Chương 49: 48. Earcutter

Earcutter… I didn't remember who had come up with the name, but it had instantly stuck. The first time I had come across him was in a much later trial. Same as here, he wasn't related directly to the goal. In the grand scheme of things, he couldn't be called significant: he wasn't a noble, didn't have his own name, yet he was memorable. I could only see one animal near him right now, but I knew that he had more.

In the future, he'd spend half a fight keeping several monsters in reserve, only calling for them to perform a sneak attack from behind. All the times I had come across him were during survival trials, where he would be part of the hunters, taking great pleasure in chasing down participants. Sometimes he'd killed them, sometimes he wouldn't, but he would always cut off an ear to put on his necklace. I turned around to the rest of the group, then pointed at myself and the direction of the elves.

Both Eleonor and Cathy nodded. Carl, thankfully, just remained silent. Using both hands, I gestured what should pass for a bow, then pointed at each of the girls. That was going to be their focus. You'll be in this one, Serp, I thought. You mean you'll actually do something smart? The sword responded in its usual fashion. Are you okay, old man? Not at first, I replied as I quietly moved through the jungle. But you'll get your chance. Beastmaster and symbionts. It was a horrifying combination.

No wonder none of the participants in the previous group had survived. Without any advanced knowledge, just one of the elves would be enough to kill off a person, prepared or not. If unleashed, they could have massacred everyone in the group. The only reason they didn't was because there would be no spectacle in that. SPONSORSHIP OFFER! A deity wishes for you to kill all three elves singlehandedly in exchange for a large, mysterious reward. A request appeared before my face.

The prize was still mysterious, but the style of the request didn't feel like belonging to the dream goddess that had helped me before.

"I'll try," I whispered, knowing that it was always better to respond. Of course, I had no intention of doing so. As I was now, I didn't stand a chance against three of them. Even at close range, the scouts were too dangerous. My plan was to attack Earcutter while causing enough chaos for Eleonor and Cathy to join in. For once, even Carl could be useful by attracting attention to himself. Since elves were suspicious by nature, there was a high chance that they would inevitably split up.

The greatest issue remained the animals. Even using the symbiont skill to mask my odor, I didn't know how many there were or what their nature was. The beast next to Earcutter seemed pretty normal, but given that the jungle had phoenix-hawks, it was a guarantee that Harlequin had allowed at least a bit of magic. Using my necklace to the fullest, I took special care to examine every tree in the area. Just because one creature was a jaguar didn't mean that the others had to be.

Snakes, birds, even lizards were a valid option. After the distance to the elf camp was reduced by a third, I saw it. A lynx was sitting on one of the large branches of a tree, a fair distance from the elves. There was no aether in it, which was good. Chances were that a third beast could be positioned on the opposite side of the camp, but there was nothing I could do about that. Change of plans, Serp, I thought. We're going for the lynx first. Sure… why are you telling me this? Why do you think?

I changed the nature of the pheromones I was releasing. Right now, any insect in the area would be attracted to me. With a bit of luck, that was going to blur my smell and most of the noise I was making, but it could only last for so long. I had no illusions that in normal circumstances the lynx would have sniffed me out a long time ago. There were trial restrictions in play, yet even those weren't absolute. A plan hatched in my mind. I visualized it, then played it out half a dozen times. SPONSORSHIP OFFER!

A deity wishes for you to kill the lynx with your bare hands in exchange for a mysterious reward. Yeah, right.

"That's a bit too much for me now," I whispered. Everyone was hopping onto the "mysterious" bandwagon.

"Next time." I took out my divine blades and dashed forward. Holding my breath, I unleashed three thread strikes in rapid succession. Two of them were directed towards the lynx, and the third in the general direction of the elf camp. Trees and branches were mercilessly sliced as I dashed between them in the direction of the beast. To little surprise, that wasn't enough to get rid of the creature. Fractions of a second before the blow reached it, the lynx leaped into the air, avoiding evisceration.

Even so, I had made the mistake I was hoping for. Returning my blades to my inventory, I summoned Serp and used my archery skill to throw him right at the creature. Unable to change direction midair, the beast could do nothing to escape the serpent blade piercing through it. Yuck! Old man, that was disgusting! Serp protested. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Eleonor must have taken the destruction of the jungle as a sign, for another loud blast followed a short distance away. That was perfect. In the distance, I caught a glimpse of the elves scattering. The scouts had rushed into the forest, bows at the ready. Earcutter had remained suspiciously calm. Standing up, he hadn't drawn any of his weapons or ordered the Jaguar to go hunt. Game on! I performed another two thread strikes.

It was obvious he had set up a trap, and I intended to spring it, killing him and all his pets in the process. The aether threads of destruction flew right at him, but before they could reach their target, the ground in front of him exploded. A massive worm-like creature had emerged, blocking my attacks as if they were nothing. Then the elf looked at me. Even after all this time, seeing his eyes sent chills down my spine.

When he had cut off my ear in the previous run, he had looked at me with utter contempt, as if I was not worth killing. For years I had borne the mark of shame until earning enough cards to trade to a merchant for a new one.

"Not this time," I said beneath my breath. Twenty feet from the elf, the jaguar leaped at me, aiming for the kill. An arc slash combined with a thread strike sliced it into four on the spot. Hardening my bones, I followed up with another strike aimed at the elf. He blocked again. His current weapon of choice was an iron worm. I had heard that wood elves used them to torture their victims, yet it was the first time I had seen it as a weapon.

Harder than steel, the head of the work was carnivorous and could eat through almost anything. Our weapons clashed. Each of us tried to flank the other, constantly engaging in various attacks. When he struck low, I went high. Eleven of Chalice! Twelve of Rings! I thought. Green flames covered my blades. The acid wasn't enough to cut through the worm, but hopefully would irritate it enough to make the squirm. I stepped back, then performed a series of power thrusts.

The elf parried them with ease, redirecting each to fly past him. His reflexes weren't terribly fast, though just enough to foil all my attempts. Gripping the worm with both hands, he spun it around like a spear, then went on the offensive, thrusting the head of the worm in my direction.

"Sleep, sleep is a word," I sang. The song threads, strengthened by the Fourteen of rings, flew at him. Then the unthinkable happened. In my mind, I imagined him slashing the threads in a dozen different ways: another spin of the work, drawing one of his daggers, or simply ripping them with his hands. Already, I had planned three moves ahead, taking into account all actions and counteractions.

From what I had imagined, I was supposed to push him in the direction of Eleonor and hold off until their attacks came through. Reality was completely different. Earcutter didn't react to my song, continuing to fight as if he were completely unaware. As several threads linked up with the ears on his head, his reactions noticeably dulled. What had been done up to now with ease was achieved with great difficulty, as if he were fighting in water.

Even the word no longer fully maintained its solid state, wriggling every now and again. Was this a feint? Was he trying to give me a false sense of strength? There was no way he would lose just after this much. The rational part of my mind pulled me to step back and analyze the situation. Yet a deeper, stronger voice yelled for me to keep the pressure up. From the corner of my eye, I noticed a sudden glint. Instinct made me leap back, just as an arrow zipped inches away from my face. A scout had joined the fight.

At this point, I had little choice. Without a moment's hesitation, I threw both my blades in the direction of the elf scout, then summoned my serpent blade and lunged forward at Earcutter. It wasn't a special attack, just something I did from memory. Eleven of Chalice! Twelve of Rings! My goal was to make the iron worm as uncomfortable as possible. Then I could dash to the scout and dispatch her quickly, before returning to the fight.

SERPENT BLADE (Grand Arcana) New skill acquired: GNAW: the SERPENT BLADE grows when in contact with flesh or most living organic matter. A crimson glow surrounded the saber. That wasn't all. My opponent had completely vanished, transformed into a cloud of red mist. Losing its master, the iron worm fell to the ground, quickly burrowing into it in an attempt to flee. I let it.

"He didn't deflect…" I uttered, still uncertain whether all this was real. Quick strike, Serp said, pleased with himself. What did you expect?

"I'm not sure." I glanced in the direction of the scout. She wasn't there either. Only my blades were. Had I just killed both of them with my final attack? That didn't feel right. After the trouble I had gone through with just one elf earlier that day, how could I have managed this? The song. It hit me. They had no protection against song attacks. In general, it was impossible for anyone to have a fully functional Bard this early on.

It was only thanks to the cruise mission that I had boosted it to its full potential. That was why the request had been for me to take out the elves on my own. Realistically, All I had to do was start with a song, then make my way up to them and take them out one at a time. The same could be said about the lynx.

"So that's what you were trying to tell me," I thought. I didn't need a weapon to win this fight, just my Bard skills. That was the issue of having spent ten years in the Grand Arcana. All the monsters were so powerful that I didn't even realize my current strength. This entire trial, I had been handicapping myself without even realizing it. The scouts, the beasts, even Earcutter, weren't anything special, not with my experience and the combination of skills I had amassed. Old man? Serp asked.

You sure you are okay? I looked at the ground. A single card lay there. Clearly, Harlequin wasn't generous enough to let me overindulge in prizes. Thankfully, he had left the Major Arcana. THE BEASTMASTER (XXIII, MAJOR, RING) (Rarity – Rare) SKILLS (1/4): 1 ANIMAL SENSE: feel the presence of animals 2??? 3??? 4??? Another ring card. That made my third. Ironic, since I only knew the conditions for using the Chalise set. Now I knew what I'd buy the next time I came across a merchant. The scour hadn't left any cards.

Clearly, Harlequin didn't want the rest of the participants to boost their cards either. If Cathy had gotten hold of it, there was no telling what she could do in such an environment.

"So," I went to retrieve my other blades.

"You can gnaw now?" Very funny. Serp tried to sound upset, but he couldn't get rid of the after tones of cheer in his voice. Someone has to look out for you until you become strong, old man.

"So, you think I'm weak?" I asked. Definitely. You should be killing trash like that without even thinking. Actually, you shouldn't be killing such trash at all! They taste like shit and are only a waste of time. Go after the real stuff.

"He still dropped a sphere," I noted. Well, yeah… But he was still trash. I smiled, returning to the spot where Earcutter had died. In the past, I had long fantasized about this moment—one of the few joys I had starting out. Now that it had happened, I felt slightly disappointed. The difference in skill was the same as it was before, only this time I was on top. My hand instinctively went to my left ear. It was still attached to me and likely would be for the rest of the run.

"That was for last time," I said, then sat down, waiting for Eleonor and the others to conclude their fight.