"Hahaha! I knew you were an interesting one, Lee Gaon. Death Eater, huh? Sounds scary."
His tone was playful, like that of a man-child.
"Not too shabby yourself, Kim Seong-Hoon. I see we both possess evolved stats. But I must say, I'm at a bit of a disadvantage with your level being higher than mine."
"I am not one to judge a book by its cover."
That cunning smile of his made me want to vomit. I could clearly see him looking down on me already.
"On the count of three?"
"I agree."
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
My first move was to instantly use Space Distortion. The moment I used it, a blue beam of cold light was already in my face. Quickly dodging to the side, I launched a Kinetic Slash as a counterattack, which my opponent met with an ice wall.
I couldn't see him behind the wall. Then a deafening roar sounded from that location. The figure that was hiding there jumped into the air and unleashed his blade. His eyes transformed into dragon eyes, and his muscles looked slightly bigger than before.
My instincts screamed to use the Kinetic Shield. Before I even knew what was happening, I was sent flying by a powerful sword attack. I hit the tree behind me with my feet and propelled myself to launch back at my attacker. My scythe was ready to slice him in half. I felt immense rage overtaking me slowly.
My scythe collided with the dragon sword, and sparks flew in every direction. I swapped the scythe to my left arm and made an upward attack, aiming for his crotch. The defender quickly jumped into the air, making a backflip. I knew I had to keep pressing the attack, so I sent another Kinetic Slash at him.
Kim Seong-Hoon met my attack with his sword at the same moment he landed. My slash attack redirected to a nearby tree, slicing it in half like tofu.
My attack power has greatly increased, but my opponent is too strong...
"Hey, missy! It's not very ladylike to attack a man's taboo area!"
"Like I care!"
I sent another Kinetic Slash at him and used Soul Shackle at the same time. I saw my opponent's expression drop when he noticed he couldn't move. The next moment, he was sent flying by the impact. However, before my attack landed on him, I saw his face and skin becoming scaly.
What a powerful defensive skill!
I couldn't help but feel shocked and start to admire this person. He was on a completely different level than anyone I had met so far.
A dragon's roar sounded, and I saw my opponent slowly getting up.
"Yes! This is what I wanted to experience! A true battle! Lee Gaon! From today on, you're my sister!"
"Who's your sister? I don't have a wild brother like you!"
"Hahaha! We'll see! Come! The loser has to call the winner 'big sibling!'"
"I never agreed to that!"
I used Darkness Steps to get close to him, watching his movements. Our eyes met, and we both knew the real battle was about to start, and I could no longer hold back.
My agility skyrocketed, and I felt like a cheetah about to hunt its prey. Activating my Space Distortion skill, I dashed at Kim Seong-Hoon at lightning speed. His expression didn't show surprise at my sudden attack. His weapon transformed, suddenly sprouting razor-sharp teeth that I could only compare to what dinosaurs might have had.
I spun my scythe in a circle before using that energy to spin my body from the waist, increasing the attack power to strike Kim Seong-Hoon with a powerful blow. He didn't dodge and took it directly.
Lunatic!
I saw his smile grow like a blooming flower. I enjoyed this battle, and so did he. For the first time, we got to fight another human.
Our faces were close, and we looked each other deep in the eyes. I felt a strange sensation looking into those dragon eyes, and my vision blurred slightly before returning to normal.
"You have an extremely powerful soul, Lee Gaon... How interesting. The guy I used my soul attack on before had his mind completely shattered the moment our eyes met. But you... you must have a soul that's much stronger than mine! How fascinating!"
"Thanks for the compliment, but I'd love you to get the hell out of my face."
"Why? Am I too charming for you?"
"You wish!"
My rage grew, and I used Space Distortion to back away from him before slashing in a horizontal line.
Kim Seong-Hoon, to my surprise, was pushed back several meters by my attack, landing against a tree. His expression was ugly. He looked at me as if I were some sort of monster.
We exchanged blow after blow, each of our attacks becoming more ferocious. Kim Seong-Hoon managed to slash my waist. The pain was excruciating, but I held on. My body regeneration quickly healed my wound.
"Had enough, sis?"
"Like hell! And don't call me sis!"
His arrogant, annoying smile made me want to puke. I really wanted to kill this guy now. With my current mana, I could easily fight for a prolonged time.
It should be time now!
I felt a surge of power. The bottom of my dress turned into violet flames, and my scythe shone with golden light. My Laughing at Death skill finally reached one hundred stacks. My attack and defense increased by 30%, and my speed and vision received a boost.
"It's over for you, Kim Seong-Hoon!"
I gathered all my energy to launch an empowered Kinetic Slash at my opponent. A black crescent moon attack flew through the air and hit Kim Seong-Hoon in the chest before he could even dodge.
Did I overdo it?
I was worried this attack might have actually killed him. A bloodied body hit a tree ten meters away, and hit the cold ground. His body rested against the tree without any signs of movement. But I knew he was still alive because the system message hadn't announced his death.
He's a tough guy; I bet he can easily survive.
"Let's go, Malrang! There's nothing left here to do."
"Woo!"
Malrang ran to me, happily wagging its tail. In an instant, it jumped onto my shoulder, and as we were about to leave, the voice I least wanted to hear rang in my ears.
"Not even going to check on me? Perhaps I'm heavily injured, or worse! I might be dying, and this is the last time we can talk! Ahh, so tragic!"
"You're clearly alive and well... why put on an act?"
"Hehe... My big sister is really the best; you instantly saw through me."
"Who gave you the right to call me your big sister?"
"Me, of course. Please help me up, big sis... I can barely move... Ahhh!... The pain!"
"Even if you die, so what?"
"No, don't say that! I still have a long life ahead of me."
"Sigh... Okay. But if you dare call me big sis again, I'll smash your head into that tree!"
"I got it! Big sis!"
"You piece of...!"
His smiling face suddenly looked warm and sincere. I couldn't bring myself to shout at him any longer.
"So, what's your plan if I help you up?"
"To kill you!"
"..."
I couldn't tell anymore if he was lying or telling the truth. This person was a complete psychopath.
"Haha! You're so easy to tease! I want to follow you; I bet we could make a good team."
"Us?"
"Yes!"
We looked at each other for a good minute. I'd been alone for so long, and I wasn't ready to trust anyone. Especially not him. One look at him put me in a bad mood.
"Forget it. You can do much better on your own. With your Dragon Blood Warrior role, you can easily reach a high level."
"True. But even so, I want to follow you."
"Why? Did you fall for me?"
"Who knows..." That teasing smile on his handsome face was too much for me as a single girl.
For the first time, I felt my face burning slightly.
"Tsk! Sweet talk... Save it for other women; it's not going to work on me."
"Really? But I saw you blush just now."
"Nonsense!" My face felt like it was burning, and I wanted to get out of this situation as quickly as possible.
"I did!"
"If you say another word, I'll leave you here!"
"At least you're no longer denying that you accept my offer.
I extended my hand to him. I felt that his playful behavior was his unique trait, and I sensed I could trust this person for the time being.
"Let's be partners, then. But know this: if you ever betray me, I'll make sure you suffer the worst death possible!"
"How scary!"
His tone was mocking, but I didn't mind.
Kim Seong-Hoon grabbed my hand, and I pulled him up.
"By the way, even before the battle, I meant to ask you something, big sis."
"Huh? What is it?"
"Why would you choose the dress out of all outfits? Doesn't it get in the way in battle?"
"What do you mean, 'choose'? This is armor made from my soul. I had no choice in this. That stupid Creator or whatever forced this on me."
"Made out of your soul? So, if you're unconscious, will it disappear?"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOUR INTENTIONS?"
"Nothing... I was just asking out of curiosity." He held his hands up like a child surrendering to his mother after being too naughty.
This person... I swore to myself that one day, if he made a mistake, I would kill him.
"You are really pissing me off! But speaking of clothes, you got to choose yours?"
"Of course. Everyone did. You're the first one I've met with such an extravagant outfit."
"If I ever find that stupid Creator, I'll make him pay the price for humiliating me."
"But you know, big sis, it looks good on you. It goes well with your black hair and neon purple eyes."
"Ah? Oh... Thank you, I guess..."
Wait, neon purple eyes? What does he mean by that?
"What do you mean by neon purple eyes? My eyes are brown."
"Well, not anymore. I saw your eye color change after your previous battle."
It probably has something to do with the Soul Knight evolution.
"How long have you been stalking me, creep..." My body instinctively backed away from him.
"I..."
"Whatever... forget it. Do you know the way out of this forest?"
"I do. If we head east from here, it should take around twenty minutes to reach the grass fields."
"I came from the grass fields..."
"This forest is surrounded by grass fields. I found this out from the other players who have been here for around a week."
"A week? I've only been here for two days. How far have other players reached in leveling?"
I saw a hint of unease and fear paint Kim Seong-Hoon's usually goofy face.
"You might not like what I'm about to say. There are rumors that one person has already reached level ten. But I haven't met him myself."
"Level ten? What a monster!"
If I ever run into this person, I won't be able to defend myself. I have to get stronger as soon as possible!
My heart burned with determination and hope. I wanted to be the strongest. In this world, no one could claim I cheated if I defeated them in a fair battle.