Lost in thought, Reon barely noticed—until a soft, melodic voice snapped him from his daze.
"Pleased to meet you, Xue Taiyang. I am Yi Ran."
The girl before him beamed, her smile bright and inviting, like sunlight piercing through the morning mist.
Here it comes.
A chill ran down Reon's spine.
"Haha... seems like I've been targeted."
Having read the novel, he knew that smile all too well—the deceptive warmth of Yi Ran, a girl who never smiled without a reason.
When she found someone useful, she knew exactly how to make them work for her.
How to twist them into playing her game.
And now, she was looking at him.
"I need to be careful with her."
Forcing a polite smile, Reon replied, "Nice to meet you too."
But before he could say more, Yi Ran tilted her head slightly, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Who will you choose between me and Yang Lie to fight? You'll pick me, right? Xue Taiyang?"
Her voice was light, teasing, yet her gaze held an intensity that sent a ripple of unease through him.
"I can tell you're strong. A worthy opponent."
"That's..."
Reon stiffened.
How did she know?
Where did she get the idea that I was powerful?
His thoughts raced.
Before he could answer, another voice cut in.
"What are you talking about, Yi Ran?"
A shadow loomed behind her.
Yang Lie.
His presence alone sent a tense charge through the air.
"He will only choose to fight me."
Yi Ran turned to him, her expression shifting.
A mocking smirk played at her lips.
"You? A loser?" she scoffed, her eyes glinting with amusement. "Even with your so-called legendary abilities, you still lost to me so pathetically in the previous Monthly Dueling Event."
Reon froze.
"Wait... they've already fought?"
"Then shouldn't she already be on good terms with him? Shouldn't she acknowledge his strength and use it to her advantage instead?"
Why was she antagonizing him?
Something isn't right.
Yang Lie's jaw clenched.
"That was a month ago." His voice was edged with grit and determination. "I'm far stronger now."
Yi Ran's smirk deepened.
"Oh? Then why don't we put that to the test?" she challenged.
Her tone dripped with amusement, yet the tension in the air was anything but playful.
"Let's see who's stronger. The winner gets to fight Xue Taiyang."
Yang Lie's eyes sharpened.
"Fine. I accept."
Yi Ran smirked. "Xue Taiyang, wait for me. Once I defeat him, I'll duel you next."
"Haha..."
Reon offered a strained smile but remained silent.
A charged silence settled between them, before—
"Wait... what's going on?"
Reon turned to see two figures watching in shock.
Zi Chen and Rou Jin.
Zi Chen narrowed his eyes, murmuring, "Why are Yi Ran and Yang Lie fighting over someone who isn't even in the top ten?"
Rou Jin, however, had a completely different reaction.
"Forget that! I want to fight Yang Lie!" he announced, cracking his knuckles.
Zi Chen spun toward him. "What? I called dibs first, you bastard!"
Rou Jin flexed his muscular arms, his grin defiant. "So what? I want to fight him now."
Zi Chen's eye twitched.
"You muscle-headed idiot! Fine! Let's settle this like them—the winner fights Yang Lie!"
With a flick of his wrist, he summoned his sword from his Spatial Ring.
Rou Jin grinned. "Bring it on. Let's see if I can beat you now."
Reon let out a long sigh.
"These people..."
He turned away, shaking his head.
"They can do whatever they want. I just want my reward and to get out of here."
With that, he headed toward the Minor Elder, who was overseeing the Monthly Dueling Event and would be distributing the rewards.
But just as he stepped forward—
[Ding!]
Reon froze.
A familiar chime echoed in his mind.
A screen materialized before him.
His stomach twisted.
"A task? Now?"
A bad feeling curled in his chest.
[The Host has been given four options to choose from. Please select one option carefully.]
.
[Option 1: Fight Yang Lie and defeat him.
Reward: A Bow Technique (Rare-Grade)]
[Option 2: Fight Yi Ran and defeat her.
Reward: A Dagger (Rare-Grade)]
[Option 3: Fight both Yang Lie and Yi Ran and utterly defeat them in front of everyone.
Reward: A Dagger Technique (Rare-Grade)]
[Option 4: Last 10 moves against Yi Ran and reveal the reason behind her approach.
Reward: Digital Mini Map (Epic-Grade)]
.
Reon's eyes narrowed.
Option 1.
"Defeat Yang Lie? I might be able to if Cloudia lends a hand, but I don't want to attract too much attention—not before dealing with Niu Ling. That could get the Crown Prince's eyes on me."
No. Too risky.
He scanned further.
Option 2.
"Fighting Yi Ran? Same problem. And honestly... can I even defeat her?"
"Maybe—just barely—with both my beasts."
But again, it wasn't worth the risk for a mere Rare-Grade Dagger.
His gaze fell on Option 3.
He almost laughed.
"Utterly defeat both of them? In front of everyone? What kind of joke is this? "
Impossible.
Finally, his eyes landed on Option 4.
And his breath hitched.
"An... Epic-Grade reward?"
"Not Unique, but the system is giving me an Epic-Grade reward, jumping over an entire grade?"
His pulse quickened.
Jackpot.
While it wasn't an offensive or defensive reward, a map could be used in countless ways.
And the best part?
He had been planning to investigate Yi Ran anyway.
"I was going to figure out her reason for approaching me regardless... So this is like killing two birds with one stone."
His lips curled into a smirk.
His choice was clear.
"I choose Option 4."