*Pop, pop, pop!*
At the distance created by his backward dodge, Park Jung-gwon fired off his *Starlight Sword Strike* at Eleanora. *Tap, tap, tap!* Eleanora swiftly moved her feet, dodging through the gaps in the sword energy.
*Clang, clang, clang!*
As Park Jung-gwon tried to close the distance with a counterattack, Eleanora's sword didn’t miss a beat. Even as his body left a trace of afterimages, she swung her sword backward without even turning, as if she knew exactly where he was.
*Swoosh!* The instant Park Jung-gwon reached Eleanora’s back, it seemed as though his body had been cut. But then, it flickered and became blurry again.
"A left counter followed by a right."
I tracked Park Jung-gwon’s fast movements with my eyes.
The recent patch that introduced left and right counters wasn’t always the best technique to use. However, to confuse Eleanora’s sharp eyes, it was a last-ditch effort.
But Eleanora wasn’t so easily fooled. While *Counter* worked by teleporting behind the opponent, there was still a physical movement involved. For someone who could follow those movements with their eyes, it was nothing more than a quick dash.
*Clang.*
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Eleanora easily stepped forward and swung her sword twice in a simple motion. Yet, even with that straightforward attack, Park Jung-gwon fell into her rhythm. Before he could react, her sword was already aimed at his waist, striking just as his invulnerability from the counter wore off. He barely managed to use a backward dodge.
*Tap, tap!* *Swoosh!*
As soon as the gap between them widened, Park Jung-gwon lunged forward, his sword aimed at Eleanora’s waist. His movement sped up in an instant.
The swordsman’s *Quick Slash*.
A technique that allows one to cut down the opponent with blinding speed.
Eleanora didn’t miss a beat, even with that speed. The path of the slash was a straightforward line, and she simply shifted her body to the left while swinging her sword horizontally. The *Quick Slash* had invulnerability properties, so Park Jung-gwon wasn’t hit, but Eleanora immediately followed him as his body passed by.
I gripped my hands tightly, waiting for Park Jung-gwon's next move.
"He better move quickly, or he’ll get caught in the *Quick Slash* delay."
After using *Quick Slash*, there’s a brief moment of vulnerability.
I’d learned that the hard way myself when an ancient hero left a hole in my chest. Would Master Eleanora miss that opening?
*Tap.*
"Hah."
Before anyone realized it, Eleanora had already moved behind Park Jung-gwon and placed her sword at his throat.
"Not bad. So this is how the ‘Adventurers from the Stars’ fight. But it's not enough. Who’s next?"
*Oooohhh—!*
A mixture of disappointment and awe echoed through the players.
"Holy crap... She’s strong!"
"Park Jung-gwon didn’t even stand a chance!"
"Shut up! Why don’t you try fighting her yourself!"
Park Jung-gwon shouted at the Skada raid members, his face red with frustration.
"Wouldn’t it be best if we all jumped in together, like we would with a raid boss?"
"Hmm, I don’t know. With event bosses like this, the more people there are, the stronger they become. She’s a Master, after all. In the stories, Masters can fire off sword energy everywhere. She might end up slashing all around us."
The Skada raid group began discussing strategies.
*Clang.*
"Well, I guess it’s our turn."
*Deathmaster* stood up beside Chris and me, stepping onto the training ground.
"Go, Deathmaster! Show them what Hongbaek’s main tank can do!"
"Go, senior! I knew you’d be the one!"
Eleanora looked at Deathmaster as he entered the arena and said,
"A martial artist this time? Come at me with everything you’ve got."
*Clap, clap.*
*Taptap.*
Deathmaster raised his fists, clad in gauntlets, and began moving lightly with his footwork.
"Swordsmanship is impressive, for sure."
Then, he grinned through his guard.
"But Earth’s boxing, combined with Astria Online’s skills, packs a punch too."
---
*Boom! Clang, clang, clang!*
Deathmaster put up a better fight than Park Jung-gwon. He skillfully used the martial artist's *Counter*, successfully timing just guards to exploit the invulnerability window and continue his assault.
*Pop, pop, pop!*
His gauntlet-clad fist shot toward Eleanora’s face with lightning speed. Eleanora twisted her body slightly, swinging her sword in response. *Swoosh.* Deathmaster moved to her back with a swift step, aiming a kick at her from behind. It was a rising kick designed to trigger the *Aerial* status. *Thud!* Although it was blocked, it succeeded in making Eleanora’s eyes flicker with intrigue.
Chris, watching Deathmaster, wore a proud expression.
"His punches are fast, right? Those are jabs, used to distract the opponent."
"Ah, so that’s how it works. He really is the number one ranked fighter in the arena."
I nodded in agreement.
Deathmaster had clearly devised his own strategy after watching the duel between Park Jung-gwon and Eleanora. To fight this knight, he couldn’t rely on standard PvE tactics. The key wasn’t to land heavy-hitting skills but to make sure his strikes connected. This was both a named boss fight and a PvP battle.
Back when I faced the ancient hero, I had used a similar approach, targeting the gaps in their defense and landing strikes through sheer skill rather than powerful abilities. Deathmaster possessed the right qualities to “conquer” Eleanora in this fight.
But could our Hongbaek guild’s martial artist handle Eleanora’s true offensive?
*Clang, clang!*
Even while exchanging blows, the sound of fast punches and sword strikes filled the air.
Deathmaster’s eyes shifted. He was ready to go all in.
*Tap.*
Deathmaster lowered his stance, ducking under Eleanora’s incoming thrust, narrowly dodging to the left. In this low position, he quickly advanced toward her waist. A weaving body blow?
*Whooosh!*
With a sharp sound, Deathmaster’s right fist—this time not a jab but a full-strength punch—whizzed through the air. But, as expected from a Master, Eleanora easily twisted her body to avoid it. With Deathmaster overextended from his powerful swing, his posture became unsteady. Eleanora seized the opportunity and slashed at his exposed back.
*Swoosh.* Deathmaster’s figure flickered, and Eleanora’s sword sliced through the air.
"A rear dodge-counter? No, for a martial artist, it’s called a rear *step*."
Skada’s swordsman, Park Jung-gwon, exclaimed in surprise.
When an opponent tries to target your back, you can use a counter to return to your original position—a technique I often used against the second boss of the *Abyssal Tree*, *Zakham*.
*Boom!*
Deathmaster successfully managed to get behind Eleanora for the first time, stomping down with a powerful step. His skill *Advance* created a short stun effect within a 360-degree radius. Eleanora’s balance faltered slightly. Then, using his right foot as leverage, Deathmaster’s heel twisted sharply, sending his right fist flying at high speed.
A straight punch, the *Boom Fist*.
*Whoosh! Boom!*
*Ssss.*
A loud explosion echoed, and Eleanora was pushed back several steps.
In that brief moment, Eleanora had raised her sword diagonally to block Deathmaster’s *Boom Fist*.
Eleanora looked at Deathmaster with sharp eyes, then spoke a single word.
"Good."
---
It almost seemed as though he had gained the upper hand.
Even though Eleanora had blocked the attack, Deathmaster had successfully pushed her back with a strong skill.
But then, Eleanora's movements suddenly changed.
"D-Damn it!"
Deathmaster was flustered. Her sword, which had been slow enough for him to counter earlier, now moved at a blinding speed, tracing strange trajectories as it targeted him from every direction.
*Clang, clang, clang!*
Deathmaster could barely manage to raise his gauntlets to block her attacks. His *Counter* skill only covered a 180-degree range in front of him, but Eleanora’s sword—
*Swoosh!*
Deathmaster saw the sword aiming for his left side and tried to trigger a just guard, but the sword moved like a snake, targeting just outside his counter range—slightly behind him. He hurriedly canceled his counter stance and barely managed to block with his gauntlets.
*Clang!*
"Ugh, I’m not a swordsman!"
Deathmaster grumbled in frustration.
The *Block* of a swordsman and the *Counter* of a martial artist each had their strengths and weaknesses. But Eleanora was no longer making any counterable attacks. Deathmaster had no choice but to turtle up, relying on his gauntlets alone to defend against the barrage of attacks, as if warding off punches from all directions.
Eleanora’s sword danced like a serpent. One moment, it seemed to aim left, then suddenly shot toward the right. Its trajectory constantly changed. Every time her sword escaped the range of
his counter, Deathmaster couldn’t find an opening to retaliate.
Chris, watching the duel with sharp eyes, spoke.
"Her attacks are incredibly fast now. And the sword’s trajectory is weird. It’s like a snake. It’s definitely different from before."
"It’s her second phase."
I knew what was happening with Eleanora’s body.
She was now drawing upon her mana.
As a Master, Eleanora could, of course, amplify her physical abilities with mana. Her attacks were stronger, and her movements were faster. From this point on, it wasn’t PvP anymore. She was overpowering him with stats, clearly a named boss fight.
But that style of hers annoyed me.
Eleanora’s swordsmanship, blending feints and real attacks to disorient her opponent, reminded me of a snake.
I pouted.
"That’s not Melissa’s swordsmanship."
Even though she carried the title of Master, she still relied on such cheap tricks?
I’d have to set her straight.