420 Truen vs Monoman (1/2)

Even after the official start, neither Truen nor Monoman made a move. The tension was so thick and the audience didn't know what was going to happen. It wasn't often that they saw a match between two experts. While not much was known about either man, it was clear to everyone that they were not going to display their full might in a match within the Dirt Ring.

The wind swept through the Dirt Ring, kicking up dust clouds that obscured the vision slightly. That was when both men moved simultaneously. Monoman went for a straight dash, charging towards Truen but the elf decided to run, keeping the distance between them as much as possible while Monoman closed in. Unlike the match against the Griffin, Truen didn't intend to use magic. He switched the bow out expertly for daggers with thin metal threads attached to the end of their handles. He remembered Desert Lily's advice and devised a few plans for this match.

From the spectator seats, Desert Lily watched in anticipation at what Truen's first move would be. The battle had only begun but already she could see Monoman forcing Truen to reveal his first card.

When Monoman got into his ideal range, Truen tossed his daggers towards his opponent. They sailed through the air with a hissing sound, the thin metal wires attached to their handles were invisible from this angle. Truen readied his next set of knives and anticipated for them to miss the warrior.

However, that didn't happen and Monoman's reaction threw the wood elf completely off guard.

Instead of dodging the brand projectiles like a sane person, Monoman simply crossed his arms in front of him from the oncoming daggers. That mad grin on his face made Truen abandon this first plan as he focused on increasing their distance. He wasn't prepared for close-quarter combat with this monster who could rip wyverns apart.

The crowd cheered loudly and Zero covered Jermine's eyes, not wanting her to see the gruesome sight that he thought would happen, completely forgetting that the mole girl was technically blind. He forgot how to breathe with how fast everything was progressing. Brutus frowned. Something wasn't right.

The daggers made contact with a clink. Instead of seeing blood, they bounced off harmlessly like a bullet off polycarbonate glass. Truen's eyes widened when he understood how he screwed up. He quickly fled instead of following up with a second attack.

”What the heck is he made of?!” the wood elf screamed in his head and focused on getting away. No normal human or giant can remain immune to physical attacks without the help of magic or magical items. Truen did not spot any magical items on Monoman when they were sizing each other up at the start. This defied logic completely, it was almost like a cheat ability!

The crowd was silent from shock as the exchange lasted for nearly a minute. In Monoman's previous matches, everyone knew how powerful the brute was but nobody has ever withstood more than one punch from the Mammoth. A fragile-looking elf wasn't what the audience was expecting to match this monster of a fighter and yet, Truen was holding on.

Monoman smirked and Truen growled. His daggers were rendered useless. The wire trap that he wanted to set up was now moot.

”Unaffected by projectiles or sharp objects like ordinary people but I can't sense any mana... What could it be?” Truen thought and spat out a mouthful of blood from a new shockwave after a strong uppercut that missed the nimble elf narrowly. He put out his crappy bow just in time to save him but still received damage. Now that the bow was useless, Truen no longer had any reason to carry it around. He threw the broken remains at Monoman who wasn't fazed as he increased their distance.

From the bench, Zero felt nervous for Truen who was getting pushed back. Not even ten minutes had gone by but Truen was already spitting out blood and receiving internal injuries. If his diagnosis was accurate from this distance, his friend was currently feeling dizzy from the shockwaves that damaged his eardrums. Truen tried to steady his steps but Zero wasn't fooled. The archer needed medical attention at once and Zero was about to call the referee to end the match but Brutus stopped him.

”In the Dirt Ring, you must respect the rules. A match doesn't end unless someone surrenders or dies.”

Reluctantly, Zero sat back down and eyed his friend worriedly. From the other side of the arena, Desert Lily watched her client with worry. This wasn't a match that Truen could win without pulling out all his cards.

Giving his opponent a chance to breathe, Monoman stopped. Now that they were both weaponless, he wondered if the elf was going to fight him more seriously instead of using petty party tricks.

”If you don't fight me seriously, you're going to end up with more than just broken bones,” Monoman warned.