Clang! Clang! Clang!

I kept swinging my sword relentlessly, not giving Gyuham Jo Hyunsu a chance to attack. I aimed strikes between the gaps in his defense, even as he used his *block* skill to deflect my attacks.

But landing a clean hit wasn’t easy. Jo Hyunsu’s sword moved smoothly, deflecting my blade with ease.

*The swordsman's block.*

A skill that blocks all frontal attacks within a 180-degree range. No matter how fast I slashed, I couldn’t break through that defense.

The *system*.

What had been my weapon against named bosses up to now was now my enemy, showing its sharp teeth against me.

Still, I wasn’t without my own experience. I’d fought in plenty of 1v1 arena battles.

Even if I couldn’t break his block with speed alone, I could still use the system's mechanics to my advantage.

Thrust.

I lowered my stance and twisted my sword upward from the lower right, aiming diagonally toward his left shoulder.

Clang!

Jo Hyunsu’s sword lifted, exposing his upper body. A flicker of surprise crossed his previously composed face.

*A guard break technique.*

When swordsmen or fighters clash, the outcome often depends on when one manages to sneak in a guard break. You confuse your opponent with a flurry of attacks, slip in the guard break, and then follow up with skills that cause knockdowns, grogginess, or airborne status, chaining them with *Moonlight Slash*, *Starlight Slash*, and *Flash Strike* combos.

In the arena, I’d never lost in these tactical exchanges. And Jo Hyunsu hadn’t predicted the timing of my guard break.

I moved to follow up with an upward slash for an aerial combo.

Thud!

But as I struck upward, something caught—Jo Hyunsu’s body barely shifted, resisting the knock-up.

It was the effect of his Ecostone, which granted resistance to status effects.

Jo Hyunsu grinned, baring his teeth. At the same moment, his sword glowed with the light of *Moonlight Slash*.

From left to right.

Swish!

I ducked just in time to avoid the strike. His sword flashed again.

*Starlight Slash*, this time, diagonal from the right.

I twisted my body left, dodging his attack, and immediately used the momentum to counter, unleashing several starlight-infused slashes in succession.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The feedback felt like hitting a thick hide with a stick, and Jo Hyunsu's HP barely dipped. My strikes hadn’t fully connected. 

His equipment was specialized for PvP—gear designed to enhance anti-player stats, the kind you could only obtain with high faction points. It wasn’t optimized for fighting named bosses, but for duels against other players. 

Increased attack power, penetration, and defense against other players, along with reduced damage taken from enemy players.

With my PvE gear on, I wasn’t doing much damage to him.

Fighting Jo Hyunsu was proving to be even more troublesome than dealing with the dragon. In faction battlefield quests, I usually carried a secondary weapon with PvP stats, but the gear I had on now was strictly for PvE.

Swish! Swish!

Jo Hyunsu, seeing that my strikes weren’t doing significant damage, increased his pressure.

If I tried to block his ice-infused strikes, I’d end up like Deathmaster—frozen and slowed, making it easier for him to finish me off. With his enhanced PvP gear, one hit could send me straight into a forced retreat.

He could block my attacks, but I couldn’t afford to block his.

The disadvantage was overwhelming.

I couldn’t defeat him.

I couldn’t allow myself to take even a single hit.

The sharp difference between PvP and PvE gear—the *system’s* fangs—was ruthless.

Still, I could at least keep dodging and holding out.

Skills made swords fast but predictable. Their trajectories were easy to read, making it unnecessary to block them.

Time was dragging on, but who would come first? Alpha Empire reinforcements? Or additional Beta Empire troops breaking through the defenses?

Jo Hyunsu’s face showed signs of frustration. He was growing impatient, realizing he wasn’t taking me down quickly enough.

Swish.

He made his move. His body shimmered with an afterimage.

*Counterattack.*

Before his afterimage vanished, I immediately used my own counterattack, catching Jo Hyunsu just before he could strike at my back.

Swish!

I activated *Starlight Slash*, aiming at his back, but my blade cut through empty air.

As expected from the second-ranked player in the arena. He must have predicted I would counter his move with a counterattack of my own. This wasn’t a matter of reaction speed but an instinct honed through experience.

He’d likely used a backward dodge, trying to reposition himself behind me once again. I felt a chill creep down my spine.

But in sword duels, the one who initiates a counterattack first is at a disadvantage. If you want to seize the initiative, you have to strike at an unexpected opening.

I’d already figured out his movements, and now I knew he’d used a backward dodge.

That meant Jo Hyunsu had already lost the tactical exchange.

I immediately followed up with my own backward dodge. The scenery shifted, and suddenly, I was behind him.

This was my chance.

Flash!

With a powerful upward slash, I sliced across Jo Hyunsu’s back as he stood on the dragon's back.

His body jerked in response, but the airborne status effect from my upward slash was nullified by his resistance Ecostone.

The equipment was annoying. But it wasn’t full immunity—only resistance. If I chained my attacks together, I could break through.

The first step was complete. Having knocked him off balance, all I needed to do now was land a second aerial-triggering skill to launch him into the air.

A swordsman doesn’t have a second knock-up skill.

But *Rain* does.

Thud!

Gripping the dragon’s scales with both hands, I twisted my body and delivered a powerful kick to Jo Hyunsu’s chin.

"Ugh!?"

His body lifted into the air.

Tap.

I jumped up at the same time, unleashing a flurry of slashes on his airborne body.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Each hit landed cleanly on the now-floating Jo Hyunsu, dealing additional damage due to his airborne status. His HP noticeably dropped.

Thrust.

Finally, I assumed the stance for *Flash Strike* and swung down hard.

Flash!

"Urgh!"

Thud!

Jo Hyunsu’s body crashed into the gap between the dragon’s scales.

Even though I had successfully landed a full aerial combo, I bit my lip in frustration.

Jo Hyunsu wasn’t dead yet.

In the arena, where equipment stats were balanced, this would have been enough to decide the match. But this was a faction battleground.

The difference in anti-player stats was still a problem.

“Keke. That was a close one.”

Jo Hyunsu rose to his feet, a chilling grin on his face, and pulled out a potion. His HP began to recover rapidly.

He was gulping down potions like water—potions that cost over five gold each.

Must be nice to be rich. Meanwhile, I had to save up for Ecostone upgrades.

Swish!

Before I could even voice my complaints, Jo Hyunsu’s sword was already slicing toward me in a wide arc. I quickly stepped back, dodging his range.

I couldn’t defeat him, so my only option was to hold out. I could only hope that GG Squad reinforcements arrived before more of Plan B’s guild members showed up. I was anxious, but so was Jo Hyunsu.

And then I saw it.

Jo Hyunsu’s eyes flicked downward, toward the base of the dragon’s body.

He was looking at the place where Chris was struggling to keep the dragon bound.

My heart pounded with sudden unease.

He’s planning to ignore me for now and kill Chris first.

My mind raced like never before.

There was a way to stop him. 

Maybe even a way to defeat him.

If he wanted easy prey, then I would just have to become that prey.

Clang!

Instead of dodging his next attack, I blocked it head-on.

Crack.

The icy energy from his blade surged through mine, slowing my movements.

Jo Hyunsu’s grin widened.

His attention shifted back to me, and he began attacking with even more ferocity.

Slash! Clang!

He seemed to be enjoying himself now.

I’d given him something to sink his teeth into. He probably planned to freeze me completely, like when he took down Deathmaster, and then finish me off once I was immobilized.

The icy aura from his sword gradually slowed my movements.

I staggered backward, putting on a show of panic.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Before I knew it, we had climbed up the dragon’s neck, reaching the top of its head.

Jo Hyunsu showed no hesitation in using all his skills, launching *Flash Strike* even when it wasn’t guaranteed to hit.

Flash!

"Aah!"

I barely dodged his *Flash Strike* but lost my balance as my half-frozen foot slipped, and I let out a scream as I fell from the top of the dragon’s head toward the ground below.

Thud.

Ouch. That hurt.

Tap.

Jo Hyunsu jumped down after me, ready to deliver the final blow to my stunned body.

“Keke!”

He looked down at me, his signature laugh echoing as he raised his sword for the finishing strike.

Man, his laugh is

 really unique.

But he’s come to the perfect spot.

He’s excited to finish off this “pesky mouse,” but if he had just looked behind him first, he might’ve been able to avoid this.

We had fallen to the spot right below the dragon’s head.

The dragon, its breath attack still building, was breathing heavily with its mouth wide open.

Vwooom.

The dragon’s massive maw opened, and green light filled my vision.

Jo Hyunsu, startled by the strange sound, turned his head to look behind him.

But it was too late.

I had already stood up, resetting my bracelet’s cooldown ability.

With a grin, I left Gyuham Jo Hyunsu with some parting words.

“Hey Jo Hyunsu, we won this time. Maybe next time, try slaying a dragon with the Beta Empire.”

“No, wait!”

Leaving his panicked face behind, I used *backward dodge* and *Flash Strike* to escape the area.

Immediately after, the dragon’s breath attack swept over Jo Hyunsu and the entire front area.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!