Viviana, for once, was struggling. Not because of the monsters. Despite moving to terrarium two, to ‘powerlevel’ by taking difficult fights against tough monsters, she had yet to fight a monster. It was because of her new found popurity.

  Being the exiled heir to Adler-Stern already made her famous, but it didn’t make her approachable. Almost everyone on campus was associated with a guild, and the guilds had a very abject rule– do not talk to people outside your guild.

  But now that she drove a centipede through an Ophidian Pact base? Now there was no one who didn’t know her face– and thought that she was an enemy of the Pact.

  All those people in competing guilds, like Vulx Arc Cooperative, like Ferric Meridian, felt the need to strike up conversation. All because she attacked their ‘enemies’, and that made them friends.

  So here she was, in terrarium two, fighting a ‘friendly’ duel that she didn’t want to fight, instead of fighting monsters that would kill her anyways.

  Still, it wasn’t all bad. Fame and influence was what she needed the most right now. Although she couldn’t recruit these people, because they were already poached by the great guilds, killing a couple of them would only make the Landsknecht seem to be more legitimate of a group.

  Maybe we should put up recruitment posters?

  Viviana studied the opponent in front of her. A young, arrogant looking man with swept back hair. He was ranked 30732. Viviana is ranked 40892. She lost some ranking due to others actively pushing the ranks forward while she was running Landsknecht to make some money.

  This wasn’t anywhere close to a fair fight. The arrogant man was only ranked ten thousand pces ahead of her.

  He advanced, sword pointing forward. Viviana stepped back casually. He stepped onto a lightning sigil. Viviana activated it.

  Just for fir, Viviana activated [fsh step], surging forward. He raised his sword to block on reflex, but of course, Viviana feinted her initial strike. Her signature move at this point.

  The exchange happened in only a couple seconds.

  [You have sin a level 4 soulbound.]

  [+2 exp]

  Viviana’s rank instantly jumped to 40873.

  “Ooh, me next! Your mana isn’t out yet, right?”

  Viviana sighed. Honestly, this would have been viable if she got more experience. Not only were some guild members filming the fights, certainly to be posted onto the academy social app ter, but she was achieving her goal of levelling up. Well, she would have if it gave more experience. These schmucks were simply too weak for the system to even acknowledge, regardless of whether they were higher level than her. They were just too experienced when it came to combat.

  Then someone parted the crowd. Bck armor, and a smooth bck helmet. Two cameras served as the eyes. Selenne?

  “Adler-Stern,” a voice said. It was Selenne. “Care for a spar?”

  Murmurs through the crowd. “She’s friendly with the Pact? Shit.”

  “Maybe the centipede thing was a part of their pn. They got a lot from the centipede’s loot, after all.”

  “I’m getting the fuck out of here. Pact creeps me out.”

  The crowd dissolved. Then, only the armored individual and Viviana remained. Viviana felt a fsh of annoyance. Selenne showing up would only imply that the Landsknecht were friendly with the Pact. Landsknecht was trying to maintain a reputation of neutrality.

  “Well?” Selenne said, taking off her helmet. Long bck hair spilled out, reaching down to the small of her back. Viviana found it distracting. Must be annoyingly long, she thought. I would know.

  Viviana nodded, raising her sword. I’ve been stopped time and time again when my goal for today was so simple– just grind some experience. Yet now that Selenne is here…

  They didn’t need to exchange any words. The swords would do the talking. Viviana’s annoyance faded. Besides, she wanted to see where she measured up to Selenne. She had won st time, mostly because of fluke. But now, a month ter?

  Viviana was instantly put on the backfoot as Selenne activated her sword accelerator, unching her sword out of her sheath abnormally fast. Viviana barely parried it.

  Selenne didn’t allow her to recover, pushing the tempo advantage as far as she could go. She was a flurry of swipes, accelerating and pushing harder. Viviana was the first to use a skill, activating [fsh step] backwards to reset the fight. Selenne grinned, taking this as a sign to start using skills. Selenne disappeared, and then instantly reappeared to her right, sword already swinging.

  Viviana parried the attack, but Selenne’s onsught continued. Her shoulder got hit. Then her arm. Viviana had to change something, or she’d be sliced to pieces. She scanned Selenne, looking for patterns in her swings, looking for weaknesses.

  No obvious weaknesses. Perfect forms, honed by years of experience.

  Viviana used [fsh step] backwards, but Selenne was right on her tail. Their fight turned into a series of rapid movements, causing the two to dash dozens of meters across terrarium two.

  Viviana saw a chance. There.

  This time, she swung without reacting to Selenne’s disappearing act. Selenne found the bde coming right at her, forcing her to take an awkward parry. Viviana had the advantage now. She nicked Selenne’s non-dominant arm, causing her grip to loosen a little.

  Then the world went dark. It was Selene’s skill that nullified all sight in a twenty meter radius. But Selenne had told Viviana it’s weakness. Selenne couldn’t see either.

  Viviana knew she would activate this eventually, and already came up with a counter strategy– a gamble. She activated [fsh step] diagonally. She hoped that Selenne would predict she would [fsh step] backwards and miss her attack.

  Then she felt a massive presence. Mana. She’s fring out her mana in an attempt to sense me!

  Viviana quickly fred out her own mana in response, but it was too te. Selenne had somehow found her through mana emanation. She just knew it.

  Then Selenne’s skill ended, and her sight returned. She could see perfectly now, but Selenne was nowhere to be found.

  Viviana’s instincts screamed. Behind!

  She whirled around, just in time to save her arm. She lost a couple fingers instead. She activated the skill that allows her to disappear as soon as her other skill ended!

  Selenne descended like a hurricane. Arm, leg, torso, all targets for her bde. Viviana was bleeding from a dozen different cuts now, desperately parrying with her one good arm.

  Selenne’s bde suddenly glowed an eerie white. Every blow she nded sapped Viviana’s strength. My mana is being stolen!

  Still… even so… I cannot lose like this!

  Viviana instead stepped forward, sacrificing her arm to try and get in a counterblow. But Selenne predicted this, instantly phasing out of existence as her sword passed through nothing but air. Not just an invisible dash, but completely dissolving into thin air? I should have hit her!

  Viviana predicted where Selenne was going to attack next. This prediction just saved her head. With the st of her mana, almost completely drained from Selenne’s skill, she activated [fsh step] forwards. She feinted the sword swing, but actually led with a fist from her injured hand.

  It smashed into Selenne’s gut, crumpling armor like it wasn’t even there. Viviana thanked the heavens that the armor wasn’t system enchanted, or she would’ve destroyed her left arm for nothing.

  Selenne doubled back, but Viviana had no mana to pursue her. She raised her sword in her one good arm, the other one completely mangled after the punch. Selenne raised her own bde. This was the st exchange.

  Then everything went quiet. Then Viviana lost all feeling. Then she couldn’t feel any mana anymore.

  Viviana focused. All those things affected her, but she assumed Selenne was affected as well. This was just a strategy to throw her off.

  Selenne rushed forward with a simple thrust. Viviana side stepped, throwing a downward swipe at Selenne’s head. Selenne’s thrust morphed smoothly into a parry. Viviana knew she would do this and didn’t follow through with her attack. Instead she stepped forward, bringing down her bde with a small dey.

  She shouldn’t be fast enough. Her bde isn’t even pointed in the right direction.

  Then Selenne smashed the pommel of her sword into Viviana’s face. Viviana staggered back for a second, a ugh leaving her lips as blood spilled from her head, covering her vision in a red tint. “You took me seriously this time,” Viviana said. She let out a weak ugh. “Finally win now that you’re not showboating?”

  Selenne ughed as well. “Good fight, Adler-Stern.”

  “Good fight.”