Chapter 111: The Consideration of the Strong (5)

Diamond-class mercenaries were said to be on par with a three-star knight, but that was merely a rough comparison. In terms of aura quantity and quality, knights held an overwhelming advantage. However, in combat experience and battle-hardened instincts, mercenaries often surpassed them.

As such, a knight would typically win in a straightforward one-on-one duel. Their sheer strength alone was enough to overpower their opponent. Conversely, a mercenary’s true strength shone in chaotic battles and extreme conditions. In unpredictable environments, their adaptability and quick thinking became invaluable.

Being a Diamond-class mercenary was proof of having survived countless battlefields.

It was clear that Anis’ arrows were both devastatingly powerful and incredibly fast. Trying to block them head-on was not a mercenary-like choice.

Just before Anis released an arrow, the Diamond-class mercenary dragged his sword across the ground, stirring up a thick cloud of dust.

An archer’s greatest weakness was vision. If the target was obscured, it was better not to shoot. Retreating was the logical choice in this situation, as Anis would just be wasting arrows and stamina unnecessarily.

But when there was no room to fall back, the only option was to account for countless variables and fire regardless. Unlike the reckless Platinum-class mercenaries who charged blindly, the Diamond-class mercenary actively exploited Anis’ weaknesses.

From within the dust cloud, mercenaries advanced in formation, maintaining a triangular formation. They did not zigzag; instead, they took the shortest route—a direct, straight-line charge.

Whoosh!

The sharp whistle of an arrow cut through the dusty air, which rained down at the leading mercenary. The Diamond-class mercenary leaped, but Anis shot another arrow at him in midair.

Swish!

Yet, he twisted his body in an acrobatic maneuver, narrowly avoiding a fatal hit. Although blood was sprayed from grazed wounds, none were lethal.

Anis realized his mistake too late. His focus on the Diamond-class mercenary had given two Platinum-class mercenaries the opening they needed to close the distance.

I was baited.

He had been complacent, thinking that they were merely Platinum-class. But if he got delayed by them, the Diamond-class mercenary would inevitably join in.

As expected, taking down a single Platinum-class mercenary was easy. However, by then, the Diamond-class mercenary had already caught up.

Anis’ hands and eyes moved frantically. In raw power and speed, the mercenary was far inferior to a knight, but his unpredictability sent a chill down his spine.

The Diamond-class mercenary never overextended himself. Whenever it seemed like he might take a hit, he would withdraw—even if it meant giving up an opportunity to attack. Small wounds continued to accumulate on ANis.

Slash!

A blade grazed his delicate cheek. Anis’ bow struck the arm of a Platinum-class mercenary. At that moment, the Diamond-class mercenary seized the opening and stabbed his thigh.

Thud!

Anis kicked off the ground, soaring into the air. He nocked an arrow and pulled the string tight. But then, he felt a sharp pain on his side. The Diamond-class mercenary had thrown his sword at him in midair.

Anis lost his balance and fell. He spun to land on his back, preparing to spring up immediately. But the Diamond-class mercenary was already there, grabbing his ankle.

“You should surrender,” he said. “Or I’ll break it.”

In the fall, all of Anis’ arrows had spilled from the quiver. He snatched the first arrow within reach and hurled it at him.

Snap!

The Diamond-class mercenary twisted Anis’ right ankle. A sickening crack echoed, yet he only grimaced slightly before kicking the mercenary with his good left foot.

Blocking the kick with his arm, the mercenary retrieved the sword he had thrown earlier.

“So you won’t surrender unless

both

legs are broken, is that it?”

He showed no pity for Anis as he limped. Instead, he launched a relentless assault.

With no arrows left and one leg crippled, Anis could barely maintain his stance. He failed to block several attacks and ultimately collapsed again.

Grabbing his left ankle, the mercenary remarked, “This one will hurt.”

Crack!

He completely shattered his ankle. Anis frowned in pain, but did not scream.

Thud!

Even lying on his back, Anis attempted to shoot an arrow. However, his unstable position led to an embarrassing outcome—the mercenary caught the arrow in midair and snapped it in half.

“You should get treated. You fought well.”

With that, the Diamond-class mercenary turned and exited the stage.

Anis, unable to stand, could only stare up at the sky, gasping for breath.

It was a crushing defeat. Unlike Gyro, who held back, the mercenary had fought with full force. And this was the result.

Anis let out a hollow laugh.

Gyro really went easy on me.

Of course, fighting three opponents made it even more difficult. But even in a one-on-one duel against the Diamond-class mercenary, victory would not have come easily.

As Anis chuckled, a shadow loomed over him. It was Keter.

“Number Two. You’re laughing?”

“I understand that I still have a long way to go. I’ll work harder.”

“I know better than anyone how weak you are. What I want to know is—why did you give up at the end?”

“I didn’t give up. I simply... couldn’t stand up anymore.”

“Your arms were fine. Couldn’t you lift your upper body? There were arrows scattered all around. What reason did you have not to shoot?”

“...!”

The watching mercenaries thought Keter was truly ruthless.

Anis’ ankles were already broken, rendering him incapable of combat. Forcing him to fight until the very last moment seemed needlessly cruel.

But they also knew he wasn’t wrong. In real battle, a fight wasn’t over until one side was completely unable to continue. This was training, but in a real scenario, holding back would mean death.

As if reading their thoughts, Keter continued.

“The only reason you’re still alive is because this is training. If this had been real, your legs wouldn’t just be broken; they would have been severed. Then your arms would have been severed. Your head, too. Right now, you just watched your own arms get taken from you, despite still having the strength to move.”

“...”

“Don’t regret dying on the battlefield. Instead, take advantage of training while you still can.”

Snap!

Without warning, Keter forcefully reset Anis’ dislocated right ankle. He gasped sharply, but Keter ignored it, moving to examine his left ankle. Grabbing him by the arm, Keter hauled him up.

“Even with an elixir, it’ll take an hour to heal. Number Three! You’re up next.”

Taragon, having just witnessed Anis’ brutal defeat, stepped onto the stage, tense with apprehension.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The sixth unit of Squad Two, already familiar with the training system, wasted no time rushing in. The next fight had begun.

* * *

Taragon used a distinctly different style from Anis. Rather than standing his ground to intercept attacks, he constantly moved, keeping his distance.

This strategy had worked well against Platinum-class mercenaries, but with a Diamond-class mercenary in the mix, his limits quickly became apparent.

Swish!

The Diamond mercenary’s sword slashed past, cutting off a chunk of Taragon’s hair. It was a strike that could have easily taken off his ear.

“

Hup! Ugh!

”

As he turned his torso in mid-air to avoid the attack, he lost his balance and plummeted to the ground. His bow slipped from his grip as he hit the ground, twitching—his back completely giving out.

“Hm, looks like you’ve broken your back.”

It wasn’t an issue of poor warm-ups or lack of preparation.

The sixth unit left the stage, and Keter immediately stepped in. He prodded at Taragon’s back and clicked his tongue.

“Lack of flexibility. If you’re not flexible, at least reinforce yourself with aura.”

Anis and Taragon had fought well against the first squad of three Platinum-class mercenaries, but against Squad Two, which included a Diamond-class mercenary, they suffered severe injuries right from the first match. The gap in skill was undeniable.

Taragon lay face down on a cot. A butler poured elixir over his back and massaged him.

Next to him, Anis sat with his ankles submerged in an elixir bath.

“...”

“...”

Despite being brothers, they had nothing to say to each other. Instead, an awkward silence lingered between them.

They had never been particularly distant before, but now, as competitors, starting a conversation felt difficult.

Taragon considered speaking first—since he was the younger brother—but hesitated, thinking it might be unnecessary. Anis, too, glanced at Taragon out of the corner of his eye but quickly looked away when their gazes met.

I want to encourage him, but... do I even have the right?

Though they were sitting close to each other, they felt farther apart than ever.

At that moment, Keter entered.

“Attention.”

Anis and Taragon looked up at him.

“I told you to use your imagination, but you don’t seem to get it at all. That’s my fault for expecting better. So, let me spell it out for you. Stop just doing the same things you always do. Isn’t there anything you’ve ever wanted to try? Anything that you think might work? If you get injured, I’ll heal you. If you fail, you’ve got dozens of chances left. So try it. Do whatever comes to mind. Even if it’s ridiculous, even if it’s completely stupid—just try.”

After his rapid-fire speech, Keter smirked in satisfaction.

“Now that’s off my chest.”

He spoke as if he had given them all the answers, but Anis and Taragon were just confused.

I get what he’s saying, but... what exactly are we supposed to try?

The difference in perspective was stark. Keter had grown up in an environment without rules, while Anis and Taragon were raised in a prestigious family with strict discipline and regulations. It was like a bird telling a fish to fly, or a fish telling a bird to swim with fins.

To them, simply blending archery and martial arts already felt like the peak of creativity. They had no idea what more they could do. Still, since Keter had ordered it, they gave it some thought.

Is there anything beyond archery and martial arts that could be useful in battle?

Rest time was over.

Anis, having recovered first, stepped onto the stage again. The second unit of Squad Two entered as well.

But this time, their approach was different. Until now, the mercenaries had always entered together

.

However, they had split into three, each approaching from a different direction—immediately surrounding Anis.

Perhaps influenced by Keter’s words, Anis responded with an unusual tactic of his own. He dashed to the center of the stage, then leaped straight into the air. Then, using platforms made of aura, he continued to ascend into the sky.

The mercenaries followed for a moment before stopping to look up.

“How high is he going?”

For most, the effective range of Aura Flight was around five meters, ten at best. But Anis had risen fifty meters—so high that he now looked tiny from below.

From that height, he released an arrow. Fifty meters seemed vast in terms of height, but in archery, it was barely mid-range.

“Hah!”

An arrow fired from above had a completely different impact than one shot from the ground. Gravity, instead of being an obstacle, added speed and power to the shot. Because it was harder to see, the targeted Diamond-class mercenary couldn’t even think about blocking—all he could do was to roll aside.

Crash!

The arrow slammed into the ground, burying itself deep. It was fast and powerful. The mercenaries scrambled to dodge. Even with excellent jumping ability, five meters was their limit. And the delicate aura control required to create mid-air platforms was beyond them.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Anis rained arrows down as he descended. The only thing the mercenaries could do was reinforce themselves with Aura Armor and run for cover.

But their opportunity would eventually come. Anis would have to fall—after all, he didn’t have wings.

However, at twenty meters, Anis attempted to create another platform to launch himself back up, but...

Crack!

...it shattered. It was natural, as the impact from falling was many times greater than the force needed to ascend.

Even though Anis had doubled the input of aura, it wasn’t nearly enough. His body, which had been balanced mid-air, suddenly twisted out of control.

Crash!

Anis crashed into the ground.

He had used Aura Armor, but the height was too great, and the impact rocked his entire body.

The mercenaries were dumbfounded. Anis had defeated himself, and they didn’t even have to swing their swords once.

Keter walked over to where Anis lay, his body twitching just like Taragon’s earlier.

“That was a good try.”

Even with all his bones likely shattered, Anis managed a faint smile at the praise.