"Hm. I was planning to fight everyone in the Top 30 rankings," Alan said calmly.
"I don't know Kraugel's whereabouts, so I started with you, Zibal. But now that I see so many strong players gathered here…"
Alan spread his hands slightly.
"I have a proposal."
"You'll fight me."
"Me—against all of you."
His tone was relaxed, but the provocation in his words was unmistakable, as if he were looking down on everyone present.
Silence followed.
Then—
"Hahahahaha!"
Seuron burst out laughing while several others frowned.
"I thought it was some hidden ranker," he said between laughs, clutching his stomach.
"But it turns out he's just a fool! Hahahaha!"
Seuron wiped a tear from his eye and looked at Alan coldly.
"Do you even understand the implications of what you just said?"
"I don't know who you are," Chris added, shaking his head,
"but you must've beaten someone recently which made you overconfident. We're all ranked players here. You think fighting us one by one isn't enough, so you want all of us at once?"
"He's a fool. Ignore him," Asuka said dismissively, no longer even looking at Alan.
"That sword and its creator are the only things worth paying attention to."
"Kekekek… why are we even listening?" Box chuckled, hiding his smile behind a folding fan.
"He's offering us a free sword. After we crush him, we can fight among ourselves for it."
His eyes were full of ridicule as he glanced at Alan.
"Are you all afraid?"
The mocking laughter died instantly.
Alan's voice had shifted—calm, but carrying a sharp edge. The air around them grew heavy.
"Fine," Hurent said, blue aura flaring around his body.
"Have it your way. Don't blame us when you lose."
"…Very well. We'll fight as you wish," Zibal said after a brief pause.
He turned to his subordinates.
"Clear the arena. Do it now."
The soldiers moved immediately.
"Still," Alan added casually,
"I'll only fight those who bring out items of equal value. Start showing what you have."
The ranked players frowned but complied.
One by one, they began taking out items—each of undeniable worth, just as expected of top-ranked players.
Alan smiled as he observed the growing pile.
"But I don't need equipment," he continued.
"If you don't have anything else, you can offer skill books… or even information."
"Blacksmithing production methods," he added lightly.
Bondre, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
"You're the blacksmith who made this sword, aren't you?"
All eyes snapped to Alan.
"Can a blacksmith even fight?" someone muttered.
Alan tilted his head slightly.
Bondre nodded slowly.
"Hm. You're right. But that also means you have a class related to blacksmithing."
"Hm. You could say that," Alan replied.
"Alright. I'm in too," Bondre said.
He took out two skill books.
"Both are A-grade magic."
Alan looked at them carefully.
One was Demon King's Tailfire.
The other was Corpse Explosion.
Alan nodded.
He then took out the sword and placed it forward as part of the bet.
All of them are trapped, he smiled inwardly.
If they had been scattered, he wouldn't have needed to fight them all at once. But now that all of them were gathered here, he had no choice—either defeat them together, or let them observe his abilities one by one and adapt.
Besides, fighting them all at once suited him better.
Dainsleif excelled in large-scale combat, and his last six months of training with Piaro had granted him multiple skill upgrades—as well as several new abilities he had been itching to test.
Soon, under the dumbfounded eyes of everyone present, the arena was cleared.
Alan stood alone on one side.
Opposite him stood ten ranked players—renowned names known throughout the continent.
Alan was equipped with the Frostlight Orc Set and wielded the sword Dainsleif.
The Frostlight Orc Set was a gear set he had obtained after farming Frostlight Orcs for an entire month. Not only that—during that grind, he had also acquired several additional skill books and a rare Red Lightning Bead.
The current Alan could be said to stand above all players at present—not only because of his stats, but because of his unique combat style, one that allowed him to fight multiple top-ranked opponents simultaneously.
I'll take care of the mages first, Alan thought, his gaze sweeping across the enemy line.
Among the ten…
Asuka, Zibal, Chris, Hao, and Hurent are damage dealers.
Box is a Linker—a support-type class that can buff allies and debuff enemies. He also possesses the Linker's ultimate skill, Marionette, which could temporarily control even him like an puppet if he's given enough time.
Seruon is a Fire Mage. Bondre is an Ice Mage.
Teddy is ranked last here, but he's a Summoner—his bear-type summons are dangerous if ignored.
And then there's Bubat—the true wild card. A real ranker with heavy crowd-control abilities.
I need to eliminate the mages first.
As Alan finalized his plan, a faint killing intent spread through the arena.
At the same time, on the opposite side—
"Focus on restraining him first," Zibal said quietly to the others."Bondre, take aim while I engage him. Don't underestimate him. If he's confident enough to challenge all of us at once, he must have a hidden trump card."
The others nodded solemnly.
The battle was about to begin.
The countdown echoed through the arena.
3… 2… 1…
The moment it hit zero, both sides moved.
Alan surged forward without activating a single skill.
The rankers reacted instantly—leaping backward to create distance—while Bubat stepped forward to intercept.
"Black Bear Summoning!"
Teddy slammed his staff down.
A massive black bear erupted into existence—easily three times larger than a grizzly. Its shadow alone swallowed half the arena floor.
The others spread out smoothly, taking practiced formation.
Alan smiled.
Then—
Haste.
Quickstep.
Both skills, now at Level 3, activated in rapid succession.
His Agility skyrocketed.
In a single blur of motion, Alan bypassed both Bubat and the summoned bear entirely—his figure vanishing and reappearing behind the backline.
Right behind the mages.
Seuron and Bondre's eyes widened.