Chapter 47: What Is Fairness?

“Of course, there was once a guy in some mage’s robe he must have picked up from somewhere, who used these mushrooms to go up against the boss. But, alas…” Li Hang gave a scornful laugh to his fellow survivor, Li Chou, as though he himself had crushed the man, and said, “He died a wretched death.”

“That was my shortsightedness. I actually met that person yesterday; we cooperated briefly. He really was quite strong, but not a good man. After killing that aberration, he tried to turn on me—fortunately, I managed to escape. It’s a relief he’s dead.” Li Chou let out a breath, as if a weight had been lifted. “Luckily, Brother Li Hang, you were here, and I chose to submit early. I didn’t make any irreparable mistakes… Hmm, if someone could kill him, the boss must be truly formidable.”

If he remembered correctly, that guy really did specialize in a kind of “overwhelming numbers” tactic, which was extremely troublesome to deal with. He hadn’t expected him to be killed just like that.

Beside him, Li Hang recalled the “mage” and nodded with approval. “Indeed, he actually dared to have designs on the boss’s woman. Serves him right to die.”

“But the boss—well, he didn’t even have to lift a finger. The matter was already resolved. That was the moment I realized following the boss would lead somewhere.” Li Hang began to brainwash him: “Look—one thousand people in each sector, and after yesterday, just over five hundred are left. By now, it’s probably down to four hundred or so…

“Every zone always ends up with a single lord becoming the regional overlord. For us, there’s no hope of that. Better a dog’s life than a noble death, wouldn’t you say?”

Their storm lantern, sheepskin scroll, workbench, and all “dangerous items” in their packs had been confiscated. Li Hang no longer believed this little brother Li Chou could turn the tables; having just dealt with four survivors, and now three more, his confidence brimmed over, making him more talkative.

After all, none of this information was really a secret.

“Yes, yes, you’re right,” Li Chou nodded, the corners of his mouth twitching up in a faint smile.

“From now on, no talking!” Number Two sensed something amiss but, unable to pinpoint it, could only bark a reprimand.

“Number Two, no need to be so tense.” Li Hang laughed. If Li Chou could turn this around, he, Li Hang, would swallow that watermelon-sized workbench on the spot.

A comeback from utter despair required conditions—without them, there was only death to await. Otherwise, not so many survivors would have died so quickly.

Before long, they returned to the outpost. Li Hang couldn’t help feeling that the benches and cauldrons had been disturbed by someone… and the way people looked at them seemed… odd?

It must have been his imagination.

Just as Li Hang was preparing to hand over the captives as before and wait for Colin’s signal to ambush—

Something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, Li Chou, at his side, flicked a metallic triangle from his sleeve into his palm and aimed it at Colin, who was chatting casually with Shana.

“In the witness of the Shield of the Just Knight, I request a fair and just duel of life and death with the man before me,” he declared solemnly and swiftly.

In the next instant, Colin felt himself drawn away from Shana and the others, as if transported into a space about a hundred meters across. Yet the surroundings had not changed—he was still where he stood; only the fabric of space had twisted.

The anomaly unfolded swiftly, but Shana noticed just as quickly. She reacted instantly, activating the “Meteor Hammer” skill with her Sun Bible and smashed it forward.

But it was too late.

As Li Chou wielded the Shield of the Just Knight and fixed his target, he became immune to attacks from outside the arena.

With a flash of white light and a clang, the Bible struck an invisible barrier and bounced away.

“Sir Colin, be careful!” Shana and the others realized that even without moving, the distance between them and Colin had been forcibly stretched. Reality itself seemed warped.

“I’m fine.” Colin nodded to reassure them, then looked ahead, recalling the man’s words—a fair and just duel?

After the declaration, his opponent made no immediate move. But Colin could feel himself locked by some unknown force, confined within this hundred-square-meter “space.”

It felt… like a dueling ground.

And yet… nothing else seemed different.

[You realize that your opponent is using a mysterious item, and its rank is not low.]

Colin gripped his axe, eyeing his adversary. The object was a small, equilateral triangular shield, encrusted with verdigris. It was tiny, like a piece of armor’s shoulder plate—about the size of a palm. Though corroded, the orderly lines and patterns could still be discerned.

Li Chou glanced at the axe in Colin’s hand, a strange smile curling his lips. He sensed no threat from his opponent.

He surveyed his surroundings, admitting to himself that he was taking a gamble.

But he was certain this bet would pay off.

This striking man must be the leader here—the very “boss” Li Hang had been incessantly flattering.

“Heh, you’ve made quite the haul, but from here on out, it’s mine.” Li Chou sneered, gripping the triangular shield. Ignoring Colin’s gaze, he continued solemnly:

“In this fair and just duel, we abide by three tenets.

“I pledge that I shall forgo the use of weapons, and in fairness, my opponent shall likewise be unable to use weapons.

“I pledge that I shall forgo blocking, and in fairness, my opponent shall likewise be unable to block.

“I pledge that I shall forgo the use of mysterious items, and in fairness, my opponent shall likewise be unable to use mysterious items.”

As his words fell, an intangible law took hold—should either side break the rules, the punishment would be severe.

The battle would formally begin in three minutes…

But that was not the heart of the matter.

What truly left Colin dumbstruck was what followed.

Before his eyes, the man started pulling out pieces of rusted metal armor from his pack, donning them one by one.

In three minutes, it was easy to imagine what Colin would face—a man encased head to toe in steel plate.

No blocking, no escape, no weapons allowed…

And this was called a “fair and just” duel?

“How shameless can someone be…” Colin stared in disbelief as the man suited up piece by piece.

Just then, with a sharp crack, he felt a lash strike his back—a burning pain and hard impact sent him staggering forward.

Turning, he saw the skin split, blood oozing through his shirt in a welt shaped like a whip’s mark.

The sudden blow had been punishment for failing to drop his weapon.

He had violated the “no weapons” rule.

And it was real, physical pain!

“Next time, it’s the head,” an invisible voice whispered in his ear, warning him of the consequence of breaking the rules again.

. . .

ps:
Seeking all sorts of character cameos and mysterious items—suggestions welcome in the readers’ forum.