MMORPG: Rebirth of the Shadow Mage

164 The Challenger

Leo sighed as he watched the demon, with its horns signifying a level and power above average, was making its way towards him. For a moment, Leo was tempted to simply log off, to escape the situation and avoid any potential headache. But he quickly regained control, reminding himself to complete the city siege event and collect the rewards.

‘Maybe I should change my position...’

Just as Leo was about to dart into the safety of another shadow, the demon appeared in front of him, blocking his path. The demon’s eyes, one green and one blue, gleamed in the moonlight, lending an otherworldly air to the already unsettling figure.

“...”

Leo stumbled briefly as he gazed into the demon’s piercing eyes. Despite the show of power, Leo couldn’t bring himself to feel anything else except amusement, he wasn’t intimidated by the fast movements of the guy. Casting a glance at the demon’s face Leo felt a growing sense of familiarity. As he took in the features, he realized that the demon bore a striking resemblance to someone from his past life.

‘Similar Eyes...’

Leo’s expression remained neutral, yet inside he felt as if a jackpot had fallen into his lap. The possibility of a new and strong slav... mhmm... Partner! A member of his group had suddenly presented itself. Despite his stoic demeanor, excitement simmered beneath the surface.

Leo observed as the figure before him studied his face, or more specifically, his eyes, the only feature visible through his mask. The two stood at a similar height, with Leo being slightly taller, owing to his larger horns.

“You look like a weak assassin...”

.....

The demon broke the silence with a comment, his hand gripping the handle of his mace and showcasing the muscular definition and scarred wounds.

The words, which should have been an insult, failed to faze Leo as he continued to gaze steadily at the demon. On the other hand, the demon’s expression shifted slowly from seriousness to a small smile.

“I really thought you’d snap... They usually have the pride of a lion...”

The demon muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on Leo’s purple eyes that revealed nothing about his thoughts or emotions.

“Alright! I’ve decided! Let’s have a duel!”

The demon clapped his hands, attracting the attention of players nearby. They glanced at him quizzically, seeing him talking to himself, but quickly noticed the presence of another figure, seamlessly blending into the shadows.

“I’ll try to defeat you in the least humiliating way, since you don’t seem like a bad guy...”

The demon’s whisper reached Leo’s ears, making Leo’s smile grow uncontrollably. He quickly pulled up his hood, hiding his face from view and concealing his eyes that were now ablaze with excitement.

‘Let’s see just how far I’ve come!’

Leo observed as people overheard their conversation and gasped in shock, some even calling the demon foolish for challenging what appeared to be death itself. They were unaware of the sheer power and might that the demon before Leo possessed. He had yet to even reveal half of his strength during the fight against the skeletons, and Leo was intrigued to see just how powerful his opponent truly was. The players around them murmured amongst themselves, unsure of what to expect from this unexpected showdown.

“I accept!”

Leo spoke, his voice carrying a hint of excitement that he tried to contain. He met the demon’s gaze, which brightened as Leo accepted the challenge. The eyes of the demon glimmered with excitement, and Leo felt a thrill of adrenaline surge through him as he prepared for the duel.

Swish...

Suddenly, a dome materialized, encompassing the small area where Leo and the demon stood and forcing any nearby players to retreat. Within the dome, a massive countdown appeared, counting down from three. The players outside the dome craned their necks, trying to get a glimpse of the action inside, while Leo and the demon prepared themselves for the impending showdown

Leo cast a glance at the city that was still being attacked by relentless skeletons, and yet, the players seemed more interested in witnessing the fight between him and the mysterious demon. He could see countless players, crowded outside the dome, filming the epic showdown with their in-game cameras. Leo sighed, feeling a twinge of frustration. He couldn’t understand why the players wouldn’t prioritize defending the city instead of spectating the duel.

“It’s good for my popularity, I guess...”

Leo forced aside all thoughts that threatened to distract him as he faced his opponent. This was the first fight in which he had to fully focus, the chance of him losing was also possible in this duel. The thrill of battle coursed through his veins, urging him to concentrate.

Whoosh...

As soon as the battle began, Leo barely had a moment to react. A massive mace came swinging toward him, aimed straight for his head. The weapon sliced through the air, the sound of its trajectory tearing through the silence like a raging storm. Leo ducked just in time, the mace barely missing him as it passed over his head.

He could feel the wind from the weapon’s passing rush past him, and he knew he had been inches from disaster. Leo sprang back to his feet, heart pounding in his chest.

‘Damn!’

Leo mumbled under his breath as he watched the surprise flicker across his opponent’s face. The demon had clearly underestimated Leo’s mobility, assuming that a single attack would be enough to take him down.

Leo took several steps back, watching the demon as he gazed in disbelief at his mace. The confusion on the demon’s face was palpable, and Leo couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction wash over him.

“First time someone dodged ‘Time Freeze’?”

Leo’s voice carried on the wind, reaching the demon’s ear with ease.

The demon’s head snapped in Leo’s direction, his face transforming into a frown as he realized what Leo was referring to. But before he could ask how Leo knew the name of the attack, he seemed to reconsider, dismissing the thought with a shake of his head.

“Nevermind!”

The demon growled, lifting his mace above the head.

Whoosh...

As a powerful spell, ‘Time Freeze’ had a massive cooldown, and the demon was forced to resort to other means to attack Leo. Suddenly, the demon’s speed increased dramatically, as if he had accelerated the flow of time for himself.

Leo watched in amazement as the demon’s movements became a blur. Although Leo could see the attacks coming, they were very fast for someone who was barely at level 20.

“Haste... increases the time for oneself...” Leo muttered as he expertly blocked the demon’s mace with Shadow Protection, causing the demon’s face to twist in annoyance.

“Who are you? A developer? How do you know my skill names?”

The Demon growled, whilst weaving his hands in a strange manner.

‘Hmmm?’

Leu hummed feeling as if something was impeding his movements. Moving his fingers he noticed that they were moving slower than they should’ve and smirked.

“‘Time Suspension’, not bad!”

Leo swiftly brought his bone blade, which had slid out from his elbow, to block the oncoming attack. The force of the impact sent him reeling back, creating some much-needed distance between him and his opponent. Despite taking a hit, Leo’s agility and mastery of his blades allowed him to mitigate the damage, keeping it to a minimum.

“...”

The audience held their breath as they watched Leo effortlessly deflect each strike that would have proved fatal to anyone else. They had expected a swift victory for Leo, but the opponent’s powers came as a surprise – time control. This ability was not listed in the game, and it caught the attention of every player within the dome, their eyes shining with excitement. The appearance of this new power added a thrilling twist to the already nail-biting match.

Whoosh...

The two warriors clashed in a whirlwind of movement, with Leo relying on his physical prowess rather than spells, while the demon struggled to buy time until the cooldown of his ‘Time Freeze’ ended.

Despite Leo’s promise to take the fight seriously, he couldn’t resist the urge to have a bit of fun. It was not every day that he got to duel a fellow player with such strength and skill.

He had a thought to fight Ava, however, the thought of facing her in the arena filled Leo with a strange sense of unease. He felt as though stepping into a dome with her would be a death sentence. Despite this, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she would be more willing to engage in combat with him. Something about the way she carried herself exuded a dangerous aura that made him nervous.

‘I should focus on the fight, not her...’

Leo muttered under his breath as he dodged another strike from the mace, his body gracefully shifting to the side. The mace, which was aimed to shatter his spine, merely grazed his cloak, avoiding a potentially fatal blow.

“So... When will I be defeated?”

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