Rudy forcefully chirped from the corner of the room.
Rudy flapped its tiny wings.
However, its celebration was premature.
The shards of light, which had escaped from the ice fragments, fused together into a human-like shape.
This was another of the Tarsonis Armorâs special abilities; one that heâd used when he was at the brink of death.
It fully restored his HP, MP, and Stamina, and also cured him of all injuries or status ailments.
âAs expected. I knew you wouldnât die that easily.â
Kang Oh immediately rushed at Dukeram and attacked him. It was the perfect opportunity while he was still out of it.
A sharp thrust came flying at him. Kang Oh wasnât able to turn his head in time, and a deep wound formed in his forehead, causing huge shards of red light to fall.
Kang Ohâs body staggered. He hadnât been expecting that.
Dukeram, whoâd returned to his original form, had gotten a hit in with a technique he had never seen before.
Kang Oh touched his forehead and stared at Dukeram.
An injured beast. It didnât seem prudent to attack him right now, so Kang Oh stood his ground.
âYou had⌠another secret move up your sleeve?â
It far surpassed the speed of anything that could be accomplished with a normal skill. He could see the skill effect coating Max Cainâs blade too.
Indeed. It seemed like he did have another secret move up his sleeve. He wouldnât be surprised if Dukeram had a few more that he was hiding.
âHoo.â Dukeram sighed. It was as if he were ridding himself of his anger.
Then, he softly said, ââŚSteel Rain.â
That must be the name of the secret move.
âIs it a series of thrusts?â Kang Oh asked.
âIâm only telling you the name. Itâs payment for showing you something so unsightly,â Dukeram said firmly.
âIt has ârainâ in the name, so Iâm probably right. Telling me that is enough.â Kang Oh grinned. He sure was quick.
Then, Dukeram asked, âIâd like to ask you something in return. The goddessâs quest⌠Does it have anything to do with becoming a Grandmaster?â
Kang Oh widened his eyes. He hadnât been expecting that at all.
âHe knows about Grandmasters? How much does he know?â
Was he in the middle of a quest thatâll allow him to become a Grandmaster? No, why exactly was he asking him that?
ââŚâ Kang Oh had so much to think about that he couldnât answer him.
âUnderstood,â Dukeram said.
âWhat?â he instinctively asked.
It was clear why Kang Oh couldnât answer him right away. The goddessâs quest was connected to becoming a Grandmaster, and he didnât want to give that information away.
âWell, I guess it wasnât a completely fruitless endeavor.â
He had come here to see if Kang Oh had completed the goddessâs quest, and gained the ability to become a Grandmaster.
Thus, Dukeram had fulfilled his objective.
âHe did seem way too strong.â
There were ranks among Masters too. At the beginning, he assumed that he was a higher rank Master than Kang Oh.
However, Kang Oh was on a completely different level.
âWhile I was swimming in a small river, he was already in the sea.â
There was no point in fighting him anymore. If they kept fighting, then he would have to reveal all of his trump cards.
Even then, he didnât have much of a chance at beating Kang Oh.
âEspecially when I have to fight him one-on-one!â
Kang Oh was pursuing the path of a Grandmaster, while Dukeram strived to become a Dual Master.
However, his second class, Desert Emperor, wasnât good at one-on-one fights.
He could only make full use of it during a large-scale battle.
âIâll see you on the battlefield. Itâll be a lot different next time.â
Dukeram stared at Kang Oh once more, and then accepted his defeat.
However, it was a lot harder to say it than heâd expected. It was the first time heâd said it ever since he was born.
Ultimately, Dukeram wasnât able to say the words and hesitated.
Kang Oh knew what he was trying to say.
âHey, where do you think youâre going!?â Kang Oh threw Sarahoff and Blood at him.
However, Dukeram managed to say the line.
Dukeramâs body was engulfed in a pillar of light.
Blood and Sarahoff had arrived a second too late, and the system protected Dukeram from taking any damage.
[The challenger has surrendered.]
[The Sacred Duel has ended.]
[You have retained ownership of the soul dungeon.]
[You can return to your last known location. Would you like to proceed?]
Dukeramâs form completely disappeared.
âTch.â Kang Oh clicked his tongue.
He regretted the fact that he couldnât finish Dukeram off, and that heâd given him info on how to become a Grandmaster.
There would be nothing more annoying than if the Empire Guild decided to get in his way.
âHaa, I have to become a Grandmaster ASAP.â
What if he was as strong as Valan? Then he would go to the Arabas Kingdom immediately and completely annihilate the Empire Guild.
An individual that surpassed the power of an organization. An invincible individual.
That was what a Grandmaster signified to Kang Oh.
âRudy, come over here.â Kang Oh extended his hand.
A yellow chick flew onto Kang Ohâs hand.
âIâm going back to where I was.â
A pillar of light surged from beneath his feet.
The landscape changed, and he was back in Mt. Helvert.
After he lost to Kang Oh, Dukeram immediately checked the ranking board.
âLooks like itâs not such a large difference that one loss will make me switch places with him.â
Dukeram possessed the three eastern kingdoms. That power was still far greater than Kang Ohâs.
âI mightâve lost, but the Empire knows no defeat.â
Besides, he was the one who would become the Empireâs Emperor.
Dukeram walked over to Jegalâs office.
âWelcome,â Jegal said.
âThe goddessâs quest was a Grandmaster quest.â
âIs that so?â Jegal furrowed his brow. That wasnât good news. âHow was Kang Oh?â
âHe was strong. He was the strongest Master⌠that Iâve ever seen. And heâll only become stronger from here on out. After all, the path to becoming a Grandmaster is open to him. I canât even imagine how much stronger heâll become.â
The Empire Guildâs Masters were split among four categories: beginner, intermediate, high-rank, and elite.
This âeliteâ tier only included a few people on the continent. It was reserved for people like Dukeram or Burkan.
On the other hand, those in the âbeginnerâ tier were only Master in name. They were those who rested on their laurels after becoming a Master; whatâs worse, some of them even became weaker. Valan called these people âFake Mastersâ.
The Empire Guildâs captains were considered Intermediate Masters. They were skilled enough to defeat Beginner Masters before they ascended. But now that they had become Masters, they were considered strong enough to be Intermediate Masters.
High-Rank Masters were individuals like General Dalton, God Spear Kantos, and Spirit Swordsman Erik.
Kang Oh had previously been placed in this spot. After all, he had a firm hold of 2nd place, despite his lack of backers.
âMm.â Jegalâs expression turned dour. However, it wasnât because of Kang Oh; it was due to Dukeram.
Dukeram wasnât the type of person to tell you things himself. If he had beaten Kang Oh, then he wouldnât have said so. You would have to ask him to find out.
However, he wouldnât have such a high view of Kang Oh if he had won.
Because he was his right-hand man, Jegal could see right through him. Kang Oh had definitely won their duel.
He couldnât even imagine someone as perfect as Dukeram losing to someone else. And a stain on the reputation of he who would become emperor of the continent couldnât be allowed.
Jegal decided to erase Kang Oh from the face of the earth no matter what.
âThe elite tier. Not only that, but he has limitless growth⌠Weâll have to prepare countermeasures for him.â
He planned on using all of their resources to take him down, even if it meant delaying the conquest of the continent.
Dukeram shook his head. âThatâs not a good idea.â
âWeâll proceed as planned. Once we conquer the entire continent, even Kang Oh wonât be a problem.â
âHoweverâŚâ Jegal hesitated. He wanted Dukeram to remain as a perfect individual. Thus, he wanted to get rid of Kang Oh as soon as possible. He even had the power to do so.
âI lost to Kang Oh in the Sacred Duel,â Dukeram suddenly said.
It was like heâd been struck by lightning. Jegal wasnât sure if he was hearing things right.
âA Sacred Duel favors Kang Oh more than a Dual Master like me. However, I will win on the battlefield. I will not⌠lose again,â Dukeram proclaimed.
He was no longer the One and Only God. Gods were neither defeated, nor did they have any competition.
However, this failure would make Dukeram an even greater emperor. After all, failure made one better.
âUnderstood.â Jegal bowed his head.
âWeâll begin our war of conquest on Friday the 13th. Make sure there arenât any issues.â
âOh, and one more thing.â
âPlease keep looking for Grandmaster quests.â
âKang Oh isnât a Grandmaster yet. And if we conquer the continent, he will never become one. Then⌠I will become the first Grandmaster.â Dukeram smiled brightly.
The world only remembered first place. They wouldnât remember Kang Oh if he didnât become a Grandmaster first.
They would conquer the continent and destroy Kang Oh.
That would be his response to his defeat at Kang Ohâs hands.
He paid back twice what was owed. Dukeram was the one whoâd created that motto in the first place.
Before he fought Dukeram, Kang Oh had been searching for a new dungeon.
Lava Demon Eurasisâs Ruins!
This dungeon was located in Mt. Helvert, the continentâs most dangerous area, and had formed as a result of the Great Change!
The ruinsâ entrance was rectangular. It was made up of cube-shaped rocks layered atop each other like brick.
Amongst them, there was one particular brick embedded with a crystal. Kang Oh forcefully pushed it in.
Once he pushed the crystal in, the door opened from both sides.
[Entering the Lava Demon Eurasisâs Ruins.]
Kang Oh took a step forward, and darkness consumed him.
Even Rudyâs cries were masked by the darkness.
Kang Oh walked out of the darkness.
There was a crystal the size of a watermelon embedded in the ceiling. The crystal illuminated his surroundings, so he could see where he was now.
He was in the middle of a passageway filled with murals.
Kang Oh inspected the murals. It was about a specific individual.
The individual had horns on their heads, and wore hot rocks around their body like armor. Lava spilled from the openings between the rocks.
There were also individuals who fought against them.
Dwarves were drawn on the murals. There werenât a lot of races that had such thick, short arms and legs.
It had wide shoulders, long arms, but short legs like a giant gorilla. Its eye resembled a catâs eyes; it was as if they were made out of cut topaz. It also had menacing horns at the top of its head.
It was as if it had come straight out of the mural.
This was the first time heâd ever seen a monster like this.
Kang Oh drew Sarahoff and Ubist, and prepared for battle.
All of a sudden, a hidden passageway appeared along the wall, and dwarves popped out.
Then, they began to fight the monster.
âWhat the hell is going on?â