"How can a place like this exist in the Endless Wilderness? I remember there being nothing here before." Salin stroked his goatee, looking at the others with some confusion.

"Beats me," Colin said with a noncommittal laugh.

The group walked down the dirt slope and onto the stone-paved ground.

They proceeded cautiously, making their way to the front of the statue.

There was nothing strange about this platform. No monsters, no traps, not even a single soul in sight. Everything was as dead and still as any other place in the Endless Wilderness.

A few skeletons were scattered around the statue.

Many of the skeletons were bare, while others were still clad in robes that had yet to be shredded by time.

"What’s the deal with this place?" Kase asked, looking around while holding his Shield and Ice Short Spear.

Colin looked at the skeletons on the ground. "Judging by the state of these corpses, they could be from anywhere between a few decades to several centuries ago. And they all seem to have been Mages or scholars... Too bad this stuff is all junk. Nothing valuable."

"This was once the land of the Elves; you all should know that. This might be some kind of cursed Elven ruin. I’ve brought you here, so whatever you need to do, do it quickly so we can leave quickly!" Salin said. "Dammit, I’m getting goosebumps all over."

Colin glanced at the [Silent] ring on his hand.

The item looked the same as before, with no changes whatsoever.

’So what is this commission even about?’ Colin wondered as he reached a hand toward the statue.

A cold wind swept past.

The rubble on the ground began to tremble. Countless fragments floated into the air and flew toward the broken bricks and walls. A large pile of stones drifted before Colin’s eyes, forming a slender, girlish arm, before finally flying back to the statue to become its missing limb.

’What’s happening?’

Snapping back to his senses, Colin looked behind him.

The others had all vanished into thin air. The fractured ground beneath his feet had transformed into smooth, beautiful marble tiles. Several rings of stone walls had appeared out of nowhere, with broken stone pillars supporting a towering dome. And upon that dome were exquisite paintings depicting Elves dancing.

This place appeared to be the main hall of a temple.

He turned back around.

The statue before Colin was now whole. The creator’s transcendent skill made the stone-carved dancing girl look lifelike, down to the sheer, delicate veil covering her graceful body.

’So is this an illusion?’

Colin reached out and touched the statue’s base.

The sensation was so real that it almost made him believe his journey with Kase and the others had been the illusion, and this place was the real world...

A few slivers of light seeped through from opposite the statue.

The great doors on the opposite side opened, and a figure emerged from within.

From a distance, it looked like a person wearing a Chain Armor Shirt... No, judging by the ears, the figure was an Elf, but his face was shrouded in a phantasmal haze, making it impossible to see clearly.

And from the cold glint of the long sword held in both his hands, he clearly meant trouble.

The doors closed, and the Elf advanced slowly.

Colin threw his backpack on the ground.

As he drew the Elf Giant Sword, he smoothly pulled the leather sheath off the blade.

The Hand Half Sword and Dagger at his waist were still in place, and the Holy Water and Weak Antidote were in the pouch on his belt. In other words, his condition was the same as it was outside.

’So this must be some kind of test?’ Colin thought. ’Do I have to defeat this Elf?’

The moment his opponent stepped into the range of [Flaming Arrow]—

Colin made the hand gesture and recited the Spell.

’Huh?’

But he found that even though his mouth was moving, he couldn’t make a single sound.

He touched his throat and tried to speak again, but still no sound came out. Not only that, but the clinking of his Chain Armor as he moved had also vanished. It wasn’t just quiet—all sound had completely disappeared.

Even stranger, Colin could feel that something was missing around him... That’s it, the Magic Net! The fluctuations from the Magic Net, which he had been able to faintly sense ever since learning Tier One Magic, were completely gone here!

’Dammit, now I can’t cast any Magic even if I could make a sound!’

Colin turned and ran, sprinting all the way to the stone wall. Still, his footsteps made no sound, and his ears heard nothing but a faint ringing.

The Elf with the long sword slowly closed in.

Moving slightly faster than his opponent, Colin ran to the main doors. Just as he’d thought, they were sealed shut, giving him no chance to push them open.

There was nothing else around him. All he could rely on were the weapons in his hands.

’There’s nothing to be afraid of if it’s just swords,’ Colin thought. ’I’ve faced plenty of opponents so far, anyway.’

He took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the Elf Giant Sword, and turned to walk step-by-step toward his opponent.

As they neared each other, the Elf spread his legs, lowering his blade with the tip pointing forward and down. It looked like some kind of stance, and it seemed to be a Swordsmanship stance Colin had seen in videos before.

In the instant Colin hesitated on whether to attack—

The Elf twisted his wrist, and the long sword flashed with a cold light.

Thanks to his [Attack Prediction] Specialty, Colin instantly knew something was wrong and quickly leaned back. A sudden coldness flashed across his finger as his opponent’s long sword slashed past his front, drawing a line of blood.

Looking down, he saw a fine cut had indeed appeared on his finger.

’If I hadn’t leaned back, my finger would’ve been lopped off.’

His attempt to take the hand having failed, the Elf leaped back to create distance.

Unwilling to let it go, Colin strode forward and brought his sword down in a backhanded chop aimed at his opponent’s head.

However, the Elf simply took a large step to Colin’s side, raising his long sword high. Colin could only watch as his giant sword struck the long sword’s guard, sending a shower of sparks.

At the same time, Colin felt an impact on his forehead.

The two separated as quickly as they had clashed.

The Elf shook his numb palm and adjusted his grip. The heavy, powerful blow from the giant sword had taken its toll on him.

Colin wiped away the warm stream of liquid trickling from the end of his eyebrow down his cheek.

’While he was defending with his sword guard, he must have twisted his long sword and struck my head with the blade. If it weren’t for my chainmail coif, my head would probably be split open right now!’

’One exchange, and I was completely defeated in both offense and defense!’

’This level of control over distance and the blade...’ Colin took a deep breath. He seemed to recall seeing something like this in a game from his past life, like Celestial Kingdom Salvation. ’Was it called a Master Strike or something?’

It was obvious that his opponent’s Swordsmanship was leagues beyond his own.

Even with his [Attack Prediction] Specialty, Colin could roughly tell what his opponent would do next, but he couldn’t react in time or counter it.

’And judging by the pain in my finger, this fight is for real. What happens if I lose? Will I become one of those corpses outside?’

His opponent stood in the distance, taking a stance. Colin took a deep breath.

He gripped his sword with both hands and pointed the tip at his opponent, maintaining a defensive posture.

But this fight wasn’t a guaranteed loss.

Judging from their brief exchange, his enemy’s physical abilities were actually on the same level as his own. The opponent had no advantage in either Power or Speed.

But the gap in skill was an insurmountable chasm.

’So if I want to win, I’ll have to find another way.’

Although his giant sword wasn’t much longer than his opponent’s long sword, its broad blade packed a lot of power. In terms of chopping power, he could definitely overwhelm the Elf.

Besides the Elf Giant Sword, he was also carrying two backup weapons, giving him an advantage in terms of equipment.

Just as Colin was thinking, the Elf across from him moved again.