The air became heavy.
It was inevitable.
Tetlon, the proud captain of the elven rangers, was notoriously feared even among the elves.
Unlike those who simply showed pride, he backed his claim with skills.
But this was like touching a tiger on its nose.
Gulp!
Gulp…
The elves involuntarily gulped.
None of them dared to speak.
“Human! How dare you challenge me with archery? Me!?”
“Haha. Tetlon, Mr. Kang Jin-hyuk is just saying it. Do not take it too seriously.”
Pennheim spoke to somehow stop the mood from becoming any worse.
He knew that one wrong action could cause something irreversible to happen.
However, Jin-hyuk decided to pour oil on an open fire.
“When I was in kindergarten, I shot the bow a few times. Strangely though, I don’t think I will probably lose? Should I just bet on that complaint and say that I might actually win?”
Jin-hyuk decided that oil wasn’t enough and decided to throw gunpowder in as well.
Would any adult or even wise man endure this?
“Ack! Fine. That remark just now. I will surely make you regret it! Tell me! How do you want to fight?”
Tetlon, whose face was red with anger, screamed furiously.
He had exploded.
Whether an elder or not, no one was in any position to stop him.
“Hahaha… this is.”
Pennheim sighed as he shook his head.
“We have to collect swamp figs, so let’s head there. If there will be a place where we can fight, it has to be there.”
“Good. I will ensure you never ever talk about the bow to elves again.”
Tetlon grunted his agreement.
Right.
So human-like.
A single arrow will make a person feel a gap that can never be bridged.
Around ten kilometers from the village.
There was a seemingly endless swamp.
‘Right. Everyone has to suffer here.’
Jin-hyuk slowly scanned the area around the swamp.
The mud was so deep that it was hard to see the bottom. It would be difficult to see if there were crocodiles or other predators in there.
Apparently, the elves also had to find the fig located in the middle of this swamp.
‘The appearance of the players already made the area around the fig tree more crowded as the crocodiles from upstream are driven to here.’
The savage crocodiles of the swamp could devour elephants in an instant, leaving only bones behind. They were also so quick that even the elves couldn’t outrun them.
Simply put, the difficulty level had gone up by a lot. This was why the elves could no longer get to their fig trees.
However, no matter how many crocodiles there were, if their habits were known, then that number became meaningless.
Jin-hyuk stepped forward.
“Is this fine?”
Pennheim asked with worry.
It felt like the guest they had invited was being pushed to become food for the animals.
“Leave him alone, elder. Didn’t he say he is confident? Let’s keep an eye on where and how much we can trust him.”
Tetlon snorted in derision. The rest of the elves who were watching also expected the obvious ending
Either he would die or get scared and run.
They fully expected to see one of the two.
But…
The scornful gaze of the elves changed mere moments later.
Woong!
[Lv6 Sword Demon Emperor Steps.]
With amazing footwork.
Jin-hyuk began to cross over the swamp.
His movement was so light and fast that any sense of weight seemed to be a lie.
Kwakwakwak!
Jin-hyuk stepped on fallen trees, leaves, and grass floating on the swamp. He moved ten meters in an instant, making the crocodiles respond.
“Kooooo!”
“Kack!”
They emerged with a sharp scream and their large jaws wide open.
The sight of hundreds of swamp crocodiles coming for their prey was terrifying.
But Jin-hyuk wasn’t intimidated.
Because he knew how to break through this place.
‘The swamp crocodile, whose sight has deteriorated, detects the waves on the water and hunts.’
They had a method of identifying a wave caused by prey to catch them. They also used such waves to classify enemies and kin according to size.
Of course, even the elves knew about their nature up to this point. However, if one could fine-tune the waves by using footwork…
‘Then they can perceive me as a fellow crocodile and not prey.’
Right.
Jin-hyuk had already accustomed himself to creating the unique wave created by a swamp crocodile.
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“Grrr…”
“Grr…”
The wild crocodiles fell silent.
Only the ripples left by Jin-hyuk’s steps were left on the water’s surface.
“M-My god…”
“How can those vicious things not attack?”
“I think he knows something we don’t know.”
“However, the swamp crocodile is a monster that lives only here. How can an outsider…”
“And look at that movement. It is like running on water. I don’t think that even Mr. Tetlon could do…”
“I-idiot. Be quiet. Mr. Tetlon is right next to you.”
The elves watched the scene in front of them with mouths agape.
Their shock and amazement were evident on their faces. Even Tetlon could see how his people thought of Jin-hyuk now.
Of course.
“Kuak…”
Tetlon, thirsty for Jin-hyuk’s failure, felt his stomach burn.
He couldn’t let the human die as an elder was watching, but he wanted the crocodile to at least bite him and force the human to beg for help.
But this was the result.
The man might actually return with the figs. No, it had already reached a level where it was obvious what would happen.
‘Please fail! Please… make some mistakes!’
Just as Tetlon fervently prayed…
Tak!
Jin-hyuk arrived on a small island in the middle of the swamp. He had broken through hundreds of crocodiles to arrive there.
And not one had attacked.
“Hmm. Maybe it is because they are tired and their body feels…”
Still, he had broken his best record by about seven seconds. A natural result due to a more solid growth pattern.
‘Not bad.’
There was no need to even say that a record was broken, considering he had created a point where everything changed.
“But, I didn’t know they were this delicious. From their point of view, is it like an addiction to something similar to chicken or pizza?”
Jin-hyuk looked up.
He saw the luscious yellow fruits that were hanging next to each other.
[Swamp Fig Fruit]
Not only did they have a pleasantly sweet and sour taste, but they also had the effect of refining magic, making them an indispensable item for the elves.
At the same time, this is a fruit loved by spirits.
Jin-hyuk approached the tree and began to sweep the fruits off.
There was plenty of space in his subspace inventory, so there would be no problem even if he picked all the fruits here.
“Wahhh!”
“The human did it! Now we can do the festival!”
“I never thought he could do it! He did it!”
Cheers erupted from the elves. Suddenly the wariness towards strangers had vanished, and the place was filled with praise.
A festival that has been going on for four hundred years and a festival that almost failed for the first time.
Was saved by a human.
Dud!
A large number of fruits fell to the ground.
These were the fig fruits that Jin-hyuk had stored in his subspace.
“At this point, I think it is proven that I wasn’t lying.”
If anyone tried to stay something now, he would stop considering them as elves.
If their conscience even existed, they would shut their mouth and nod along.
Yet strangely.
“I acknowledge that you picked the fruit. However, not the nonsense you spoke. Have you forgotten about your talk of archery?”
There were always fools who went beyond common sense. In fact, there was one here right now!
At this point, he should be considered a thick-headed elf.
Jin-hyuk looked at him.
“I have not forgotten… don’t you understand what happened? Just looking at this, I thought you would know about the inevitable outcome?”
“Don’t talk shit. You may have deceived the crocodiles with your shallow attempt, but I am different. Even if you die 100 times, you cannot defeat me…”
Tetlon spoke confidently
Man…
Pretending to be strong… was making yourself a natural prey to those with the DNA of veterans.
After trampling and humiliating a confident guy like him, Jin-hyuk wanted to pile on more shame.
That dark desire rose in him.
“Then, you and I. Shall we place a bet on who will win?”
“A bet?”
“Isn’t it funner when pride is on the line?”
Whether one won or lost, a battle could be won with a mental victory.
To crush an opponent, it is best to aim for what represents them the most.
“Whether I lick your shoes or leave the town right away when I lose. I will do whatever it takes. Instead, if you lose, you will do whatever I tell you. How is it?”
“That sounds fun. Nice. Let’s do that. Don’t go back on your words.”
“Same to you. Don’t decide to pull back your tongue. I am not the type to tolerate whining.”
“The race of the noble forest always has to speak the last word.”
“Anyway, this will be fun.”
Jin-hyuk smiled.
Thinking about the eventual punishment made him happy. Even Tetlon had a sly smile on his face.
They were both anticipating different endings to this bet that involved the pride of two races.
“The sport is archery.”
Tetlon pointed to the island with the fig trees.
An island 700 meters away had several trees lined up.
“Of all the trees you see there, the tree at the end is dead.”
“You want me to shoot that?”
“Right. That tree is the target. Whoever misses it loses.”
“What if both of us miss?”
“I will not miss a single thing. But in that case, the ones closest to it win.”
“Okay.”
Jin-hyuk nodded and took a bow from Silvia.
“Is this really fine? Tetlon is the best archer among us.”
“That’s fine. I know a little thing about it too.”
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Besides…
“Shooting a good bow and winning a match are different things.”
“What…?”
Silvia didn’t understand, but Jin-hyuk just smiled.
Now was the time to break that cold idiot’s face.
