Once he was prepared for his upcoming fight with Kang Oh, Dukeram headed for Moss Cave.

It was well-known that this soul dungeon was owned by Kang Oh. A few players who'd successfully defeated Teynos had fought Kang Oh in a Sacred Duel.

Dukeram wore the Steel Heart Armor set, a hit item that level 200 players wore like a uniform.

His face was concealed by a helmet, and he held a sword crafted by the Steel Heart Guild.

There were absolutely no signs that he was affiliated with the Empire Guild.

No one knew that this man was actually Dukeram.

However, it was quiet within the Moss Cave. In other words, there was almost no one here.

It seemed like the people that were here were focused on collecting materials, rather than actually hunting.

Dukeram's lips curled upwards. 'I can take care of the guardian without any interruptions.'

Popular soul dungeons often made you wait in line for a chance to defeat the guardian. Plus, other players could get in your way during the fight. 

There was a very low chance of that happening here.

Tramp.

Dukeram moved with measured steps. None of the monsters here could dare challenge him. His mere presence and dignity was too much for them to handle.

Sometime later...

He passed the cave, which was filled with large quantities of Luminous Moss, and found himself in front of a giant lake.

Dukeram placed the Luminous Moss into his mouth. It didn't really taste like anything.

[The Luminous Moss allows you to breathe underwater.]

[Remaining Time: 10 minutes]

Splash.

Once he entered the water, Kang Oh's underwater guardians came out to greet him.

He encountered a shark, a poisonous water snake, a mini kraken, etc.

Dukeram softly swung his sword.

Although the water slowed his sword down, it didn't pose much of a problem. The underwater monsters were no match for him.

'That's it.'

He saw a turtle idly swimming through the water. Dukeram fluttered his feet and followed the turtle.

The turtle acted as a compass that would allow the player to navigate their way through the complicated, intertwined underwater caves and find Teyno's Nest.

Sometime later...

Dukeram finally reached Teyno's Nest.

[You have discovered Slowpoke Teynos.]

A monster turtle stood before him.

They engaged in battle immediately. However, Dukeram attacked it one-sidedly.

'It's quite tough.'

He could feel how tough it was with every sword strike. Once he started dealing damage, however, Dukeram noticed that shards of light were falling from his body too.

'It reflects damage, huh.'

To be more specific, it dealt a certain percentage of the damage it took back onto its opponent.

Moreover...

"Eliminating the intruder." Teyno's eyes glowed.

Tsunami of Vengeance!

All of a sudden, water surged from the ground, transforming into a giant tsunami that came rushing towards Dukeram.

Then, Dukeram's blade radiated golden light.

Sword that Brings Victory!

Boom!

The tsunami was cleaved in half, and the golden pillar of light struck Teyno's body.

"Ugh," Teynos cried out.

Dukeram's secret move was just that powerful.

Tap.

Dukeram quickly rushed at Teynos and swung his sword.

Swish, slash! Swish, slash!

Dukeram continuously attacked the tiny wound that was inflicted by Sword that Brings Victory.

He was incredibly precise. His strength and speed were equally as impressive.

The wound widened more and more, and red shards of light fell from Teyno's body.

Of course, Reflecting Pain inflicted damage to Dukeram too. However, it wasn't much of a problem. He was confident that he'd be able to defeat Teynos before his HP was depleted!

However, something unexpected happened.

Crack!

Dukeram's blade broke into pieces.

'It broke too easily.'

It was a cheap sword anyway. There was no way it'd be able to withstand a Master's might. Moreover, it had struck Teyno's tough body over and over again.

Dukeram dropped his severed blade onto the ground. Then, he pulled out his favorite weapon.

Switch Max Cain.

It was part of the Max Series of swords, created by the legendary blacksmith, Max himself!

The beautiful sky blue sword with glittering stars had made its appearance.

After that, there was nothing that could stop him.

Even Teynos couldn't contend with Dukeram's attack power when wielding Max Cain.

What was even more impressive was the fact that Dukeram didn't use 'defense nullification' or 'healing debuff' abilities. He simply overpowered Teynos.

"Give me the soul stone." Dukeram extended his hand.

"...Fine." Teynos surrendered the soul stone, which was engraved with a turtle's shell.

[You have grabbed an owned soul stone.]

[A Sacred Duel will now begin to determine the dungeon's master.]

[The victor can only be determined in a one-on-one fight. No one else can help you.]

[Summoning Moss Cave's master.]

[10]

[9]

...

Dukeram removed his inconspicuous clothing, and equipped his normal equipment.

Invincible Tarsonis Armor set!

Violent Giant Agunta's Belt!

Honorable Valhalla's Necklace!

The Eternal Ring, and the Split Second Ring!

[2]

[1]

'C'mon, Kang Oh!'

* * *

Mt. Helver was the highest mountaintop in the Phamas Mountains, and was also considered Arth's most dangerous region.

The God of Creation had changed this area significantly.

The Phamas Mountains were raised, making Mt. Helver even higher than before. Plus, the Galmadra, a new monster with large mouths and feet, now spawned in this area.

Perhaps it would be appropriate to compare it to the Great Forest's Kruger, but a more mountainous version of it. What differentiated it though was the fact that it traveled in packs.

They were so brutal that even the Cyclops, which lived in solitude, traveled in groups of two or three following their appearance.

Some lone Cyclops had already been killed by them.

There were more dangerous locations now, and the lay of the land had also changed. The map he'd created previously was almost completely useless now.

The climate had become more unforgiving too.

Lightning struck Mt. Helvert, and the frequency at which this lightning came had increased.

However, the lightning, the changed topography, the group of Galmadras or Cyclops couldn't stop Kang Oh.

'As expected.' Kang Oh's eyes gleamed.

He had come here for two reasons.

First, to look for new dungeons.

Most of the dungeons had already been found, except for the ones in the most dangerous locations like the Great Forest's Central Region or Mt. Helver.

Thus, there was a high chance that there were dungeons in these places.

He was proven right.

Kang Oh discovered a new dungeon mid-mountain, which resembled ancient ruins.

[You have discovered the dungeon, Lava Demon Eurasis's Ruins.]

[You are the first to discover it.]

[Fame has increased.]

[Hunting within Eurasis's Ruins yields twice the experience. Item drop rate is also doubled.]

Kang Oh smiled in satisfaction.

'Two times the experience, and a higher chance for drops!'

The difficulty level of a dungeon in Mt. Helver would be high too.

Chirp!

Rudy, who sat within Kang Oh's buxom, popped its head out.

"Wait just a little bit longer. Daddy will feed you some tasty flames later."

There was another reason Kang Oh had come here.

The Great Temple of Lava was located at the top of the mountain. It was basically a buffet for Rudy, who grew by eating flames!

Chirp!

Rudy flapped its tiny wings in delight.

"First, let's go inside the dungeon."

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

'Ok, dad.'

However...

He received an unexpected system message.

[The soul stone has been stolen from Moss Cave's guardian, Teynos.]

[You have not chosen a proxy.]

[Would you like to represent yourself in the Sacred Duel?]

[If you refuse, or are defeated in the Sacred Duel, then you will lose ownership of the Moss Cave.]

[10]

[9]

...

"I'll fight in the Sacred Duel myself," Kang Oh yelled confidently.

Whir.

Bright light softly wrapped around his body.

A short while later..

Kang Oh walked out of the pillar of light that surged from Teyno's Nest.

Then, Kang Oh's eyes widened. Dukeram was the last person he was expecting.

"...Dukeram."

"Kang Oh."

Dukeram, better known as the One and Only God, or Emperor, smiled.

* * *

A ring of light appeared on the floor. If someone else were with Dukeram, then they would have been pushed out of the circle.

[The Sacred Duel has begun.]

[If your opponent's HP reaches 0 or they surrender, then you win.]

[You have one hour to complete the fight. If you cannot defeat the dungeon's master within 1 hour, then the duel will end in your defeat.]

[All skill, spell, and item effect cooldowns have been reset. They are only reset during the Sacred Duel. They will go back on cooldown once the Sacred Duel ends.]

"You're not here for the dungeon, are you?" Kang Oh asked.

Dukeram giggled. "This dungeon is nothing more than a neighborhood mom-and-pop store compared to the kingdom."

Once he'd gained control of the three eastern kingdoms, Dukeram had lost all interest in soul dungeons.

"So you're here for me..."

"Yes. I wanted to talk to you."

"For?"

"Mm. First, I'd like to offer you a place in my guild. Would you like to join the Empire Guild?"

Dukeram's goal was to assess Kang Oh's strength.

If he had truly broken his limitations and was on his path to becoming a Grandmaster, then he needed to assess him before he could create any countermeasures.

Honestly though, him joining them was the best possible scenario. They would get rid of an obstacle in their way, and gain a huge amount of power.

"You can have the vice-captain spot, a high position in the kingdom, and however much you want as a down payment."

"I'll think about it if you're willing to hand over your spot," Kang Oh said.

'Give me your spot!'

It was pretty much a flat out refusal.

"As I thought."

Kang Oh wasn't the type of person that could work under others.

"I heard you became a Master. Let's fight for real."

Dukeram was feeling really competitive. 'Let's see who's stronger!'

That was what Kang Oh was hoping for.

In the past, Kang Oh had fought against Dukeram in the desert. He had lost. Kang Oh had never forgotten that painful loss.

It was time to replace that painful memory with the sweet taste of victory.

"Things won't go like last time." Kang Oh's eyes lit up.

"We'll see." Dukeram pointed Max Cain at Kang Oh, sporting a serious expression.

Kang Oh quickly used Switch, and pulled out both Blood and Sarahoff.

The once relaxed vibe suddenly became tense.

At that moment...

Chirp!

Rudy popped out of Kang Oh's buxom and flew away. It was smart enough to know that it'd just get in the way.

And...!

Rudy's flapping wings were the signal that started the battle.

Kang Oh and Dukeram moved simultaneously. They were way too fast.

Dukeram started the battle off with a secret move.

Space-Time Slash!

A slash which distorted the laws of space and time came flying at Kang Oh's back.

Kang Oh predicted the attack via his Hyper Intuition, and blocked it with Blood.

Clang!

Blood rang out with a shrill 'clang'.

Vital Thrust!

Then, Dukeram swung his sword like a streak of lightning.

Slash!

Kang Oh swung Sarahoff downwards.

Clang!

The two blades clashed. After that, their blades met again and again.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

Dukeram furrowed his brow. 

'He really has changed.'

Kang Oh followed suit. 

'As expected of Dukeram!'

Rudy was the only one watching them. 

The battle between two men aiming for the top had begun.