The Bloody Knight's Duel

 Over the head of Igris was a title, with a fittingly red name, "[Knight Commander, Blood Red Igris]," with deep concern hidden under his mask, Winter thought desperately of his next move. "This one must be way stronger than the others!" Winter thought. "Wait, I thought it was just an athletic title color," Ultima commented, not bothered by the impending doom. Just then, Igris stepped down the stairs, his sword dragged across the floor. "Oh, he comin'," Ultima watched as Winter prepared for an attack. With Frightening speed, Igris lunged forward at Winter with no warning. "Wow, he's fast!" It was approved as Winter ducked under Igris's long sword. It blew over him, cutting his hoodie. "Fuck!" Winter cursed as a gust of powerful wind destroyed a pillar behind him. "He's welding that sword as if it weighed like a butter knife! He's unbelievably strong!" He thought, thrusting his dagger into Igris's chest. His daggers seemed to only create sparks. "My attacks don't work on him!" He thought, becoming deeply frustrated.

~>System<{" The [Skill: Great Ultima's Rage] Has Been [Activated]! [Player]'s [Stats] Have [Increased] by [30%]. [Cursed Energy Required: 1] Per [Minute] During Duration of Rage],"}>it rang with Winter's increasing rage<~< p>

 Without hesitation, Igris brought his sword up and down onto Winter. He looked up to see it rushing down with wide, burning red eyes. With a created explosion of stone and dust, Igris slammed his sword into the ground with great strength. Winter leaped back in time, bursting out of the cloud of dust. Within that dust, he saw a glimmer of something reflective within the cloud of dust. Then, the same long sword that was slammed into the ground flew towards Winter with frightening speeds. Jerking his head back, he narrowly got out of the way, with a spark coming off his mask. A small amount of hair fell from his head, as the blade was forced deep into the pillar behind Winter. Igris forced the long sword down, tearing through the pillar. Leaping away, Winter gained some distance. "Armor only has a speed reduction penalty if my strength stat is below 80," Winter thought, gritting his teeth. "His strength has to be at least 80. Probably even higher!" He added, watching Igris rip his sword free from the pillar. "Judging from the impact of his blows, he's definitely stronger than me. The same goes for his agility," Winter thought. "If mine isn't working because of his armor, that means his defenses are stronger than mine as well. Is there any way I can win against this guy?!" Winter thought, "Let me join in," Ultima Offered. "What? How?" He asked, baffled by how it could help him. "Just trust me, it's kinda like before," Ultima explained as Winter's white cursed energy spread throughout Winter's body. "I don't think we'll be able to beat him without a weapon, but I won't be able to inflict any damage with it anyway," Winter placed their dagger into his inventory. "This is Our Only Choice!" They spoke together.

~>System<{" The [Skill: Transformation] Has Been [Activated]!"}>It rang, as blood-red and lunar-black energy gathered around Winter<~< p>

 The white cursed energy spread through his body, creating a layer of defense and offense. His body bulks up, even further than it was already. Ripping his shirt, and pressing against the battered sweatshirt he wore. Claws from on his hands and feet, his shoes broken by his growing, strangely clawed feet. Horns formed the side of his head, going out and up at an angle. They were sharp and unnaturally sword-like. They brought their hands together, crashing their armored knuckles. His eyes pulsated with power, and he felt a sharp pain slowly creep out from his eyes. With the additional layer of protection with his Gauntlets and scaly skin gave them another layer of strength and protection. "We're at an extreme disadvantage without combining strengths. We Have to learn one way or another," they thought, as powerful rage pulsated through this new body they shared.

~>System<{" The [Player] Has [Achieved] [Novice Transformation: Numen Homicidia]!"}>It rang<~< p>

~>System<{" 1 [Skill: Speed] Has Been Activated! The [Player]'s Speed Increased by 30%. Mana Will be consumed Every Minute While This Skill is in Use,"}>it rang in Winter's ears<~< p>

 "We've saved enough cursed energy to use this for at least an hour," they thought, half growling at Igris. He stared at them, curiously. He flipped his sword facing down and shoved it into the ground. He reached to each shoulder, unbuckling his cloak. Throwing it back, landing on the ground. He reached back, and unhook his daggers, throwing them to the side. His hands balled up into an armored fist. "Are you being Chivalrous?" They asked half confused. "That was your first mistake!" They rushed towards Igris quickly. At a similar speed, Igris dashed towards them, meeting them in the middle. He threw a jab at Winter's throat, but they caught his hand and punched him in the stomach. Catching off guard, Igris reached for Winter's hoodie, but they grabbed onto his neck and yanked in the opposite direction. With their moment canceling each other out, they stood in place. Igris threw a punch into Winter's chest, they blocked with one hand and threw one at Igris's head. His skin rippled and bruised, while Igris's head spun. An explosion of dust and stones erupted from their clash. They dashed away, holding onto their left forearm. "I'm wearing two layers of armor, but it still feels like I lost about 500 hp!" They thought, growling as their rage grew. "How much more damage would it have done if I didn't block?" They ask themselves, glaring at the cloud of dust and dirt. Slowly Igris stepped out from the cloud of dirt and dust, its armor clanging on the stone ground. He had a hand on his head, "If he lands a direct hit on me, I won't be able to last very long," they thought, "You're just like me, huh?" It asks smirking through the mask.

 "We've saved enough energies to use this for at least an hour," they thought, half growling at Igris. He stared at them, curiously. He flipped his sword facing down and shoved it into the ground. He reached to each shoulder, unbuckling his cloak. Throwing it back, landing on the ground. He reached back, and unhook his daggers, throwing them to the side. His hands balled up into an armored fist. "Are you being Chivalrous?" They asked half confused. "That was your first mistake!" They rushed towards Igris quickly. At a similar speed, Igris dashed towards them, meeting them in the middle. He threw a jab at Winter's throat, but they caught his hand and punched him in the stomach. Catching off guard, Igris reached for Winter's hoodie, but they grabbed onto his neck and yanked in the opposite direction. With their moment canceling each other out, they stood in place. Igris threw a punch into Winter's chest, they blocked with one hand and threw one at Igris's head. His skin rippled and bruised, while Igris's head spun. An explosion of dust and stones erupted from their clash. They dashed away, holding onto their left forearm. "I'm wearing two layers of armor, but it still feels like I lost about 500 hp!" They thought, growling as their rage grew. "How much more damage would it have done if I didn't block?" They ask themselves, glaring at the cloud of dust and dirt. Slowly Igris stepped out from the cloud of dirt and dust, its armor clanging on the stone ground. He had a hand on his head, "If he lands a direct hit on me, I won't be able to last very long," they thought, "You're just like me, huh?" It asks smirking through the mask.

 Dashing forward, they reached Igris in seconds, their fists pounding into Igris's chest plate, leaving a small dent, "HA!" They laughed, but it was quickly cut off with an elbow speeding down towards their head. Their left arm jerked up and blocked the attack. Gritting their teeth, they pushed the attack up, breaking Igris's stance. Both parties threw a multitude of punches at each other, with a storm of mana exploding from their colliding fists, With all of their might, they threw a punch at each other. Their fists collided creating an even larger explosion than before. But, before they could bring their arms back into their stance, Igris threw a strong punch. Landing a direct hit on Winter's head. They spun like a wooden spin top. They flipped upside down from the sheer force.

~>System<{" The [Skill: Tenacity] Has Been [Activated] Because [Player]'s [HP] [Fallen] Below [30%]. [Damage] Taken Will be [Reduced] by [50%],"}>it rang<~< p>

 "We need to finish this quickly!" They thought, slamming their foot into his head, launching him away, and into a spin of his own. They land on their hands and then flip back onto their feet with a rush of wind. Igris opened his eyes after the attack, setting his goal on his target, his feet skidding on the ground. Again, Igris rushed at them, once he caught his balance. "Just a little more!" They thought, throwing a punch at his head, but it never landed. He caught their fist with his left and slammed his right fist into Winter. They flew into the wall, creating a large creature with their body. Lifelessly, they fell onto the throne. Blood ran down their mouth. Winter's new, scaly armor-like skin was cracked and broken in many places, but even with all hope lost, he was regenerating naturally. The armor was repairing itself, and his body was doing the same. Stroon on the throne, they didn't move. Igris stepped up to the throne, looking down at them. He lifted his right hand as a magical aura emanated from his palm. His sword, stuck in the ground on the opposite side of the room, began to vibrate. As if it was alive, it was ripped from the ground and flew back to Igris's hand. With the sword in hand, Igris lifted it, grabbing it with both hands. He swung it down, aiming for Winter's neck, but it didn't get far. With an explosion, their clawed hands grabbed onto the blade. With a powerful grip, it began to break it from where they held it. Looking up, they roared in anger, tapping into even more frustration and anger.

~>System<{" The [Item: Darkest Armor - Gauntlets]. [Rank: ∞]. [Type: Armor]. [Physical Damage] is [Reduced] by [10%]. [Effect: Injury Resistant] Prevents All [Injuries] From [Inflicting] [Hand],"}>it displayed<~< p>

 With a massive shock wave of air and mana, they broke the sword and lunged in to get close enough to attack. "NOT," they began, summoning their daggers, "YET!" They screamed, stabbing Igris with all of their might, One dagger penetrated Igris's left eye, and another penetrated the armor into his stomach. "WE HAVEN'T LOST YET!" They roared in fury and rage. Standing close, they punched their daggers deep into Igris, leaving dents and blood spraying out. They then grabbed his neck and slammed him into the wall behind the throne, Igris reached up and grabbed the dagger in his eye, pulling it out. Taking this opportunity, They stabbed Igris with their horn, forcing it up from under Igris's helmet. Through the pain, Igris attempted to bring the dagger down on Winter. "I can't let someone else have that!" They thought, returning it to Winter's inventory. "I can retrieve the dagger he took from me! All I have to do now is kill him!" They added, grabbing Igris's head. Despite Igris's best efforts, he couldn't break free in time, as powerful, red and black energy built up between Winter's horns. It began to burn and melt his face. They roared, as it built up further, then exploding once it got large enough. Winter was flung back from the explosion, landing on his feet by the entrance. Huffing and puffing. He looked up to find the helmet landing on the ground, beside the headless Igris.

~>System<{" The [Player] Has Defeated [Knight Commander: Blood Red Igris],"}>it rang<~< p>

~>System<{" The [Player] [Leveled up!] {x4},"}>it rang again<~< p>

 "Is that... it?" Winter asks, taking control once more. Out of breath, he panted, as he approached the dead body. "That was closer than I would've liked," he sighed, "I held the disadvantage from the start, and we were both equal to each other in the second half," Winter knelt. His legs and hands trembled. "I won because I got lucky. If I made any more mistakes, I would've died. A beast like him probably would've given an A-rank a run for their money," he added, noticing the items he could collect. He sat down and went through the items.

~>System<{" The [Player] Has Obtained Following [Items: Crimson Knight's Helmet, Commander's Touch, Leather Pouch, Instant Teleportation Stone],"}>it rang as Winter gathered the items<~< p>

 "Four items at once! This is way more than usual!" Winter smiled in excitement. "I suppose putting our life on the line was worth it, hm?" Ultima asked. "100%," Winter replied, laughing.

~>System<{" [Item: Leather Pouch] Has Been Opened. You Received [1,500,000 Gold],"}>it rang upon Winter opening the bag<~< p>

 "I got as much gold as I had in my savings! I should spend this gold soon," he thought, happily.

~>System<{" [Total Gold: 3,115,629 Gold],"}>it displayed<~< p>

 "I even got another S-rank item!" He put it on, "Aren't you a kid in a candy shop," Ultima teased, "Shut up, you'd be the same way too if our places were swapped," he responded.

~>System<{" [Item: Crimson Knight's Helmet]. [Rank: S]. [Type: Armor]. Physical Damage is Reduced by [15%] When Worn. [+20 Health, +20 Strength],"}>it displayed<~< p>

 "This is incredible! But I'm quite stupid with all of this on..." Winter looked at himself, "Well, the stats are on another level, excluding my gauntlets," he argued with himself. "I'd be more than satisfied with just the damage reduction, but my health and strength stats get buffed by 20 points as well? This must be a dream," Winter smiled. "It must be a nightmare for me, then," Ultima commented.

~>System<{" The [Physical Damage Reduction: 56%] is Activated. [+ 15%],"}>it displayed on his main status<~< p>

~>System<{" The [Item: Instant Teleportation Stone]. [Type: Consumable]. This Item Can Only be Obtained Through [Quest: Job Change]. Upon Breaking Stone, [Player] is Immediately Teleported Outside Dungeon. item will Automatically Self-destruct Completion of It Cannot Be Stored in Inventory,"}>it displayed over the small, green stone<~< p>

 "An instant teleportation stone? Why would I want to use this? Even if this isn't the test, I want to use this opportunity to get the best job!" Winter threw the stone away.