A faint chime echoed in Rael's mind as the system interface flickered to life before him. Though its message was brief, the implications carried weight.

  [System tract attained.]

  The notification vanished as swiftly as it appeared.

  "Yo! Mind if I get a quiterview?"

  Rael turoward the voice. Among the spectators, a pyer stepped forward, apanied by a small h orb that buzzed softly at shoulder height. Its lens blinked red—active and rec. Though Rael couldn't see the chat, invisible to everyo the streamer, he could sehe attention.

  "Not much to say," Rael replied coolly.

  The streamer grinned. "an. You just wrecked the Dominators' top pyer with two moves. My chat's going nuts over yht now." He extended a hand. "Name's Kaiden. Mind if I ask a few questions for the viewers?"

  Rael hesitated for a beat, then gave a slight nod. "Go ahead."

  Kaiden brightened. "Alright, chat! You heard him! Interview time with today's MVP." He shifted slightly, ensuring the orb captured both of them. "So, first off—what's your name in-game?"

  "Noctus."

  "Yo, chat, you catg this? Noctus, the guy who just cpped Dominators' leader with o. So, uh... that dodge move—what was that? Blink? Or some advanced Fighter skill?"

  Rael's expression remained ral. "Trade secret."

  "Fair, fair. Still, gotta say—you didly break a sweat out there. How'd you pull that off so fast? Reflexes? Strategy?"

  "Both."

  "Man of few words, huh? Alright, question—are you a solo pyer, or do you roll with a guild?"

  "Eclipse," Rael answered simply.

  The orb's lens pulsed slightly as if zooming in. Meanwhile, Kaiden's stream chat fred to life:

  "WAIT—Eclipse??""No shot—that's the guild that's been making waves in Vash'kar tely!""Hold up, hold up—'Noctus'… that name sounds familiar…""BRO—HE'S AUREUS!""AUREUS?? Noctus = Aureus??? THE PRO GAMER?!"

  Kaiden blinked as the rapid scroll of chat messages flooded his s. His gaze flicked slightly off-camera as he processed the reas. "Uh... Noctus—you wouldn't happen to be that Aureus, would you?"

  Rael's stance didn't shift, but his eyes narrowed slightly. "What if I am?"

  "FIRMED LET'S GOOOOO""The legend's back!""So Noctus is really making moves now, huh? Guess it won't be long before Eclipse starts aiming higher than just Vash'kar.""Wait—wasn't he retired?""Bro went from esports to speedrunning PvP in Ast."

  Kaiden grinned wider than before. "Man, chat's blowing up right now. So you're Aureus, huh? Guess that expins the reflexes. Mind sharing why you switched to Ast?"

  Rael's lips curled slightly. "Seemed like the right challenge."

  "BRO SAID CHALLENGE LIKE HE DIDN'T JUST ONE-SHOT A PLAYER""He's farming guild leaders like they're daily quests "

  Kaiden chuckled at the chat's reas. "Alright, o question before I let you go—what's for you? More duels? Or are you pnning to shake things up here in Vash'kar?"

  Rael sidered his answer for a moment before replying, "You'll see soon enough."

  "Vash'kar about to get real spicy""Eclipse rise UP""Dude thinks he's him ""Bro won a duel and thinks he owns the city lol""Watch him disappear again like four years ago ""Someone's gotta humble this guy fr""Eclipse's 15 minutes of fame about to expire"

  "Welp, you heard the man, folks! Big things ing from Eclipse's very own guild leader Noctus—aka Aureus. Thanks for the interview, man."

  With a faint nod, Rael stepped away, leaving Kaiden to his stream as the orb hovered beside him. Though Rael couldn't see the chat, he could still feel the attention lingering behind him. Exactly as pnned.

  * * *

  The streets of Vash'kar buzzed with the hum of daily life—vendors hawking wares, adventurers exging tales, and guild banners fluttering from storefronts. Amid the crowds, Rael moved with a calm, steady pace. A few pyers gnced his way, some nudging their panions with hushed whispers. Reition reading.

  He ighe stares, fog instead on the floating interface before him. The forums were abze with discussions—threads disseg his interview and the duels that followed.

  "Noctus vs. Dominators—Instant KO! Was it skill or a lucky crit?""Dude barely moved, and the fight was over. Seriously, what's his build?""Wait, is this the Aureus? Pro gamer turned PvPer?"

  Rael's gaze skimmed through the posts. Even after four years away from the petitive se, his ill carried weight. Fame didn't matter to him, but its effects did. Each victory sent ripples through Vash'kar's pyer base, drawing attention from those seeking to prove themselves—or take him down for clout. Some threads had even beguing on his motives.

  "He's not just PvPing for fun. Notice how he only accepts guild leaders h-ranking members?""Think about it—system tracts are binding. If he keeps winning, Eclipse could lock down half the guilds in Vash'kar.""Nah, he's just flexing because he's back. Cssic Aureus move."

  Rael's lips quirked into a faint smirk. Some of them are starting to cat.

  The flicts between guilds were iable. As power solidated and ambitions cshed, open skirmishes would bee routihe system's tracts offered leverage beyond brute force—a guarahat even victory came with a cost for those who defied him. Each tract secured now would tilt the odds in Eclipse's favor wheime came to stake their cim in Vash'kar.

  But to get more tracts, he needed challengers. And for challeo step forward, they needed provocation.

  Let them think I'm arrogant. The more they want to knock me down, the easier it'll be to draw them in.

  Rael swiped the interface aside, his footsteps eg against stone as he approached the city's arena. After the interview three days ago, challengers had e in droves. Yet Rael had only accepted four duels—three from guilds and one from a lone pyer named Failsafe.

  His thoughts drifted back to that fight.

  The crowd had grown by the time the duel enced, f a lo around the batants in the arena's outer courtyard. Failsafe crouched low, daggers gleaming in each hand as he circled Rael with quick, predatory movements.

  "I've studied tons of PvP videos, y'know," he taunted. "I know how Fighters and Rogues move—you won't catch me off guard with some fancy dash."

  Rael said nothing, standing with one haing lightly on the hilt of his sword.

  Failsafe lunged first, vanishing into a blur of speed as he activated Shadowstep, reappearing at Rael's fnk. His daggers sshed through the air—only to carve through empty space as Rael disappeared, reappearing just outside the attack's range.

  "What the—?!"

  Rael moved the momeerialized, dashing forward with fluid precision as dark energy coalesced along his bde. Failsafe had barely turo face him when Ruinous Strike ected squarely against his chest. The impact sent him tumbling across the courtyard, his HP bar plummeting to a single digit before he even hit the ground.

  Silence.

  Then, muffled ughter rippled through the crowd.

  Failsafe groaned, propping himself up on one elbow as the three girls exged gnces. One of them raised her hand in a small wave. "Welp, ry. Later!"

  "See ya~"

  "Better luext time!"

  Failsafe's shoulders slumped as they walked off without a backward gnce. His gaze lingered on their retreating figures, disappoi clear in his eyes. He'd only taken the duel to impress them—pyers he'd met in-game a few days ago. Fshy moves and quick wins might've earned him some admiration, but instead, all he'd managed was a quick defeat and a bruised ego.

  Rael approached, a hand to help the defeated pyer up. "Good effort," he said calmly, though there was no traockery in his voice.

  Failsafe let out a heavy sigh, grasping Rael's hand and pulling himself upright. "Yeah... guess it's time to hand over the totem now."

  The reason Rael had accepted this duel was simple—the totem. It wasn't powerful enough to tip the scales in a rge-scale battle, but frowing guild like Eclipse, it was a solid asset. When pced otlefield, it provided a steady area-of-effect regeion buff for both health and stamina—just enough to give his guild an edge during prolonged skirmishes.

  Now, standing once more at the entrance of the arena, Rael's eyes sed the crowd with quiet expectation. The subtle stirrings of anticipation hihat another challenger was already waiting.

  The murmur of the crowd swelled as a figure emerged from their midst. Draped in a dark hooded cloak, the pyer moved with a slow, deliberate stride. His face was obscured by an oni mask carved into a visage of desotion—hollow eyes, sharp fangs, and furrowed brows etched with sorrow. Despite the still air, the fai wisp of shadow seemed to g to his form.

  Whispers rippled through the spectators.

  "Another one? Guess this guy wants his fifteen seds of fame.""Pff, probably another lowbie trying to get lucky.""Yeah, but you gotta admit—that mask is sick. Bet it's high-tier gear.""What css do you think he is? Rogue? Maybe some kind of Dark Knight?"

  Rael studied the stranger in silence. Even without iing, he could tell the mask wasn't ordinary—high-quality craftsmanship and subtle magical resonance hi valuable equipment. Yet gear alo nothing without skill to back it up.

  The masked pyer halted several paces away. His voice, slightly distorted by the mask's design, cut through the low hum of versation.

  "I'm here to challenge you."

  Rael crossed his arms loosely. "I only accept fights from guilds—for tracts."

  "I don't have a tract to wager," the stranger replied. Without further preamble, he reached into his iory and withdrew a on—a long, bck-hafted scythe with a gleaming silver bde tinged with faint violet veins. The air seemed to grow heavier as the on's presence seeped into the surroundings. With a siion, he drove the scythe's butt into the ground, where it stood upright without support.

  Ding!

  A ripple of energy spread as the system allowed the nearby pyers to ihe item. Dozens of eyes widened as panels appeared in their vision.

  [Hollow Requiem] (Low-Grade Epic)

  Type: Scythe (Two-Handed)

  Attribute Bonus: +15 Strength, +10 Dexterity, +10 Intelligence

  Special Effect – Desotion: Each time the wielder sys a pyer, the on's attacks permaly ignore 0.5% of the target's armor. (Stacks up to 100 times)

  The crowd's murmurs swelled into a buzz of excitement as the scythe's details appeared before their eyes.

  "Low-tier epic?!" someone shouted, disbelief clear in their voice.

  "He's betting that? Why not just use it himself?"

  "Maybe it doesn't fit his build," anuessed, eyes glued to the on.

  "Still… that Desotion effect is broken. With enough kills, it could tear through tanks like butter."

  "Yeah, but what's the point if he's about to lose it?" a nearby pyer chuckled, earning scattered ughs.

  Despite the skepticism, many couldn't tear their eyes away from the gleaming bck on buried in the ground, its faint violet etgs resembling withered veins.

  Rael's eyes lingered on the scythe for a moment lohan necessary. He's not even using it, he hough it didn't matter. Whether for sale, trade, or leverage, the on was worth far more than any standard wager.

  After a moment of sideration, Rael stepped forward. "Accepted."

  The referee raised a hand, his voice slig through the murmurs of the crowd. "batants, step forward."

  Rael crossed the threshold of the arena, boots grinding against the packed dirt as he approached the ter. Opposite him, the masked stranger moved without a sound, cloak trailing behind him. His oni mask, carved into a solemn visage of desotion, tilted slightly downward, obsg any hint of expressioh its cquered surface. The faint gleam of the horned visage caught the light, its mournful tours adding an eerie stillo the air.

  The referee sed them both, his gaze lingering on the scythe still embedded in the ground beside the stranger. "Ready?"

  Rael adjusted his grip on his sword. His nod was small, but certain.

  The strailted his head slightly, then dipped it in a slow, deliberate nod.

  "Begin!"

  For a moment, her moved.

  The crowd shifted restlessly, murmurs rising as the two fighters remained motionless. It wasn't hesitation—it was calcution. A silent standoff where the first move could decide the entire fight.

  Rael's gaze stayed locked oranger's hands—still hiddeh the folds of his cloak. Without a on drawn, there were no tells, no muscle shifts to predict a strike. The faint rustle of fabric was the only sound he gave.

  Rael took a measured step forward, raising his sword with an almost casual motion. A simple horizontal ssh—light, testing.

  The stranger shifted. No sharp recoil or clumsy stumble—just a fluid sway of his body that let the bde pass inches from his chest. Cloak trailing behind him, he pivoted on his heel with the grace of someone who uood the ey of movement.

  Rael's eyes narrowed slightly as he followed with another ssh. The straepped aside again, this time with a subtle twist of his shoulders that carried him just out of reach.

  They moved without speaking. Each of Rael's swings was methodieither rushed nor reckless—while the stranger evaded with precise, minimal adjustments. Their steps wove faint patterns into the arena's dirt, faint trails overpping as they circled each other.

  The air shifted—

  Silver glinted as the stranger's hands emerged from beh his cloak, each gripping a dagger of curved iron. The bdes bore a dull, weathered sheen, but their craftsmanship was undeniable. Carviched along the steel seemed to pulse faintly beh the arena's light, and the hilts—fashioned from miniature skulls—gleamed with blood-red eyes that seemed to flicker with life.

  Epic-tier.

  Rael's breath slowed.

  The stranger moved.

  The first ssh came low—aimed for Rael's thigh—followed instantly by a sed aimed high toward his shoulder. The sudden aggression forced Rael to twist his sword to intercept both strikes in quick succession. Sparks fred as steel cshed against steel.

  Arike—faster this time—forced him back a step. Then ahe stranger's movements blurred together—one instant lunging like a beast, the wisting midair with a dancer's grace.

  Rael pivoted sharply to the side, but the stranger followed without pause, daggers fshing toward his chest.

  Soulstep.

  The world blurred for half a heartbeat—

  Rael reappeared several paces away, nding lightly as if he had never moved. The faint ripple of dispced air marked where he'd stood moments before.

  Gasps rippled through the crowd.

  "Teleportation?"

  "Must be a Fighter skill—maybe a subcss?"

  "Doesn't look like a mage…"

  Rael's pulse remaieady, but his thoughts sharpened as his eyes flicked to the daggers. Even from this distance, he could feel their presence—subtle, yet undeniable. They didn't simply gleam with magic—they seemed to pull at the air itself, as though each swing carved through more than just flesh.

  The stranger shifted his stance, croug slightly as though preparing to strike again.

  He's not waiting for me to adjust.

  Rael raised his sword, brag himself—

  The stranger vanished.

  His cloak whipped through the air as he lunged low, daggers fshing in twin arcs. Rael stepped back just in time to avoid both sshes, boots skidding slightly against the dirt as he parried the follow-up strike. The impact jarred his arms, and he pivoted swiftly to redirect the force.

  The strawisted mid-lunge, using the momentum t his sed dagger toward Rael's side. Rael barely caught the attack with the ft of his sword, but the force sent him stumbling a step back.

  Uable.

  The stranger's attacks didn't follow the typical rhythm of the assassin css. There was nid pattern—no standard bination of skills that Rael could reize. His movements blended instind teique in a way that defied ventional timing. Each step was too fluid to predict, and each strike came from ahat felt half-feral, half-chraphed.

  A—

  Rael's eyes narrowed slightly as the stranger's cloak shifted with each motion, masking the precise movements of his legs. His dodges carried an unnatural efficy—less about agility and more about knowily where the strike would nd.

  This style...

  Steel cshed again—

  For a split sed, Rael caught a glimpse of a distant memory—years ago, beh the virtual moonlight of a different game. Another duel, another oppo who had moved with a simir blend of instind artistry. Back then, Rael had barely mao keep pace, struggling to predict the erratic rhythm of his oppo's attacks.

  But the stranger before him wasn't just replig that style—he had refi. Eaent was faster, sharper—flowing seamlessly from attack to evasion without wasted motion.

  Lu.

  There was no mistaking it now.