January 17th, 2022
***
Koga released the transformation out of necessity; any longer and his body would shut down. The horn on his head snapped off, and the icy scales melted into a puddle under his feet. The temperature returned to normal, though still cold on a winter day.
Anger and humiliation were all that occupied him. His face contorted and twisted as he clenched his fists.
No one knew Reed better than Koga. And no one knew Koga better than Reed; which is why they could both relate to the bitter aftertaste that the fight left in one another.
After all, they were normal. They didn't have the courage that Brent displayed when he cut himself for Blood Deal, nor the single-minded obsession of Rio to do whatever was necessary to further herself. And forget comparing to Richter - so they grasped at whatever came their way.
The dragons in Mirage were unparalleled existences. Their bodies could generate and wield mana like no other. They caused the air to tremble and the ground to shake - that was what Koga expected. So why...
"It wasn't a head-on fight, Koga. Don't let it get to you."
"Easy for you to say. You didn't watch five of yourself get swatted like flies."
Reed jerked back, looking a little hurt. "Let's just go. I don't think he's gonna show his face."
He stored his axe and shield, shrinking back to his regular size. Reed nearly slipped on the thawing ice, pathing past the playground to an opening on the other side of the lot.
Everything had gone downhill for them since Richter appeared in town. Before that, they surrounded themselves with less capable people, ensuring they were the best in the group. Maybe they should return to the good times.
"You think we should head back to the car?"
Koga followed behind him, "No. We need to make the most of this trip. I'm tired of feeling this way."
"So what do we do?"
Reed felt the same. And he knew he needed to be better if he was going to make things right with Liz.
"I don't know yet, but I'll think of something. I always do, right?"
They shared a weak smile and pushed deeper into Tokyo.
***
[5x 'Trickster Level 18' killed. 0 copper awarded. 10% XP awarded each]
[Level up! You have reached level 21. Attribute points awarded.]
[2x 'Trickster Level 18' killed. 0 copper awarded. 5% XP awarded each]
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[Name: Richter Maier || Mana: 100%/100% || Level 21: 10% XP || Unused Attribute Points: 0]
[Class: Swordsman (intrinsic)]
[Attributes: Strength: 25 || Agility: 28 || Constitution: 18 || Magic: 38(35+3) || Intelligence 14]
[Abilities: Transcendent Bloodlust (innate), Transcendent Sense (innate), Swordsman's Tenacity (passive), Swordsman's Agility (passive) || Skills: Sunder, Harden]
[49 Copper || 0 Healing Potions || 2 Mana Potions]
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Richter allocated his attributes, savoring the free refill of mana.
'Interesting, so Koga is level 18.'
The gap was smaller than expected.
He stepped back from the edge of the roof. He'd need to encounter four or five more groups to hit twenty-five. The issue with this came from the way they copied levels.
If he tried to kill them before they transformed into him, then they might be too low-level to count. And if he let them transform first, it'd be a hell of a fight each time. The other problem was that he didn't know how many were left in the city. Tokyo was massive; finding the dungeons they came from would cost a lot of time.
But Richter wouldn't have to worry for long. Because while he was thinking, a pair — disciple and master — were flying toward Tokyo at high speed. One, a man, equipped with a beautiful black katana. And the other, a young woman, holding a familiar Jade Staff.
***
"Sensei...is this really worth doing? I doubt dueling him will be useful."
"Of course it's worth doing. It's about the commitment. I do it at every planet we visit, I'm not stopping now.
"But Earth is a backwoods planet, we could just turn a blind eye. I wouldn't think any less of you."
He shook his head in response. "The more I research his reputation, the more curious I get. He's touted as the best in the world. And if that's true, then I want to see what Earth's best is.
Rose opened her mouth as if to push back on the matter but decided against it. Partly to avoid disrespecting him, and partly because talking while flying was too strenuous.
The two were huddled together on a flying metal disc high in the air. Wind whipped at them above the clouds with a wind chill below zero, creating frost on their eyebrows. Pieces of thick cloth protected the rest of their faces.
"The academy taught me to strive, to hunger, to chase opportunities. I wouldn't have gotten to where I am without that discipline. The only way I'll grow is to keep testing myself. And I hope that you'll inherit that discipline one day."
The man - Jack - stared down at a small, black box in his hand no bigger than a smartphone.
The bottom of the tracker had a sliding compartment for the input. Meters and readings on the front-facing jumped up and down, spitting out data in rapid succession. Finding a material to slot in had been easy; they just snooped in Richter's room and tore off a scrap of clothing in his closet. The device did the rest.
Mana Trackers, among the most expensive tech in the System, offered incredible precision. It could pick up on mana usage across vast distances and spit out a direction. The more the target used their mana, the more accurate it got. And just recently, it started going crazy. Jack hadn't seen one behave like this before. They were tracking one man, but it was spitting out info like there were multiple.
So be it - Jack had searched bigger cities before. A glitch here or there was inconsequential. So he followed along, clenching the hilt of his blade as Tokyo appeared on the horizon. They descended as they got closer to the rooftops. The Mana Tracker indicated that Richter was somewhere up high. Sure enough, they found him on top of a building just a few minutes later.
Jack was going to announce his presence, but it wasn't necessary. A sweeping aura enveloped the roof, bathing both in scrutiny. They could hear the man sigh, not even bothering to turn around to greet them.
"I guess you weren't kidding. You really did come back for that staff. But it looks like you already found it; so what now?
Richter slowly wheeling around may go down as the longest two seconds of Jack's life. Just meeting the man's gaze made his world spin, albeit briefly. He clutched his chest, working his heart down to a steady beat.
'What is this? Why do I feel so uneasy?'
"You're more sensitive than most, that's good. Perhaps this'll go better than I expected," Richter praised.
Jack put a hand on Rose's shoulder before she could retort. "Silence. I'll handle this." And he stepped a little closer.
"I'm Jack Sarsa. I wanted to meet 'Earth's Strongest Swordsman', and I'm glad I did. Could you spare me a moment of your time?"
Rose couldn't believe how humble he was acting.
"I guess. What do you want?"
"Duel me."
Richter couldn't help but laugh. "I can tell at a glance that you're far stronger physically — your body radiates power. Is this just a prelude to killing me? I know my chances, fleeing isn't likely either. Just know I'll go down swinging."
"It's not like that, though I know my disciple may have left a bad impression." Jack bowed as an apology, nudging Rose to do the same. "I mean it. I have means of making it fair. It's a training device from the academy I graduated from, it can equalize our stats during the duel."
He threw a small prism onto the ground from his pocket. It lit up bright blue, projecting a spherical net around them.
"I, Jack Sarsa, challenge you to a duel."
Richter followed the format, "I, Richter Maier, accept the challenge."
A minuscule drop of Mana was sucked out of their bodies and into the prism. Jack was used to it by now, but Richter was awed by the transfer of attributes.
"Damn, you really are strong."
Richter could feel the air compact in his fist when he clenched it. Jack was too distracted by the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. He drew the katana on his waist and pointed it forward.
"Please humor me, Richter."
"Very well. Come on."
So their duel commenced. Rose was kicked outside of the net as per the prism's functions. All she could hear was the clash of steel.
***
Two thrusts blocked. A pivot into a feint - read. Three slashes, an overhead, a knee, another feint...just sparks as his blade was deflected time and time again.
His katana was locked down, then jerked to the side as a pommel smashed his fingers wrapped around the handle. He nearly dropped it.
Jack employed every technique he was taught, from footwork to feints to parries. Nothing seemed to faze the man at arm's length. He'd throw out the occasional 'interesting.' or 'that was pretty good.' without batting an eye. It was futility incarnate. And every passing moment threatened to fracture Jack's beliefs.
[Shikigami Sword Style: Draw - 10%]
The smallest gaps were punished.
[Redak Sword Style: Release - 20%]
Jack was out of breath and sweating profusely. He deflected the slash and rolled back to avoid the follow-up.
He finally stopped attacking due to a lack of oxygen.
"Your foundation can't handle much more of this. I think we should call it here."
Jack choked out a few words, "Not yet...just one move. I know you're holding them back. Show me one.
Richter paused in consideration.
"...Very well. I guess I owe it to you for sparing me. And your dedication is admirable. Here I go."
Jack straightened up and mustered the last of his focus. He watched and waited, and watched...and waited... until Richter finally closed the distance between them.
[Shikigami Sword Style: Blind - 10%]
He could see it — The arc of Richter's blade as it soared toward him. He raised his own: Sparks. They slid apart, he pushed the advantage. The tip of Jack's blade neared his throat. Closer...and closer...
!
A trickle of hair fell from the bangs across his forehead. But Richter was still standing with the blade in a reverse grip — he hadn't moved. The prism's buzzer sounded, marking the end of the duel.
[Lethal damage sustained. The duel has concluded. Result: Loss]
"I can tell from the look on your face that you don't know what happened. Don't think too hard about it. But I will tell you that it had nothing to do with speed."
The net came down around them. Rose rushed forward, then slowed as she noticed Jack's expression.
"Sensei?"
Jack had come to realize something at that moment. Something important.
"Thank you for sparing Rose."
Richter sheathed his blade and peered out across Tokyo.
"It wasn't personal, just trying to avoid making enemies I can't afford."
"I have to ask...how long have you been practicing?"
"Eighteen years, give or take. I started when I was six."
Jack felt like a fool.
"I don't need your pity. It was good enough, and I was happy. Now I've wasted enough time, I need to get going. If you want to repay me, then direct me to the dungeons in the city. You must have an idea of where they are from when you flew in."
Jack nodded slowly, "I do, but I don't think it's a good idea."
"I need the XP."
Jack relented, giving him a direction. "I saw flashes from overhead earlier. Seems someone is already there."
"I'll deal with it."
He climbed down to street level, rushing off in search . Jack watched him for a moment before pulling his disk out from a hole in space.
"Come on Rose, we're done here."
***