'- Huh?! Apparently... I was wrong about this guy. He's smarter than he looks! Well, that being the case… go on!'
'Ugh! Why does this guy's face say, 'Praise me more!'. He disgusts me!'
"Your guild has a future with endless possibilities. Everyone wants to be a part of it! Even the humblest farmer has heard of your guild. Kids wish, when they grow up, to be members of your guild! Besides-" He interrupted me.
"It's okay. I know you have a lot to say..."
'Hey! Don't make it look like I'm doing this because I want to!'
"But get to the point; tell me what you want!"
"I... I want to demonstrate my patriotism! Please allow me to put up the initial fight!"
At my words, not only Fabio but even his teammates were surprised. My words not only show my initiative in fighting, but I am explicitly asking to fight alone!
"Wow, this rookie has guts!" says guild member 1.
"If it were any other time, I would stop him myself, but since assassinations are not allowed, I don't see why not give him the chance." says guild member 2.
"What do you say, guild master? Why not give him a chance?" says guild member 3.
Fabio's teammates quickly got excited at the idea and prompted Fabio to respond. The latter looked at me, trying to figure out my intentions, but after seeing the excitement of his teammates, he sighed.
"Okay, but do it now. The rules don't specify battles outside the space with obstacles. There should be no problem if you fight against those who remain in this place." He pointed his hand in the direction of the enemy guild, whose groups were not yet departing for the agreed location.
"Don't worry, guild master, I'll be sure to show them who's superior here!"
"That's right, boy. That's the spirit!"
"I'll be supporting you even if you lose~"
With the support of Fabio's peers, I can tell that not everyone knows about me. This gives even more credence to my theory that Fabio isn't completely sure I'm the Golden Archer.
'So, he was just testing the waters when he gave me those despicable tasks.'
With my chest heaving and my eyes throwing stars, I walk in the direction of the Red Flag guild. Arriving in front of them, many looked at me strangely, not knowing what I was doing there.
Smiling very arrogantly, I say, "The guild master sent me to test your strength. If you are not strong enough to defeat me, it won't even be necessary to fight for two days! Forget about defeating the Golden Lion Guild; you're wasting your time!"
"Is this guy right in the head?"
"Ten against one? Ha! I'm more than enough to beat him."
"Hahaha. Guild Master, what do you say? Why don't you let Frank beat him up?"
While some smiled, others scoffed; one in particular, named Frank, offered himself to fight against me. And his companions supported the idea, prompting Leandro to give it the go-ahead.
"Haa... Make it quick." Leandro nodded.
"Hahaha, though I admit you have courage! I won't hold back!" Frank shouted.
"Haa" I said, shaking my head. "Why is it that everyone who carries an ax is a muscle head?"
Frank is very tall and possesses an axe almost equal to his size. Plus, he speaks with a tone very similar to battle lovers. From the looks of it, he's a muscular head.
"What did you say?!" he shouted angrily. "Well, good. I planned to give you a light beating, but I changed my mind. I'll cause you serious injuries! You won't even be able to wake up to see your guild lose!"
With such words, he started to run in my direction. All his muscles contracted as he swung his ax, causing dust to fly up into the air at times due to the pressure on his foot.
With a great curvature in the air, the ax swings exactly towards my waist.
'Activate [Agility] Profile.'
All the speed of the surroundings immediately changed, giving me the idea that I was moving at great speed.
'Now, well, I can dodge normally if I want to, but this wouldn't give me the result I want. So...'
As soon as the ax got close enough to me, I jumped and positioned myself over it.
"A- Are my eyes seeing right?"
"That guy is standing on Frank's ax?! God..."
"So, his arrogance was well-founded, huh?"
I quickly lifted my chest and put on a serious and cold look. I just needed to place my hands behind my back, and everything would have been perfect.
"You! How dare you mock me like that?!" shouted Frank.
"Hmph! You're the stupid one who came to fight me in solitary!" I then looked in the direction of the other groups and shouted, "One is not enough! The rest, come at me!"
Such arrogantly spoken words were enough to touch the sensitive nerves of everyone present. So, no more humiliations were necessary. Of their own free will, nine people came over to fight!
"You'll repent this!" Said one of them angrily.
"We've been working as a team for a long time. Get ready!" said someone with a sincere face.
"This'll be fun." Another smiled.
Each of them possesses a basic class between levels 19 and 24. From the way they look at each other, it must be true that before this war, they were already a team. And, as such, they will fight in a coordinated and error-free manner.
'I must be cautious.'
"They are still not enough!" I shouted.
'But if I want to achieve my task, I must appear arrogant.'
'- If you don't know how to listen to advice, then you'll have to learn through the punches,' thought one of Frank's companions.
"Frank, calm down! Let's all fight as we've always fought!"
"Yes, captain!"
Since the captain took the lead, it's very hard for me to show off like I did before, but that's okay. The more powerful I look, the bigger the impression I'll leave!
While Frank accumulates strength to later release it through his ax, the others focus on two teams. Fast attacks and defense. The latter two are in charge of 'stalling me' while they make time for Frank to attack. Their blows are very slow, after all, but they are very powerful nonetheless.
*Boom*
In between his attacks, Frank inadvertently hit the ground. What was the result? A huge crack was created with his ax in the center.
'Mn, his ax is scary.'
"Holy Solus... That guy's still alive!"
"Although his speed is outstanding, his sword skill is not far behind!"
"Now that you mention it, he managed to deflect all the attacks, resulting in him being unharmed..."
Sometime later, I managed to create the atmosphere I was hoping for. So, I retreated a few steps away from the attacking group, and I put on a serious and cold gaze while looking at the sky.
"One group is not enough. The rest, come to me!" I shouted arrogantly.
'- Haa. I can't watch this anymore.'
"Tell them to do what they can to bring that child down. I can't stay here anymore. I'll wait for the good news," Leandro whispered to one of his men.
"As you command, guild master."
As I looked in the direction of the Red Flag guild, I managed to see how Leandro walked away from the place while another group accepted my challenge and approached in my direction.
'That the guild master is leaving is a godsend. I'll be sure to take advantage of this!'
Without waiting for them to approach, I am the one who makes the initial attack.
'It's 20 vs. 1... I must choose the position that favors me and prevent the battle from going the way they expect it to.'
"Now! surround him!" said the captain with a glare.
'While I may not be able to read lips properly, I must very proudly say that I am good at reading looks. Do you want to surround me? Dream on!'
Using my advantage to the fullest, I dodge and deflect several attacks targeting me, making the most of the [Counter Attack] skill. My efforts paid off, and I managed to successfully break out of their encirclement, but... I focused too much on a single group.
"Now!"
Taking advantage of my carelessness, the second group makes a coordinated attack. Different types of weapons approached me from different directions, all of them 180 degrees in front of me.
'Y-you! You bullies! You're all bullies!!! Activate [Strength] Profile.'
At that very moment, a mammoth strength surrounds my body. With more confidence than ever, I swing my sword in the direction of the 10 weapons approaching me.
*Ting*
A loud sound spreads around.
"Hey!"
"He blocked all the attacks with only his sword!"
"That sword must have some kind of ability!"
Again, this created the atmosphere I wanted. So, after walking away to a safe place, I proudly raise my chest, put on a serious and cold look, and arrogantly shout...
"Two groups are not enough! The rest of you come to me!"
My shout quickly enraged the Red Flag guild, and a new group came over to bully me.
'- Such skill and prowess with the sword… could it be… Could it be that I had the wrong person?' thought Fabio.