"Uncle Liyade."
Seeing Lister speak, Liyade was all smiles, then took a small wooden box from his chest and handed it to him.
"I can't interfere in the matter of the duel."
"You're only Tier 2, so it's normal for there to be a gap in strength. You don't have to fight to the death for a woman. If you really can't win, just admit defeat. This potion can also save your life."
Lister took the wooden box, which contained a potion.
The potion was a pure milky white, and the liquid inside seemed to shimmer as it flowed.
"Congratulations, you have obtained Lucian's Advanced Holy Water of Healing (B-Grade)."
[Lucian's Advanced Holy Water of Healing (B-Grade): Upon consumption, immediately become immune to all negative effects and restore 50% of your health.
Note: The healing effect of this potion is limited to professionals below the second job advancement. The higher the level after the second job advancement, the weaker the healing effect.]
A B-Grade Excellent quality potion right off the bat?
This Earl Connor is quite generous!
From what he knew of current potion prices, an Excellent quality potion would cost at least ten thousand gold coins, and even then, it might not be available for purchase.
It seems he was indeed on the side of the seven great professional families.
Even though he was the only true professional left in the Merrick family, Earl Connor still acknowledged him.
By now, several groups of people had already entered the vicinity, all following behind Earl Connor. Several of them eyed the potion in Lister's hand with envy.
It seemed that this Earl Connor had other intentions by gifting this potion in public.
At the very least, he was signaling to the other major professional families that he would not abandon their alliance.
He wouldn't even abandon the Merrick family, let alone the other families!
...
The time for the duel quickly arrived.
As Lister left the lounge for the dueling stage, he encountered another group of nobles slowly walking into the lounge.
The leader was an old man, dressed in magnificent red attire, his chest covered with special medals.
He wore an exquisite coronet on his head, and seeing everyone around him bowing, it was no surprise that this must be Duke Will II.
[Comparing enemy and self-strength... Reconnaissance results obtained...]
[Level: Lv38]
[Class: Shield Warrior (Martial Arts)]
[Health: 3919/3939]
[Stamina: ???]
[Attributes: ???, ???, ...]
[Skills: ???, (Insufficient reconnaissance data) ???]
[Overall Evaluation: C]
[Warning: This enemy is extremely dangerous. It is recommended to stay away.]
As expected, another C-grade combat power, equivalent to a boss-level combatant.
For a duke of the duchy, this strength wasn't outstanding, but it wasn't mediocre either.
It's just that compared to Earl Connor, his strength might not necessarily be superior.
After all, Earl Connor was a Mage. Although his health and stamina were not high, and he wasn't strong in low-tier one-on-one fights.
But when it came to ultimate attack power, he was definitely one of the best among all classes, and it would certainly be large-scale AOE damage.
Compared to a Shield Warrior, although strong in one-on-one combat, they weren't particularly outstanding in large-scale wars.
Lister stood still, waiting for Duke Will II and the other ducal heirs to approach before leaving again.
As expected, compared to Earl Connor, this Duke Will II had no intention of communicating with him at all.
He walked past Lister in silence, never once paying him any attention.
...
The dueling stage of the Duchy of Will was built of giant stones and reinforced with various seals.
It was rumored to be able to withstand power up to Tier 5, absolutely solid.
On the other side, Kunt had arrived on the dueling stage a step ahead of him, wearing a full set of silver-white heavy armor.
Helmet, breastplate, belt, greaves, vambraces, gauntlets, boots, etc., almost all vital and key areas were covered.
Lister used the system to scan him again and found that his health was nearly double what it was yesterday.
At the same time, this suit of armor also gave him a negative attribute, reducing his Agility by 2 points.
However, wearing this heavy armor, he did look quite formidable.
His already robust figure, enhanced by the heavy armor, appeared even more heroic and fearless.
In contrast, the Merrick family's heirloom leather armor that Lister wore, although of the same grade as his opponent's equipment, looked much lighter.
A set of silver-gray, close-fitting leather armor, combined with Lister's 1.85-meter height, and his black pupils and pure black short hair, which were rare in the duchy.
It made Lister appear very mysterious and intriguing.
At a signal from Will II in the rest area, a knight in silver armor outside the dueling stage immediately announced.
"I now declare the duel between Lister Merrick and Kunt Will officially begins!"
...
Lister was now slightly bent over, one hand gripping the hilt of his blade at his side, showing no urgent desire to attack.
A low-tier Shield Warrior was like an "iron turtle," having a great advantage in one-on-one duels.
Plus, his opponent had the Shield Bash skill. If he attacked rashly, he would easily give his opponent an opportunity.
Kunt, holding a sword in his right hand and a giant shield in his left, began to close in on Lister step by step.
His confidence in his Tier 3 strength made him look down on Lister, who was only Tier 2, believing he could crush his opponent.
When the distance between them was less than five steps, Kunt suddenly charged!
Even wearing heavy armor and holding a giant shield, his charging speed was not slow.
Unfortunately, compared to the three-headed hound, this charging speed was far too slow.
Lister just waited for the right moment, took a small sidestep to the right, and dodged the opponent's straight thrust.
As expected, it was just the swordsmanship of a Shield Warrior. In his eyes, it was like child's play.
Not only was the speed lacking, but the direction of the sword strike was not vicious enough, falling short.
Kunt didn't get discouraged after missing his strike. He smoothly turned and followed up with another sword strike.
Unfortunately, it was once again dodged by Lister's small shuffling steps.
"Is dodging all you can do?"
Kunt asked Lister with some disdain.
Although his two sword strikes had not hit his opponent, Kunt just thought Lister was a bit slippery, only capable of dodging.
He didn't think his opponent was very strong, nor did he think Lister could keep dodging forever.
...
The spectators around the dueling grounds were now booing, all finding the fight not exciting enough.
They rarely got to see such a fierce duel between nobles. Now that they had the chance, they were here to see a bloody fight, not this lack of any clash.
In contrast, the many nobles in the lounge had varied expressions.
Earl Connor was currently standing next to Duke Will II.
After seeing Lister's two nimble dodges, he immediately sensed that Lister's strength was not to be underestimated.
At the very least, he wasn't just an ordinary Tier 2 warrior as he had thought. His combat intuition was frighteningly high!
He had originally thought that with Kunt being Tier 3 against Lister, a Tier 2 professional, there was no suspense about the outcome of the battle, it was just a matter of time.
He had even considered how to intervene if the opponent got too ruthless.
Now it seemed he had thought about it a bit too early. This duel was really not the one-sided outcome he had imagined.
Even the patriarchs of the other professional families showed looks of astonishment when they saw Lister's nimble dodges just now.
It was hard to imagine that a declining family like the Merricks could produce a sole heir who actually had some skill.
"I think Kunt's in trouble in this duel!"
Earl Connor said to Will II beside him with a smile.
"You're celebrating too early. The fight has just begun, and our Will family doesn't fight with swords!"
Will II's face was calm, but his eyes were fixed on the dueling grounds.
Although he disliked this youngest son of his, to be honest, his youngest son's talent as a professional was not bad.
To be able to cultivate to this level at his age, his talent was outstanding among his other children, except for his second son.
For this duel, it was impossible for Will II to let his eldest and second sons, who were in their forties and almost fifty, duel with Lister.
The only one with the right age and strength was this unfavored youngest son.
He had thought it was just a match against the declining Merrick family and had never heard of Lister having any great cultivation talent since childhood.
Now it was truly beyond his expectations. With just Tier 2 strength, he could actually prevent Kunt from securing a quick victory. However, Will II was not in a hurry.
The Will family excelled as Shield Warriors. Their main skills were defense and Shield Bash. Kunt's swordsmanship was indeed a bit weak, but shield defense and counter-attacks were their family's forte.