The figures approaching belonged to both the Alliance of Light and the Dark Horde. Ryan's words were aimed at the one leading the Alliance group.

"My apologies, Mr. Ryan. You know how it is with soldiers—the young ones always carry a streak of competitiveness. Perhaps you could give these lads a lesson, remind them there's always someone stronger."

The leading member of the Alliance of Light, clearly the highest-ranking among them, smiled as he spoke. "Hal Hal has already told me, Mr. Ryan—no, Sir Featherlight. Your decision to join Crimson Wake brings me great satisfaction."

Ryan made a note in his mind. The Human Priest must have been the "Hal Hal" the man mentioned.

As he studied the rest of the group, Ryan observed carefully. Most were melee fighters, the sole ranged exception being an Orc Warlock.

The Dark Horde contingent consisted of an Undead Rogue, an Orc Warrior, the Orc Warlock, and a Minotaur Shaman. From the Alliance of Light came a Human Paladin, a Dwarf Warrior, and a Night Elf Druid who had taken on the shape of a sleek black panther.

"I'd like to make a request," the Human Paladin said, stepping forward. "A one-on-one challenge. I want to face you first, alone."

He had not activated his instant ID, so Ryan did not yet know his name. Still, the fact that none of the others objected made their intent obvious. They all wanted to gauge Ryan's true strength before anything else.

"My advantages over you are considerable," Ryan said evenly. "Do you want me to remove some equipment?"

It was an honest offer, not arrogance. For ordinary players, fighting at a handicap was normal enough, but for military men, their pride could turn such a gesture into an insult. Asking was better than assuming.

"No need," the Paladin replied after a moment's silence, his tone firmer now, as though he had just received approval from his commander. "I want to see your strength in full. Come—we'll duel directly."

Ryan gave a brief nod and sent the duel invitation. The moment it was accepted, a referee flag dropped from the sky, planting itself solidly between them.

The system's countdown ticked away to zero. Ryan stood calmly, waiting, letting his opponent make the opening move.

The Human Paladin didn't hesitate. He knew well the difference in power between them. Glorious Achievements weren't just marks of honor; they brought immense increases in strength. And this man before him had claimed most of them. Arrogance here would mean certain defeat, and worse, ridicule from his comrades.

'If I can just take half his health, that'll be enough, he told himself.'

Victory wasn't in his calculations. He only hoped to apply some pressure. His gear was the best the auction house could offer: a full set of rare-quality level 30 equipment, and even an epic two-handed sword of the same level that had cost thousands of gold coins. His health pool sat at over four thousand, a figure most players couldn't dream of reaching at this stage.

He struck first, the sword flashing with holy light. As a Retribution Paladin, his offense came from the very skills Ryan himself often used: Enchanted Weapon – Command followed immediately by Judgment. The blow connected, stripping away over seven hundred of Ryan's health. Without a critical hit, though, the damage was little more than a scratch.

Ryan countered with his own Enchanted Weapon – Command followed by Judgment, landing more than eight hundred damage on the Human Paladin. Even with his level 35 rare-quality one-handed weapon, the strike barely carved into his opponent's massive health bar.

As levels climbed higher, Ryan's damage output felt less overwhelming than before. In earlier days, two combined attacks could finish off a similarly geared foe without question. Now, against opponents of this caliber, his blows were more like scratches than finishing strikes.

"Divine Storm!"

Golden light erupted beneath the Human Paladin's boots. The ultimate Retribution skill—unlocked upon reaching level 30—was finally his to wield. Even though a single point invested in it didn't make him vastly stronger, the skill's very presence was intimidating, a milestone that separated ordinary players from elites.

Ryan answered in kind. His own Divine Storm burst forth, their holy tempests colliding in a blinding display. The difference in strength was immediate. Ryan took little more than three hundred damage. The Human Paladin, by contrast, suffered a brutal critical hit of twenty-four hundred.

One Judgment and one Divine Storm had already driven his health deep into the red. Ryan smiled faintly and stepped forward, following up with a clean auto-attack.

The Paladin, staring at his dwindling health in shock, abandoned all composure. He unleashed Desperate Healing, bringing himself back to full, and hastily downed a mana potion to replenish what he could.

"Templar's Verdict!"

The skill crashed into Ryan with righteous fury, consuming Divine Power for a devastating blow. Over fifteen hundred damage appeared above Ryan's head, but it was little more than a scratch against his pool of sixty-five hundred health.

Divine Storm came off cooldown, and Ryan unleashed it again. Holy light whirled around him, dealing nearly thirteen hundred damage and triggering the hidden talent bound within.

"Radiant Storm!"

A surge of pure white brilliance exploded outward, sweeping the battlefield in a twenty-yard radius. The secondary effect was merciless: the Human Paladin lost twenty percent of Ryan's maximum health—another thirteen hundred in a single instant.

With barely a thousand health left, the Paladin staggered. Ryan advanced without pause. His shield blurred through the air, slamming into his opponent with a critical strike of seventeen hundred damage. The blow emptied the Paladin's health bar.

System prompts forced him to his knees, the mandated end-state for a defeated duelist.

The onlookers said nothing. The silence was heavy, their shock too deep for words.

"You're strong, Featherlight," the Paladin managed, voice taut with frustration. "I hope we can spar again someday."

Though beaten, he held no bitterness. The gap between them was insurmountable, but Featherlight had earned every ounce of his strength through relentless effort and victory. There was no shame in losing to him.

Then another voice broke the quiet.

"Featherlight, would you be willing to face all four of them at once?"

A fresh challenge had arrived.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.