The Gods’ Gacha Game: Return of the God-King

Chapter 130: Strongest in Fantasia

Watching the scene transpire, I couldn’t help but feel a strange mix of admiration and irritation. She was strong—unquestionably so—but she was also arrogant, reckless, and a complete battle maniac. The worst combination possible.

Boris crossed his arms with a smirk. “Heh. She’s got spirit, I’ll give her that. Reminds me of someone I know.”

I gave him a sidelong glance. “If you’re talking about yourself, you’re not wrong.”

Still, I couldn’t deny that Kaela Ash was a monster among divine warriors. Yet, unlike Graham, she didn’t care about holding power in Fantasia. As long as someone could tame her ferocity, she shouldn’t become a trouble. Eliminating someone like her would be a waste. In the upcoming Battle of Divine Will, someone of her caliber could prove extremely useful.

Curious, I turned to Erika. “Say, if you both had equal strength, stamina, and agility, what are the chances of you winning a fight against her?”

“Seven-three. Me three, her seven,” she answered flatly.

“Really?” I widened my eyes, genuinely surprised.

Even someone as skilled as Erika, whose swordsmanship was at the level of a genius, was not confident in defeating Kaela under equal conditions? Then this wolf therianthrope must have been really skilled and had terrifying combat instincts, other than having immense physical abilities.

Erika exhaled through her nose and shook her head slightly. “That’s me overestimating myself while underestimating her. I still don’t know her full range of capabilities. Realistically, it could be eight-two… maybe even nine-one in her favor.”

Then I'd better not mess with that wolf therianthrope… not unless I’m fully prepared to face a walking calamity in humanoid form.

Alas, my Luck stat didn’t seem to be high enough to save me from the grave I had just dug with my own words. Kaela’s keen eyes swept through the crowd, and, of course, they landed on us, or more specifically, me, despite the fact that I was trying to avert my gaze.

Her predatory grin widened, and she tilted her head with a look of interest. “Ho? I heard Fantasia used to have a Daleth-rank divine warrior ruling over it… Graham, was it? But he was killed by someone named Maximillian.” Her clawed finger extended toward me. “That’s you, isn’t it?”

“Who, me?” I said with an awkward smile, trying and failing to look innocent. “You got the wro—”

But Kaela didn’t wait for confirmation. In the next instant, her body blurred, and she was gone, charging at me with a speed that I could barely react to.

“Shi—!”

I barely had time to draw my sword before a powerful shockwave hit. She appeared right in front of me, her claws crashing down like a thunderbolt. Metal screamed against keratin as I raised my blade just in time to parry, the impact sending tremors up my arms and making my bones ache. The ground beneath my boots cracked as I was forced back several meters.

“Not bad!” she said with a feral grin. “You might actually survive for a few seconds!” Then she launched herself again.

“Tch!” I clicked my tongue, quickly activating {Mass Alteration} to increase her weight and slow her down. Her movement speed dropped a little, but even then, she was monstrously fast, breaking through the invisible weight as if it were nothing.

Her claw swiped across my face, missing my eye by a hair’s breadth and leaving a thin red line on my cheek. I steeled myself and reinforced my stance, raising my sword again as she closed in for another strike. Her power was monstrous—every blow like being struck by a hammer. My arm holding the sword trembled under the pressure, and it felt as though my bones might snap at any second.

Just as I was about to be overwhelmed, a flash of silver light streaked between us.

“That’s enough,” Erika’s voice cut sharply through the chaos. Her blade was drawn, its tip glinting mere inches from Kaela’s throat, halting the wolf therianthrope mid-strike.

At the same time, Michelle a few meter beside her, bow drawn half taut, a green-glowing arrow charged with nature mana aimed straight at Kaela’s head.

Behind me, Boris strode forward, his body transforming into living metal as Adamant Flesh activated. His grin was sharp as he taunted, “Heh. You wanna go, mutt?”

Kaela paused mid-lunge, eyes darting between the three of them. Her smirk turned a bit irritated, but then it curved upward again into a toothy grin, showing her sharp fangs.

“Oh? Four at once, huh? Fine by me.” She cracked her neck, claws flexing eagerly. “I can take you all on… and finish this in under a minute.”

“Wait! Just wait!” I quickly interjected, raising a hand before anyone else could move. “Your target is me, right? You’re looking for a strong opponent that can actually give you a proper fight?”

Kaela’s ears twitched, and she clicked her tongue in impatience. “What are you getting at, human?”

“Let’s have a private duel,” I said firmly. “Three days from now, here in this place.”

“Maxim?” Michelle called in shock.

“Right now, I’m exhausted. I’ve been training nonstop and just finished a duel with her.” I pointed toward Erika, who gave a faint nod in acknowledgment. “If we fight now, it won’t be satisfying for either of us. But in three days, I’ll be at my peak—and I promise, the battle will be worth your time.”

That wasn’t an empty excuse. In three days, I would challenge the ninth scenario and perhaps reattempt one or two prior ones to reach the Gimmel level cap. That alone would push my strength to its upper limit before stepping into the tenth. Kaela, on the other hand, was already a Daleth rank, and her growth rate would be much slower compared to mine because of the required EXP, which would narrow the gap between us by then.

“Ha!” Kaela barked a sharp laugh. “You want me to wait when I can fight you all right now? You must be out of your mind.”

“Boss, don’t listen to him,” one of her kin—a tall, scarred male wielding a greatsword—growled. “You can’t trust humans.”

“Big sis,” another, younger female with wolf ears and a bow said bitterly, “remember what happened to our village when we trusted them.”

It appeared that these wolf therianthropes had had bad experiences with humans before, which explained their hostility. Thrown into a place dominated by humans, they bared fangs and asserted dominance, acting unlike most other races or the therianthropes NPCs who showed no such prejudice.

“You don’t have to believe me,” I said further, trying to convince her. “But all the divine warriors here can witness my words. I won’t go back on them, not that I can. After all, having defeated Graham, I hold the title of the strongest in Fantasia.”

Kaela frowned for a bit longer, conflicted. Her clawed fingers flexed, and for a second, I thought she’d strike anyway. But then she smirked. “Three days, huh? Fine. You’ve got guts, human. Let’s see if you really are the strongest in Fatansia. If you lie, I’ll find you and finish you off.”

She turned to her pack. “We’re leaving.”

Her subordinates hesitated, but one glare from her was enough to make them fall in line. As they exited the training hall, the crowd of divine warriors parted in silence—no one daring to stop them.

Only when Kaela’s presence fully vanished did I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.

Boris cracked a grin. “Well, lad, looks like you’ve got yourself a date with death in three days.”

Really? That’s the best joke you can come up with? I rolled my eyes and rubbed the back of my neck. “Yeah. Let’s just hope I can make death regret it.”

Erika stared at me strangely for a moment before she spoke. “I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve by provoking that therianthrope, but three days is a tight window. You’ll need focused sparring.” She folded her arms. “I’ll help refine your sword technique if you want. I’ll be in the training hall for the next three days.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked off.

A low murmur spread through the remaining crowd—half in disbelief, half in excitement. Word of my duel with Kaela Ash would travel fast, and it seemed some bets had already begun.

Meanwhile, Michelle looked a bit worried. “This feels just like the time with Graham, doesn’t it? Are you sure you’ll be fine?”

“Ha, it’s just a wolf that needs taming.” I waved a hand dismissively, though deep down I knew I was under no illusion about Kaela’s strength. “Nothing to worry about. What we need to focus on is clearing the ninth scenario and leveling up. We’ll deal with the hard part later.”

Boris nodded approvingly, cracking his neck. “That’s the spirit. Rest for today, then first thing tomorrow morning, we hit the next scenario.”

Tuilë chimed in from the side, her grin stretching ear to ear. “Perfect timing! Oh, by the way, your spear’s ready. I reforged it with the meteorite ore—you’re gonna love it. That thing could probably pierce a fortress wall now.”

“I see…” I started to reply, then blinked, realizing something didn’t add up. “Wait, since when were you here, Tuilë?”

She chuckled and raised her hand dramatically. “Right when you challenged that wolf girl to a duel! Everyone was losing their minds, so I slipped in—free show, front row seat, no ticket needed!”

Boris burst out laughing, and even Michelle hid a smile behind her hand, trying to hold back her amusement.

I sighed, rubbing my temple. “Well, whatever. So, where’s the spear?”

“I’ll show it tomorrow morning. Cya!” she said before dashing off, leaving a trail of laughter in her wake.

Left behind, I couldn’t help but start regretting teaming up with such a bunch of weirdos. Still, I couldn’t deny that each of them was talented in their own right.

In any case, there was no reason to linger in the training hall any longer and draw unnecessary attention, so we quickly made our way out. The other divine warriors cheered at us for driving away Kaela and her kin as we walked.

Once outside, Boris glanced at me with a grin. “You sure know how to attract trouble, lad. First Graham, now a wolf berserker. What’s next, a dragon—or maybe a demon lord?”

“C’mon, don’t jinx it,” I muttered. “If a dragon really shows up, I’m blaming you.”

He laughed heartily as we walked through the dimly lit streets, the day’s chaos finally catching up to us. By the time we reached the inn, the smell of roasted meat and warm stew drifted from the kitchen, a welcome contrast to the lingering tension in my chest.

There were only three days left. A duel against a Daleth-rank therianthrope wasn’t something I could take lightly.

All the more reason to push myself harder than ever.