Martial Elf

“There’s a spot over there. Follow me.”

Without waiting for a response, he disappears.

I chuckle and lead Rudolf along.

“Let’s go.”

He shows a dissatisfied expression, but when I subtly show my fist, Palas quietly moves in the direction he vanished.

Before long, we arrive at an open space that was once a “forest.”

“Insane.”

In a glade of the forest.

But there were rough signs of trees being uprooted here and there, and on one side, there were piles of uprooted trees.

With this much labor, did they start working the moment they left yesterday?

In the grand scheme of the forest, it’s just a handful of trees, but if I were to get caught for making an open area just to spar with me, Demis would give me an earful.

Palas always handles things roughly.

“…Are you really an elf? Demis is going to have a problem with this.”

“Shut up. It won’t be a problem if we use it to make a house.”

“…It looks like there aren’t many sturdy materials to use…”

“Really now. You’re so annoying.”

With a rough gesture, he indicated for me to stand in front.

Seeing that, I sighed and dismounted from Rudolf.

“Rest over there.”

When I patted his back and pushed him, Rudolf looked at the cleared glade with all the trees uprooted and the logs haphazardly piled up, then glanced back at me.

His eyes seemed to ask, ‘Will it be okay?’ but it’s unnecessary worry.

“It’s fine. It’ll be over soon. Just find some fresh shoots nearby and munch on them.”

I leisurely moved in front of Palas.

Crossing his arms and looking displeased, Palas uncrossed them and spoke as I stood right in front of him.

“Is it really going to be over soon?”

“Of course, it’s a guaranteed win.”

I shrugged in response.

To that, he’s right; since I was born to my mother, I’ve never lost even once.

In the case of Fenril, it could be argued that I survived, so wouldn’t that be a victory for me?

Yet, surprisingly, I remain calm despite such a low-quality provocation.

Whenever we enter a crucial phase, Palas possesses the emotions of an ideal warrior.

Heart aflame, mind cool.

It’s a talent as admirable as the physical abilities he possesses.

That’s why I can trust him as a guardian of the elves and leave without worry, even in my absence.

“Then, if I win, promise me one thing.”

“Huh? Um… what does it matter? What kind of promise?”

“If I win, I’ll go out in your place.”

…Well, this is something.

Is it just the men?

My brothers all seem quite awkward with their expressions.

They could just say they’re worried sincerely instead.

“We don’t know anything about the world outside the forest, nor what dangers may lurk. In that case, it’s only logical that the strongest person goes out.”

With that, I slowly prepared my stance.

“That’s right. So I’m going.”

I also took my stance.

On the surface, it looked somewhat clumsy.

Compared to Palas’s ready stance, prepared to pounce at any moment, mine looks playful.

But both he and I know that the gaze facing me isn’t filled with anger or lethargy, but rather vigilance and tension.

Relaxation.

Letting go of unnecessary strength, I am always ready to maintain a state of tension and relaxation appropriate for the situation.

It’s not always the same, but despite experiencing various stances similar to this, Palas has never landed a proper hit on me.

And that confrontation quickly shattered.

Palas charged forward.

There was hardly any sound.

Though his foundation was still rough and crude, thanks to Palas’s skill, he moved as if he appeared ‘existently’ across space with smoothness.

“Impressive.”

Fundamentally, for the past ten years, the elves, including myself, who have worked with Palas in the forest, were both coordinators and hunters.

Hunting fundamentally begins by not giving the prey information through sight, hearing, or smell.

The foundation of my martial arts developed according to each elf’s individual traits, where the influence of hunters led to a style characterized by strong, decisive strikes rather than chaining them together.

And Palas stood at the pinnacle of that.

The base built over just ten years remained coarse and unrefined, but through Palas’s diligence and skill, it transformed into martial arts achieving a singular level.

In the central plains, it’s not common to find someone who can display such smooth and stealthy footwork with this level of completion.

Palas’s upper body sways as it nears me.

“The attempt was good!”

From his unsteady upper body, a hand extends from behind, likely for a punch.

No matter how fast he is, he wouldn’t employ such a blatant and straightforward tactic against me.

Fundamentally, my stance is based on relaxation, bearing great significance in counterattacking first.

Seeing the opponent adequately, choosing the appropriate response, and countering.

I will not attack first. I simply suppress with a response.

Thus, there exists a belief that he won’t be the one to attack first.

And counterattacking requires proper reaction time.

In the realm of masters, a single move can be split into dozens; however, that doesn’t mean it’s infinite.

Palas’s choice leads to a movement of his upper body that lures my gaze, and that moving upper body serves not merely as a deception but becomes a pivot for rotational force.

The essence of warrior tactics.

And thus, what emerges from that turned doorway is a massive technique akin to a cannon.

The flow from the scapula to the solar plexus, supported by the swell of the hips, accelerates from the thigh and erupts with force at the Yongcheon point.

Especially the well-toned thighs honed from years of running through the forest resembled those of a deer.

Starting quietly and with the momentum of a cannon, he charged from under a foot apart, targeting my solar plexus with sudden acceleration from my blind spot.

If it connects, there will be great rewards, but it also felt like a solid assessment to target the physical center, which is much harder to evade than the head.

If hit, it would indeed be dangerous.

Anticipating from the movement of his upper body, my hand moved as the opponent’s count became clear.

Willpower ignited, and energy flowed accordingly.

Before long, energy akin to delicate silk enveloped my hand.

My right hand approaches his foot, which was rushing forward with great energy.

That dainty hand, though, looked like it would be crushed instantly.

However, contrary to common sense, as soon as my palm touched, the energy from my forearm and flexors smoothly intertwined with the force of Palas’s technique.

As my upper arm twisted behind my waist, the technique that had been rising toward the solar plexus suddenly shot up toward the sky.

Though in the air, Palas was flipped as if he were slipping on ice.

Boom!

As the distorted energy struck the atmosphere, it broke the air with a sound.

Even so, the force expelled from the Yongcheon point struck a massive tree, causing it to shake violently.

A strong blow capable of taking down even a large beast.

There is no way I couldn’t have crushed with sheer force, but then I wouldn’t learn anything.

If possible, I wanted to show Palas a variety of methods.

Techniques bearing powerful force and directional intent cannot be wholly controlled by the user.

Often, they can be easily neutralized just by manipulating their direction without needing to confront head-on.

Just like the meaning of soft potential controlling the strong.

“Hah!”

Yet, despite having lost control in the air, he utilized the upward rotational force that had flipped him, aiming to scratch at me with extended fingers.

My view also flipped, and while encountering the first strike, having lost even my support, my improvisation wasn’t bad, but most clever techniques are typically neutralized to the essence.

I effortlessly evaded Palas’s maneuver through minimal movements of my upper body, then lightly placed a hand on his falling body.

Araya Technique

Ripples on the surface of the water.

Boom—Kaang!

“Kuh—hack!”

Palas bounced away with a velocity surpassing that of his approach.

With that speed, it seemed he would crash into a tree at the edge of the clearing.

If he crashes, it was certain he would be seriously injured.

Araya Technique

Mirage

“Gotcha.”

I caught Palas mid-air and lightly alighted him at a right angle against the tree before setting him down onto the ground.

“Ugh…ugh…”

Due to the impact of the ripple on the surface, he was unable to collect himself properly.

Essentially, a technique that falls under the realm of my mastery, but how could I use such lethal intent against family?

By tightening the range of power, I could easily smash from within, yet I expanded the resonance range to distribute the impact across his body.

That still wouldn’t mean I lacked force, as it must surely feel like his entire body cramped.

However…

“Not a particularly pretty sight, is it?”

Outwardly, a young boy over ten was trembling like a baby in the embrace of a 10-year-old girl.

Rudolf looked on, seeing something he couldn’t bear to witness.

As they faced off and seemed to move, within less than a second, there was a tremendous noise, and now to see him trembling like a child in the arms of a 10-year-old must have looked odd.

“Ah, what’s so cute about that?”

“Kuhhhhh…”

Seeing him shiver if I just drop him to the ground felt a bit pitiful.

I sighed and placed my hand on the solar plexus to help circulate the energy inside his body.

For humans and typical martial artists, it would be right to open the energy points around the meridian, but the energy points and detailed roles in elves differ from humans. To avoid confusion, they were named similarly to the past, and at my level, starting from the solar plexus wasn’t necessary.

It would be strange to flip a guy who couldn’t even sit up properly to open his energy points.

After a while, once he seemed okay, he quietly opened his mouth while lying down.

“In the end, I didn’t land a single hit before leaving.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“…I can’t understand why there’s such a difference.”

“Being siblings under the same mother.” I murmured quietly.

Yet, there were no feelings of jealousy or envy.

“The big difference is…It’s about the training methods.”

“Training methods?”

He gazed at me from his lying posture, moving only his eyes.

“Fundamentally, you and the other elf warriors have been fighting creatures and monsters from the forest, haven’t you?”

“There are cunning beasts, but they’re just clever at certain actions before battle. The fights themselves are quite simple.”

“And while it’s true that their power and movements are strong, they are straightforward and honest. A bit sensory at best?”

“If you want to face such beings, in reality, you don’t need many troops and tools. You only need a strong single blow to penetrate thick skin or muscle while avoiding simple attacks.”

“Just like you did in the beginning,” I added, and he nodded.

“However, fighting an elf like me is different. Excessive power isn’t necessary. Just effective power is enough. Then it becomes a matter of how to dodge the numerous attacks of the opponent and how I will overcome their evasion and defense to land a hit.”

“Since the basic premise is completely different, the martial arts of hunters are powerful, but in a 1:1 situation, they aren’t as threatening as one might think? In the chaos of a battle, maybe, but.”

Palas slowly listened to my words and thought before sitting up and shaking his head.

“I’m a hunter who protects everyone. I don’t need skills to fight elves.”

This is Palas.

The strongest among the elves (excluding himself), though he appears rugged, he never carelessly wields power against other elves.

Even with a handful of shallow strength in the central plains, there’s no need to bully the common folk.

Palas perfectly embodies the essence of humanity in opposition.

Or should I call it elves’ nature?

However, gradually, for necessity, Palas needs to acquire proper interpersonal martial arts.

Originally, it wouldn’t have been necessary with me around, but…

“Well? Maybe not.”

I might be away for quite a while, so it’s possible that he may need to know, just in case.

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