Chapter 5: Brotherly Conflict (4)
‘Engagement if I become family head? With that woman?’
If she made something so ridiculous the condition for marriage…
Then Ian was doomed from the start to be used and discarded.
‘You pathetic fool.’
The deeper I dug into this body’s past, the more absurd stories I found.
While cursing the body I had ended up in, I arrived at the appointed place.
Albert tapped my shoulder, signaling me.
Only then did I lift my head and look around.
As expected for a duel to determine the next head of the prestigious Marquis Renorf family…
The area was packed with people dressed in elegant old-fashioned clothes.
Among them, I spotted a few familiar faces.
‘Those five… I had to assassinate them in the side quest.’
Five nobles from branch families who formed the core of the family.
As I remembered, they were fanatics about bloodlines.
The head of the glorious Renorf family must be one of chosen blood!
When they discovered in the game that Ian had sent assassins after them…
Every one of them said those same words while justifying themselves.
Even if I somehow became family head, those five would never accept me.
They would oppose me at every turn and try to drag me down.
“What are you thinking so hard about? Scared?”
At Yulian’s voice, I pulled my gaze from those five.
Then I turned to face him.
Between us stood a small table with a single sheet of paper on it.
We stared at each other.
“If you’re afraid, write on that contract now that you’ll behave like a dog. I may spare your life.”
The paper Yulian indicated…
I knew what it was.
Magic Contract Scroll
- Grade: Unique
- Forces anyone who signs it to obey the written terms.
- Violating the contract means death.
Using the Appraisal Ring, I saw its value.
1.25 million points.
‘If I converted that into points, I’d be set for a while.’
Facing things I had never seen in the game, with the marquis house in its prime…
It truly hit me what situation I was in.
‘Stay sharp.’
This might be a world like a game.
But it wasn’t the game.
It was another reality.
I had to survive.
“I think you’re the scared one. You were so afraid of facing me properly you even sent me a gift yesterday.”
I made a gesture of swirling a wine glass.
Yulian gave a mocking laugh.
“If you knew it was a gift, you should have accepted it. Why ignore my goodwill?”
“It tasted like garbage. Your taste in wine is awful.”
We spoke lightly.
But the atmosphere between us was explosive.
I was tense, ready for him to attack at any second, while preparing counters in my head.
Yulian stood with folded arms, studying my every move.
Like we stood on thin ice that could crack with one wrong step…
We waited for the duel to begin.
Soon, a servant acting as referee checked the time and approached.
“Do either of you wish to reach an agreement?”
Both Yulian and I shook our heads at the same time.
“No.”
“No intention.”
It was only a formality.
The servant didn’t press further.
He raised his hand and shouted,
“Then by tradition, the duel begins!”
The instant the signal fell, Yulian extended his right hand and muttered—
“Shadow Curtain.”
Dark energy burst from his hand.
It spread instantly in a dome around us.
The spectators vanished beyond it.
All I could see now was a blackened world, the table with the contract…
And Yulian.
‘An intermediate spell that blocks outsiders’ vision.’
I knew it well.
I had used it often during assassin playthroughs.
“So my dear brother was always shy?”
The Yulian I knew loved being admired.
A man built entirely from pride.
I never expected him to hide the duel.
“If there are witnesses, I can’t claim your death was an accident.”
“Ah. So you’ll pretend not to see what’s obvious?”
Intentional murder was forbidden in this duel.
But if it looked like an accident…
People would let it pass.
‘This is already different from the story I knew.’
Originally, Yulian had no intention of killing Ian here.
He was supposed to humiliate him in front of everyone…
Then exile him.
That was Ian’s story.
‘Did my actions change the scenario?’
A butterfly’s wings could alter the future.
And after what I did yesterday…
Change was natural.
‘Still, let’s confirm it.’
I deliberately provoked him.
“Did something piss you off, brother?”
“Ridiculous. Why would trash like you anger me?”
His voice was calm.
But the twitch in his brow gave him away.
The fact I had shaken his emotions itself seemed humiliating to him.
Honestly, if someone I looked down on asked if I was mad because of them…
I’d be annoyed too.
“Funny coming from someone who went to the prison at night to vent his anger.”
I even exaggerated my tone.
The effect was immediate.
Yulian’s eyes sharpened.
He thrust out his hand.
“You really need to be erased here.”
I had already spent points before he attacked.
3,000 points total.
1,000 to activate a skill.
1,000 to specify a class.
And 1,000 more to raise the skill grade.
“Ice Spear!”
A giant spear of ice tore through the air.
Fast.
So fast it was hard to track.
But before it pierced me—
I finished my combination.
–Combination Success–
–Fighter Beginner Skill ‘Parry’ activated–
I counted less than a second.
Then swung.
My skill-empowered hand struck the incoming attack exactly.
The force was completely neutralized.
“Hah… hahaha.”
I let out a dumbfounded laugh.
‘If that had failed, I’d be dead.’
Death had been right in front of me seconds ago.
Realizing it made my right hand tremble.
‘It’s okay. Even if this is real… the timing works exactly like the game.’
I had confirmed it over and over in training.
I tried calming myself.
But some things logic can’t stop.
The only fights I had ever been in were childhood fistfights.
Now I was in a strange world gambling my life.
Staying sane was the weird part.
‘I cleared the game no-damage before. I can do this.’
Just moments ago I had told myself this wasn’t a game.
Now I was steadying myself by insisting it worked like one.
Ridiculous.
***
Unlike my calm appearance…
Yulian was horrified.
‘He deflected my magic?’
Even seeing it happen himself, he struggled to accept it.
If I had merely dodged, he wouldn’t have been this shocked.
‘How was that possible?’
If I had used defensive magic, Ice Spear would have bounced away.
That wasn’t it.
Only two possibilities remained.
‘Either he tricked me somehow…’
And then the second possibility came.
It made his spine turn cold.
‘Dispel.’
An intermediate spell that erases enemy magic.
But it only works if your mana greatly surpasses your opponent’s.
‘No… impossible. That trash couldn’t possibly do that!’
He denied it.
Yet couldn’t shake the fear.
The gap in talent he once felt as a child had become trauma.
And it was eating at him.
“Whatever the case… the information that you can’t use magic was wrong.”
Grinding his teeth, he glared at me.
Seeing me smirk…
His blood seemed to boil.
“You’re laughing? You dare laugh in front of me?”
Whether I was pleased…
Or mocking him…
Either way—
Unforgivable.
“Magic Missile!”
He spoke one spell.
But his mind performed ten times the calculations.
Over three seconds he completed everything.
Then launched ten magic projectiles at me.
“Die!”
Magic Missile was basic magic.
But casting many at once was different.
Even adding one raised the difficulty drastically.
Casting ten simultaneously…
That was the realm of talent.
Not effort.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The missiles exploded where I had stood.
Dust filled the air.
When it settled, Yulian stared.
“W-What? Where did he go?”
I was gone.
His spell wasn’t powerful enough to erase even a corpse.
Then—
“Impossible!”
By the time he turned—
Too late.
I was already beside him, in position.
‘Blink?!’
Yulian assumed only Blink could explain my speed.
‘Dispel and now Blink too…!’
He had thought he was ahead.
But had I already mastered intermediate magic?
As despair hit him—
My fist slammed into his stomach.
A clean strike.
No time to react.
***
–Thief Beginner Skill ‘Shadow Walk’ activated–
I avoided Yulian’s Magic Missiles and rushed silently at high speed.
The place I had stood was devastated.
Seeing that infamous game pattern in reality made cold sweat run down my back.
‘If that hits me, there won’t be bones left to collect.’
Fear and excitement made my whole body shake.
If I relaxed even slightly, my legs might give out.
‘Why the hell am I going through this?’
Even while resenting it, my eyes searched desperately for how to end the fight.
Instinct to survive?
Or just a gamer searching for a clear condition?
Even I didn’t know.
‘Damn!’
With dust obscuring vision…
I realized this was my chance.
I reached out, grabbed the contract from the table—
Then closed in.
–Martial Artist Beginner Skill ‘Strong Fist’ activated–
The power from 3,000 points gathered in my right fist, glowing faintly.
I punched with everything I had.
Straight into Yulian’s abdomen.
“Gah!”
He flew backward.
Rolled.
Then stopped moving.
Unconscious.
“Huff… huff…”
The sensation of hitting a human body…
Completely different from deflecting magic.
I was reminded what punching someone actually felt like.
“Did I… win?”
I waited.
Yulian didn’t move.
The moment I was sure…
All strength left my body.
I collapsed gracelessly onto the ground.
And let out a deep sigh.
“I survived…”
I had never been so grateful simply to be alive.
There would be countless dangers ahead.
That thought already worried me.
But for now…
I let myself enjoy the victory.
