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Chapter: First...Blood!?...Duel!?...Rival?!

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I stared at the snake nervously as it looked silently at me; I didn't know what to do: run, fight, be excited, or be afraid. We stood there looking at each other silently in this dark forest as I was soaked in my sweat.

Unable to hold it in, "Oh, man! I'm excited," I exclaimed, breaking the silence as my shivering hands shakily took a crossbow.

I stared at it with my pale face. "You know, I have many plans to play with you in the future," I stuttered. I calmed down, diverting my fear by thinking about various ways I could play with the snake if I escaped. "So I need to be alive," I muttered.

Looking up at the snake with a renewed goal, "I'm eager to play with you" I exclaimed, excitedly sized the snake.

"But now is not the time, so move out of my way now," I yelled, firing the crossbow, and hitting the snake in the snout.

"Huh? How the hell does that measly arrow pierce through its defense?" I wondered, looking at the motionless snake in disbelief.

"Why is it not moving?" I observed the snake not moving after being attacked.

"What the….?" I exclaimed as the place struck by the arrow squirmed before falling, revealing the other side of the forest.

My eyes bulged at the situation "Whaa..!" I cried in surprise, then observed the snake closely to find that Moths of different colors gathered together to create Nola's image.

"A moth?" I whispered in disbelief and got angry. "The fucking moths stopped me?" I fumed furiously.

"CHOH~, CHOH~" The gloating sound of a bird, the chirp of insects chasing me, filled the place as they arrived near. In my ears, all that sound feels like a mocking laugh.

"I have had enough!" I yelled, picking another arrow and loading it into a crossbow.

"I am going to crush all the insects," I declared, lightening it in fire, which got the attention of the moth in this dark forest.

"You want it? GO and get it suckers," I yelled, noticing the Moth's behavior, and shot it backward at the insect's group chasing me. The moths got attracted to the fire and started flying towards it.

I watch them unaware, as the crossbows, DIY from the bows of white berets, have also caught fire. I only reacted after feeling the warmth of it. 'It seems I'm fireproof! Part of Lunarian?' I observed as I didn't feel hot.

I threw the burning crossbow toward the insects as the Moth rushed towards the fire blindly, colliding with the bees buzzing at the front. I quickly fired milky arrows from several loaded crossbows, producing footholds around 'Ensleigh'.

I stared at the bunch of insects chasing me on the clouds were almost on me. Noticing the distance, I quickly released the smoke stored in the breath dial then used air stored in another breath dial to push the smoke away from me, forming a smoke dome around the 'Ensleigh'.

Through this setup, I can spot the insects emerging from the smoke immediately, before they notice my position.

"I can get First Blood using this," I muttered, picking up the crossbow.

"By the time this is over, there will be a bloodbath," I declared, reloading the crossbows.

I quickly reacted "Huh! Only I have blood here?" I pouted, thinking, 'Do insects even have blood? Then it's slime bath.' I frowned unhappily.

"Shit! my first fight, the enemy do not have proper blood," I cursed, readying the weapon.

"What will be my first kill and sacrifice for my greatness? " I muttered shamelessly, looking forward with expectation. I suddenly heard a sound nearby as I readied my weapon and waited for my first enemy to reveal itself from the smoke.

I held my breath as a figure emerged, revealing it as -A Slug. I stared at it for a moment, swatting it away from the sleigh with my spear, and staying vigilant, as if nothing happened.

"That doesn't count," I muttered, waiting for my 'First Blood,' which was quickly revealed as a group of cockroaches varying from the size of a rat to a kitten.

I became enraged, noticing the new opponents. "Argh!" I yelled, venting my anger on the cockroaches.

"Stupid idiotic God, what will I say in the future? When someone asked what my first opponent is?" I cursed, kicking one cockroach away.

"Do I say cockroaches? It's so lame," I yelled, piercing one cockroach; I took a Dial labeled 'Insect repellent' then turned it ON, placing it on my 'Royal' steed 'Ensleigh'.

The small insects immediately scattered away. "I should have done this first to avoid small insects," I admonished myself, waiting for the enemy.

Finally, a bee arrived. I quickly fired an arrow, killing it, "HUh?! These bees don't fear smoke?" while muttering. The remaining bees emerged one after another. "Now the fight officially starts," I announced, emptying all the remaining arrows at the bees from the loaded crossbows placed in the weapons bag.

"Take this," I yelled, shooting a Light gun at the nearest bee, killing it. The flash from it also blinded nearby bees, which I quickly shot to death; I repeated this, as I moved around the foothold created with a weapons bag as the center, replacing the empty light guns with loaded ones from it.

I took the spears after using all the guns as other insects arrived and the smoke slowly dispersed. I clashed my spear with stingers, mandibles, legs, etc., and nearly got skewered multiple times by it. "Why doesn't the bees run when they are smoked?" I shouted, punching a bee after ducking its attack.

"I will find your honeycomb and empty all the honey in it," I declared, piercing a bee.

I fought continuously for ten minutes; it was kind of blurred as I only remember fighting different kinds of insects, breaking many spears, using them as staff, and even resorting to clawing, bashing with the tail, etc., I fought on the paths created by the milky arrow littering the ground below with insect carcasses.

I slashed the Burn blade -which I took in the middle of the fight and have been using for some minutes now- on an insect. The fire from it scared many insects, but I like it.

"Man, I'm beat! That was an intense fight," I panted, retreating to the sleigh after I saw the stupid centipede finally arriving.

"What is the problem with him?" I looked annoyed removing the dead insects from the 'Ensleigh' while searching for the source of something, eyeing me for a while.

Spotting the approaching centipede, "I think he got hit by the flame arrow or the milky arrow I shot earlier delaying him?" I smirked after looking at a dent in its exoskeleton. But I stayed vigilant, ready to retaliate the moment the hidden figure made its move.

"Huh! Does this mean that my first enemy is him, not a slug or cockroach?" I instantly became happy, forgetting my first kill was a Moth.

"Bah! What's the difference between bragging about defeating a centipede and cockroaches?" I depressingly thought.

I calmed down, reaching for the lever to start the sleigh, to get away before the Centipede arrived, but I suddenly felt murderous intent towards me. "Finally, you showed up," I muttered, searching around.

I vigilantly searched the surroundings for the culprit and in front of me, I finally spotted a giant praying mantis perched on the branch of the tree. I was dumbfounded. 'It seems to stand there all along.' I didn't notice it because of its color, I thought, wiping the insect slime dripping down my face in disgust.

I recovered quickly "O! Are you the one staring at me for a long time?" I squinted, studying the insect.

This Giant Mantis is adult-sized and green, Almost blending with the background. It is waving its sword-like forelegs.

"If you have ambushed me while I was fighting, I would have been in pieces by now? Why didn't you do it?" I questioned, eyeing its forelegs, and shuddered thinking about almost being sliced by it.

I watched as it tilted its head, crossing its foreleg. "So you are a swordsman?" I guessed mockingly, to which it nodded its head.

"Psh! You are an insect, you will be killed easily if you dual a human. " I dismissed it for its unreasonable idea, but I can see firmness in its eye.

I stopped mocking and looked seriously at the Mantis "Then I will challenge you to a one-on-one" I smirked, turning on two burn blades, knowing full well of the danger in this fight.

"I will end my first fight of this life by dueling you," I declared, readying the blade.

"Show me! What a Swordsinsect can do?" I grinned, pointing a blade at the mantis.

We stared at each other as we eyed each other to make a move; I felt sweat rolling down my cheeks as I alertly waited for it to attack.

I got slightly distracted by the sound made by the centipede nearing me from behind; the Mantis used that chance to pounce on me, aiming for my head. I reacted swiftly, crossing my blades above to parry it, but I suddenly felt my feet vacant as I fell.

The colorful milky road disappeared as the fifteen-minute time limit ended, so the 'Ensleigh' fell from mid-air, pulling me along with it.

So the mantis missed me completely flying a few inches above my head and clashed its foreleg head-on with the centipede's mandibles who tried to attack me from behind.

I hurriedly pulled the lever, starting the 'Ensleigh' so I could return to my first duel. "I will not end my first duel with me running away," I vowed as the 'Ensleigh' slowly climbed up.

I ran to the back of the sleigh to see the Centipede successfully standing on the Milky Road created by Milky arrows facing the mantis flying around it. 'Why didn't it fall?' I complained, narrowing at the cloud Centipede standing.

I eyed the Mantis flying around the Centipede vigilantly observing it. "Hey, mantis! Since you didn't attack me from the back, I have decided to appoint you as my rival," I declared shamelessly.

"Now let's finish our duel," I yelled, killing the bees attacking me.

"Ugh! These bees are annoying," I frowned, killing a bee, then dodged back only to get slipped, due to stepping on a slime on the sleigh.

As I fell, I accidentally fired the burn bazooka I attached at the back of 'Ensleigh' to act as a Nitro and cool get-away prop.

Since the 'Ensleigh' was already in the climbing position, the blast from the bazooka increased the speed, creating a ramp and sending it flying to the sky- with me clinging to it.

"NNnoooo! MY Duueell..." I cried anxiously "And my cool getaway prop," I yelled depressingly as both got ruined at the same time.

"But It's exciting to fly like this," I exclaimed anxiously/depressed/excited, holding tightly from being thrown away from my ride as I blasted off towards the sky.

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