LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 72
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 72: Duel (2)
Duel.
A unique system-regulated function with a straightforward advantage: any outcome from a duel, even death, is considered not subject to legal prosecution.
This immunity was due to one key reason: if a country attempted to penalize the outcome of a duel, the system would, in turn, penalize the country.
Countries soon learned their lesson and eventually agreed worldwide that no legal action would be taken against results from a duel.
However, certain conditions were necessary to prevent abuse.
For instance, forcing someone into a duel at knifepoint would not go unpunished.
This is why a duel required at least five validated sponsors to proceed.
Without these sponsors, any form of violence or murder could lead to legal consequences without system intervention.
A sponsor, in this context, was typically a third-party B-rank awakened individual with no stake in the duel.
This prevented friends from ganging up and coercing someone into a duel.
Sponsors were scrutinized by the system to ensure they had minimal vested interest in the outcome.
This process ensured a fair fight and prevented exploitation.
“A sponsor? Oh, that’s easy.”
In no time, a group of awakened individuals emerged from the training center.
Despite being free, the training center offered top-notch facilities, attracting high-ranking awakened individuals, including members from reputable guilds.
“Our Pilwook needs sponsors? Sure, we can help with that,”
One of them said, garnering nods from the others.
They weren’t against helping out with such a simple request.
Besides, they were curious about Minwoo’s true capabilities.
Rumors had spread like wildfire, but few had seen him in action.
This would be a perfect chance to witness his skill firsthand.
The group moved to the center’s training hall, which was vast enough to accommodate a duel of any magnitude.
“I, Kim Minwoo, challenge Cho Pilwook to a duel.”
The chatter erupted on streaming platforms as the announcement spread.
― LMAO this is gonna be epic!
― Is this the Conqueror’s Haki? Is this the Conqueror’s Haki? Is this the Conqueror’s Haki?
― Given the terms, the stream might get shut down mid-way.
― Yeah, this might get intense. Don’t be surprised if the broadcast gets cut off.
[‘Duel’ is now activated!]
[Please set the detailed terms!]
“Pilwook, what terms do you want?”
Cho Pilwook scowled at him.
He thought Minwoo would hesitate, but the confidence in Minwoo’s acceptance of the duel caught him off guard.
‘… This guy seems sure of himself, doesn’t he?’
Pilwook also felt confident in his skills.
He might have heard about Minwoo’s involvement in the A+ gate, but the specifics of Minwoo’s participation were still unclear.
Finding escape routes.
Solving puzzles.
Distracting enemies.
Etc.
There are plenty of ways to earn credit in a raid without fighting.
But if you challenge someone to a duel in front of tens of millions of viewers, only to back out?
That’s just disgraceful.
Cho Pilwook’s eyes turned cold.
If he won, then nothing else mattered.
‘Killing him might be too much, but…’
Maybe crippling him could be a good middle ground.
If he cuts off a limb and destroys it beyond repair, not even the world’s best healers could fix that.
If he makes him a one-armed man, even Chairman Cho might be pleased.
Ever since Kim Minwoo accused him of conspiracy during that interview, Chairman Cho had been furious.
“Think I should break one of your limbs? Does that sound okay?”
“Sure, why not? Pilwook, you’d still look good on crutches.”
[Victory Condition: Break one of the limbs.]
[The duel will take place within this training ground.]
[Nobody can enter or leave the arena until the victory condition is met.]
[Minimum of five neutral observers required.]
[The duel is now established.]
In that instant, the training ground was filled with a white glow, and Kim Minwoo and Cho Pilwook were transported to opposite ends of the arena.
Once the duel is established, there’s no turning back.
That’s why duels aren’t taken lightly—they end only when the condition is met.
Usually, you would establish a safer condition, like yielding after a certain amount of damage, but not Pilwook.
He went for the “break one limb” condition—typical of his brute-force style.
He thinks it’s generous because a one-armed guy could still raid dungeons with the right team.
[10 seconds until the duel begins!]
[10 seconds left.]
[9 seconds left.]
…
[The duel begins!]
Kim Minwoo extended his hand.
[Summoning 2,000 Skeletons.]
Nearly 2,000 skeletons appeared in the arena.
And it didn’t stop there.
―Groar!
A massive golem rose among the skeleton soldiers.
And then Cedric, the loyal Death Knight.
“…?”
Cho Pilwook was perplexed.
‘What is this…?’
How many skeletons is he summoning?
Since setting a new record, Kim Minwoo had summoned about 300 skeletons at most.
Even after leveling up, a thousand skeletons would be impressive.
But this was something else.
Way too many summons.
It was enough to make anyone uneasy.
The broadcast chat exploded with reactions:
―WTF? How many skeletons are there?
―Is it normal for Necromancers to summon this many?
―If you can summon this many, why doesn’t everyone go Necro? ??
―I’m a Level 100 Necromancer, and I can barely summon 200 skeletons…
―But he’s got an extra zero! ????
―What’s up with that golem? Are Necros even allowed to have that?
―Pilwook’s definitely getting a crutch today. ??
Kim Minwoo nonchalantly pointed at Cho Pilwook.
“Cut off one of his legs, and make sure he can’t reattach it.”
―Groar!
With a mighty roar, the golem and the skeletons charged.
Kim Minwoo, staying safely back, used his extra mana to cast a curse.
[The Curse of Aging (D)+9 has been cast…]
Despite the level difference causing a few failures, eventually, Cho Pilwook was hit by the curse.
[The target’s level is high!]
[The Ring of Ascension amplifies the curse’s effect by 50%!]
[‘Cho Pilwook’s’ defense and speed are reduced by a total of 17%!]
A substantial debuff that made Cho Pilwook break into a cold sweat.
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Gun]
‘What the heck?!’
Considering the level difference, even with the +9 modifier, the reduction should’ve been under 8%.
But it turned out to be 17%.
Soon, the skeletons were poking and prodding with their weapons.
Cho Pilwook’s class was Warrior, typically known for high defense.
His equipment and level gap mitigated most of the damage, but it wasn’t like he felt nothing at all.
He was cursed.
There were way too many enemies.
It was just a matter of time before he would be worn down.
Cho Pilwook’s eyes turned serious.
‘I have to break through.’
The duel had already started.
There was no stopping it.
If he kept fighting the skeletons, he would tire himself out.
Warriors typically don’t have much in the way of crowd control.
His best shot was to get to Kim Minwoo.
Cho Pilwook’s body began to glow with mana.
[Cho Pilwook uses Skeletal Armor (B)!]
[Cho Pilwook uses Iron Rush (A)!]
With a shield in hand, he began to charge, planning to plow through everything in his way.
Boom!
The front line of skeletons went flying in all directions from the impact.
But his fierce charge was only temporary.
―That growl! What in the world?
With a swing that could have belonged to a troll’s club, the charge of Cho Pilwook came to a halt as Dolsoe, the massive golem, struck with full force.
The golem’s strength was far beyond what Cho Pilwook expected.
“Get out of my way!”
Cho Pilwook swung his mace with all his might.
[Dolsoe uses Guard Stance (B)!]
But when it came to sheer toughness, Dolsoe was unyielding.
While Dolsoe pinned Cho Pilwook, Cedric moved in, attacking from various angles.
‘What the heck is this?!’
Cho Pilwook was dumbfounded.
He thought the golem would be the most troublesome summon, but it wasn’t.
Cedric, or whatever he was called, was terrifyingly strong.
His strikes were precise, like a predator slowly closing in on its prey.
Cho Pilwook felt like a tortoise trying to dodge the attacks of a hungry hawk.
Meanwhile, the broadcast chat was going wild.
―Isn’t Cho Pilwook supposed to be at a decent level?
―Yeah, B-rank with A-rank achievements should be good enough in Korea, right?
―But it looks like he’s getting overwhelmed by just the summons. Is Cedric really this strong?
―Seriously, is Cedric actually an SS-rank or something?
―Come on, don’t overdo it. S-rank is the limit, there’s nothing above that. ??
―But Cho Pilwook isn’t supposed to go down this easily, right? Then again, if he’s up against an A+ ranker with 50% clear share, maybe he’s not overdoing it?
“Ugh!”
Cho Pilwook shouted in frustration, pushing forward through the skeletons.
He knew he had to reach Kim Minwoo, or this wouldn’t end well.
He ignored all the incoming attacks and focused on closing the distance.
The chat erupted in surprise at Kim Minwoo’s command.
―Wait, if he’s a Necro, then why is he so good with a sword?
―Is this some kind of plot twist? Is he secretly a sword master? ??
―The charge is so predictable that Kim Minwoo just moves and counters every single attack.
Cho Pilwook charged with his body covered in blood, determined to close the gap.
But despite his resilience, there were no serious injuries—yet.
Kim Minwoo drew his weapon.
An legendary-level sword known as the Command Sword.
‘Just cut his leg off, no problem.’
Epic-tier weapons could cut through reinforced armor with enough repetitive strikes.
Cho Pilwook might be tough, but Kim Minwoo knew where to aim.
—Wow what is this? Kim Minwoo, how is he that good at using his sword? Isn’t he avoiding all the attacks?
— __ __;; Jo Pilwook seems really screwed. He must have rushed in with the intention of just grabbing the neck, but what can he do?
—The fact is that although his profession is of a necro, he is actually a genius swordsman!!
—On the other hand, this dude, ahahaha
—Kendo is a sword, but it was just developed as a psychological tactic to provoke. Minwoo completely adjusted his movement to the timing of his provocation.
―Is this really happening? Is his leg actually gone?
―Yeah. Once a duel starts, there’s no stopping it. But I doubt it’s over yet.
―Agreed; they both swore to ruin each other, so this won’t end until someone’s in pieces.
―Well, that’s what happens when you propose a duel out of anger. ??
―Look at Pilwook’s armor falling apart! One more strike and that leg is history.
―Looks like the damage stacks up. He’s been hit four times, and the damage is escalating. The next hit will definitely sever it.
―Is this real? Stacking damage? I’ve only heard about this in rumors.
―First hit just left a scratch, but by the fourth hit, the armor was splitting open. Yeah, it’s definitely stacking damage.
Suddenly, the camera angle shifted upward, and the sound of something being sliced was heard as Cho Pilwook’s body dropped to the ground.
The camera focused on the upper body, leaving his lower half out of view.
Kim Minwoo looked at the camera and shrugged.
“It seems like the duel isn’t over yet. You can see the field hasn’t been released. The system wants something more conclusive. Given that things might get intense, we’ll end the broadcast here.”
[The broadcast is forced to end.]
And just like that, the broadcast ended.
―Wow… Pilwook’s life is over. He’s definitely going to need crutches now. ??
―But seriously, how’s Kim Minwoo so good with a sword? Pilwook had no chance.
―Right? He deflected everything and kept hitting the same spot over and over. Even without his summons, he could’ve beaten Pilwook.
―Exactly. No wonder Sword Saint recognized him. The guy’s insane.
Kim Minwoo gazed down at Cho Pilwook, lying on the ground.
The condition of the duel was that if any limb was rendered useless, the duel would end.
Both parties understood that the term “rendered useless” meant it should be irreparably damaged.
No reattachment, no healing, just permanent loss.
Kim Minwoo looked at the severed leg, then down at Cho Pilwook, who was crying and pleading for mercy.
“Pilwook, you know how this works. We can’t end the duel until it’s done.”
“N-no, please…!”
“Well, get used to crutches, buddy.”
Dolsoe crushed the severed leg with a mighty stomp, and then the skeletons joined in, shredding it into tiny pieces.
Not even the best healer in the world could put that back together.
[Victory condition met!]
[You have won the duel!]
Only then did Kim Minwoo see the message confirming his victory.
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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