The Grand Duelist

[Quest CSP:MGD01's difficulty has increased...]

The scientists who were watching everything that was happening on the screen above them wore bitter smiles on their faces when they heard what the Supercomputer Noah had said.

"The extremely difficult fight has now become an impossible fight."

"Sayang... I thought that he had a chance of accomplishing the quest earlier, but now... It's an impossible feat."

"Definitely, the Great Wandering Bard doesn't have that Great right before his title as a show after all."

"Even as a mythical class, it's quite impossible that someone as low-leveled as him could defeat a monster whose levels are at 300."

Each and every scientist within the Central Control Room lost their appetite. How could they still have the appetite to eat when the exciting battle was now a one-sided one?

An incredibly difficult fight against an underdog versus a dominant one was fun to watch. But a one-sided slaughter wasn't fun. In fact, some of them even had the intention to leave the room right now if not for Ray Gabriel's intervention.

"If you guys leave the room right now then you'll definitely regret it."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Does sir think that he still has a chance on accomplishing the quest? Even if the requirement is only 10% of the Great Wandering Bard's Health. Considering the NPC's stats in the middle of the class-specific quest. Why does sir think that he has a chance of winning?"

Every scientist who heard what he said couldn't help but ask in confusion. Ray Gabriel, who stood at the top of them all never said something without any basis or reference. Seeing that the odds were too great against Joseph. Why was he saying that they'll regret leaving this room?

"Ah, could it be that sir is saying that we're going to regret not seeing that player's suffering? In that case. Then, we should really stay and watch."

One of them jumped to conclusions and awkwardly scratched his head.

Ray Gabriel stared at them all and replied: "You guys do know that the player who has the Grand Duelist class right now is that so-called Madman of the Festival of Battles, right?"

"..."

Each and every one of them turned silent as if struck by a thunderbolt from the skies. Afterward, a commotion happened.

"Holy shit! How did I forget about that?!"

All of them slapped their foreheads in disappointment. They were too engrossed in their jobs that they would sometimes forget about some matters and one of them was the truth that Joseph was the so-called Madman of the Festival of Battles.

"Indeed, like what Sir said. A Madman like him may have a chance of completing the quest. But I think that it's still impossible for him to complete the quest perfectly since that meant that he must not suffer any damage."

"Hahaha, yeah right. Not suffering any damage in front of a Level 300 monster as a Level 9? That really is impossible, if he managed to do that then I'll swear that I'll treat everyone in here to a weekly barbeque party for the rest of the year."

His claim was quite bold and expensive for there was still a long way before the year ended.

"Only once in a week? Heck, I'll treat everyone in here for a pizza every day for the rest of the year if he manages to complete that quest perfectly!"

Each and every employee bragged against each other, and Ray Gabriel who observed all of these spoke up: "All of you better remember every word that you guys have said today because I will also join that bet..."

Ray Gabriel swept his gaze at everyone and a mysterious smile hung on his lips.

"My stakes are if he doesn't manage to complete that quest perfectly. I will treat everyone in here to any buffet on a daily basis for the rest of the year. How about that?"

Everyone turned silent. They looked like they couldn't believe what they heard.

Just what did sir Ray Gabriel said?

"Uh... Just what did you say, sir?" One employee had an incredulous look on his face.

"You heard me right! I will treat everyone to any daily buffet for the rest of the year if he didn't manage on completing that quest perfectly."

Everyone turned silent once again before they exploded into a commotion.

"Awww yeaaah!"

"Yawa! Seriously?!"

"Any daily buffet?! We can choose what buffet we want, right? Then, I'll make sure to choose that world-class buffet from Shangri-La!"

Ray Gabriel observed their commotion, and a slight smile could be seen on his lips as he said: "You guys better honor your bets if the opposite happens."

"Of course, sir! How could we forget about what we said? If we dared to renege on our promises today, then could we still even face you, sir?"

"Yeah, right! Hahaha! Bring some more chips and beers. This will be an easy win!"

Each and every scientist within the room stared intently at the battle happening within the screen above them. All of them fervently prayed that Joseph would make at least a single mistake. It was because if that happened, then they could finally claim victory against Ray Gabriel.

Ray Gabriel who stood behind them and observed the battle from his desk still had a smile on his face.

But Elizabeth who was behind him saw that sweat had formed on Ray Gabriel's back and had already drenched his polo-shirt.

A bitter smile emerged on her face as she lifted her head, stared at the battle within the screen and prayed fervently.

"Joseph... you have to win... For the sake of Leader's wallet..."

Joseph who didn't know that he was now carrying the burden of preserving Ray Gabriel's wallet fought valiantly against the Great Wandering Bard.

While under the effects of [ Calm and Composed ] along with the [ All-Seeing Eyes ]. Joseph moved swiftly around the Great Wandering Bard and inflicted as much damage as he could while his buffs were in effect.

Unfortunately, even though everything was going well for him. Joseph still didn't know whether he'll succeed with the quest. After all, the Great Wandering Bard still hasn't sent any real attacks towards him.

So far, the attacks that the Great Wandering Bard sent to him were simple punches and kicks. Not those attacks coming out of his ukulele.

If he did, then Joseph wasn't sure if he could evade an attack made out of sound that was definitely far faster than him.

"Awesome... What in the hell is with him? How is he so fast and so strong?" Kayn who observed the battlefield from afar with his brothers now had his mouth agape.

Joseph moved so fast to the extent that Kayn could only see afterimages of Joseph.

"Yeah, he's definitely strong. But..."

"That ukulele-holding guy is also a monster..."

"Not just a mere monster. But a monster that's more monstrous than that guy..."

Kayn heard the words of his brothers and he couldn't help but nod his head in agreement. Joseph was definitely a monstrous player. Kayn was sure of that. It was because of the fact that Joseph could still control his body even though he was moving with that speed.

Everything was possible in the world of Victory.

The only problem was whether you had the capability to do something that you wanted.

One of them was extreme movements. You could theoretically move faster than the speed of light. But the question was, could your body endure such an extreme change in speed?

If you could move faster than the speed of light, but your body broke down in the process, wouldn't that still be useless?

That was the reason why Kayn believed that Joseph was a monster. Joseph moved in a speed that was barely discernible through the naked eye, yet he could still maneuver himself around the Great Wandering Bard as if he was just walking in his backyard.

The Great Wandering Bard finally used his ukulele and he unleashed a bunch of attacks at Joseph.

His speed when unleashing these attacks made him look like a bassist of a metal or rock band. Incredibly intimidating and scary.

But Joseph remained steadfast in the face of these attacks that he had expected already...

Blood repeatedly gushed out of the Great Wandering Bard's body as Joseph poked holes on him like a beehive. This was something unbelievable to anyone else, but the problem was the Great Wandering Bard looked like he wasn't suffering any substantial damage.

What's worse was that his attacks were all made out of sound, which meant that their speed wasn't something that a mere human could see. But what really was the truth? What really was happening?

The truth was that whenever a sound wave arrived right at Joseph's location. He merely raised his sword for a moment and that sound wave would fly back towards the Great Wandering Bard.

In short, not only were the attacks of the monstrous NPC useless, his own attacks damaged him instead.

"Just who is this guy... Could he be a top-ranker?" Kayn mumbled.

Victory had several billions of players, and being a top-ranker meant that you were a top player amidst several billions of other players within the Universal Rankings.

Every top-ranked player possessed ridiculous might that one could actually call them superhumans.

They were revered by everyone for their abilities in doing the impossible.

Right now, Joseph was doing the impossible.

Kayn believed that he was a top-ranker from what he was seeing.

Even though it didn't make sense that a top-ranker would wear such poor equipment.

Apart from being a top-ranker...

He couldn't find any explanation about why Joseph was so strong right now.

"I can see that his main class is Mercenary, but what is his second-class? I don't remember hearing anything about a second class that could instantly arrive at the side of his enemy, move that fast and deflect really swift attacks without suffering any consequences."

There were only four Main Classes in the world of Victory.

Mercenary, Magician, Priest, and Hunter.

These Four Main Classes served as the foundation of someone's path, but it never dictated what path would someone walk in the end.

Victory advertised realism and utmost freedom. Even though one had a Magician Main Class, they could still choose a second-class that specialized in close-quarter combat. Nothing was impossible in the world of Victory. This was a sentence that could never be closer to the truth.

Kayn could see that Joseph's Main Class was a Mercenary since he had a Sword and he also used [ Thrust ], [ Slice ], [ Slash ], etc, etc, while in battle which was one of the primary skills of Mercenaries.

But he didn't know nor understand what Joseph's second-class. For him, it looked like Joseph was a monster in close-quarter combat.

But right now, why was he attacking from a distance?

Kayn looked thoroughly confused about the development of the battle. But for Joseph, everything was too clear for him.

He managed on attacking every weakness that the Great Wandering Bard had. 

Now, he widened his distance from the Great Wandering Bard and attacked from a distance.

A smile lifted on his lips for finally, he had completed the seemingly impossible quest.

"Expunge."

Peng!

A dull sound rang out.

[You dealt 2,523,201 damage!]

[The target has resisted the damage!]

"You what?!" Joseph's eyes widened in shock. He dealt about two million hit points as damage in an instant, but his target resisted that much damage? What the hell was going on?

Joseph stared at the Great Wandering Bard and found that the Bard now had a smile on his face.

"It's been a long time since someone forced me this far. Even if you're not the true Grand Duelist. The fact that you can force me this far means that you are quite strong."

[You met with an overwhelming presence! You feel an urge to kneel in fear.]

[Under the effects of the title, [ Mythical Authority ]. You have resisted.]

"Oh? You can resist the effects of my Authority? You really are a strange existence." The Great Wandering Bard said in a cold voice. Joseph's eyes widened in shock when he found that the olden figure of the Great Wandering Bard had transformed.

Recently, he had a hunchback figure with wide shoulders and frame. He gave off the impression that he was a fatty under his clothes.

But now, the Great Wandering Bard looked ripped. If there were boy bands within the world of Victory, then he would be qualified as an Oppa.

He'd be loved by everyone, particularly those pointy-ears of him that accentuated his chiseled visage.

His blue, sapphire-like eyes radiated a majestic aura comparable to that of a prince. His hair, dyed in white contrasted his green clothes that looked in-line with nature. When he held his ukulele, he had enough charm that panties could instantly drop whenever he passed by some ladies.

He was basically the definition of a generic and charming young master.

But this charm didn't make Joseph feel strange.

In fact, he felt fear.

In front of the transformed Great Wandering Bard...

Joseph knew that he couldn't possibly beat such a monster.

He only felt confident earlier that he could accomplish the quest since he only need to remove about 10% of the Great Wandering Bard's Health.

But now...

Now that a particular system notification floated right in front of him.

Could he still beat such a monster?

[The Great Wandering Bard has revealed his true powers! Tremble, mortals!]

[A mysterious veil has coated the entire village. It has unknown effects.]

[Title Generated Skill: Character Scrutinize has been activated.]

[Name: ???(The Great Wandering Bard/???

Your strength is currently not enough to see the truth. This seal on information is a natural phenomenon, and cannot be bypassed by you, even if you're a myth. ]

"Now you bastard right there, pretending to be the Grand Duelist..." The Great Wandering Bard who suddenly became a youngster raised his head. His sapphire-like eyes stared at Joseph with amusement.

"Are you ready to die, yet?" He coldly continued.

Joseph gritted his teeth, sweat dripped down his forehead as exhaustion washed up his body. He looked like he was about to give up the fight. He didn't know what to do anymore...

He was a myth but in the face of such a monster.

Joseph didn't know whether he was still the protagonist or not.

The Great Wandering Bard didn't mind that Joseph didn't reply to him as he calmly crossed his arms together and stared at Joseph with contempt.

"I really can't fathom why some people like you would dare to fake the aura of the Grand Duelist in front of me. I am someone that deeply loves the Grand Duelist, to the extent that I would even see visions of what he did in the past..."

"Seeing those visions, I felt obligated to share them with the world, and that is why I abandoned the Kingdom and became a wandering bard..."

"Even though I won't really receive any rewards on what I am doing. The fact that I am staying true to the desires of the Grand Duelist satisfies me already."

"And also!" He suddenly cried out and glared right into Joseph.

"Did you really think that just because you possess the aura of the Grand Duelist..."

"I would be convinced that you are the Grand Duelist...?"

"Let me tell you this. The Grand Duelist in my visions fought against countless enemies that were stronger than him. In fact, he even defeated an extremely strong magician just recently!"

"Don't think that someone as weak as you could deceive me!"

The Great Wandering Bard screamed at anger in the end, and Joseph didn't know whether to laugh or to cry because a system notification was now floating before him.

[Someone powerful is fervently worshipping you! Your Divinity Stat has increased by 10 points.]

'This guy... why is he saying that I am a fake Grand Duelist? He says that he can feel the aura of the Grand Duelist on me, but why is he being in denial?'

'He's saying that he's not going to accept that I am the Grand Duelist? How incredibly selfish!' Joseph thought to himself. Anger flashed on his face.

He had the urge to punish the Great Wandering Bard as the Grand Duelist. But how could Joseph even do that when in the first place when the Great Wandering Bard himself doesn't even believe that he's the Grand Duelist?

A bitter smile emerged on Joseph's lips.

"This is a waste of time..."

The Great Wandering Bard floated in the air and he raised his hands towards the skies as the heavens itself dimmed.

"You sure are fast, I am convinced about that... "

"But can you even evade an attack generated by the Divine Energy that I have made out of my faith for the Grand Duelist? No matter how fast you are, you cannot possibly exceed the speed of Lightning!" The Great Wandering Bard cried out.

He even strung his ukulele and sent a wave of debuff everywhere around him.

[A song filled with anger is reverberating in the area.]

[You feel an urge to rush at someone and murder him.]

[Under the effects of the title, [ The Sun that Overlooks Everything ]. You have resisted.]

A ball of lightning made out of brilliant light rapidly formed above the skies of the Beginner Village.

Countless people looked up and wondered about why a ball of light was forming above them.

"What is that?"

"Hey, look at that! Something is forming above us. Could it be that there's going to be a special event?"

Kayn and his brothers also turned to look at the skies and all of them now had pale expressions on their faces.

[Intense light has dissipated the passive effects of your Shadow Domain. Until you return to the darkness, the passive effects of your Shadow Domain will remain disabled.]

"Brothers, all of you must run. Right now. Run as far as you can and as fast as possible." Kayn decreed with a solemn voice, but his brothers protested.

"Run? What are you saying, Kayn? You want us to run? By ourselves? We cannot let you stay here! We cannot do what we did to you anymore!

"Yeah, that's right, that's right! I already made my promise to you. Even if I die, I'll make sure to die with you guys! I can never let myself live while letting you die here on your own!"

Kayn felt anger at his brothers.

Even though he was somewhat conflicted about what was happening.

Shouldn't prioritizing their lives first be common sense, since they could only live once?

Kayn was a cursed being, also known as a player so, he could resurrect every time he died.

It was fine if they abandoned him, and Kayn wouldn't hold it against them if they did that.

But why were they staying right now? Do they really want to die that much?

Kayn held back his tears. He didn't know what he should feel, but one thing's for sure.

If they survived after all of these...

Then, the bonds that they had as brothers would surely deepen even further.

"Okay, all of us will retreat. You guys go first, I'll cover the rear."

Kayn finally decided at something for he understood that they were no time to waste.

Once that ball of lightning in the skies completed its formation.

It would surely descend and kill them all instantly.

"No! You guys don't have to leave!" Joseph suddenly shouted at them from afar.

Kayn and his brothers stopped and they all turned to look at Joseph and found that Joseph had a small smile his lips even though death was looming above him.

"That guy... Is he mad?!"

"Indeed, he's even telling us that we should not leave. Is he really that confident against that ball of lightning while protecting us at the same time?"

"No, no, no! We must escape! If we stay here, even though he looks like he can protect us all. We will still be deadweights for him!"

But Kayn had a different opinion.

He didn't know why, but the smile that Joseph had on his lips when he turned to face them was now deeply carved in his heart and soul. He would forever remember that light smile as the lightning ball completed its formation and descended from the skies towards them.

"Divine Smite!"

One could vaguely hear the scream of the Great Wandering Bard amidst the thunderous booms.

Everyone within the 69th Village of Baguhan audibly cried in shock when they saw that the ball of lightning descended towards their village.

But at the center of them all...

The target of the lightning strike merely smiled and leaped towards the skies. He went headfirst towards the lightning with both his arms stretched out as if he was catching a ball thrown at him by his playmates before shouting: "Parry!"

"Wha... What is he doing?!"

The eyes of Kayn and his brothers bulged out of their sockets.

Then, they saw that Joseph threw the ball of Lightning that he caught towards the Great Wandering Bard before fiercely shouting...

"Discharge!"