By the Grace of the Gods

Today, five chapters are posted simultaneously.

This story is the first chapter.

“Oraaa!”

Howard!?

Howard burst forward from the starting position, trampling the grass beneath his feet. His shouted voice was both a self-encouragement and a warning to his enemy. Though barely visible on the surface, he carries the blood of the beastman race and has the bad habit of yelling before a fight.

In his younger days, he would even shout during surprise night attacks, causing him trouble. But he somehow managed to correct this habit, and now such outbursts are rare. That he was shouting now was proof he was serious. At the same time, it was immediately clear that this was one of those rare moments. Judging by his movements, he was using qi gong to strengthen both his body and weapon.

There was no doubt that he was shaken by fear. The spectators murmured at Howard’s ferocity... but what about Ryoma, who was facing this fierce spirit head-on?

What kind of expression is that...?

Ryoma’s face was calm and emotionless, like a still water surface — completely opposite to Howard’s. Yet his gaze was piercing, coldly viewing his opponent as nothing more than a target for attack. There was no intent to intimidate. “Simply hunting the target”... nothing more.

He was a completely different person from his usual gentle demeanor. Just standing in front of him, as if mercilessly having a weapon pointed at you, made the skin crawl.

Two like a savage beast and a cold-hearted hunter.

The match held an unusual intensity, and before anyone could even decide whether to stop it, an arrow was released at the charging Howard.

“You won’t hit me!”

The arrow sliced through the air, aimed precisely at Howard. But this was a grassland. With no cover and full visibility, it was easy to know exactly when to shoot. After all, this was a match, so Howard knew from the start he would be targeted.

If there were many shooting a barrage of arrows together, it would be a different story. But a single arrow fired by one person was easily dodged when Howard simply changed his course diagonally.

In the next moment—

“Tch!”

Howard swept the arrow away with his spear as it neared.

“Anticipating that the first arrow would be dodged, the second targets where you’ll avoid to... That’s a pretty short interval.”

I muttered as Ryoma continued shooting arrows. Not only aiming at Howard’s large torso but also at the legs and even the hands wielding the spear, deliberately targeting hard-to-hit, irregular spots. Conversely, he avoided aiming at the head or heart, dangerous areas even if the spear tip was blunt — probably because he understood this was a “match.” The goal was to reduce Howard’s mobility to prevent him from closing in and, if possible, to break his weapon.

The arrow storm was like it was fired by two or three archers, and though none hit, it significantly slowed Howard’s advance.

...It was impressive that Ryoma could maintain such rapid, accurate firing all on his own, but that meant he must be consuming arrows quickly.

Like magic, bows have a limit on how many times they can be used to attack. And Howard surely didn’t intend to lose easily. Though struggling now, I saw the look on his face as he ran freely across the grassland, enduring the fierce assault and waiting for a chance.

Still, Ryoma’s skills were far beyond average. Level 4? Maybe even close to 5? Howard was holding on with experience and pride. If he let his guard down... if this had been a surprise attack in the forest, the entire party could have been wiped out.

But at this moment, neither had a decisive advantage.

Confirming that thought, the stalemate soon broke.

“Gotcha!”

Perhaps worried about his remaining arrows, Ryoma’s firing slowed, and Howard seized the opening to rush in close.

“‘Earth Fence’!”

A series of evenly spaced wooden stakes rose from the ground, blocking his approach.

They likely intended to block close combat while allowing attacks through the gaps.

But if Howard was serious, that wouldn’t be enough to stop him...