Christina

[Duel Arena]

1 vs 1 Duel.

Mirror Match.

Mirror Match is a mode where the specs of the duelists are matched, unifying level, stats, and equipment.

Even at level 80, a high level, it was a mode that forced a battle of skill.

<Mirror Match Settings>

[Level] [30]

[Stats] [10]

[Equipment] [Sword]

[Stage] [Basic]

Americano took out the basic sword provided from the Inventory.

‘Just one round.’

It was almost bedtime.

Still, a PvP match.

Even sleepy, her interest didn’t wane.

Her body was itching for it.

‘What level am I at?’

She couldn’t help but wonder.

“….”

The [Stage] was simple.

A background with nothing.

A room with nothing.

Yet, a large room.

A room with nothing to worry about tripping over obstacles, even if you ran and jumped to your heart’s content.

Still, the wall far away served as a screen, displaying the score [ 0 : 0 ].

[Espresso VS Choi Choco]

Espresso.

When the settings window popped up, she set the [Duel Arena] nickname to match Americano.

Anyway,

Choi Choco also adjusted her sword,

And the countdown began.

[5]

Americano took a breath in advance.

[4]

Self-hypnosis.

[3]

Fight.

[2]

Win.

[1]

Kill.

[Fight]

She closed the distance in an instant.

[Slash]

It grazed Choi Choco’s cheek.

[Slash]

It clashed with the sword.

[Slash]

It rode up the sword.

But she dodges.

Is it some kind of footwork?

[Human Swordsman Chris] had made similar movements.

Tang So-hye also moved her feet slightly, taking evasive actions with minimal movement.

Pacheon-gun did too.

Chun Yura was even worse.

‘Chun Yura, that girl is something else.’

Recalling that time made her sick of it.

Anyway, Choi Choco’s movements felt just like that.

A counterattack came.

Attack with attack.

[Slash]

She deflected Choi Choco’s sword.

Immediately after deflecting,

[Slash]

Blocked.

The moment it was blocked, Choi Choco pushed in with the momentum of that brief moment, trying to wrap around Americano’s sword like a snake.

It’s being stolen.

She sensed it.

She stepped back, pulling out her sword to avoid it.

She [Leap]ed again and charged.

[Slash]

[Slash]

[Slash]

[Slash]

[Slash]

She pushed Choi Choco back with five consecutive [Slash]es.

[Thrust]

She stabbed the tip of her sword into the gap.

Choi Choco tried to knock it away with her sword, but she was a beat late, so she pulled her head to the side and dodged it all.

Choi Choco retreated.

“You’re full of spirit.”

“….”

She heard a voice, saying she had turned on the [Voice Chat] function.

A strangely familiar voice.

Americano also turned on the function, but no words came out.

Because she’s an [Outsider].

Americano scoffed at Choi Choco’s composure.

‘Trying to act composed.’

[Leap]

“….”

“Hoo…!”

Choi Choco’s eyes flashed.

Clang!

Sword and sword collided.

[Slash]

Blocked.

[Slash]

Blocked.

[Slash]

Blocked.

[Slash]

Blocked.

All of Americano’s sword strikes were intercepted.

Then Choi Choco’s sword, which had been swung down.

A moment.

A sign.

Of Magical Power.

Choi Choco’s sword bounced off the floor like a bouncy ball and shot up in an instant.

She responded to it.

Down[Slash]

Sword and sword collided.

Clang!

She canceled Choi Choco’s upward slash.

Because she canceled it and thought about responding, she was able to make one more move.

She left a [Phantom Sword] behind.

The sword below.

The [Phantom Sword] above.

[Phantom Sword]

[Slash]

Choi Choco immediately raised her sword to block, but she didn’t see the [Phantom Sword] placed above her head.

The [Phantom Sword] cut Choi Choco’s shoulder.

A faint groan.

A surprised reaction.

Slowed movements.

But admirably, she blocked all the subsequent sword strikes and solidified her solid defense.

Americano kicked such Choi Choco.

She blocked the [Enhancement]ed kick with her guard, but Choi Choco was swept away and flew away.

The opponent’s breathing is rough.

What about herself?

“Hoo… cough, cough.”

There’s breath.

How much Magical Power did she use to already feel cold?

She’s still relaxed.

[Slash]

[Slash]

[Slash]

[Slash]

Choi Choco barely manages to block it.

A wounded body.

It was collapsing.

Right now, she can see that her mind is being driven out.

[Phantom Sword]

[Thrust]

Two [Thrust]s that were difficult to block aimed for Choi Choco’s heart and legs.

What Choi Choco blocked was the heart.

The [Phantom Sword] got her legs.

“….”

“….”

Their eyes met.

Let’s end it.

Americano raises her sword high.

She [Execute]d Choi Choco and her sword whole.

[Choi Choco] [Defeat]

[Espresso] [Victory]

[ 0 : 1 ]

One round of the battle ended.

She returned to the room.

Choi Choco was lying on the lounge chair in the karaoke-like battle room, unable to get up.

She was in shock.

‘I lost?’

She thought she would win easily.

She had started the [Duel Arena] a while ago.

The reason she started was trivial.

People started taking the game too seriously, making the game boring with rights and territories and whatnot.

At that time, she heard that the [Duel Arena] was a place where the game was like a game, and she entered the [Duel Arena].

She, who was considered an ace outside, was smurfing as much as an ace who had never used the [Duel Arena] before.

Still 9 matches, but 9 wins.

She had easily won until the previous match.

Only ‘until’ the previous match.

“I lost.”

And unilaterally.

Choi Choco checked the opponent’s nickname.

It was just a [Duel Arena]-only nickname, but she couldn’t help but be interested.

[Espresso]

[Rank] [Unranked]

[Record] [1 win 0 defeats]

This is a scam.

How can you only have 1 match with that skill?

It feels like I’ve been in a car accident.

Level 30

Stats 10.

Equipment Sword.

A battle of skill at an equal level.

Choi Choco.

───Chris was honestly embarrassed.

Because she was conceited because she was a high level.

Is Espresso a high level who just started the [Duel Arena] like herself?

I hope so.

Because that’s less embarrassing.

Because it was a Mirror Match, she couldn’t gauge what level she was.

Still, the skill of handling the sword was as good as anyone Chris knew.

Because it was as good, she didn’t know even more.

Because the combat style was different from anyone who flashed through her head.

Espresso’s Slash was sharper and more accurate than she imagined.

If you block with a sword, she’ll try to break the sword.

If you don’t block, she’ll try to cut you in an instant.

She freely changed the purpose of the attack even during the attack.

Protect the sword.

Protect the body.

If she had only blocked, the sword would have been broken.

She counterattacked when she saw an opportunity.

But she was unilaterally ridiculed.

She lost in the body fight.

She lost in the mind game.

Let’s be honest.

She was careless.

She looked down on her because she was unranked.

Chris herself was unranked, but she was looking down on her because she was unranked.

She underestimated her and didn’t give it her all.

That must have led to the defeat.

‘I should have used my Awakened Ability.’

She should have just used it.

She was upset because she lost.

She was called a Ranker and thought she would win all the matches without losing.

Even if she lost, she would just shrug it off, but this was too much of a difference.

It was natural that Hunter world players were lower in skill in handling weapons than Murim world players.

This side mainly uses Awakened Abilities, while that side uses techniques called martial arts.

She had no choice but to be at a disadvantage in a sword skill match!

Then there’s the premise that Espresso must be from the Murim world. Seeing how well she fought, she must be a Murim world player, right?

She used martial arts really well too.

I hope so.

Because that’s less humiliating.

“Haa…”

She got up.

Suddenly.

‘Come to think of it.’

She remembered the last moment.

Espresso used a Skill at the end to split the sword. The action of slashing down with the sword raised high was also familiar.

A splitting sword.

A sword that slashes down.

She had seen it before.

She realized where she had seen it.

‘Anonymous..!’

She shouted in surprise.

She couldn’t not know.

She had watched the Anonymous video several times recently!

“Hey, Espresso-nim!”

“…Yes?”

Anonymous!

Chris was surprised and happy to meet someone she had wanted to meet for a long time.

‘I never thought I’d meet her in the Duel Arena!’

Anonymous’s level is 30.

It wouldn’t be strange to start the [Duel Arena], but since Avatar anonymity was guaranteed, it was almost impossible to find her unless you added her as a friend.

But she found her.

Luck was on her side.

What a treat!

“Would you like to talk to me for a moment?”

“I have to go to bed now?”

She has to go to bed.

[22:31]

At this time?

She’s not a kid.

‘Ah, there are adults who do that, right?’

She had a friend who went to bed early.

Last time she heard, he seemed to have quit being a Hunter.

I wonder what he’s doing now?

‘….’

Anyway, what’s important now is not that.

It’s Espresso-nim.

“Please add me as a friend. I’ll repay you. I have something I want to ask you, please give me some time.”

“….”

Espresso was silent.

She can hear her thoughts running.

Soon, she raised her index finger.

She opened a screen window.

[CoffeeAddict is requesting to add you as a friend.]

Only then did she feel relieved.

She brushed her chest down.

When she added her as a friend, the silhouette that had been covering her identity was washed away and revealed her true appearance.

Chris was speechless at the unexpected heavenly beauty.

“Keueung.”

Americano stretched.

She only played one round.

It was time to sleep.

She was slightly impatient at the thought of clearing the 30th floor tomorrow.

She couldn’t stay still thinking about Chun Yura taking revenge.

‘I even have the Black Sword in my hands.’

“….”

Originally, she was going to go right away.

But she’s tired!

No matter what, she couldn’t help but be tired.

She can take a break.

She can go tomorrow.

So let’s go tomorrow.

Americano wanted to raise her level to at least 50.

Because she felt something from fighting Chun Yura.

She was unilaterally beaten up.

Can she win next time?

‘I can’t win at all.’

That was practically her defeat.

‘The same trick won’t work.’

The reason she was able to win at that time was because Chun Yura was very surprised to see her head fall off and then reattach, not because of Americano’s skill.

An act commonly called luck.

‘If it were reality, it would have ended there.’

Unfortunately, this is a game.

One death is not the eternal end.

No, wait.

‘Is it fortunate instead?’

She can fight again.

She won against such a strong person.

She must have properly engraved it in her head.

Even if she improves her skills and challenges her to a fight next time, wouldn’t it give her a reason to accept the fight?

Thinking that way, she began to look forward to her reunion with Chun Yura.

“….”

Americano touched her shortened hair.

Following this neatly cut bob, a bruise like a line was placed on her neck. It still throbbed when she touched it with her fingertips.

But she’ll lose.

Definitely.

She’ll definitely lose like this.

She won’t be able to compete in a close battle and will lose.

“I don’t want to die like that.”

Even if she loses, she wants to fight a close battle.

She wanted to win rather than lose.

She will definitely win next time.

She grits her teeth.

She clenched her fist.

So let’s get stronger.

‘I’m going to get stronger than Chun Yura!’

She resolved to do so.

“….”

Suddenly.

She thought of it because she had a PvP match.

She tried to ignore it, but

It came to reality.

Americano, who had been sitting on the bed like a chair, lowered her head.

She looked down at her hands and covered her face.

“Chris.”

She saw Choi Choco’s bare face.

It was Chris.

Christina.

She fell backwards from her sitting position.

She became a stepped-on caterpillar with her legs curled up to her upper body.

“Uaaaaaa.”

She screamed embarrassingly.

She recalled the connection she had made in the [Duel Arena] earlier. She saw the other person’s appearance when she added them as a friend, and it happened to be a face she knew.

She couldn’t not know.

Ranked 1st in the country?

Ranked 3rd in the world?

A high ranker?

There was a modifier that was more familiar to Americano than such external modifiers.

From the same orphanage.

She was a friend.

A real-life friend.

She expected to meet her someday.

That’s because the person who made Americano, who wasn’t even an Awakened, fall in love with Full Dive was none other than Christina (real name).

But wait?

I’m a woman?

I’ve become a woman?

I can’t go back now?

But wait?

You can’t choose your gender in Full Dive originally?

Wait? Is it a bug?

‘I’m going to be made fun of.’

She’ll laugh.

Christina’s laughter was already buzzing in her ears.

When she found out that Choi Choco was Christina, she flinched and immediately left the [Duel Arena] as if running away.

Because she didn’t want her real friend to find out that she had become a woman.

If it were just a game, she would have been laughed at a little.

But she’s trapped in the game.

So she’ll be like this until she escapes the game.

If she dies a few more times, she’ll even have her period.

She was so embarrassed that her head turned white.

She wanted to get out of there.

She won’t get caught if she doesn’t make it too obvious, but she couldn’t stop her heart from being anxious.

Tting.

<Chris>

[It was nice to see you today.]

[Let’s fight again next time!]

“Without knowing other people’s circumstances.”

She sent a moderate reply.