Here's an Opportunity-Chapter 219: The Duels (1)

One minute before the duels began.

"Fuuuh, haaaah." Yoo Seh-Eun exhaled slowly, lowering her sword.

Across the field, the demons preparing for battle displayed a variety of moods. Some lounged, at ease, while others warmed up with heavy, rhythmic breaths and practice swings. A few exchanged banter with the Hunters facing them, showing off their social skills.

However, Yoo Seh-Eun's opponent belonged to none of those categories.

So that's my opponent... an Intermediate Demon, she thought as she locked eyes with the figure across from her.

He, too, wore a focused, serious expression, his weapon already drawn and mana gathered despite there being a full minute left before the contest began. She had to admit that he looked troublesome. Getting the first strike could decide everything, but with her opponent so alert, landing a blow before he reacted would not be easy.

"This might drag on," she muttered, sighing as she lifted her sword over her head and shifted into a ready stance.

Her adversary scanned the terrain first, then fixed his gaze on her. As tension rose between the two, she took note of his longsword. Although his stance looked clumsy to her trained eye, he was still a demon. Since they were known for their overwhelming physical strength and superb mana control, she couldn't lower her guard.

"There are thirty seconds left," she called out to the demon.

He nodded. "Alright."

I'll need to swap weapons when I close in, she reminded herself.

She ran through the plan in her mind: dash forward, draw the Pastera sword from her subspace pocket mid-charge, then swing in one swift motion. The problem was, her foe seemed all too aware of the danger she posed. He'd likely dodge rather than attempt to block.

In that case...

"Ten seconds left," the demon suddenly spoke up, snapping her out of thought.

As the last moments drew near, the demon sensed her sharpened focus and narrowed his eyes.

Three.

He channeled mana into his longsword.

Two.

She focused hers throughout her body.

One.

She burst forward, while the demon simply stood still and released a portion of his mana, sending it hurtling toward her.

"Mana Blade!" Yoo Seh-Eun cried, swinging her sword overhead at her opponent.

The blade shot forward at high speed, propelled by the mana she had infused into it. In the same breath, she drew another mithril sword from her subspace pocket. She lunged at the demon with her new weapon. The flying sword descended from above as she slashed upward from below.

Against a typical knight or swordsman, the demon might have stood his ground and defended. But Yoo Seh-Eun was a Hunter who wielded mysterious skills. As such, the demon chose to evade. When he took a step back, Yoo Seh-Eun drove power into her legs and pursued without pause.

Mid-sprint, she tossed her second sword into the air and activated her skill again. "Mana Blade."

Now, two swords slashed and spun through the air toward the demon as she drew a final Pastera blade. Armed with two mithril blades and a Pastera blade, she lunged again, thrusting with the latter in perfect harmony with the other two in the air. Dodging them all at once would be nearly impossible.

After taking a split second to analyze the hovering swords glimmering with mana and the plain one in Yoo Seh-Eun's hand, the demon decided to evade the flying blades before blocking her direct assault.

"Ugh?!"

That would have been his move if not for the sudden chill that made his hair stand on end.

"Shield!" he shouted reflexively, diving backward and sweeping his longsword to deflect the airborne blades while simultaneously erecting a magical barrier. Even so, that creeping dread lingered.

His instincts were proven right as Yoo Seh-Eun's sword sliced through his shield like butter. If he hadn't leaped away, her blade would have taken off his head along with the barrier. Landing nimbly, the demon dropped into a guarded stance, eyes never leaving Yoo Seh-Eun as he waited for her next move.

"Tch, how disappointing," she said, letting her sword rest on her shoulder.

She glared at him for a moment, then lifted her weapon again.

"Truly disappointing..." she muttered. "But it can't be helped."

He must have realized by now that her sword could bypass all mana-based defenses.

She sighed, cracking her neck as she prepared to attack again. Her initial strike had failed, but she was far from beaten. The rules of the duel prevented outside interference, so no other demons could disrupt their fight.

After dropping into a stance, she surged forward once more.

"Ine!" she called, summoning the Greater Fire Elemental.

A wall of fire erupted from the ground. Ignoring the searing heat, Lee Ji-Yeon dove through and thrust her sword at the demon. Her blazing blade clashed against his fist, swirling with thick black mana, and the impact sparked a violent explosion.

Neither side retreated. Drawing on mana from both Demon Realm and the Elemental Realm, they both braced against the shockwave.

The demon had greater mana reserves and recovered first, swinging his fist again. Lee Ji-Yeon, using her elemental powers, evaded by bending her knees and twisting back rather than pressing her attack. She wasn't fighting alone, however, as four other Hunters were meant to engage this demon with her.

A blue arrow shot through the flames. The demon poured more mana into his fist and redirected his punch to intercept it. Another explosion rocked the field as the arrow met his fist.

Now the demon faced a choice: brace for the shockwave or use it to retreat. He opted to ride it, landing in a low stance and fixing his eyes on Lee Ji-Yeon as she recovered and prepared to strike again.

He had deflected Nam Dong-Wook's arrow and dodged Lee Ji-Yeon's attack, but his troubles weren't over. Unlike Lee Ji-Yeon and Nam Dong-Wook, who used the flaming barrier as cover, two foreign Hunters circled around to attack from both sides. Unfortunately for them, their foe was still a Greater Demon.

"Shield," he commanded, conjuring a dome to block their attacks.

"That's insane!" one of the foreign Hunters cursed at its ridiculous durability.

Was this a new spell, or simply the demon's specialty?

One foreign Hunter infused his sword with mana and struck the barrier, but instead of an explosion, a burst of flames erupted. Forced to defend themselves from the fire, the Hunters wrapped themselves in mana.

Meanwhile, the demon endured the assault and used his mana sense to track their positions through the flames. He turned to the nearer enemy on his right and threw a punch. It looked simple, but at full extension the aura around his fist tore free, hurtling toward the Hunter. Just as aura could turn a blade into an Aura Sword, it could also transform a fist into an Aura Fist, and the massive strike promised devastating damage even if blocked. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Tch! Go ahead and use them!" shouted Nam Dong-Wook, who was floating above using Fly.

Their original plan had been to keep their trump cards secret, seeking weaknesses before finishing the demon with a surprise. That's why only Lee Ji-Yeon and Nam Dong-Wook used Pastera weapons at first. However, that plan had already failed.

Frustrated, the British Hunter now targeted by the Aura Fist bit his lip and pulled a Pastera shield from his subspace pocket. Since Aura, despite its physical form, was still just condensed mana, it vanished the instant it struck the Pastera shield.

"The three of you..." the demon muttered, glancing at Lee Ji-Yeon before looking up at Nam Dong-Wook and finally at the British Hunter holding the anti-mana shield.

He abruptly stomped the ground, sending a ripple of demonic energy in every direction. The wave interrupted the Stealth Skill of an Indian Hunter who had been sneaking up on him.

"No, all five of you have those anti-mana weapons," the demon muttered darkly.

All the Hunters were using mana to enhance their bodies and senses in preparation for this contest.

Nam Dong-Wook, chosen as team leader for his ability to fly and survey the battlefield, nocked an iron arrow and called out, "Everyone, switch to Pastera weapons."

—Should I switch as well?

He considered the Indian Hunter's question. Would a stealth attack even work against a demon like that?

Thirty minutes had passed since their failed first strike. The Indian Hunter had remained hidden the whole time, creeping closer, but the demon had sensed him and countered with a burst of mana.

"Yes, switch," Nam Dong-Wook finally replied.

The Indian Hunter quickly retrieved two new daggers from his subspace pocket.

"All five of you..." the demon murmured, watching as they all drew Pastera weapons.

He spread his mana even further, determined to prevent any more ambushes.

"Really now..." he said, realizing defense alone wouldn't suffice. "I might actually die today."

These weapons all but negated the power of mana. Yet as he braced himself for battle, a smile played on his lips.

Despite how the duels appeared so far, not all the Hunters had failed to land lethal blows in their opening strikes. Attempts against Greater Demons had failed, but some Hunters facing Intermediate Demons had managed to inflict fatal wounds right away.

Those victorious Hunters didn't just stand back and watch the other duels. They quickly scattered, searching the area for secondary targets.

"Found one," reported a Shine Guild S-Class Hunter.

Lim Jin-Cheol, a Hunter whom Lee Yeon-Hwa had entrusted with the Patera Gate raid, had chosen a short-term stat boost so he could take part in these duels. Kicking off the ground and vanishing instantly, he reappeared behind a huge boulder, spear already thrusting forward.

"Shie—Blin—!" a Black Wizard blurted out, trying to escape in vain.

Even after witnessing how the Hunters' weapons worked, the Black Wizard reflexively tried to defend himself with magic. Before he could switch to teleportation, Lim Jin-Cheol's Pastera spear pierced straight through the wizard's defenses and deep into his body.

What a pitiful way to go, Lim Jin-Cheol thought. To reach the 7th-Circle, this man must have made countless sacrifices, only to die so meaninglessly.

Perhaps sharing the same thoughts, the Black Wizard looked down at the spear in his chest with a wry, silent laugh as he crumpled to the ground.

Lim Jin-Cheol stared at the fallen foe for a moment, then activated his earpiece. "I've encountered a Black Wizard. Our weapons bypass their defensive spells."

—Message confirmed.

He then retrieved his spear and turned to go.

Though the Black Wizard was defeated, the monsters and undead he had concealed pressed in. Lim Jin-Cheol switched his Pastera spear for a mithril one, more effective against such hordes.

He steadied himself, drew a deep breath, and charged as soon as they came within reach.