Raze whistled loudly out of pure amusement. The Heavy Swordsman loved a good spectacle.
"Yes," Lumina confirmed, and she locked her dark eyes onto Kian. "In our duel, I just need to land a single hit, even if it is just a tiny scratch. If I can do that, I win. You will take her back."
Lexi let out a sharp sigh. "It's impossible. I'm not underestimating you, but landing a hit on him? Even in a sneak attack, as a Thief, I never had done that myself."
The pink-haired girl dropped her voice to a serious, hushed tone. "I attempted to assassinate Kian during his sleep a lot of times to test if I can really land a single blow. I crept right up to his bed, but I just froze and stopped at the very last millisecond. It looks like his posture is full of openings, but everything is just a faint. Every single thing he does is a lethal trap. Your chance is basically zero."
Lumina looked away from Kian and faced the Thief. "I know. But I can't let things happen this way. I have to do this, Lexi. I learned a new spell recently. No matter how strong he is, he should take even just a little damage from it. I believe I can at least land a scratch on him with that magic."
Lexi thought about the bold claim for a long while.
Raze broke into the conversation with a wide grin. "A new powerful attack magic? That sounds interesting. Is that spell really capable of inflicting a tiny amount of damage to Kian?"
Lumina faced Raze. "I believe it's possible. Other Mages say even a Calamity-class monster would take damage from that spell."
"That's awesome!" Raze cheered, pumping a fist into the air. "We will be able to see an intense duel!"
Lexi frowned and shook her head. "Even with that kind of fire power, I don't think you'll be able to scratch his skin. Even if he intentionally lets you hit him, he will never get hurt by it. I seriously doubt it."
Lumina clenched her small fists tighter. "Then I guess we will have to see about that."
"Fascinating," Lexi murmured. She crossed her arms again. "If that's even possible, I want to see it."
"Should we go now?" Raze asked excitedly. The young boy practically bounced on his heels, eager to watch a magical explosion.
"We have to find a place where there are no civilians around," Lexi pointed out quickly.
Lumina shook her head. "Not today."
Raze dropped his arms. "What? Why?"
"I need to prepare," Lumina explained with a cold resolve. "I need at least three weeks to condition myself and reach my top form."
Lumina looked back at Kian, who still seemed entirely unbothered by the sudden death match.
"As for the location of our duel, we will use the place where we first met," Lumina declared. "There are no people there, and there is no forest that will be destroyed by the blast."
"That's a perfect place," Lexi agreed with a quick nod. "It's all just endless deserted land. You can fight there to your heart's content without worrying about casualties."
Lumina looked at Kian one last time. "I will not be joining the dungeon exploration for a while so I can prepare. I promise to exert my full power during the fight."
She turned around sharply, and her dark cloak swished through the air. "See you in three weeks, Kian."
The moment Lumina left the inn, Lexi looked closely at Kian's face. The boss seemed really calm and composed. He just stared at the broken wooden table without a single trace of sweat on his brow.
I have to admit it, Lexi thought while she watched him. I even got excited with this.
Kian was just sitting there like a mountain. But the color-coded kids had absolutely no idea Kian was having a massive panic attack on the inside. Due to his extremely high heartbeat after hearing the duel request, Kian had completely frozen in his chair. He was entirely unable to respond or even blink. After Lumina finally left the room, his mind exploded with fear.
What just happened? Kian screamed internally. A duel with that monster? She said her spell can damage a Calamity! I'll die in an instant. I'll literally turn into a pile of ash.
He finally managed to move his eyes, and he noticed Black had already left the building. He looked to his right, and he saw Pink and Red excitedly talking about the upcoming bloodbath.
"This is going to be the best fight ever," Red laughed, and he shoved Lexi's shoulder playfully. "Do you think Kian will finally draw a real weapon, or will he just block the Calamity spell with his bare hands?"
Lexi scoffed and pushed the Swordsman away. "He won't need a weapon for a weak magic trick. He will probably just flick the attack magic away with his thumb. We just need to make sure we find a high vantage point to watch. I don't want to get caught in the shockwave when he counterattacks."
"We should bring snacks," Red suggested brightly. "Three weeks is a long time to wait, but the explosion will be totally worth it."
Kian stared at his two happy subordinates. They were actively planning a picnic for his funeral.
I have three weeks to live, Kian realized.
A cold chill crept up his spine, and he slowly slumped forward against the ruined table.
---
Miles away from the chaotic inn, Celia walked alone down a dusty road. She carried her wooden staff in her right hand, but her shoulders slumped heavily with every step she took. She felt incredibly sad because she had to leave her friends behind.
She walked for a whole week. She wandered further and further up North, eventually crossing into an endless, dark forest. The trees grew thick and blocked the afternoon sun, so the air quickly turned damp and freezing cold.
Celia wiped a stray tear from her cheek. She missed Lumina's quiet company and Red's loud jokes. She even missed Kian's lazy complaints. But she had a strict mission, so she forced her legs to keep moving through the overgrown brush.
Kian told her the hint was up North, so she refused to stop until she figured out how to cast a low-level healing spell for ten hours straight.
A sudden rustle of dry leaves broke the quiet woods. Celia stopped her march and gripped her wooden staff tightly.
Three low-level forest wolves jumped out from the shadows. The beasts bared their yellow teeth, and they growled aggressively at the lone traveler. Saliva dripped from their ugly jaws.
Celia did not panic or freeze. Her body moved instinctively, relying entirely on the brutal footwork she had developed over the past year. She could not coat her staff with Aura to deliver a lethal, glowing strike, but her physical speed was flawless.
The first wolf lunged toward her throat. Celia pivoted sharply on her left heel, effortlessly dodging the snapping jaws by a few inches. She dropped into a low crouch and swung her wooden staff in a wide arc. The heavy wood slammed directly into the beast's ribs with a loud crack, throwing the wolf violently into a nearby tree trunk.
The remaining two wolves charged simultaneously from the flanks. Celia pushed off the dirt with explosive speed. She vaulted over the roots, evading the simultaneous bites, and brought her staff down hard on the skull of the second wolf. The beast collapsed instantly. The third wolf tried to retreat, but she stepped forward quickly and delivered a swift, precise strike to its neck to end the fight.
She lowered her staff and let out a quiet breath. The monsters were dead, and she did not have a single scratch on her traveling clothes.
She continued her journey deeper into the woods. A few hours later, the smell of woodsmoke and panic drifted through the trees.
Celia hurried toward the scent. Knowing she was about to encounter strangers, she quickly pulled the deep hood of her traveling cloak low over her face to securely conceal her pointed ears. She broke through the brush to find a small dirt clearing.
A wooden wagon lay broken on its side. Two civilian merchants huddled near the splintered wheels, and they desperately tried to fend off a small pack of green-skinned goblins with a rusted iron dagger. One of the merchants held a bleeding arm, and his face was pale with terror.
"Help us!" the injured merchant screamed when he saw the hooded traveler emerge from the trees.
Without hesitation, she sprinted across the clearing with blinding speed. She ducked under a clumsy goblin swing, swept her staff low to trip the creature, and smashed its head against the ground. She moved like a phantom, systematically dismantling the low-level monsters with clean, calculated strikes. The goblins realized they were completely outmatched, so the survivors quickly dropped their crude weapons and fled screaming into the woods.
Celia dropped her staff and rushed to the injured merchant's side. She knelt on the ground and raised her staff over the merchant's bleeding arm. A warm green light pulsed, and the deep cut stitched itself together.
The two merchants stared at her in pure awe.
"Thank you, kind traveler," the older merchant gasped as he clutched his fully healed arm. "You saved our lives. We have a spare horse. Please, let us give you a ride to the next town."
"I appreciate the offer, but I cannot go to a town right now," Celia replied gently. She stood up and dusted the dirt from her knees. "I have to keep heading North into the wild. I have an important puzzle to solve."
She waved goodbye to the grateful men and walked back into the dense, quiet forest.
Night eventually fell over the endless woods. The temperature dropped, so Celia built a small campfire near a rocky overhang to keep herself warm. She sat on a soft patch of moss and wrapped her cloak tightly around her shoulders.
The sky above the trees was completely clear. Millions of bright stars twinkled in the freezing air, casting a weak, pale light over the dark branches.
Celia looked up at the vast, starry sky. The quiet solitude made her chest ache terribly, and the faces of her party members flashed through her mind. She thought about Lumina's small hands and Kian's distant eyes.
She missed them all so much.
She pulled her knees to her chest, and a fresh wave of determination washed over her sad heart.
She refused to fail the test.
"I promise to come back," Celia whispered to the stars.