Episode 162

Rick’s voice trembled as he spoke. “W-what do you mean, clumsy?”

Zeke, still holding his sword at Rick’s throat, replied, “From start to finish, everything about you is clumsy. Honestly, I don’t know how you’ve survived this long. Probably thanks to your comrades.”

Rick’s face hardened, his pride clearly wounded by Zeke’s words. But Zeke wasn’t finished.

“Your swordsmanship earlier was impressive, but that’s it. When do you plan to use it? Enemies won’t wait for you to perfect your technique.”

Rick’s face flushed with embarrassment. “That was just to show you my skills…”

“Rick, how fast you can swing a sword doesn’t matter much in real combat.”

Zeke slowly lowered his sword. A bead of blood trickled down Rick’s neck.

Then, without warning, Zeke swung his sword again. Rick barely managed to block it, raising his own sword in a panic. Zeke took advantage of the moment, throwing a handful of dirt into Rick’s face.

“Ugh!” Rick staggered back, caught off guard. Zeke swept Rick’s legs out from under him, pinning him to the ground with his sword at his throat.

“Dead again, Rick.”

Rick panted heavily. “This… this isn’t fair…”

“Are you going to call it cheating because I threw dirt?” Zeke’s words made Rick tremble with frustration, his head hanging low. He knew exactly what Zeke meant.

“A half-baked knight,” Rick thought bitterly. He wasn’t a true adventurer, nor a proper knight.

Zeke’s voice cut through his thoughts. “If you think of yourself as a half-baked knight, you should drop that notion immediately.”

Startled, Rick looked up at Zeke, who had sheathed his sword and was looking down at him. “Honestly, Rick, I can see right through you. You left knight training to become an adventurer, thinking you’d break through some kind of barrier by facing real challenges.”

Zeke’s insight left Rick speechless. Zeke continued, “Forget about swinging your sword nobly and fighting under fair rules. Sure, that might happen in a friendly duel. But when your life is on the line, knights and mercenaries alike have to roll in the mud and fight dirty. Elegant swordplay on the battlefield? That’s nonsense.”

Zeke sat down, continuing his lecture. “On the battlefield, those who pose as knights and strike poses are the easiest targets. They boast about their aura skills, only to be taken down by a few poisoned arrows.”

Rick felt utterly exposed under Zeke’s rapid-fire critique. He slowly raised his head, his voice filled with frustration. “You’re right, Zeke. I’ve always been clumsy. I honestly don’t know how to change.”

Zeke clicked his tongue inwardly. Among knights from prestigious families on the central continent, Rick’s situation was all too common. The fact that Rick was trying to overcome it by becoming an adventurer was commendable.

“Don’t focus on refining your skills. First, steady your heart. If your heart wavers, so will your sword,” Zeke advised, knowing it sounded vague but believing it was what Rick needed most.

Rick remained silent for a long time, head bowed. Eventually, he nodded, a hint of resolution in his eyes. “Thank you, Zeke. You’ve been a great help.”

Whether it truly helped or not was uncertain, but Rick’s expression seemed lighter. Sometimes, reaching rock bottom was the first step to a new beginning.

Zeke believed that if Rick didn’t stop here, he could surpass the barrier of the Purple Knight and perhaps even reach the Blue Knight level quickly. “Those with too much talent often struggle more as they progress. The more Rick struggles now, the faster he’ll grow into a Blue Knight.”

Zeke understood Rick’s feelings, having experienced it himself.

Just then, a signal from the lookout outside interrupted them. Zeke drew his sword, turning to Rick. “Rick, wake the others. Something’s coming.”

Rick hurriedly retreated into the cave, alarmed. Zeke positioned the lookouts and shared their vision to assess the situation. Something was approaching through the mist in the forest.

“What is it?”

Soon, a pack of massive wolves surrounded the cave, attempting to enter. The rest of the group quickly grabbed their gear and joined Zeke at the entrance.

From behind the cover they had set up, Zeke briefed his team. “A pack of wolves is surrounding us, and something else is approaching from the forest.”

He positioned Claire, the archer, behind cover, with Jason and Arin, the mages, behind her. Then he quickly outlined a plan.

Zeke and Rick drew their swords, waiting at the cave entrance for the enemy to arrive.

Growls echoed from outside the cave. Zeke signaled for them to hold their ground.

Soon, the wolves charged into the cave. At Zeke’s signal, Claire released her arrows.

Thud!

A wolf yelped and collapsed, struck by Claire’s arrow. But more wolves quickly followed.

Zeke signaled Jason, who cast an earth spell. “Stone Edge!”

Pillars erupted from the ground, tripping the charging wolves. Arin launched a fireball at the fallen wolves, while Claire continued her rapid-fire assault.

Zeke and Rick charged forward, cutting down the hesitating wolves.

Crash!

Rick swung his shield, bashing a wolf’s head before slicing its throat. Zeke wielded his sword, Bahamut, skewering multiple wolves in one swift motion.

Yelps filled the air as the wolves retreated, unable to breach the cave’s defenses.

Then, mist began to seep into the cave.

[Detected the mist of the Corrupted Forest.]

[Your immunity neutralizes the mist’s effects.]

Zeke shouted to his team, “Don’t breathe in the mist! It’s poisonous! Arin, set up a firewall in front of the cover!”

Arin conjured a wall of fire, halting the mist’s advance and causing it to gather at the cave’s entrance.

As the mist thickened, something began to enter the cave.

A chilling sound, like a child’s laughter mixed with a mad crone’s scream, echoed inside. The noise grew louder, causing Rick and the others to clutch their heads in agony.

Zeke realized the sound had a magical effect. Claire, behind him, was the first to succumb, covering her ears and collapsing. “Please, stop! Stop!”

Not just Claire, but the entire team was tormented by the eerie laughter. Zeke activated his “Steadfast Mental Defense” skill, extending its protection to the group.

A hum resonated as the skill took effect, allowing Rick and the others to regain their composure. Jason pressed his temples, slowly standing up. “Ugh, what was that? Suddenly, I feel better.”

While the team recovered, Zeke used his enhanced vision to scrutinize the mist. He identified the source of the disturbance.

“A tree?”

Within the mist loomed a massive tree. Suddenly, tendrils shot from the ground, attempting to ensnare the group.

“What the—!”

Thanks to Zeke’s buff, Rick and the others narrowly dodged the tendrils. Zeke sliced through the ones reaching for him with Bahamut.

A shriek erupted as red sap, like blood, spurted from the severed tendrils. Jason used earth magic to unearth the ground where the tendrils emerged.

The ground erupted, revealing a writhing mass of tendrils. Arin launched a fireball into the pit.

Flames consumed the tendrils, which writhed and screamed in agony.

The mist and sound had been a distraction, while the tendrils sought to drain their life force. Zeke shouted to his team, “It seems a shaman has summoned a malevolent tree spirit.”

The mention of a tree spirit made Rick and the others tense. In the forest, tree spirits were notoriously difficult to deal with. If summoned by a shaman, it was likely an ancient spirit that had grown powerful by consuming many lives.

Rick stepped forward, gripping his sword and shield.

“While I hold off the wraith, get everyone else to safety!”

Rick was ready to sacrifice himself as bait to create an opening.

Zeke, watching Rick so willing to throw his life away, tapped his shield with his sword.

Thud!

Rick looked at Zeke, startled.

With a sharp expression, Zeke spoke to Rick.

“Playing the hero is all well and good, but as the leader, you need to learn to make cooler-headed decisions.”

Using oneself as bait was the worst plan, a last resort only to be chosen in dire circumstances.

What seemed like noble sacrifice at first glance was, in another light, resignation and escape.

Rick nodded, realizing the truth in Zeke’s words.

“You’re right, Zeke. I was being foolish.”

“Even if it’s a wraith, its core is still wood. It should be vulnerable to fire, so we can handle it with Arin’s magic. Claire, start a fire here and prepare flaming arrows. Let’s be ready in case Arin’s magic runs low.”

Zeke then turned to Jason with further instructions.

“Jason, if we can’t stop the tree wraith, use magic to collapse the cave entrance. Once the sun rises, the wraith will have to return to where it came from, so we just need to hold out until then.”

Zeke’s clear directives gave Rick and the others a newfound confidence in their survival.

Rumble!

Arin’s wall of fire was holding, but the mist was slowly creeping in.

“Arin! Keep the fire wall up to block the mist!”

Arin steadied herself and reignited the wall of fire.

Whoosh!

The key was maintaining just enough intensity to keep the mist at bay for as long as possible.

‘A wraith of the cursed tree. If it’s this powerful, there must be a sorcerer nearby.’

Of course, if Zeke unleashed his full power, he could easily vanquish such a wraith.

But Zeke’s goal was to fend off the wraith just enough to lure out the hidden sorcerer.

While preparing for the wraith’s attack with Rick and the others, Zeke used the dragon soldiers outside to keep a watchful eye on the surroundings.

They kept their presence minimal, fearing the sorcerer might sense them and flee.

Cackle!

The tree wraith began its eerie laughter again.

This time, a much stronger curse filled the cave.

Without their mental defense buffs, Rick and his team would have already succumbed, their life force drained by the wraith.

As Arin’s fire wall began to weaken, it happened.

Thwack!

Wooden shards shot through the mist like arrows.

Thud!

Zeke and Rick deflected the shards with their swords.

Then, a voice echoed.

“Foolish creatures. You will meet your end here today.”