Chapter 30: Isekai fight

The group gathered in the adventurers' guild, the atmosphere was tense as they waited for their next quest. Charlotte sat in a corner, her nose buried in a lime-green book.

Lucy, who looked tired, leaned on her wand, her eyes drooping as she tried to stay awake. Ethan and Blake, on the other hand, looked greedy as they waited for the announcement.

"Blake, what do you think we're getting?" Ethan asked curiously.

"Maybe we get promoted to C rank."

"Nah bro we at least deserve A rank for what we did."

"Dude I literally got flung across the battlefield and you maybe got three demons. If we're getting a reward it's going to be a participation trophy."

Ethan felt a tap on his shoulder and looked behind him.

He saw a young woman that had a blank expression on her face. Her short black hair was neatly styled, and her dead orange eyes seemed to lack any emotion. Lucy looked at her with a mix of confusion and curiosity, while Blake and Ethan looked at her.

"That aura. It is not normal." Lucy thought with skepticism.

Ethan grabbed the woman's hand and looked into her eyes, his expression filled with intensity. "I love you," he said, his voice filled with emotion. But the woman's expression remained blank, and she seemed unresponsive to his declaration.

"Were you four there during the battle in Javlem?" She said in a low monotone voice.

"Why of course my love. I even fought the general himself."

"How interesting. If you're looking for a reward go to the clerk and show your adventurer cards. You'll get a rank up and some gold coins."

"Thank you. Also sorry for my friend he's always like this."

"Shut up bro. Let's just get the fucking reward and go." Ethan said as he punched Blake.

As the group approached the clerk, they could see the pile of gold coins shining in the light. Ethan couldn't help but let out a laugh at the huge amount they were receiving, five gold coins for their efforts. Charlotte, on the other hand, looked surprised at the amount, perhaps expecting to have gotten less.

"This is like 5,000 bronze coins guys. We finna be rich."

"That's like a week's worth of coins. Also, we're putting all of it into our first store. We need bigger profits so we can get better armor and weapons."

"Charly that's my thing. I didn't expect you to pick up on business like this. Well, anyways I'm going to be training for the day. I'll help out with the business later." Ethan said as he walked out of the door.

As Ethan walked back to the grassland where he had trained the previous day, he couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between night and day. In the darkness of the previous night, everything had seemed so foreboding and gloomy. But now, in the bright light of day, the grassland was bathed in a warm golden glow.

The trees that had seemed so menacing in the dark now looked lush and inviting, and the chirping of birds replaced the ominous silence of the night.

Ethan took his bow off his back, the wood and string glinting in the sunlight. He nocked an arrow and pulled back the string, focusing on the tree in front of him. The arrow flew from the bow, missing the tree and landing in the grass behind it. Ethan let out a sigh and adjusted his grip on the bow, determined to hit the tree this time.

He let go.

Missed.

"Fucking hell." He cursed under his breath.

Ethan walked up to a tree stump.

He focused all of his energy on the shot. The arrow glowed with a bright blue light as he pulled back on the string. With a deep breath, he let the arrow fly, and it struck the stump with a loud crack. The stump evaporated in a burst of magic, leaving a large hole in its place. Ethan stumbled backward, feeling the recoil of the shot in his arms.

"My shots are powerful but there's not much point if it's only one shot." He thought in frustration.

Blake walked to Ethan, his sword drawn. The metal of the sword glinted in the sunlight, reflecting the bright rays in all directions. Blake's eyes were focused and determined as he approached Ethan.

The sound of his boots crunching on the grass and dirt filling the air as he walked.

Ethan looked at Blake with a confused expression. "Why did you follow me here?"

"Let's have a duel dickhead."

"Huh, are you under the influence of a demon or some shit?"

"No bro. I just think that we need to see who's stronger here. The winner will get bragging rights.

"Fine with me. The only rule is that we can't kill each other."

"No shit bro. I ain't trying to die here. I'm just trying to lower your ego."

Blake charged toward Ethan, and the fire on his sword glinted in the sunlight. Ethan quickly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade. He quickly brought his bow to bear, aiming at Blake. As he released the arrow, a surge of magic flowed through it, causing it to glow bright blue. Blake, with quick reflexes, swung his sword and hit the arrow away, sending it flying off into the distance. The force of the impact caused Blake's sword to emit a shower of sparks.

Blake swung another strike. Ethan blocked Blake's sword with his bow, the wood of the bow splintering as it came into contact with the hot metal of the sword. Ethan's arms trembled with the force of the impact, but he managed to hold his ground, gritting his teeth as he pushed back against Blake.

The two were locked in a stalemate, their weapons pressed against each other as they glared into each other's eyes.

Ethan retreated, panting heavily as he put distance between himself and Blake. He looked at the broken pieces of his bow in his hands, feeling a pang of disappointment. Blake, on the other hand, stood tall and confident, a smirk on his face as he held his sword aloft, the flames still dancing on its blade.

"Your bow is useless now. Do you surrender big man?"

Ethan looked at his bow, now broken, with a sense of loss and frustration. He closed his eyes and focused, summoning a new bow made entirely of blue light. It glowed brightly in his hands as he charged up a shot, the blue light growing stronger with each passing moment.

Blake, seeing the arrow forming, confidently posed to block it, but at the last second the arrow dissipated into nothingness.

Taken aback, Blake was caught off guard as Ethan jumped towards him, but quickly regained his footing and delivered a powerful kick to Ethan's stomach, sending him crashing to the ground. The impact was hard and sudden, leaving Ethan gasping for air and struggling to get back up.

"You almost got me, man. If you did I would've called bullshit on that magic bow shit. I should've known it was a fake though. Both of us have low mana but we've grown in such a short time haven't we?"

"..."

"Oh yeah, you're in pain. I forgot about that. "

Blake shook his sword, the flames dissipating with a puff of smoke. He then sheathed it and walked over to Ethan, who was still on the ground, clutching his chest.

Blake reached down and offered him a hand, helping him to his feet.

"You could've held back on that kick man," Ethan yelled at Blake.

"Sorry man. Charlotte's gotta heal you too. Rest in peace bro."

Ethan picked up his bow, which was now in pieces. He held the broken pieces in his hand. He then limped as he walked, favoring one leg over the other. His movements were slow and stiff, and he winced with each step, indicating that he was in pain.

"Do you reckon I did well?" Ethan asked as he coughed.

"Not really- no. Did you even train while I was gone for a month?"

"No, I was too busy working on our business."

"Well, if you trained you probably would've had a chance. You being lazy is why you lost."

Ethan sat down heavily on a tree stump. Blake, meanwhile, stood a few feet away, his back leaning against the trunk of the only tree.

Ethan noticed that Blake was now slightly taller than Ethan.

"Ah, you motherfucker you're taller than me now."

"Shame in it?"

The two walked back toward the town, and Ethan limped along while Blake slowed down for him.

Ethan gazed at his hands, his fingers still tingling with the residual energy from his magic bow.

It was his first time using magic like that. He knew that he was capable of using it but not currently. The battle pushed Ethan's limits slightly. With enough training perhaps he could use it properly.