Lizardmen and Orcs, though bitter rivals, share many similarities.
Their primary habitat is the desert.
They both revere a war god as their chief deity.
Both enjoy combat.
They are inherently large in stature.
They grow faster compared to other races—humans, elves, fairies, dwarves, giants, and the like.
Their appetite is notably large.
Despite their quarrels and insults, these two similar races share common traits.
[Battle Instinct], [Blood Rage].
Traits that dramatically boost physical abilities in a short span.
Every Orc is inherently equipped with these traits, and the Lizardmen share them too.
However, in line with their racial traits, Lizardmen have a lower rate of stat increase compared to Orcs but lose less rationality in exchange.
Moreover, a select few among Lizardmen and Orcs possess an additional trait named [Blessing of the War God], enhancing their frenzy.
Among the numerous students of Elinia Academy, only three possess this trait.
Noctar, the leader of the Orc cartel.
Shagarod, the head of the Lizardman cartel.
And Lagmar, a member of the Lizardman cartel.
“…”
Theo watched Lagmar, enhanced by [Battle Instinct], [Blood Rage], and [Blessing of the War God], with a sickened expression.
Though human, Theo knew the formidable power of these three overlapping traits better than anyone.
He had seen them quite often in the game and, after his possession, had observed Noctar using them multiple times.
Lagmar, with red pupils, glared at Theo.
"Let's settle once and for all whose martial arts are superior."
With those words, Lagmar charged towards Theo.
Lagmar, about 2 meters tall and weighing roughly 150kg, launched a formidable assault.
Yet, his speed rivaled that of an average human swordsman.
Watching the 8-ton truck-like figure charging at him at 180 km/h, Theo quickly composed himself.
'I can't avoid him unless I flee the arena. I'll just have to endure until the triple trait effect wears off.'
Theo reactivated [Overload], which he had momentarily deactivated.
Boom!
Lagmar’s club obliterated the ground where Theo had just been standing.
“Hah!”
Theo dodged to the left, thrusting his longsword into Lagmar’s left shoulder.
“Khaa─”
The hit landed squarely, but Lagmar remained unfazed.
He let out a wild roar and charged at Theo, who had rolled to the left.
Without a moment to catch his breath, Theo rolled and dodged the relentless club assaults from Lagmar.
“How long will you just keep dodging, Theo!”
Lagmar laughed ferociously, shaking his horns.
Theo, who had been eluding him effortlessly, now seemed overwhelmed, focusing solely on dodging.
Bang, Boom, Bang───
Theo narrowly evaded Lagmar’s strikes while consistently landing minor attacks on him.
However, Lagmar remained steadfast, concentrating only on his attacks. Avoiding important hits was all that mattered.
As the situation continued, murmurs arose among the audience.
“…Wow. Hasn’t Theo been dodging for over a minute now?”
“It must be about a minute and 30 seconds, right? That’s some serious skill."
“If he gets hit even once, it’s over. He's dodging well, but…it feels like he’s just barely managing.”
“It's like watching a circus.”
“Surviving an escaped lion?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
There was also a stir in Theo’s group.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh. I can’t stand to watch this.”
Andrew, who had experienced the formidable power of the triple trait overlap, turned his head away.
“Wow, Theo. You’re incredibly agile, aren’t you? Were you hiding that level of movement? You’re almost as good as me?”
“…Probably even faster than you.”
“Hmph.”
While assassins Eshild and Jang Woohee bickered, their eyes remained glued to the arena.
“Siena, what should we do? I have a bad feeling that Theo is going to tarnish the reputation of the Waldeurk family."
“Hehe, he needs to overcome this. Yes. Only by overcoming such challenges can he become my hero."
“Neike, Piel might not be able to face an opponent like that…”
Siena and Aisha watched the match with contrasting expressions.
“Irene, do you think Theo can win?”
“…I’m not sure.”
Seria and Irene were the most solemn spectators in the audience.
They say people become more rational in extreme situations.
Irene analyzed the match with a calm gaze.
‘Theo, like Lagmar, is also in a frenzied state. He’s probably using that technique that leaves him bedridden for a day afterward.’
Irene had seen Theo's unique technique several times.
He used it against Julia and against Neike in the 2v2 knight department tournament.
Thanks to this, Theo was holding up well.
Lagmar's club managed to touch Theo but only grazed him; no direct hit was landed.
‘Theo's combat sense is extraordinary.’
Theo completely ignored Lagmar's calls for a head-on fight, using a meticulous hit-and-run strategy.
A very wise decision.
Theo and Lagmar’s weapons were blunt training ones.
In a one-on-one duel, the difference in physical stature is absolute.
Their height difference is at least 20cm, and their weight is almost double.
Logically, it would be dumb to engage in direct combat without magic.
‘In intense battles, people seem to change.’
Considering Theo's usual haughty ego, it's surprising he hasn't succumbed to provocation.
‘The first to fall between them will lose.’
As proof, Theo’s face was flushed with veins popping out.
His expression, reminiscent of a terrifying and dreadful demon, was an added layer.
It's a sight that triggers Irene's deep trauma...
Irene, barely managing her nausea, continued to watch his match.
How much time had elapsed?
Theo had now surprisingly adapted to Lagmar's unorthodox club attacks.
‘When will this pain end?’
It had been two minutes since he activated the amplified [Overload].
Although he managed to avoid direct weapon contact with Lagmar as much as possible, he had already exceeded the maximum usage time of about one minute.
“Huff, huff. Haaah... huff!”
Unable to hold back, he unconsciously let out rough breaths.
A sharp jolt of pain from [Twisted Noble's Dignity] surged, but it felt trivial compared to his current agony.
“Hahaha, Theo! You’re impressive! I've gained a new respect for you! To think you could move so swiftly for such a long time!”
Lagmar's ferocious voice hardly reached his ears now.
His body, pushed beyond its limits, and his brain, sensing grave danger, were shutting down unnecessary senses one by one.
Currently, the essential senses for him were his legs, arms, and eyes.
As time passed, these senses too would gradually be switched off by his brain.
Which would go first?
His legs?
His arms?
Or... his eyes?
Boom, Boom!
Lagmar’s club strikes again destroyed the ground where Theo had been standing.
By now, the arena floor was almost completely ruined, making both Lagmar and Theo's stances unstable.
“Ahem.”
Lagmar glanced alternately at the arena floor and Theo, then shrugged his shoulders and stopped his assault.
Theo was as battered as the arena floor.
His face and neck, indeed his entire body, were flushed red, veins bulging out.
Blood flowed from his nose, and his bloodshot eyes teared blood.
With Theo's naturally red irises, at a glance, it appeared as if his eyes were entirely crimson, devoid of pupils.
“Haa, haa, haaah──”
Standing motionless, Theo breathed heavily like a bloodied demon.
Contrary to his fearsome appearance, his limbs were trembling.
It was clear he was barely managing to stand.
The triple trait overlap had finally ended.
Fatigue was slowly creeping into his limbs.
The current Theo was clearly in no state to even block a child's punch.
'But... it feels dangerous to approach.'
Instinct prevailed.
Such madness was something he had never seen even in his harsh homeland—the desert.
Theo, known as the precious son of a renowned family, where did such raw fighting instinct come from?
Then, the announcer shouted.
─…10 seconds left until the end of the match!
At that, Lagmar sighed as if disgusted, bowing his head.
“Well… Theo. It seems our duel ends here. Words may be cowardly, but you know provocation during a match is a strategy, right? I salute your fighting spirit─"
Lagmar couldn't finish his sentence.
Theo, who had seemed like a walking corpse just moments before, charged with an unimaginable speed and struck Lagmar's head with his sword.
“Kr, kuh…”
Lagmar collapsed onto the arena floor.
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