John took great strides and stormed across the room, drawing attention from everyone as he quickly closed the distance between him and Elliot.
Elliot opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly frowned when a system announcement appeared in front of him.
[John Clark is proposing a duel to you.]
The system announcement appeared simultaneously with John's voice.
"Elliot Clark, I challenge you to a duel—by the rules of the System!"
After that, several system announcements appeared in front of them, outlining the rules, conditions, and types of duels that existed.
It was all the confirmation John needed—Elliot had really awakened. He had been looking for him everywhere for several days, and as soon as he found out Elliot was here, he didn't waste any time and rushed over.
He wanted to verify whether or not the pest had really awakened, so when the system activated, John became serious; there was no room for doubt.
'He really awakened… The guy who everyone thought had zero talent.'
He smiled to himself. It was good that he had come now. If he had caught him when Elliot was still weak, killing him would have been way too easy. Although, of course, this would be a humiliating victory for him, but that didn't matter. He had always wanted to kill him since they were kids. And now that the hired assassins had all failed, it made sense that John would finally come himself.
Elliot frowned as he finished reading the rules, then fixed his gaze on John.
"You seem more desperate than I am, John Clark. But… I won't accept a duel of that kind if there's no bet. What a waste of time that would be."
"Oh? You want to run away, you bastard?" John growled, but the system notifications abruptly drowned out his voice. He looked at the interface in disbelief.
Somehow, among all the 1 vs 1 duel types available, he had already chosen one without realizing it. 'Why on earth did I choose that one? I want a battle to the death!' His mind screamed, trying to switch the option, but the system wouldn't allow him.
[ You can't change the duel type after it has been selected. Close the section and wait for the necessary cooldown period to issue another challenge. ]
'What the hell? I have to wait fifteen damn days to challenge him again? Shit…' John frowned and resigned himself. He had no choice but to continue with this duel to seize the moment.
Among the 1 vs 1 options, there were several types of duels: Battle to the Death, Arena Fight, Fight under Equal Conditions, Battle Royal, and Custom duels if you want a type of battle with specific rules.
But among those types, he had subconsciously selected the Arena Fight while challenging Elliot. This type of challenge was similar to the Death Battle, but with stricter rules. And most importantly, killing was forbidden in this kind of battle.
Well, technically, you could kill, since the system can't directly stop you, but doing so in a match where death was off-limits would result in the System executing the rule-breaker instantly.
And no one had the ability to prevent or stop it, not even a Saint.
Still, a Fight in the Arena didn't forbid you from crippling or miaming your opponent. And although John thought it was regrettable, he realized that he could live with it.
'In fact… crippling him would be even better than killing him. It would make him suffer even more…' His lips curled into a sinister smile, his face immediately revealed his intentions towards Elliot, but he didn't care.
"So?" he asked. "What are you planning to bet? The system's waiting."
'Right—the bet.'
John thought quickly and made up his mind without putting much thought into it.
"100,000…"
Elliot turned and scoffed. "Do you think my registration time is worth a few measly dollars? Tsk. I really overestimated you." He then began to walk away, making John shout in panic.
"10..."
"An item awarded by the system," came a calm voice, interrupting John. "And an item from a Rank C Dungeon. That will be our bet."
The crowd shifted, their eyes widening as Alexander Clark suddenly stepped forward from among the onlookers who had gathered nearby once the word spread that two Awakened Ones were about to fight.
His sudden intrusion into the scene left several people gasping.
"He's a Master!"
"Master Alexander?! What the hell is he doing here?!"
"Oh my god…"
Those present had different reactions.
Fear, awe, and anxiety rippled through the crowd. Some admired him, while others instinctively backed away, afraid this guy would get involved in the fight.
Elliot frowned as well upon seeing the familiar face.
'So he came with backup. It seems they found out that I awakened… and now they're scared.' A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
This was good. He wanted to know exactly how wide the power gap between him and John was—because soon, everything would change.
Besides, the bet Alexander proposed… it was amazing.
"Even if you say that," Elliot said, "if you don't offer those items to the System right now, I can't trust it. The Clarks aren't exactly known for their honesty, you know?"
Alexander scowled. "Do you think that I, a Master, would swindle you?"
"Heh." Elliot scoffed. "You? A master? What Master's stuff do you even have? If you don't hurry up, I'll leave. I don't have time to waste on you."
Elliot turned to walk away again, forcing Alexander to act. Furious but restrained, he gritted his teeth and pulled out the items he had referred to a while ago.
'Bastard. You're lucky that you're in public. Otherwise, I would have killed you with my very hands.'
John didn't even glance at the items before submitting them to the system as part of the wager.
Elliot, on the other hand, examined them carefully. He wouldn't bother wasting his time if they weren't worth great value. And he was more interested in knowing what kind of loot Rank C dungeons and system rewards could produce.
Although it wasn't certain if he would win, Elliot figured that if he did win, he at least wanted to walk away with something worthwhile from these bastards.
'Oh…' His eyes sparkled with interest. 'A sword and an inner helmet—both Rank C.'
Items of that caliber were rarely seen around here. And if it weren't for the fact that Alexander had been so desperate to see Elliot dead, he wouldn't have gotten them out so easily. They were incredibly expensive, and although these particular ones barely have any decent attributes, the sword had one significant perk—it was free to use.
Anyone, regardless of their stats at any level, could use it. The helmet, on the other hand, required at least one attribute to be 25 points and a maximum of 60.
That kind of accessibility gave the sword an advantage over other weapons, and also made it more expensive.
Which was why Elliot grinned. "Well… My bet is…"
"You don't need to bet," Alexander interrupted coldly. "You have nothing that interests me. But I will impose a condition. When you lose, you must go and prostrate yourself in front of the Clark Mansion. Three days. Three nights. That will be enough."
Elliot stared at Alexander.
'He's confident he'll win. And if I lose… I'm afraid I will be allowed to leave this place alive.'
It was worrying. If he accepted the bet, the system would force him to fulfil it if he lost. There would be no escape.
He looked at John, who stood proudly before him.
'He's strong…'
Naturally, John still held a slight edge over him, although, surprisingly, it wasn't much. He seemed to radiate a kind of powerful energy. The problem was that his energy didn't belong to the calm, measured kind at all; it was too wild, chaotic. It wasn't a flaw or a disadvantage, but a feature—one that was directly tied to his ability.
John was known as the Wind Swordsman, famed for his amazing skill that granted him a great advantage in terms of speed and precision.
The types of attacks and the style he executed mimicked that of a magical swordsman, which was why he was widely respected for his skill. However, despite his flashy ability, his overall growth remained stagnant. Some people awakened around the same time as him, who surpassed him in terms of raw power.
That's why Alexander was confident. Few people could manage to awaken abilities that could impersonate magic, and that gave them a great advantage.
Therefore, this battle wasn't going to be easy. It would be dangerous.
'But the last word has not yet been said.'
Elliot took a step back and accepted the duel. He didn't want to pass up the opportunity to beat this guy up.
"I hope you are prepared for the results."
The moment he accepted the duel, the system accepted the conditions imposed by John and his bet, making it official.
Then, from one moment to the next, everyone surrounded the area. There wasn't much room to fight a duel of this kind, but this huge room was enough.
Although the Association was concerned, they couldn't help it. The System's rules are clear, and duels in this type of establishment are totally allowed.