Chapter 37：The Duel

Hank's pupils shrank, and his angry expression slowly disappeared. His eyes went from Sean to the sword in his hand.

The sword shone brilliantly, emitting green, blue, and yellow lights from time to time. Although the light was feeble, it was still dazzling enough for everyone at the scene.

A Magical Weapon!

Hank's right fist slowly withdrew before he lowered it. He then looked at Sean again.

A few drops of blood trickled down from the back of Hank's fingers. Blood was dripping from the first joints of his four fingers on his right hand.

It was a very thin wound, only visible because of the blood that was oozing out of it.

The wound was so small that if he ignored it, the layer of skin on the fingers would heal after a few seconds. That was how Hank's physique worked.

However, the significance of the wound appearing was not ordinary.

The wound was real.

"So, it turns out that you have a magical weapon on you. No wonder you dared to be so arrogant." Hank snorted coldly, but he was not so stupid that he would continue his reckless attack.

He was well aware of his advantages. Even though he had his size and strength, which were significant advantages, he did not have a single weapon on him. As a bodyguard of the Black Cat Business Guild, the reason he had been able to stay alive until now was that his skills were strong enough, and he was a little bit smart. He would never attack a person with a magical weapon.

He would never do it, even if the weapon were only at a bronze level with little effect.

"Luck is also a part of strength."

Cecilia, who had stood up earlier, was now standing next to Sean. She raised her head slightly so that she could look at Hank face to face. It was evident that Cecilia was just a child. However, the feeling she was giving everyone was that she was not looking up at Hank, but instead, she was looking down at him with a sense of superior aura. It was a proud aura of someone from an ancient aristocrat clan. The aura was deeply embedded in Cecilia's bones, and right now, she was displaying it.

"Of course, a humanoid creature like you would not be able to understand the meaning of the words. Anyway, since the beginning, we have never tried to make you understand the broad and profound language and literature of humankind." Cecilia heavily emphasized the words "humanoid creature." The crisp voice of the child had an unspeakable mockery contained within it. It had once again brought Hank to the tipping point of becoming furious. "If you want Sean to lower the weapon in his hand and have a duel with you, then I advise you to get rid of the stupid idea as soon as possible."

With that, Cecilia reached out and patted her clothes. "Seriously, I wonder if idiocy is contagious."

The spirit of an aristocrat's nobility and mockery was performed exceptionally well by Cecilia.

Hank, who had already calmed down, clenched his fists again. He wanted to punch the little girl to death, but he knew doing so would lead to severe consequences.

He looked away angrily, then sneered at Sean. "So? When you said you wanted to have a battle with me, did you mean that you can have a weapon, but I can't? Huh, as expected of a mercenary who crossed through the Starfall Forest."

Compared to Cecilia, Hank's mockery was on the same level as someone in kindergarten.

Sean looked at Hank, a burly man, and wondered if his brain was not working. Hank was a muscular man who was not good with words. Still, he just had to compete against Cecilia, who was an aristocrat and gifted magician, in the logic of language and the ability to mock others. It was no different from suicide.

"I can't believe that someone as stupid as you exists in this world." Cecilia opened her eyes wide and made an exaggerated facial expression. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot that you are not human. I really shouldn't ask too much of a humanoid creature like you with such a low intelligence." With that, Cecilia turned towards Ron and said with a pitiful expression, "Doesn't the Black Cat Business Guild sell Intelligence Elixirs? Why did you only give him a name but not give him a bottle of the elixir? Could it be that there is no cure for him?"

Suddenly, the sound of someone gnashing their teeth could be heard.

"Cecilia, if you don't stop now, you will ruin him." Sean chuckled as he looked at Cecilia with a fond expression. However, when his eyes turned to Hank, there was only endless killing intent. "Let's go. I know you guys made a camp on the outskirts of the city. Get your weapon. After I take care of you, mixed breed, I will discuss the reward with the Black Cat Business Guild."

Ron suddenly felt a chill go down his body. He was dumbfounded, and he turned his head to look at Fox, who shook his head with a bitter smile.

The way things developed had utterly deviated from their expectations, as the duel was now inevitable.

"Good!" Hank's eyes fixed on Sean with the same murderous intent. "I will let you know that the weak should stay in their place!"

Both sides of the fight turned around and left. None of them paid any attention to Ron, who was the actual leader.

The temporary camp that was rebuilt by the Black Cat Business Guild was located on the outskirts of Arthur City. The makeshift camp had less than 30 people, nearly half of whom were injured in some way.

When the people saw Hank and others return, they all came out to greet them instinctively. However, when they felt the murderous aura that was being emitted from Hank's body, hardly anyone dared to approach him. It was clear that Hank had a certain degree of authority, whether Sean thought he deserved it or not. It might have been the reason why he had held onto his position as a commander.

Sean was not in the mood to think about Hank.

In the beginning, he was just waiting for Ron and others to come back and find him after they had suffered. Therefore, even if people were suspicious of him, Sean still stayed at the inn. After that, things turned out a little unexpected. However, it had developed in the direction Sean had thought it would in the end. He wanted to be the commander of the troop to make it easier to strategize for the dungeon. However, things had now turned into a duel. It made Sean angry.

The last thing Hank should have done was to try and hit Cecilia. Sean had long considered Cecilia as his relative.

Relatives were the limit to Sean's tolerance.

Hank walked into a tent that was big enough for four people. A moment later, he came out with a long-handled heavy hammer. Just as Sean had expected, Hank was indeed a Hercules who used a long weapon.

When Ron had called out Hank's name at the inn earlier, Sean gained a thorough understanding of the details regarding the enemy in front of him.

[Name: Hank].

[Race: Orcs (Bear Clan)]

[Combat Profession: Hercules (Rank Three)]

[Personal Attributes: Strength 33 (35); Endurance 25 (28); Agility 16 (22); Wisdom 15 (18); Will 20 (23)]

Hercules was a level 10 [Warrior] profession in the normal development stage. It was famous for its powerful strength.

Sean was familiar with almost every profession in the different development stages of the game "Miracle." Therefore, he was able to determine how thin Hank's bloodline was by only glancing at his personal attributes. The strength limit of an average adult human being was 10, while the strength growth limit of an average orc from the bear clan was 30. As a half-orc belonging to the bear clan, it was possible to have a fluctuating limit between 18 to 25. However, according to the strength growth limit of a level 10 Hercules, which was at 12 points, and deducting the strength growth limit of a rank one mercenary and a rank two warrior, the limit of Hank's strength growth of his race was only 4 points.

The strength of the bloodline was so weak that it had pretty much disappeared.

Although Sean had started a new profession as a [Scholar], it was still at level zero, because he did not have any experience points to assign. However, after taking into account the increase in various attributes of his equipment, Sean had 22 strength points, 16 endurance points, 20 agility points, 15 wisdom points, and 15 will points. The attributes obviously could not be compared with Hank's attributes, but they were formidable in their own right. However, the problem was that Sean's warrior profession was only at level five, and it was also a rank-two profession. Sean's agility, on the other hand, had already surpassed Hank.

It was good enough for a person who used swords skills.

The Charles' Sword was slowly unsheathed from its scabbard.

The [Philosopher] ring on Sean's finger emitted a glimmer that could not be seen by outsiders. Sean had completely calmed down, and all the voices from around him had disappeared. Hank was the only one left in the world.

Concentration!

[It is challenging to find anything that can distract a person. It will not be easy to interrupt when casting.]

Having the ability that made it easier to avoid being interrupted when casting was a skill that was not only useful to mages. There was a more accurate description in the game, but now it was the real world. In the real world in battle, it could be regarded as "spellcasting time." Therefore, the effect was also convenient for Sean.

As long as Sean was not disturbed by the outside world, he would not be distracted, which meant he would not be easily interrupted.

"If you beg for forgiveness now, you will have a chance to live." Sean's calmness, which was as still a stagnant pond, made Hank feel a little strange. He opened his mouth subconsciously but did not realize that it was an aggressive action of a coward. "If we do fight, I will not show any mercy!"

"Don't worry." Sean waved the Charles' Sword a few times to get a feel for it. Then, he casually responded, "I will show you mercy."

"Since you want to die so much, I will fulfill your wish!"

As soon as Hank clasped his right hand, he dashed towards Sean. His stride was like a wild bear.

The aura was shocking!

But Sean's expression did not change at all. To him, the astonishing aura was like a clown trying to entertain somebody. It did not stir Sean's heart at all. He only stared at Hank, silently counting the distance that was closing between them.

Ten meters!

Eight meters!

Six meters!

Four meters!

When the distance between them was only four meters, Sean finally moved.

His movement was like the wind and thunder!

Sean rushed towards Hank like a bolt of lightning. The distance of four meters seemed to be only one step forward for Sean.

Sprint!

Sean was able to control the power of his movements at will. He was also able to use the aura and speed bonus of the sprint. On the contrary, because Hank wanted to maintain his running posture and accumulate his momentum, a weakness had suddenly appeared. It should never have happened!

Stop! Horse stance! Low posture! Straighten sword!

The target was the throat!