Chapter 580

Raon swallowed nervously while watching Sterin’s bowstring grow taunt.

‘Take it if I can, which means… Is he going to give me a lesson?’

Considering what he’d said, he seemed to be planning to show his archery rather than picking a fight.

He must’ve liked Raon’s advice to Siyan a lot since he was immediately giving him a lesson instead of after the purification ceremony, which was what he’d said before.

“The archery I use is called the Sentient Arrow. However…”

Sterin pulled the bowstring until midway and stopped with a faint smile on his face.

“Humans call the Sentient Arrow, the Dancing Arrow.”

“Dancing Arrow…”

Dancing Arrow was the pinnacle of archery, allowing the archer to freely control the arrow’s trajectory according to their will. Raon’s heart raced with excitement, nearly bursting with joy at the thought of witnessing this transcended martial art equivalent to the Dancing Sword.

“Get ready.”

Sterin looked at him, his relaxed body showing that he would wait until he was ready.

However, the sharpness of the arrow on the bowstring was frightening enough to send a chill down his spine.

‘This is an opportunity.’

Fighting against a Transcender, and one who uses a bow at that, was an extremely rare opportunity. The experience from the new martial art was going to widen his mental world even further.

‘We are at point-blank distance, but I shouldn’t consider that an advantage.’

Swordsman would normally have the advantage if they were fighting an archer from point blank range, but it didn’t apply to Sterin since he could use the Dancing Arrow.

It was best to assume that he was at a huge disadvantage.

“I’m ready.”

Raon nodded while imagining a method to defend against Sterin’s arrow.

“That was a fast preparation. Is it because you are young?”

Sterin slightly tilted his head backward and pulled the bowstring to its limit. The moment the string sounded like it was about to break, a chill ran down his spine.

‘The atmosphere around him has changed.’

Even though Sterin had been acting nonchalantly so far, the sharp pressure overflowing from him almost felt malevolent. It seemed to be his true appearance during battle.

His hair was standing on end just from meeting Sterin’s eyes. Raon felt like he was being crushed by an overwhelming pressure, transcending the concept of power.

‘I can’t yield now.’

He wouldn’t gain anything if he was already defeated. He made the rings of fire resonate with each other, drawing out a spirit that surpassed his limit.

Whir!

Raon raised Heavenly Drive to mid-height without even thinking about wiping away the cold sweat flowing down from his forehead. The subtle sword resonance was easing the tension in his body slightly.

“I like the look in your eyes.”

Sterin nodded in satisfaction and casually released the bowstring.

The fired arrow was right under his nose before he knew it. It was even faster than sound, making him even think that magic was applied

‘Right waist!’

The fortunate part was that he could tell the target location thanks to the bloodlust coming from the arrow.

Cring!

Raon pulled Heavenly Drive to the right to block the arrow’s path.

‘Huh?’

However, Sterin’s arrow completely stopped in front of his waist, remaining immobile.

It should’ve been impossible for an arrow flying even faster than sound to be immobilized completely, but Sterin’s prowess had made it happen.

Whoosh!

Sterin’s arrow started to move once again the moment Heavenly Drive slashed the thin air.

The white arrow rushed towards his stomach even faster than when it’d left the bowstring.

‘He got me!’

Raon pushed the ground with the back of his foot and activated the Supreme Harmony Steps.

But of course, the arrow was rushing towards his chest faster than he was moving backwards.

‘I managed to buy some time at least.’

He thrust the Blade of Requiem in a reverse grip during the short time period that he’d earned through footwork.

Cring!

The Blade of Requiem blocked the white arrow’s trajectory with a blue glow on the blade, but Sterin changed the direction of the arrow once again to attack another vital area.

‘I expected this much.’

The blade of frost following the Blade of Requiem changed its trajectory and smacked the center of the arrow.

Claaang!

A tearing pain could be felt in his hand even though it hit the arrow’s shaft instead of the head. Raon noticed that the entire arrow was being protected by a powerful aura.

“Hmph!”

Sterin’s mouth let out a small exclamation.

“Two attacks with a single swing. That was pretty good.”

He evaluated the Frost Pond with a relaxed smile. The arrow vibrating in the air floated gently and returned to Sterin.

“I didn’t expect that the bloodlust would be used to confuse the senses.”

Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Sterin notch the arrow once again.

“So you were serious when you said to take it if I could.”

Sterin’s lesson wasn’t as kind as the Sword Demon’s. It was a coldhearted lesson where he could only learn what he could.

“What you obtain easily is easily gone.”

Sterin briefly nodded. The arrow trembled as if it were responding to his sharpened will.

“Since you understand now, are you ready to get serious?”

“Of course.”

Raon nodded and dashed right after, thrusting the Blade of Requiem from behind.

The sphere of aura emanating from the tip of the blade opened its dark jaw and unleashed its flame breath.

Whaaam!

The crimson flame wavered majestically. It looked like it was about to incinerate Sterin and the entire Great Forest altogether.

“Your control of output is still lacking.”

The moment Sterin was about to fire the arrow with a cold laugh, Raon twisted the Flame Dragon Art’s flow.

Whir!

He concentrated the heat spreading in a fan shape into a single line charging towards Sterin’s chest.

“So it’s deception against deception.”

Sterin’s smile didn’t change as he released the arrow. The white arrow turned into a white ray of light and charged towards the Flame Dragon Art.

Whaaam!

The clash between the white radiance and the fire breath caused a tremendous shockwave that spread in all directions.

However, the Flame Dragon Art didn’t last long before it started to subside.

Raon furrowed his brow while watching the weakening flame.

‘It’s not because the Flame Dragon Art is weak. It’s because the protector’s realm is much higher than mine.’

Instead of destroying with sheer power, Sterin had pierced the Flame Dragon Art’s weakness by altering the arrow’s trajectory. There was a lot to learn from the fight.

Whaaam!

In the end, the Flame Dragon Art completely faded away, unable to withstand Sterin’s arrow.

“Haa…”

Raon exhaled roughly and fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive.

‘I need to watch properly. After all, I’m not here to win against a Transcender.’

The reason he was wielding his sword was to gain inspiration from the Dancing Arrow. Focusing on the fight was important, but he had to remember that objective.

‘How is that arrow moving as he pleases?’

Sterin and the Holy Sword Alliance master were capable of manipulating their arrow and sword at will.

Since it wasn’t a technique that could be used automatically upon becoming a Transcender, there must’ve been a special method for it.

Whir!

He maximized the resonance between the eight rings and even activated the Evil Eye of Wrath and the Perception of the Snow Flower.

His soul reached an extreme level, causing his perception of time to slow down.

‘A bit more…’

Even though the fiery approach of the arrow was about to break through his forehead, Raon increased his focus even further.

Whir!

The pain in his upper energy center was causing an extreme headache, but his focus increased endlessly. The world gradually came to a standstill, leaving only the arrow and himself in that moment.

Raon leaned backward in order to dodge the approaching arrow.

Pssh!

However, Sterin’s arrow brushed past his right cheek by slightly changing its trajectory as if it were expecting his movement.

Raon increased his focus even more, fueled by the slight pain on his cheek. He could even see his own face reflected on the red blood scattering in the air.

‘Not enough… Hmm?’

* * *

By the time the intense vibration of the rings of fire felt like they were about to shatter, Raon could see some kind of a white line passing by his blood.

‘An illusion? No, it’s not an illusion. It’s connected to the arrow.’

The faint wavering he saw was the white line that was advancing along the same direction as the trajectory of the white arrow from a moment ago.

‘Could it be…?’

He looked ahead once again. The thin line connected to the white arrow was starting from Sterin.

‘I get it now!’

Raon swallowed nervously and narrowed his eyes.

‘That line is the protector’s will.’

The will was the power of determination to achieve something. Sterin’s will of transcendence was freely manipulating the arrow.

‘The power of will is boundless.’

It was an unexpected finding, since Raon had thought that the will only served to add power and pressure.

Raon understood that it was the reason warriors who couldn’t control the will would never be able to prevail against a warrior who could.

Of course.

Wrath briefly nodded.

The path of will and the mental world is infinite. The same goes for the King of Essence’s techniques, which require the use of will to reach their full potential.

His eyes twitched as he explained that Raon’s strength had increased upon becoming a Grandmaster because his previously inexperienced control of will had finally gained proper power.

‘Thank you for your advice.’

I-it’s not advice! The King of Essence was simply teaching you a little because your foolishness was frustrating to watch!

Wrath shook his hand, telling him to stop saying nonsense.

Raon chuckled and focused on Sterin’s arrow once again. No, he was fully focused on his will.

Whoosh!

He could feel that Sterin’s arrow that had gone behind his back was rotating towards him, aiming for an attack from behind.

Raon stepped aside to the left and thrust Heavenly Drive. A red wall of flame was created, but the white arrow easily pierced through an opening and rushed inside.

Just as the arrow approached him like lightning, he launched the Blade of Requiem that he had been holding weakly.

Whaaam!

The Blade of Requiem was engulfed in the principles of dagger throw and advanced while spreading its powerful ghastly energy around.

However, Sterin slightly altered the trajectory of the arrow to dodge the Blade of Requiem and pierced into his distance.

‘Just as I expected.’

He’d incorporated his will into the Blade of Requiem because he knew Sterin was going to do that.

Zap!

He felt an intense pain in his head, as he had never attempted the transition of will before. It felt as if his entire upper energy center was on the verge of destruction.

‘But I still need to continue…’

The intense pain was a rebound for trying to perform more than what he was capable of.

He was definitely overexerting himself, but it was a pain that needed to be endured in order to take something, just as Sterin had described.

‘Go down! Go down and fend off the arrow!’

The moment Raon haphazardly unleashed the lines of his will, one of them was connected to the Blade of Requiem, creating a small radiance in the air.

Whaaack!

The moment he could feel that he’d become one with the sword, the Blade of Requiem dropped like a marionette without strings to smack the arrow shaft.

It was possible because the Blade of Requiem had a will in itself.

Gasp!

Wrath widened his eyes at the unexpected result.

Whir!

The white arrow was visibly faltering, showing that Sterin was also surprised by it.

However, his arrow floated back up as if it had never faltered and started to fly towards Raon’s chest once again.

“Huff…”

Raon was unable to move even though he could see the arrow approaching him. His willpower was at its limit because he’d expanded all his will a moment ago.

The arrow flew towards him as if it were going to kill him, but it stopped right under his nose with a faint vibration.

“Haa…”

Raon raised his head while catching his breath. Sterin’s eyes were wavering noticeably, just like the arrow controlled by him.

“Did you…”

He parted his trembling lips.

“…Just manipulate the sword with your will?”

“I-I’m not too sure either. I just wanted to try it out…”

It was true. Raon wasn’t too sure what he’d done because he was in a trance.

One thing he could tell was that the Blade of Requiem had helped him.

Whir.

Sterin bobbed his finger. The white arrow was sucked into his grasp.

“What did you feel from me?”

“It looked like the arrow was connected to the protector with a thin thread. I could feel your will from that thread…”

Raon told him about what he’d felt a moment ago honestly.

“So you saw it instead of feeling it.”

Sterin laughed bitterly while holding the arrow in his hand.

“I’ve heard plenty about monsters and geniuses emerging on the continent, but most of them fell within the realm of expectation. Now, I’m finally witnessing the real deal.”

He shook his head, showing that he was seriously surprised by him.

“Then it’s really…”

“Yes. The archery called Sentient Arrow is based on will and the mental world.”

Sterin tapped on his temple with his finger.

“The more you develop your upper energy center, the more freely you can use the Sentient Arrow. It’s intriguing because, although your upper energy center is more advanced than your might, it still isn't sufficient to fully execute the Sentient Arrow.”

He narrowed his eyes, saying that he couldn’t understand it.

“It must be thanks to this sword.”

Raon gently caressed the Blade of Requiem.

“It must’ve followed my will because they were originally good people even though they’ve became a possessed blade now.”

“I’m also aware that your possessed blade grasped your will. I was talking about how your will managed to reach the possessed blade.”

“I’m not sure about that part.”

“Your answer makes it even clearer that you are a monster,” Sterin declared firmly and brought his hand to his inner pocket.

He took out a red fruit that looked like a cherry and threw it at Raon.

“Eat it. It will quickly heal your internal injuries.”

“Thank you.”

Raon accepted the fruit with both hands and lowered his head.

“I told you to take what you can get, but I didn’t expect you to actually get something.”

Sterin chuckled and turned around.

“It might be a good idea.”

“What?”

“The world tree’s purification ritual will be carried out tomorrow and the day after. You should come with Rimmer.”

That was the last thing he said before he returned along the forest path he’d come from.

Whoosh.

As Sterin moved further away, the forest grew denser, restoring the original scenery.

“Haa…”

Raon sighed deeply and lay flat on the ground.

“I’m so exhausted. But…”

‘It was fun.’

Encountering a new martial art was always exciting. It felt so refreshing, as if he’d received all of the inspiration that he should’ve gotten when he’d become a Grandmaster at once.

He was exhausted both physically and mentally, to the point that he couldn’t even budge a finger, but he almost wanted to stand up right away and start swinging his sword.

‘Moreover… I can see the world tree.’

He wasn’t expecting to see the world tree at all even though he was visiting Seipia. It felt like another great opportunity since he’d thought they would never show it to a human.

‘I wonder how big it is.’

Raon Zieghart.

Raon was smiling while thinking about the world tree when Wrath slowly approached him. He had a rather serious look on his face.

This is an important suggestion.

‘Suggestion?’

Indeed. The King of Essence will grant any of your wishes, so…

Raon was nervous because it was unusual for him to say such a thing.

Let’s try eating the world tree’s fruit, just a single one. The King of Essence is so curious about the taste that it’s driving him mad!

Wrath wriggled his chubby finger, saying that it should be fine if he secretly tasted a single one.

‘I knew it. Do you want to see me being chased around by the elves for the rest of my life?’

It wasn’t even a leaf but a fruit. The elves would clearly become his worst enemies, and he would have to avoid their arrows for the rest of his life.

Even if you become a fugitive, you’d still be the winner if you got to eat a fruit, right?

“......”

Raon closed his eyes tightly upon seeing that Wrath was drooling nonstop.

‘Come here, demon god. I need to see your face. Why did you make this food waster into the monarch of wrath?!’

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – Kyangi]

[Proofreader – Harley]