Vol3 Chapter 8 The hunter and the hunted

FWOOOOOSH!

Amos picked up the hunt again. The Gale Striders whisked him through the forest at incredible speed, silver streaks flaring beneath his feet with every step. His Hunter’s Eye still had a few minutes left. Golden signatures shone through the landscape—three ahead, two to the left, one darting toward the river, and five clustered near a rocky slope.

Amos's eyes moved between them.

"Hm."

Five players grouped together. Good enough. He changed direction.

BOOM!

The ground split under his step as Amos darted between the trees. One hundred meters. Eighty. Sixty. The five signatures shifted—they’d caught on. Amos grinned.

"Too late."

Forty meters away, his hand stretched out. Then—something didn’t feel right.

"...?"

There was no sound, no roar, no flicker of magic, no surge of killing intent—nothing at all. Just a faint distortion at the edge of his sight. Amos’s pupils tightened, and his body reacted before his mind could catch up. He jerked his head to the side.

SHIIIIING!

An arrow whisked past his face, slicing away a single strand of blond hair. Amos’s eyes went wide as it kept going, gliding straight through three trees. Not hitting—passing through. Each trunk split cleanly apart, one after another.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Then the arrow vanished into the distance.

Amos stopped.

"..."

A loose strand of blond hair floated lazily past his eyes.

He watched it drift down.

His hand rose to his cheek.

Nothing.

The arrow had missed.

Just barely.

So barely.

"..."

His smile faded. Not from anger, but from sharp focus. The five players ahead no longer mattered at all.

Amos slowly turned his head. The arrow had come from the northwest—an elevated spot, far away. Very far. No clear mana trail, barely a whisper of sound, and the trajectory had shifted mid-flight. His eyes narrowed.

"I know exactly who that was."

He glanced up at the notable applicant board, where only one name still lingered.

Mira Cedar Dale, the elf. The image he had seen earlier flashed in his mind—a bow, shots at impossible range, arrows curving through the air, splitting into separate trajectories.

Amos slowly smiled.

"Found you."

Nearly a kilometer from where Amos stood, high in the branches of one of the tallest trees in the forest, Mira Cedar Dale lowered her bow. Her long ears gave a slight twitch, her face calm and unreadable as she fixed her gaze on the distant spot where Amos had been running.

"Missed."

Mira blinked, then looked again, more intently. She hadn’t expected that. The arrow had been hidden, the release silent, the wind accounted for. The target had been moving fast, and she’d predicted his next step. And yet—at the very last instant—he moved. Mira’s eyes narrowed.

"Dawn."

Her ears twitched once, and her expression shifted.

"..."

Far away,

BOOOOOOM!

Birds burst from the forest canopy, scattering into the sky. Mira froze; eyes fixed ahead as a line of trees shuddered violently. Something was coming—fast. Very fast. Her sharp elven gaze locked in just as a blond figure broke through the distant tree line. She said nothing.

"Nn."

Amos was coming directly toward her.

"PLAYER!"

Amos launched over a ravine.

FWOOOOOSH!

His Gale Striders roared beneath his feet as the forest blurred past. His Hunter’s Eye revealed nothing—no golden signature. Interesting. She had hidden herself somehow; maybe an item that countered his? But it didn’t matter. Amos knew the direction, the angle, and the approximate distance.

More importantly—she’d nearly shot him in the face, and now his blood was racing.

"ELF!"

High above, academy students stared.

"...Why is he shouting that?"

Another pointed.

"Forget that! Look at his speed!"

A third student leaned closer.

"Wait."

His eyes widened.

"He's chasing Mira."

"Oh no, my points! Please, Kyros, I really need this. My mom’s kind of homeless, and I live with my dad, but I want to help her out."

"Your mother is actually very wealthy, Wright."

***

Mira moved without hesitation, leaping from the tree in an instant. As she fell, a green magic circle appeared beneath one foot with a soft tap. She shifted direction midair, landing smoothly on another branch before taking off at a run.

Behind her,

BOOOOOOM!

The tree she had been standing on exploded. Amos burst through it.

"..."

He stopped, feeling empty. His eyes scanned the scene—a broken leaf, a bent branch, and traces of mana lingering in the air.

"...That way."

FWOOOOSH!

He vanished.

***

Mira’s ears twitched, left. She drew her bow while running, turned, and released. Twang. The arrow curved around four trees. This time, Amos saw it and ducked.

SHIIING!

The arrow passed overhead.

Amos grinned.

"Nice!"

Mira heard him, still her expression remained calm but she ran faster.

The chase ripped through the forest, but Mira moved as if it were her home. Every motion was purposeful—no branches snapped, no steps misplaced. She leapt from tree to tree with effortless grace, sometimes brushing a trunk only once before darting off in a new direction.

Amos moved like the forest had personally help Mira almost eliminate him.

BOOM!

A rock shattered beneath his foot.

CRASH!

He burst through a bush.

FWOOOSH!

He launched over a river. Mira glanced back.

"..."

He moved closer.

She frowned.

Drew the bow.

Released.

Three arrows flew.

Amos’s eyes widened.

They split midair.

Three became nine.

"Oh."

Nine arrows curved in from all directions. Amos twisted, one slipping beneath his arm, another grazing past his neck. He batted the third away with a sharp slap. Duck. Step. Spin. Leap.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

The final arrow came from behind. Amos caught it.

"..."

He stared at the arrow in his hand. Then smiled.

"That's cool."

Mira looked back. Her expression finally changed.

"Caught?"

Amos threw it away. Then accelerated.

BOOOOOOM!

Mira’s eyes widened—he was gaining, fast. Too fast. The Gale Striders were absurd. She switched tactics in an instant, skidding to a halt before spinning around and drawing her bow. Amos finally spotted her, perched high in a distant tree, green hair flowing, long ears sharp, bowstring taut. Their eyes locked.

"..."

"..."

Amos smiled.

Twang.

An arrow flew past. Amos sidestepped, and it missed. He picked up speed.

"Got you."

Mira’s fingers shifted, the arrow spun, and Amos’s eyes went wide.

"Huh?"

SHIIIIING!

He ducked just in time. The arrow whipped past, barely missing the back of his head. Mira had already vanished.

Amos blinked—then burst out laughing.

"HAHA!"

He changed direction. The hunt continued.

One kilometer. Then two. Then three. Across rivers, through ruins, over cliffs. Mira never fought head-on. Whenever Amos drew near—arrow, trap, misdirection. She’d change course, vanish without a trace. Eventually, Amos stepped into a clearing. Hunter’s Eye lit up with a golden glow? Why did it suddenly can detect her?

He rushed.

Click.

His hand grabbed a badge.

"..."

The applicant turned. A random boy stared at him.

"...Hello?"

Amos froze.

"You're not the elf."

The boy blinked.

"What?"

Far away,

Mira lowered her hand. A faint green thread connected her finger to the boy's badge. She had manipulated the signature.

Amos slowly looked toward the distant trees.

"..."

Mira was already running. His eyes widened.

"You can really do that?!"

The random boy looked confused.

"Do what?"

Amos removed his badge.

Click.

"...Sorry."

"WAIT—"

Flash.

Gone.

Amos resumed the chase.

***

The academy was losing its mind.

"HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN RUNNING?!"

A student pointed at the screen.

"Because she almost shot him!"

Another corrected him.

"No."

They watched Amos smiling while pursuing the elf through the forest.

"He looks like he's having fun."

***

Mira’s breathing quickened—not from exhaustion, but from pressure. The Gale Striders gave Amos a huge edge in raw speed, while she held the advantage in terrain: sharper navigation, better concealment, stronger long-range control. Yet every time she gained distance, he closed it. Every time she hid, he found her trail. Every time she struck, he adapted. Her ears twitched—something behind her, fast. She spun just as Amos appeared, twenty meters away. Her eyes widened. Finally. Close. Too close. Amos smiled.

"Got you."

At ten meters, Mira let an arrow fly straight at him. Amos tilted his head—miss. At five meters, his hand reached for her badge. Mira held his gaze. Then, she smiled, just a little.

"...?"

Amos's instincts screamed. He stopped. The ground beneath him lit up.

"Oh shi—."

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

A massive wind formation erupted. Amos was launched upward.

"WHAAAAAAAA—?!"

Mira instantly turned and bolted, while Amos tumbled through the air—once, twice, three times—before steadying himself. Glancing down, he saw Mira already hundreds of meters ahead.

"..."

His eyes widened.

"NO!"

He landed.

BOOM!

He took off in an instant.

But—

The silver lines on his boots shimmered.

Amos stopped dead.

"..."

Gale Striders

Remaining Duration: 00:03

"...No."

00:02

"Wait."

00:01

"WAIT—"

The silver light vanished. Amos took one final boosted step.

FWOOOSH!

Then—nothing. His next step slipped back into its usual rhythm.

"..."

Amos stopped.

Far away, Mira reached the edge of the forest.

She glanced back. Amos stood in the distance. Their eyes met across hundreds of meters.

"..."

"..."

Mira lifted two fingers in a simple peace sign. A small gesture of farewell. She stepped back slowly, then vanished into the trees.

Amos stared into the silence. The forest had gone still. His temporary speed boost was gone, and Hunter’s Eye had faded. Mira’s presence had vanished without a trace.

"..."

Amos glanced left. Nothing. Then right. Still nothing. He stretched out his mana senses, but there was nothing there. His eyes swept over the trees—no trail, no sound, no movement, no hint of mana.

"..."

She slipped away.

Amos stood still for a few moments. A smile spread across his face.

"...She got away."

High above, the academy students,

"YESSSSSSSSSS! SHE GOT AWAYYYYYYYY!!!!!"

"You really need to stop gambling away your points, Wright."

***

Amos placed one hand over his face.

"She actually got away!"

His pulse still raced.

The arrow. The chase. The traps. The forged signature. The returning shot. The final swirl of wind. He’d tracked her across half the region, and she still manage to slip away.

Amos glanced up at the board of note. Mira Cedar Dale.

"Alright."

He memorized the name, properly this time.

"Mira."

Far away, tucked deep within another part of the forest—

The elf paused. Her ears gave a slight twitch. She glanced back toward the distant woods.

"..."

Then at her bow, Mira stared. She had barely missed. And afterward, she spent nearly ten minutes being chased like prey by a boy whose smile only grew wider the longer the pursuit went on.

"Dawn."

She quietly stored the arrow.

Then disappeared deeper into the forest.

Above them—

The player count continued falling.

700

691

686