Free Web NovelChapter 186: Soren Vs Evan!
"Are they serious? What is Soren even thinking?"
Aurelia mumbled while looking at Soren and Evan, standing at the same large opening made by the Abyssfang Terrawolf.
"It is fine to spar, but why did he confine himself within that circle?"
She spoke while looking at the large makeshift circle marked on the ground around both of them. Apparently, the challenge was for Evan and Soren to fight with all they had while staying within that circle.
And whoever managed to land one hit on the other would be the winner.
At one glance, Aurelia felt that Soren would be heavily restricted. In such a small circle, Evan could easily come close and...
"Don’t worry. He must have his plan. Besides, he is already level 49, remember?"
Sylvia didn’t think like Aurelia, though, as she replied nonchalantly.
"Yeah...and besides, Soren isn’t as helpless in close combat as you think."
Aria nodded too, remembering the scene of him beheading that massive monster, who was at a much higher level. And that too when he was much weaker than he was now.
To be honest, for both Sylvia and Aria, this spar wasn’t even equal, as they didn’t think Evan could win.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Aurelia, however, was confused by their confidence, feeling a bit odd. Especially about this elf, whom she had seen pinned down by Soren just now.
’Just...how far have they gone already? And...was it the right decision to distance myself from Soren after that night?’
Aurelia remembered the last time she was with Soren and bit her red lips unconsciously. That night, Soren did everything imaginable to her except going all the way.
Now, thinking that he might have already gone further with Aria than he ever did with her, Aurelia felt a faint bitterness rise in her chest as she quietly looked ahead.
...
"Are you sure about this?"
Evan once again asked as Soren casually played with the new bow in his hand while standing as far away from Evan as possible.
"Yeah... let’s start already. You understand the rules, right?"
Soren didn’t care to waste time, though, as he signaled Evan to immediately start while firmly releasing his aura.
In his hand, the new bow flared to life, as a shiny blue arrow manifested on its own at the command of his thought.
"Alright. Then... be careful."
Seeing that Soren was ready, Evan grinned and leaned a bit further before suddenly disappearing from his position.
*Swoosh!*
Well, it wasn’t a complete disappearance, as Soren could still see the golden trail of light closing in rapidly, covering half the distance in an instant.
It seemed that, despite being a swordsman, Evan’s agility wasn’t that bad either.
’Perfect!’ freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Seeing such an incredibly fast figure nearing him, Soren just smiled before lifting his new bow and aiming at the seemingly empty spot.
*Aether Shot (S-rank)*
"Shoot!"
*Swoosh!*
The moment the arrow left his bow, it shot through the air with incredible speed, far faster than Evan’s, appearing right in front of him.
It was so precise that despite Evan not following a straight path, Soren still accurately predicted his location, aiming directly at where he would appear next.
It was as if he predicted Evan’s movement in an instant.
---
[Title: Lone Marksman]
[Effect: Predicts target movement (+30%); increases ranged accuracy (+20%); enables preemptive shots based on predicted trajectories.]
---
And Soren indeed did exactly that with the new title he had gained earlier. Although Evan did his best to be unpredictable, in Soren’s eyes, every movement was already being mapped out before it even unfolded.
Titles’ effects in this world played in mysterious ways after all.
*Blink!*
But that didn’t mean Soren got Evan, though, as he suddenly sidestepped abruptly and disappeared from his position in an instant, making the arrow lose its target.
Despite the high speed, he did everything so beautifully that Soren only saw him shifting slightly before heading toward him at the same speed, not reduced at all.
His handsome face was filled with a grin.
’Like I thought... as long as I dodge each of his arrows, he can do nothing.’
This was what Evan thought as he looked at Soren, even as he saw him mumble with nonchalance.
"Return!"
*Swoosh!*
The moment he did so, the arrow he had just dodged abruptly changed direction, appearing at his back in an instant, far faster than before.
"Shit!"
*Celestial Cleave!*
The sudden change in the arrow’s trajectory was so fast that Evan was completely caught off guard. He was forced to halt his charge, turning around abruptly and slashing his sword at the incoming arrow.
*Boom!*
In an instant, the blue arrow and golden light collided with absolute force, echoing through the forest.
And yet, all this managed to do was push Evan back slightly while Soren’s arrow was directly obliterated by his sword light alone.
Clearly, Evan had practiced his skill day and night. The way he was wielding his sword was far faster and stronger than before.
"Shoot!"
However, this didn’t mean Evan had won. Rather, the fight had only just started, as Soren’s voice echoed again, followed by another arrow.
*Celestial Cleave!*
But this time, too, Evan was fast enough to turn around and cleave the arrow in half before it could even explode.
"Shoot!"
However, his nightmare had only begun.
The moment his speed faltered, and he was caught off guard by Soren’s first arrow, the flow of the fight had already fallen into Soren’s hands, and he seemed not ready to let it go.
"Shoot!"
Before Evan could even react, yet another arrow came with incredible speed, this time with slightly higher power than before.
*Boom!*
Yet again, it was nullified by Evan effortlessly, without a flinch, as his body slowly adapted to his new sword.
"Shoot!"
But Soren’s voice didn’t stop even for a second. Rather, it grew faster, and so did his arrows.
*Void Step!*
*Boom!*
"Damn it!"
This time, Soren’s arrow bent unnaturally on its own, swiftly dodging Evan’s sword light before abruptly aiming at his neck from the side.
It was so absurd that Evan’s eyes widened in absolute shock as he quickly changed his stance.
Could an arrow even bend?
In fact, not only he, but even the girls watching the fight were shocked, not understanding how Soren was doing this.
*Ting!*
In the end, though, Evan quickly managed to deflect it, but he was still affected by its momentum due to its overwhelming force.
"Shoot!"
But despite being deflected so easily, Soren calmly shouted each time, increasing his arrow’s strength bit by bit.
It was as if he was testing him.
Same skill, same arrow, and the same damn voice...
...and yet Evan found himself getting cornered from the start.
*Bang!*
It wasn’t that he was doing badly or that he was weak against Soren.
In fact, being able to break through Soren’s S-rank arrow, infused with high-level energy, was already commendable enough.
Just... Evan didn’t like Soren’s style.
That voice of his every time he shot an arrow irked him. It was as if Soren was giving him a heads-up before attacking.
"Shoot!"
*Oblivion Slash!*
Although Evan knew it was Soren’s psychological trick, he was still irritated.
So, rather than using his usual skill, he directly used one of his recently awakened skills, slashing his sword swiftly forward.
This time, his sword swung beautifully, carving a wide path of golden light that directly obliterated everything.
It was so fast and precise that in a blink, Soren’s blue arrow disappeared mid-air.
*Shadow Flash!*
But Evan wasn’t done yet, as the moment he saw an opening, he rushed toward Soren, this time at double the speed from before in a flash.
His body bulged unnaturally, unlike ever before. A faint aura wrapped around him completely as he reached Soren in the blink of an eye, his sword raised high and pointing down at him.
"Got you!"
This burst was so incredible that anyone would be caught off guard, as it was almost like teleportation. And yet...
"Shoot!"
Soren still looked at everything calmly before shooting another blue arrow from his C-rank bow, colliding head-on with Evan’s sword.
*Boom!*
In an instant, another explosion echoed violently, lifting the dirt and debris into the air in a chaotic burst of dust.
The impact rippled through the ground beneath them, spreading in all directions as the force of the collision shook the surrounding area.
"Click!"
But this time, too, Evan came out on top in the end. Soren’s arrow was completely destroyed before his sword swung directly toward Soren’s head, a huge grin on Evan’s face.
Just like he thought, although Soren was strong, if he didn’t let him use his trump card, he was vulnerable.
In fact, the moment Soren confined himself within this small circle, he had already overestimated himself.
He admitted Soren’s level was higher than his, reaching level 49.
That was more than 10 levels higher. But that wasn’t significant enough for him if he used his first form of bloodline.
*Phantom Step!*
*Swoosh!*
However, just as Evan thought he had won this round by surprise, he saw Soren abruptly disappear from his place.
*Boom!*
In an instant, what remained was only empty air being displaced by his sword’s momentum, nothing else.
"Shoot!"
Then came the same irritating voice right from behind, followed by a whistling arrow fired with the same skill, slightly higher in strength than before.
For a moment, Evan was dumbfounded.
