After defeating two opponents in a row, Duanmu Huai successfully earned his qualification. He then returned to the main hall and waited for the other two to finish.
It didn't take long before he saw Olgis and Lorena approaching him, ready to report their results.
Lorena, being unfamiliar with the rules at first, had to fight through all three rounds before she finally won.
But Olgis's result was completely unexpected—
Olgis actually lost!
"Eh? Olgis lost? How could that happen?"
"You lost??"
Both Duanmu Huai and Lorena stared in disbelief. It was hard to even imagine. Olgis only nodded wordlessly—her facial expression remained unchanged, but the heavy gloomy aura swirling around her made it obvious her mood was terrible.
In fact, not only did Olgis lose—she didn't even beat her first opponent. She tried several times afterward out of stubbornness, but the outcome never changed. When her opponent eventually left, saying that further matches were meaningless, Olgis finally gave up and walked out.
"Hmm… let me see the footage."
Duanmu Huai thought for a moment and decided to watch the recording first. Fortunately, Duel City recorded all battles. Soon, he obtained Olgis's match footage and began watching.
Her first opponent was a woman with short purple hair, dressed in a black bodysuit, dual daggers in hand. The moment she appeared, Duanmu Huai immediately recognized her.
Ayane — Ninja of the Fūgen Tenshin Style.
Wait… Olgis lost to Ayane? That shouldn't be possible…
With that thought, he watched more carefully—and soon realized the problem.
At the start, Olgis fought evenly with Ayane by using her threads. She even held a slight advantage. But Ayane was a veteran fighter. After figuring out Olgis's combat style, she immediately changed tactics—using ninjutsu to suddenly vanish, reappearing at Olgis's side to launch point-blank attacks.
But the truth was…
Olgis had absolutely no training in hand-to-hand combat—none.
When Ayane switched to throws and close-quarters grappling, Olgis had no way to deal with it.
"So that's how it is."
After watching the match, Duanmu Huai finally understood why Olgis lost. Part of it was that Ayane's chosen style perfectly countered Olgis. It was like a hand-to-hand fighter getting right in the face of a god-tier sniper—you might headshot someone from 800 meters away, but if the enemy never lets you back up and forces melee range, you're done.
The other issue was Duel City's rules.
In Duel City, fighters couldn't kill. For example, when Duanmu Huai fought earlier—in the real world, one punch from him would've blown the man's skull apart, or one grab could've ripped someone clean in half. But in Duel City, at most he could knock opponents unconscious.
Olgis had the same problem. In normal combat, her threads could restrain most enemies, and anyone cut by those threads ended up missing limbs—or dead in pieces.
If Ayane fought Olgis outside, she wouldn't even get close. She'd probably be sliced to bits just defending once.
But in Duel City, Olgis lost that advantage. Ayane's defense blocked Olgis's thread attacks. Without her deadliest weapon, and with no melee skills, Olgis was easily defeated—again and again. Even outside, Olgis often fought perched on Duanmu Huai's shoulder, while he handled all melee combat. She mostly handled mid-to-long-range support with her threads and dolls.
"I really didn't expect this…"
Duanmu Huai scratched his head. When he summoned Olgis, he'd only thought about how well she cooperated with him. He didn't expect to accidentally discover such a weakness.
Although strictly speaking, this weakness wasn't exactly… well…
"Don't think too much about it, Olgis."
He reached out and gently patted her head.
"This isn't your fault. It's the environment that's the issue."
"..."
But Olgis shook her head silently.
"You're not planning to give up?"
She nodded.
"Hmm… then you'll need training…"
Duanmu Huai didn't mind this at all. Clearly Olgis wasn't willing to accept defeat. But training her was a problem. Even Lorena had learned self-defense and close-range combat in the Church. Olgis, however, had zero experience in that area.
Duanmu Huai stroked his chin. His own combat style came from brawling, training, and countless battles in the game. Over time, he'd developed his own style. But that style didn't suit Olgis at all—simply because Olgis wasn't 2.5 meters tall and nearly 400 kilograms of muscle.
Wait… if that's the case…
His eyes suddenly lit up. He opened the system interface and searched quickly.
Found it!
Seeing that familiar name, Duanmu Huai slapped his thigh and jumped to his feet.
"Come, Olgis—I found a teacher for you!"
"Teacher??"
Olgis tilted her head in curiosity. Duanmu Huai nodded.
"Yes. Someone who should match your style perfectly."
He checked the price—fortunately within his budget. And for Olgis, this was indeed the best possible teacher.
Soon, he took both girls out of the registration hall, boarded a vehicle, and left Duel City—heading for a forest outside the city.
Following the forest path, they eventually arrived at a charming Western-style manor.
Duanmu Huai walked up and knocked. After a moment, a voice responded:
"What is it?"
"We hope you can take this girl as your student. She needs your guidance."
Duanmu Huai said. After a brief pause, the manor doors opened and a girl stepped out.
She had short blonde hair, a red headband, a blue dress with a white shawl—looking like she had walked out of a fairy tale. But her expression was emotionless. She stared at Duanmu Huai, frowning slightly.
"Who?"
"Her."
Duanmu Huai gently pushed Olgis forward. The blonde girl stared at Olgis for a moment—then her eyes shifted slightly.
"You're a doll?"
"…Yes."
Olgis nodded. The blonde girl pondered, then looked back at Duanmu Huai.
"3000 points."
Good lord… she just wiped out my entire account. Am I supposed to sleep on the streets now?
The price was ridiculous—but Duanmu Huai gritted his teeth and accepted. This girl was the only suitable teacher in all of Duel City for Olgis. Without hesitation, he transferred the points. Once the blonde confirmed the payment, she turned to Olgis.
"Come in."
She walked back inside, leaving only one sentence:
"Return in ten days."
"Understood."
Duanmu Huai nodded and turned to Olgis.
"Well then, do your best. We'll see you in ten days."
"Master?"
"Don't worry. She may look young, but she's an excellent puppeteer. She should be able to teach you combat techniques and methods you need."
"…Yes."
Olgis was silent for a moment, then nodded firmly.
"Next time, I won't lose again."
"Then see you in ten days."
He waved. Olgis entered the manor and closed the door.
"Well, that settles it for now."
Duanmu Huai exhaled in relief. Whether she grew from this depended on Olgis herself—but he believed she wasn't the type to slack off.
But they weren't going to sit idle either.
"What are we going to do next, Sir Knight?"
"Go cause trouble!"
"Eh?"
Lorena almost jumped.
"Cause trouble?"
"That's right—challenge people and build our reputation."
Passing the qualification only meant they were allowed to sign up for the tournament. But to receive an official invitation from the event organizers, they needed fame. In other words, wander Duel City picking fights. Win enough battles, build enough reputation, and they would receive a formal invitation.
Of course, these solo fights also awarded Duel Points. And since Duanmu Huai had just spent all his points on Olgis's "tuition," if he didn't beat up a few people…
He really would have to sleep on the streets tonight!
(End of Chapter)