Inside the Raine family villa, Corey Raine had just received the news.
Rubbing his forehead with a weary expression, he felt an imaginary headache coming on.
"How much trouble does this boy intend to cause before I can finally have some peace?" he muttered under his breath.
At that moment, his Skylink rang. The caller ID displayed Brandon Mac Corell.
"Speak of the devil," Corey scoffed as he accepted the call.
"Hello, Mr. Brandon Mac Corell," Corey greeted first.
"Hello, Mr. Corey Raine," Brandon replied. Dispensing with unnecessary pleasantries, he went straight to the point. "Have you heard the news about your son?"
"I just did," Corey answered calmly. "The two boys simply need to learn how to behave appropriately in public and stop disgracing their family names."
"The two boys?" Brandon's voice rose immediately. "Point of correction—you need to rein in your troublemaker of a son and teach him a proper lesson. He's been causing trouble everywhere he goes."
As someone who spoiled his own son endlessly, Brandon naturally had no intention of letting Zarrell shoulder any blame. Instead, he pushed everything onto Gameliel.
Corey's expression darkened.
"Talk to me after you've disciplined your own spoiled troublemaker. Don't preach morality to me when you lack it yourself."
Without waiting for a reply, he ended the call.
"I've had enough of that son," he muttered coldly. "He needs to know his place and start behaving properly."
Turning toward the butler who had stood quietly before him the entire time, he instructed, "Inform me the moment he returns."
"Yes, Family Head," the butler replied respectfully before withdrawing.
Meanwhile, on the virtual platform, the avatars of Gameliel and Zarrell materialized opposite one another in a blank white construct. Before them floated countless options on luminous screens.
Without hesitation, both selected Single Duel and chose a Random Battle Map.
The system responded instantly.
A massive gladiatorial arena emerged around them.
No walls. No obstacles.
Nothing to exploit.
It was a pure frontal battle.
Gameliel's profession was that of a Guardian, while Zarrell specialized as a Sword Warrior. As expected, Zarrell chose a longsword—his weapon of choice—while Gameliel equipped himself with a shield and mace.
Long before the countdown had begun, the spectator stands were already packed to capacity. More people continued pouring in, while countless others tuned in through their Skylinks.
"What rank are those two?" someone asked curiously.
"They're both Iron Rank players in YGB," another answered.
"Thanks, brother."
"Their positions are quite close too," another added enthusiastically. "Zarrell Mac Corell is ranked 492nd, while Gameliel Raine sits at 498th among the Top 500."
"These two used to be the closest friends of Nicos Silvermoon, the son of Goddess Chloe of the Silvermoon family."
"You mean that good-for-nothing Nicos?" one spectator asked.
Immediately, someone frowned.
"Brother, even if you don't like Nicos, at least show some respect for Goddess Chloe. Don't call him that."
"I second that."
"Me too."
"+1."
"+1."
Comments flooded in both from the stands and through Skylink, causing the person who had spoken to shrink into silence.
"But even if we don't call him good-for-nothing, what value can he contribute to humanity?" another voice argued.
"Exactly. At the end of the day, he's still someone with a rotten Decay Spirit Root."
"Enough about Nicos," someone interrupted. "Let's focus on the duel. That's why we're here."
"But does anyone know what caused this face-off?" another spectator asked.
"The roots go back years," someone explained. "After Nicos was discovered to possess a Decay Spirit Root, almost all his friends abandoned him. Even his girlfriend, Lily, left him and eventually got together with Zarrell. I guess the resentment finally reached its boiling point."
"My friend was actually at Prestige Place Restaurant when everything happened today," another chimed in excitedly. "According to him, Gameliel's tongue was unbelievably sharp. He insulted Zarrell, Lily, and their entire group until they couldn't take it anymore. Apparently, Zarrell only initiated the duel because he couldn't win the battle of words."
"What did he call them?" someone asked eagerly.
The speaker burst into laughter.
"A bunch of broken speakers!"
"Hahaha! Gameliel is a menace!"
"His trash-talking skills are top-tier."
"Still, those two deserved it, especially that Lily. I really don't understand girls like that. If she wanted to leave her boyfriend, why choose his best friend? Are there no other men in the world?"
"Brother, I feel your pain."
"It's not like Zarrell is more handsome than us. What does she even see in him?"
Another spectator snorted.
"You two probably can't compare to his looks. But leaving that aside, if you had the kind of background Zarrell has, she might reconsider."
"Hmph. I bet she just wanted to sow discord among friends, and she succeeded."
"Beautiful women are terrifying."
"Agreed."
"+1."
"+1."
The comments immediately drew dirty looks from many female spectators. Some girls quickly came to Lily's defense, arguing heatedly both in the stands and through Skylink.
Before long, the entire arena had become noisy.
Groups formed everywhere, each passionately discussing the love triangle, the betrayal between friends, and the upcoming duel.
Yet amidst the endless chatter, everyone's eyes eventually returned to the arena floor.
Because in mere moments...
The battle between Gameliel Raine and Zarrell Mac Corell was about to begin.