Chapter 21- Elf

A few days after the attack.

All of us received rewards from King Alex for the help we provided. The group of Heroes received many accolades from King Alex for successfully slaying the dragon that was considered the Demon Lord.

Since that incident, the heroes have become a hot topic not only in the Human country but also in other countries. Within less than a year of their emergence, they achieved remarkable accomplishments.

Every member of the Guardian group received rewards except Raqnid and Fat.

"Ehh! Why didn't we get anything?" Fat asked Jones.

"Do you both think you deserve it? While others were risking their lives, you were hiding!" Jones refused to give rewards to Raqnid and Fat despite their reasons.

"But we helped in the guild!"

"Do you think I should believe you?"

Fat once again tried to stand his ground. Then, Raqnid put his right hand on Fat's left shoulder and shook his head. No matter what reasons they gave, Jones wouldn't accept them. It was clear that Jones would find excuses to take as much money as he could. They left in frustration.

"Argghh! I'm so annoyed with Jones! I feel like stomping on his face!" Fat was furious.

"Hahaha! Relax! Relax!" Raqnid tried to calm his friend down.

"Yo!" Doug and Kiel greeted us. Nancy was also with them.

"No success?" Kiel asked.

"Yeah! No success!" Fat replied.

"That Jones is worthless!" Doug chimed in.

"Hang in there!" Doug also tried to calm Fat down.

"Ummm! I'm hungry now! Raqnid, let's eat!" said Fat.

"Uhh! Alright, you guys don't want to join?" Raqnid ask.

"It's fine! We've already eaten!"

"Oh! Okay then, see you later!"

"Sure, see you!"

They parted ways there, waving to each other. However, Nancy still seemed awkward with Raqnid and Fat. She didn't say a word, though.

Raqnid and Fat finally headed to their favorite eating place. The place was very popular among hunters due to its cheap price and delicious food.

When they arrived, they ordered their usual dishes. Unbeknownst to them, someone tapped them from behind.

"Wow! Rookies!" It was Master Master Hulk. He then sat next to Fat.

"Why the gloomy faces, huh?" Master Master Hulk asked.

"It's nothing," Fat replied.

"Come on! Tell me, tell me!" Master Hulk pestered Fat like a child.

*What's up with this old guy? Can't he mind his own business?* Raqnid thought to himself.

Suddenly, a hand reached from behind Master Hulk and flicked his ear.

"What are you doing, Master Hulk? Disturbing people while they're eating!" Alene scolded as she twisted Master Hulk's ear.

"Ouch! Ouch! It hurts! Ahhh!"

Master Hulk squirmed in pain. Alene then looked at us.

"Oh! Raqnid, Fat! How are you?"

"Yeah, doing fine," Fat replied to Alene's question while glancing at Master Hulk, who was still wincing in pain.

Alene released Master Hulk's ear and then sat at the same table with us. She thanked us for the help we provided.

"I don't know how to repay both of you," she said.

"No need! We didn't do much," Raqnid replied.

"Yeah, that's right!" Fat seconded Raqnid's words.

"But I feel guilty for involving you both! You're still newcomers," Alene's real feeling was that she felt guilty because Raqnid and Fat weren't originally from this world. They risked their lives to save people in this world from the previous attack.

"It's alright! It's just a small thing," Raqnid answered.

"Ummm, alright! How about I treat you guys to a meal? Would you like that?" Alene smiled broadly while making the offer.

"No need, it's too much trouble!" Fat said.

*What are you doing, Fat? It's free food!* Raqnid thought to himself.

"Don't be like that! This is just my way of alleviating my guilt!" Alene insisted on repaying their kindness.

"Ummm, okay, fine!" Fat finally agreed.

*Yes!* Raqnid exclaimed in his mind.

"I also fought against monsters, Alene!" Master Hulk chimed in.

"That's your duty, Master!" Alene glared at Master Hulk.

"Ummm, I was just joking," Master Hulk's voice became quieter.

That day, we enjoyed a hearty meal upon hearing that Alene wanted to pay for our food.

The next day, all the groups were summoned to the palace. Not only were we present at the palace, but a group of Elves was also there.

Elves were beings similar to humans, but their appearances were slightly different. They had slightly elongated and pointed ears, unlike humans. Not only that, most Elves possessed beautiful and handsome features.

The Elf race had more "Mana" than ordinary people. They excelled in using magical powers due to this advantage. However, the primary job in the Elf country was being an archer.

"Alright, everyone is gathered. Perhaps some of you have seen me before, but I haven't introduced myself. My name is Blaise, leader of the Stingray group."

Then, four other members of the Stingray group introduced themselves: Rusk, Monica, Shino, and Carlos.

"King Alex has entrusted me to guide and train the Hero group for three months starting today. My team and I hope that you all can cooperate. And to the Elves, welcome." Blaise extended a greeting to the Elves.

"Human and Elf will join forces to form groups. This is to foster understanding between humans and Elves. Since the Hero group and others are still new to this world, they might not be accustomed to different races. We share a common goal, which is to defeat the Demon King. So, we need to work together across countries."

"Elves can choose their training partners. Some capable Elves will join the Hero group, while others will choose partners from different groups to train with. The selected partner must accept the Elf as a group member."

The Hero group was fortunate as they didn't need to split up. Other groups would divide their members if they were chosen.

The selection process began, and Elves began looking for suitable partners to learn from and improve their combat skills. Partners with similar jobs were most suitable for learning from each other.

Many of Raqnid's companions wanted to be chosen by the Elves. They hoped to learn something from the Elves.

While everyone was busy, Raqnid and Fat retreated to a more concealed spot because they didn't want to be chosen.

"Let's go, Fat!" Raqnid whispered.

"Sure, okay!"

They observed the bustling scene from a distance. They weren't the only ones hiding; Kiel and his companions were doing the same as them.

Suddenly, an elderly Elf headed towards us from afar. As he approached, he stopped after being held back by one of Jones's friends. They conversed as if Jones's friend wanted to partner with the elderly Elf.

Afterward, Jones's friend left. The elderly Elf started walking towards us.

Realizing this, Raqnid and Fat turned their bodies away to escape. But before they could move, the elderly Elf greeted them from behind.

They had no choice but to face the

elderly Elf.

"Hello!" the elderly Elf greeted them.

They didn't have time to act and were forced to face the elderly Elf.

"Are you an Assassin?" the elderly Elf asked Raqnid.

*Phew! He's looking for an Assassin!* Raqnid thought to himself.

"Sorry! I'm an archer."

"Yeah! My friend here is an archer. If you're looking for an Assassin, maybe they're over there," Fat chimed in.

They both felt relieved because they weren't suitable to be chosen as training partners. The elderly Elf didn't appear to be an archer or a Warrior.

Then, the elderly Elf seemed to whisper to someone behind him. The elderly Elf looked at Raqnid and smiled broadly.

Raqnid's heart started to feel uneasy.

"It's good like that. I'm actually looking for an archer!"

"Ehh!" Raqnid had been deceived by the elderly Elf's trick. The elderly Elf knew that if he mentioned he was looking for an archer, Raqnid wouldn't admit it. So he pretended to be looking for an Assassin to trick Raqnid.

"Why are you looking for an archer now? Weren't you an Assassin?" Raqnid replied.

The elderly Elf was surprised by Raqnid's words.

"How did you know I'm an Assassin?"

*How does this kid know my identity? I've been hiding it* the elderly Elf whispered in his mind.

Raqnid fell silent because he had used his new Assassin skill, 'Inspector', to see the elderly Elf's profile. He should have been more careful as Assassins often hid their identities, given that he was an Assassin himself.

"Umm, earlier you were looking for an Assassin, right? That's why I thought you were an Assassin! Hahaha!" Raqnid tried to give an explanation.

The elderly Elf looked at Raqnid suspiciously. Raqnid averted his gaze.

"Actually, I'm not the one who wants to partner with you."

"Um, if not you, then who?" Raqnid wondered.

Then, someone wearing a cloak that covered their entire face peered out from behind the elderly Elf.

*There's been another Elf behind this old man the whole time* Fat whispered in his mind.

"Um, I'm not that skilled in combat! So it's better if..."

Raqnid's words were cut off.

"It's fine! It's fine! Besides... Ouch!" the elderly Elf looked towards the Elf behind him.

"Why did you pinch me?" elderly elf whispered to the Elf behind them.

The Elf behind simply shook their head, refusing to say anything.

Raqnid and Fat were puzzled by both of them.

"Alright then! What's your name?" the elderly Elf asked both of them.

"I'm Raqnid!"

"I'm Fat!"

"Very well! Listen carefully. Raqnid, I want you to be the fighting partner for my apprentice," placing his hands on both sides of Raqnid's shoulders.

"Over the next 3 months, I want you to take care of her. Protect her as if you're protecting your own life. No, she's even more important than your life. Understand!" the elderly Elf said with a serious expression.

"Ehh!"

Then, he whispered into Raqnid's right ear.

"If you try to harm her or anything bad happens to her, I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth."

Goosebumps crept up on Raqnid upon hearing that.

The elderly Elf raised his hand and introduced himself.

"Apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Albert, and this is my apprentice, Sara."

Sara shyly emerged from behind Albert, slightly lowering her head as a greeting.

Sara was a woman, but her face couldn't be seen because her entire body was covered by her cloak. She stood about 165 cm tall, hidden behind Albert, who was 190 cm tall.

"Wait! Raqnid hasn't agreed to be Sara's fighting partner yet!" Fat chimed in, helping his friend.

*Thanks, Fat! Huhuhu!* Raqnid whispered in his mind.

Raqnid tried to reject the offer. He raised his head and looked at Albert.

An extraordinary aura emanated from Albert; it was as if he was saying, "If you reject this offer, you'll regret it." His sharp gaze remained fixed on Raqnid.

Raqnid turned his head and reluctantly agreed to the offer.

"I accept her."

*Garggghhhh!!! Why me!!!* Raqnid screamed in his mind.

"Raqnid, are you sure about this?" Fat looked at his friend, who suddenly agreed to the offer.

"Yeah!" Raqnid glanced at Fat with a grin. After seeing the expression on Raqnid's face, Fat knew that refusing the offer would lead to more problems.

Fat patted his friend's back with his hand.

*Stay strong, my friend,* Fat whispered in his mind.

*Huhu! Thanks, buddy!* Raqnid also whispered in his mind.

They seemed to communicate with each other in their minds.

*What's up with these two kids?* the elderly Elf wondered, observing their behavior.

After that, all the Elves met their fighting partners.

Each pair would meet the next day.

Raqnid and Sara promised to meet at the guild to take on tasks.

Fat parted ways with Raqnid and joined Kiel and his companions, Doug and Nancy.

The next day...

Raqnid met Sara at the guild while searching for suitable tasks. He chose to take on the goblin-killing task.

Although Raqnid chose an easy task, Sara seemed unconcerned about it. After selecting the task, they left immediately and headed to where the goblins were.

During the journey, they didn't speak at all. Raqnid felt awkward about initiating a conversation.

Once they arrived...

"Um, we're here!" Raqnid was still awkward when speaking to Sara.

Silent…

There was no response from Sara; she just stood silently, looking at Raqnid.

"Let's kill some goblins together."

Raqnid went hunting for goblins, with Sara following behind him.

They killed the goblins as usual, shooting arrows without using any skills because killing goblins was an easy task for them.

After finishing off the goblins, the atmosphere remained tense between Raqnid and Sara due to the lack of communication.

*Has this girl been silent the whole time?* Raqnid whispered in his mind.

"Um, we're done!"

Silent…

"Now we can go back."

Silent…

The first day ended just like that. Even before evening, they had returned.

The second day...

As usual, Raqnid chose the same task: to kill goblins.

The same situation occurred, and Sara remained silent. The tense atmosphere returned.

*Is this girl mute or what?* Raqnid whispered in his mind.

Sara only observed Raqnid.

"Alright, let's head back."

In the process of returning, unexpectedly, a Hobgoblin appeared from behind Raqnid.

Sara noticed the Hobgoblin lifting a large stick, ready to swing it at Raqnid.

Raqnid didn't detect the Hobgoblin behind him because, for the first time, Sara seemed like she wanted to communicate with him.

Sara pointed her index finger towards the Hobgoblin multiple times, indicating danger to Raqnid.

*What is she trying to convey?* Raqnid still didn't understand Sara's signals.

The Hobgoblin swung the stick towards Raqnid quickly.

"Alert: Dangerous!"

A notification popped up.

"Shoooshhh!"

Quickly evading, Raqnid dodged the Hobgoblin's attack.

"Auto Dodge Cooldown: 300 seconds."

Raqnid was safe because he had a skill that allowed him to swiftly evade sudden danger. Upon sensing the danger, Raqnid instinctively drew his bow.

"Death Shot."

With a single arrow, Raqnid effortlessly killed a level C Hobgoblin.

Sara was astonished by what she witnessed. It happened so fast. For the first time, she saw an archer evading danger so quickly.

"Huh!"

Taking a deep breath of relief, Raqnid remained oblivious to the fact that he had effortlessly slain a Grade C giant before Sara's eyes.

"Uhmmm!"

Sara then raised her hand and wrote something in the air with her index finger. 'Impressive!'

Raqnid looked perplexed, for Sara was communicating by writing in the air with magical symbols instead of speaking.

"Haha! Thanks!" Raqnid replied.

Sara wrote again.

'Please spar with me! I want to learn from you!'

"Ehh! No! No! I'm weak, how can you learn from me! Hahaha!"

Then Sara glanced at the Hobgoblin Raqnid had just killed. Raqnid realized his mistake - killing a Hobgoblin with just one arrow wasn't easy. It required extraordinary strength.

"Hah! Alright!" Raqnid despaired for another excuse.

'I know you're strong! Since our first encounter in the city! ^_^' Sara wrote.

"Huh? First encounter in the city? Weren't we first introduced at the palace?" Raqnid questioned.

Sara fell silent, refusing to answer Raqnid's question.

Raqnid felt puzzled by Sara's sudden silence, sensing that something was being hidden.

First encounter? In the city? Raqnid pondered.

Observing Sara again, he remembered a figure in a black robe with a bow.

Uhmmm! Wait! Black robe! Bow!

Then he looked at Sara, his expression revealing his realization.

Sara was the one who shot an arrow at him when he leaped from the tall tower in the city to escape the guards.

She knows, she knows I'm the one who killed the Demon Lord!

"You're the one who shot arrow at me other day!" Raqnid exclaimed.

Sara turned her face away.

"Hurghh! I'll train with you. But on one condition! You must keep everything about me a secret. My strength, everything. Promise!" Raqnid said with seriousness.

Sara agreed by nodding.

'There are two possibilities! One, she knows I killed the Demon Lord. Two, she doesn't. I need to be cautious so she doesn't reveal this to others.'

"Alright, let's start training tomorrow!"

The next day…

The battle between Raqnid and Sara began at the same location where they had slain goblins.

'I'm not going to take this fight seriously! I'll make sure she sees me as her equal!' Raqnid thought.

They both assumed their positions, bows at the ready.

Sara suddenly raised her hand, writing something in the air to communicate with Raqnid. 'It's better if you fight at your full strength; otherwise, I won't be able to fulfill your request!'

"Ehhh!" Raqnid wasn't prepared to fight, having read Sara's words.

Sara swiftly launched an attack at Raqnid without warning.

"Huh! That was close!" Raqnid narrowly evaded the attack.

Then he countered Sara's attack. They exchanged blows, running and shooting at each other, utilizing their various skills.

Sara's 'Rain Arrow' skill produced arrows raining down like a storm from the sky.

However, Raqnid easily dodged Sara's attack. While evading, another arrow appeared behind him, aimed at him.

"Shoooshhh!"

In a swift move, Sara combined two skills into one attack.

Raqnid turned and caught the arrow with his hand before it could hit him.

"Boof!"

The arrow stopped in an instant as Raqnid caught it, his hand slightly smoking from the impact.

"Hoho! This girl really wants to kill me!" Raqnid started taking the fight more seriously.

Sara observed Raqnid's open back and swiftly released an arrow.

Just as the arrow was about to hit Raqnid, he vanished from sight, leaving Sara unable to track him.

Raqnid's recreated skill set, obtained after defeating the Demon Lord, showed his level of strength. The titles he gained had transformed him into a character of immense power.

The 'Legendary' title was not ordinary; it was said to surpass even the 'Hero' title in rank. Raqnid was also the first individual to possess a 'Dual Job' title, excelling in both 'Assassin' and 'Archer' roles.

Raqnid's levels had skyrocketed from 34 to 103. This immense growth resulted from his victory over the Demon Lord. Even Ray, the strongest hero, was only level 76. Raqnid had surpassed him in the blink of an eye after defeating the Demon Lord.

'Mana Burst,' the skill he had used to slay the Demon Lord, was ranked SSS. Raqnid discovered its level after its successful application.

Unbeknownst to Sara, she was now engaged in battle with a highly dangerous archer and assassin.

As Sara searched for Raqnid, she couldn't find him. He had used his Assassin skills to conceal himself.

"Shoooshhh!"

An arrow targeted Sara's back. She swiftly parried it. But as she deflected the arrow, she suddenly realized.

'Bait!' The arrow she had parried was merely a distraction; her true assailant had been several feet away from where she had deflected.

"Shoooshhh!"

The actual arrow raced towards her face. Sara had no time to dodge or deflect it. She could only close her eyes.

"Boof!"

Opening her eyes, Sara saw the arrow she had tried to deflect stopped just in front of her face.

"You lose!"

Sara was left dumbfounded by Raqnid's skill. She had never experienced such defeat before.

'Who is this man?' Sara's thoughts were consumed by the identity of her opponent.