A quest… why on Earth is this a quest?!

  The denial that was on the tip of Aura’s tongue died as she stared at the window that had appeared in front of her. And all of it was for one reason in particular, the reward being offered. Had it been something simple like more equipment, or even just respect, she would have turned the quest down. But stat points, something that she had been thinking would only be available from leveling up, were completely different.

  Five stat points could be used to balance her low AGI or DEX; or further enhance her STR or ATU. She could even just hold onto the points for a tough situation if she felt the need. Regardless of all that, the temptation that they held couldn’t be denied. The major question was, if it was worth it.

  Okay, calm down and think. From what I can remember yesterday, our STR matches. But beyond that, he has me beat in every other physical stat. I have him beat in mana and ATU, but I doubt he will let me use magic to fight him. Then there is his Innate skill, which gives him more damage with blunt weapons. By all means a fight against him leans in his favor. But…

  Thinking on Maul and his Innate skill had Aura thinking on her two. [Magic Resistance] wouldn’t help in a fight against him, but what about [Natural Body]? Her hand went to her side, where underneath her shirt she still had her side bandaged and covered in poultice. In the fight against the Giant Spider, she took a hit that had almost assuredly broken her ribs. But despite that she had kept fighting through the pain. The same thing happened when she had been bitten and poisoned, she just kept fighting.

  Was it [Natural Body] that let me keep going? It didn’t stop the pain at all, but pain can be fought through in fight or flight situations. If this was a fight to the death, then I wouldn’t risk it. But since the quest doesn’t say that death is a consequence of failure… It’s incredibly risky and stupid, but if I can fight him to the point where he is too injured to continue. Or I’m too injured to risk hitting without killing, then that could work.

  Taking risks like this wasn’t something Aura was used to doing. As a firefighter, while the job was risky, they underwent enough safety precautions to minimize risks. This plan she was thinking of, was going to be incredibly painful. She doubted Maul would hold back against her, and given the impatient look being sent her way she didn’t have much more time to contemplate all of this.

  “Alright. I accept your offer.”

  She began to raise a hand to click on the window before her as well. Only, at her words the little Y in the acceptance portion flashed and the whole thing disappeared. She didn’t have much time to contemplate that, as Maul spoke up with a firm grin.

  “Good. But I won’t fight you while you aren’t properly armored up. Go and put it on and then get back here.”

  The blunt command stirred Aura’s temper slightly, biting her tongue she simply nodded. Turning away, the others that had come here with Maul stepped aside to let her pass. It was most of the guys that had become soldiers during their Awakening Day. The only ones that weren’t among them were her fellow players. As she made her way out of the training grounds and towards the barracks to change, Jackie quickly met her.

  The other girl was a little out of breath, and was still wearing the basic clothing that they had woken up in this world in. She looked Aura over as soon as she got close, her expression concerned.

  “Hey, you alright? I saw those jerks starting to group around you and came over as quickly as I could.”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. They weren’t gathering around me, but more like following Maul around. I… have something I need to tell you though. In private.”

  With them still out in the open, and eyes still watching them closely, this wasn’t the best place to share information. Jackie gave a brief nod of understanding, slightly glaring back towards Maul’s vicinity. But outside of that she stayed restrained and just followed Aura towards the barracks.

  On getting there, the girls both quickly checked inside the sleeping areas. None of the other players were around, nor were the two other girls who had been forced to become soldiers. With privacy assured, Aura gestured for Jackie to follow her to her squad’s sleeping area. Accessing her inventory and taking out the padded shirt, she began to change and speak.

  “So, did you have any luck with exercising to get stats?”

  “Not so far, though I’ve run way longer than I ever did back… home. I saw that you didn’t have much luck either. I’ve got to ask, why are you changing?”

  Putting the padded shirt back on, it still was a little loose on her. The feeling of dried blood on the inside added to the discomfort of it all, but Aura pushed past it. The cloth wrapping her formerly injured side she left on for the time being, figuring that it would probably need to be washed off. Meanwhile the one that was covering where she was bit, she quickly unwound and stored away.

  “I’m changing because… because I did end up getting something. Something that I’m pretty sure we all got yesterday, a quest.”

  At that statement, Jackie perked up from where she was standing closer to the entranceway to the sleeping area. Having been keeping watch to make sure nobody was listening in, her attention zeroed in on Aura.

  “Seriously? It… isn’t anything too questionable, is it? Like you aren’t being made to fight against a ton of others?”

  “It is a fight, yes. Against Maul. Before the quest appeared, he was talking about how I’d need to prove my strength if I wanted to get any training from anyone. And then, he offered to fight me for that to happen.”

  Storing her old shirt away, Aura stared at her inventory for a moment. While she didn’t know what kind of boost to her VIT the Padded Pants she was wearing gave, the same couldn’t be said for her other equipment. On taking it out, she saw that the Padded Shirt gave her +2 VIT. Right now, her gaze was on the Leather Boots she received as a quest reward. They only offered a +1 VIT when worn but given how she recalled that VIT determined one’s durability, it could be a difference maker.

  “He offered to fight you? I don’t like the sound of that Aura. I mean, you heard what that Fortress guy said at the big ceremony right? This Maul is his son, so he probably has some tricks up his sleeve or something.”

  “Maybe. At the very least his stats and Innate skill will give him an advantage. But I think mine should help as well. Plus, the reward from it is too good to pass up. It’s five stat points to be put where I please.”

  Jackie let out a low whistle at hearing that. While neither of them knew just how hard stat points would be to obtain, they both experienced just how much they made an impact on them. Jackie had commented about running for longer than ever before, and Aura had experienced just how much stronger she is. Five more points could be an amazing early boost in this brutal world.

  Thinking of that, solidified in Aura’s mind that she needed to play this as safe as possible. Taking the boots out of her inventory, she gave them a quick look over. They were decently well made, far more so than the padded clothing she was wearing as armor. And as she slipped them on, they fit her perfectly, as if they were made for her specifically.

  “Well, that’s just a little unsettling that they fit me so well. Anyways, Jackie, this spar I’m going to be having with Maul is probably going to be pretty… rough. I don’t know if you turned in your Essence Crystal yet or not. But can I ask as a favor for you to get me some poultice for after this?”

  Jackie’s expression darkened a little at Aura’s request. Not because of what was being asked of her, but rather the implications behind it. They both had seen some of the other soldiers, the older ones, sparring in the field. While the attacks were making contact, blows were clearly being pulled. But what Aura was asking implied that she doubted the same thing would be happening with her bout against Maul.

  “Yeah, it’s no problem. I’ve got your back, just like you’ve got mine. Us girls need to stick together after all right?”

  “Hehe, yeah. Right.”

  Laughing along with Jackie to diffuse the tension, there was no need to stall things out any longer. Rising in her new boots, something far more comfortable than the strange little shoes that they had been given to wear, Aura set out from the barracks once more. There was a grim determination in her stride, as she knew that what was about to happen would be anything but pleasant.

  As she made her way to the training grounds once more, with Jackie still flanking her, she was approached again. Kaelen came to her with a worried look and quickly began to speak.

  “Aura, I just overheard what is going on. Why did you agree to fight against Maul? After what he said this morning, you know what his intentions are.”

  The concern in his voice was a bit welcome for Aura. She still didn’t have the best read on him, but Kaelen seemed nice enough. Perhaps a little too non-confrontational, but was that really unexpected? She didn’t know his background, what kind of life he had lived before they had all been brought to this world. But it was quite likely that he, like most of them, probably lived a decent enough life if he could afford to sign up for an alpha test for a game. And decent lives didn’t tend to lead to facing stressful situations.

  “Yes, I do know what he probably intends to do if he wins. But I don’t plan on losing myself. As for why I agreed to fight him, there are a couple of reasons. I can’t tell you the details right now but just know that I got one of the things I’m sure we all got yesterday when we headed out to that monster hunt.”

  Having entered the training grounds at this point, and with eyes on them once more, Aura chose to be careful with what she was saying. Still, it seemed that Kaelen got the message given the look of surprise that grew on his face. It shifted to one of unease shortly after, but it didn’t look like he was going to stand in her way. Jackie had been silent through the brief interaction, giving Kaelen a cautious look.

  Before long, Aura was approaching Maul. The other soldiers in their barracks that had stuck around had formed a perimeter, and even some of the older soldiers had joined them. It seemed that while Maul was new as a soldier as well, being the son of Fortress gave him some reputation. And as she grew close, some of the soldiers chuckled darkly and glanced her way with leering eyes.

  “You are back, good. Before we begin, we should probably set down some rules for this fight.”

  Showing some of that discipline that had been demonstrated on the hunt, he was ignoring the muttering going on around them. And while his gaze was locked onto her and looking her over, there was very little hunger to it. If anything, he was sizing her up as an opponent.

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  “Rules huh? Am I guessing that the first one is that I’m not to use my spell on you?”

  Her mention of that got more muttering from the gathered crowd, most of them doubting her ability. He, having witnessed her cast before, gave a nod.

  “That is not the first rule, but it will be one. No, the first rule is that in this fight we will not be attacking anywhere unarmored. An injury to the arm or head will not be as easily healed as one to the side or leg.”

  “That’s fair. Speaking of injuries, how far are we taking this fight? If we can’t hit the head, then to unconsciousness will not be easy.”

  “You are right about that. If one of us passes out from pain, then they lose. But beyond that, verbally surrendering will determine which of us wins.”

  So far, all these rules made sense for her. Not being able to use her [Mana Bolt] meant that this fight was more heavily in his favor. But fighting to surrender or passing out worked in her own. She still was unsure if [Natural Body] had been what kept her fighting against those Giant Spiders. But if it was, then that could be the difference maker here.

  “Okay, that all sounds good to me. Are there any other rules, or are we good to start?”

  “Just one. While they are somewhat protected, attacking the crotch is forbidden.”

  Hearing that caused her to frown slightly, with the jeering from the gathered soldiers caused it to deepen. Remarks about how he would be attacking her crotch soon started to spread, and she felt her face burn bright red. Whether he had said that all with the intentions of riling her up or not she didn’t know, but it was doing the trick.

  Moving her hand through the air to access her menu, she quickly brought out her Stone Club and took as good of a fighting stance as she could. Gripped tightly in her right hand, she held it to her side with a fierce look of determination. Giving a terse nod of affirmation, the time for words to be exchanged was done.

  He agreed, as he too took out his own Stone Club and assumed a readied stance. His club was gripped with both hands and raised to a higher position. If his club were instead a sword, he would look very much like how stereotypical knights were posed. The jeering of those watching died as they stared each other down, both waiting for the other to make the first move.

  Despite what she had expected, he didn’t charge in swinging to do so. His stance was strong and firm, ready to take whatever it was she could dish out. And since he seemed to be waiting, it would be rude to not accept the invitation. So, tensing her legs she charged forwards as fast as she could. Which given her low AGI, essentially amounted to her moving at a fast-walking pace. She watched him tense up further, as if anticipating her blow. And as she finished closing the distance, she wound her arm back and swung it forwards towards his side.

  [7 Damage Dealt]

  The fact that he took her attack was surprising, as was the sheer difference in damage she dealt against him compared to against the Giant Spiders. It would be something to think on later, for while he grunted slightly after taking the blow he didn’t falter. Instead, he finally began to move. She watched him wind both of his arms back, still gripping the club. Capitalizing on the opening that was still there, she brought her arm back to deliver another blow. At the same time, as his club began to glow as he spoke.

  “Charge Strike.”

  [7 Damage Dealt]

  [-36 HP]

  While she struck first, his strike was fast enough to land at the same time as her own. Only, his strike carried far more force behind it. It slammed into her side, the same side that the Giant Spider had collided with before. The momentum of his strike lifted her off her feet and sent her back a couple of feet. A spurt of blood escaped her lips as the pain hit, and she eventually came to land on her ass.

  The pain itself was worse than when the monster had hit her, as was the damage itself. Sitting there, her breath came out in gasped as she tried to compose herself. Her head was spinning, and she could hear the blood pounding in her ears rather than the sounds of the gathered crowd. Eyes wide, she watched as he made his way over to her. His own club still in hand, held limply at his side.

  As he grew close, she could tell that the look on his face was a mixture of smugness, and disappointment. One blow was all it took to bring her to this state, to a state where most would probably give up. It was probably what he was expecting as well and were circumstances different she may have. But her temper was starting to flare up again. And while the pain was just as excruciating as when the Giant Spider had hit her, she had pushed through that as well. She wasn’t going to fall here, not like this.

  So as soon as he moved closer, she defied his and the crowds’ expectations and began to stand. Blood was leaking from her lips slightly, but she stood firm. Then, taking a page out of how she had ended the last fight, she pushed strength into her legs and leapt forwards with a yell. Arm reared back, she swung as she moved through the air. Unlike with walking, she was faster this way. Having not fully risen, her surge forward wasn’t accurate, and she didn’t collide with him body to body. Though, her club still solidly struck his chest.

  [7 Damage Dealt]

  That brief hit sent her spinning slightly, resulting in her ending up on her back as she landed. She knew she couldn’t stay that way for long and began to rise to her feet. Doing so, she spotted him smirking as he made his way towards her. The damage she had dealt was little more than half what he had done to her, but the battle wasn’t done yet. Managing to get up, his club was already being brought in a sideways strike towards her injured side.

  [-12 HP]

  While the damage was less, the shot of pain was still intense. Her blood was pumping hard at this point, so as his attack struck, she brought her own club back for a retaliatory strike. Not towards his chest, but his hip.

  [7 Damage Dealt]

  That blow more than the others got a slight wince and threw him off balance. Trying to capitalize on the momentum, she delivered another swing, reversing the momentum of her last one to try a backhanded strike. Whether it was his shifting balance, or her inexperience showing, the attack whiffed and only struck the air.

  Taking this opportunity, he raised his club up and brought it down hard towards her back. Already below half health, and not wanting to risk such a heavy blow, she hopped out of the way as quick as she could. His club collided with the ground, while she stumbled to regain her balance. Turning to face him, she was surprised to see that he wasn’t charging her down once more but rather he looked at her with that same smirk.

  “It’s impressive that you’ve lasted so long, but there is no way you can win. I do far more damage than you and even hit you with a special technique from my [Blunt Savant]. Give up and spare yourself further pain.”

  Despite the sound of blood pounding in her ears, his words came in loud and clear. His confident tone, the way he was practically bragging about what his own Innate Skill could do. In her mind, he thought he had won this fight. And that, that made her temper flare more.

  This… isn’t over. I’m not going to lose like this!

  Clenching her teeth hard enough that her jaw hurts, she didn’t respond verbally. Instead, she let out another loud cry and charged forwards. It wasn’t her running or even jumping that was propelling her forwards. Rather, she began to skip. Combining the higher STR that she had right now, with an act that was practically ingrained in her growing up and playing with friends, she closed the distance to him quicker than expected and delivered a solid strike to his stomach.

  [7 Damage Dealt]

  It was his turn to cough up blood; the total damage she had dealt to being almost equivalent to his first strike. He was somewhat off balance, having not been prepared for her to close the distance so quickly. Having already stopped skipping as she delivered her attack, she swung yet again, delivering another solid blow to his stomach.

  [7 Damage Dealt]

  The growl that escaped him sounded like that of a wounded animal. His expression was a mixture of anger and pain at how this battle had gone so far. In a way, the two were more alike right now than ever. Both were in pain, both were angry, and both were determined to not lose this fight. So, while it was foolish, she didn’t step back as he reared his arm back. Instead, she took her club in both hands as if to mimic him. Both cried out as they swung their weapons at one another. Once more the blows struck at the same time, colliding with both of their chests.

  [-12 HP]

  [7 Damage Dealt]

  Their cries were cut off as the air was knocked from their lungs. Pain blossomed in both of their chests, and more blood was coughed up. As the two of them took a step back to recover, only one of them was showing the strain of it. His free hand rose to his chest, clutching it out of pain as his breathing grew labored. In contrast, her breathing quickly became more regulated. Each one caused her to wince, but she was taking it better than him.

  Still, this battle was starting to get into the dangerous territory. She didn’t know if he took any damage the day before, but he must have been approaching half health by now. She, meanwhile, was only a few more hits from hitting zero. Or being too wounded to fight on the next hunt, despite the poultice that Jackie said she would be getting. But, as far as Aura could tell he didn’t look close to passing out or giving up, so she must fight on.

  Neither were aware of how the crowd had stopped jeering as the two of them fought so intensely. No, their eyes were locked on each other as they both closed the distance once more. Once more arms were brought back, and once more the stone clubs collided with the other in the stomach.

  [7 Damage Dealt]

  [-12 HP]

  For her, while she was still able to move despite how many injuries she took, the pain was starting to become too much. Chest, side, stomach, all three took heavy blows. She could feel the blood leaking from her mouth and were this back on Earth then these kinds of injuries would probably be debilitating. By all means, she probably shouldn’t be capable of standing right now much less fighting. And while she took so much more damage, somehow, he looked to be worse.

  His breathing was labored, his earlier anger starting to fade away. The injuries he took were less intense, though more numerous. And that seemed to be the key to winning this fight for her. Still, despite her tenacity and determination it had been clear in this fight that he had some knowledge on what he was doing. Even as hurt as he was, he had remained focused on the fight and hadn’t gotten distracted by observing his opponent. Which was why when he let out a roar and delivered another solid strike to her stomach, she didn’t manage to get out of the way in time. Or send out an attack of her own.

  [-12 HP]

  Caught off guard, the blow knocked her off her feet and sent her sprawling on her back. The blood that she coughed up this time was greater than before, and the pain so much more intense. Laying there, she heard his voice roar out.

  “There, you are done! I’ve beaten you so just stay down! You already won’t be able to protect yourself in six days when we fight the monsters again!”

  Pain and anger were clear in his voice, meaning that he probably didn’t expect the fight to go this far. And she felt the temptation to do as he said. Sure, it would mean admitting defeat during this fight. Failing the quest and having to deal with being indebted to him. But at this rate it was going to happen regardless, right? Her HP must be approaching single digits now, and if she took a careless attack in six days then that might be it for her…

  Only, she wasn’t one to give up. Not when she was growing up and had those normal childhood difficulties. Not when she graduated high school and realized that she would need a degree to stand out to be a firefighter. And not when she had to deal with the physical and mental strain that came from being a firefighter. Giving up wasn’t something she was used to doing, so why should she start now?

  “…I guess… we will find out…”

  Slowly, she began to rise to her feet as she let out a strangled response. Adrenaline was still pumping through her veins, but it was doing little to dull her pain. At best it was helping her focus on him, who was standing before her looking dumbstruck. She didn’t see the similar expressions on the crowd. She didn’t acknowledge the small, blinking exclamation point that appeared in the corner of her vision when the last blow landed.

  As she took a step forwards, arm rearing back for another strike, she stood taller than him in that moment. Despite the debilitating injuries she took on, she was still more than able to fight. The shocked look on his face turned to indignation, and he raised his own club in response.

  “Fine, if that is how you want it, then so be it.”

  With the same grace she showed before, which was little, she began to skip forwards towards him once again. He was ready for it this time, and as the two of them drew closer to each other and swung out, their weapons collided with the other’s chest once more.

  [7 Damage Dealt]

  [-10 HP]

  Once more the wind was knocked from their lungs and the two stepped back. Her vision was growing blurred and dark, with only Maul visible to her. Despite that, she could see the shocked expression on his face as he recovered his breath following the latest clash. Through it all she began to move forwards, even knowing that one more hit would send her below zero HP, and whatever fate that would bring. As she did, he dropped his club and raised his hands.

  “I’m done. I will not be responsible for killing someone else. You win… Aura.”

  As soon as he said that a semi-transparent window appeared in her line of sight, obscuring him further. His words cut through the sound of blood pounding in her ears and caused her to stop. Swaying somewhat, the adrenaline began to fade as easily as the blood poured from her mouth. She couldn’t focus on much, not even on the window in front of her, but a smile came to her face all the same.

  “Then… I’ll see you tomorrow… for your end… of our deal… Maul.”

  Swaying heavily, she pitched forwards only for two pairs of hands to grab her shoulders. As her vision began to fade fully, from a combination of pain and injury, she briefly caught glimpse of Jackie and Kaelen by her side. They were supporting her and taking her away from the training ground, victorious.