This duel? It was going to be Paul's first fight ever, aside from official archery duels.
Not just in this world, but as a human being. Whether as Paul on Earth or as Aldrich in Arthdal, he had never experienced a fight, let alone a duel.
His life on Earth had been relatively normal.
Archery was a hobby he had picked up from his father before losing both parents at the tender age of six.
Growing up with his bachelor uncle, Paul had everything he could ever need.
He attended a prestigious school where he pursued archery, eventually competing in tournaments.
His skills with the bow were unrivalled.
In those tournaments, he was often called "Young Robin," a nod to Robin Hood, the legendary archer.
Now, as Aldrich in the world of Arthdal, he would face his first duel.
It was conflicting.
Yet, strangely, he felt calm—composed even.
No nerves. No hesitation.
Perhaps it was the clarity of his goal: win the duel using only the bow and basic Ki body enhancement.
"I'm ready whenever you are," Aldrich said, addressing his opponent, Jacob.
His voice was steady, unfazed, signalling his readiness to begin.
Aldrich's body was charged with Ki, enhancing his physical abilities.
He felt the power coursing through him, muscles taut and prepared.
Similarly, Jacob had infused his own Ki for basic body enhancement, the telltale aura faintly visible around him.
Jacob made the first move.
He gripped his wooden sword tightly and dashed toward Aldrich, his speed magnified by Ki.
The ground beneath him crunched as he surged forward, closing the distance between them rapidly.
But Aldrich had already drawn his bow, fingers effortlessly reaching for the dummy arrow strapped to the quiver on his back.
The movements felt second nature, a seamless transition from practice to action.
Before Jacob could close half the distance, Aldrich released the arrow.
The arrow whistled through the air, cutting through the space between them with incredible speed, embedding itself in the ground just inches from Jacob's feet.
Jacob froze, startled.
He hadn't expected Aldrich to respond that quickly.
The arrow had flown so precisely, landing exactly where he would have stepped had he continued.
"He's fast!" Jacob thought, his heart racing.
Aldrich's ability to calculate both the distance and his timing was unnerving.
On the sidelines, Captain Duncan, along with several knights, watched the duel in stunned silence.
Duncan's brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to decipher Aldrich's strategy.
"Hm," Duncan muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing.
Without hesitation, Aldrich drew another arrow and nocked it, his movements fluid and methodical.
He fired the first arrow, and before it had even reached Jacob, a second arrow followed right behind it.
Jacob dodged the first arrow by tilting his body to the side with minimal effort, the wooden projectile whizzing past him.
The second arrow was just as easy to evade, his body barely moving out of the way.
It seemed like Aldrich's speed was impressive, but his aim was predictable.
But Aldrich wasn't done.
He took two steps back and then one to the right, his eyes locked on Jacob.
From his quiver, he pulled out two arrows simultaneously and set them to his bow.
The positioning of the arrows, however, was unusual.
The first arrowhead was slightly tilted upwards, while the second was angled sideways.
Aldrich released both arrows.
The arrows soared in different directions—the first veering upward into the sky, the second curving wide to the side.
To the casual observer, it looked like Aldrich had completely missed his target.
Even Jacob was confused, but he didn't linger on it.
This was his chance to finally close the distance and turn the tides to his control.
Jacob surged forward, determined to close the gap between them.
He was nearly within striking distance, his wooden sword extended, ready to make contact with Aldrich.
"Thwack!"
The sound stopped Jacob in his tracks, his sword still raised.
There was a strange sensation on his back like something had slapped him.
Stunned, he turned around to see what had happened.
"I won." Aldrich's calm voice broke the silence, a slight smile on his face.
His bow was lowered, his posture relaxed as if he had expected this outcome all along.
Jacob blinked, confused. "What? What just happened?"
Captain Duncan strode over, placing a firm hand on Jacob's shoulder. "You lost the duel," Duncan said, his voice carrying a mixture of awe and amusement.
Jacob frowned, still unsure. "Lost? But how—"
His gaze shifted to the ground behind him, where a dummy arrow lay.
His eyes widened. "An arrow?... how?"
Duncan chuckled softly. "You really don't want to know, rookie," he said, shaking his head. "It's something else."
In truth, Duncan himself was astonished.
He had seen Aldrich practice, but this? This was on a whole other level.
'He changed the trajectory of the arrow...' Duncan thought, replaying the scene in his mind. 'Using the other arrow.'
The two arrows Aldrich had fired earlier—the ones that seemed to have missed—had been anything but careless shots.
The first arrow, the one that veered upward, had flown behind Jacob and started to descend.
At the same time, the second arrow, the one that curved to the side had gone over to the arrow that fell from the sky.
Bending its tip to collide with the first arrow in mid-air.
The impact redirected the first arrow, sending it straight toward Jacob's back.
And Jacob, entirely focused on his attack, never saw it coming.
"Ha!" Duncan let out a laugh, shaking his head in disbelief.
If he hadn't witnessed it himself, he would've dismissed the entire story as nonsense.
No archer could possibly pull off a manoeuvre like that.
But Aldrich had done it.
Jacob stood frozen, his mind still trying to comprehend the impossible.
The duel had ended before he could even get close enough to land a single hit.
From the sidelines, the knights who had watched the duel began murmuring amongst themselves, their eyes wide with admiration and disbelief.
"A monster," Duncan finally said, his voice low. "That's what he is with a bow."
Aldrich remained quiet, lowering his bow, lost in his thoughts, calculating the outcome and sorting out his shortcomings.