Kling! Kling!
Boom!
Giant Leaf Woods / Sites of Memorial :
Dusk /
The sound of swords clashing, and the roar of battle awakened everyone.
"What happened?!"
"Does area boss coming to us?!"
That loud thudding sound could only be believed to have come from an area boss.
Everyone prepares weapons to fight.
"Damn you!"
But the voice of a young man made them aware that there was no danger at hand.
Ars is in a sword fight with Jeff, or rather, Ars tries to fight Jeff's balance.
Ars fired several swords, but it only became like a distraction. When Ars runs closer, Jeff will beat Ars back until it drags Ars to the ground.
Ars fed up of being pushed back. He was going to use [Skill] he didn't want to use because it would make him dizzy. Even so, he will use it.
One [Sword of Testament] in hand. Ars fired that one sword at Jeff.
Jeff raised his left hand, about to fend off Ars's attack. But suddenly, Ars appeared as if he had just teleported with SoT as the media.
Ars pulled SoT back in a position to swing as hard as he could.
Jeff's left hand was still up, only pointing higher.
Ars takes the slash at full force. But unfortunately, the attack being stopped by Jeff's left hand.
At that moment, Jeff replied by hitting Ars left chin, then he released Ars from his grasp.
Ars concentration dissolved at once.
Not satisfied, Jeff took a deep breath. The palm of his left hand directed at Ars, there was a wave of wind enveloping Jeff's left hand.
Jeff hit Ars with a wind wave palm thrust.
[Left Fist: South Wind Compress]
Ars got thrown far back by the force of the strong wind wave.
Again, Ars ended up being beaten back. He was about to get up, but at front, Jeff was already bracing for the next attack.
Jeff right hand held Bear Beast Blade. He took a deep breath. That breath made the Bear Beast Blade enveloped in wind force.
Again, Jeff will use skills. Ars took out two Guardian Hornet Shields in each hand.
With great power - "[Sonic Boom: Vertical Boost Slash]!" - Jeff swings his sword, which sends out a fierce wind slash.
Of all people, Elisa was the one who was most worried about that fight. Watching Jeff attack Ars in full force.
"Ars!"
Elisa dashed forward with Staff of Hope in hand.
"Sir Jeff, what are you doing?!" asked Elisa in surprise.
"Hmm? Do not worry. He's fine, I only put out a quarter of my strength. "
A quarter, but he could do an enormous amount of damage that would likely kill Killer Bee in one hit.
Elisa ran towards the end of the damage site, calling out the name - "Ars!"
Jeff raised his sword once again. But that time he was just cleaning up the dust from the damage of his attacks.
The dust around was gone, Elisa could see clearly. Unexpectedly, the figure of the young man who got knocked out earlier was outside the Sites of Memorial area.
"Are you okay?!"
Ars sat leaning against a Giant Leaf Tree. His entire body was dirty, and it seemed like he was in a state of immobile.
At the back, Jimmy questioned Jeff's actions.
"Why are you being that rough on him, Sir Jeff?"
"Otherwise, the battle will be long. So I want to make him give up in no time."
Jeff said that while preparing for the work he was going to do.
Jimmy said yesterday that Ars must get Jeff's trust. But he did not expect that they would fight with all their might. Even though Ars doesn't seem to have a chance to win.
"Are you okay?"
Elisa asked Ars's condition once again.
The wounds Ars got were not that bad. Elisa breathed a sigh of relief. She thought Ars and Jeff had a conflict that made them fight.
"F'ck."
Ars cursed. Even though that wasn't directed at Elisa, the girl was still shocked.
"How can he bring out such magical power?"
Ars tried to get up with his body that had just got beaten.
Elisa tried to stop him. "H - hey, wait!"
But Ars didn't listen.
From a distance, Jeff could see Ars back on his feet and preparing to attack.
Jimmy realized what Ars was going to do. "An attack that shoots a sword."
"Shoot what?"
Latifa just heard that someone is using a sword as a projectile weapon. That's what Ars will do.
Ars prepared with the skill [Super Strong Sword-shot].
To his surprise, Jimmy imitated Ars's stance, only he used an arm-sized block of wood as his projectile weapon.
That certainly annoyed Ars. "Don't copy me, old jerk!" Ars launched his best attack. "Ha?"
But unfortunately, Jeff's log hit Ars's face faster without him noticing.
Ars being knocked backwards and hit the tree earlier.
"Ars!"
Jeff parried Ars' sword, made the sword fly upwards, then stuck into the ground not far from his position.
The SoT had just disappeared into blue mana particles shortly after being embedded in the ground.
"Sir Jeff. Was Ars attack just now an Abyssal Art?" asked Jimmy curiously.
"Probably not. That kid didn't use Abyssal Breathing while launching the attack just now. Likely, it was because that kid fired the copy sword strongly that it could rub against the surrounding mana flow. I amazed that that kid has a strong right hand."
Jeff started his job because he had completely paralyzed Ars.
Elisa helps Ars that in a bad position.
"Are you alright?"
"F'ck!"
Ars hated that defeat. It happened the same as when Ars sparred with Yin. Only that time Jeff didn't give him any mercy.
Elisa got surprised. She didn't expect the cold man in front of her to have such a childish attitude.
"Abyssal Art."
"Ha?!"
Elisa wanted to tell Ars something. But Ars actually scared Elisa first.
"Abyssal Art?" Ars had heard terms like that skill before. "Is that what that old man's skill called?"
Elisa surprised that Ars suddenly wanted to cooperate.
"U - uh, yes," Elisa shook her head. "No, to be more precise, Abyssal Art is a form of magic uses that can create [Magic Skills]."
"Magic skill, huh?"
Ars got up, then cleaned the dirt on his clothes.
It worried Elisa. Ars had received two devastating attacks which knocked him back. But Ars acted like nothing had happened to him.
"Then, how can I master that Abyssal Art?"
"Of course, by studying the Abyssal Art."
Elisa did not catch Ars's question.
"Ah, sorry! In that case, as a beginner Hunter, you have to go to the 2nd Floor. "
"To study in Church Saint Arcane?"
"Yes."
That means Ars must change his plans. Ars don't want to do that.
"Wait."
Ars stared at Elisa, making the girl a little surprised.
"You have mastered the Abyssal Art, right?"
"Y - yeah."
"Can't you teach me how to master it?"
Ars is not wrong. It was easier than him having to go to the 2nd Floor to study at school. However, it is like a surgeon teaching an aspiring surgeon how to operate.
"I can not."
"Why?"
"Mastering the Abyssal Art is quite a dangerous thing. That's why you have to learn directly from a teacher or Hunter who is experienced with Abyssal Art."
Elisa wasn't wrong. After all, Elisa had just climbed onto the 1st Floor as a young Priest.
If you are looking for a Hunter who is experienced with Abyssal Art, they have one very close.
"Hey, Caster Woman, teach me how to master Abyssal Art."
That person is Latifa.
"First, can't you be more polite in speaking? You're like a dragon who has very high pride."
Ars is indeed a dragon - possessed by a dragon, to be precise. But nobody knows about it - because Ars didn't tell anyone.
Latifa sighed at the request. "It's not that I want to refuse. But to master the Abyssal Art is quite a dangerous thing. Therefore - "
"Okay, I understand!"
In the end, Latifa will say the same as Elisa.
"If that's the case, is there someone with experience that I can use as a master or teacher to learn Abyssal Art?"
"When you talk about people like that, only Legend Hunters are into that category."
They both looked at Jeff, who was working.
"No, he's not the right person." Ars immediately rejected the idea of making Jeff his teacher. "I've known people who are terrible at teaching, and that old man is one of them."
Ars is talking about Yin, the Sword Saint, and Jeff, the forest ranger as the same type of teacher.
Instantly, Ars thought of a blind merchant.
"Hey, is using Abyssal Art to be able to see even though your eyes are blind, is the right person?"
Latifa surprised at Ars's question.
"Using Abyssal Art as a means of seeing is a top level of Abyssal Art mastery! Who do you mean by that?"
Ars told White Wood, Ltd. and Randi's group to continue the work without him.
Ars, plus Latifa and Elisa who follow him, returned to the West Station. They went to a quiet block and stopped at the fruit shop of a blind merchant.
"Hwang, the Firestorm Archer?!"