God… I can’t believe that project took me out of the game for about 3 weeks now. While I managed to log in on a few occasions, I only did it to check up on Lowry in case he got himself hurt by Savior and his lackeys. But ever since he "disappeared" from the public eye, I noticed some odd changes in his behavior in real life. Attending yoga classes with me, moving out of his old apartment, and quitting his job... It's like he found something in [Isekai] enough to give him motivation to do those long-awaited life changes. What's odder is that Lyco is also AWOL a few days after he quit.

  I'm starting to get some red warning in my head, and I feel like it's not the end of Lowry's strange behavior. Maybe now, he might feel like visiting . Since the first PVP event is getting close, there's no way Savior is leaving Lowry in and out of the game.

  But enough about him. The moment I take a glance at myself in the shop window, my thoughts break as I focus on the clothes I'm wearing.

  Black long pigtails, excessive makeup that makes my face look like a creepy doll, black and white frilly dress, and high heels... God, what the hell is Nelly thinking?! The more I stare at myself in this feminine body, the more I want to puke at the fact that this character is not my true self. Even when I successfully made my transition, she had ways to make me play as a person I hate the most. This makes me want to punch her, but I know in my heart I can't do that to my own sister.

  Whatever... She's not online at the moment, so I'm free to wear whatever I want. I take a quick visit to my inventory and change my cringy gothic lolita clothes into a simple outfit that's more to my style: A black dress shirt, slacks, and brown leather loafers complete with a hat to hide my long ponytailed hair. They're not as battle-ready as that ridiculous girly outfit, but it fits me better when strolling around town. Now then, I better find Lyco before Lowry...

  "Hey, look! Someone's doing a [Duel]!"

  "Yeah! And it looks like it's one of those Viper guys fighting an [Insignis]!"

  ...gets into another scuffle with them again.

  I slowly follow the crowd, and once we arrive, I take a closer look at the [Duel Plane] that was generated on part of the street. I know Lowry said he was supposed to disappear from for a while, but there's no way he could hide forever from Savior. All I can do now is watch this [Duel] and intervene if things get messy.

  ...Except where the hell is Lowry?! I can see an [Insignis] facing off Ewa of [Viper's Fangs] inside the dome, but he looks too tall and muscular to be Lowry. And the name, ... Is he also a werewolf geek like Lyco? I'm surprised he can smile despite facing off against one of the wild brawlers of the guild. If he's a newbie to this game, then I may either applaud his tenacity and bravery or smack him for his tomfoolery.

  "Hiromi?" I turn around when I hear my (unfortunate) name, and to my surprise, I see Lyco covered in fading bruises and cuts on his face. "I didn't know you're back online."

  "I would say the same with you, but what the hell is going on here?" I asked. "They mostly reserve [Duels] to Lowry, so why are they starting to pick on the newbie? I can't believe they have the audacity to extend their violence towards other players in the open already!"

  "About that... That guy is Lowry."

  I froze at what Lyco said. "Excuse me?"

  "The white-haired, serious-looking [Insignis] in the plane? That's Lowry. Our Lowry," he clarified. "I wish I could deny it. But it's really him."

  ...Seriously?! That's the same Lowry we knew! Just what the hell has he been doing from his "disappearance" that turned him from weak to hunk in a few weeks?! There's no way he can afford that physical makeover at the [Adament Market] with his current budget right now. Just what...

  Crap, it's starting already! I still have a lot of questions, but I doubt I have the time to intervene. Dammit, just what the hell is happening between Lowry and the Vipers?!

  "YOU'RE MINE, LOWRY!!!"

  There it is. His first skill whenever he makes his move: [Aerial Pin]. If I get caught by him, he will pin me down for a few seconds long enough for him to beat me down with his basic attacks and skills. If I want to avoid that skill, I would normally dodge it and use ranged attacks to push him back. However, not only does it have an annoying effect of buffing his movement speed to ensure he would catch me, but he also has a passive skill that ensures the skill is a success. Regardless, rather than running away from it like the last time, I instead stand my ground and let him grab me and drive me to the ground.

  I can recognize the pain after being pinned down on the ground. Even after the [Aerial Pin] skill is finished, he stomps on my back so hard that I can hear my virtual bones almost crack. Compared to Savior and Sien, he's much ruthless and dangerous despite not being a [Vice Guild Leader] or an [Enforcer]. A sane person would have run away after they experienced his greeting, but I'm a sane person who doesn't prefer to run away from a madman.

  "Hah! How does it feel to eat dirt again, Lowry?" Ewa smirked. "Did you miss it?"

  I would say "suck his...whatever", but I got another idea. "Not as much as I want to do the same to you."

  "Says the guy who can't avoid the first strike!" I hear Savior's voice echoing from the spectator area. "You're supposed to avoid 3 strikes from him! Not take him! You must be too stupid to know that. Then again, I'll just exclude his first move since Ewa has a habit of doing that."

  Who says I need to avoid them? Savior tends to assume everything before telling him the true ruleset of this [Duel]. Then again, how can I get through his iron-clad stubbornness? Whatever... At least he gave me a pass for that attack.

  "As if I need some mercy from you, Save. In my eyes, you're only siding with me because you want him to make me suffer for instigating your [Dungeon Run] failure."

  I can hear Ewa clicking his tongue. "Smart*ss. I know from my boss that you're the weakest player in [Isekai] right now. How are you going to beat me with your weak*ss dagger?"

  I smirked back. "Who says I'm using my dagger?"

  Before I can let him answer, I twist my body the moment I feel a little resistance from his boot. "[Low Blow]!" Then I raise my elbow and thrust it back to his weak spot.

  "HCK!"

  Just as I can check, I hear him screaming. I turn around and my eyes widen to see him cradling his...thing. God, I was hoping this skill would be the perfect choice for a point-blank attack, but I didn't expect this skill to be so accurate! But I'm not done yet. Since he's too busy with the excruciating pain at the moment, I take this chance to remove his foot from my back and use the cooldown to strike back by kicking him with both feet to his face.

  "ARGH!!!"

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  I can hear the gasps coming from all sides as I stand back up on the ground. I can guess from their faces how shocked they are after two consecutive attacks in a row, or how I managed to hit him in the first place. Suffice to say, this is my proof that I haven't gone soft in my "disappearance", Savior.

  "Y-You... *ssh*le! What the hell did you do?!" Savior screamed. "What the hell is that?"

  "I told you. I won't be fighting with a dagger this time." I would say I threw it away for this easy-to-use [Martial Arts]. But I'd rather not. "Besides, I thought Ewa was supposed to be your strongest fighter. Don't tell me he got cold feet because of a few changes in my set?"

  "***ker! Don't lie! You used [Low Blow], did you?!" Ewa screamed. "I know that skill a mile away!"

  That's because you also learn it, dummy. Honestly, I would have waited and used [Scratch Swipe] instead of a basic attack just to spite him. But I'm supposed to keep my [Lycan] identity a secret, and without a gauntlet like Ewa's, I can't use it out in the open. "Whatever. Either way, I got two hits in. Maybe you should try again, hitting me three times like Savior suggested?"

  Well, it's technically 2 times under the current ruleset, but I don't want to waste my breath with these stubborn jerks.

  "Be careful what you wish for, Lowry! [Claw Sharpening]!"

  I instinctively back away as his gauntlets begin to glow red. If I recall, it's supposed to increase their [Melee ATK] by 10. However, the ruleset's win condition is supposed to get 3 hits in regardless of their [HP], so it's useless in this situation. Then again, I must have pissed him off so bad with my combo attacks. I guess I should get serious about dodging his next few attacks.

  "[Double Jab]!"

  Without any delay, I quickly sidestepped back away from Ewa as he tried to throw several jabs at me. Unlike other skills, it's considered two attacks due to its effect. So it's an instant loss if both jabs connect. But there's a large difference between him and me. While he's largely untrained both in the game and in real life, I have the former thanks to a real-life martial artist's teachings. Well, someone to that pedigree. I'm not sure if Harley's Dad is great as one.

  However, his teachings were on point. Rather than avoiding the jabs with another sidestep, I parry both with my right palm while I move two more steps away from him. Then he tries to jab with a basic, I tilt my head away from his fist before I attempt a counter punch at him. Predictably, he blocks it with his hand, which doesn't count as a "strike" to the rules. In that case, I respond with a knee to his gut, but he also blocks it with his other hand. This time, I use my left fist to smack him in the face. Normally, this would end the [Duel] since his hands are full from the blocks. But he quickly lets go of them and backs away before my punch lands on his face.

  To us, our movements are somehow slow enough for us to predict. But to everyone on the sidelines, it seemed like our fight was somehow set to fast-forward. I can't tell from Lyco's face from here, but I have a feeling that they're in awe at how fast we're moving. With every jab and kick we exchanged with each other, I can't tell how many moves I made in a single second. [Minor Speed Enhancement] is no joke. I can move as fast as I can without being exhausted, and I can also keep up with Ewa's dirty tricks in his combos.

  Eventually, we're forced to back away from each other without any strikes declared by the system. I only set this [Duel] to 10 minutes. But I feel like an hour has passed after that exchange. Although Ewa seems like he had it worse, as I see sweat coming out of his forehead.

  "Dammit! Why can't I touch you?! I would have caught your throat by now!" Ewa screamed. "What kind of buffs did you use to cheat?!"

  Nothing, to be honest. I did get [Gift of Speed] when my [Life Mastery] leveled up to 12, but I haven't used it since the start of the [Duel]. And the full effects of my [Moonlight's Blessing] can only be active at night or at least during the full moon. Who knew being a werewolf had its OP quirks?

  "Like you need to know. Or are you starting to grow dull thanks to those penalties from your failed runs?" I grinned. "What happened to your ruthless valor, you always gloat about?"

  I feel like I'm fueling the fire, but I can't help but taunt the so-called barbarian of the [Viper Fangs]. I don't know all of his [Masteries] and moves, but I know he has a hot temper compared to Savior's.

  "M*th*rf**k*r... Don't get all high and mighty just because you got two hits on me!"

  "I can say the same. I wonder if you could survive the final strike. I have to warn you, I haven't exactly got full control of it yet."

  "HA! Are you saying that because you thought you could kill me? You're not like that archer guy who managed to kill my friend with an arrow and a kick!"

  I smirked. "No. But I can try the exact thing if I'm feeling serious."

  Ewa's right eye began to twitch. Looks like that's enough to finally unleash his rage. "You arrogant bastard! [Claw Sharpening]!"

  Again? Either his buff ran out, or he's running out of tricks. Regardless, I have to prepare before he starts attacking again. For now, I should keep my distance by moving a few steps back and find an opening for my [Power Attack].

  "Who says you can leave?!"

  KA-KLUNK!

  Suddenly, I noticed I couldn't move my right leg. I tried to use force to move, but it won't budge! I look down and I gasp to see a chain tied around my leg. I was wondering why he didn't use his [Chains Mastery] until now. Before I can react, I find myself being pulled by Ewa's chains as I fly towards his smirking face. I tried to raise my other leg, but he quickly tossed the other end of his chain and grabbed it before I could aim for a kick. There's no way I can prepare for a counter punch at this state. So just as I resign my fate, I end up being tossed in the air and crashing down on the ground like a ragged doll.

  I coughed out blood after enduring that attack. It's too painful to bear even in my current pain threshold. I can barely hear Lyco screaming out my name from the spectator area. I endured a lot of things, including my hunts, but Ewa outdid himself. If it wasn't for my [Lycan] skills and [Minor Endurance Enhancement], I would be dead by now.

  Still, I'm not out of the woods just yet. By the looks of it, he really is out to get me. He's not planning to win the [Duel]. He's planning to penalize me regardless of the current ruleset. I don't have the strength to stand back up as the barbarian starts approaching me with a nasty grin on his face.

  "I think you showed me enough of your new tricks. But unfortunately, your little evading game ends here." He leans his claws closer to my neck. "Don't bother casting your little fireworks show. You can't even bother casting a spell while your mouth is full of dirt. Or do you want to rip out your vocal cords so you won't have to cast anything at all? It's the least you can do for betraying us back in the forest."

  I coughed out the rest of the blood as I looked Ewa in the eye. "I have to admit. Y-You're still not stupid when it comes to fighting in [Isekai]."

  "Is that supposed to be a compliment? Well, it doesn't matter. You still underestimate me just because you were the strategist in our previous runs. Oh, well... At least the boss gave me a go-ahead to finish this, whatever I want."

  Tch... It was supposed to be "3 hits and you're out". But l rather not mention it. I didn't lie that he's not stupid. Despite his physical build, he's still lucid enough to think on his feet and avoid many pitfalls that any berserker players have. However, he already dug his grave the moment he took out his chains.

  "Oh, I think you're sadly mistaken, Ewa."

  He raises his eyebrow while keeping his grin. "What? That wasn't a good compliment you gave me."

  "No. I mean, I'm not supposed to underestimate you."

  "You're the one who underestimated me."

  I can feel it. The weight on Ewa is starting to lighten as I grab the chains still stuck on my legs. With a big tug, I pull him away from me and use my buffed strength to start twirling him around like a yo-yo.

  "W-What the h-"

  As I screamed from the top of my lungs, I tossed Ewa and his chains up in the air. Then I jump up and aim my combined fist at my flailing opponent.

  "[POWER ATTACK]!!!"

  I smacked the barbarian like a hammer and watched him crash down on the pavement floor, creating a crater that was the size of a car. Once I land back on the ground, I stare at the crater for a while. There doesn't seem to be any cheering from the spectators after that. But I didn't bother as I'm only focused on the results from my final gambit.

  And it's done. With the results released to the public, I can hear the spectators outside roaring in excitement.

  It hurts like hell, but I've finally done it. I won my first true [Duel] in the game. It's not a win I imagined because of the special win condition, but I'm happy regardless.

  However, the aftermath of it might be the opposite. I have a feeling Savior and his goons won't be happy about the results. But I can't wait for the train wreck to come next.