"I see… so that's why I've always felt something different about him. To think that our kingdom has such a remarkable talent."
Lidya spoke with a mix of happiness, jealousy, and sadness — happy that their kingdom possessed such a gifted individual, jealous that the Saint Archer had discovered him first, and sad because such a talent might not survive until the end.
As they talked, the five-minute break ended and the second round began. Zeref looked at the four humanoids forming in front of him.
Among them, two looked the same as before, but the other two were now holding swords.
"Looks like each round will get tougher…"
I took a deep breath to calm my raging heart, then grabbed three arrows from my quiver and nocked them onto my bow.
As soon as the match bell rang, each humanoid started moving toward me. I raised my bow and released all three arrows at once.
As if destined from the start, the arrows collided and changed direction midair. The first arrow flew toward the first humanoid, who raised his sword to block it. But before it could happen, the arrow suddenly shifted its trajectory toward the fourth, unarmed humanoid.
Before the fourth humanoid could react, the arrow exploded, forcing the humanoids who had gathered together to scatter. At that moment, the second arrow reached the second sword-wielding humanoid, who swung his sword to deflect it.
But the arrow curved mid-flight and struck the third unarmed humanoid instead, killing it with a single hit. Now, only the two sword-wielding humanoids remained. Just as a brief calm set in, the third arrow suddenly exploded between the two, covering them in smoke.
While the two humanoids were still inside the smoke, I dashed toward them and threw a small mana bomb into the cloud, which exploded and killed them both.
But I didn't feel any joy. My expression remained serious. Although the battle seemed easy, anyone with experience would know it required careful planning. If the second round was already this tough, what about the next ones?
The third round began, and this time a total of eight humanoids appeared: four wielding swords, two carrying spears, and two unarmed like before.
"Damn, looks like I'll have to start using magic spells."
As soon as all eight appeared, they charged toward me. I grabbed two arrows, placed them on my bow, and cast two spells: (Acceleration) and (Penetration).
Then I released them. The first arrow shot forward at incredible speed, piercing through both unarmed humanoids in the blink of an eye. The second arrow streaked toward two sword wielders — piercing the first one's heart and severing the second one's arm.
Just as I finished shooting, one of the spear-wielding humanoids threw his spear at me, while another swung his weapon from close range.
I dodged both attacks and retreated to gain distance. At the same time, I pulled out a small throwing knife from my pocket, infused it with mana, and hurled it at the one-armed humanoid, killing it instantly.
Now, I was surrounded by two sword-wielders and two spear-wielders. But before they could act, I detonated a smoke bomb at my position, cloaking everything in thick smoke.
Within the smoke, I activated my Void Eyes — my crimson eyes shifting into a blend of gold and blue. This was one of my hidden powers. The smoke around me acted as camouflage, ensuring no one could see my eyes.
I had obtained this power purely by accident a year ago.
One Year Earlier ~~~
I suddenly awoke in a forest surrounded by blood and corpses.
Then I saw an adult version of myself battling a colossal dragon — about 100 miles long. Compared to it, my older self looked like an ant.
Somehow, I knew that dragon's name: Apocalipse — the guardian of the boundary between the Divine Realm and the Mortal World.
The dragon's scales were pitch black, its fangs long and menacing, and its eyes radiated pure terror.
Although the battle looked impossible for my older self to win, the unexpected happened — the fight ended in an instant.
With a single sword slash, my future self sliced the massive dragon clean in half.
"Yo, how are you feeling?"
"And how does it feel to witness your past self's battle?"
Suddenly, the voice of an old man echoed — one that was all too familiar. Just like the first time we met, the old man appeared again out of thin air, still clad in the same black armor.
"Y-you…"
My voice trembled. The first time we met, this old man had suddenly stabbed me in the stomach.
'What does he mean by that?'
"Zeref, I want you to become stronger as soon as possible. Something unexpected has happened in the Divine Realm."
Then the old man appeared right in front of me and touched my temple.
Yeah… that was a truly nerve-wracking experience meeting that old man. Even now, I still don't know his true identity.
I returned my focus to the battle and saw small green and red points on the four humanoids around me.
This was one of the main advantages of the Void Eyes — with them, I could see my opponents' weak points.
I drew an arrow and shot it at one of the spear-wielders, killing him instantly. But then, one of the sword-wielders slashed randomly and managed to wound me.
"Damn, I let my guard down!"
I immediately drew three arrows, enhancing them with (Acceleration) and (Penetration) before releasing them — instantly blowing up the remaining three humanoids.
Those watching the battle held their breath in tension as they saw Zeref lightly injured.
"Zeref!"
"Big brother!"
I heard the cries of my two sisters. Looking at them, I saw their worried faces — but I gave them a reassuring smile. The five-minute break passed quickly.
When the bell rang for the fourth round, this time 12 enemies appeared: four sword wielders, four spear users, two unarmed ones, and two archers!
"Damn… long-range combat is my specialty. Looks like I can't rely on archery alone this time."
"It seems it's time to get serious."
Thinking that, I pulled out an arrow and began pouring most of my mana into it. Seeing me prepare to shoot, the humanoids charged toward me at high speed.