The moment Alex activated the teleportation to the third floor, a flash of blue light enveloped him.
When the light faded, he found himself standing in the middle of the [Night Plains].
As far as the eye could see, the land stretched endlessly in every direction, covered in tall, shadowy grass that seemed to sway even without a breeze.
The sky above was an eternal night, studded with faint stars, giving the entire area an eerie and oppressive atmosphere.
Monsters roamed freely, their glowing eyes slicing through the darkness like blades.
Alex glanced around briefly before opening his [World Map]. Continue your adventure with empire
His attention focused on two markers not far from his position: [StarPillow] and [Aurelia].
Their proximity was unusual, and it piqued his curiosity.
“What are those two up to?” he murmured, closing the map.
Without hesitation, he began moving toward their location, cutting through the monsters in his path with cold efficiency.
…
Meanwhile, at Alice and Aurelia’s Location
The clearing was filled with tension.
Alice stood tall, her bow raised and a crimson-glowing [Blood Arrow] nocked, aimed directly at Aurelia.
Her posture was steady, her expression calm but sharp.
On the other side, Aurelia was breathing heavily, her body trembling from exhaustion as she clutched her twin daggers.
Sweat streaked down her face, but her determination hadn’t wavered.
“This is the fourth time,” Alice said flatly, her tone laced with exasperation. “Just give up already. Your 1,000 points aren’t even worth this much trouble.”
In the third floor, every monster killed gave 300-500 points, meaning that it didn’t change anything to the two of them except for the fact that Aurelia would need to kill three monsters to regain her points.
Aurelia’s lips curled into a weak smirk, though it lacked confidence. “I just want to know how you’re so strong.”
Alice’s brow furrowed, her grip tightening on the bowstring. “Why does that matter?”
“I’ve been playing this game all day every day for the sake of my family, yet I’m not even close to you, and even my agility as an assassin falls short compared to yours.”
For a moment, Alice’s thoughts drifted to Alex, the hours they’d spent training, the countless battles he had helped her survive, and the strength she had gained under his guidance.
But she quickly shoved the thought aside, her expression hardening.
“I don’t owe you an explanation,” she said coldly.
“Was it… FateBreaker?” Aurelia asked, her eyes narrowing.
The mention of Alex’s in-game name sent a jolt through Alice.
Her calm expression twisted into one of annoyance as she drew the bowstring back further, the [Blood Arrow] glowing even brighter.
Alice didn’t care about Alex having sex with other girls, but that was only since Alera and Lilith were good friends and genuine nice people she knew would support them both.
She didn’t know much about Aurelia, but right now she was annoying.
“Stop,” Alice said, her voice low and dangerous. “Stop saying his name. Stop following me. You won’t beat me.”
Aurelia didn’t back down. Instead, she raised her hands in a mock gesture of surrender, trying to defuse the situation. “Relax. I’m just curious.”
Alice scoffed. “Curiosity won’t save you.”
A tense silence stretched between them, broken only by Aurelia’s ragged breathing.
“I got an SS Talent, one of its perks is that I can detect players in a large radius,” she revealed trying to gather the sympathy of Alice.
But that didn’t work.
Without another word, Alice released the arrow.
The crimson projectile hurtled toward Aurelia with blinding speed, crackling with deadly energy.
Time seemed to slow as the arrow neared its target.
Aurelia’s eyes widened, her body too exhausted to dodge.
She braced herself for impact, but at the last second, a wall of rock appeared between her and the arrow.
CRACK!
The arrow struck the barrier, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.
The wall splintered under the impact, faint cracks spreading across its surface, but it held.
The arrow dissipated into a cloud of crimson mist.
Both women turned toward the source of the barrier.
Standing just a few meters away was Alex, his hand raised and glowing faintly from the activation of his [Impenetrable Fortress] skill.
His expression was calm but sharp, his gaze shifting between the two of them.
“That was close,” Alex said, lowering his hand as the barrier flickered and disappeared. “Alice, what are you doing?”
Alice frowned, rolling her eyes. “Stopping her from annoying me. I should’ve shot sooner.”
Aurelia, on the other hand, looked at Alex with wide eyes, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten.
Excitement lit up her face, and she quickly sheathed her daggers, stepping closer to him.
“FateBreaker!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with awe. “It’s really you!”
Alex raised an eyebrow, glancing at her briefly before turning back to Alice. “You tried to kill her?”
“She kept coming back,” Alice said, crossing her arms. “I warned her. Four times.”
Alex sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I guess she’s persistent…”
“…”
“But I’d rather not have to block arrows for her,” Alex continued, his tone firm but not harsh. He looked at Aurelia, who was practically beaming despite her earlier exhaustion. “And you. What’s your deal?”
“I wanted to see how strong she was,” Aurelia admitted, her voice earnest. “But now that you’re here…” she backed away, taking her normal assassin stance, “I wanna see how strong you are!”
Aurelia was a martial artist/assassin in the real world too, trained by her family, so she was pretty emotionless when it came to that.
Though in Universal Descent, while observing all these strange phenomenons, she couldn’t help but be excited.
She truly wanted to get stronger, but “protecting her family” was only a motivation to do so.
She liked strong people, and FateBreaker was considered the strongest right now.
Not only that, but she didn’t want to waste this chance as he was probably too advanced to bother coming back to low-level areas later.
Alex raised an eyebrow at Aurelia’s determination, “You really want to fight me?”
“Yes,” Aurelia said firmly, her twin daggers gleaming in her hands. Her stance was low, ready to strike. “I’ll give it my all!”
Alex sighed, unsheathing his own dagger in a smooth motion. “I’ll try to restrain myself,” he said, his voice calm. “Otherwise, it wouldn’t even be a fight.”
“Don’t underestimate me!” Aurelia snapped, her eyes narrowing as she gripped her weapons tighter.
A faint smile tugged at Alex’s lips.
He opened his menu, scrolling through quickly before sending her a friend request. “Before we start, I’ll add you to my friend list, just in case something happens.”
Aurelia blinked in surprise, her focused expression softening briefly as the notification appeared.
She hesitated for only a moment before accepting. “You won’t regret this,” she said, her voice brimming with excitement.
Ding!
[“Aurelia” has been added to your friend list!]
[Current friends: 3]
Alice, who had been watching the interaction from the side, clicked her tongue in annoyance.
“Whatever,” she muttered, crossing her arms. “Just don’t blame me if she gets hurt.”
Alex glanced at Alice, his expression softening.
He chose not to address her frustration, instead returning his attention to Aurelia.
“Alright then,” he said, rolling his shoulders. “I’ll only use my dagger too. Wouldn’t be fair to overwhelm you with spells.”
With that, he unsheathed his sleek black dagger, its blade glinting faintly under the starlit sky.
The weapon radiated an aura of subtle menace, its edge razor-sharp.
Aurelia’s stance shifted, her body taut with anticipation.
Every fiber of her being was focused, her earlier exhaustion evaporating as adrenaline surged through her.
“I’m ready,” she said, determination etched into her features.
Alex mirrored her intensity, his stance relaxed but deliberate, his calm confidence forming an almost tangible aura.
“Show me what you’ve got,” he said, his voice steady but inviting.
The [Night Plains] around them fell silent, as if even the monsters lurking in the shadows dared not interrupt the confrontation.