Chapter 27: Fire and Thunder

“Section Chief.”

“Oh, what is it?”

“User Han Sungwoo has met with a magician sent from the Central Magic Tower Association.”

“Already?”

“Yes. The opponent is a fourth-year senior student from the Central Magic Academy High School Division.”

“What’s the level?”

“Level 35. Fire attribute.”

“Assistant Manager Lee, who do you think will win?”

“I...”

After the complete Amthosrin incident, Lee Sungmi was especially vigilant in monitoring Sungwoo, worried that Revan might raise suspicions about his eavesdropping skill.

So even if no one else was sure, Lee Sungmi was confident in Sungwoo’s victory.

Despite Sungwoo being only level 21 and the opponent a level 35 magician.

Therefore, when Oh Jaehyun asked, Lee Sungmi answered confidently.

“100%. I predict a complete victory for Han Sungwoo.”

“Is that so? What if not?”

“If not...”

Lee Sungmi hesitated for about two seconds before answering lightly.

“Then I’ll resign.”

“Oh dear, our Assistant Manager Lee is always so serious. Fine, even if you hand in your resignation, I won’t accept it.”

“That just shows how confident I am.”

“Is that so? Then how about we monitor the duel scene together?”

“Section Chief, who do you think will win?”

Lee Sungmi asserted that Sungwoo would win. Oh Jaehyun responded as he opened the monitor in the chief’s office with a remote.

“I think...”

Beep-

As soon as the remote turned on the monitor, the bookmarked screen appeared.

It was the dedicated channel for user Han Sungwoo.

The moment they accessed the channel, Revan’s figure appeared with his club raised high.

Oh Jaehyun answered.

“I also predict a complete victory for Han Sungwoo. Otherwise, I might as well resign too.”

And then the duel began.

---

Revan put on an animal mask and summoned the Duel God to prevent any unforeseen accidents.

The category was a standard duel.

Seeing Max’s level at 35, the Duel God expressed concern to Revan, but Revan assured him and immediately proceeded with the duel.

‘I have to finish this as fast as possible.’

This place was the exit of the Frog Hole Dungeon.

Unlike the crowded entrance swarming with users, hardly anyone was around here.

Revan decided to use this to his advantage and finish the duel quickly before any witnesses appeared.

[The duel begins.]

The duel commenced.

In this duel, Revan and Max each put their necks on the line as the victory reward.

Not because Revan wanted it, but because Max insisted, and Revan just agreed.

After all, Revan was a user who could be revived even if he died.

As soon as the duel started, Revan habitually memorized two skills.

“Hold, Strike.”

[Please select the cube to use.]

[Strike is activated.]

Strike immediately triggered, hitting Max’s club, and the selected Hold cube was held in Revan’s hand.

Revan instantly selected 33 cubes, landed the Hold, then held the cube in his shield-wielding left hand.

He lowered his stance and slammed his foot on the ground.

‘Here I go!’

He’d heard this somewhere before.

When fighting a magician, you can’t give them time to cast spells.

So as soon as Hold hit, he charged immediately.

No matter how much higher Max’s level was, Revan’s casting speed was definitely faster.

As expected, Revan closed the distance before Max could complete his first spell.

He cast a 7-second Hold on Max.

[Hold is activated.]

Zzzing-!

Hold activated, and as expected, Max’s movement froze.

Seeing this, Revan smiled in victory and pulled his club back like a drawn bow.

“Goodbye.”

A farewell said with absolute confidence.

Just as the club was about to strike Revan,

Sss-

Revan saw Max smiling.

Before the club could reach Max’s face, Max twisted his body like a lie and shouted,

“Fire Wall!”

Flame!!

A wall of fire soared like a gas flame.

It was scorching.

Revan twisted his suddenly burning face to the opposite side and lost his balance.

In that moment, Max swiftly cast the next spell.

“Energy Bolt!”

Boom!!

The condensed energy bolt in Max’s hand exploded against Revan’s unprotected side.

Excruciating pain.

Without magical defense, the energy bolt inflicted pain beyond imagination.

“Ugh!”

Revan rolled his body to create distance again due to the sharp pain.

Checking his HP, he saw it had dropped by a staggering 17%.

He had partially dodged the Fire Wall by twisting, but was hit squarely by the Energy Bolt, which hurt the most.

Covered in dust, Revan saw Max smirk.

“Ha! Did you really think I wouldn’t prepare for you?”

“Yeah, Hudson was too easy, so I thought you’d be too, but I guess not.”

“Comparing me to that third-rate magician? You’ll pay for that remark soon enough.”

“Third-rate? Say that again in this day and age and you’ll be in trouble.”

“Shut up!”

Cursing, Max began casting again.

Revan checked his cooldown and matched cubes, thinking,

‘Did Hold get canceled?’

Revan’s plan was simple.

Like with Hudson, he wanted to chain Hold and then finish with Strike.

That would be enough against a magician with low HP.

But unexpectedly, Max, who Revan assumed was held, moved boldly at the crucial moment and countered.

From this, Revan hypothesized a few things.

‘Either there’s something that can block Hold, or something that reduces its duration.’

Otherwise, there was no way a 7-second Hold would fail.

So Revan changed his plan.

If a straight attack doesn’t work, he had to throw a curveball.

Revan held the cube with the cast Hold in his left hand and once again lunged at Max.

“Hold!”

“Using that trick again?”

“Pretending to strike with a rock!”

Bang-!

Revan held the cube embedded with Hold in his left hand.

But since Hold hadn’t worked earlier, he decided to test another skill as bait.

Fortunately, Revan had one more crowd control skill.

Instead of a cube, he thrust out a rock shield that slammed into Max, creating a shockwave.

[Rock Strike is activated.]

Revan could clearly feel Max’s skin touch the surface of the rock shield, so the skill landed properly.

But at that moment.

“No way! Fire Wall!”

Max was free again and erected a wall of flames.

‘Just as I thought!’

It was confirmed.

Max had something that could ignore crowd control skills.

So Revan charged forward.

The fiery wall engulfed Revan’s body, chewing away a chunk of his health.

But he felt this was his only chance and braved the heat to push through.

[You have caught fire due to Fire Wall.]

[You take 20 burn damage per second.]

A chilling warning alert.

Still, Revan reached Max beyond the wall of flames, opened his precious left hand, and pointed at Max.

[Hold is activated.]

Zzzing-!

Thud!

Revan flew.

He threw his body once, then again as he was knocked down by the Fire Wall from below.

Yet, he managed to cast Hold on Max.

Rolling on the ground, Revan’s entire body stung from burns, but he ignored the pain and stood up like a zombie.

Then he quickly raised his head to check Max’s status.

‘It worked!’

A clear debuff icon hovered above Max’s head.

And the counting numbers.

It was proof the skill had landed properly.

So with a cheerful voice, he shouted,

“Thunder Strike!”

[Thunder Strike is activated.]

Crackle!

With the start word, blue electricity gathered around the club.

It was over.

Revan swung his club without hesitation, like Thor wielding his hammer against Thanos.

Max’s forehead caved in.

[Critical Hit!]

A welcome notification.

But Max did not fall.

Because Hold was keeping him frozen in place.

Revan grinned and used Strike again.

Crack!

Hitting twice where he hit once.

Revan drove his club into Max’s dented head again, then,

[Opponent has become incapacitated.]

[You have won the duel.]

[‘Quest: Welcoming the Guest’ completed.]

[Quest rewards granted.]

[Experience gained.]

[Level up.]

The system declared Revan’s victory.

---

“Ugh... Aah!”

Max screamed and got up.

As he stood, cold sweat dripped down his face.

No wonder — Max had experienced the terrible pain of being held still with his eyes wide open while his head was struck repeatedly.

He thought he’d die the moment the second strike landed.

But magicians were the sharpest of all senses.

When Max opened his eyes again, he realized he was still alive.

“How on earth...?”

“Hey, awake now?”

Just as Max muttered to himself in confusion, someone kindly asked how he was doing.

It was Revan.

“Yeah, how did you...?”

“Stop, stop. The settlement’s not over yet.”

“What do you mean...?”

“Can’t you see?”

Revan raised one hand and pointed behind him.

There stood the Duel God, arms crossed, watching over them.

Max said,

“Could it be?”

“Yeah. Even if you die, the settlement has to be clear. You didn’t wake up for a while, so I waited a long time.”

This was the situation.

Revan had landed two Strikes in succession, and the critical hits had instantly incapacitated Max.

Max’s head was horribly deformed.

But since the duel wasn’t a deathmatch, the Duel God ensured no one actually died.

That was why Max survived.

Feeling his intact skull, Max muttered,

“I... I lived...!”

“Anyway, let’s settle this. You haven’t forgotten the duel reward you set before, right?”

“Th-That is...!”

At Revan’s request, Max finally recalled the victory wager.

Max wanted Revan’s neck.

Revan willingly accepted the proposal.

Closing his eyes tightly, Max said,

“...Fine, kill me.”

“Kill you?”

“Yeah, I’m Max. Though I lost the duel, I will bear responsibility for my choice without shame. So hurry...!”

“No thanks.”

“...What?”

“What am I going to do with your neck? I’m no pervert. So forget it and just open your stuff bag first. I prefer money over your neck.”

“W-What?”

“What’s what? Don’t stall and open the bag. Or I’ll really cut your neck off.”

“Ah, a-ah, well, um...”

“Come on, hurry!”

“Okay, okay!”

Max had naturally expected his neck to be taken, but suddenly being asked for his bag, he awkwardly handed it over to Revan.

“Okay! Bag secured.”

Taking the bag, Revan started rifling through its contents.

Max could only watch with a blank stare as his belongings were searched.

Then suddenly, realizing something, Max asked the Duel God.

“D-Duel God! Is this allowed in the sacred result of a duel?”

“What?”

“To break the promise...?”

“You can.”

“The loser shouldn’t, but the winner can. So don’t complain. If you don’t like it, you should have won.”

Faced with the god’s words, Max had no retort.

The Duel God then turned his gaze to Revan.

‘I felt it last time and I feel it now — this guy is relentless.’

His taunts at the defeated Hudson, or now demanding money instead of a neck, resembled a thief rather than a magician.

But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The Duel God, who had overseen Revan’s second duel, liked Revan’s fiery and decisive fighting style.

After checking all of Max’s belongings, Revan frowned and said,

“Hey.”

“Y-Yeah?”

“Is this really all you have?”

“W-What about it?”

“You’re a magician, aren’t magicians usually rich?”

“W-Well...”

Max couldn’t bring himself to admit he was just a student and didn’t have much money.

At that moment, something caught Revan’s eye.

“Hey.”

“Y-Yeah?”

“What’s that on your hand?”

“What do you mean?”

“The thing on your hand. Give it here.”

“N-No way!”

“No way?”

“Yeah, no way!”

“Duel God!”

Despite Max’s stubborn refusal, Revan summoned the Duel God.

What’s good about the god?

Revan called him in advance for just such a moment, so no need to exert unnecessary effort.

The Duel God crossed his arms and furrowed his brow at Revan’s request.

“Give it.”

“...Yes.”

The god’s words were solemn.

So Max had no choice but to comply.

With a sullen expression, Max handed over the ring on his hand.

Revan examined the ring’s info and burst into a snicker.

‘So this was the secret.’

Revan laughed because the confiscated ring contained the secret to blocking Hold.

Max’s face turned pale at the exposure of his secret.