The arena wasn't terribly large. In fact, aside from a few free-floating platforms, the only place to stand was a plain large white stone bridge. The air was thick and heavy, scorching heat distorting the area. Below the bridge was a pool of molten lava, bubbling loudly as it continued to flow underneath the platforms. Occasionally steam would hiss out of the molten pool, causing a scorching blast to one of the neighboring platforms. The sky was dyed orange, with no clouds in sight. The whole area smelled of sulfur and smoke.
On the bridge stood two figures. One was a giant of a man, with two bulky swords attached to his back. His armor was sinister, with decorative black horns encircling it. From time to time, an active flame would erupt from one of the two swords, betraying their magical nature. The man stood nonchalantly, as if this were simply another day in the world.
The other man had a slim figure, and was wearing light leather armor. Strapped to his waist was a thin rapier, and his head was adorned with an intricate hat. On the brim was a single blue feather. He looked like a righteous swordsman from medieval times. His stance was on guard, but his face had a cocky grin, and his right hand rested on his rapier's hilt.
The two stared each other down, neither saying a word. After a moment, the giant of a man reached into a pouch strapped to his waist and took out a vibrant red vial. Even at a distance, it seemed to glow with healing properties. He looked at it through the slits in his black metal helmet, then promptly threw the vial into the lava of the arena.
The slim man nodded, and pulled out a similar vial from his own pouch. It flashed in the light of the sky for just a moment before the lava swallowed it as well. Both men had discarded such an item without a second thought. After confirming the vials were gone, both men took up fighting stances. The giant of the man grabbed both his swords, and prepared by swinging them around experimentally. The smaller man pulled out his rapier and stiffened his shoulders, his grin disappearing as he focused on his opponent.
Another minute passed. And then two. Finally, the giant man roared and lunged forward, swiping both swords at his opponent.
The smaller man swiftly dodged the heavy swords and slashed at the large man's armor, causing a tiny about of damage. The giant countered with another swipe of his swords, but the smaller man was too fast. He dodged again and slashed once more. They exchanged blows like this several times before any effect could be seen.
Suddenly, the giant man switched stances and thrust one of the swords forward, catching the smaller man off guard. A visible cracking sound could be heard, and the man's free hand was now hanging limply at his side, covered in blood. He had used it at the last second to block the attack, but the cost was severe.
The giant man did not have the upper hand, however. In multiple areas, where the armor had gaps, blood seeped out and fell onto the white bricks of the bridge. The multiple blows from the rapier had caused significant damage.
Realizing that they were equally matched, the two retreated slightly and surveyed their opponent as they made preparations. The giant man switched to only one sword, his other hand freed up. The small man pulled out a bow and knocked an arrow, aiming at the armored giant's weak points.
The arrow flew out, but the giant man dodged it before it made contact, his black armor a blur as his hulking figure moved out of the way. He pointed his free hand at the smaller man, and a thin line of crackling energy shot out, punishing the man with the rapier and charring a patch of skin where it made contact. The smaller man cried out in pain and looked down at his knee where the spell had hit.
"A holy spell?" the smaller man muttered, a grimace painted on his face. It was as if he had just witnessed a fish sprout wings. "Such a stupid... why would you learn a spell that goes against your natural affiliation?!"
The giant man shrugged mockingly, his hand pointing at the small swordsman once more. This time, anticipating the attack, he dodged nimbly, the spell hitting the white bricks of the bridge harmlessly.
The swordsman abandoned his bow and ran at the giant man as a third spell was aimed at him. The rapier flicked out expertly, and stabbed through the gaps as the small man dodged once more. Because the giant had freed up his one hand to do the magical attack, he couldn't react as quickly to the attack, making it the small man's advantage.
Before the giant could counterattack, the swordsman ran out of range once more. While the giant groaned in pain, he couldn't reach his target, and no retaliation could be had.
"I'll finished this in one more pass." the swordsman remarked, his grip on the rapier hardening as he focused and waited for the giant's response.
The spellcasting hand went up again, and the swordsman made to dodge while also moving forward to claim his victory. The spell missed once more, and the rapier moved to the giant's chest...
And the giant sword the giant was still holding with his other hand slammed the small swordsman down, crushing him with the weight and simultaneously causing a mortal wound. In an instant, the rapier-wielding man's victory was snatched from his grasp, and the giant stood there victoriously.
The arena and the combatants faded into nothingness, and a victory screen showing stats appeared. As that too faded, a chat notification popped up.
[Mod] Chimera-mera: Why would you make a character with dark affiliation, then equip it with a holy spell?! That's super cheap.
[Challenger] Barroco: The challenge was to defeat you without either of us using healing items. At no point did you say I couldn't use holy spells...
[Challenger] Barroco: Lightning might be weak for my character, but it casts super fast. And my character could do it one-handed with his dark affinity magic skills. It made sense to use it to close the gap between us.
[Mod] Chimera-mera: … I just don't get it. Whatever. You win. Grats.
[Challenger] Barroco: So about that prize... when do I get "A lifetime supply of ice cream?"
[Mod] Chimera-mera: …
[Mod] Chimera-mera has left the chat. Close window?
Barro sat back in his computer chair and sighed loudly. Another challenge beaten, another unfulfilled promise. He was used to it by now, but why did they keep making those promises if they never kept them?
The room was dark, save for the glow of his computer monitor. A gaming headset sat lazily on the desk next to the keyboard. Next to that was a game controller with considerable signs of use. Barro's clock showed it was nearly 3am in the morning, but he could care less. He was used to grinding the night away with his games.
Barro had always been a gamer, but he liked to specialize in unique challenges. Defeating overlevelled opponents, or beating a fighting game one-handed, these were things he lived for. For the past week, he had been obsessing over a message board where a group of mods handed out these challenges.
While the challenges alone were entertaining, the thing that had initially drew him in were the mentions of "prizes." Each challenge set up to be completed had a unique prize attached by one of the mods. Sometimes it was something unusual but not overly exciting. Other times, the prizes were clearly impossible to expect. Among the ones Barro had played for, there were prizes like "The Devil's Luck," "The Ability to Master Any Skill," and "Harem Dimension." The list of prizes was getting quite lengthy, but every time he brought the subject up, the mods would go silent and disappear for a while. It was honestly pretty frustrating.
[Administrator] The Bored God: You seem to have done a fair bit of my coworker's challenges. Well done!
Barro noticed the chat message pop up, and he leaned forward. This was a name he was unfamiliar with. An administrator? Did that mean he was above the other mods?
[Challenger] Barroco: Yeah, it's been fun. Though not a single one of them has given me the prize they listed. Are they just listed for fun or something? Some kind of joke?
[Administrator] The Bored God: … I see. One moment please.
[Administrator] The Bored God: Ah, that is a problem. Seems they've been quite sore losers. I apologize for the inconvenience...
[Administrator] The Bored God: Though while I have you here, could I ask a favor of you?
Barro tilted his head to the side. A favor?
[Administrator] The Bored God: Ah, don't act like that. I've got my own challenge, you see. If you can take that on, I promise you I'll get you each and every prize you were promised. As well as others, of course.
"... Am I being watched?" Barro said aloud, feeling puzzled. Why had the chat message been written as if in response to his facial expressions? It felt creepy.
[Administrator] The Bored God: Right, right. Chat messages. I forgot, this world doesn't need faces to communicate over the internet. Don't think about it too much.
[Administrator] The Bored God: Anyway, what do you think of taking my challenge?
Barro wasn't sure about half of what had just been said, but he knew he liked to take on challenges. He yawned and wondered when he should go to bed. The sun would be out in a few hours.
[Challenger] Barroco: Sure, what do I have to do?
[Administrator] The Bored God: It's simple, really. I have been wondering what's stronger recently - stats and level, or skill and resourcefulness. I just need you to prove that skills can overcome any power gap.
[Challenger] Barroco: Okay. What do I need to do?
A sudden wave of tiredness assaulted Barro. The chat screen seemed to warp and distort in front of him. It was like reality had ceased to have meaning.
"I'll explain it when you get there," a mournful sounding voice informed him as his head slumped down on the desk.