Chapter 472 - Rem Brought an Odd Fellow

Chapter 472 - Rem Brought an Odd Fellow

The warning from the middle-aged woman was that the spar wouldn't be as fun as it seemed.

In the West, there was also a concept of warriors.

Rem and Ayul were examples of such.

These warriors wielded axes, spears, and wide-bladed swords with one side sharpened.

In this region, double-edged swords weren't commonly used.

If they used polearms, spears were preferred, and if they used shorter weapons, axes or a single-edged form of swords like the Palchion were more practical.

Spears were useful for hunting, while axes and halberds were good for chopping wood or cutting grass.

But double-edged swords were just inconvenient in many ways. The environment didn't allow for a livelihood based solely on swordsmanship.

Furthermore, not all warriors were of the same type. The mentality of not retreating in battle was the same, but the fighting style could differ.

The twins before him were like that—they weren't fighters but hunters.

Of course, Enkrid didn't know that. He only saw the weapons the twins were holding.

'A spear.'

The spear had a handle connected to something like a stick. It wasn't familiar, but Enkrid knew what it was.

He had occasionally seen mercenaries using such weapons.

'Was it called Atlatl?'

It was a spear-throwing device. It was a tool to more efficiently transfer force than just throwing a spear with arm strength. When the throwing stick connected to the spear was swung forcefully, the spear would fly with that momentum. Spears were inherently bulkier and heavier than bows. A poorly made shield might be pierced through. Three spears were sticking up from their right shoulders. Although Rem and the woman smoking in front of him said it wouldn't be fun, Enkrid found it amusing. Was it only fun if swords clashed? That wasn't true. Since he had said he would spar...

"Alright, then."

The middle-aged woman spoke.

As soon as the words ended, the twins jumped backward.

They kicked the ground lightly, their movements surprisingly nimble.

Enkrid stared at them as they retreated and prepared their stance.

It wasn't enough to just retreat; they shifted their weight onto their heels.

It was a stance ready for an evasive move, a stance from which they could retreat at any moment.

Enkrid's gaze studied their eyes, arms, legs, and beyond the weapons.

'Balance is good.'

The split calf muscles visible under their shorts looked as solid as if they had stones inside them. Those legs could burst with power at their master's will. Was it the heart of immense strength? No, that wasn't it. They had fought in this manner many times before. A battle where they would use their throwing weapons before the opponent got close. They had likely fought in a similar way in hunts and skirmishes. What if the spear-throwing failed? From their waist, Palchion-shaped broad swords dangled and swayed.

"If you can't dodge, you'll die."

The woman who brought the twins spoke as she exhaled smoke. Enkrid thought it would be possible to close the distance and prevent the twins from throwing their spears, binding their hands and feet in the process. But he decided not to do that.

'That would make it less interesting.'

He waited purely out of curiosity. If it was a spar, why not wait for it? It wasn't arrogance, but confidence. The twins hopped back like grasshoppers, fast and tough like insects, bouncing backward and lowering their stances. There were no obstacles, as the area with the tent was in a secluded part, and there were no barriers. But what would happen if the spear-throwing missed? The tent might rip.

With that thought, Enkrid took a step sideways. Step by step, moving slowly, the twins adjusted their distance. Was that the maximum range? Or the optimal distance for applying force? There must be a distance where the killing power was amplified. The twins had a wealth of experience, and Enkrid could sense it.

"That's too far."

One of the twins furrowed his brow at those words.

"If you get closer, you'll get hurt."

"We can get closer."

Luagarne spoke from behind. The words of the Frog, with his talent for reading people, were always reliable, but the twins didn't move.

"Do as you wish."

The middle-aged woman said, and only then did the twins take two steps forward. Still too far? Well, if they blocked once, they'd probably reconsider. Enkrid began calculating a few assumptions in his mind, formulating strategies and scenarios. Naturally, his foresight activated.

He analyzed their feet, the direction of their toes, their hands, the strength in their fingers, and their knees slightly bent. After taking in all these details, he predicted their actions.

As the twins moved, Dunbakel, who had poked her head out from behind the tent, watched nonchalantly.

Thud.

Twisting their entire bodies, the twins swung their throwing devices. Two spearheads flew out, extending and heading toward Enkrid. They were about to graze his torso and pierce the ground behind him at an angle. It was a split-second. Enkrid peered into their thoughts.

They had no intention to kill. Since it was a spar, they'd give him a chance. But they could still cause injury.

And then, Enkrid swung his sword.

Swoosh!

The twins couldn't even see the blade's movement. The spears didn't break. Enkrid had deflected the shaft of the spear with the flat of his sword, sending it flying away.

"Wow."

The middle-aged woman let out an admiring sound.

Before the sound even left her mouth, the twins had already jumped back.

They'd retreated over six steps, shifting their weight far back, making it possible for such movement. Enkrid didn't chase them. What was the point? They weren't opponents worth chasing. But their tactics and style were interesting.

'They throw the spears from far away and don't allow themselves to get close.'

Such tactics would only work if their feet were fast. That meant the twins were incredibly fast on their feet. If Enkrid thought about it, Rem was similarly quick. When he decided to move, only Ragna, Jaxen, or Audin could even think about keeping up.

'Is that all?'

If that was all, then yes, just as Rem had said, it was a bit monotonous.

"Yeah, you're not ordinary. Summon the guardian spirits."

Puff.

The middle-aged woman spoke while exhaling smoke, and the twins closed their eyes and began muttering something.

Enkrid waited again.

What would they show now?

Would something rise from the ground and settle on their arms, or would it come down from the sky and form wings?

Listening closely to their muttering, Enkrid could catch some words. There were many dialects mixed in, making it hard to understand every word, but it was clear they were performing some incantation. When the muttering stopped, something changed.

They still appeared the same outwardly, but…

"Ho."

Luagarne exclaimed with admiration.

"Hmm?"

Dunbakel tilted her head in curiosity.

Enkrid also sensed it.

Something had changed.

What was different?

Was it their gaze?

Their aura?

No, it was the power in their arms.

"Ha!"

One of the twins moved with a shout.

The sudden focus activated, and to Enkrid, all their movements seemed to slow down.

One of the twins stomped his left foot onto the ground, twisting his whole body.

He used his entire body like a throwing spear.

His weight shifted forward from his ankle, knee, and waist, and his arm stretched out.

The movement was the same as before, but the power was different.

Ping.

There was a noise, and then a dot appeared.

It had traveled farther, now twice as fast as before.

The tip of the spear transformed into a dot and flew towards him. It was a spear thrown by a squire knight, no doubt.

It was harder to knock away than before, and Enkrid's arm tightened.

Thud!

The spear flew through the air. He had struck it with his forearm, using his strength to redirect it.

In the gap that formed, another dot flew toward him. It was from the other twin.

This time, it wasn't a thrown spear but a direct charge, holding the spear with both hands and thrusting forward.

It seemed like he would be hit, but Enkrid extended his left hand and grabbed the spear's shaft.

Clang!

The charging spear lost all its momentum and abruptly stopped in mid-air. At the same time, the twin who had charged pulled a sword from his waist.

Ting-ting.

The sword was starting to leave its scabbard. Enkrid didn't just stand by and watch. He swiftly lifted his foot and pressed down on the hand attempting to unsheathe the sword.

Ting-ting.

The half-drawn blade scraped against the metal edge of the scabbard, causing a sound of friction. Enkrid let go of the spear and extended his right hand, grabbing the assailant by the collar and shaking him.

Quickly from side to side.

The adult man's body wobbled like a sheet of paper.

"Ugh."

A groan escaped from him. When the body is suddenly shaken like this, the brain shakes as well. The opponent couldn't withstand it. The other twin, who had been circling around, changed angles and aimed at Enkrid. Enkrid moved the twin he was holding like a shield, pushing him sideways. Throwing the spear would risk hitting his brother.

Would he have done that in a real fight? Perhaps not.

But this was just a sparring match.

"I give up," the twin who had thrown the spear said.

"...You've spent your life fighting, haven't you? Your skills are impressive," the middle-aged woman with a pipe in her mouth said, her eyes wide with surprise.

Only then did Enkrid release the collar of the twin he was holding. The twin, now on the ground, coughed.

"Was that sorcery?" Enkrid asked. He was a little surprised. It had been fun. He had heard about sorcery from Rem a few times.

"Yes," the middle-aged woman nodded.

She wasn't even thinking about the pipe she held; her gaze was fixed solely on Enkrid.

Rem had told her to fix his cocky attitude, but he didn't seem that cocky, and his fighting skills were exceptional.

Would he fight better than Rem?

She didn't know.

Was this a sign of hope?

A gift from the gods?

She briefly thought about it but decided not to jump to conclusions.

Whether this person would fight for them or just leave was still unknown.

Everyone valued their own lives more than the lives of others, and they didn't have anything to offer to strangers.

They didn't have overflowing wealth or treasures.

Would they have to give someone up?

Perhaps a beautiful woman?

That wouldn't happen.

None of the women in the west would trade people as a price.

They might die, but they wouldn't throw away their integrity.

That was their pride.

The middle-aged woman, enjoying her pipe, didn't know, but they did have something to offer.

"One more?" Enkrid asked, his eyes full of anticipation.

He could offer a sparring match.

The man who was crazy about sparring had a gleam in his eyes.

Just a moment ago, when facing the guardian spirits, the twins had shown unexpected strength.

It was clear that they had exceeded their limits.

What appeared before him was not the full story.

That was what intrigued him.

The twins nodded.

They too, still seemed unsatisfied.

"We'll do it," one of the twins said.

"Then do it," the middle-aged woman nodded.

It was time for another sparring match. The rules remained the same. The twins continued running around, keeping their distance.

"Let's do it again."

"Let's do it again."

"One more time, just one more time."

"You can do it," Enkrid cheered as the sparring continued.

Without resting, they fought six more times. Eventually...

"We can't do this anymore."

"We're going to die at this rate."

The twins shook their heads.

One of them stuck out his tongue like a dog and panted heavily.

They had used so much sorcery that they no longer had the strength to move a finger.

The middle-aged woman, the fortune-teller, dropped her pipe in shock.

"Rem really brought a madman," she thought.

A madman obsessed with fighting.

Of course, this was good news.

Half a day had passed, and before the sun set, the two greatest warriors in the area were exhausted.

But Enkrid, on the other hand, was perfectly fine.

He was only sweating a little.

And now he was busy chatting with the frog he had brought along. It sounded ridiculous.

"Sorcery is amazing," Enkrid said.

"It's interesting, but it probably wouldn't satisfy you," the frog replied.

"It was fun. I wonder if there's anyone who fights like Rem?"

"Do you think such a person is common?"

"I know two or three guys like that."

"Big dreams."

"My dreams are always big."

Enkrid, speaking of how he had three others in his unit who were just as skilled, didn't realize the fortune-teller wouldn't understand.

By then, it was hard for her to even understand what he was saying.

"But how long is that smoke going to last? What are you burning?"

As they were talking, a beastkin approached and opened her mouth.

The woman, the fortune-teller Hira, was one of the healers of the united tribe, so no one knew more about the smoke than she did.

"It's for those who are dying," Hira replied.

"Who's dying?"

"Those cursed."

It was the work of a fallen sorcerer and a group of traitors from the West.

"It's a long story. Would you like to see?"

Hira asked.

Without thinking, Enkrid nodded.

He wasn't uninterested in the unusual nomadic city, even though he was swinging his sword here.

He would be able to explore the city more when Rem returned, but it wouldn't hurt to take a look through someone else.

"I'm curious too," the frog said, its interest piqued.

"What are you burning all the time?" the beast-woman chimed in.

"That's where the father of these twins is. He was originally the best warrior here."

"Now?"

"He's sick."

Enkrid was curious about this sick person. He just wanted to see how he was sick. So, the fortune-teller Hira led them toward the area where the sick were gathered. It was a tent where those cursed were being gathered.