Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

Chapter 111

An elf.

A race with long ears and beautiful features.

A race that loves nature and the forest.

On the continent of Astria, elves are known to have lifespans of around 200 to 300 years.

Like the dwarves, they are a long-lived race that surpasses humans in years.

Despite traveling across the Astria continent, I had never encountered an NPC elf until now.

And here, in the cold north, I was finally seeing one for the first time.

But...

I sharpened my gaze as I looked up at the elf in the tree.

At the same time, I scanned the surroundings.

Was he the only one? Surely not—the elf guarding this vast forest?

No way.

Just as I expected, more elves began to reveal themselves in the surrounding trees.

Unlike the first elf with white hair, they had various hair colors.

Soon, an interface window appeared before my eyes.

[Elf Kingdom Favorability: -20]

"Sis."

"Yeah, I see it."

I confirmed this with Chris, who kept her body tense and nodded.

A faction with which we had favorability ratings.

Just like with the Dwarf village.

First encounter. A forced event.

So, they were coming at us with hostility from the start.

Judging by the fact that their arrows didn’t aim directly at our vital points, it seemed these elf guards were trying to subdue us rather than kill us.

If other players faced them, there would probably be two main options.

One: Kill them all.

The 'Elf Guards' had high stats corresponding to the level of this area, but for players who had made it this far, it wouldn’t be too difficult. Honestly, Chris’s ranged attacks alone could wipe them all out. However, our favorability with them would plummet to the lowest level.

Two: Allow ourselves to be subdued and taken to their kingdom.

This was likely the intended route. Our favorability was already negative from the start. They had even cast a magical fog to prevent their location from being discovered. It seemed they were a reclusive society with no contact with humans.

Still...

I didn’t like the idea of being underestimated.

I chose a third option.

Without turning my head, I relayed my plan to Chris.

"Sis, stay here. I’m going to put those elves to sleep."

"What? But—"

"You have long-range debuff skills as an onmyoji, right? Use your projectile protection skill and throw your debuffs whenever you can, but only at those within range."

There was no verbal response, but I knew Chris understood.

I immediately sprang into action.

Tatata-tat!

"What the?!"

The white-haired elf, who seemed to be their leader, shouted a command and raised one hand.

Thwip-thwip-thwip!@@@@

Arrows landed where I had just passed.

I zigzagged quickly, disrupting their aim.

Clang!

I deflected a stray arrow with Astaroth, without using any skills.

Of course, I could have used a 'Block' skill on the projectile to perfectly defend against it. However, during the 'Block' skill’s casting time, I wouldn’t be able to move. To push forward through this barrage of arrows, I needed to deflect them with my sword’s movements alone. Their arrows flew continuously in rapid succession, leaving no time to rest.

Whizz!

Among them, I heard the distinct sound of an unusual arrow cutting through the air. It was one I couldn’t ignore.

I cast 'Block' at the right moment.

Clang!

In a flash of light, my body sliced through the giant energy projectile, cutting it in half vertically. At the same time, I closed the distance between us.

"Gah! This brat!"

The white-haired elf spoke for the first time.

Brat? How dare he call a proper lady like me a brat!

Puffing out my cheeks in annoyance, I quickly started climbing the tree he was perched in.

Crack!

Suddenly, the tree sprouted vines, attempting to bind me.

This elf was definitely different from the others. He could skillfully control spirits.

Swoosh!

Tack!

It wasn’t easy to climb a tree and swing a sword at the same time. While I was distracted, he jumped to another tree and began firing arrows again.

Tack, tack, tack!

He moved between the trees with ease, always keeping just beyond my reach. With the help of the spirits, he leapt through the trees as if it were his home.

Even though I was closing the distance between us quickly, he still managed to stay just out of range.

After several rounds of this chase, I realized it would be difficult to catch him like this.

Should I fire a sword strike? But he might die.

Unlike named demonic monsters with massive HP pools that could withstand multiple sword strikes, regular NPCs, even high-level ones, tended to be quite fragile.

Should I try cutting down the trees? But the trees here were unusually sturdy. It seemed like a game mechanic—objects you couldn’t cut down. In moments like these, the game’s design became apparent.

Whoosh!

I used a skill reset to close the distance to the next tree, climbing up quickly.

Tatata-tat!

The elf had clearly learned from my previous attempts. He knew that once I got within eight meters of him, I would close the gap in an instant.

He was using that knowledge against me.

When I got within nine meters, he moved to another tree.

A simple yet effective tactic.

In that case, it was time to rely on the system’s power again.

I could use 'Iaijutsu' to climb the tree, but that skill was better suited for closing the distance.

I had already used up my item cooldown reset to approach the elves. It would take another ten minutes before I could use it again.

Chasing him around for ten more minutes? No thanks.

But I had another movement skill.

Tatata-tat!

At thirteen meters, twelve meters, eleven meters below him, he prepared to jump to another branch.

Click.

'Backward Evasion' covered eight meters of distance. Even after using it, I’d still be three meters short of reaching him.

But before he

could move.

I used 'Backward Evasion.'

This time, I aimed directly below him.

Whoosh!

My body disappeared from the tree trunk and reappeared just below his feet.

Three meters wasn’t enough to use a stun skill.

But it was enough to use the skill I had prepared.

Looking up at him, I activated it.

Swish.

The scenery shifted, and I found myself staring at the elf’s white-haired head.

'Reversal.'

A skill that teleports you behind the opponent, turning you 180 degrees.

If you use it from below? You appear above them.

I had never tried using it vertically before, but it worked.

In the split second before he could react, I brought down the pommel of my sword.

"Goodnight, mister."

Thunk!