After sparring with Richter for a few hours, Luke noticed something. His dark armor was pretty similar to Daaris… the material looked the same. His sword probably was forged using the same materials. Or they at least had been enchanted with the same magic. It didn't seem like Daaris was much of a magician, neither was Richter, so it was probably a natural effect. It was a pity that Luke couldn't check the equipment of others without looking suspicious. Logically speaking, aside from curiosity, he didn't have any other reason to analyze the equipment of others. Even with that excuse, it still would look suspicious.

"Was that sword and armor given to you by your partner?" Luke asked.

"Yeah… I thought you had noticed that a long time ago," Richter frowned.

"Why would I?" Luke asked. "There is no way I would care for every small thing around me."

Richter showed a slightly annoyed expression… even though Luke wasn't talking about him. Maybe it was a bit of a self-centered way to treat things, but if Luke couldn't have or use it, there was no point in thinking about it. In any case, Luke didn't have much time to train with the spear, so he focused on practicing three things as much as possible. Blocking, thrusting, and horizontal slashes. Fighting defensively wasn't part of Luke's style. Still, he couldn't avoid blocking since the weapon was new to him. The horizontal slashes would keep the enemy at bay, but due to the nature of the weapon, he couldn't use it often and as fast as he wanted…

Thrust, on the other hand, suited Luke's fighting style quite a lot. He could overwhelm any opponent as long as he had enough stamina and speed, and the motion of the attack was fairly simple. The only problem was that attacking as fast as possible and moving was beyond Luke's skill. Thanks to those training sessions he had, Luke managed to make Spearmanship reach level four in three days. 

The day of the attack finally had come, so Cresta came to pick everyone up. Speaking of which, Luke didn't feel like buying a new weapon, but he couldn't go to battle with an armor that had a hole in the left side of the chest. So, he bought the remaining part of the mechanic set, and thanks to it, he now looked like a gundam without the helmet. Only the joints of his body weren't protected by it, but Luke wasn't planning to let the enemies attack him in those parts, anyway. Regardless, the extra effect would give Luke some extra security, but he knew that he couldn't abuse it without sacrificing the durability of the armor. It was a bit big and heavy, so he was already thinking of not being careful with it.

Mechanic Armor

A sturdy armor that can decrease the power of blunt attacks by ten points.

STR + 15, END +30

Durability: 60/69

"Hmm, I was planning to give you one armor, but I suppose that will do," Cresta said. "Regardless, you all should keep your focus. Things might change at any minute, so react accordingly."

That was pretty weird advice since it didn't say anything clearly. As for Luke, he was always expecting things to go to shit, so those things never surprised him. Thanks to that, he didn't get surprised after flying for several hours and finding too immense armies waiting for them. 

"I suppose they predicted our plan… or they have been monitoring us," Luke said.

"It doesn't matter. Your target is on the extreme right side. He uses an ax, so things shouldn't be impossible for you," Cresta said, and then her fortress began to move downward.

The enemy's fortress was also behind them, so it was a clear sign that they were betting everything on that battle. What was weird was the fact that they were waiting and giving time for them to prepare. 

You received a quest.

Quest: defeat the enemy coalition and their fortresses.

Reward: a rare skill book.

"A second chance, huh," Luke thought, and then he jumped from the fortress.

It was hard to imagine Cresta's army taking down two others that were two times bigger than hers. Not even with the help of the elves… in the end, it seemed unavoidable their participation. Still, Luke knew how to even the odds a little bit.

Two of the armies began to move. Their leaders moved behind them while the ones from the sides stayed in their position, that included Luke's target.

"Well, let's greet our target since they are brave enough to stay in the front line and wait for us even before the fight starts," Luke said.

"Shouldn't we just try to ambush them?" Rina asked.

"That is probably impossible… there will be thousands of enemies between us if they decide to retreat and hide behind their army," Luke replied. 

That was a golden chance for them… if they defeat one of the enemy's overlords fast, they might have the chance to help the others. However, things would take a troublesome turn beyond Luke's imagination…

Luke waited for the armies of his allies to enter into formation before he could check his target. He didn't want to fall for an obvious trap, after all. Still, his target walked toward him and didn't show a single sign of hesitation. The guy was a man that had a horse's face and the body quire human like. Since he looked pretty strong, he looked like the Minotaur. Still, his upper body was completely blue, and he was carrying a three meters long ax that probably weighed over one hundred kilograms like it was nothing.

???? - Lv ????

HP: ????/ ????

MP: ????/ ????

SP: ????/ ????

STR: ????

SPE: ????

INT: ????

END: ????

RES: ????

FOC: ????

Free points: ????

Gold Coins: ????

Active Skills: ????, ????, ????, ????

Spells: ????, ????, ????, ????

Passive: ????, ????, ????, ????

"I assume you are the one who killed our friend since you have that spear…" The horse-face said.

"What if I am?" Luke asked.

"I challenge you to a duel, you against me without any interference," the Horse-face said.