Dragona's Awakening: MMORPG System

Nathan, having witnessed the duel and seeing how Ryuichi had impressed Niyane, the daughter of the Elden Mage Inivolve, was seething him with rage. Elden were not just anyone, they were attributed powers by the universe, they were on celestial quest and also had immense powers in Noviak's politics, he could not afford to loose her. His eyes burned with jealousy as he clenched his fists, thinking about how Ryuichi had effortlessly stolen her attention. But today, Nathan had a little surprise up his sleeve. A gift from his father, meant to help him win Niyane's favor and prove himself worthy of her hand in marriage.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, purple gleaming stone—The Pranked Cursed Stone of Epinoc.

The rare cursed stone shimmered ominously in his hand, its power dark and subtle to fool and prank the best.

Pranked Cursed Stone of Epinoc (Epic)

Effect: The wearer of this stone can suppress an opponent's stats by 25%.

Charge: 1

Note: Works only during a friendly duel.

Nathan grinned as he looked at the stone, feeling the weight of it in his palm. It was his key to turning the tide, to besting Ryuichi, and to winning Niyan's admiration in a way that would secure his family's future.

He slipped the stone into his pocket, ready to challenge Ryuichi, knowing that this time, he'd have the advantage. This time, the odds were in his favor.

"Hey, Ryuichi, what's up, man?" Nathan called out, his voice dripping with false camaraderie. "I just saw you duel Niyane. You're pretty good! How about a little duel with me, huh?"

Ryuichi's face remained neutral, but inside, his thoughts were less than friendly. "Fuck... Not that guy again... Maybe if I kick his ass, he'll leave me alone for a while."

He forced a smile, hiding his annoyance. "Yeah, alright" Ryuichi said "Let's settle this, you got beef against me, we can just fight it off, may the best win"

You have been invited to a duel. Overall health bars will appear on top of each player, and a simulation of damage will take place.

"I accept" thought Ryuichi Now again a shimmering golden barrier surrounded the arena, locking them both inside. Above their heads, glowing health bars appeared, faintly flickering in the magical air. Suddenly He felt a sort of curse on him.

"Watch out for this guy. He's got some kind of cursed item on him" the spirit's voice echoed in Ryuichi's mind. "I can feel your stats drop by 25%, but I'm pretty sure you can still kick his ass" the spirit added with a hint of amusement.

"I feel that..." Ryuichi thought, his body already reacting to the subtle suppression in strength and agility. He flexed his fingers, testing his movements, feeling slower but still in control.

Nathan stood there, looking confident, unaware that Ryuichi had caught on. "You ready for this?" Nathan sneered.

"Alright, Ryuichi" thought, "Let's give him a show."

Looking at him, Ryuichi put himself in a fighting stance, starting to walk in a circle with him.

Suddenly, Nathan charged, roaring, "Intimidating Strike!", a powerful melee strike infused with overwhelming force, dealing (150% of Attack Power) physical damage to the target and emitting a shockwave that causes all nearby enemies within a 10-yard radius to cower in fear for 3 seconds. His massive sword swung down with brute force, but Ryuichi was already moving out of the radius before he had even cast his spell. 

Activating Spectral Walk, Ryuichi disappeared, blending into the shadows. Nathan spun around, confused, realizing his attack had missed. "How is he still this fast?" Nathan wondered. "He should be slowed down"

"Bang!" Sparks flew from Nathan's armor meaning that it had token great damage as Ryuichi struck him from behind, his health bar dropping slightly due to his tank resilience.

"This will take some work" Ryuichi thought, coating his blade with venom. He followed up with a precise Blood Slash hitting him in the face, cutting through his nose and forhead, inraged with blood dripping on his have he ran toward Ryuichi. A small drop of blood had appeared by his health bar, slowly draining Nathan's health away ignoring his resilience and armor. "He's bleeding." he thought with a smile.

Enraged, Nathan swung his sword wildly to the side. "Full Strike!" he screamed, spinning in a reckless 360-degree arc with his massive blade.

"Intimidating Charge!" followed up, but Ryuichi was already out of reach, his attacks missing completely.

From behind, Ryuichi executed Shadow Stitch, paralyzing Nathan in place. He started slashing repeatedly at his neck sparkles were flying everywhere and his helmet disintegrated to enter his belt, finally poisoning Nathan with every hit. His enemy could only stand helpless, taking the blows. When Nathan finally broke free, he tried to turn around and strike again with Full Strike, but Ryuichi was already gone, activating Spectral Walk once more. He appeared behind Nathan in an instant, launching a devastating Dark Strike into his neck which no longer had armor. 

Nathan took the hit, consuming a quarter of his health bar, enraged he started swing his sword but Ryuichi again avoided the hit striking at his face with blood slash and then applying poison on his blade to keep the poison affect active until his health bar had finally hit zero.

Ryuichi stood over him, breathing steady, victorious.

The golden dome disappeared, leaving forty students whispering amongst themselves. To their eyes, it looked like Ryuichi had completely dominated Nathan. The whispers grew louder as Nathan, boiling with barely contained rage, got to his feet. His anger was over the top, but he forced a smile, his mind spinning with hypocritical thoughts. "This man needs to die" he thought darkly.

"Well, good game" Nathan said getting up, his voice smooth and controlled, though anyone paying attention could see through the act. He walked to Ryuichi extended his hand toward him, but his eyes had shifted from fury to a venomous calm, an unsettling look of cold confidence that hinted at the vengeance brewing within him.

Ryuichi could feel the malice radiating from Nathan, but he remained composed, shaking his hand with firm grip. The whispers continued around them, unaware of the storm Nathan was planning beneath his faux friendly exterior.

--------

"Father... the stone was in vain. He won anyway," Nathan muttered, his voice trembling as he reported his failure.

His father's eyes narrowed, a sneer of contempt curling his lips. "You incompetent fool. You can't even handle this one simple task? We need you to impress the Elden Mage's daughter. Do you understand?" His voice was cold and biting, each word a sharp sting.

"I'm sorry, Father... but he was too strong, even with the stone, I tried. She seem to resist me, she is not interested" Nathan said, barely holding back his frustration and fear.

His father let out a long, frustrated sigh, eyes burning with fury. "Well then... you can't force love can you? You know what that means, right? Ryuichi will have to disappear before it's too late." His voice was cold, calculating, as he leaned forward, eyes gleaming with dangerous intent.

Nathan now smiling wide said, "Thank You Father".