Chapter 113

Chapter 113. Anticipation is the Root of a Gift (2)

If a swordsman has an Aura Sword, an archer has an Aura Arrow. Taragon and Anis also demonstrated this in today’s battle.

However, the Aura Arrow currently on Keter’s bowstring was on a completely different level from what the two had shown.

It wasn’t an Aura arrow.

It was an arrow of light.

Keter, holding the bowstring lightly, pulled and released it.

In that instant, a flash exploded. The Arrow Wing, sprouting like wings, was launched simultaneously as Keter released the bowstring.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground where the Aura Arrow passed was overturned, splitting the earth.

Diamond, Amantiir, Burgundy. The three dodged the Aura Arrow and barely managed to deflect the subsequent arrows flying towards them.

But the Platinum Mercenaries were caught in the aftermath of the Aura Arrow. It wasn’t a direct hit. Just the shockwave grazing past was enough to knock nine Platinum Mercenaries off their feet.

The Aura Arrow Keter shot transcended the concept of an arrow. It was a siege weapon, a ballista.

The power of the arrows rising like wings was also not to be underestimated. Each arrow carried the force of a lethal strike.

Clang!

The sword of a Diamond Mercenary shattered as it blocked Keter’s arrow. In an instant, ten mercenaries were knocked down, leaving only two.

One Amantiir Mercenary—

And Burgundy, the Orichalcon Mercenary.

“A… a monster?”

“Does such archery even exist in this world? No, can this even be called archery?”

The watching mercenaries trembled.

Anis and Taragon were considered good fighters for ‘archers,’ but Keter had long surpassed the realm of an ‘archer.’

Despite witnessing Keter’s overwhelming power, Amantiir and Burgundy weren’t discouraged. Instead, they exchanged signals with their eyes.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Amantiir Mercenary circled to the side, intending to strike Keter from behind. Burgundy charged straight ahead.

Swoosh!

Another Aura Arrow formed on Keter’s bowstring. But this time, there were two.

The bowstring was released. But in silence.

Meanwhile, the arrows shot out at an incredible speed, leaving no afterimage.

Burgundy was shocked when he saw the ‘one’ arrow shot at him.

‘The arrow… it’s curving?!’

The best way to block an arrow is to predict its path. But with it curving, there was no way to predict where to block.

‘Dodge to the side!’

Arrows fly straight. Even arrows shot in an arc eventually move in a straight line.

Of course, moving sideways while charging forward at full speed was difficult even for Burgundy.

But for now, dodging the arrow was the priority.

Thwack!

A tearing sound was heard. It wasn’t Burgundy. He had successfully dodged Keter’s arrow.

The one who failed to dodge was the Amantiir Mercenary who had circled behind Keter.

‘Why?’

Burgundy realized.

Keter had shot two arrows—

One was aimed at him.

The other was aimed at the Amantiir Mercenary. It was clearly shot forward, so how did it hit a target behind?

The watching mercenaries revealed the secret.

“Fuck! Did I see that right? The arrow U-turned! Twice!”

“Is that magic? Is Prince Keter a mage?”

“That’s not the magic I know!”

The arrow shot straight had U-turned twice.

The Amantiir Mercenary, aiming for Keter’s back, was instead pierced through the back. If he hadn’t deployed his Aura Armor at the last moment, a huge hole would have been blown through his stomach.

He wasn’t dead, but the unexpected ambush left the Amantiir Mercenary incapacitated in a single strike.

Only Burgundy remained. Burgundy couldn’t believe the current reality. Neither could the watching mercenaries.

From the first meeting, it was clear Keter wasn’t ordinary. A noble who fights bare-handed, who brawls with mercenaries.

Now it’s clear. Keter, while appearing reckless, has a piercing insight. He seems impulsive but is incredibly meticulous.

‘Where the hell did this monster come from…’

Burgundy threw down his sword.

It wasn’t a declaration of surrender.

“Keter. I’ll give it my all too.”

Whoosh—

Aura flames erupted from Burgundy’s right hand. Soon, the flames formed into a sword.

The symbol of a Master, the Aura Sword.

As if daring Keter to watch, Burgundy shot an Aura Arrow.

But that single arrow, like a magnet, brought along all the arrows forming the Arrow Wing, raining down on Burgundy.

With just one release of the bowstring, 20 arrows were shot. All arrows aimed at a single target, Burgundy.

Burgundy, gripping the Aura Sword with both hands, executed nimble footwork and swung forward three times.

To the untrained eye, it was just ‘three’ swings, but to some, it looked different.

To the Diamond Mercenary, it was ‘nine.’

To the Amantiir Mercenary, it was ‘eighteen.’

Even Keter saw it.

In an instant, Burgundy unleashed ‘thirty-eight’ sword strikes.

Countless sword lights filled the front, forming a specific shape. It was a wolf. A lone wolf devouring the arrows.

Burgundy’s ultimate technique, the Wolf Wave Sword Dance, which made him an Orichalcon Mercenary.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The wolf formed by thirty-eight sword strikes danced with Keter’s arrows. Blue sparks of Aura scattered in all directions, raining down like a storm.

Burgundy blocked it. Keter’s Aura Arrow, dozens of arrows. But his entire body trembled.

His palm was torn, and a stream of blood flowed.

Sweat beaded on his forehead.

“Solar plexus.”

Keter whispered.

Burgundy’s spine chilled.

An arrow was nocked on the bowstring. But it wasn’t in the shape of an arrow.

The arrowhead wasn’t pointed but blunt and round. The shaft was a long stick. The size and thickness of the arrowhead and shaft were the same.

More like a wooden stick with a rounded end. But it was made of Aura.

Crackle.

It wasn’t just simple Aura. It was Aura compressed to its limit. The arrow glowed like lightning, pulsating as if it would explode any moment.

Could that even be called an arrow?

The bowstring was drawn. What would happen when that arrow was shot? Burgundy’s heart pounded. Not out of fear, but the forgotten fighting spirit of a warrior.

“What’s the name of that technique?”

Before releasing the bowstring, Keter answered Burgundy’s question.

“Milky Way.”

The bowstring was released.

The training ground, bathed in the evening glow, turned to daylight in an instant.

Sound disappeared. Light exploded. The onlookers heard only ringing in their ears. The flash blinded them.

The flash subsided. The ringing faded. The onlookers, their eyes bloodshot, were left speechless by the scene before them.

A ‘ribbon’ formed between Keter and Burgundy. A blue ribbon, the symbol of Aura, shimmered like stars in the night sky.

The ribbon’s form shot up from where Burgundy stood, soaring into the sky like a firework, spreading wide.

Everywhere it passed, a blue ribbon and line remained vivid. Beautiful. The light gradually faded and disappeared over time.

Stardust fell from the sky.

It was the Aura Eye created by Keter’s Milky Way arrow and Burgundy’s Aura Sword.

Burgundy was pushed back 10 meters from his spot. A deep furrow was carved into the ground. His hands were bloodied, and his Aura Sword was gone.

Crack.

In the silence, the bow Keter held crumbled into dust, scattered by the wind. The bow couldn’t withstand the arrow’s power.

“……”

“……”

The gazes towards Keter changed. Beyond awe, they reached fear.

Amid the tension, Keter spoke.

“What are you looking at? Let’s go eat, you brats.”

With that one line, the tension vanished.

* * *

Sephira Mansion Dining Room.

Built large enough to accommodate 100 people, it was now packed and as lively as a bustling tavern.

“Drink, drink! Noble wine is truly the best! I could drink this forever!”

“Hahaha! After tasting noble food, what luxury is this?!”

“Here, take this tip, hahaha!”

Keter had informed Jacques of the schedule in advance, so the food was prepared beforehand. Including the wine.

The mercenaries enjoyed the lavish and generously prepared food and wine, scattering gold coins to the servants carrying the dishes and sharing them with the chef.

Anis, Taragon, and Keter were also at the dining table. Especially Keter, who was ‘inhaling’ food and wine alongside the mercenaries.

“Eat your fill for a whole month. It’s free!”

At the word ‘free,’ the mercenaries cheered even more enthusiastically.

“Keter! Keter!”

“Free! Free!”

“In the Lilian Kingdom, only Prince Keter is this generous!”

“Drink if you know, you brat!”

“Yes!”

Glug! Glug! Glug!

Keter, holding a wine jug, climbed onto the table and poured it down on the mercenaries. They opened their mouths wide to catch it.

Who would think Keter was a noble? The scene was so boisterous it could be mistaken for a bandit feast.

When the mercenaries first saw the request, they didn’t have high expectations. No, they were even wary.

The Sephira family, who had never hired mercenaries before, was now hiring them without limit. If that was all, no one would have come.

But the clause of paying five times the fee and the clause of the headquarters chief vouching for Keter’s credibility made them participate.

Even setting aside the fee, who the hell is this Keter guy that the chief vouches for?

“Prince! What’s your relationship with Chief Maroon?”

One mercenary, emboldened by alcohol, asked outright. Keter waved his hand dismissively.

“Hey! That guy and I, uh! We eat together! Go to the bathhouse together! We do everything together!”

It’s true. Based on his past life.

The mercenaries, even in their drunken state, clapped in admiration.

“No wonder. Even when I first saw you, there was an aura. So you were already close with Chief Maroon!”

“Those who underestimated Sephira are all dead now, right? Hahaha!”

“Prince! Let me pour you a drink!”

“Call me ‘brother’!”

While the mercenaries, fueled by alcohol, playfully clung to Keter, there was one table that didn’t fit the cheerful atmosphere.

That table seemed like a different world, gloomy and melancholic. The food and wine were almost untouched. It was the table where Taragon and Anis sat.

No mercenaries approached them. The two’s expressions were too grim.

“Brother, did you know?”

As Taragon spoke, Anis looked up.

“Know what?”

“That Keter is that strong.”

“…I knew he was strong, but not to this extent.”

“Me too. I knew he was strong, but I didn’t expect such a gap.”

“Right.”

The conversation stopped. Anis chewed on dried meat, and Taragon gulped down wine. Silence continued for a while.

“Brother.”

“What now.”

“How was it fighting the Amantiir Mercenary?”

Taragon, who gets drunk easily, was already slurring. Anis put down the dried meat and spoke with an even gloomier face.

“I felt pathetic for underestimating the mercenaries. They’re strong. Stronger than I can handle now.”

“Hehe, I’m relieved you feel that way, brother. I was so despairing I almost gave up.”

“Keter took down that Amantiir Mercenary with a single arrow.”

“Keter only used Aura, right? We can do that too, can’t we?”

“Can we even use Aura Arrows properly?”

“……”

Taragon gulped down more wine. He kept drinking without any snacks.

Thud!

Taragon roughly put down the wine and wiped his mouth.

“What is Keter, brother? What is he?”

“What’s the point of asking that now? Stop talking nonsense.”

“No, brother, we should ask. You saw it. Keter’s archery… honestly… it surpasses even our Sephira’s Twelve Palaces……”

“…Idiot, letting yourself get drunk. If you have something to say, say it sober.”

“Sorry. Sorry. But today, I just want to get drunk.”

“Tch.”

Anis got up from his seat. A servant who was watching asked where he was going.

“Just going to get some air. No need to follow. Bring my brother some cold water.”

Anis left the table.

Taragon picked up his wine glass and put it back down. He had finished the wine.

Thud!

The wine glass fell on the table. Spilled wine soaked the table. Taragon looked up.

“Brother……”

“Brother? Here, it’s just Keter.”

“……”

“Why are you avoiding my eyes? Are you scared? Am I that amazing?”

Keter, sitting smugly in his chair, spoke.

Taragon stammered.

“N-no. Scared of what?”

“Not scared? Think I’m easy? Wow, you’ve got guts, Taragon.”

“No. That’s not it either!”

Taragon, waving his hands frantically, was pulled into a shoulder hug by Keter.

“Live boldly. Just because I’m a bit stronger than you, don’t get discouraged. Why? At the end of life, it’s not the strong who survive. It’s the living. As long as we’re alive together, no one knows who’s stronger. Right, brother?”

“B-brother?”

“Want to be my younger brother? I’m fine with it.”

“No, I’m the older brother. Yeah, I’m your older brother.”

“Have a drink, brother?”

At the word ‘brother,’ Taragon’s lips curved upward.

“Y-yeah. Younger brother.”

Gulp. Gulp.

Taragon realized for the first time today how sweet wine could be. It was like drinking honey.

“Hah!”

“Brother. From what I saw today. You fought decently up to the 2-star level, but against the 3-star level with Amantiir, you just got crushed?”

“Ah……”

The sweet wine suddenly turned bitter. The limits of Aura, which he had tried to forget with alcohol, were brought up again by Keter.

“It’s because I’m lacking… I’ll try harder.”

“No, that’s not something effort can fix. How can you win when you lack Aura?”

“Right? I’m not the weird one, right?”

Skills and physique can improve drastically with extreme training.

But the total amount of Aura is frustratingly honest. No matter how hard you work, there’s a clear limit.

One year of effort gives you one year’s worth of Aura. Depending on the Aura cultivation method, that one year could become two or three years.

Sephira’s Aura cultivation method gives one and a half years’ worth for one year of effort. Objectively, it’s a mid-tier cultivation method.

But it has one advantage others don’t. Stability. Sephira’s cultivation method is top-tier in stability. Not that anyone acknowledges it.

The Southern Sword Tournament is just over two months away.

No matter how hard Taragon tries, the Aura he can gain in two months is only worth three or four months.

The standard for 3-star is 30 years of Aura. For 4-star, it’s 50 years.

Before taking Cheongryeonghwan, Taragon had 16 years. After taking it, he had 21 years, meeting the 2-star standard. But to reach 3-star, he needed 9 more years.

With Sephira’s cultivation method, that would take 6 years of training. And Taragon knew this better than anyone. It felt impossibly distant.

It was then.

As Taragon, facing the harsh reality, was sinking into despair, a devil whispered sweetly in his ear.

“Elixir, for sale.”