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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 23
[Curse of Exhaustion]
A curse that drained the opponent's energy, leaving them utterly exhausted.
It was a basic 1-star curse-type dark magic, but she cast it using 3-star demonic energy.
Naturally, the difference in power was incomparable.
Yet, Chris remained completely unaffected.
Then, something astonishing happened.
Crack!
A black barrier unfurled, repelling the dark magic.
It was Dark Shield, a 3-star defensive dark magic.
However, he hadn’t cast it himself.
Darkness was flowing out from Chris’s necklace.
"An artifact?"
"Yes. I stole it from the family vault. It blocks all dark magic 3-star and below."
Count Khazar’s face stiffened in shock.
It was an artifact he had securely hidden in his vault—yet he had no idea when it had been taken.
'Well, I do have a knack for thievery. Your vault’s security was way too lax.'
Chris grinned slyly.
"Well, this should be fine, right? We agreed to fight as if it were real combat. And in real combat, gear matters just as much as skill."
Melin let out a dry chuckle.
It was a twisted argument, but not entirely wrong.
If this were an actual battle, complaining about the enemy using such artifacts would be meaningless.
However, Melin didn’t know.
This wasn’t all that Chris had prepared.
'Now, let me show you the true power of gear abuse!'
To be precise, the power of money.
Using the money he had extorted from a corrupt merchant guild leader, Chris had obtained multiple artifacts.
He pulled out a murky-colored orb from his coat and hurled it forward.
Crack!
The orb shattered midair, releasing a thick, black smoke.
It was Deadly Poison—a toxic dark magic specialty of the Poison Demonic House!
Melin quickly retreated, avoiding the poison’s range.
But Chris’s cash-fueled assault didn’t stop there.
Predicting Melin’s movement, he pulled out another orb and threw it in that direction.
This time, it was Dark Flame, a destruction-type dark magic.
It was similar to the Fireball spell in white magic, but with a key difference—it exploded around the target and shrouded their vision in darkness.
True to its dark magic nature, it had an eerie, oppressive effect.
For a brief moment, Melin’s entire vision was engulfed in darkness.
And Chris didn’t stop there—he threw one last orb.
This time, it was a sinister red color.
It was Rusting Blade’s Decay, a 2-star curse-type dark magic.
"!!"
Rusting Blade’s Decay weakened the durability of weapons, ultimately causing them to break.
The problem was that her vision was darkened, causing her reaction to be half a step too slow.
This dark magic was an area-of-effect spell—once within its range, dodging was impossible.
Zzt!
The sword in Melin’s hand instantly began to corrode.
'Cheap tricks!'
But Melin remained unfazed.
She channeled her demonic energy, resisting the dark magic.
At most, it was only a 2-star curse—she could dispel it with ease.
However, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
Chris suddenly emerged from the Dark Flame’s smoke and swung his holy sword!
Clang!
She blocked it without much difficulty, but there was a problem.
The demonic energy she had been using to resist Rusting Blade’s Decay scattered due to the holy sword.
As her demonic energy dispersed, the curse corroded her sword.
'Damn it!'
Melin’s face hardened.
Her sword was made of high-quality material, so it didn’t break immediately, but its durability had undeniably weakened.
And with a weakened sword, she couldn’t block the holy sword.
Crack!!
Chris’s sword struck Melin’s blade once more.
With that, her sword snapped.
'Got it!'
Melin’s expression turned troubled.
Her greatest strength was swordsmanship.
She had learned martial arts, but compared to her sword skills, it was far inferior.
Her other specialty, curse magic, was ineffective due to the defensive artifact Chris was wearing.
In an instant, her combat ability had plummeted.
'Both of her hands are tied—at best, she’s fighting at a 3-star level. Nowhere close to 4-star.'
That meant victory was within reach.
'This is my win.'
Chris’s eyes gleamed with fierce competitiveness.
His sword relentlessly pressed Melin.
It was an unusual sight.
Melin was a powerful demonkin.
Even with her combat power restricted, her physical abilities and demonic energy were still far superior to Chris’s.
Yet, she was the one being pushed back.
Her faster, stronger attacks were repeatedly blocked by Chris’s sword.
Meanwhile, his slower, weaker attacks continuously found openings in her defense.
"!!"
Melin quickly twisted her shoulder away.
Had she reacted a moment later, she would have been cut.
In truth, with her level of power, even if she took a hit, it wouldn’t cause any real damage—she could defend with demonic energy.
But that sword was a holy sword.
It would pierce through her demonic energy and inflict a fatal wound.
'I'm… getting pushed back?'
Melin’s eyes wavered.
No, it was more than that.
Unbelievable as it seemed… she might actually lose.
The moment that thought crossed her mind—thump—her heart pounded.
'Crazy… this is amazing.'
Melin was a pure battle maniac, someone who found pleasure in fighting strong opponents.
Chris’s insane talent sent shivers through her body.
'I’ll definitely crush him.'
Her gaze sharpened.
Overwhelmed with excitement, she forgot he was the young master.
She wanted to defeat this genius and make him kneel.
That thought consumed her entirely, and her attacks became far more intense than before.
Unlike earlier, when she had been holding back to avoid dealing a fatal blow, she was now attacking with her full strength.
"!!"
"D-Dangerous!!"
The spectators watching from the sidelines shouted in alarm.
Merian furrowed her brows.
'Melin’s lost herself. I need to stop her.'
Melin was from the main family of demonkin.
Naturally, Merian knew her personality well.
When excited, she lost all restraint—no, calling her a battle maniac would be more accurate.
If this continued, something bad was bound to happen.
"I’ll intervene."
"…Please do."
Count Khazar nodded in agreement, but Merian hesitated.
Chris was smiling faintly.
Even as he was being pushed back by her relentless assault.
It was the smile of a victor.
'What is this? Is he trying to exploit her excitement and find an opening?'
But that was a miscalculation.
Melin wasn’t the type to be caught by such a simple trap.
Even in her excitement, she maintained a sharp and calculating mind.
Chris knew that as well.
However—
He met her gaze.
Those ferocious, gleaming eyes.
The eyes of a predator, waiting for the slightest opening to tear into its prey.
That meant there was only one way to bring Melin down.
He had to make her overcommit.
'A half-baked trap won’t work. I have to show her a real opening.'
Chris acted immediately.
He deliberately misstepped.
For a moment, his stance wavered.
He hurried to regain his stance, but it was too late.
Melin didn’t miss the brief opening.
For a battle-hardened demonkin, such an opportunity was impossible to overlook.
Her fist, cloaked in demonic energy, shot forward.
She was certain—it was over.
In such a disrupted stance, no one could properly respond.
And everyone in the audience shared that same thought.
However, Chris’s combat instincts far surpassed their expectations.
What happened next defied all logic.
Even with his twisted posture from the misstep, Chris still managed to counter her attack.
He extended his empty hand toward her incoming fist.
‘What is he trying to do?’
Melin was puzzled.
Her fist was wrapped in demonic energy. If he blocked it with his bare hand instead of the holy sword, he would suffer serious injuries.
Not just Melin—the entire audience had the same question.
Then, at the very moment her fist met Chris’s palm—
Chris’s hand slid forward, his open palm grazing past her demonic energy with perfect precision.
Then, with that same hand, he lightly tapped her wrist.
With just that simple motion, the trajectory of her punch wavered.
Her attack barely missed, brushing past Chris’s side.
‘A parry!’
Melin’s eyes widened, as did everyone else's.
Even after losing his footing and having his stance broken, he had pulled off an unbelievable maneuver!
And that was the end of it.
The situation had reversed.
Chris had fully regained his posture, while Melin’s stance had collapsed.
Chris didn’t miss the opening.
The match was decided.
Tap.
The holy sword rested against Melin’s neck.
“……”
Silence filled the arena.
No one could find the words to speak.
All eyes were locked on the sight of Chris’s blade pointing at Melin’s throat, their expressions filled with disbelief.
For a moment, they thought they were hallucinating.
But they weren’t.
It was reality.
A mere one-star novice had forced a four-star warrior—one at the upper peak—to her knees!
Even with all the artifacts he had equipped and every trick he had used, it was still an unbelievable feat.
Chris shrugged.
His calm voice echoed throughout the hall.
“I won, didn’t I?”
“!!”
Then, he spoke to Melin, who still wore a blank expression.
“Was this duel to your satisfaction?”
“!!”
Melin pressed her lips together.
Satisfied?
Was that even a question?
She glanced at her forearm.
Goosebumps had risen from the sheer exhilaration.
The sensation she had just felt—the overwhelming talent Chris had displayed throughout the fight—kept her excitement from settling.
“Judging by your reaction, it seems this duel was satisfying for you. As for the proposal I made earlier, please give it proper thought and provide an answer soon. Though I won, I will still respect your decision.”
He was asking her to decide whether to pledge her loyalty to him.
Despite his victory, he wasn’t using it as leverage to force her into submission.
Loyalty wasn’t something that could be taken by force. He wanted Melin to stand by his side of her own will.
‘Not that it matters—she already seems to be leaning that way.’
Chris observed the wavering look in Melin’s eyes.
Sure enough, she spoke up.
“No, I’ll answer now.”
Melin stared at Chris for a moment.
“If I serve under you… will I be able to have more duels like this in the future?”
There was a reason behind her decision.
A question had taken root in her mind.
‘Just how strong will he become?’
Even at just one-star, he had sent shivers down her spine.
If Chris continued to grow—if he became even stronger—just how exhilarating would it be to fight him then?
That thought led her to the only conclusion.
None of the other noble scions could ever provide her with such excitement.
“As much as you want.”
Chris’s lips curled into a smirk.
“But there’s one thing you need to keep in mind.”
“What is it?”
“I’m going to surpass you soon.”
“!!”
“And as time goes on, the gap between us will only grow wider. You won’t be able to match me. But if you can endure that despair, I’ll be more than happy to face you anytime.”
Melin nearly burst into laughter.
Chris was just a mere one-star novice.
And yet, he had the audacity to say such ridiculous words to her—a four-star demonkin.
The problem was… it didn’t sound absurd at all.
Even now, he was proving to be far beyond what anyone expected.
It wouldn’t be long before he soared past her, reaching heights she couldn’t even see.
‘That in itself should be fun.’
Melin let out a quiet chuckle.
Then, with a refreshed heart, she gave her answer.
“Come find me after you officially become a noble. I can only serve under you once you’ve earned that title.”
It was acceptance!
Chris then turned his gaze toward Merian, who was now looking at him in complete shock—something completely different from her initial reaction.
“And what about you, Aunt?”
“!!”
Chris grinned.
“Do I pass in your eyes as well?”
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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