Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: The Archer of Nightingale Woods
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As Tubartan fled to the edge of the arena, creating distance, Do-jae couldn't hide his bewilderment.
'What kind of arrow was that…?'
Though hidden by his robe, Do-jae's hand, gripping the sword, was trembling.
The impact from deflecting the arrow had been so intense that he had nearly dropped his sword.
'That's not an arrow; I'd believe it if you told me it was a harpoon.'
Do-jae looked at the arrows scattered around him.
They were made of thick iron, incomparably sturdier than ordinary arrows.
It was no wonder Do-jae had mistaken them for harpoons.
'Did I underestimate him because he looks so young?'
Do-jae had taken Tubartan lightly because he appeared so youthful.
But his youthful appearance was likely deceiving; he was probably much older.
Sarieta, for instance, looked like a teenage girl but had lived for 245 years.
If Tubartan was 200 and had been training since he was 100, that meant he was a formidable monster with at least a century of practice.
'Should I summon my golems now?'
Do-jae considered summoning his golems.
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
He had no idea how well his golems could withstand arrows that were fast and powerful enough to startle even him.
'Right, I'll stick to my original plan.'
Do-jae decided to fight with his sword, as he had first intended.
There were a few reasons for this. First, Do-jae wanted to have a proper fight with a gray elf.
He was curious to see the skill of a gray elf as a warrior, not just an Apostate consumed by bloodlust.
And from watching the previous matches, he could tell they were stronger than even a Grade 5 monster.
*Fwoosh-!*
'It's even faster than before!'
Tubartan fired another arrow, and this time, Do-jae dodged instead of deflecting it.
*CRASH-!*
The arrow flew from one end of the arena to the other, pierced the magical barrier, and blasted a huge hole in the wall of the spectator stands.
If the arena hadn't been set lower than the stands, someone would have surely been injured by its immense power.
'If I get hit by one of those, it won't just be a loss. I need to end this quickly.'
The second reason Do-jae had chosen to use his sword was that he wanted to study the movements of the gray elves up close.
Their movements, far more fluid than a human's, were free-flowing and unpredictable, offering much to learn.
In particular, Do-jae, who had gained immense power in just a few months, hadn't yet learned to wield it properly. He thought fighting a gray elf might lead to some kind of breakthrough.
However, since Do-jae didn't use a bow, there was nothing to learn from Tubartan, so he decided to eliminate him quickly.
*Swoosh-!*
His robe billowing behind him, Do-jae closed the distance to Tubartan.
He swung the Black Scale at Tubartan's neck.
There was no hesitation.
If one was in mortal danger, they would be automatically teleported to the infirmary, where waiting healers would immediately cast recovery magic.
*Clang-!*
'So it wasn't just his strength.'
The Black Scale, which had nearly reached his neck, was blocked by the bow's limb.
The Black Scale and Tubartan's greatbow clashed, sending sparks flying, and gasps of admiration echoed from the stands.
"Who are you?"
Tubartan asked, the sword and bow locked between them.
"You heard them. Lee Do-jae of Nightingale Woods."
Do-jae replied, pushing his sword forward with more force.
He intended to slice through his neck right then and there.
But Tubartan held his ground, the veins on his neck bulging.
"Lies. No one in our woods has a strange name like Lee Do-jae."
"Wrong. There has been for a few days now. But is that really important right now?"
"Yes! Do you know what our village represents? I can't let someone like you impersonate one of us!"
"Isn't that a bit harsh just for using a village name?"
"What? 'Just a village'?"
Another vein popped on Tubartan's forehead.
This time, Do-jae started to be pushed back.
"Sure, I wasn't born and raised in Nightingale Woods, but what's the big deal about borrowing the name?"
"You bastard…!"
Do-jae would later learn that for the gray elves, their village was their honor and pride.
While they had now inherited human concepts like kingdoms, they were originally a race with strong cohesion at the village level.
In particular, Sarieta's grandmother, Salreuta, had rejected the kingdom system and returned to her village, an act for which Tubartan deeply respected her.
*Thwang-!*
Tubartan knocked Do-jae's sword away with his bow.
And once again, he tried to create distance from Do-jae.
Or rather, he tried to, but failed.
"What is this!"
Clumps of sand were binding Tubartan's legs.
Do-jae grinned and said.
"Too bad. An archer with his feet tied up."
The moment he had clashed with Tubartan, Do-jae had used the Nerves of the Golem to release a pouch of sand from his pocket onto the ground.
If Tubartan managed to create distance and fire arrows again, his arm muscles wouldn't last.
He had to fight two matches today, so the faster he finished this one, the better it would be for the next opponent.
"With this pathetic sand!"
Tubartan shook off the sand and lunged forward.
But the persistent clumps of sand pulling at him had robbed him of his initial speed.
Do-jae relentlessly stuck to Tubartan, swinging his sword.
*Clang-!*
*Clank-!*
The sand acted like a spider's web, slowing Tubartan's movements, and that slight delay allowed Do-jae's sword strikes to become even sharper.
"D… Damn it!"
Tubartan began to sustain small wounds from Do-jae's Black Scale.
He desperately blocked with his bow, but the fact that an archer couldn't fire his arrows meant the match was already as good as lost.
In the end, Do-jae's final strike sliced through the bow and left a long gash on his neck.
"I have lost… *Ugh*."
Tubartan said in a grief-stricken voice, sweat pouring down his face like rain.
He spoke with such sorrow that Do-jae, despite winning, stood there awkwardly.
"Tubartan lost! That guy, Lee Do-jae, won!"
"Whoa! He's better with a sword than I thought! Hey, you bastard! Show us your face next match!"
After Do-jae defeated Tubartan, the gray elves who had initially been jeering began to warm up to him.
'That was close.'
Amid the cheers from the stands, Do-jae looked down at the Black Scale.
During the final strike, the Black Scale had absorbed Do-jae's mana, slicing through the steel bow and into Tubartan's neck.
He thought that if he had been even a fraction of a second slower in pulling back his sword, Tubartan's head might have flown off.
'I almost killed one of Sarieta's villagers…'
In any case, having made something of an impression, Do-jae pulled his disheveled robe down low and headed for the waiting room.
***
Later, in the waiting room.
While they were waiting for the official inside to confirm and record the match's outcome, Sarieta and Oson visited the room.
"Master! You worked hard!"
Oson immediately handed Do-jae the cool water bottle he was holding.
Sarieta also had a water bottle, but she went to Tubartan first, not Do-jae.
"Tubartan, you fought well."
"Chieftain?"
Tubartan, who was wiping away his sweat, looked at Sarieta with a surprised expression.
"It's a shame you lost, but your bravery was clearly conveyed to this Sarieta."
"Chieftain…"
Tubartan lowered his head.
It was out of guilt for failing to make a good showing for his chieftain, especially as the village's representative.
"Lift your head, Tubartan. You did your best."
"Th-Thank you, Chieftain."
Tubartan gratefully accepted the water from Sarieta with both hands.
Then he asked why she was here.
"Chieftain, what about the village? Why are you here…?"
"Hoho, my grandmother is in the village. I came to cheer for you, Tubartan!"
"*Sob*… You cared so much for me… I'm sorry…"
Fat tears began to roll down Tubartan's cheeks.
Sarieta quietly embraced him.
After crying for a while, Tubartan seemed to calm down and looked embarrassed.
"Tubartan. You said you came with your older sister, right?"
"Yes."
"The festival isn't over yet, and there's still the after-party, so rest well and enjoy yourself before you return."
Sarieta pressed a few gold coins into Tubartan's hand.
"This is all I can do for you right now. Thank you for showing the kingdom that our village has strong young men like you."
"Thank you. I will train harder and return to the village as the champion in the next tournament."
"Hoho, that's very reassuring."
Tubartan clenched his fists.
"By the way, Chieftain. Do you know that man? He claims to be from our village, but I've never heard his voice before."
Tubartan said, glaring at Do-jae.
"That's right. You could say he's from our village. And you'll naturally learn his identity when you return."
"I understand. I'll be on my way, then. My sister is probably worried."
"Alright. See you back in the village."
Tubartan bowed to Sarieta and left the waiting room.
Seeing Sarieta's downcast expression, Do-jae took out a carton of milk from his Subspace to cheer her up.
Sweet chocolate milk, to be exact.
"Want some? I thought it might be your taste."
"Huh? Yes!"
Do-jae opened the carton and handed it to Sarieta, who sipped it, savoring the taste.
Seeing her eyes widen, Do-jae reaffirmed his belief that sweets were the best way to lift someone's spirits.
"Sarieta, you were quite the chieftain just now."
"Hmph. It's not about acting like a chieftain. I *am* the chieftain of Nightingale Woods!"
"Alright, Chieftain. What brings you to the waiting room?"
"I didn't come here for you! I came to console Tubartan. We've been close since we were children."
Sarieta gazed at the empty spot where Tubartan had been standing.
"I see. I'm sorry about that."
"No, you have nothing to be sorry for. You were stronger, so it's natural. Besides, I never imagined you were that strong! Who gave you that wound on your chest?"
Do-jae rubbed the scar on his chest.
The wound had fully healed and no longer hurt, but he could never forget the moment the intensely surging blue mana had struck him.
"Someone. A human whose fundamental purpose is to find the leaf."
"A human… Is that human your enemy?"
"An enemy. Hmm, should I call him that? Well, I definitely have to kill him. So I guess he's an enemy."
Sarieta tilted her head at Do-jae's ambiguous answer.
"It's something that has nothing to do with you, even in a thousand years, so don't worry about it. Now, go back to the stands. I need to go watch the next match."
Do-jae took off his glove and patted Sarieta's head.
"Master! I will cheer for you with all my might in the next match! You must win! This Oson Iron…"
"That's enough, let's go, Oson! Do-jae, I'll start cheering for you with all my might now, too! To be honest, I was rooting more for Tubartan. But from now on, I'll cheer hard for you! Do your best!"
Sarieta pushed Oson by the back and left the waiting room.
Do-jae watched them go with a fatherly smile.