The open field beside Lake Tross suddenly fell silent.
Dozens of players stopped what they were doing.
Every eye was fixed on the two figures standing across from one another.
On one side stood a Warrior.
Aventura — Lv.50
Gripped in his hands was an Iron Great Sword, a massive blade purchased from an NPC.
Opposite him stood a Rogue.
XOXO — Lv.47
Her weapon was far more modest.
A pair of wooden daggers given by the system to every Rogue when they first started the game.
Several players whispered among themselves.
“Is she seriously using those daggers?”
“Against a Level 50 Warrior?”
“This duel will end in one hit.”
Reina paid no attention to their comments.
Her eyes remained fixed on her opponent.
Since this was an official duel, Mina didn't cast any buffs on either side.
The fight had to be fair.
Aventura raised his sword.
“Here I come!”
He burst forward.
Slash!
The greatsword swung straight toward Reina.
But...
The only thing it sliced through was an afterimage.
“Huh?”
Aventura's eyes widened.
Clone Lv.1
The skill's only effect was to create a single illusion that looked exactly like its user.
It couldn't attack.
It had no HP.
But...
That was already enough.
Reina took advantage of her opponent's moment of confusion.
With Speed Run, she vanished from sight.
By the time Aventura destroyed the Clone—
Reina was already behind him.
“Armor Break.”
Her dagger slipped into the gap between the plates of Aventura's armor.
The Warrior's Defense instantly plummeted.
Without giving him a chance to recover—
“Jumping Dagger!”
BOOM!!
Reina spun through the air.
Her dagger struck squarely into Aventura's shoulder.
A small explosion shook the ground.
Aventura's HP bar dropped instantly.
70% HP Lost.
The Warrior collapsed to one knee, clutching his shoulder.
The entire battlefield fell silent.
No one had expected the duel to be nearly decided in only two skills.
A few seconds later...
A system window appeared.
Winner
XOXO
Reina immediately ran toward her opponent.
“Aventura!”
The Warrior was still conscious, but his breathing was heavy.
Reina quickly turned around.
“Mina!”
“Hurry! Heal him!”
Mina sprinted over.
Although the duel was over, a Cleric's instincts immediately took over as she raised her staff.
“Heal!”
A warm green light enveloped Aventura's body.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
His HP bar, which had fallen below thirty percent, gradually filled back to maximum.
Aventura finally managed to sit up.
He looked down at his own hands.
“I'm... still alive?”
Reina let out a relieved sigh.
“Thank goodness...”
Only then did she fully realize something.
This was no longer just a game.
No one knew what would happen if a player truly died in this world.
Because of that, Reina had no intention of taking unnecessary risks.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
“With wooden daggers...”
“She beat a Warrior with wooden daggers.”
“Is Armor Break really that powerful?”
“I thought Rogue was a dead class.”
“Looks like we were all wrong.”
Aventura slowly stood.
Reina instinctively raised her guard again.
But instead, the Warrior lifted both hands.
“I surrender.”
Reina watched him for a moment.
Then Aventura scratched the back of his head with an awkward laugh.
“Sorry.”
“I underestimated you.”
“I never imagined someone could actually master Rogue.”
Reina sheathed both of her daggers.
“It's fine.”
“I'm just glad there are still people willing to challenge me.”
Aventura laughed.
“If I'd known it'd end like this... I probably would've thought twice.”
The two parties moved beneath a large tree by the lakeshore.
The tense atmosphere from earlier had completely disappeared.
Aventura introduced the members of his party one by one.
They were all high school students from a private school.
Most of them came from well-off families.
“We grew up playing MMORPGs because of our older brothers, cousins, and even our uncles,” Aventura explained.
“Even though everyone plays VRMMOs these days, we actually prefer classic MMORPGs.”
“They're more challenging,” the Knight beside him added.
“The official servers shut down a long time ago,” their Mage said. “So we've been playing on private servers.”
Reina nodded quietly.
That explained it.
The way they hunted, their understanding of PvP, even their grasp of MMORPG etiquette made it obvious they weren't ordinary players.
Meanwhile, Rian, Hana, and Mina began chatting with Aventura's party members, who were around the same age.
The awkwardness gradually faded away.
“Ma'am...”
Aventura now addressed Reina far more respectfully.
She looked at him.
“Yes?”
“Rian mentioned...”
“You're planning to start a guild?”
Rian immediately looked embarrassed.
“I only mentioned it a little...”
Reina smiled faintly.
“Yes, I am.”
Aventura's eyes lit up.
“Then... would it be possible for us to join when the time comes?”
Reina didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she asked a question of her own.
“What are your goals in this world?”
The members of Aventura's party exchanged glances.
Their Mage shrugged.
“Level up.”
“Fight in the Colosseum.”
“Isn't that enough?”
Reina smiled.
“If that's all you do, eventually you'll get bored.”
“Aren't you curious?”
“Why we're here?”
“Who created Cosmia?”
“And... how the Main Quest truly ends?”
Everyone fell silent.
One of Aventura's Knights finally spoke.
“You're right...”
“If all we do is move from one leveling area to another, it'll eventually get repetitive.”
“It'd be far more interesting if we actually explored this world.”
Reina nodded.
“That's my goal.”
“I want to complete the Main Quest.”
“If that guild is ever truly established...”
“I'll only accept people who share that same goal.”
Aventura broke into a wide grin.
“Then consider us first in line.”
“The moment your guild officially exists, we want to be the first people to join.”
Reina smiled.
“All right.”
Over the following days, the two parties often hunted in the same region.
Whenever one side needed help, the other would lend a hand.
Mina even took turns casting buffs on Aventura's party before each hunt.
Before long, everyone's levels continued to climb.
Aventura's party reached Level 56.
Meanwhile, Reina's group reached Level 51.
Lisa had advanced to Level 55.
Mina reached Level 40.
One afternoon, Aventura and his friends prepared to leave Lake Tross.
“We're heading to the next leveling area.”
Reina nodded.
“Good luck.”
“If we ever want to meet again, where should we go?”
Lisa smiled.
“The tavern in Salia City.”
Aventura nodded firmly.
“Then from now on, that'll be our meeting place.”
The two groups waved goodbye to one another.
Then they headed toward their respective destinations.
No longer as rivals.
But as allies with different objectives today...
...who might one day walk the same path in the future.