The next day rolls around and the entire village gathers in front of the council building. It is here that history will be made. Never before has an outsider challenged an elder to a duel.

Overseeing this fight are Elder Anna, Elder Alimarc, Elder Illya, and as a matter of course, Chief Ginta.

They each sit on thrones opposite one another around the arena. The arena itself is marked by stones placed in a circle. You are to fight Elder Grimdal inside the ring with nothing but your bare hands.

Your Mystfox friend and the Elderwood Scouts are naturally present, and they stand by Anna's side observing you with their hearts in their mouths.

On the previous night, after Grimdal left with his cohort of warriors and the sly Alimarc, Anna scurried up to you and explained the implications of your match.

And she told you, "When Elder Grimdal said he would forfeit his life and give up his position as a council member, he was ridiculing you. It's a gesture of mockery to offer everything you own as a reward for winning."

Those words stay in the forefront of your mind as you step into the circle.

"He's looking down on me," you think to yourself as you approach the man.

The Elder no longer dons his imposing hunting getup and instead opts for the same style of elven clothing you wear. And most of the elves rally around him, for his contributions to the village cannot be overstated.

You hear murmurs from the crowd. "Isn't Elder Grimdal an expert at hand-to-hand combat? A buddy of mine says he's passed the 70-point threshold for that skill. Poor outsider, she's minced meat..."

You both meet at the center of the ring and lock eyes with one another. The tension is palpable.

Grimdal

Wood Elf [♂]

Level: 78

HP: 92500/92500

"Alright," Grimdal starts, "the rules are simple. Fists only. No magic or weapons. If I see you pulling any tricks, you'll face the full force of the Elderwood Guardforce."

You espy spear-wielding soldiers standing guard behind the fringes of the circle. They have their eyes on you, and you can tell they expect your defeat.

The elder continues, "You lose if you go outside the ring... or if you die. Whichever comes first."

"I trust you won't be pulling your punches?" you stretch your arms.

"A tiger uses all its strength even when hunting a rabbit. Of course, you may stop the match if you change your mind."

"Don't fret about me. Just focus on protecting your hide."

Elder Grimdal clicks his tongue at your comment and cracks his knuckles. Any chance of making this easier for yourself has gone out the window.

Celia, watching from the audience, holds her head. "I black out and wake up to this? What in Gaia's name went down yesterday?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Fidri replies as Anya nods in agreement.

Leronil clenches his fists as he sees you warming up. "That girl... she's dueling on my behalf."

You glance over at the Mystfox, whose eyes glisten a wavy sheen. He knows you're preparing for battle, and finds it difficult to stand by. But his loyalty bounds him and he promised you he wouldn't intervene.

And the time comes for the duel to commence.

"Combatants!" the elves spectating cease talking as Chief Ginta addresses you and Grimdal. "Take five steps back and steel yourselves!"

You do as the man says, never breaking eye contact with your eyepatched opponent.

"This is an unconventional duel, between a council member and an outlander," Chief Ginta says. "But as tribal tradition dictates, it is valid regardless of who initiates the fight. Hence, it is on this day that Elder Grimdal, Leader of the Elderwood Warriors and Hero to the Wood Elves, shall prove himself worthy in the eyes of Gaia. And challenging his honor is none other than the strange elf who calls herself Garden Beast."

"My introduction is a little underwhelming..." you sigh in disappointment.

"Should the Garden Beast win, she will be allowed to interact with our people and learn about our history and ancient trade. And should Elder Grimdal be victor, then she will be banished from the forests and her animal companion shall be executed to guarantee our people's protection."

Listening to such a thing always gets on your nerves. And you and Elder Grimdal hold up your fists.

"Without further ado, I initiate this duel in 3... 2... 1..." the Chief, sitting in his seat, leans forward. "Battle commence!"

In a blink of an eye, Grimdal zips up to you.

"S-so fast..!" his speed startles you, and before you can evade his attack you feel his fist dig into your stomach.

"Garden Beast!" the Elderwood Scouts cry out your name in unison.

But it does nothing to stop the Elder's flurry of punches. He is ruthless when it comes to beating you senseless and the force of his strikes pushes you back. A dirt trail forms as your feet slide across the mud.

To the crowd, this is a brutal maiming of an inexperienced combatant—a musclebound man pummeling a young woman into submission. And they are hesitant to cheer for Grimdal.

The only ones who shout words of support are members of the Elderwood Warriors and Elder Alimarc. Their voices echo through the village as the man lands blow after blow.

"Elder Grimdal!" Anna yells at him. "That's enough! You're going to kill her!"

He ignores the Elder's pleas and continues to batter you senseless. And when you're mere inches away from the edge, he stops.

You stand stock-still, your fur clothes torn and your beautiful eyes covered by your silver hair.

"Where did all that gusto go, outsider?" Grimdal gazes upon your pathetic display and swings around to face the crowd. "You see? This is what happens to those who stand in our way! Outsiders bring naught but death and destruction!"

The elves remain quiet. This is not the heroic fight they expected to watch. It was more of a one-sided thrashing. A large portion of the Elderwood Warriors no longer cheered for their leader. And Alimarc was alone in applauding the Elder's efforts.

"Nameless Seer... no..!" Anna stands to her feet, horrified by the turn of events.

"Oi, oi, is she seriously done for..?" Celia cannot believe her eyes.

"G-Garden Beast, this can't be all you're capable of! Show us the strength you had when we first met!" Fidri trembles as he calls to you.

"Please stop this..!" Anya is on the verge of tears.

The cold, hard reality of the situation sinks in for Leronil, and he screams at the top of his lungs, "Don't you dare give up dammit! Fight back, Nameless Seer! You can do it!"

The heart-rending cries of Anna and the Elderwood Scouts reach Grimdal's ears, and he titters at their crushed spirits. The Mystfox sees your motionless body and immediately gets ready to scamper to your aid.

Suddenly though, you let out a chuckle.

"Heh..." you straighten your knees and anchor your feet to the ground. "Hehehe..."

Grimdal turns back to you. "What?"

And you howl with laughter as if possessed by a demon. The whole village stares at you and collectively surmises you've lost your mind. That is until you speak.

"Thanks," you look up at Elder Grimdal, "I needed that."

"You're... unharmed..?" The Elder mouths in amazement as he sees your uninjured face.

"You see, there's this little talent I've been meaning to try out. It has a certain set of requirements that need to be met in order to go into effect."

"What in Gaia's name are you..?"

"It's called Force Absorption. And your relentless strikes aided me in utilizing it."

Talent: Force Absorption

Description: All blunt damage you receive is absorbed and converted into energy. This energy reserve is infinite and the power amassed can be used to greatly enhance attacks.

And you gather all this energy into your fist and charge it up.

"Also," you add, "I failed to mention this, but I've mastered hand-to-hand combat through years of battling monsters. That also came with its own talent."

Talent: Martial Artist

Description: You master the technique of maximizing the amount of damage you deal with punching and kicking attacks. This mastery also comes with the ability to read enemy movements.

Grimdal is speechless as the air density changes. Powerful gusts of wind blow through the village and enter you as energy flows into your clutched hand. The crowd struggles to maintain their footing.

With the talent Supersonic Speed, you practically teleport up to him.

"So, in short," you smile at him as a drop of sweat trickles off his cheek. "this is gonna hurt a lot!"

And you punch him in the gut just as he did to you. The impact launches him into the sky and through several buildings before he finally lands at the foot of the mountain range.

Everyone gapes at you, utterly shellshocked by what had just transpired. You on the other hand are flustered by the intensity of the blow.

"C-crap..!" you exclaim, looking down at wisps of smoke rising from your knuckles. "Did I overdo it? I'm pretty sure I was holding back. I didn't kill him, did I? Please tell me I didn't kill the guy."

As the Elderwood Scouts have experienced your strength before, the result doesn't come as a surprise to them.

"Why were we worried again..?" Leronil rubs his temple, relieved but exhausted.