For a moment, Ariadne couldn't believe what she was seeing. Melmarc was a [Faker]. How had he stopped Anji's charge?

Anji was a B-class [Juggernaut]. It made no sense that Melmarc had been able to stop his charge, even if he had copied his skill in that last moment.

Anji was a [Juggernaut] that Naymond had invited into the house from the streets for the purpose of protecting the house. He did it in all the houses he owned. He went out, found a young [Juggernaut] with nowhere to go, and brought them into the home on the agreement that they would protect the residents of the home against all external and internal attacks. For the internal attacks, the [Juggernaut] was a deterrent. For the external, the [Juggernaut] was a finishing blow.

Over time Ariadne had learnt to pick her fights well. She was a bully, she knew it. But she was not a horrible bully. She pushed and prodded but never went too far. And she picked them not by their strength in comparison to hers but by their strengths in comparison to Anji's.

Melmarc was not supposed to be able to stand a chance against Anji. It was impossible. And yet, it was happening right in front of her.

A frown creased her lips as Melmarc turned and looked down at Anji.

"My quarrel," he said, "was not with you."

There was something about the way he said the words, the way the word 'was' had been intentionally added into the sentence, that worried Ariadne.

No.

She could not allow the boy do whatever he was about to do.

[You have used skill Kinetic Impact]

Ariadne was a [Scout] but something of a special one. She had scouting skills and fighting skills. The only reason she wasn't a Delver was because Delving companies were not necessarily looking for Gifted with the [Scout] class that thought they were important, especially when you weren't an S-rank. Ariadne wanted to be in the heat of things, not just finding the way forward and standing back while the others enjoyed the glory and the higher pay.

As the skill activated, she felt the force of the air around her. Each molecule that bounced off her was a minute boost to the skill. Every single impact she could amass was useful no matter how little.

When Melmarc focused his attention on Anji, Ariadne focused hers on him and ran at him. She fell within attacking distance as Anji's hand reached up for Melmarc—a combined effort, a pincer attack of sorts.

It was their win. Melmarc would fall here, but he would not die. He would be in severe pain, though. It was just the way with—

Melmarc turned abruptly. Ignoring Anji's attack, he slammed straight into Ariadne.

Instincts honed over countless street fights kicked in and Ariadne's hands shot out in front of her. Placing them between her and the boy's massive body, she met his eyes to see the pain.

She froze as her eyes locked with dull eyes. Melmarc didn't even care, there was no hate or rage or anticipation or dislike in his eyes and expression. Nothing. It was as if she wasn't even there, as if she didn't even register in his mind.

Her palm slammed into his chest, and she felt all the kinetic energy she'd gathered leave her in one blast. Yellow mana gathered around her hands and exploded against Melmarc's chest. In the same moment, Anji's massive, grey and meaty hand wrapped around his neck.

Melmarc took a step back from the impact of her attack, yet he didn't even flinch.

All he did was look down at her, ignoring Anji. Then he swung his hand.

What happened next happened too fast for Ariadne to register immediately. All she had enough time to see was the swinging hand.

Pain exploded in her cheek immediately after, and she was sent flying. Her world went white with the pain for a moment. The walls around her blurred as she left the floor. She felt the wind on her face before her head struck something hard. She felt that one, too. Pain exploded in the side of her head as she bounced off a wall.

Move, Ariadne! She screamed at herself as she fell to the ground. She'd been in enough fights to know that you never stay down in a fight.

She rolled off the floor, her world spinning, and rushed to her feet.

Once again, the world shifted around her. Vertigo from getting up too quickly and too suddenly, moved her. She staggered once, catching herself before she fell.

Something warm trickled down the side of her face. She ignored it, knowing that she was bleeding. To her surprise, the pain in her jaw was gone, like a phantom that had never been, or a figment of her imagination. More surprising was the fact that it wasn't broken. Blows less powerful than the one she'd just received had broken her jaw before.

More importantly, her jaw dropped at the sight in front of her. Anji's hand was still wrapped around Melmarc's neck, however, the [Faker] had Anji pinned against the wall. He looked at the boy with his head cocked to the side as if in contemplation.

"You don't have to do this, Melmarc," Anji said.

Melmarc had him up by the neck, but Anji still spoke clearly.

"We don't have to…" Anji's words trailed off as he stared at Melmarc as if realizing that Melmarc wasn't listening. Using a fighting technique Ariadne had seen a lot of times, he raised his arm, slipped it between him and Melmarc, and slammed it into Melmarc's, trying to shake off the boy's hold on his neck.

Rather than lose his grip, Melmarc grabbed Anji with his other arm and shoved him into the wall once more. Anji slammed into the wall like the [Juggernaut] that he was. The wall crack and pieces of it fell off. The entire building seemed to tremble from the impact.

It was like watching two Gifted with the [Juggernaut] class fight. Like watching two [Juggernaut]s disagree. One smaller than the other.

Anji frowned at his inability to shake Melmarc off, and worry crawled up Ariadne's spine. What exactly was happening? Why was a [Faker] going toe to toe with a [Juggernaut]?

"Where will I win!" Anji called out as he changed tactics and grabbed Melmarc, trying to hold him in place.

Melmarc would not know what the words were, but Ariadne knew. It was one of her skills. It helped her find an opponent's weak point, a place where if she inflicted enough damage could possibly kill the target.

Ariadne hesitated, knowing that she definitely didn't want to kill Melmarc. He was just a boy, and their current situation was not entirely his fault. Then again, the boy was beginning to look like an opponent that she could not afford to hold back against.

[You have used skill Where Will I Win?]

Ariadne focused as the skill activated and took in all of Melmarc. Her hand twitched in preparation for the strike. The skill gave her boosts to precision and perception as well as balance. It made her aim true.

I'm sorry, kid, she thought as she prepared herself.

Then she froze.

What the—

Her thoughts and shock were usurped by a feeling of loss… or forgetfulness? Her brain danced around, feeling as if someone had taken something from her while she had let her guard down.

She shook the feeling, reminding herself to attack, only to stop short as she remembered what had initially confused her.

The [Faker], Melmarc, had no weak points she could attack. She was staring right at him and nothing was coming up. The boy was quite literally invulnerable as far as her skill was concerned.

"For the love of—" Anji scowled at her, then roared as he pushed Melmarc off him and tackled the boy into the wall.

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They crashed into the wall, sending chunks flying as the wall cracked and buckled under their weight. The cracks spiraled upwards, spiderwebs spreading along the ceiling. Once again, the entire floor shook from their impact.

Ariadne shook herself from her confusion. Turning her eyes to Anji, she found his weak spot in his shoulder—her skill lit it up in bright orange. It was the shoulder where Melmarc had kicked him a few moments ago.

With Melmarc held against the wall, Anji threw a fist into his stomach with enough force to pick the boy off his feet when it connected. Melmarc grunted in pain, then raised both hands over his head. He slammed both fists into Anji's back, forcing the boy to drop to his knee.

Even on his knee, Anji did not let up. He pushed himself upwards once more, throwing his shoulder into Melmarc's stomach again, spearing him like they did in wrestling matches the boy liked to watch.

Melmarc took the tackle with a grunt and slammed into the wall again. At this rate, they were going to bring the house down. An expression of deep pain crossed Melmarc's face.

Reaching down, he tried to wrap his arms around Anji's torso, but Anji was a little too large in size for him. Melmarc was tall but Anji was taller and at least twice as large right now. with tattered clothes, Anji only had a stretched boxer covering his groin. It was large and elastic. He had a lot of them and wore them at all times in case of moments like this.

Wrapping his arms around Melmarc, Anji shoved again, picking the boy off the ground in a bear hug. Then, with veins bulging along his neck, he squeezed.

Sound slipped from Melmarc's lips, but it wasn't loud enough to be interpreted as anything substantial. However, the pain was on his face. Anji's bear hug was leaving an impact.

"Submit!" Anji demanded.

It was stupid of him. When you fought an opponent that was a threat, you did not ask them to submit, you knocked them the fuck out.

Anji was too nice.

"SUBMIT!" Anji roared when Melmarc said nothing, squeezing harder.

Melmarc seemed to choke on a sound that wasn't necessarily words.

Ariadne thought he was about to submit when a spot in his abdomen lit up. [Where Will I Win] had finally found the boy's weak spot. It was late, but it was there.

No one's invulnerable, she thought, pleased with herself.

Clenching her hand into a tight fist, she darted forward. Anji noticed her approach and brought Melmarc back to the ground. Once she got to Melmarc, she cocked her fist as far back as she could and punched with all the force she could muster. Her fist struck Melmarc's side and pain exploded in it.

It was like punching a brick wall.

"Fuck!" she swore, staggering away from him.

Anji turned his attention on her. Even with a grey, muscular face, his worry was evident. His eyes asked if she was alright.

She would've given him an answer if Melmarc's attention hadn't moved straight to Anji's shoulder.

"Look out!" she warned, but she was a little too late.

Melmarc brought his hand down on Anji's shoulder. It was the exact spot [Where Will I Win] had shown her was his weakness.

Anji roared in pain. His knees buckled beneath him and his arms fell from around Melmarc.

Free, the boy shoved Anji away from him with a foot to the same shoulder.

They couldn't lose. Ariadne couldn't allow them.

[You have used skill Kinetic Impact]

…

[You have used skill Invasive Impact]

With both skills activated, she dashed forward again, closing the short space between them.

Melmarc swung his hand in a casual backhand slap, the way men who think themselves powerful do. Ariadne had taken a slap from that hand before. And while it had not broken her jaw, she was not willing to risk it again.

She threw herself to the side as her hand began glowing a soft yellow. She hit the ground in a roll and felt the power of the glow grow stronger as she got to her feet on the other side of the boy. Leaping forward, she hit the wall at an angle and jumped off it as Melmarc turned to attack again.

As she soared through the air, Ariadne felt something go through her. It was like a gust of wind, but it didn't push her back, and it wasn't heavy. Her interface told her what had happened as she hit the ground.

[You have been afflicted by skill Mana Dilation]

[Effect: All skills cooldown are restarted]

[Effect: All skills cooldown are increased by 50%]

What the hell?

Ariadne hit the ground and leapt at Melmarc, refusing to slow down or be distracted. The boy was turning back to face her in her new position, but he was too slow. He'd been slow since he'd started fighting Anji.

Pushing off her feet, Ariadne aimed her hands at his face. This time, she would slam the [Kinetic Impact] right into his face and see if he could shake it off as he had done the last time when she'd slammed it into his chest.

Her interface lit up in front of her suddenly.

[You have been afflicted by a debuff skill]

[All speed-based stats have been decreased by 0.5]

Ariadne's eyes widened as she left the ground a little slower than she had planned.

He has a disable skill?

Melmarc swung his hand, pulling her from her thoughts, but he was a little too slow. For all her decreased speed, Ariadne got to him first.

My win.

She threw her hands straight at his face and a powerful force slammed into her stomach before her attack landed on Melmarc's face. The wind was knocked out of her lungs, her stomach caving in on itself the way it does when she retched with nothing in her bowels. With the pain and the force, she was sent flying back.

The world waned around her as the air was knocked out of her. Her vision darkened, and the dimness of the world, she saw what had happened. Melmarc had kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying back and into the wall before she'd even gotten close to him. The swinging arm had been nothing but a feint.

Pain exploded in her head as she struck the wall. Darkness clawed at the edges of her vision and she struggled to stay conscious against it.

Move, Ariadne. Move.

She tried to keep her eyes on Melmarc but it was difficult. Still, she focused, struggled through the pain. She fought to stay conscious. She found success in consciousness but only because her pain would not be ignored.

Melmarc walked over to Anji who was groaning on the floor, treating Ariadne as if she was no longer a threat.

"Stay down," he said to Anji, voice calm, unbothered.

Anji tried to push himself up and Melmarc cocked his head to the side. As if coming to a decision, he raised his leg over Anji and moved it in a circular motion very slowly.

Ariadne tried to push herself off the ground, but her stomach hurt and the very action sent terrible cramps running through it. She doubled over from the pain and rolled on her side. As she watched Anji, helpless, a white light formed a ring around Melmarc's ankle. The space between the ring and his ankle inside it was enough to fit her hand. It grew brighter with each passing second and the boy looked down at it with brows slightly furrowed in surprise.

Anji continued to struggle, refusing to let up. He tried to push himself off the ground but could not. It was as if too much pain kept him from moving properly. Melmarc continued to watch him, to wait.

Then he spoke.

"Is it honor that drives you?" he asked with a voice that carried nothing but curiosity. "Determination?" He cocked his head to the side again. His complete disregard for Ariadne grated on her. "Is she a friend?"

Anji met his eyes with pain in his. "Just keeping a promise."

"A promise." He seemed to think on the word. After a moment, he paused and nodded. "I understand."

Then he knocked Anji out with a kick to the face. Anji slumped to the ground, unconscious. Ariadne watched it all happen, unable to do anything about it.

Melmarc looked down at his foot, still paying her no attention. Now, Ariadne's annoyance at being ignored was turning into worry. Why? Because even now, after the amount of time that had passed, he continued to treat her as someone that was not a threat.

And he was right.

Her stomach still cramped terribly, and she still couldn't push herself up to her feet. Without any ranged attack, she was not a threat.

And he'd done all this after she had used her skill [Where Will I Win?]. Realization dawned on her slowly, and she understood what was happening. Melmarc had copied her skill and used it on her and Anji.

She would not say that her skill had turned the tide in his favor, but it had definitely secured his victory.

The [Faker] class had its restrictions, each of them based on what they can copy and the requirements they needed to meet to copy whatever they could. There were [Faker]s that copied mana-based skills easier than other types, [Faker]s that copied strength-based skills easier. There were [Faker]s that copied agility-based skills better.

Melmarc, however, had just copied a strength-based skill from Anji in the blink of an eye and then turned around and copied a mana-based skill from her with just as much ease. Just what type of [Faker] was he?

After a moment of looking down at his leg, Melmarc turned and flicked his ankle casually in the direction of the wall farthest from them. The white ring around his ankle left his leg and exploded against the wall in a burst of white light. It left a bright white scar on the wall, like the aftermath of an explosion, only white where it was supposed to be black.

When it was over, Melmarc walked over to the traveling bag he had dropped when he'd come out of the room and picked it up. He swung it over his shoulder, turned, and walked up to Ariadne.

Now, he had her time.

He stood in front of her, looking down at her, watching her. The boy whose trouble she had looked for earlier was gone. There was nothing in his eyes now. No interest. No emotion. It was worrying to look at.

Ariadne couldn't even see the pain from their fight in his face.

"Do not talk," he said simply. "Do not fight back."

Then he bent down, grabbed her ankle in one hand, and started pulling her along the ground.

Ariadne knew better than to fight back.

She had ultimately bitten off more than she could chew.

If she survived this, she promised whatever gods were above that she would never bully anyone again. But it was one thing to know you were outmatched. It was also another thing to simply accept defeat.

Defeat was not something she was quick to accept.

Moving quickly, Ariadne sucked in a deep breath, braced herself against the cramp in her stomach and pulled herself forward. She reached forward with her hands and grabbed Melmarc by the wrist.

Melmarc looked at her. Their eyes locked, and she activated her skill.

[You have used skill Invasive Impact]

If she could just overload him with mana poisoning, maybe she would stand a chance. If she could buy enough time, she was sure she could find a way to restrain him.

Melmarc looked down at her hands on his wrist, then back at her without flinching.

Ariadne paled as she realized that her skill had no effect a second time.

"Do not fight back," the boy repeated, then he broke her ankle.

Pain the likes of which she had not felt in a very long time visited her. Ariadne screamed as pain shot up from her ankle to render her leg useless. Tears welled up in her eyes and a sob choked her throat.

As for her tormentor, he looked down at his hand and her broken ankle. For the first time since the fight had started, he showed an expression.

Shock… and confusion.

If Ariadne hadn't known better, she would've thought that he was confused by what he had just done.

After a moment, he turned away and resumed dragging her along the ground.

Fear took Ariadne by the neck and squeezed.

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