Crowd cheers erupted from the afternoon event in the Coliseum. The Oblivion League was the most anticipated event of the afternoon, where prominent guilds tried to recruit participants who had survived the league. It was also an opportunity to gather information about the fighting styles of their future enemies.
Dexter and Stella were now waiting inside the barracks, where players who role-played as gladiators stayed until their turn.
'Their muscles are so bulky… not like mine,' Dexter thought as he scanned the area.
Dexter was now wearing both a Nature Staff and a Holy Staff — an unusual combination, as both staffs were solely focused on healing. While the Holy Staff excelled in burst healing, the Nature Staff specialized in regeneration. However, Dexter only cared about two features: Root and Resurrection. That was all he needed in case something happened to Stella.
He could change gear mid-combat, so the only problem he foresaw was being exposed. If that happened, it would be over. Fortunately, no one could attack him inside the Safe Area, so he wasn't truly in danger.
Dexter looked at Stella. Her sweaty forehead couldn't be hidden behind her bangs, and every now and then, she would take a deep breath and exhale, trying to calm herself.
"Stella… it's okay, baby. There's really nothing to worry about as long as I'm with you…"
"I'm so scared, Dex… I think I'll just stay a housewife… I-I promise I'll never leave for the Goblins again!" she said, stammering.
"Just one fight, okay? And then we'll go back home…"
After waiting for almost an hour, Dexter and Stella heard their new persona names announced from the arena.
"THIS… IS WHERE LEGENDS ARE MADE! TWO TEAMS ENTER — ONE WALKS OUT KING!"
The gate opens, revealing Stella and Dexter on one side and their two opponents on the other.
"IN THE RED CORNER… the chaotic, the UNSTOPPABLE, the masters of bonk-ology — IBONKSHEBONK! These maniacs don't just fight… they MEME THEIR WAY TO VICTORY! If you hear 'bonk'… IT'S ALREADY TOO LATE!"
The crowd chants, "Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!" as Stella unconsciously lifts her Holy Bonk Staff, sending erupting roars throughout the coliseum.
"AND IN THE BLUE CORNER… the razor-edged, the TWIN TERRORS — TWIN BLADES! Precision? Perfection? THEY INVENTED IT! Two fighters, one mind — cut so clean, their victims don't even realize they're dead!"
The crowd's cheers grow even louder. Stella's eyes shake, her body trembling — stage fright is taking hold, but Dexter won't let fear consume her.
After whispering the mantra he used back in his pro-league days (before the accident), Stella somehow calms down. With a few slow breaths and closed eyes, she steadies herself, returning to normal — sharper than before.
"Yes, I can do this... If not, I can no longer eat my favorite food..." Stella murmurs, gripping her Holy Bonk Staff tightly.
"Yes... And if you win, you can eat anything... everything you want..." Dexter whispers in her ear, slow and tempting. "Including me..."
"Including you..." Stella whispers back.
"Yes... Including me..." Dexter smiles beside her, his eyes locked on the enemy before them.
He looks at the two opponents standing with crossed blades, sunlight flickering off the steel. Surprisingly, there's a SHING sound every time the light reflects.
"ONE TEAM FIGHTS WITH LAUGHS… THE OTHER WITH LETHALITY! Will it be the BONK OF DOOM? Or the SLICE OF FATE?!"
"LOCK IN… AND LET'S! GET! VIOLENT!"
As the announcer's final words faded, Team Twin Blades rushed forward, activating the invisibility cloaks.
Dexter tapped the ground with his Nature Staff, triggering an AoE root spell that spread around him and Stella. These roots didn't just immobilize enemies — they also sent Dexter signals, alerting him to their positions.
Stella's grip on the Holy Bonk Staff tightened, and she held it behind her back, ready to deliver a crushing downward swing. Yet no enemies were in sight.
Then — a dagger flew toward Dexter, only to be effortlessly deflected by his Holy Staff.
"What? Too scared to get rooted?" Dexter taunted. "Why fear two healers when you're wielding twin katanas?"
The dagger-thrower cracked his neck, but his partner remained invisible. Dexter barely paid them any mind — his focus stayed locked on Stella, ready to act if danger struck.
Stella heard rustling leaves behind her. She immediately turned and swung her Holy Bonk Staff, but struck only air.
A moment after her staff hit the ground, twin katanas came slicing toward Stella through the empty space...
Oblivious to the blades nearing her, Stella survived only thanks to her cape — a masterpiece Dexter had crafted that automatically generated wind force every second to block or deflect attacks. While this made her nearly invincible, the System maintained balance: a single second's gap between wind pulses left her vulnerable. One well-timed strike could kill her if an opponent deciphered the pattern.
The attacker recoiled in shock as his slash deflected off Stella. Undeterred, he swung again — only to be deflected once more.
Though initially flustered, Stella quickly gathered herself and swung her Holy Bonk Staff at her assailant. But her movements proved too slow — the attacker managed to sneak in one final strike before dodging the massive, oddly-shaped staff's crushing blow.
Dexter watched the fight with growing irritation, though he couldn't show it in front of Stella — unless he wanted that Holy Bonk Staff smashed against his head.
'I should add another function to the crown,' he thought. 'Not just pain nullification... but invisibility detection too.'
'And maybe... another feature for the Holy Bonk Staff? Continuous attacks could progressively increase swing speed?'
The dagger-thrower didn't let Dexter remain idle either. Reactivating his invisibility, he crept toward Dexter — only to freeze when a Holy Staff suddenly pointed at him, blocking his path. When he tried sidestepping, shock ran through him as the staff tracked his movements perfectly, despite his supposed invisibility.
But unknown to him, Dexter's root anti-invisibility feature could only be produced through his Bracers Transformation.
Dexter slowly turned his head toward the invisible man. After flashing an innocent smile, he cast:
"Pollen of Truth."
The name was his own invention — no such skill existed naturally in Eldrion. If he could craft custom gear, why not create original skills too using his own bracers? This spell's sole purpose was to coat invisible targets around the caster with revealing pollen.
Far superior to clunky visibility-helms, this served as the perfect anti-invisibility solution.