Chapter 28

EP.28 Duel (2)

In "The Mage Knight of Merhen," the final boss of Chapter 3 of Act 6, "Fictitious Hell," is the Illusory Rifa.

Although her level is lower than what I knew, her attributes clearly identified her.

There was no way she could have appeared so early. Chapter 3 of Act 6 is part of the second semester of the first year. The fight with Rifa was still a long way off.

In "The Mage Knight of Merhen," during the second semester of the first year, in the "Four Constellations" part, the Illusory Rifa disguises herself as a human and becomes a friend of Ian Fairytail and his companions. She uses illusion and perception magic to alter people's perceptions, allowing her to infiltrate as a student.

If a player hadn't been spoiled, they would have initially thought Rifa was a new character. I did too at first.

However, as Act 6, Chapter 3 begins, it is revealed that the Illusory Rifa is a demon, and the battle to eliminate Rifa starts. At that time, her level is 150, and the difficulty was terrifying.

There had never been such a significant twist in the story.

Something I didn't know must have triggered the appearance of the Illusory Rifa.

The Illusory Rifa was a demon who had already manifested and lived in this world. She is one of the demons who adapted to life with intelligence.

Despite her mission to kill Ian Fairytail, who has the Light attribute, she could exercise caution.

I quickly thought it over.

Why did she appear so early? What could it be?

‘...Could it be?’

With a little thought, I could make a guess.

She has a friendly relationship with Alice Carroll, the student council president and the mastermind of Merhen Academy. It's not a deep alliance; they can betray each other at any time, so it's best to define it as a friendly relationship.

In the original story, it was clear that the man who would deal with the demon was Ian Fairytail. So, Alice and the Illusory Rifa only needed to watch Ian's progress. No matter how powerful the Fairytail family was, they could be eliminated by trapping Ian at the right time.

However, now the identity of the demon hunter is unknown. Alice must be anxious to find me. The Illusory Rifa likely took an interest in me, an unknown entity, after seeing Alice's reaction.

So, she couldn't resist and acted now.

The troublemaker first appeared during the class assignment evaluation, so it was likely a magic student.

This duel evaluation can gauge the strength of the first-year magic students. It's a perfect opportunity to identify the troublemaker.

‘Still, this is too fast.’

We just entered Act 3, Chapter 1, and the final boss of Act 6, Chapter 3 is already here...

Still, Rifa's current level is only 130. I should be able to defeat her in a one-on-one fight, but her specialty isn't just a straightforward fight.

The Rifa Elimination Battle takes place in [Fictitious Hell], an 8-star level, which is on par with the destruction of a nation. It's a magic that creates a new world, transcending the concept of illusion.

It's a unique magic that no one can replicate.

It doesn't emit mana and instead absorbs surrounding mana into its own world, making it undetectable, like a black hole absorbing light.

Rifa is the absolute ruler in that world. The magic realm is entirely her domain.

Without knowing the ‘strategy,’ even a level 180 powerhouse like Dorothy Heartnova would find it difficult to defeat Rifa in [Fictitious Hell]. What can you do when she becomes a god-like being?

Dying in that world means losing your mind, becoming a vegetable.

The ‘ordinary’ strategy is to avoid being caught in [Fictitious Hell].

‘What can I do?’

She enjoys toying with humans.

If she identifies the troublemaker, she will likely trap the entire Duke Hall in [Fictitious Hell] and start a deadly game. Ian will struggle to protect the people.

So, what should I do now?

“Ha! Are you praying to the sky? Too bad! You can't see the sky here!”

Tristan laughed loudly, then coughed.

I looked down at him.

I couldn't just casually duel here. This situation is a crisis, not a comfortable one.

I need to go to the rooftop quickly. But I can't just forfeit and run to the rooftop.

As Professor Fernando said, anyone who shows suspicious behavior will be restrained by the exam supervisors.

The duel evaluation encourages students to fight, and sometimes, due to the adrenaline, students cause accidents.

Therefore, anyone who acts rashly will be restrained and questioned about why they didn't follow the rules. How long that would take is uncertain.

You can only surrender after one minute. I can't just leave now.

Even if I decide to surrender, Tristan's magic will tear me apart in that minute. He seems determined to beat me to a pulp.

If I lose to Tristan, I won't be able to go after Rifa.

‘If I immediately focus on Rifa now?’

The [Evil Exterminator] trait would activate, making me stronger.

But if I don't want Alice Carroll to notice, I shouldn't do such a reckless thing in front of the students.

Even if the evaluation is kept secret, rumors among students can't be controlled.

‘So, the remaining option is...’

There was a best choice.

I made my decision and stared directly at Tristan.

“The means are unlimited. You cannot surrender for the first minute. Now, show respect to your opponent and begin the duel. Prepare! ...Duel start!”

The referee announced the rules and stepped back.

The duel with Tristan began.

“Kukukuku! I've been waiting for this! I can now mercilessly destroy your worthless face with my magic!”

I ignored whatever he said.

Focus. No room for mistakes. His level and magic power are far superior to mine. Once we start exchanging blows, I'll be in trouble.

I'll measure my current magic skills in the next duel.

For now, I need to carefully and quickly navigate this situation.

I wrapped my fingers with ice mana and shot it at Tristan.

* * *

The memory of the class assignment evaluation painfully reminded Tristan of his past.

A mere E-class magic power, a commoner with no special qualities.

He fell for his poor tactics and even lost to Kaya Astraean for some reason.

Tristan gritted his teeth.

He had always been revered.

Because he was special. He was so capable that he ranked in the top tier at the prestigious Merhen Academy!

So... it was absurd for him to lose to a mere E-class commoner. Something must have gone seriously wrong.

He intended to correct that mistake and make it clear to Isaac.

A mere E-class commoner like you can't even reach my feet. The class assignment evaluation was just a moment of carelessness.

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