100\% Drop Rate: My Special Ability is Perfect Replication

The spectators had grown quiet as they sensed the end coming. Hot sweat covered every inch of Faust. He squinted under the sun, heart pounding harder and harder as his mind raced.

What now?

His arms hung limply at his sides, throbbing with numbness. No arms against an elite fighter like Drekar?

Faust was a miracle worker, but he wasn’t that good.

"Finish him!" someone shouted from the crowd.

"Someone’s finally humbled this guy."

"Bro chill, you don’t have to hate this much."

"Hating Red God is the only reason my heart still beats!"

The heat was rushing to his head now. All he could hear was fear whispering to him between his hammering heart. He cleared the sweat from his head and smiled.

Now he had to win this.

"Are you ready?" Drekar said calmly. "I’m going to kick you out of the ring. Brace yourself."

There wasn’t a second for Faust to respond. Drekar was attacking, a blur of motion. He gave Faust no time to think or prepare.

But Faust knew that Drekar didn’t want to win this by pushing Faust out of the ring.

He wanted a knockout.

Drekar hid it well, but he was angry. He was furious not only at Faust but at his situation.

Faust moved his body like he was bracing for a kick, lowering his jaw to present an easy target. Fighting was an instinctual thing; you started with plans and adjusted to the situation.

So when an open jaw was handed to you, you broke it.

Drekar bit immediately, his arm drawing low for a thundering uppercut that would take a couple of Faust’s teeth.

Faust jumped forward immediately. The punch slammed into his numb shoulder, shaking his entire body. He looped his leg around Drekar’s lead foot and used his momentum to throw him over.

Drekar sensed what was happening and tried to avoid his hand touching the line, but Faust was also falling over and landed on him, pushing the tip of his hand out of the ring.

The crowd was silent for a moment. They stared, unbelieving of what had just happened, inching closer to check if Drekar was truly over the line.

Then a loud roar exploded through the square.

Faust was shouting with them, rolling onto his back and grinning madly.

"I am that good..." he chuckled.

The crowd was throwing things at them. Fruits, food, and even... underwear? Why do humans make everything weird?

Drekar looked down at his hand in disbelief. He thought Faust would try to attack with his legs or continue his previous style of aggressiveness. But that was all to set up.

"I got caught in a pattern you created," Drekar muttered. "Hahhh, I guess your legend continues."

As they walked out of the center of the celebrating crowd, Faust asked, "My legend? I didn’t know I already had a legend."

"Nirvana told me you have never lost a fight," Drekar said blankly. "When the title feature is implemented by the system, you’ll get the Undefeated title. That is a legend itself."

Faust’s chest tightened. An intense desire for that title burned in him. He had been fighting without care of whether he lost or not, but now he would push as hard as he could for it.

They escaped the crowd and Drekar set his arms back in an isolated alley. Two sharp jabs from his fingers were all it took.

Faust rolled his shoulders as feeling returned. "You have to teach me that. But first, how mean of you. You were really going to take my undefeated title from me?!"

His voice carried genuine hurt and disappointment.

"Forget it," Drekar muttered. "The buffs it gives your attributes are amazing, but you get locked into always worrying about losing. Vi never had it; she always dueled with Vyen and lost. It’s more of a curse from the system than a blessing."

"I still want it though." His nose wrinkled. "This place smells like piss."

They moved a bit further to sit on the windowsill of the building. These were tall commercial buildings that shielded them from the growing heat of the sun. The place was still humid and uncomfortable.

But Faust wanted to wait for the people to clear out. In the meantime, they continued to talk about titles.

Drekar sighed. "As long as you win twenty fights against players consecutively, you’d get it back. Weapon titles are more dependable than things like Undefeated and Sword Saint."

"There’s a Sword Saint title?" Faust asked. "What’s a weapon title?"

"Weapon titles are things like Sword Master or Axe Master for you. Or feat titles like Storm of the Wind for completing twenty attacks at full speed in twenty fights against players..."

Drekar paused as he saw Faust taking out a note and writing things down. He looked up as the stream of Drekar’s voice stopped and motioned for him to continue.

"Well, I won’t be able to tell you these things once the system decides on the results of the hidden quest. Titles you can try to get..."

Faust listened for about ten minutes until he was satisfied with what he got, then he put his book away smiling.

He let out a tired breath. "How long before we’re allowed back into the Origin Server after the system sends us back?"

"Might be a while. I don’t know what they have planned. But it’ll be Dungeon Breaks and if you’re unlucky... Well, let’s not talk about that."

They went silent for a long time. Faust was thinking about his dad. Things would get annoying when he got home if he didn’t establish boundaries with Arthur.

"Did Vi say anything before she..." Drekar said suddenly. He had no idea how their fight ended, only that Faust controlled the magic circle, the Nifelgar, and Vi was gone.

The only way for Faust to control the Nifelgar, he needed to collect control from Vi. By force since they had been fighting. He would have to torture her to gain access to it.

There was no other way to control the magic circle, which, as Drekar said, was the domain of the system.

There was a way Faust could control the magic circle—if he convinced Vi to willingly give him control. That would explain why he came back so quickly; it would take months to break Vi with torture.

But he felt Vi’s light fade. His Bittersteel dagger was gone, even now that the Envy effect Faust used on him had ended. So the only explanation was that Vi died.

He waited for Faust’s answer in bated silence.

But he didn’t answer with words.

Instead, he pulled Nem’s flute out of his spatial bag and started playing. It was the tune Vi had played in the dark place. Just the two of them enjoying—and the ancient pillar in the corner, but they ignored him.

The song was somber and long-winded. Each note felt like the flute was speaking to you, crying softly as it forced itself through the tune.

Drekar recognized it immediately and knew Vi had given him the magic circle willingly. She chose to lose. After all, what home was she going to?

It had been centuries since they left, and they didn’t leave on good terms.

The song was of resignation and sorrow. Tears drew lines over the assassin’s pale face. He broke in silence after so long, made brittle by the long years and cold.

But then the song changed.

It was the rising voice of hope. A tide that overwhelmed him in its suddenness and authenticity.

The flute sang rising, fast tunes now. A fight song from their homeland.

When Faust ended it, he let out a tired breath. He turned to Drekar, smiling. "How was it? I’ve been practicing since I was taught."

Drekar just stared at him with wide eyes.

"Vi had a message for you," Faust said finally. "She said ’keep fighting, until the sun rises at night.’ No idea what that means; she said you would know."

Drekar was still for a moment, then a smile cracked his composed demeanor. Soon he was laughing. Loud and booming laughs made people passing the alleyway stop.

It was satisfying, given he hadn’t actually practiced a lot, except for before his interview with Narad, and also when he moved the Black castle from above the city.

He smirked. He was just that good with a flute.

Ding!

The system’s chime made them both snap to attention.

[You have been evaluated to have completed the Hidden Quest.]

[You have been rewarded 500 experience points.]

[You have gained 2000 Origin Credits.]

[You have gained 8x Skill stones.]

[You have gained 8x Enhancement stones.]

[You have gained 1x Platinum All-attributes potion.]

[You have gained 1x Platinum Constitution potion.]

[You have gained 1x Skill fusion stone.]

[You have gained 2x Level Fragments.]

Faust couldn’t help but grin widely as the rewards came in.

Another busted skill fusion!

Although this time he got no grade enhancement stones or crystallized matrix. But now he had four level fragments; one more and he could go straight to level 10.

That was when rank ascension quests came in.

But then the final reward came in with a sharper ding.

[You have gained a Servant—Assassin Drekar(Gold)!]