Chapter 4: Fight! The Level 6 vs Level 1

The receptionist could feel the hostility thick in the air. Her gaze shifted nervously between the grizzled man and Yumiko. "Please! No fighting!" she pleaded, but her voice was swallowed by the tension in the room.

Yumiko’s fingers trembled as she drew the arrow back, keeping it steady against the bowstring. Her heart hammered in her chest, each beat echoing the rising tension. Across from her, the man stood like a looming shadow, his cold blue eyes glaring at her with an intensity that chilled her to the bone. Despite her smaller frame, Yumiko met his gaze, determined to keep her fear buried beneath a mask of defiance.

"I’d back down if I were you," she warned, aiming at his torso, her voice steadier than she felt.

A whisper brushed her ear, soft and ethereal, barely audible above the noise in the room. "Stop."

Yumiko flinched, her concentration wavering for just a heartbeat. The voice was familiar, yet distant. The same one she heard in her dreams and back at the quest board.

The blonde stranger didn’t wait. Clad in battered leather armor, his grip on the massive two-handed sword tightened. A low growl rumbled deep in his throat, animalistic and raw, sending a shiver down Yumiko’s spine.

Then, without warning, he lunged. His boots crashed against the tiled floor with such force that the ground seemed to tremble beneath him. The receptionist let out a startled gasp, but no one dared to step forward.

On instinct, Yumiko released her arrow. It shot through the air with a deadly whistle, aimed directly at the man’s chest. But he moved with terrifying speed, sidestepping the projectile effortlessly. His approach was relentless, like a storm bearing down on her. Yumiko's eyes widened in shock—she had never seen anyone evade an attack of hers at such close range.

In the blink of an eye, he was upon her. Yumiko quickly raised her hand to nock another arrow, but there was no time. His blade, massive and brutal, swung down toward her with a force that could shatter bones. Her instincts screamed at her to move. She threw herself to the side just as the sword slammed into the ground, obliterating the tiles beneath it, sending cracks spider-webbing across the floor.

She needed to act fast. Desperation fueled her every move as she scrambled across the floor, her mind racing. Distance—she needed to put distance between them or she’d be crushed. Her heart thundered as the man turned, ready to strike again, his sword gleaming ominously. With no time to stand, Yumiko thrust her right hand forward from the ground and shouted, "Wind Belt!"

A fierce gust of wind erupted from her palm, blasting through the room with such force that it rattled the very walls. The man’s advance stopped abruptly as he drove his sword into the floor, using it as a brace to keep from being blown back. Even with the intensity of her magic, he barely budged. His strength was overwhelming.

Yumiko slid across the floor, the force of her own spell carrying her to safety, finally granting her the distance she needed. Adventurers around them shielded their faces, their clothes and hair whipped into a frenzy by the powerful gust.

"Things are getting serious!" someone shouted, their voice barely audible over the roaring wind as they struggled to stay upright.

Still on the floor, Yumiko’s hand shot to her quiver, fingers quickly finding another arrow. In one swift motion, she nocked it and let it fly, aiming straight for his head. The man moved with unsettling speed, a sharp flick of his head dodging the arrow entirely. His glare darkened, eyes burning with anger at her persistence.

Without missing a beat, Yumiko sprang to her feet, drawing a different arrow this time. She fired it in a blur, her movements faster and more precise. The man reacted instantly. He yanked his sword from the floor and swung, slicing the arrow cleanly in two.

A sudden explosion followed.

The room erupted into chaos as dust and debris burst through the air, shards of shattered tile flying in every direction. Adventurers ducked for cover, raising their arms to shield themselves from the blast. A murmur of shock rippled through the room.

"What did she do?" someone shouted through the confusion, their voice barely piercing the noise of the destruction.

"She shot an explosive arrow!" someone yelled, their voice rising above the chaos. The room erupted into panic as people scrambled to flee, finally realizing the gravity of the situation.

Yumiko's heart pounded violently in her chest, adrenaline surging through her veins. She quickly nocked another arrow, her eyes scanning the thick cloud of dust that hung in the air. She knew it wouldn’t be enough to stop him. Her fingers tightened on the bowstring, her breath shallow and quick. Her instincts screamed at her—he's coming.

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Like a beast charging from the fog, the man emerged, his sword raised and ready. Without hesitation, she released the arrow, but he ducked effortlessly, continuing his relentless advance. His speed was terrifying, especially given his size and the armor he wore. There was no time to nock another arrow before he was upon her again.

The blonde man swung his massive blade with brutal precision, each strike aimed to crush. Yumiko barely managed to evade, her body twisting and darting as she dodged blow after blow. Every movement felt like a battle for survival, her muscles screaming in protest. Her legs, no, her entire body burned with exhaustion.

I need distance! she thought desperately. But no matter how hard she tried, he stayed on her, unyielding, always one step ahead. His relentless attacks left no room for error, his strikes calculated and unforgiving.

In a moment of desperation, Yumiko rolled out of the path of his blade. As she scrambled to her feet, he was already sweeping his sword toward her back. She spun, lifting her bow just in time to block the strike. The impact of the sword against the bow was deafening, the force sending shockwaves through her arms. Her knees buckled, and it took every ounce of strength just to keep hold of the bow.

Panic gripped her chest. How could a man with a level one guild tag be this strong? Something was off. She was outmatched, and she knew it. He wasn’t just stronger—he was more skilled, more experienced.

Desperate, she pushed back against the pressure, managing to shove him off just enough to create a gap. In the confusion, her bow slipped from her grasp, clattering to the ground.

During the stumble, Yumiko lashed out, aiming a desperate kick at his side, but the man was too quick, blocking her attack effortlessly. His sword came up, the massive blade gleaming in the dim light, ready to finish her off. Panic surged through her as the edge of the blade hovered above her, and in a last-ditch effort, she thrust her hand forward.

"Wind Belt!" she cried, the magic surging through her veins. A powerful gust of wind, same as before, exploded from her palm just as his sword began its descent. The blast caught him off guard, forcing him to stumble back a few feet, his balance momentarily thrown off.

Yumiko staggered, barely able to keep herself upright, her body screaming for rest. She gasped for breath, the exhaustion weighing heavily on her limbs, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Her hand instinctively reached for the kunai knife at her belt. Her eyes darted toward her fallen bow—it was close, but not close enough. She could resummon it with magic, but she needed time to load an arrow, and time was something the man wasn’t going to give her.

He charged again, faster this time, his sword slicing through the air with deadly precision. With no other option, Yumiko charged as well, kunai in hand. At the last possible moment, she dropped into a slide, the blade whistling dangerously close to her ear as she glided on her knees across the slick floor. Before he could recover, she twisted her body and hurled the knife at his head.

He saw it too late, barely managing to tilt his head aside as the blade grazed his cheek, leaving a thin cut before embedding itself in the ceiling of the guild hall.

Yumiko rolled toward her bow, scooping it up in a single, fluid motion. She stumbled forward, turning on her heel and firing three arrows in quick succession. Each one whistled through the air with deadly intent, but the man was already moving, his speed unnerving. He sidestepped the shots, dodging them with ease, and once again closed the distance between them.

Her breaths were ragged now, her chest heaving as she dived to the side, summoning her wind magic to propel her away from the incoming blow. But no matter how hard she tried to evade him, he was ferocious, always on her heels, giving her no chance to regroup.

With a roar of fury, the blonde man swung his blade downwards while she was in the middle of recovering! There was no time to react! Her body screamed at her to do something—anything! She needed to move! She grabbed her bow and used it once more to catch the attack. The impact was more devastating than the last, a thunderous crack ringing out as the force of the blow sent shockwaves through the room. Yumiko’s bow splintered under the pressure, shattering into pieces before dematerializing entirely.

The force of the strike sent her flying, her body tumbling backward across the cold marble floor. She hit the ground hard, her vision swimming as she struggled to catch her breath, the weight of her exhaustion pressing down on her like a suffocating blanket.

With a shake of his wrists, the man ignited his sword in fire magic. The entire blade was engulfed in crimson flames, casting a sinister glow that danced across the walls of the guild hall. He pointed the fiery sword just feet from Yumiko's face, the heat searing her skin even from that distance. Desperately, she tried to scuttle away, but his steps were methodical, keeping her within striking distance.

"Enough!" he roared, his voice echoing off the stone walls as Yumiko stumbled to her stomach, gasping for breath. Her body was spent, every muscle screaming in protest. She had nothing left—no bow, no magic, no strength. Only her will to survive remained.

"Your actions as a thief will earn you a special place in hell," he snarled, his eyes burning with rage as he tightened his grip on the flaming blade. The remaining adventurers in the room watched with anxious stares, knowing the girl was mere moments away from being killed.

Yumiko coughed, her lungs aching as she struggled to speak. "I should be saying the same to you," she gasped, her voice trembling but defiant.

The man’s face twisted in fury, his knuckles whitening around the hilt of his sword. "You dare say that to me when you stole from me?" he yelled, the heat from his blade intensifying as if feeding off his anger.

Yumiko turned her head toward him, meeting his icy glare. "And where does that blade come from? Is it a work of Western craftsmanship, or was it forged in the East, from the lands of Jinsoku?" Her voice was hoarse, but there was a fire in her words that could not be ignored.

He laughed, a bitter, mocking sound. "Just because a blade once belonged to your country doesn’t mean it’s yours by right," he said, his eyes narrowing, daring her to argue further.

"I'm not claiming it for myself or my country!" she shouted, her body shaking with exhaustion, but her spirit unbroken. "That sword was never meant for anyone but its true owner—my brother!" Her voice cracked with emotion, the weight of her accusation hanging heavily in the air. "You tricked him and took it, or you stole it from him! And I won’t stand here, accepting death without knowing the truth!" She forced herself to her feet, her legs trembling as she faced him, ready to accept whatever fate had in store.