The Lone Bandit's Last Stand
The lone bandit stared at his comrades sprawled across the ground. His face twisted in horror before he frantically wheeled his horse around. He had chosen the wrong opponent. What he had assumed would be easy prey—a merchant carrying usable food supplies and two women—had turned into a nightmare. Damn it. He had to escape first. There was no way he could survive against that woman.
"Where do you think you're going? This teaching material is quite valuable."
The bandit's plan never had a chance. The masked woman who had been standing far in the distance only moments ago now stood directly in his path.
"Did you really think you could run?"
She placed a finger on the horse's head, and the animal froze completely. No matter how hard the bandit yanked the reins or cracked his whip, it refused to move. The sight of a living horse transformed into something like a statue made his hands shake violently. He dropped everything he was holding.
A true master. An overwhelming expert whose realm he could not even begin to fathom. He should never have grown arrogant just because he had luckily stepped into second-class. He should never have coaxed the others with promises of meat and drink for a celebration.
Gazing quietly downward, the bandit sensed his fate. Was he going to die here? Was this truly how it ended? Whenever he sat down with a drink, he would boldly proclaim that death held no fear for him. But reality was far different. In front of death, all humans were equal.
"Shall I tell you a way to survive?"
The bandit, who had been staring only at his trembling hands, slowly raised his head at the woman's voice.
"And not just your life. This is a way to save every one of your comrades as well."
Her voice was eerie. It drilled straight into his brain, refusing to allow any denial. It planted vain hope inside him.
"R-really?"
"Yes. I do not speak falsehoods."
"What do I have to do? I'll do anything. Anything at all. So please—"
"It's simple. Get down from the horse and fight that child over there. Win."
The bandit turned his head in the direction her finger pointed. Standing there was a woman with golden hair. Unlike the masked woman whose level he could not even guess, this opponent was someone whose realm he could roughly estimate. That woman is the same as me. Someone lingering at the entry level of second-class. It's possible. More than possible. Against someone like that, even I can win.
"Will you try?"
There was no choice. It was obvious what would happen if he refused.
The man leaped from his horse, drew a crude sword from his waist, and charged straight at the woman holding the long spear. Mutual greetings? Preparation? He spared no thought for such things. He had no room in his mind for them. The only thought filling his head was to defeat her and survive.
Despite the sudden ambush, the woman handled the charge with ease. The fierce assault was blocked by her spear shaft, naturally creating a standoff.
While watching the bandit's face—twisted with desperate resolve to survive—Enri let out a hollow laugh. One man gritting his teeth for his comrades' lives, and another person watching the spectacle with her hands clasped behind her back like it was mere entertainment. At this rate, we're completely the villains here, Miss Ara.
Well. Still, it looked like good spear practice. The opponent would clearly give it his all.
Enri, gripping her great spear, focused on the bandit's legs. The Six Harmony Great Spear was still a spear art at its core, so the fundamentals remained the same. Maintaining distance and tormenting the opponent. Therefore, the most important thing was preventing the enemy's approach and seizing the initiative. What decided that was the first move.
If this had been Enri inside Apis, she would not have moved her feet here. She would have waited for him to come in and focused on cutting off his intentions. However, this was not Apis, and the spearmanship she wielded was something entirely different.
Enri took one step forward and thrust her spear.
The first move. A powerful thrust carrying the force of her stepping foot. The spear tip flying toward a vital point was threatening even from the bandit's perspective. He twisted his body desperately to avoid it.
If the bandit had read the attack in advance and dodged, he might have found an opening to close in along the spear shaft. But the situation was not so kind. The forced, twisting evasion was a choice that completely handed the initiative over to his opponent.
Having seized the initiative, Enri swung her spear shaft without pause. A sweeping strike from the side. Threatening the opponent whenever he tried to approach the tip. Striking down at his legs to cut off his footwork. Then attacking again.
In that entire process, the bandit never once found an opportunity to swing his sword. There were several reasons. First was the length of Enri's great spear. At a full three meters, it was a distance the bandit's crude footwork could only cover after several steps. As long as the spear tip pointed at him, no matter how wildly he struggled, he could not attack.
That was not the only problem. The powerful stepping force that formed the root of the Six Harmony Spear. The power carried in an attack that used the entire body was by no means light. From the bandit's perspective, the idea of taking it head-on and charging forward became impossible.
"Goddaaaaamn it!"
Enri had felt a slight tension at first, but as she continued to torment her opponent one-sidedly, a smile naturally formed on her lips. The initiative really is nice. It means I can do whatever I want.
In other words, the moment she lost it she would be pushed back—but that did not apply to her. She was the one who had been rolling on the ground like crazy under Ara until recently. After experiencing the floor countless times from a single moment of carelessness, how could she make a mistake now? She knew exactly what kind of suffering that would bring.
The fear deeply embedded in Enri's heart climbed up her spine whenever she grew excited, erasing any complacency.
Perhaps because the battle that should have been fierce was progressing far too one-sidedly, the viewers began cheering for the bandit.
These people. Shouldn't they be cheering for me in this situation?! Praying for me to lose? Ha. This is exactly why you have to put points on the line. That's how you get people actually rooting for you.
Seeing the viewers who wanted the bandit to win if Enri made a mistake, she grit her teeth. A strong contrarian spirit rose within her. I'll definitely win. I'll create an overwhelming victory that no one can refute!
What she chose was thoroughness. Not giving a single variable. Suppressing even the slightest excitement. Maintaining distance. Tormenting the opponent. Accumulating damage. And crushing him completely.
"Uaaaaah!"
In the end, the bandit who could no longer endure charged forward without thinking about the consequences, but it was already too late. His body, which had accumulated damage to the limit, had long since lost its initial agility. From Enri's perspective, the mindless body was nothing more than a convenient sandbag.
And so, from the moment the fight began until he collapsed on the ground, the bandit could not land a single proper attack.
Having achieved an overwhelming victory, Enri shouldered her great spear, shrugged, and turned her gaze toward Ara. I did well, right? I fought really well, didn't I? Come on, praise me quickly! Give me something I can brag about to the viewers!
When Enri demanded praise with sparkling eyes, Ara let out a hollow laugh as if for the viewers to hear, then walked over and firmly pressed down on her head. Though her expression could not be seen because of the mask, it was clear her mood was not bad.
"Yes. You did well, Enri."
"See?! I did well, right?!"
Hehehe. Take that. The supreme authority of this world, Miss Ara, has acknowledged my achievement. No matter how much you all try to mess with me, it means nothing! Now it's time to quietly listen to my bragging! The only thing you can say is "Enri is awesome!" Got it?!
"Of course, there are quite a few parts that need fixing, though."
"...Yes?"
Wait, Miss Ara? This is the time I'm supposed to get revenge on the viewers for tormenting me?
"First of all—"
"Let's go! Let's get moving! We still have to finish the quest, right?"
Judging that she would end up listening to a full day of nagging instead of bragging, Enri quickly changed the subject and looked toward the merchant. She sought his agreement that the journey was urgent.
"...No! It's not urgent at all! Please take your time!"
However, the merchant did not help her. Having witnessed the earlier scene, the terrified merchant was ready to nod at anything Ara said.
This can't be happening. Am I really not going to get to brag at all?!
"Since he says so, let us converse leisurely while continuing the journey."
"Hwaaaaaang!"
After the journey ended and they arrived in the city, the merchant handed them their reward and fled as if running for his life. Ever since they had subdued the bandits, he had been constantly watching Ara's reaction. He had clearly been frightened by the scene from earlier.
What a timid fellow. The person who came as your escort would not harm you.
"Is it scary? It seems like it would feel good to hug like a pillow, though."
After all, even if a tiger bared its fangs, it would only be cute. She could accept it thinking it was just playing around. When she said as much, the viewers scolded her, saying it made no sense.
Goodness. Their common sense and mine are simply different, so why do they react so sharply?
"Wow. That person gave more money than they originally promised!"
"Did they?"
"What should we do? Since Miss Ara basically handled this entire job..."
"Just take it all for yourself."
What would she do with such a small sum? To her, money was something she could obtain as much as she wanted. Since this was the first achievement you earned, it is right that you take it.
"Hmm. But..."
Even though she offered it, Enri could not easily nod. As usual, she handled most things well but became strangely sensible when it came to important matters.
"Then how about we use this money to play around the streets together?! I'll treat everyone today!"
"There is no need for that."
"It's fine! Miss Hwaryeong! Rather than that, quickly tell me what there is to do in these streets!"
Since you have stayed in this area for a long time, you must know well. Enri urged her, but Ara could not answer. It was true that she had visited this region long ago. However, that was before she had come to the modern world. And at that time, this place had been nothing more than a small village. It had not been such a proper city. Given the circumstances, how could she possibly know this place?
"Huh. Really?"
While she was wondering whether she should ask Seol-ah or Harin, Enri suddenly muttered to herself. Something must have come up on her stream. Seeing her eyes full of interest, it seemed she had heard something fun.
"Miss Hwaryeong."
"What is it?"
"They say there's a gambling house here?"