Chapter 91: The Second Duel: The Hunters of the Wild

“Right now, we will begin the second duel!”

The representative from the Orc side is Mars, a hunter from the Shadowstep Tribe.
The representative from the Northern Army is Ligrit, the second son of the Deep Snow Family and a new recruit in the Guard.

It was clearly an unfavorable battle, but the two did not engage in a battle of wills as they faced each other.

“Start!”

As the signal for the start of the battle was given, they both sprinted towards the forest.

‘Good luck, Ligrit.’

With a serious expression, I cheered for Ligrit and recalled the events that had just occurred.

Out of the four duels, two would be fought according to our proposal, and two according to the Orcs’ proposal. Glaka had agreed to this arrangement.
I decided to use one of those two opportunities now.

So, the content of this duel was changed to a target hunt.
The winner would be decided by who could hunt more targets in the forest, and who could hunt them first.

At first, Mars had seemed displeased that the humans were changing the rules of the duel, but upon hearing my suggestion, he eagerly welcomed it.
Once the rules were explained, he praised the humans for being able to fight without resorting to cheap tactics.

It seemed that, since the Orcs had lost one of their own as a hostage to the humans, Mars had developed a favorable impression of their fair fight.

‘If that’s the case, I feel a bit sorry.’

There was a reason Mars had welcomed the target hunting duel.
The Orcs, being a hunting society, were naturally skilled in hunting, and the Shadowstep Tribe, judging by their appearance, must specialize in archery and agility.
As the chief of such a tribe, it was only natural that Mars would be a great hunter.

I could tell with my own eyes that Mars’s main weapon was a bow, and that he had a lithe body with strong legs.
Though I didn’t know his hunting skills, he certainly gave off the aura of an expert.

To be honest, I didn’t expect Ligrit’s hunting skills to be superior to Mars’s.
But the reason I suggested a hunting contest was:

‘At least Ligrit has experience in hunting. However, he has no experience in life-or-death combat.’

Would Mars, having risen to the position of tribe leader in a society that values strength above all, only be skilled in hunting?
Of course, he would be a master in a duel as well.
On the other hand, Ligrit, who had no combat experience, would be overwhelmed by Mars, no matter how confident he was.
So, to ensure that Ligrit would have a more comfortable duel, they shouldn’t fight directly.

‘If I suggest a hunting contest, Mars will likely be relieved, and he will lower his guard.’

Just as I predicted Mars’s strength, Mars, too, would be confident in beating a human in a hunting contest.
Of course, he wouldn’t become like the “Ant and the Grasshopper” from the fable, aiming for a victory in the second round after losing the first.
But being in a favorable situation, feeling relieved rather than careless, was an inevitable emotion.

At that point, we had already gained two advantages and adjusted the balance.
Now that we had a fair chance, I finally shared with Ligrit the secret technique he could use to defeat Mars.

---

Mars, the chief of the Shadowstep Tribe, leaped forward with a broad grin on his face.

‘Humans, fools.’

Did they think they would win in a hunting contest just because they sent out an archer?
It seemed that the Orcs considered humans nothing but fools who only knew how to fight.
Of course, if it had been another tribe leader, the human plan might have succeeded.

‘I am the best hunter among the Orcs! No matter how dense the forest or how dark the night, my eyes never miss a target!’

The human’s mistake was making the conditions of the duel too fair in order to maintain the honor of the duel.
If they truly wanted to win, they should have used dirty tricks, just like those damned humans.
…Well, although he had willingly accepted the conditions since he liked the duel’s rules, it was still a challenge for him.

‘I’ll win this match!’

Mars, having spotted the first target, quickly changed direction and made his way toward it.
Although he was an unparalleled hunter, he lacked the raw strength of some Orcs, so he needed to close the distance to hit his target.
As the target entered his range, Mars drew an arrow and aimed his longbow.

Thwack!
The arrow flew through the air and hit the target.

Mars, seeing this, wore a confused expression.

“Mm?”

Hadn’t he shot the arrow yet?
The arrow was still in his hand, and he was still aiming at the target.
Just as he wondered what was going on, a chilling thought crossed Mars’s mind, and he turned his head.

Tap, tap.
He heard faint footsteps from a distance.

“Human?”

This was a sacred duel zone in the forest.
The only one who could shoot an arrow and hit a target here was the human, his fellow duelist.

“Ugh.”

Mars grunted angrily.
Despite his young appearance and soft gaze that didn’t seem threatening, the human was no slouch.
If the duelist’s skills were poor, it would be an insult to Mars.

‘I’ll give him this one.’

Without a moment to regret, Mars quickly searched for the next target and soon spotted the second one.
This time, he aimed to hit it as soon as it entered range.

Swoosh.
Thwack!

“?!”

Once again, before he could release his arrow, a distant arrow flew and hit the target. It was the human’s arrow.

‘Twice now. Lucky human.’

There were supposed to be ten targets.
With two of them already overlapping, it was unfortunate that he lost his chance, but there were still eight left.
However…

Swoosh.
Thwack!

When the third target overlapped, even Mars, no matter how slow he was, couldn’t help but feel something was off.

“Ugh! Human, are you seriously following me?”

With a twisted face, Mars looked around while Ligrit, who was far away, hid and broke into a cold sweat.

‘Haha, I guess I’ve been spotted.’

But still, three out of ten targets were already claimed.

‘At first, I was a bit uneasy… but still, Luke is brilliant.’

Before the duel, Ligrit had been wondering if he could perform well in the hunting competition when Luke had approached him.

• “How to strengthen your body with magic? Of course, I’ve learned that. It’s the basics of magical training. I can’t yet transfer that into weapons though.”

• “That’s enough. Let me tell you a good strategy, listen carefully…”

• “What? You want me to follow the Orc and claim the targets before him?”

• “That Orc is a born hunter, judging by his looks. His skill in finding targets in the forest is probably better than yours.”

• “Hmm, that’s true.”

• “But his arm muscles are weaker than those of other Orcs. His strength won’t be much different from yours. But if you enhance your arms with magic…”

• “I’ll be able to shoot from farther away.”

• “Exactly.”

• “But isn’t that unfair?”

• “Come on, friend. You’re being naive.”

• “?”

• “The world of competition is all about results. As long as you don’t do anything malicious, clever strategies that stay within the rules are actually praised. After all, you passed the guards’ exam using a clever method with your bow.”

• “Ah! It’s something like that.”

• “Right. Just don’t do anything bad. You’re not attacking the Orc, so this isn’t cheating.”

• “Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”

Persuaded by Luke’s words, Ligrit had immediately started following Mars as soon as the duel began.

As a nobleman’s son, he had received magical training from a young age, so he was able to perform basic body strengthening. After joining the guard unit, thanks to Luke, he was taught by a senior mage named Sophia, refining his skills. With Luke’s help, he also received physical training directly from the guard captain. It was the first time he had moved his body so much, and as he trained, hearing Luke’s encouraging voice right next to him, Ligrit worked harder than ever.

In addition, his excellent observational skills—honed through years of training—allowed him to spot the target’s location as Mars changed direction. While the Orc, relying on pure strength, had to close the distance to hit the target, Ligrit could shoot from farther away by staying at a safe distance.

The worry about having a fair fight disappeared as soon as he hit the first target.

‘Just like Luke said. As long as I don’t hurt anyone, it’s fine. This is strategy, not cheating.’

Despite being a nobleman’s son, his thinking was flexible, and he quickly rationalized his actions. At the same time, he felt deeply grateful to Luke for giving him the advice.

He winced.

“Ugh.”

Perhaps because his opponent was Mars, the pain was greater than usual.
Using his magic with his limited talents to gain an advantage, the pain in his legs had become unbearable. When he had claimed the third target, he was barely able to shoot it due to the pain in his legs.

“Don’t worry, friend. I’ll win, I promise.”

Despite the pain, Ligrit stood up. At first, he had been flustered when Luke stepped in, but it was thanks to Luke that he gained the most advantage. If he won here, he could prove himself to everyone and become the center of attention.

So he couldn’t afford to lose.
For his grateful friend and for his own success!

---

This time, he was sure he had outpaced Mars.
Just as Mars was about to release his arrow, a human’s arrow struck the target by a hair’s breadth.
Mars, having lost the fourth target, was on the verge of losing his mind.

“Rrrgh! Human, where are you?!”

No matter how much he thought about it, this wasn’t a coincidence.
It seemed that the human was following him and stealing the targets.

However, the reason Mars was howling wasn’t because his opponent had used underhanded tactics.

‘How could I be losing in a competition?!’

In the wild, snatching prey was not dishonorable—it was competition.
Even if the human was stealing his targets, the fact that the human was hitting them first meant that his archery skills were superior.
Ultimately, Mars realized that while his searching skills were better than the human’s, he was being outdone in archery, which hit him right in his pride.

There was the option of pulling out the arrows that the human had hit the targets with, but…

‘Grrr! I can’t insult the sacred duel like that!’

To do such a dishonorable thing would prove that he, a so-called superior Orc, was resorting to trickery. It would show him to be a fallen Orc who had no skill and was scheming behind the scenes.
In that case, he might as well die.

“Human, come out and let’s compete in speed! I’ll hunt the targets on the right side of this big tree, and you take the left side!”

Once again, there was no reply.
Given the circumstances, it was clear the human was near. Perhaps the remaining targets were only on the left side of the tree, but Mars, frustrated by the lack of response, stomped his foot hard.

“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got. I’ll capture the remaining targets so fast, you won’t even be able to catch up!”

Mars left no room for carelessness.
He erased all thoughts of underestimating the human and believing himself to be superior.

Now, there were six targets left.
If the human kept trailing behind him, Mars would make sure to capture every single one of them first, using all his strength.

Swoosh!
With the sound of wind, Mars quickly found the target.

‘I won’t let it slip!’

Like a hungry wild dog, he sprinted toward the target, and as soon as he was within range, he drew his bow and fired.
Thwack!

“Got it!”

A rush of joy surged through him, knowing he had hit the target before the human could steal it. But Mars was a top-class hunter.
Not giving the human any distance, he immediately ran to the next target and spotted it in no time.

“Got it!”

Thwack.
After hitting the target in quick succession, Mars felt victorious, thinking he should have done this from the start. Soon, the third target appeared, and he easily hit it as well.
Thwack.

“Chuckle! Are you getting anxious, human?”

Now, he was only one target away from a tie.
Mars shouted confidently behind him, but the human didn’t respond. Perhaps, he wasn’t even following anymore.

It was probably the latter.

Mars was the fastest among the orcs.
If he gave his all, no one, even other orcs, could catch up with him.

However, running so much would deplete his stamina, and he had to conserve his energy due to a lack of food.

‘I’d rather starve than lose!’

With no intention of easing up, Mars hit the fourth target next.
Thwack.

“Chuckle!”

With this, it was a tie.
It had all happened in the blink of an eye.
Indeed, humans could easily defeat orcs if they put their full power into it.

Still, it had been an enjoyable competition.
It had been a long time since his heart raced like this. It had been a while since he felt anxious.
He’d been filled with rage at the miserable humans lately, but now, he felt oddly satisfied thanks to this human.
Anyway, it had been a fun fight, so that was enough.

Now, with only two targets left, he aimed to turn the tables and finish with style, giving the human the full experience of being outdone. Mars started running again.
He soon spotted the next target.

“Chuckle?”

The target already had an arrow in it. It was the human’s.

The human hadn’t passed him.
Was it from where he had been earlier?
He hadn’t properly observed the terrain while running in a rush.

Turning around, he headed toward a different place.
With his speed, he quickly found another target.

“Chuckle.”

Once again, the target already had an arrow in it, and it looked like the one he had just hit earlier.
With only two left, it was inevitable that there would be some overlap.

Mars, licking his lips, kept running.
Next target, the same story.
Every target he encountered already had an arrow lodged in it. And when he found the fifth one, the same situation occurred.
Mars’ face hardened.

‘The human has hit four targets. This place… it’s different from the one we passed earlier…’

Could it be?!
In that moment, Mars seemed to realize something, his eyes and mouth wide open.

“Chuckle, I’ll get you, human!”

Realizing he had been tricked again, the orc let out a roar of rage.

---

Hearing Mars’ furious howls, Ligrit leaned against a tree, catching his breath, and let out a bitter laugh.

“Huff, huff. You said I should go left and right.”

Ligrit had admitted that Mars’ tracking ability far exceeded his own.
But even though Mars was fast and good at finding targets, while Mars was getting four, Ligrit only needed to find two to win.

When Mars started running at a speed that made him invisible, Ligrit gave up on chasing him.
His legs and magic were both reaching their limits, so keeping up with Mars was no longer possible.
If he kept chasing, he’d only end up seeing the orc’s backside until the end.

Aside from archery, Ligrit had one more skill he was confident in: observation.
Over the years, observing people in social circles had sharpened his eyes, and now, without thinking, he could naturally notice everything around him, his accuracy rivaling that of a hunter.

With no other options, Ligrit finally decided to trust his own abilities for the first time and set out to find the targets himself.
When Mars hit the fourth target and savored the thrill of the chase, Ligrit managed to hit the fifth target and barely found the sixth.

With trembling arms, Ligrit did his best to load the arrow.

Thwack.
In the end, the final score was 6 to 4.
It was a narrow victory, but Ligrit had won.

“I did it!!”

He didn’t have the energy to celebrate, but with all his remaining strength, Ligrit shouted loudly before stumbling and falling to the side.

“Hehehe.”

He couldn’t move a single finger, and the rough dirt particles stabbed at his noble face, but it felt fresher than any bath he’d ever had with scented oils.