that is not efficient. While you grind the dungeon, others will pull ahead of you. This is just a regional dungeon. It’s inefficient leveling. But… you know that, don’t you?”
More murmurs were heard behind Marcus. He gritted his teeth.
“Enough talk. You ready?”
Marcus’ posture shifted. Ben tensed.
“I don’t want to fight you.”
Marcus scoffed.
“You attacked and killed my guild members. You invaded a territory that we claimed. You are trying to force yourself into a dungeon that is clearly mine by right. Now you are trying to play the victim?”
Eve grew more nervous as the conversation continued. She nibbled on her bottom lip and gripped tightly into White Fang’s fur. She and White Fang readied themselves to either fight or rescue Ben and flee, at his command.
Ben stood steady. He contemplated his response. It would be pointless to try to argue that he was attacked first. Ben could tell that that kind of logic wouldn’t work.
Eternity was a video game. Player conflicts happened. It was built into the system. So Ben changed strategies.
“If I win, then you have to let me into the dungeon. You and your guild can come too. Again, I only want one item. You can take everything else, including the credit for clearing the dungeon.”
Several people erupted into laughter.
“Woah, the ego on that guy.”
“Doesn’t he know who Marcus is?”
Marcus grew an amused smile.
“And if I win?”
“I’ll tell you how I was able to beat a level 10 raid with just the two of us. Even if you beat me, that is knowledge that would be valuable.”
Marcus hesitated. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded.
“Bet.”
Marcus turned his back on Ben and took a few steps away. The crowd waited with bated breath.
Then the PVP flag dropped.
It appeared out of thin air and embedded itself in the ground. A chorus of cheers was heard from the crowd.
Marcus turned to face Ben with a cocky grin and activated his livestream. The live chat filled immediately.
“Yo Marcus, what gives? Why did you end the stream earlier?”
“Wait, who is that? Are you about to duel someone?”
“I recognize that wolf mount. It belongs to the guy that cleared the orc dungeon!”
“Marcus is about to fight that summoner guy that basically solo’d the orc boss!”
“Let’s go!”
Marcus muted his stream so he didn’t actually have to view the reactions.
“Enough from the peanut gallery,” Marcus thought.
Despite his apparent poise, Marcus was on edge. He sensed something off about Ben. Something that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
He raised his fists and took his fighting stance.
As soon as he did, the PVP countdown began. A system notification filled the area.
[A Player Versus Player duel has been accepted by all parties.]
[All outside enhancements have been suppressed]
[Special rules have been initiated]
[Duel begins in 5…4…]
Eve gasped as her Soul Link was suddenly dismissed. She read the notification with a sense of dread.
[Soul Link is being suppressed due to Duel parameters]
Ben understood the rules and did not waste time. He channeled a single spell in his hand and unleashed summoning magic.
A single Cherub warrior manifested in front of him, to Eve’s shock.
“Just one?” she thought.
No one else noticed anything out of the ordinary.
“Oh, he is summoning already? Is that cheating?”
“No, it’s part of the Duel rules for summoners. They can’t summon from their reserves, so they have to summon from scratch. The countdown gives classes like summoners a little time to summon, to keep things fair.”
While the crowd gossiped, Ben summoned another cherub. A white mage. It floated behind him and cast several buffs on him. The usual. Haste. Holy Weapon, and life regeneration.
Ben was in the middle of channeling a third spell when the duel countdown finally hit 0.
He never got the chance to finish that spell.
