Brian gave a disappointing sigh as he fiddled with the gaming helmet Ren handed to him.

“When you asked me to step out I thought you were inviting me for a manly fight.” Brian looked around him. They were now in an open space park near the store. Apart from the three of them there were only a few couples walking around in the park.

“You claim to be Knuckle but the boy’s hair in the video was black. Look at yours, it’s blonde. You look like a westerner-knock off, liar. There is no way that a yankee like you is Knuckle!” Ren pointed at Brian in vehement disapproval.

“Man, that was just my father dying my hair and forcing me to look more like him.” Brian scratched the back of his head then looked at Himari who was sitting on the grass observing the two. “Are you fine with this boss? I’d rather go back to work if this guy isn’t interested in fighting me.”

“I don’t mind. He paid us what we usually earn in a week. I am just happy that it’s not a fist fight.” Himari scrolled on a Samsang tablet that Ren lent to him. He said that she can watch their duel with the help of it. “Where am I supposed to go again?”

Himari had to close the shop early as she was worried about what might happen between the two. She also had to make sure that if they fought, it wouldn't be near her shop since it would be bad for her business. At first she wasn’t sure who to worry for but felt relieved that Ren was only planning on challenging his employee in a virtual fight.

“Just tap on the icon with two swords. The one that says Ethereal Fighters on the bottom.” Ren answered as he donned his gaming helmet and strapped it under his chin to keep it in place. “I suggest you wear yours as well. I am going to expose your lies now before you start spreading more false rumours.”

“This looks different from the one I am used to. Aren’t we supposed to attach it to a power box?” Brian asked while examining the in and outs of the gear. It looked more like a motorcycle helmet, he thought.

“Don’t underestimate technology, old man. That model can last for ten hours before running out of battery. Now put it on unless you are just scared.”

Hearing that hit a nerve in Brian that a few lines of veins popped out on the side of his head. “You better get your wallet ready once this is over. I am going to make you pay for this insult.”

“Hey! Don’t go mugging our customers now! I don’t want people thinking that we are running a shady business.” Himari shouted as she activated an app on her tablet getting a bird’s eye view of where they are. The park was empty on the screen even for the areas where they should be except for a blue blinking circle indicating where Ren was standing.

“Don’t worry Miss Himari. You’ve been very kind to me today and I would like to return the favor. I am not going to let any trouble go anywhere near your shop and that includes this fraud here.” Ren proclaimed with such intensity that made Himari feel embarrassed.

Brian had a disgusted look on his face as he observed his boss getting flustered and hiding her face behind the tablet like a schoolgirl. Deciding that it is not his business whoever her bosses get a crush on, he donned his gaming helmet the same way he saw Ren do.

At first there was nothing but darkness for Brian but after hearing a soft ding everything around him was illuminated. He could see that he was back in the park but there were no people around apart from himself. He was no longer wearing his helmet and in front of him was a question floating on the air.

[Knuckle wants to challenge you to a duel.]

[Do you accept? YES/NO?]

Brian raised his hand and pointed at the yes and the words dispersed and suddenly he could now see Ren standing a few meters in front of him. The same distance he was before wearing the helmet. He looked to where Himari should be but she wasn’t there. Ren smiled at him with a curious face.

“Why are you acting so surprised? The game scans the area and uses it as the arena for the duel. Only players would be able to see each other here.”

Ren waved a hand and a holographic screen appeared in front of him showing the faces of multiple characters. He picked on one of the faces and his form transformed completely. He was now a few inches shorter and was wearing a black hooded cloak and mask that covered his whole head except for his eyes which were glowing a faint blue similar to ice. Dark blue leather boots and gloves fitted his limbs. Both have multiple straps on them and on his chest is a leather armor that had the outline of a gray wolf. It was like a fighter from another realm was summoned to their world but Brian knew that it was only an illusion.

“It just amazes me everytime I use this. It always feels like being transported to another world but I always remember that it is just our mind playing the images the game wants us to see.” Brian created a fist in his hand and threw it in the direction of the hooded fighter. “I could throw a fist here but our real bodies are probably just standing right now. I’ve met people that move the same way both in game and the real world but they only play indoors to prevent hitting bystanders. Perhaps one day the developers could even create whole worlds instead of just scanning the area. It would be like living in another world.”

“Maybe, but I’m not interested in talking about that now. I still have meetings with my sponsors after this so I’d really prefer if you choose your fighter now and be exposed for the fraud that you are.” Ren’s voice can be heard directly in Brian’s ear despite the hooded figure being a few meters away.

Brian scanned through the faces until his eyes landed on a familiar picture. It was the face of a man with long straight hair and a pair of twisted horns. He also has tattoos on the side of his face that runs down to his neck. Brian had a smirk on his face as he read the name under the picture. DIABLO.

“Since you are new to the game I wouldn’t mind if you read on their abilities first.” Ren suggested as he took the pose of a boxer and threw some punches in the air.

“There is no need for that.” Brian pushed his finger on the holographic screen and it disappeared. A red neon circle appeared above Brian and went down his body transforming him as it passed him.

Brian now had the familiar look of a demon. His hands wore a demonic red gauntlet with claw like finger tips. His chest was bare and covered with tribal tattoos. On his back was a pair of black wings that flapped once releasing a few feathers before folding back. Gone are his familiar facial features but there remains a smirk on his face that said he was content with what he saw.

“It’s been a long time buddy,” Brian muttered to himself but before he could continue reminiscing he was interrupted when Ren’s hooded fighter appeared in front of him trying to slice his head off with a dagger. He was able to dodge the slice by tilting his head backwards but the sudden movement made him lose his balance and fall backwards on the ground. As Bryan lay flat on the ground Ren disappeared and reappeared behind his head with his dagger raised, ready to be stabbed downwards. Brian rolled to dodge the stab and then scrambled immediately to get himself in a standing position.

“Teleportation skill? That has to be one of the most annoying skills I’ve seen since I last played.” Brian bounced on his feet while eyeing his opponent.

“You still managed to dodge every hit despite not knowing my abilities. You have my respect for that but that is not enough to prove that you are Knuckle.” Ren threw his dagger towards Brian and disappeared out of vision. Brian parried the dagger with his arms and prepared for a follow-up attack but Ren had still not reappeared. Brian turned around expecting an attack from behind but his opponent wasn’t there. Brian maintained his pose while scanning the area that is until he felt the weight of a boot stepping on the back of his head making him drop face first onto the ground. The impact of the attack was so strong that it buried Brian’s face onto the ground, putting him in a position similar to a dogeza.

This damn brat. Brian felt humiliated knowing the position he is in.

Brian had to put both of his hands flat on the ground, as if he was bowing in prostration, just to get his face off the ground. Doing so further amplified his humiliation and anger that he can feel the veins on the side of his head popping out.

As soon as he was able to free his face from the ground he noticed that a small crater was left where his face was buried. There were rocks scattered around the crater and one of his hands moved the rocks to the side and to his surprise his body was able to interact with the debris. This made him curious as this was not a feature of the game he once knew.

A shadow loomed over Brian and he looked up to see the domineering figure of his opponent. The sun shone behind him giving him an even more intimidating figure.

“If I was taking this duel seriously I would have already stabbed you multiple times while you are on the ground.” Ren mocked his opponent who glared at him with an angry face.

Brian stood up slowly and met his opponent’s eyes. Ren’s eyes released a misty blue while Brian’s glowed a fiery red.

“You should have taken that opportunity to finish me off.” Brian looked at the health bar floating above him, cut down to 70% then at the hooded fighter in front of him. “You dare put me in such a humiliating position. Buddy, you are going to pay for that!”

“More words from a fraudster. I was expecting you to apologize but that doesn’t seem to be part of your vocabulary.” Ren jumped backwards and manifested a dagger in his hand and took a pose as if ready to slice. He then activated his teleporting skill again but this time Brian also activated one of his own.

[STRONG KICK]

Brian dashed sidewards leaving a dent on the ground the shape of his boots. Brian’s dash landed exactly where Ren reappeared and immediately threw a punch to the latter’s face. Ren dodged the punch with a quick head movement to the side but Brian immediately followed it up by gripping Ren on the neck tightly and raised his other fist slowly which glowed bright red.

[STRONG PUNCH]

The hit landed on the hooded fighter’s face making him fly sideways for a few meters which Brian ran after. As soon as Ren landed on the ground Brian attempted a soccer kick directly at the hooded fighter’s head but was dodged by a roll on the ground.

“Don’t even for a second think that we are done yet.” Brian shouted as he activated another skill.

[STRONG KICK]

Brian once again dashed in the direction of the hooded fighter but the latter disappeared and reappeared three times, each time reappearing further than the last time.

[BLINK]

[BLINK]

[BLINK]

Ren took a pose as he stared at the demon running towards him.

“I’ve seen Diablo players use the same tactic multiple times but no one does it as aggressively as you do.” Ren complimented the demon while taking a moment to observe his health bar, which has also fallen down to 74%. “You surprised me for a moment there but Diablo is a very simple champion. I am not going to fall for the same trick twice.”

“Oh, simple you say? I don’t think you are fully aware of everything Diablo is capable of.” Brian taunted as he threw a flying kick towards his opponent which was dodged easily.

Using his dagger, Ren engaged Brian in a close combat fight. They each threw attacks at each other which the other dodged or parried. Ren noticed that despite having the longer reach thanks to his weapon he was not able to land a single attack on his opponent but the same could be said for the demon who kept throwing punches at him.

“Diablo was knuckle’s signature champion back in Valhalla vs Ragnarok. He is a champion that Ethereal Fighters recycled after buying the IP from the original developers.”

Ren [BLINKED] away and then threw his dagger towards Brian.

“You talk a lot for a man. Real men talk with their fists!” Brian dodged the attack then placed himself in a sprinting position.

[STRONG KICK]

Brian dashed forward towards his opponent but Ren simply somersaulted away to keep the distance again. “The more I fight you, the more I am reminded of Knuckle’s movement..”

Brian shrugged. “That’s what I’ve been saying the entire time, kid.”

“Diablo’s first ability, Strong Kick. Channel for half a second to unleash a kick that is three times stronger than a regular kick attack. First thought of as simply a buff for a basic attack, you shocked the gaming world when you showed that it can be used to increase Diablo’s mobility in the arena.” Ren continued to narrate as he activated a skill to teleport farther away.

Brian picked up a stone and looked at the hooded figure. He threw one of the stones in the air but it didn’t go far.They sure are making efforts to make the game more realistic he thought. He pressed the rock on his skin and suddenly his health went down by 1%. This gave him an idea. He turned towards his opponent and then threw the rock in the air then activated a skill.

[STRONG PUNCH]

As the rock fell down Brian striked it with his glowing fist launching the object into the direction of the hooded figure which was dodged with a simple side step.

Ren was shocked at first but years of fighting in the game had helped develop a keen instinct for dodging unexpected attacks. “Of course there is the Strong Punch which is almost the same as the Strong Kick but for punches. I would admit, that is the first time I’ve seen anybody use it as a ranged attack. Sadly, I don’t see that becoming an effective attack. Then there is your third ability.” Ren manifested a dagger out of thin air and threw it at his opponent.

Brian stood upright with his feet apart and both his hands balled into a fist on the side of his hips. He looked like a karate practitioner about to perform his kata.

[PERFECT GUARD]

Electricity surged from Brian’s chest moving to his legs and feet. The dagger flew straight towards his chest but it bounced off and then faded into thin air.

Ren smiled as he was expecting this response from his opponent.

“Then there is the third skill, the Perfect Guard. It negates the impact of any damage for half a second so it needs to be timed perfectly and sure enough you were able to block my dagger.” Ren said with a hint of confidence in his voice. “The only problem is that Perfect Guard doesn’t defend well against abilities that deal damage per second like my poison daggers.”

Brian looked at his health bar and saw the color switch from green to purple. After a few seconds the percentage shown on the bar went from 70% to 69%.

“It takes a while to kill you but it can stack the more my daggers hit you. The only thing I haven’t mentioned is Diablo’s final ability, Damnation.” Ren summoned another dagger and teleported a short distance sideways before throwing his weapon at the demon. “Damnation is a skill Diablo players don’t usually use since it turns them immoblie for a few seconds but unleashes a powerful laser attack that can cut off half of an opponent’s health bar. It may be strong but extremely unreliable to use.”

Brian parried the dagger this time, making sure that he didn't touch the bladed part.

“You talk a lot for someone who’s supposed to be a pro at this game. Is there even a point in summarizing my abilities?” Brian’s voice sounded annoyed as he made a fist and punched the ground burying his whole fist in the ground. He pulled his hand out and revealed that it was grasping multiple rocks. “You must think that your teleporting cheat ability guarantees you a win here, don’t you?”

“I am just saying that your chosen champion is very predictable since it has a very simple design unlike newer ones like mine. The moment you chose Diablo, a first generation character, I already know I’ve won. More complex champions always beat simpler ones like yours. It is common sense for every Ethereal Fighter.”

[STRONG PUNCH]

As soon as Ren said those words he heard a sound similar to a gunshot then suddenly a rock hit him straight in the face bringing his health down to 54%.

Ren somersaulted backwards and teleported as well just to make sure he put enough distance between his opponent and him that he would be safe from any follow-up attack. The projectile this time seemed to be faster than the previous one he thought. But that is not possible since the abilities in the game are coded to produce the same amount of damage every time.

[STRONG PUNCH]

Here it comes again, Ren thought. Perhaps I was just careless that time. I need to watch my opponent carefully. The rocks he is using are small so it might be hard to notice but I would definitely dodge them.

Another loud bang rang loudly as another rock hit him in the stomach, reducing his health bar by 10%. The impact of the projectile doesn’t hurt the player but Ren felt his stomach crunch as the rock passed through his body.

[STRONG KICK]

Another gunshot and Ren instantly activated his [BLINK] ability teleporting him a short distance to the right just to avoid the projectile.

I didn’t see the projectile! I should have seen them. Is he cheating?

Before he could even think of an answer, he felt an ominous presence from behind making him teleport to the left just in time to dodge a downward punch to the ground from Brian. Seeing the demon’s fist buried in the ground again made him think that if he didn’t react enough that hit would have put him in a critical condition.

“Seems like your champion is not as sophisticated as you claim it to be.” Brian said as he pulled out his fist from the ground, which was already grasping a few more stones ready to serve as additional ammunition. “At first, I thought your teleporting skill must have a really low cooldown but that isn’t the case, isn't it? I now know that your first three abilities must be something like this, 1 short teleport, 2 medium teleport and 3 long teleportation which leaves your ultimate ability to be your stackable poison daggers. Am I right?”

Ren’s hooded fighter stood silently for a second before answering. “There is no doubt, you have to be Knuckle himself. You have the skill and fighting smarts to be able to match a pro player like me. But I still have my pride as a pro player so there is no way that I am going to let someone like you who has not played for ten years defeat me here!”

“Oh? Seems like you are ready to get serious. I guess it is about time we finish this then.”

The two fighters' eyes glowed red and blue contrasting each other. As if in agreement they ran straight forward at each other at the same time.

“LET'S DO THIS!”

“LET'S DO THIS!”

It has been almost half an hour since the two started their virtual fight and Himari still sat on the grass holding the tablet Ren lent her. She would utter words of amazement and even let out phrases like ‘that’s so cool’ at some point. It would have been an enjoyable experience for her but every now and then she would throw a look at the two men playing in front of her. They still had their so-called gaming helmets which looked like oversized motorcycle helmets for her. They would be screaming at each other while jumping up and down then point at each other. It baffles her how different their movements are in real life compared to the avatars they are controlling on the screen she is watching.

A mother walked by with her son who was pointing and laughing at the two men. The mother immediately pulled her kid away and told him not to laugh at others. Himari held the tablet in front of her face out of embarrassment. She was aware of how silly the two men in front of her looked to all the passerbys. She gave one last look at the two men still shouting at each other and muttered.

“So uncool.”