Chapter 41: Stubborn

"Contestant One has forfeited the battle. She may leave. Do not attack her. I repeat, do not attack a forfeiting contestant," The commentator's voice announced, drawing the attention of all the players one more time.

With two people out of the scheme, only four were left.

Reik was tired, noticeably. Although he would've won the fight against Ji-min no matter what, his stamina was drained by a considerable amount.

It was hard to think that he had any chance left in this fight. The other three contestants still looked lively, as if any of them could easily take Reik on and win.

Wiping the dripping sweat from his forehead, Reik observed the grand scheme of the battle.

Song Kang was still fixed on White Fox. He wasted quite a bit of strength, but he would still triumph over Reik if the chance was given.

Aria, on the other hand, was still full of fighting spirit as she finished her battle with Lily fast.

Reik knew that he wouldn't get this spot.

He took a defensive stance as Aria approached him. From what he observed, Aria was not the type to do brutal killings or one-sided battles.

She was someone who gave her opponents a chance to breathe and get away from the stage.

Reik grew relieved as he thought about this part of her personality. At the very least, he wouldn't die.

Even so, he wanted to try.

"Would you care to spar with me?" Clearly tired from the onslaught he continuously did against Ji-min, Reik tried to hold up a smile against Aria.

"..I shall admire you for your fighting spirit," Aria commented, realizing what the man wanted to do.

"This is what I need to do. For a battler's honor. Besides, you saved those two girls from mortal danger, I don't believe that you're here to kill,"

"Indeed," Aria coldly gazed upon the man, chanting spells onto herself to prepare a one hit take down.

Her primary plan was to conserve her energy, to try and finish every battle in an instant.

She thought of the man as a genuine warrior. Although he knew that he didn't have any chances of winning, he still refused to concede.

Not for a foolish reason, but because of respect towards him and his opponent.

"To a good battle," Reik braced himself, his breath ragged as he brandished his sword against Aria once he noticed that Aria's gaze changed.

She wasn't murderous, she had no bloodthirst, but Reik still felt like he was a prey waiting to be attacked by Aria, the ultimate predator.

Aria smiled, for she had prepared the ultimate blow that would safely eliminate Reik.

The smile was nothing near threatening, but Reik felt immense fear.

The two crossed gazes one more time before starting to clash swords.

[Halvargg] defended against Reik's flaming sword slashes. The exchange was done multiple times, but Reik found no chances to penetrate Aria's defenses at all.

Rather, she seemed to hold a great strength comparable to his. This confused Reik, who saw that Aria was classified as a magic user in her data.

It was rare to see a magic user being able to fight against their peers' physical abilities, because they were usually granted lesser tokens in their physique stat.

Aria, on the other hand, could rival Reik, who was renowned for his excellence in swordplay and close combat.

Knowing that the man had realized their difference in abilities, Aria decided to take it a step further and end the battle once and for all.

"Goodbye," Aria quietly whispered, closing in on the man's ears to make it enough for Reik to hear.

Her sword clashed against Reik's, but this time, she applied a bigger force.

She pushed him back, and did a slight spin before landing a kick directed at Reik's stomach.

Reik was sent flying, but the corner Aria sent him to was actually a covered area that she had seen from her observations and determined to be safe to use.

Even so, Reik was still hurt by a lot. The kick felt like a rope tied him up from behind and pulled him with strength he had never experienced before to the wall, banging his body to the surface.

Reik almost vomited, but he held it back.

Looking at Aria, who was still standing inside the arena, Reik laughed with whatever energy was left inside him.

"..This is a better ending," Reik coughed, wincing from the pain he received due to Aria's blows. "I concede," He said.

"Contestant Five has forfeited the battle. He may leave. Do not attack him. I repeat, do not attack a forfeiting contestant," The commentator announced.

Reik was taken by the intensive care unit. This was merely a mean of precaution. After all, he was a Hunter.

Hunters were far from ordinary humans. For Hunters who has been granted with a Main outside of obtained runes, their physique and overall potential would be significantly better than the average human.

Reik, too, would qualify for that category.

Enormous stamina. Strong physique. Massive strength.

It was hard to believe that up until the appearance of dungeons, which was dated to a few years back, Reik hadn't touched a sword in the slightest.

Just by obtaining his Main, he was able to efficiently master the arts of swordplay to a decent degree. Compared to Aria's time, where one had to meticulously train in order to even gain the tiniest bit of enlightenment, the current age's efficiency was hard to take in.

Aria predicted that so long as Reik continued to improve himself, he would soar quite high.

With the three forfeiting contestants being dragged out of the area to be cared for, the remaining three eligible contestants were still filled with vitality.

Song Kang was akin to a madman. He continued slashing and chasing down White Fox even when he clearly couldn't hit her.

The smartest plan would be to either bond with the other contestants to take this sneaky, agile girl since it was clear that the girl possessed a great battle sense.

White Fox would always be a step faster than Song Kang.

She continuously predicted his movements so that she could dodge in time, bringing her to a safe position whenever Song Kang's strike came down.

However, in response, Song Kang was never deterred.

'Amazing.' Aria commented.

She had to admit, White Fox was good at her game.

Like an elegant brush being glided over paper, White Fox's movements resembled the striking paint that would give birth to a sharp, dignified, and talented stroke.

Aria's eyes were trained, just like her other senses. She was able to track White Fox's movements down, but even she would have a hard time trying to land a hit on the lithe girl.

'This match belongs to White Fox.' She pitied the outcome. It was clear. There was no way Song Kang could won unless White Fox herself conceeded.

The mysterious contestant. Where did she come from, and why was she here?

Her intent was not to attack Song Kang. She just dodged with a calm disposition, not running out of stamina or making a single mistake.

Aria thoughtfully glanced at Song Kang.

She could team up with him to have a chance, but she would still be unsure of their winning chances.

Whichever way it was, Song Kang has definitely realized that he no longer had a chance of winning.

Song Kang's strikes were too heavy for his own good. His enemies were White Fox and Aria, who both had astounding reflexes and instincts.

None of his strikes would land unless he had a secret power to aid him.

Which, according to the data Lein provided her with, did not exist.

Aria winced as Song Kang once more missed White Fox's body by a narrow margin. His claymore plunged down into the ground, creating a small crevice after the sheer force hit.

Sighing, Aria lamented this sad fate.

She didn't know to what extent White Fox could go to, but no matter how much Song Kang tried, he wouldn't beat her.

'...Could I beat her?' Aria questioned herself.

Pursing her lips, she watched as the man grunted and pulled his huge sword out of the ground.

He was a bit shaky in his footsteps. His eyes were dazed.

Aria clicked her tongue. If he was left alone, it might end up badly.

She watched as the man tried to pick himself back up, to the point of gnashing his teeth.

It seemed like he was truly a man who hated to lose.

He had a strong willpower.

But sometimes just willpower wasn't enough.

Knowing that the man was about to collapse, Aria rushed at him in an attempt to rescue the man.

However, instead of accepting the help, Song Kang slapped Aria's hand away instead.

"Get your hand away. Are you trying to act like a saint, saving people left and right? Don't joke with me," Song Kang chided.