Chapter 98

Chapter 98. The Talent of Knowing When to Give Up (1)

The trio taught by Keter had to endure both pain and joy.

They exhausted their stamina beyond limits, and to escape the brink of death where their bodies felt like they were on fire, they squeezed out every last drop of energy they didn’t have.

Common sense dictates that after severe physical exhaustion, one should rest the next day due to injuries or muscle pain.

But when they woke up, not only were their injuries healed, but their stamina was also fully restored.

The reason? Keter had used a mid-grade Elixir worth 1,600 gold per bottle. Upon realizing this, the trio could only laugh through their tears.

The option to run away or give up was always open. Keter would often say, “If you ever want to give up, just give up.”

But no one gave up. Not because Keter used a 1,600 gold Elixir, but because they too had their own desperation.

And so, the trio repeated the same routine as the first day. They ran until their stamina was completely drained, and when they could no longer stand, they set their bodies on fire.

While running through the training grounds, time felt like it was dragging—one second felt like a minute. But by the time they regained their senses, the day was already over.

Awakening Heavenly Power usually takes over half a year.

But thanks to Keter’s relentless training methods, the trio awakened their Heavenly Power in just one week.

Their endurance and stamina had also significantly improved.

“Bored from just running around the training grounds? Now that you’ve learned Heavenly Power and built up some stamina, let’s start some fun training today,” Keter said.

Taragon muttered under his breath, “Was all that just a warm-up? Feels like I’ve lived through six lifetimes.”

Luke and Anis didn’t say anything, but they felt the same way as Taragon.

Especially since Keter’s training methods were brutal and always beyond imagination, making it impossible to mentally prepare.

“Do you know what you’re lacking the most right now? Everything. But the most serious is imagination and belief,” Keter said.

“……?”

Even Anis and Luke, who were considered geniuses or talented, couldn’t understand Keter’s words. It was the same for anyone.

Imagination and belief? It sounded like—

“Are you teaching us magic?”

“Magic? No, I’m telling you to break the limits of archery ingrained in your minds.”

*Clap!*

Keter clapped his hands loudly.

Then, a figure appeared in the training grounds.

“Who… who is that?”

It was someone everyone knew.

Especially Taragon, who trembled in fear at the sight of him.

“Hahaha, finally calling me, boss!”

It was Jairo, the former Southern Sword and wielder of the Demon Sword Obelisk.

The reason he suddenly regained his sanity was evident in his face and gestures.

He was red.

And he staggered as he walked.

“So the reason you gave me that drink was because of these brats? They’re complete amateurs!”

“Don’t underestimate them. I’ve taught them Heavenly Power.”

“Eh—even so, it’s only the first stage. Not enough.”

“These brats won’t think so.”

As Keter said, the trio’s confidence was sky-high. Even when facing Jairo, who wielded a massive sword, they weren’t intimidated.

Their basic stamina had improved significantly over the week, but the difference between having Heavenly Power and not having it was immense.

All three were at the 2-Star level. With Heavenly Power, they could match a 3-Star Knight.

They knew Jairo was strong, and as a swordsman, he was the natural enemy of archers. But they still thought they had a chance. Their baseless confidence enveloped them.

Before starting, Keter informed the trio, “Jairo was once a 4-Star Knight. But the Jairo you’re facing now is in a very merciful state. He can’t kill you, only subdue you. With these penalties, he’s not even at the level of a 3-Star Knight. If you can’t subdue Jairo, participating in the Southern Sword Tournament would be a waste of time, so I’ll personally make sure you can’t participate.”

“……?!”

“Fight without holding back. Especially imagination and belief. Without those two, you’ll never beat Jairo.”

As Keter finished speaking, Jairo lowered the massive sword on his shoulder. Despite being sheathed, it pierced the ground as it was thrust in.

*Whoosh!*

The three immediately distanced themselves from Jairo, forming a triangle to surround him.

Through training with Keter, they had naturally learned the rules of real combat. In battle, there’s no referee to announce the start.

“Hahaha! Brats! Don’t worry about dying, give it your all. That way, I’ll feel like I’m actually working!”

Jairo, who was naturally bold, became even more unrestrained after drinking.

*Whoosh!*

The massive sword drew a wide arc, sweeping horizontally at waist height. The sword aura swept across all three simultaneously.

Long-range attack.

It wasn’t exclusive to archers. Swordsmen also had range limitations, but they could project sword aura.

Luke and Taragon, on Jairo’s left and right, managed to twist their bodies out of range, but Anis, directly in front, couldn’t.

Should he defend with his bow? Shoot an arrow to counter?

Anis chose to jump. The sword aura was too sharp; even if he infused his bow with aura, it would break. And countering the sword aura with an arrow was impossible due to its thickness.

*Twang, twang, twang!* The sound of bowstrings being pulled continuously rang out. Soon, Luke and Taragon’s rapid-fire arrows rained down on Jairo.

Jairo used his massive sword as a shield and charged forward. The arrows whizzed past his back. Even Luke’s misfortune-sensing ability was useless against a fast-moving opponent.

Jairo’s target was Anis, who had jumped into the air, leaving himself defenseless. Anis tried to shoot his bow mid-air but gave up, rolling forward upon landing and firing a Lion Bow.

The hastily fired Lion Bow had half its usual power, and the aim was shaky. Still, it hit Jairo’s massive sword as he charged forward.

But it wasn’t enough to stop Jairo’s advance. The Lion Bow glanced off the broad blade of the massive sword.

With a slight angle adjustment, Jairo deflected the Lion Bow and charged through the hail of arrows, bringing his sword down on Anis.

Swordsmen who wield massive swords are known for their destructive power but are usually slow.

But Jairo’s movements were anything but slow. He was faster than a dagger-wielding assassin. His unique swordsmanship converted weight into speed.

Seeing the massive sword descending, Anis moved faster than he thought possible, rolling to survive.

*Bang, bang, bang!*

Like a game of whack-a-mole, the massive sword came down on Anis’s head, and he frantically rolled on the ground.

“Cover me!”

Realizing that shooting arrows from afar was pointless, Taragon rushed to save Anis by charging at Jairo.

Luke was still shooting arrows but couldn’t land a hit. Jairo’s movements were too fast and erratic, rendering Luke’s misfortune-sensing ability useless.

Even when an arrow occasionally hit, it couldn’t penetrate Jairo’s Aura Armor.

Still, Luke didn’t stop shooting. He believed it wasn’t entirely meaningless. Forcing the opponent to move was also a form of disruption.

“Ha!”

Taragon bravely swung his bow at Jairo. It was a good timing as Jairo’s sword was rising and falling.

But Taragon lacked imagination.

Why did he think a swordsman would only use a sword?

*Thud!*

Jairo’s sharp punch struck Taragon’s chest. He had switched to holding the massive sword with one hand.

“Ugh!”

Taragon clutched his chest and staggered back. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Thanks to his pre-deployed Aura Armor, his chest wasn’t crushed, but his ribs were broken, making it hard to breathe.

But Taragon’s attack wasn’t entirely meaningless. Thanks to him, Anis seized a brief moment to fire three arrows from his bow.

The three arrows, fired at close range, targeted Jairo’s head, chest, and stomach simultaneously.

Defending with the massive sword was impossible. It was already mid-swing.

If time continued to flow, the massive sword would split Anis, but Jairo wouldn’t escape unscathed. Anis’s arrows would also pierce Jairo’s vitals.

The choice was Jairo’s. Either both would suffer fatal injuries, or he could twist his body to dodge the arrows.

Twisting his body would avoid the arrows, but it would leave him off-balance and vulnerable to follow-up attacks.

Jairo chose to endure.

He thickened his Aura Armor and took the arrows head-on. The arrows had aura, but it was too weak to penetrate his thick Aura Armor.

On the other hand, Anis’s arrows were fast and accurate. But no matter how fast and accurate, they were meaningless if they couldn’t penetrate the opponent’s defense.

Now it was Anis’s turn. Unlike Jairo, he had no choice. There was no time to move and dodge; his only option was to deploy his Aura Armor.

But even deploying his Aura Armor seemed pointless. The power behind Jairo’s massive sword was beyond what Aura Armor could withstand.

*Whoosh!*

Anis’s head wasn’t split open. The massive sword stopped just above his head. The shockwave made Anis’s hair whip around wildly.

To completely stop a descending sword, you need 30 times the force used to swing it. Acceleration, gravity, and weight are all factors.

Moreover, while swinging a sword uses the entire body, stopping it relies solely on wrist strength.

In other words, stopping a descending sword is practically impossible. Trying to do so would break your wrist. Even if you managed to stop it, inertia would carry it forward…

‘He stopped it perfectly?’

This was a realm beyond physical strength. It was the pinnacle of Aura Control.

“If you’re alive, move. What are you doing?”

Jairo kicked Anis, who was stunned, in the chest. Anis reflexively blocked with his bow, but both the bow and his arm broke, sending him flying and tumbling on the ground.

*Whoosh!*

Jairo shook his head left and right. Arrows flew past him.

Taragon and Anis were incapacitated. Only Luke remained. Even with all three fighting together, they lost. How could Luke alone face Jairo?

He should have given up, but Luke didn’t. After exhausting his 30 prepared arrows, he switched to Aura Arrows and fought to the end.

When his Aura ran out, Luke threw a punch at Jairo.

“Quite the spirit!”

Luke showed good close-combat skills against Jairo, dodging and countering.

“But do you think you can kill someone with punches like these?”

Jairo didn’t even defend. He took Luke’s punches without his Aura Armor.

*Thud!*

Luke’s punches landed on Jairo’s stomach and chest. But it sounded like hitting rock, not flesh.

“Kid, fists aren’t tools. They’re weapons.”

This time, Jairo threw a punch.

To Luke, that punch looked as big as a mountain.

*Thud!*

Just before hitting Luke’s crossed arms, Jairo’s fist stopped.

“As an archer, you’re already dead. But dealing with you as a superhuman is a different matter.”

Knowing from Keter that Luke could reflect attacks, Jairo didn’t attack.

This fight was between a swordsman and an archer, not a swordsman and a superhuman.

As the atmosphere settled as if the fight was over, Keter spoke.

“So, Jairo, what do you think will happen if numbers 2 and 3 participate in the Southern Sword Tournament?”

“They’ll be eliminated in the preliminaries. There’s no room for variables.”

Anis was furious, and Taragon hung his head low.

“Why do you think you lost? Number 2, tell me.”

“My arrows lacked power. If I had used the Lion Bow properly, I could have stopped his advance.”

“Next, number 3.”

“I couldn’t predict his movements… and I was too slow.”

“Number 1.”

“I think it’s a difference in experience.”

“All wrong.”

“……?!”

Keter firmly approached Luke and held out his hand.

“……?”

Thinking Keter wanted his hand, Luke held out his.

Keter slapped his palm and said, “Give me your bow.”

“Ah.”

After taking the bow, Keter also grabbed a quiver and arrows from the armory, attaching them to his waist.

“The reason you lost, first: the difference in equipment. Jairo’s sword is a Demon Sword. It can block aura even without aura defense. What about your bows? They’re fine bows, but they can’t block aura. The same goes for your arrows. Without infusing them with aura, you can’t penetrate your opponent’s Aura Armor. But that’s not the decisive reason.”

To prove that equipment differences, while important, weren’t decisive, Keter held a regular bow, not Amaranth.

“Second: lack of belief. Without believing in yourself, every attack lacks conviction, and hesitation runs deep. Everything is full of holes.”

Facing Jairo, Keter distanced himself by about 50 meters.

“Lastly, you’re stuck in a box. What exactly is archery? Shooting arrows hard, shooting many, shooting fast. Is that all archery is? Swordsmanship has four basic principles: speed (快), unpredictability (變), strength (强), and adaptability (換). From these, hundreds of sword techniques are derived. Jairo, what are the principles of your swordsmanship?”

“It’s fast, strong, and pulling. It’s called the ‘Fast Elephant Sword’ (象快劍).”

“Even though Jairo’s Fast Elephant Sword contains three principles, they don’t operate separately. Each step, each strike, contains the essence. Look at your archery. The Lion Bow only pursues strength, the Yaksha Bow only speed.”

Of course, there are schools that push a single principle to its limit, like the Extreme Speed Sword or the Extreme Strength Sword.

But archery was different from swordsmanship.

“There’s definitely a path to victory through extreme speed or extreme power. Swords can do that. But archery can’t. Why? Simple. The difference in distance. Archery is about shooting from afar, while swords are swung in front of the opponent. No matter how fast an arrow is, its flight time is longer than a sword’s. Even with extreme power, it gives the opponent more time to react.”

If an arrow’s speed and a sword’s thrusting speed were the same, which attack would be harder to counter?

Obviously, the sword. A sword is thrust right in front of the opponent, leaving no time to react.

On the other hand, an arrow has a ‘flight process,’ inevitably giving the opponent time to react.

“So, in the end, what path should archery pursue? If you ask—”

*Clap, clap.*

Keter gestured for Jairo to attack.

“Watch closely. Open your eyes wide.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jairo sent out a sword aura. It was the same move he used to subdue Luke, Taragon, and Anis.