"To be frank, I don't know what to teach you," Lihua stated arrogantly while crossing her arms.
"That's why we duel," Yami replied with confidence. He was excited to fight against a Combatant to check his strength and skills without the soul ring's powers.
"You're really confident," Lihua scoffed and took her vessel. "I'm a Marksman, but I'll play as an Assassin for you."
"Heh, should I feel grateful?" Yami stated with amusement. He was challenged by Lihua's arrogance but liked it at the same time.
Lihua rolled her eyes, "Prepare yourself to eat the dust of defeat!"
Yami looked at his vessel and played with it. He was still not used to the feeling of using a weapon in hand. "Is it okay to fight without holding back?"
"Yes," Fang's voice echoed in the room's speaker. "I've set the room into Virtual Duel Mode."
"Virtual Duel Mode?" Yami muttered. He thought the name was similar to a game.
"It's a mode where the mana supply on the room is unlimited. So you can battle to your heart's content," Fang explained. The faint voice of Xuxu was echoing in the background before Fang turned off the mic.
"Oh, that means we are using the room's mana instead of our own. How convenient," Yami smirked and looked back at Lihua, who was squinting her eyes.
"In other words, I can beat you repeatedly without worry," Lihua smirked evilly and turned on her vessel. "Soul On!"
Lihua changed into her Combatant's clothes, and two blades appeared on her hands.
Yami activated his weapon and two blades, similar to what Lihua showed in his hand. "Interesting."
Yami twirled the blades up into the air and back into his hand. "Do you want to bet?"
"Bet?" Lihua relaxed as she was getting ready to fight. "What do you want?"
"To make this duel exciting, we should bet," Yami tilted his head while thinking of something that would piss off Lihua. "For one week, all your fries will be mine."
"Ha!!" Lihua exclaimed in disbelief. She had never seen Yami eat any fries, but he asked for them. "Are you trying to annoy me?"
"Nope," Yami shook his head with a smug look. "It's just a playful bet. Nothing serious."
Yami chuckled with amusement while seeing Lihua burning with annoyance, anger, and determination to win. The mixed emotions were evident on her face, which excited Yami more. He planned to fight and enjoyed his time without pressure when a notification appeared in his vision.
[!QUEST]
[THE DUEL.]
[DESCRIPTION: WIN AT LEAST ONE ROUND AGAINST LIHUA.]
[REWARD: THIRD PART OF PLAYER ONE'S LETTER.]
[FAILURE: QUEST CANCELLED.]
Yami was struck at what he had read. He never expected another part of his sister's letter would appear on the reward.
Yami's chill aura and the pressure to win at least one round became heavy. He cracked his neck and jogged in place for a few seconds.
"What are you doing, Ying?" Lihua's eyes twitched while looking at Yami, stretching his body. "You know that's an artificial body."
"I know, but I need to," Yami looked at Lihua with serious eyes. He held the blades and aimed them against her.
Lihua felt the immense pressure coming from Yami. She was confident of defeating Yami since he would be using a new vessel without the help of his Stygian ring vessel.
Looking at Yami, who was radiating bloodlust, Lihua couldn't help but feel intimidated without showing it. 'Why does he look like he'll kill me.'
Yami crossed both blades over his face. His eyes were glaring toward Lihua, who he had sensed daunt. Yami smirked and glared at her. "I'll crush you!"
Yami sprinted as fast as he could towards Lihua and aimed directly at her neck for a kill.
Lihua put her left leg backward for support after defending herself against Yami's attack. She twisted her body to the side and pushed Yami away.
'He's so eager to win for the fries!' Lihua thought while looking at Yami, who was approaching her.
Lihua decided to launch an attack first. She twirled the blades and slid to the right side when Yami was about to stab her shoulder.
Yami smirked, grabbed Lihua's hair, and threw her to the opposite side while sprinting for a kill. He was about to pierce Lihua's chest while she was lying on the floor, but Yami's body cracked.
Yami looked down and saw one of Lihua's blades plugged in his stomach.
(Ying losses: 1 Win: 0)
A scoreboard at the center wall showed their score for a ten-round battle.
"I told you. I'll defeat you repeatedly until you give up," Lihua chuckled with pride at her win.
Yami didn't say a word while removing Lihua's blade from his body. He didn't feel any pain, and his artificial body restored itself.
'It's hard to adjust with these blades,' Yami thought while staring at the blades in hand. 'But I need to push myself. Just one win, and I'll be satisfied.'
"Another one," Yami stated, returning to his offense stance. Since no soul ring could help boost his skills, Yami has been fighting using the experience and skills he had as a spy, but he was not used to holding a blade since he was always using a gun.
'Should I try being a marksman?' Yami thought while deciding on what he would do to gain more advantage. 'But Lihua is an official Marksman, which means she's stronger and capable than a blade.'
'I am an undefeatable spy back in my world but to win. I must be defeated and will manipulate her mind before I find her weakness,' Yami thought. He let Lihua use the blades instead of changing into Marksman class.
"I didn't know you're that desperate for fries. Okay, I'll defeat you ten times for today's battle, and later you can ponder why you lost," Lihua smirked and flicked the blades.
"Let's see about that," Yami muttered and didn't hesitate to launch an attack.