After a long and arduous period of contemplation, the answer I arrived at was clear.
“Alright. I’ll prove it.”
My thoughts were finally organized.
It was undoubtedly going to be a dangerous endeavor, but it was worth the risk.
No matter how much of a coward I might be, I couldn’t avoid this duel that might grant me the two things I so desperately desired.
If I were to shy away from such a choice, I wouldn’t just be a coward—I’d be a fool.
“Oh? I didn’t expect you to have such courage.”
Riera seemed genuinely surprised when I accepted the duel.
She probably didn’t anticipate that I would agree so readily.
After all, from a conventional standpoint, there was no way I could defeat her.
“Or have you lost your mind?”
But soon after, she chuckled and sneered at me.
While she acknowledged my courage, her attitude made it clear that she thought my actions were utterly foolish.
Her confidence was palpable.
Well, as the final boss of this chapter, it would be strange if she lacked confidence against an extra like me.
“Maid Captain.”
“Yes, Lord.”
“Is the training ground available now?”
“Yes, it is ready for use.”
In any case, the duel was set.
From Eliza’s words, it seemed there was no need for any preparation time.
“Follow me.”
There was no turning back now.
With a look that said she was ready to kill me, she took the lead.
My heart pounding, I followed behind her.
###
‘Now this feels like a true dark fantasy.’
How would I describe my current mood?
It felt like being led to a slaughterhouse.
Despite knowing that a difficult task lay ahead, there was no way out of this situation.
This, I thought, must be the true essence of a dark fantasy.
For the first time in a while, I felt that this world was indeed a dark fantasy.
‘It didn’t feel much like a dark fantasy before.’
On the other hand, until recently, this world didn’t feel much like a dark fantasy at all.
Considering the events that had transpired lately, it was hard to call it a dark fantasy without some reservations.
Of course, one shouldn’t judge by appearances alone, and the true horror of a dark fantasy lies in its underlying essence.
But still, it was hard to shake off the feeling.
This chilling sensation I felt now made me truly realize that this world was indeed a dark fantasy.
“Then, let the duel for the position of the head of the Kaltz family begin. Lady Riera, Master Rovan, please take your positions.”
Well, I should set aside such reflections and focus on the duel.
It was a luxury to be thinking about such things now.
Danger was right in front of me.
I decided to concentrate all my efforts on overcoming this immediate crisis.
‘Her stats aren’t particularly special.’
In that regard, analyzing Riera Kaltz’s combat capabilities, her stats weren’t the main issue.
[Strength F, Endurance F, Agility E, Magic B, Luck D, Skill B]
Her stats weren’t exceptionally high.
Of course, by human standards, they were quite impressive, but compared to the protagonist and other bosses, they weren’t extraordinary.
That was a relief, but the real problem lay in her skills.
[B-rank Skill: Blood of Kaltz]
[As one chosen by the blood of the hero Kaltz, all stats temporarily increase during combat, and a talent buff is added specifically for swordsmanship.]
[C-rank Skill: Lower Magic Expert]
[When using intermediate or higher magic, there is a 200% mana consumption penalty. However, lower magic deals an additional 200% damage.]
[C-rank Skill: Multi-Casting]
[While casting a spell, another spell can be cast simultaneously. The lower the rank of the magic, the more gates can be opened, and casting speed increases up to 100%.]
These were her unique skills.
‘At first glance, they didn’t seem impressive.’
At first glance, they might not seem particularly remarkable.
She didn’t have any A-rank or higher unique skills, and compared to the skills possessed by the protagonist and Eliza, they lacked impact.
Especially the second skill, which imposes a risk when using intermediate or higher magic, and only allows effective use of lower magic.
One might think, “Is that all?”
But that’s not the case.
She is the owner of an absurdly powerful skill set.
‘Using lower magic with the power of intermediate magic is insane.’
Her strength lay in her lower magic.
With a 200% damage boost, her lower magic was practically on par with intermediate magic.
Yet, she could cast such powerful magic with the mana cost of lower magic.
Generally, if we consider high-level magic to cost 20, intermediate magic 5, and lower magic 1 in terms of mana consumption.
The efficiency with which she could cast magic was nothing short of cheating.
It was as if she had five times the mana pool of a normal person.
‘And she can spam it with multi-casting.’
But the fact that she could unleash such magic in large quantities was truly game-breaking.
Normally, one cannot cast multiple spells simultaneously.
Intermediate magic costs five times the mana of lower magic but only delivers three times the power, right?
If one could cast multiple spells at once, everyone would just spam lower magic.
But since that’s not possible, people opt for more efficient magic.
Of course, not all magic follows this exact ratio, and some spells are both mana-efficient and powerful, but generally, this principle holds.
This explains just how absurd her skills are.
She can spam lower magic with the power of intermediate magic at an insane rate.
It’s like wielding a minigun in modern terms.
In terms of sheer firepower, even the protagonist wouldn’t be able to match her until much later in the story.
‘Can I hold out?’
Facing such a monster in a duel, it’s hard not to worry.
I was quite anxious.
But it wasn’t entirely hopeless.
“Begin!”
As the duel started, magic began to cast behind her.
“Fireball.”
With her arms crossed, Riera casually cast a spell at me.
She cast five fireballs in succession.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, bang!
The fireballs, with the power of grenades, flew towards me.
I mustered all my strength to barely dodge her attacks.
“Not bad at dodging.”
It’s probably because you’re still inexperienced.
Riera complimented me as if I were a cute child, but I knew the truth.
At this point in time, she wasn’t fully developed.
‘At this stage, she’s still researching magic and has little combat experience.’
Generally, when one thinks of a mage in a fantasy world, they imagine a battle mage who uses magic in combat.
But not all mages are good at fighting.
Only those who learn combat magic and use it in battle are battle mages.
Otherwise, they’re more like researchers in modern terms.
In that sense, Riera has skills tailored for combat magic, but she’s still just a researcher.
Thus, her magic’s precision and speed are significantly inferior to what they would be two years later when she would face the protagonist.
That’s why, even with my limited abilities as an extra, knowing her attack patterns allowed me to dodge her spells easily.
Of course, I’m not entirely an extra; I also have the blood of Kaltz, so my basic stats are above that of an extra.
“Of course, I don’t know if you can keep that up.”
“…”
But her words were accurate.
The overwhelming difference in power was still there.
Even with her less refined and slower magic, she was more than capable of defeating me.
No matter how much I tried to outmaneuver her, my chances of survival were slim.
As time went on, my stamina would wane, while she would remain composed.
My defeat seemed inevitable.
“I have no intention of just dodging.”
So, I had no plans to drag this out.
I used the skill stone I had been carrying.
As I willed it to activate, the stone flashed and enveloped me.
‘Please, let it be a good skill.’
I had met all the necessary conditions.
Now, it was all up to luck.
I prayed fervently for a skill that could turn the tide in my favor.
‘As expected, I’m quite lucky.’
I smiled.