Chapter 112

Episode 112. Anticipation is the Essence of a Gift (1)

Taragon stood on the stage.

But his appearance was different. The mercenaries were amazed, and Keter smiled with satisfaction.

A small shield was attached to his right arm. It was called “Taji,” a size that wouldn’t interfere with shooting a bow.

His bow had also changed. He switched from a longbow, known for its long range and powerful shots, to a shortbow, which had a shorter range but higher firing speed and accuracy.

The shortbow he brought wasn’t ordinary either.

It was a shortbow, just 1 meter in length.

Considering that the bows used by the Archers of Sephira were 1.7 meters long, this one looked almost half the size.

A shorter bow requires more strength to draw and has a shorter range. But for Sephira, this wasn’t a disadvantage.

With sufficient strength and the durable structure of the bow, the drawbacks weren’t significant. Even with a shortbow, the Archers of Sephira could easily shoot arrows over 800 meters.

Since the bowstring was shorter, the arrows were also smaller.

The arrowheads weren’t thick but sharp like awls.

Taragon didn’t let the two Platinum mercenaries from Squad 7 observe him for long. He immediately charged forward.

The mercenaries were startled. Until now, Taragon had always tried to keep his distance, never closing it himself.

As Taragon ran, he shot arrows.

It was much more stable and faster than using a longbow.

“Ugh!”

“Huh?!”

Arrows deeply pierced the shoulders and abdomens of the two Platinum mercenaries. The arrows were too fast for them to dodge or block.

But it wasn’t a fatal wound. The arrowheads were like awls, so unless they hit a vital spot, bone, or organ, they wouldn’t cause significant damage.

This time, the stage’s rules held Taragon back. If there were no rules, he could have aimed for the face and inflicted a fatal wound.

The Platinum mercenaries, unaccustomed to Taragon’s shortbow, hesitated, and Taragon focused on the remaining two, leaving the Diamond mercenary alone.

Swish, swish, swish!

A sound like a snake flicking its tongue echoed repeatedly. By the time the sound was heard, the arrows were already embedded in their targets. The arrows were faster than the sound.

Clang!

When the two mercenaries turned into hedgehogs—

The Diamond mercenary swung his sword at Taragon.

Taragon blocked it with his aura-filled arm shield and immediately counterattacked with the bow in his left hand. The bow was short, so the distance was close. But even though the Diamond mercenary was out of range, he still stepped back.

Taragon’s bow was so filled with aura that it extended outward, increasing its range by 1.5 times.

Swordsmen also infuse their swords with aura to extend their range, but they don’t stretch it as long as Taragon did. The aura consumption is too great.

“Haah!”

Even though the elixir had greatly increased his aura reserves, he couldn’t use it recklessly. To end the fight quickly, Taragon grabbed an arrow with his left hand and charged.

Since the two Platinum mercenaries had already fallen, it naturally became a one-on-one situation with the Diamond mercenary.

Clang! Clang!

In a short moment, Taragon and the Diamond mercenary exchanged dozens of blows.

The sound of clashing auras and breaking echoed, and blue sparks flew in all directions.

The Diamond mercenary frowned. Taragon’s bow techniques were two levels below his swordsmanship.

But the irregular attacks, like suddenly throwing the bow after using it like a dagger, and especially the shield on his right arm, were incredibly annoying. Half of his sword strikes were blocked by that shield.

The shield technique itself was rudimentary, but Taragon’s excellent reflexes and agility compensated for its shortcomings.

‘I need to deal with that annoying shield first.’

The Diamond mercenary swung his sword wide, pushing Taragon back, and then retreated. Taragon was continuously infusing and consuming aura into his bow and shield. The Diamond mercenary thought a prolonged battle would be advantageous.

But that was a mistake.

Taragon was an archer.

If there was distance, he could just shoot arrows.

Whoosh, thud!

The whistle came first, and then an arrow pierced the Diamond mercenary’s calf.

Even with his eyes and senses, the Diamond mercenary couldn’t dodge Taragon’s arrows. They were just too fast.

‘Damn, he’s fast.’

Now he understood how the two Platinum mercenaries had been taken down so easily.

The Diamond mercenary charged at Taragon again. Creating distance only gave Taragon a chance to shoot.

Even deploying his aura armor was useless. The awl-shaped arrows, optimized for penetration, easily pierced through the aura armor.

Before he knew it, five arrows were embedded in the Diamond mercenary’s body, dangling. They weren’t fatal, so he could still swing his sword.

Swish!

The Diamond mercenary threw his sword at Taragon.

Taragon deflected it with his shield. In that moment, the Diamond mercenary lunged forward, grabbing the lower part of the shield and pushing it upward.

‘Got him!’

Taragon’s defense was breached.

With his upper body exposed, the Diamond mercenary’s side kick landed squarely.

Thud!

A dull sound echoed.

Taragon blocked the kick with his aura armor, but the force still lifted him slightly into the air.

Thunk!

An arrow pierced Taragon’s chest. The Diamond mercenary had pulled an arrow from his own body and thrown it.

Taragon staggered, unable to regain his footing. The arrow had pierced his lung.

“Ugh.”

Taragon was used to pain, but having an arrow in his lung was on a whole different level. Breathing became difficult, and his strength drained away. The fact that he was staggering for more than three seconds was already a sign of defeat.

The Diamond mercenary raised his hand and shouted.

“It’s not a vital spot, but his lung is pierced. He needs treatment immediately.”

“I know, man.”

Keter was already by his side. He had rushed over as soon as the arrow hit Taragon’s chest.

Keter grabbed Taragon’s waist, tripped him, and laid him down. Then he grabbed the end of the embedded arrow.

“On three, I’ll pull it out. One. Two.”

Thunk!

Keter pulled it out on two and shoved his finger, soaked in elixir, into the wound.

“Ughhh…”

Taragon, experiencing a new kind of pain, let out a deflated groan.

After applying the elixir directly to the wounded lung and stitching up the torn wound, Keter pulled his finger out. He then sprinkled more elixir to finish.

“Stop exaggerating.”

“You… bastard…”

“Changing your weapon. Equipping new gear. All good decisions. Using up all your aura was also a good call. In a fight where you can’t afford to lose, conserving aura is foolish.”

“Ugh.”

Even though his chest hurt, the praise made him feel good, and he couldn’t help but smile.

“Keep trying. Until you have no regrets, even in death.”

Keter, helping Taragon up, shouted at Anis, who was watching.

“What are you staring at, Number 2! Get on the stage. Every minute you rest, 10 gold is disappearing.”

Anis thought Keter was exaggerating, but he wasn’t.

Keter had paid 280,000 gold to hire the mercenaries for a month. Including food, lodging, and medical care, he had essentially burned around 400,000 gold for this training.

Of course, Anis and Taragon would later find out how much Keter had spent. They had to. Keter had already said he would bill them for all the training expenses.

If they knew how much had been spent now, all they’d be thinking about was money.

So, for now, ignorance was bliss.

* * *

Anis and Taragon did everything they wanted against the mercenaries.

They didn’t care about winning or losing. They just used the stage to test their potential and imagination.

With plenty of mercenaries and Keter’s infinite recovery, this training method was possible.

The match against the 2nd Platoon, which included Diamond-class mercenaries, eventually ended. The final match against the 3rd Platoon, which included Amantiir-class mercenaries, ended in an instant.

No matter what Anis and Taragon did, the Amantiir mercenary didn’t give them any time.

No matter how much distance they created, the Amantiir mercenary closed it in just a few leaps and delivered a fatal blow.

“This is Amantiir…!”

Anis and Taragon clearly felt the gap. Even arrows that Diamond-class mercenaries struggled to block or dodge were easily handled by the Amantiir.

But they weren’t discouraged. They thought that even if they couldn’t win, they could at least hold their own once they got used to it.

With the match against the 3rd Platoon over, the sun began to set. Half the day had passed in an instant.

Anis and Taragon worried they might have to sleep rough again, but that wasn’t the case.

“Eat well, rest well, and fight the same routine tomorrow. The same goes for the mercenaries. Eat well and rest well.”

At Keter’s words, Anis and Taragon sighed in relief, and the mercenaries cheered.

“Wow! Free treatment, food, and lodging? Sephira is really generous!”

“I’m starving! Prince Keter! Can we go first?!”

The mercenaries were just as mentally and physically exhausted as Anis and Taragon. They desperately needed rest.

But Keter shook his head.

“Ah, before that. There are still some who haven’t paid for their meals, right?”

At Keter’s words, some mercenaries flinched. They were the ones who had been left out due to the numbers.

“Gather in front of me.”

At Keter’s command, the mercenaries who had been comfortably watching all day grumbled.

“Of course. I wondered why it felt so easy.”

“You’re not going to make us do some menial labor to clean this place, are you?”

The mercenaries gathered in front of Keter. Nine Platinum, one Diamond, and one Amantiir. Eleven in total.

“One’s missing. Burgundy! Why aren’t you here?”

“Do I have to come too? I’m the commander.”

“Commander, my foot. You think you’re done after that?”

“Ugh.”

Burgundy reluctantly stood in front of Keter.

Now, all twelve mercenaries were gathered.

“Let’s have a match, you and me.”

“…?”

Burgundy, speaking for the bewildered mercenaries, asked.

“Like Anis and Taragon, are we going to form teams and fight in order?”

“No, that’s boring. All of you come at me at once. No restrictions. You can aim for vital points when fighting me.”

“…?!”

Aiming for vital points?

Wait, before that, Keter’s statement about taking on twelve at once was beyond arrogant.

Even Taragon and Anis thought Keter’s arrogance was excessive. They had personally experienced fighting multiple opponents.

And it wasn’t just Platinum-class opponents. There were Diamond, Amantiir, and even Orichalcon-class mercenaries.

They knew Keter was strong. But this was crossing a line.

The mercenaries thought the same. Especially Burgundy, who shook his head.

“Keter. I acknowledge your strength. But this is reckless. You seem overconfident because you beat us in hand-to-hand combat, but it’s different with swords. You know that, so why are you doing something so reckless?”

Everyone agreed with Burgundy. Taragon and Anis shared the same opinion.

But Keter just scoffed.

“Well, I guess you’d think that. Then I’ll show you. Number 2, Number 3 trainees. Watch closely. Everything I do. It’s all possible with aura.”

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The ground began to shake. It was the effect of Keter drawing in aura.

“Fine, if you insist…”

As Burgundy drew his sword, the eleven mercenaries also drew theirs.

But no one could move.

They were witnessing the “miracle” Keter was creating.

“What is that?”

Arrows floated out of the quiver on Keter’s waist.

Thirty aura-infused arrows spread out like wings behind his arms, hovering in mid-air.

Arrow Wing.

Keter’s signature technique.