The Storm

[Ryong's POV]

Something took over the mask. I can't speak to Red or possess him like previously.

[*Master not in control, alert, alert*]

Something else is inside here either.

But how? The entire time I'm here with him, I couldn't sense him.

Now the only thing, I can do is to watch and pray.

[Lee Jeong-Hun's POV]

How? He should have either been dead or out of commission. But there he is.

That mask.....

Through all the time I've done this, I have never seen that mask appear once at all, until now.

It's ominous.

He kicks his above, allowing it to spin in mid-air.

Then suddenly, a foot appears in my face.

"Fast!"

The mask outsider drop-kicked me.

I managed to guard it with arms to minimize the damage, but the sheer force of that kick was immense, leading me to fly backward.

I draw my sword, ready to evoke a skill when suddenly___

*Thumpt*

My left arm got pierced by the staff.

"Urghhh!"

I pulled out the staff and threw it aside.

Cast [Recovery] Lv. 6

The healing spell managed to close the hole left by the staff.

The skill recovery is dependent on a person's Mana. The more serious the wound the more Mana it consumes.

I checked my stats.

HP: 2808(Healing)/4750

MP: 300/760

"That attack took 70 MP to heal huh."

[Kazue's POV]

That bastard. What kind of monster is he now?

We all saw what happened. The moment he dropped-kicked Lee Jeong-Hun, he proceeds to Roundhouse kicked the staff.

As the staff was spinning down and dropping, he landed his kick right at the end of the staff.

It landed with so much power that, it flew and hit one of the strongest humans in his arms. It was as if someone threw a javelin. Not, it's more similar to how a sniper gun shoots its target.

Though Lee Jeong-Hun is a monster himself, healing that kind of wound like it's nothing.

[Lee Jeong-Hun's POV]

I grabbed my sword and flew to him. Compared to before, he was like an entirely different person. He dodged all the attacks like it was no big deal.

His movement was wild and unpredictable.

He managed to counter-attack even while dodging.

I threw thrust my sword forward, aiming at his neck. He leans backward to avoid it, and as my blade almost touches his neck, he backflipped, kicking my sword off my hands and upwards.

I jumped up, retrieving my sword.

While in mid-air, I start evoking a skill.

[Phantom Cleave]

A Single Target skill.

Lands an invisible major slash on the target.

Can't be seen through the naked eye.

As silent as the night, the blade cleaves its target without fail.

Requirement: Intermediate Mastery Swordsmanship

Duration: Instantly

Skill Cooldown: 7 Minutes

My MP drops to 280/760

However, the outsider saw through my attacks and guarded his staff.

I tried retreating back to gain a distance so that I can access how to approach this.

But after moving 2 steps, my body got shocked with electricity.

"Urgh."

It was the skill [Thunder Imprisonment]

I turn my head to see if Alexander was a scumbag casting this but no.

He was as equally as confused.

[Mimicry]: [Thunder Imprisonment]

It was the Masked Outsider.

He charged at me, spinning his staff around his body.

As I tried to cut his legs to disable his movement, he did a small hop and aimed his knee on my face.

[Muay Thai: Forward Knee]

I grabbed his knee and rotated my sword inton45 degree, slashing him from bottom to above.

I thought I got him because I felt a weight behind my blade however, my left ribcage got slammed by a staff as I rotate myself in mid-air to break my fall.

It was an after-image.

He was fast enough to dodge my sword and return one of his own hits.

This leaves me with no choice. I need more power now.

[Stats]

Strength: 67

Endurance: 55

Intelligence: 45

Agility: 50

Luck: 25

(Points for Distribution: 15)

I poured 5 on Intelligence and another 5 on Agility.

Name: Lee Jeong-Hun

Level: 26

Class: [Job not Chosen]

Title: Dragon Slayer

HP: 2395 / 4750

MP: 370 / 760 --> 410/800

[Stats]

Strength: 67

Endurance: 55

Intelligence: 50

Agility: 55

Luck: 25

(Points for Distribution: 5)

After distributing my stats, I rushed to my opponent and ram my body against his, giving me a little space to move, I lift my sword above my head and Cleave it down.

However, my arm got caught in some sort of chain and I was dragged towards him.

[3-Staff Technique: Gripped]

He positioned himself with an Axe kick and slams it down on me. I protected myself with the hilt and evoke another skill.

[Frozen Fang]

A counter-attack skill that initiates after getting hit.

Retaliates with a Cut that mimics that of Wolf with an additional effect of Freeze. Upon successful hits, the status Frost Bite is applied.

Status Effect: Freeze, Frost Bite

Duration Cooldown: 30 minutes.

As the [Frozen Fang] almost reaches my opponent.

Suddenly a blaze of flame was invoked out of nowhere, melting my attacks.

"Impossible."

[Mimicry]: [Ifrit's Wraith]

It seems like he can copy skills.

Ifrit's Wraith is a skill only available after you are in a contract with the Djinn, Ifrit.

I tried seeing my opponent's stats but

He dashes at me and starts poking his staff, while I could only block it with my sword.

I proceed to feint an attack, it worked as I twisted the staff in my control, pinning it on the ground.

With my left hand free, I Imbued it with Qi and aimed for a palm strike.

He caught wind of it and returned crushing my wrist with both his knee and elbow.

I cast [Recover] and swung my weapon again.

This time it landed and the Staff on his hand got tossed aside.

Seeing the opportunity come, I closed the gaped and swung my weapon overhead.

It cuts deep into his palm, as I put more strength in to Cleave it away.

However, it was stuck. The air around me suddenly got very sharp. I noticed his glove suddenly have sparks appearing.

I slam my feet against the ground, I pull out my sword, and braced myself.

[Mimicry]: [Thunder King's Fist]

I braced for the impact of the lighting punch.

However, this was another level compared to the one Alexander inflicted. The punch made me fly backward, landing at the Thunder Prison, where I got shocked even more.

HP: 1769 / 4750

When I opened my eyes to check, what I needed appeared in front of me.

*Obtained: [Thunder Resistance Lv. 1]

Looks like the numbness in my body is not as bad as before.

I pushed through dodging all the thunder punch he inflicted, where I grabbed under his arm, and flipped him over. Slamming his body against the ground.

I took my hand filling it with Qi and grabbed his head, I dragged his body all the way and threw him against his own Thunder Prison.

He released the Thunder prison and step against one of the pillars in the temple, using it as a projectile, he launch himself grabbed his staff, and strike. I parried with my sword and aimed at his stomach.

It missed as he climbed up his staff like a pole, and from the end, slams the entire Weapon on me.

I dodged it by a hair and cast [Frost Fang] again.

It landed causing Frostbite on him.

Seems he can't use his copy skill again.

Time to end this, I checked my inventory and took out another weapon. A dagger.

[Sea Serpent's Fang]

C-Rank

A dagger made from the fangs of the ferocious Sea Serpents.

The blade contains venom of the Sea Serpents.

Attack +35

Agility +15

Status Effect: Chance for Paralysis

I sheath my long sword to my waist and hold the dagger in my left hand.

"Let's see how you react to this."

Dashing in, I started aiming his legs. As he tries to defend against them by Sweeping his staff against the dagger, I quickly draw my sword cutting him from

above while keeping the aggression from below as well.

He stepped back, finally changing his weapon's form.

I had a hunch that there were times when the weapon had a different form. This confirms it.

He grabbed my sword with the chair of his staff and pulled me towards him again.

However, I noticed that he was going to his knees again, I dropped my stance lower and grazed his ankle with the dagger.

That one small cut is all it needs to bring him down as the Paralysis effect kicks in, rendering him motionless on the ground.

I walked towards him, planning to end his life when___

[Mission Complete.]

The system then prongs me.

[Mission Information]

Duel with the Masked Stranger.

Condition: Win the Duel

Failure: Losing the Duel or Killing him.

Rewards: +5 stats

Failure: -1 Level.

"Looks like you have another day to live."

I left my opponent lying there, walking away.

Before I stepped into the portal taking my leave, I took one last look at the mask.

It has changed back to the original color, white and red color.

Whoever you are under there, you might be useful to me in the future.