Chapter 292

Working two plots over, dual rapiers sheathed at his hips, was a man with bright red hair. He was swinging a hoe at a fast, rhythmic pace.

Red.

The 5th ranker on the unified leaderboards.

Hurent's grip on his canteen tightened. He remembered Red very well.

They had crossed paths in a massive boss raid a year ago. It had been a disaster. Red had deliberately manipulated the aggro. When the boss launched an area-of-effect attack, Red had literally grabbed Hurent's shoulder and used him as a human meat shield to block the damage. Red had spent the rest of the raid mocking the boss, mocking Hurent’s aura form as “glowsticks”, and generally making it impossible to focus.

Hurent had tracked Red down after the raid and forced him into a 1-on-1 fight. Hurent was lower-leveled and lower-ranked than Red at the time. But in a pure 1-on-1 fight, Hurent’s Aura Master class was vastly superior. Hurent had beaten him senseless.

Seeing the man here, happily farming, made Hurent's blood boil.

Hurent dropped his canteen. He marched over to Red's plot.

Red finished his row. He rested his hoe on his shoulder and turned around. He spotted Hurent approaching.

Red grinned broadly.

"Well, well," Red said loudly. "If it isn't the five-second man."

Hurent stopped. His face went rigid.

Colt and Ash looked up from their work in the adjacent fields.

Colt frowned. He wiped sweat from his forehead. "Wait, five seconds?" Colt looked at Hurent with genuine pity. "Man, that's rough. Is it a stamina issue? Your poor girlfriend."

Ash tilted his head. "I don't understand. Is he talking about his maximum aura output duration?"

"No, Ash," Colt sighed. "It's a biology thing. They make potions for that, man. No shame."

Hurent's face flushed dark red. "Shut up! That's not what he means!"

Red laughed loudly. He pointed at Hurent. "I'm talking about the National Competition. When Grid, the guy you mocked, logged you out on live television in exactly five seconds. The whole world saw it."

Hurent gripped his fists. The memory of that defeat was a raw nerve.

"You don't have the right to talk," Hurent snarled. "I beat you into the dirt the last time we fought. I was lower ranked than you, and I still crushed you."

Red clapped slowly. The sound was incredibly condescending.

"Truly an inspiring piece of history. I have to say though, Hurent. Massive improvement today. I was watching from the wall. You lasted a full thirteen seconds against the local farmer."

Hurent breathed heavy. He pointed back toward the gate. "That NPC is clearly a hidden boss. Losing to a high-level entity in a new zone is normal."

Red snorted. He deliberately withheld Piaro's identity.

"A hidden boss?" Red laughed. "Man, that's just the guy who handles the potato farms. He's literally a local farmer doing his morning chores, and he folded the great, strong and majestic Aura Master like a broken chair."

Hurent's pride completely snapped.

He refused to believe he had lost to a random cabbage farmer. He refused to accept that this annoying troll was mocking him for it.

Hurent opened his inventory. He pulled out a glowing glass vial. It was the 'Tears of the High Elf', an epic-ranked, consumable he had been saving for a life-or-death scenario.

He popped the cork and chugged the liquid.

All his resources including his stamina bar instantly filled from blinking red to a solid 100%. His muscles stopped aching.

Hurent dropped the empty vial. He glared at Red.

"Let's fight," Hurent said.

Red sighed. He looked at his imaginary watch on his bare wrist. "Sure. I have three minutes left on my schedule to kick your ass anyway."

Hurent didn't hold back.

He wanted to crush Red instantly. He wanted to prove the hierarchy hadn't changed.

[Aura Impact has been activated.]

Vibrant red light exploded from Hurent's body. The sheer density of his aura pushed the loose dirt away from his boots. He formed a massive, heavy broadsword out of pure red aura. It hummed with lethal power.

Red dropped his wooden hoe. He casually unclipped one rapier from his hip. He didn't even draw the second one.

Red dropped into a low stance.

A thick, white mist began to steadily exhale from Red's lips with every breath. It curled into the air like steam as he felt the effects of Genesis Breath. It was a constant, terrifying rhythm.

Hurent stepped forward. He swung the massive red aura broadsword in a wide arc, aiming to cut Red in half.

Red didn't dodge. He stepped directly into the swing.

Clang!

Hurent's eyes widened.

Red had parried the heavy aura sword with a single, slender rapier. The physical force behind Red's block was absurd. It completely halted Hurent's momentum.

"How?" Hurent thought. A quick-attacking sword user, especially one who uses a rapier,  shouldn't have the raw strength to block a heavy class attack like that.

Red grinned through the white mist. "Is that it? I was hoping you'd last at least six seconds this time."

Red didn't give him time to process.

Red's speed was impossible. Fueled by the triple-stack food buff and the constant acceleration of Genesis Breath, Red moved like a blur.

"Swift Barrage," Red said.

[Swift Barrage has been activated.]

Red ducked under the locked blades. His rapier became a streak of silver light.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

[You have suffered 13,100 damage.] 

[You have suffered 13,250 damage.] 

[You have suffered 13,400 damage.]

[You have suffered 13,400 damage.]

[You have suffered 13,400 damage.]

The rapier scored rapid, precise hits on Hurent's ribs.

Hurent grunted and tried to back away. He manipulated his red aura, frantically forming a thick shield in front of his chest.

Red didn't slow down. He spun on his heel.

"Crescent Kick," Red mocked.

[Crescent Kick has been activated.]

Red drove the heel of his boot directly into the center of the aura shield, putting the full force of his inflated stats behind the physical skill.

Crack.

The shield shattered into flying red sparks.

Hurent stumbled backward, completely off balance.

Red closed the gap instantly. He struck Hurent's wrist with the flat of his blade, forcing the aura sword to dissipate.

"Your aura is softer than the dirt you just plowed," Red taunted.

Then, Red stepped in close and slammed the heavy pommel of his rapier directly into Hurent's jaw.

Thwack.

[You have suffered 6,400 damage.] 

[You have been stunned for 1.5 seconds.]

Hurent's legs gave out. He collapsed into the dirt.