After work, start to speedrun the other world

Xi Mu saw the situation and casually hooked a spear from the ground with his foot, grabbed it, and hurled it with force, piercing straight through the lion beastman's heart.

Those who play games often know that as long as you have enough trial and error to understand the NPC's patterns, you can win against even the hardest boss.

Unless the game company adjusts the numbers to an unreasonable level, there will always be a way to prevail, and the NPCs from Mysterious Gate, once you are sufficiently familiar with their action templates, can be faced with composure even in the midst of a battlefield teeming with thousands.

However, when facing the top-tier mechanized monsters of the game, good skills don't mean much.

Those end-game mechanized monsters are a contest of who has the stronger mechanics.

"Yay... I won!" A shriek came, and the noble girl, who could hardly contain her excitement, ran into the dueling arena and planted a firm kiss on Ahtal.

She seemed even happier about Ahtal's victory than Ahtal himself.

Not surprisingly, the other spectators... especially the female ones, showed intense excitement at Ahtal's win.

"Wouldn't I be cursed if I went up to fight now?" The red-haired strongman rubbed his bearded chin, wondering whether to wait until after the duel to make his entrance.

But at that moment.

"Next up, we have the highly anticipated final duel!" The host began, announcing the next duel to everyone present.

"Dragon-slaying hero Siegfried, this will be the last challenge for Sir Ahtal!"

The atmosphere instantly shifted from boisterous to silent.

The audience seemed unsure whether the host was joking or had lost his mind by letting Ahtal duel with the dragon-slaying hero Siegfried.

This was a duel without any chance of winning, a certain defeat.

"Cough cough... Don't worry, this duel is not a matter of life and death!" The host seemed to have anticipated the audience's thoughts.

He explained to everyone.

"This is a challenge, as long as Sir Ahtal can even slightly touch His Majesty Siegfried, it counts as a victory."

"It's not a fight to the death nor a duel, just a thrilling test, where if Sir Ahtal manages to touch His Majesty Siegfried."

"That would mean victory, and defeat for His Majesty Siegfried!"

Compared to the previous duel which had no chance of success, the current terms were much more lenient, seemingly achievable with just a bit of effort.

But anyone who understood Siegfried knew not to entertain any hopes of victory; the man who single-handedly slew the evil dragon and bathed in dragon blood to obtain an almost immortal body.

And with Siegfried's ability to greatly enhance his own strength, he could exhibit power rivaling... no, surpassing that of the Giant King.

This made Siegfried an almost perfect warrior.

"Even so, there's no chance of winning." Someone murmured worriedly, unsure about Xi Mu's chances for victory.

In response, a red-haired man stood up, warming up his wrists: "Heroes are those who create the impossible."

"Who are you?" The noble girl's pupils shrank, and it was not until the man beside her stood up that she realized his huge stature, nearly three meters tall - a mere slap of his hand could turn her insides to mush.

The gap between their statures was like that of a child to an adult.

"I am Siegfried." The red-haired strongman smiled at the girl, looking into her surprised eyes and explained casually:

"After bathing in dragon blood, my body underwent some changes, not just in height, my hair color changed too." After saying that, he walked down from the spectator seats with a light jump and stood in front of Xi Mu in the dueling arena.

He looked down at Xi Mu.

"Your skills and talent are strong, they've drawn me to you, I can't wait to have a match."

"..." Xi Mu remained unfazed by the words of Siegfried, disregarding them as the game officials likely intended for an Easter egg for technically proficient players: performing exceedingly well in the novice duel arena might attract the attention of a special NPC.

Siegfried in front of him was one such NPC, characterized by the pursuit of strength and a profound love for battle, an unmistakable fight enthusiast.

And because Siegfried was a true fight enthusiast, upon seeing a player showcase superb skills not expected at the current stage, he would become keen on participating in a duel to make contact with the player.

This contact could trigger a side-quest storyline and also reveal hidden information about the world, along with the skill tree for special job classes.

The prerequisite was that he could encounter Siegfried.

"It feels different from before," Xi Mu said to Siegfried, as for him, a veteran player, no matter what kind of opponent or monster, none were worth surprising, let alone feeling nervous about.

But now, he actually felt... danger, a wave after wave of danger signals, constantly surging from his spine into his brain, making his body's nerves shriek in alarm.

The game had improved so much that it actually induced a sense of fear in him, a fear of facing an absolutely unbeatable opponent at the verge of possible death.

"This feeling is too great," laughing wildly, Xi Mu stepped back and swung his sword at Siegfried while reciting the first of the Ten Shadow Magics.

"With my blood, the magic wolf that gnaws on the arms of gods, descend here!" As he finished speaking, the heavy greatsword cleaved through the air, smashing heavily onto the sandy ground of the dueling arena.

Several magic wolves emerged from the shadows behind him, their green, oily eyes fixated on Siegfried who had jumped to the edge of the spectator seats.

Two thirds of his magic power was consumed.

Xi Mu estimated his remaining magic power and then charged at Siegfried, with several magic wolves closely following behind him.

Currently, his level was 14, still in the novice stage, while Siegfried's level was over ninety and he could unlock corresponding passives and abilities.

To defeat such a system monster during the novice period was nearly impossible, as even standing still and allowing oneself to hack at him at will, one couldn't catch up with Siegfried's healing speed.

Even if one exhausted themselves, they couldn't kill Siegfried.

"If our powers were on equal terms, I would surely lose," Siegfried took a small step back, dodging the heavy greatsword that grazed his neck, then sidestepped to evade the pursuing magic wolves.

With the great disparity in attributes, the reaction speeds of both parties were not on the same level. If Siegfried chose to attack, he could end the fight in an instant.

But he wasn't interested in crushing Ahtal; after all, there was a princess waiting for Ahtal.

So, let this fearless and strong knight have his way.

With that thought, Siegfried planned to slow down his speed, allowing the knight protecting the princess to touch him with the blade's edge.

However, at that instant,

"Death, bless me," Xi Mu recited a spell, the runes of death on his chest flowing. He prayed to the Witch of Death, borrowing the Witch's power.

In a situation with such a huge power gap, defeating the enemy on one's own was a very difficult task, but borrowing the strength of a more powerful being

would entirely change the situation.

"You aren't human," Xi Mu declared to Siegfried, "A wicked dragon in human skin."

"..." A flicker of surprise passed through Siegfried's eyes. How did this human understand his condition so well?

But before he could figure it out, the sword edge had already grazed his neck, producing dazzling sparks, although not inflicting any damage.

But without a doubt, it had touched him.

"You were holding back your power?" he asked, touching his neck and questioning Xi Mu, who had clearly increased his speed several folds in that final cut.

Shaking his head, Xi Mu calmly answered, "No, I borrowed His power; it's not hiding strength."

"Are you a follower of the Goddess of Death?" Siegfried inquired curiously. If someone could be watched by a deity and borrow their power, they indeed could gain strength beyond their own.

However, that usually depends on how much the deity cares about you, and whether they're willing to lend you their power.

"Yes," Xi Mu lied without any change in expression. He had borrowed the power of the Witch of Death, a deity whose worship was strictly forbidden and one who, if discovered, would be hunted by the church.

But he didn't care about that at all. For a player, as long as something could enhance their strength and help them progress through the game,

nothing else mattered.

Not to mention that the Witch of Death was considered the most generous in the game... and also the easiest being to borrow strength from.

Other beings required faith, personality, and an understanding of corresponding concepts, but the Witch of Death cared about none of these.

If she found you pleasing, she would lend you strength.

The prerequisite was that you had the ability to withstand it and not be eroded by the power of death, which could lead to your demise.