How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 148

How to Live as the Third Son of a Wasted Masterpiece – Episode 149

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A dense forest where towering trees blocked out the sky.

Hunting was in full swing. The targets were elves, each bearing visible wounds, large and small, fleeing from a relentless pursuer.

“It’s him!”

“Evade!”

The pursuer was a dark shadow, his movements economical and deadly. A swift, precise attack would follow, and soon a neck would be severed or a heart pierced.

Just as the number of elves dwindled, a tremendous roar suddenly erupted from afar.

The elves, who had initially hoped it was reinforcements, were plunged into despair by the roar coming from behind them, far from the battlefield.

“Oh, gods! It’s Lordain!”

“Lo, Lordain?”

The source of the roar was an elf with flowing white hair.

And those who called him Lordain sensed it immediately.

Death was imminent.

It was an inescapable fate. Lordain was the sharpest weapon the elves possessed, but also a double-edged sword that did not distinguish between friend and foe.

The fact that he had been deployed meant the higher-ups had decided to sacrifice everyone on the battlefield.

“Damn it.”

One elf cursed, imagining the future that awaited him.

Soon, however, a twisted joy settled on the elf’s face.

Death was unavoidable, but he took solace in the thought that the pursuer chasing him was in the same predicament.

“See you in hell.”

The elf turned his head and spat the words at the black shadow hunting his comrades in the distance. Then, he immediately drew his sword and stabbed himself in the heart, committing suicide.

The other elves followed suit.

It was an immutable truth that they could not survive an encounter with Lordain on the battlefield, and soon they all began to take their own lives as if they had made a pact.

The black shadow paused its actions and began to watch the ironic spectacle.

Regardless, Lordain silently began to kill every elf in sight, one by one.

After a short time, only Lordain and the black shadow remained on the battlefield.

“…….”

Shudder!

Lordain, who had killed all the last survivors, shook the blood off his hands. Then, he tilted his head, looking at the black shadow.

“Is it you? The reason I came here.”

The shadow did not answer.

But Lordain didn’t seem to expect an answer, as he silently raised both hands and took a fighting stance.

Soon, the black shadow moved first.

A sharp attack spewed out from the rapidly approaching black shadow. The target was the heart, and it seemed as if it would cleanly pierce it, just like before.

However, Lordain simply twisted his body slightly to avoid it. Then, he threw a short punch at his opponent.

Thud!

The heavy fist struck the shadow.

“Kuh-erk……!”

For the first time, the black shadow groaned and fell backward.

But he regained his senses and twisted his body in mid-air to land safely.

The shadow’s appearance, now that he had regained his stance, was different from before.

The black aura that had been covering his body had faded, and the revealed form was a huge werewolf with a black mane.

Lordain’s eyebrows twitched at the sight.

“I knew you were a druid, but you’re a face I’ve never seen before.”

The black wolf also slowly rose and retorted.

“Are you Lordain?”

A deep voice broke the silence.

At the voice, Lordain opened his mouth with a nonchalant face.

“Do you know me?”

“You’re quite a famous name.”

“Is that so? This is unexpected.”

“They say you went mad because you couldn’t protect your wife.”

At the black wolf’s words, one corner of Lordain’s mouth quirked up.

“If that’s a provocation, it was excellent.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Thanks to you, I’m very angry.”

Lordain’s disheveled long white hair began to flutter, imbued with mana.

Swish!

Then, in the same stance, Lordain drew his sword from the scabbard on his waist.

When Lordain, who had been solving everything with just one fist, grabbed a weapon, the black wolf also seriously adjusted his stance.

Lordain, watching the scene, cocked his head.

“What’s your name?”

“Hashnar.”

“Good, Hashnar. I’ll listen to your last words. Do you have any last words to leave behind?”

“I’ll let you meet your wife soon.”

“That’s what I’ve been hoping for, but is it possible?”

At Lordain’s question, Hashnar, who had already rekindled his black aura, nodded.

“Yes.”

“Then go ahead and try.”

Lordain moved first after speaking.

Kwaaa!

Lordain kicked off the ground, drawing out mana to its fullest, and a blue mana trailed behind him like a tail.

Hashnar was not idle either. Hashnar’s body, wrapped in a black aura, flashed.

Kwang!

Lordain’s descending kick shattered only the innocent ground.

Stone fragments, cracked and finely broken, soared into the air.

Thud-!

Hashnar suddenly appeared among the scattering stone fragments.

Swish!

Afterward, the claws that brushed past created a line of blood on Lordain’s cheek. It was an attack that would have cut off his neck if he had been even a little late in dodging.

‘What kind of ability is it? Is it magic?’

Lordain clicked his tongue and backed away, distancing himself from Hashnar’s sudden appearance, unlike before.

But as if the distance he had created was meaningless, Hashnar appeared again from behind and swung his claws.

‘It’s not magic… Is he appearing by riding my shadow?’

That wasn’t the answer.

Just as Lordain became conscious of his shadow, Hashnar appeared from a completely different blind spot this time.

Lordain, who dodged by throwing himself on the floor again from the unexpected attack, bared his teeth.

“That’s too much for a little trick.”

“…….”

Hashnar silently swung his claws in response to Lordain’s grumbling.

Lordain, who rolled on the floor again to barely avoid it, gritted his teeth.

‘It’s not a coincidence.’

At first, he thought he had simply missed his opponent.

But this attack made it clear. He wasn’t late. His condition was no different from usual, and there was nothing to think of as a mistake.

Then what is this?

‘Druids, especially those with outstanding skills, are said to use bizarre abilities, but…’

A unique ability that is neither magic nor spiritism.

Some called it shamanism, and the full extent of the ability had not yet been thoroughly revealed.

Lordain took a breath, thinking that he would eventually have to figure it out by experiencing it firsthand.

‘He keeps appearing suddenly from blind spots. But I don’t feel the flow of mana like magic. It’s a damn headache.’

The only fortunate thing was that his direct striking ability was at the level of an ordinary druid.

Of course, the problem was that the ordinary level meant sharper and longer claws than most daggers.

Still, if he could face him head-on, he was confident that he could thoroughly destroy him.

But to do that, he had to do something about that bizarre ability first.

‘The flow isn’t good.’

After a few more clashes, Lordain could feel it instinctively.

Mana consumption was considerable. If he couldn’t figure out that ability, he would become rapidly disadvantaged. Then the ending would be obvious.

Swish!

As Hashnar appeared again from a blind spot, Lordain rolled on the ground and racked his brain.

‘Let’s think. Is it simply the ability to teleport through shadows? If so, the answer is easy. Just get rid of the shadows.’

But his instinct shouted that that wasn’t all.

And to him, who had gone through countless battlefields, that cry was a more reliable piece of advice than anyone else.

‘That’s not all. Definitely.’

A very strong smell of blood emanated from him.

He was definitely an excellent hunter. He must have seen countless bloodshed so far.

There’s no way you can finish off a guy like that with such a simple method.

Let’s figure it out.

How to make sure to finish that guy off.

‘…….’

Soon, Lordain’s eyes lit up.

Then, he took a deep breath and drew up mana.

Whoosh!

Soon, the mana that rose along Lordain’s body began to burn.

The momentum was so intense that the shadows cast around him were pushed back by the blue light and gradually disappeared.

However, Hashnar sneered silently because the intention was too obvious for anyone to see.

“Many people are mistaken. That I use shadows.”

“…….”

Hashnar, wrapped in a black aura, reappeared behind Lordain, who had no shadows.

“But you’re wrong. I myself am the shadow.”

Lordain’s back was visible in Hashnar’s eyes, who had sprung up from behind like a shadow. If he just reached out his hand, he would surely be able to grab his throbbing heart.

Thud!

However, a sound that completely shattered that expectation was heard in Hashnar’s ears.

“…….”

Hashnar slowly lowered his head.

What came into his eyes was Lordain’s long sword piercing his chest.

“H, how…?”

In a moment of soaring confusion, Hashnar raised his head, and soon discovered Lordain slowly opening his closed eyes.

“Got you.”

* * *

Chirp chirp-

In the forest where the sound of sparrows could be heard, I opened my eyes again as Cain Lindeyer, leaning against a thick tree stump.

I slowly raised my arm and clenched and unfolded my hand. The fight I had with Hashnar as Lordain was still vivid.

After recalling the fight for a long time, I couldn’t stand it and opened my mouth.

“…Lordain, you crazy bastard.”

I can’t help but swear.

I knew he was a twisted elf from the start, but I never knew it would be this bad.

Closing your eyes during battle?

Even at the most critical moment.

The eyes are the most important organ. More than 90% of the information needed for battle is transmitted from sight.

The reason why the story of a blind samurai or the great reversal of a boxer whose eyelids are swollen and loses his sense of distance are all nonsense is because of that.

Basically, humans can’t even use a spoon properly if they can’t see. In that situation, let alone fighting.

But Lordain closed his eyes.

Even consciously.

Anyone who has ever held a sword would swear that they were all crazy.

But Lordain actually did it, and the reason was very simple.

‘It’s too late if you look and chase with your eyes.’

At first glance, it may seem reasonable.

It’s true that it’s faster to rely on instinct than to check with your eyes and swing your sword.

But the problem is, who would just take a blind swing without resistance? Even in a battle where one gap leads directly to death.

But funnily enough, Hashnar was helplessly hit by that blind sword, and the reason is also ridiculous.

‘Hashnar was also blind.’

It feels like hearing the futile answer to a nonsense quiz.

In fact, Hashnar was not teleporting through shadows. He was just deceiving his opponent by appearing that way.

‘Should I call it ghostification?’

Temporarily separates the body from the dimension it belonged to.

Then returns from the desired location.

This simple mechanism was the secret of Hashnar’s ability.

Since the body was separated from the present world, it would naturally not be visible to those belonging to the present world, and Hashnar, who reappeared in that way, would have felt like he had teleported.

It would be too late to chase after him with your eyes, and Hashnar would have already taken the initiative.

That’s why Lordain entrusted his body only to instinct while completely blocking visual information. Intuition is so subtle that it immediately catches what exists but does not exist.

‘Hashnar was nicely tricked by the blind spot he was aiming for.’

The fact that Hashnar could not see his opponent because he was separated from the present world was effective.

Perhaps when he returned, Lordain’s sword was already aiming at him.

He’s definitely a great person.

Finding a solution in that urgent situation, and even inducing carelessness by erasing the shadows with mana so that his intentions are not revealed.

Perhaps if you only consider combat sense, Lordain may be the best on the continent.

“A monster is a monster.”

I slowly got up and nodded.

Anyway, thanks to Lordain, I found a way to defeat Hashnar. I looked at the answer sheet, so there’s no way I wouldn’t know the answer.

Don’t look for it with your eyes.

Rely solely on your senses and react one step faster.

‘Anyway, thank you, Lordain.’