Chapter 573

【 LEGEND OF THE MAD ELVES 】

—

Fort Collins, across the river from the northern edge of the Elven Forest.

Ever since the divine kingdom of the World Tree had appeared, Fort Collins had seen an influx of ferrymen who made extra income by transporting ambitious adventurers across the river.

After the warrior Athos decided to head for the Elven Forest, he and his retainer Hercules boarded a ferry along with some other adventurers.

Compared to the wide lower reaches of the river, the upper stream of the Vymur River was more relatively narrow. As such, a round trip by ferry took less than twenty minutes.

On this side of the river, a makeshift dock had been hastily assembled using rough-hewn timber and rope. Though crude in appearance, it served its purpose well enough, creaking under the weight of constant foot traffic.

More adventurers had gathered at the dock, drawn by the allure of the divine ruins. They came from various races, though the majority of them were human.

The adventurers’ strength varied greatly, but even the weakest among them were Iron-rank experts. There were also many Silver-rank adventurers, who were rarely seen in the town on weekdays.

This demonstrated the immense appeal of the divine ruins to these adventurers who sought fame and fortune.

Moreover, these adventurers had established a rudimentary wooden outpost on the riverbank. Tall wooden walls and patrolling mercenaries could be seen from afar.

As the ferry reached the shore, a group of arrogant-looking mercenaries immediately approached to collect gold coins from the passengers.

“That’s the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group,” explained the ferryman. “They built this outpost to support those venturing into the divine ruins. However… as you can see, every adventurer who enters must pay five gold coins as a protection fee.”

A murmur of discontent spread among the newly arrived adventurers.

“Five gold coins? Why not just rob us outright?” someone exclaimed.

While five gold pounds might seem insignificant to experienced adventurers, perhaps not even enough for a single night of entertainment at a casino, the same amount is equivalent to nearly a full year’s income for an average civilian family in the Empire.

“There’s no helping it. That’s the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group’s rule. Everyone who enters this outpost must comply with their demands. They are the largest mercenary group here in the North, with several Gold-rank mercenaries among them. Unless you have the strength to challenge them, you’d better follow their rules.”

The ferryman shook his head.

“We’re not getting off here then! Let’s find another landing spot!” someone shouted angrily.

“Exactly!” others quickly echoed.

The ferryman sighed and said helplessly, “My lords, I advise you to just pay the fee. It’s for your own good.”

This only further agitated the adventurers.

“What? Has the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group grown so arrogant? Just because they have ties to the Northern Elector?”

“They can’t force us if we don’t enter their outpost!”

“Right! We can still reach the divine ruins without passing by their base!”

The adventurers were indignant, but the ferryman sighed again and explained:

“Yes My lords, you can indeed avoid this outpost, but without their protection, you may not survive being hunted by the elves…”

“The elves… will hunt us down?”

The adventurers looked at each other in surprise.

“Indeed,” the ferryman replied. “Since you are all here for the divine ruins, you should know which god laid claim to them. Not to mention, the ruins originally belonged to a fallen deity once worshipped by the elves. So, any adventurer who approaches the area will not be spared by them…”

“The elves of the Elven Forest… Are they really that dangerous?” one adventurer asked skeptically.

The ferryman nodded.

“Absolutely. Among seasoned adventurers who frequently explore the ruins, there is a well-known saying that ‘Facing demons or magical beasts can be manageable, but exercise utmost caution should you encounter an elf.’”

“If you can’t kill them all at once, then prepare yourselves to be hunted down relentlessly.”

“I’m sure many of you have already heard the rumors about them. These crazed elves, once provoked, will not stop until they have hunted down every member of your group. They are absolutely ruthless.”

“Unless you have Gold-rank strength or can reach this outpost in time, you’ll almost certainly regret it if any of you encountered them…”

The newly arrived adventurers looked at one another in silence, their expressions darkening. The ferryman then pointed toward the outpost and continued:

“Don’t be fooled by how sturdy this place looks. This is actually the fifth outpost the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group has built. The previous four were deeper in the forest and closer to the ruins but all were destroyed by the elves.”

“Luckily, the elves haven’t discovered the location of this one yet. It’s also near the river, and the mercenary group has boats on standby. So if an elven attack does come, they can retreat quickly.”

The mood among the adventurers grew heavier with each word.

“Are the elves truly that powerful?” one adventurer asked, his tone laced with concern.

“My Lords, it’s not merely a matter of strength,” the ferryman replied with a measured voice. “How should I explain it… You’ll understand when you encounter them yourselves. It’s not their might alone—it’s their madness. There’s something unhinged about them.”

He paused briefly, then added, “In any case, we’ve arrived. I wish you all the best of luck. May fortune favor your journey within the divine ruins.”

As the ferry came to a halt against the worn dock, several mercenaries from the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group immediately stepped forward to receive them.

Though the adventurers initially grumbled in discontent, they soon resigned themselves to the process and paid the required fee in gold without further resistance.

They were left with few options once they realized the mercenaries tasked with collecting the fees were all of upper Silver rank. In stark contrast, not a single adventurer aboard the boat had reached even mid-Silver rank. Faced with such an obvious disparity in strength, most of them quickly abandoned any thought of resistance, understanding that provoking a conflict would only lead to unnecessary humiliation or worse.

One by one, the passengers disembarked.

Soon, it was Athos and Hercules’s turn.

When asked to pay, the orc Hercules gave a cold sneer and briefly released a display of his aura.

The mercenary’s expression changed instantly.

Fortunately, Hercules withdrew his aura just as quickly.

The mercenary immediately stepped aside respectfully, saying nothing more about payment, and allowed the two to disembark freely.

Hercules gave another cold laugh, then followed Athos into the outpost.

Strength commands privilege everywhere.

Within the outpost, the number of adventurers was even greater.

In addition, the two saw many merchant stalls selling supplies specifically for exploring the divine ruins.

Many of these merchants came from various parts of the Empire, though there were also representatives from other races and factions.

Athos even spotted a stall operated by a Dark Dwarf company called “Amway Company” or something. He couldn’t help but wonder what had possessed these underground-dwelling folks to travel so far to set up shop here.

Of course, the two merely glanced at the stalls and didn’t pay much attention. They were simply passing through this outpost as their true destination was the nearby elven city of Winterhold.

Hercules had already acquired a map from the black market, produced by the Adventurer’s Guild, which marked the approximate location of Winterhold. All that remained was to head there directly.

However, just as they were about to leave the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group’s outpost, a warrior in a hurry called out to them:

“Please wait, sirs! Are you planning to enter the divine ruins?”

The speaker was a heavily armored warrior of upper Gold rank.

“What do you want?” Athos replied, without confirming or denying it.

The warrior hesitated, then offered a somewhat unrefined Imperial salute.

“I am Hans, vice-commander of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group. Judging by your presence, I assume you’re both high-ranking experts. May I ask for your esteemed names?”

“Athos,” the human replied simply.

“Heh,” Hercules merely let out a dismissive snort.

Hans didn’t mind the orc’s attitude. After all, tensions between orcs and humans were common, and it was clear that the human warrior was the leader of the pair.

Upon hearing the name “Athos,” Hans raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Athos? A most distinguished name, sir. It is the same as that of the Empire’s revered Founding God of War.”

At the mention of the Empire’s founding war deity, a faint, wistful smile appeared on Athos’s lips and an almost imperceptible flicker of nostalgia crossed his eyes.

That had been his name and identity back when he was still mortal.

In a distant past, he had been one of the founding heroes of the Holy Maniya Empire. However, due to conflicts of faith, he had ultimately forsaken all he once had.

Unaware that his casual compliment had touched on a deeply personal note, Hans continued:

“Sir Athos, high-ranking experts are forbidden from entering the divine ruins. If they force their way in, their power will be forcibly suppressed below Gold rank…”

“Therefore, if you’re planning to enter the ruins, I strongly urge you to reconsider. In the ruins, high-ranking adventurers are actually in greater danger than lower-ranked ones. Those mad elves specifically target powerful individuals. In fact, quite a few Gold-ranked adventurers have already perished there.”

Athos looked slightly surprised upon hearing this.

Hercules, however, snorted in derision.

“Elves? They only have the advantage because of the divine suppression inside the ruins. I’d love to see how formidable they really are if I meet them here in the forest.”

Hans glanced at him, then chuckled and shook his head.

“Sir, I strongly advise you to not underestimate those elves. Even outside the ruins, encountering them posed quite a serious risk.”

“Have you heard of Svard, the Sword Saint? He’s a living legend, yet even he was gravely wounded in a recent skirmish with the elves. His entire body was severely burned after being struck by numerous elven spells.”

“And he didn’t even enter the ruins! he was attacked here outside.”

“It’s unfortunate. When I asked him later on about how he was injured but Sword Saint Svard refused to explain. He only cursed those vile, mad elves with great fury.”

Hans spread his hands.

“Based on the nature of his wounds, I suspect the elves possess at least one legendary-rank expert, either someone adept in fire or lightning magic.”

Legendary-rank elves?

This remark finally made Hercules’s expression turn serious.

However, his seriousness was quickly replaced by fervor.

“Heh, that’s even better,” he said with a twisted grin. “I’ve never fought a legendary elf before.”

He chuckled darkly as he patted the crimson battle axe on his back.

Hans froze for a brief moment.

But when his gaze fell on the red axe Hercules carried, a flicker of suspicion and surprise passed through his eyes. But before Hans could ponder further, he heard Athos speak again:

“Thank you for the warning. We’ll be cautious.”

With that, he gestured to Hercules and the two continued on their way.

Hans seemed like he still wanted to say something, but when his eyes fell once more on the crimson battle axe on Hercules’s back, his expression became even more uncertain. In the end, he remained silent.

It was only after the two had walked far into the distance did Hans turn back toward the outpost. As he walked, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself:

“That axe… it looks a lot like the one wielded by the legendary berserker warrior Hercules of the Orc Alliance…”

“No… it couldn’t be. The rumors say Hercules is extremely proud and arrogant, especially contemptuous of humans. There’s no way he would serve under one.”

“Unless…”

He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly pausing in his steps.

Turning to look in the direction the two had gone, Hans’s expression was filled with doubt and shock.

“Athos… the God of War Athos?! One of the Eight Divine Human Champions of War?!”

“No… it can’t be, could it?”

༺⟐༻

After departing from the adventurer outpost, Athos and Hercules proceeded steadily into the depths of the Elven Forest, using the map as their guide.

With each step forward, the presence of other adventurers diminished noticeably. By the time they crossed into the zone marked in red on the map—a clear warning of heightened elven activity—the forest had fallen into an eerie silence. Not a single other soul was in sight, as if the very air discouraged intrusion.

“Who would’ve thought that after just a few centuries, the elves have become such a fearsome race,” Athos remarked, shaking his head slightly.

“Heh, I’m actually getting more curious now. A legendary-ranked elf? I’d love a proper duel,” Hercules sneered coldly.

Athos responded with a look of helplessness.

Soon, however, his gaze swept subtly to a spot nearby, a hint of amusement in his voice:

“Oh? I see no legendary elves yet amongst them, but quite a few Silver-ranked ones.”

“And it seems they’ve been tailing us ever since we left the outpost. Apparently, the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group’s base isn’t as hidden as they thought.”

Hercules also turned to glance in the same direction, letting out a contemptuous chuckle:

“Just as the rumors say… These elves are as cunning as humans.”

“Unfortunately, in the face of absolute power, all schemes and tricks are nothing more than pathetic self-deception.”

He snorted.

“Elves! There’s no need to hide yourselves. We already know you’re there.”

With that, Hercules grabbed the crimson battle axe from his back and swung it forcefully into the ground.

A thunderous crack split the earth as a massive fissure tore forward through the forest floor, reaching a spot in the distance where it immediately caused chaos and a string of startled curses:

“Damn it, how are we exposed?!”

“This one’s looks pretty tough… probably a high-level elite!”

“Even better! more rewards for us!”

“Let’s test them out first!”

“Hey, don’t forget to send the coordinates with the other parties—”

“Got it!”

With those words, the forest erupted with shouting and the sounds of weapons being drawn.

To Athos and Hercules’s surprise, more than a dozen elves in ornate armor suddenly leapt out from nearby thickets, yelling as they charged in their direction, just like a band of roadside bandits.

The only problem was… their strength was pitifully lacking.

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