Chương 47: 46. The Symbiont (XXIII, MAJOR, RING)

I combined a thread slice with an arc attack in the direction of the arrow. The breadth of the strike managed to come into contact ten feet before the projectile could hit Cathy, causing it to burst. Burning insects scattered everywhere, none of them in a condition to cause harm. The adrenaline took over. When fighting monsters of this type, the only approach was to go on the offensive.

Based on the direction the shots had come from, I could come to the conclusion that the elf was following a long arc parallel to our path. Slicing through the jungle, I sprinted as quickly as my body would take me. The strength acquired through the arena fights helped me knock trees out of the way before they had a chance to fall. And still, there was no sign of the creature. Using two more of my cards, I covered my burning blades with acid and paralytic liquid.

Since we were playing nasty, it was only right to go all the way. Another arrow flickered, heading straight at me, only this time I got to see it a lot more clearly. I had caught a glimpse of the head, the bow, and the hand that held it. Wood Elf Scout Level: 8 Cards: Archer, Symbiont Special: Eagle Eye, Silent Step Weapon: Wood Bow Harlequin's Sight let me catch a few basic details before the arrow was released. I met the attack with another attack, performing a dual strike in front of me.

Another small section of the forest was sliced up, parts bursting into flames. The arrow was also affected, though the elf wasn't. No, you don't! I ran through the burning vegetation, following up with another strike. Now that I knew what I was up against, the monster didn't seem as threatening. While I was unable to see my opponent, I could only speculate what sort of elf I was facing.

The skillful shots, the insect arrows, and the suddenness of the attack had initially made me fear that a sharpshooter might have stumbled upon us. Finding that not to be the case filled me with relief and anger.

"A fucking scout?!" I shouted, performing another thread slice in the direction of the monster. There was no need to fear that it would run away or use magic. With the trial limitation in place, the creature was much more of a nuisance than a threat. Another arrow flew at me, striking me in the chest. The force of the impact made my eyes water. Yet, gritting my teeth, I kept running on. The Eight of Chalice had saved me yet again. Returning my right sword back to my inventory, I grabbed the arrow and pulled it out.

The head squirmed, unwilling to let go of my flesh. Thankfully, it hadn't managed to fully dig in. I tossed it over my shoulder as I cast several heals on my wound. Just because the elf was annoying didn't mean it couldn't kill me.

"Sleep, sleep, is a word," I sang as I took out my second blade once again.

"Sleep is a dying word." Aether threads spread through the vegetation. Thanks to the Fourteen of Rings, they were a lot stronger than they had been in the past. Another huge benefit was that I didn't have to see the elf in order to affect it. As long as it was somewhere in the general vicinity, there was a good chance that it would fall into my web. Several arrows whooshed some fifty feet away. Two of my aether threads snapped, unable to achieve their goal. However, they had also provided me with an exact location.

Take this! I combined several cards as I performed another arc attack. An aether thread of green, scorching fire cut through anything in its path, transforming yet another section of the jungle into a soon-to-be clearing. Suspecting that more arrows might follow, I leaped to the side. The sound of loud thumps told me that I was right. Losing the element of surprise and the advantage of distance, the elf was blindly shooting in every direction just to keep me away.

Being the prideful piece of shit it was, there was a near hundred percent chance that it hadn't signaled for help. I sliced the tree in front and slammed into its trunk with my shoulder. The massive green pillar tilted forward. This was perfect. Gripping my weapons, I leaped onto the trunk as it fell and kept on running. Several more strikes followed, trimming the large and not so large branches along my way. Then, at the very end, I finally got a clear view of my enemy. A female, I thought.

During one of the early trials, participants had made the mistake of thinking that female elves were less dangerous than males. That, combined with the delicate frame, long hair, and youthful face, always activated some deep psychological trigger, causing people to drop their guard, if only for a second. Elves took advantage of the pause to do what they did best: kill. Unfortunately for her, this wasn't the first time I had faced their kind. One of my attacks had managed to wound her seriously.

Blood was trickling down the creature's leg, effectively pinning her on the spot. Of course, that only made her that more dangerous. While goblins would flee at the first opportunity they got, wounded elves fought to the bitter end. It was more than an instinct for survival; something was messed up in their brain, making them enter a near berserk state the closer they got to death. The moment she saw me, the elf raised her bow, aiming for a kill shot.

I struck the bow with my right sword, causing the arrow to fly wide. My other blade thrust forward at her throat. Sadly, it missed its mark. The elf managed to twist away and draw another arrow from her belt-quiver. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. For seconds, weapons slashed the air, with both of us escaping each other's lethal hits. Usually, bows weren't a good close-combat weapon, but in the hands of an elf, it was no different than a gun.

In between attacks, I was keeping an eye on the arrows in the quiver. There always seemed to be one more than I would have liked. I tried to knock them out a few times, but the elf was more protective of the quiver than she was of her life. The smell of smoke filled my nostrils. The flames of my swords, while unable to set the jungle on fire, had managed to create just enough smoke to be mildly irritating. At that point, the elf ran out of arrows. Got you!

The moment I saw her grab the last one, I already knew I had won. Leaping back, I threw both my blades in her direction. Past experiences combined with the Archer card were just enough to make the threat seem real. The elf deflected one of my blades with an arrow shot, while twisting just enough to avoid the other. That was when I summoned Serp and plunged forward. The saber pierced through the green-brown fabric of her clothes right in the spot of her heart. Our movements subsided as each stared at the other.

I could see genuine surprise in the elf's eyes; likely she never expected to get killed by an early trial participant.

"Now you know how it feels," I said. So many of the people killed by elves had probably thought the same: how can I get killed by something so small and beautiful? The truth was that beauty was lethal. The only possible exceptions were the rule-masters. Harlequin was a grotesquery on legs, yet remained the most dangerous being there could be. As expected, the monster left no corpse. Moments after my victory, the elf's body burst in a cloud of red mist, leaving two cards behind. No sphere? Serp asked, disappointed.

"We don't get a sphere for common elves," I replied. In all honesty, I was glad that we even got cards. While not specifically part of the real challenge, the scout didn't have any special title. It could have gone either way. Luckily, Harlequin had deemed her difficult enough to release a prize. I took the symbiont first. THE SYMBIONT (XXIII, MAJOR, RING) (Rarity – Exceptional) SKILLS (1/3): 1 PHEROMONES: release pheromones that trigger responses in insects and creatures 2??? 3???

The card was strong, though not to the extent that many would think. As with every other monster, the elf probably had the card boosted to its final level, receiving a control special. For the moment, at least, I could rest assured that I'd be able to act as a repellent and keep most of the common insects away. It was half expected that the elf would have an Archer card, although I would have preferred a Scout. There were a lot better ranged cards I would get from the Grand Arcana.

Besides, I wasn't in a hurry to switch to ranged weapons anytime soon. Merge, I thought. Causing the card to evaporate. THE ARCHER has been improved Skill 2: FLUIDITY: (bow required) draw and shoot freely while also using the bow in melee combat Complete development of the Archer has granted you the special Eagle Eye. The special will only be in effect while the completed Archer is in your possession. The second skill was practically useless, but the special the card provided made up for it.

You must find some better moves, old man, Serp said. You're limiting my range of motion!

"Get used to it," I summoned the saber away.

"Until I find platinum, that's how it will be." I don't need platinum to be great! You just need better cards.

"Don't we all?" I went to get my divine blades. They were tugging me deeper into the jungle, but I ignored them. Before continuing on, I had to return to the others and deal with the consequences of the attack. Getting Sebastian killed wasn't a major loss, especially considering that the man was itching to do the same to me. Having him drop out this early, and against a simple scout, was bound to have repercussions. A path of destruction led me straight back to where I had started from.

In less than a day the jungle would have restored itself, replacing all the fallen trees and burned vegetation. Seb's body, along with any other corpses, would be consumed, creating the impression that no one had set foot here before. The first time I had witnessed the effects of an elf jungle, I had been terrified. My first group had cut down a small clearing in the hopes it would provide a bit of safety and sanity; it had granted us neither.

During the night, the vegetation had sprung back, destroying the makeshift shelter that had been constructed. It wasn't fast enough to impale or injure us, just mercilessly growing, pushing everything else aside until the patch of emptiness had been completely filled. I made sure to remain fully in sight as I approached Cathy and the rest. I had already suffered one lethal wound and didn't want to find out whether the Eight of Chalice would let me suffer another.

"It's fine," I said, a comfortable distance away.

"It's dead." Cathy lowered her bow.

"I knew you wouldn't let us down!" Carl shouted. His sucking up was pathetic. At the same time, he was very careful not to set foot further into the jungle. As I approached, I took a look at what was left of Seb's body. It had been burned to a crisp, along with part of the surrounding vegetation. Just in case, I used my new card to chase off any insects that might have survived.

"A pity we couldn't get any of his cards," Carl said with the empathy of a cynical HR manager.

"Cards aren't left behind," I said.

"Nothing is."

"Even money?" Funny that it was the first thing he thought about. The first thing anyone thought about in a similar situation was weapons.

"Cards, money, weapons, trinkets," I said in a dispassionate voice.

"You can get the clothes, if you want." The man looked at the charred remains in disgust. In ten more trials he would be pulling off the boots of dead participants to use them on the gambling tables. As much as I despised him, it would be a lie to say that I hadn't done the same. One had to do anything to survive, starting from the disgusting and continuing to the dangerous.

"How many were there?" Eleonor asked.

"Just one," I replied.

"A scout."

"Just one…" she repeated. Even with the Observer card, I couldn't tell whether she was shaken or disappointed.

"We'll need to get going. Even if there aren't others around, this is bound to have attracted attention."

"We're still going on with your plan?" Cathy asked. Unlike the goth girl, she was visibly disturbed, though still held it together quite well.

"The two aren't related," I lied.

"The trial makes sure of that. The camp will be the same as if this never happened."

"It's not just…" she stopped. I strongly suspected that displaying weakness might also be subject to divine punishment.

"If we barely took out a scout, what chance do we have against more of them?"

"Quite good if we catch them by surprise. Even elves must sleep too." Not to mention that two of us had no issues seeing in the dark. Knowing Eleonor, I suspected that she also had something up her sleeve. The greatest concern remained Carl. I couldn't tell whether his deity had a preference for elf or participant corpses.

"Also, we don't need to get all the way up to them in order to attack."