novelraw Chapter 80
Chapter 80
Ch.80 I’ll Kill You First!
Reuniting with Hans after so long stirred memories in Nekhuf.
“Heh heh, you must’ve been shocked, Brother?”
Nekhuf had deeply missed seeing Hans again.
Months ago, Hans and his disciple Leah had visited his village—and changed Nekhuf’s life forever.
Back then, desperate to leave on a journey but unable to do so, Nekhuf had begged Hans to take him along.
But Hans had flatly refused, wounding the young Nekhuf—though timid, he was still regarded as one of the strongest in his village.
So Nekhuf challenged Hans to a duel.
Though Hans was clearly the master of Leah, a girl brimming with immense magic, he’d seemed weak to Nekhuf at the time.
Full of confidence, Nekhuf launched his attack—yet not a single strike landed on Hans.
Normally, Nekhuf’s magic-sensing ability was exceptional. Even blind, he could pinpoint exactly where anyone was.
His elven hearing was sharp, and having lost his sight, his other senses had grown extraordinarily acute. He’d assumed someone as unassuming as Hans would be easy to overpower.
But with just two spells, Hans rendered Nekhuf’s famed senses utterly useless.
—Fog!
—Silence!
Using an unimaginable method, Hans effortlessly shut down Nekhuf’s perception and won with ease.
In that short time, Hans had already identified Nekhuf’s weakness and prepared perfectly.
At first, Nekhuf fell into deep despair.
If everyone in the world could so easily find and exploit his weakness, he’d always lose.
Overcoming that weakness proved far harder than he’d imagined.
It wasn’t mere physical training—it was something entirely different.
He had to learn to ignore the magic within the fog and sense the true target behind it—a high-level, almost paradoxical discipline.
It was like straining your eyes to see through thick fog… yet no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t actually pierce it.
All Nekhuf could do was fight to maintain his sense of direction amid the dense magic radiating from the fog.
He strained every nerve to heighten his magic-sensing ability—but raw effort alone wouldn’t sharpen his senses.
“Hah… hah…”
Gasping for breath, Nekhuf panted heavily. Nephert, who had conjured the fog, approached him with a worried expression.
“Nekhuf, are you okay?”
She pulled a fine handkerchief from her pocket and gently wiped his sweat—but Nekhuf remained utterly focused on something else.
‘I can’t… just give up on my dream.’
Seeing him so absorbed he didn’t even notice the handkerchief’s delicate scent, Nephert pinched his cheek lightly.
“Nekhuf! Are you really alright?”
“Hah… hah… sorry… I was lost in thought.”
Watching him struggle to catch his breath, her heart ached.
‘Why not just… live here forever? You fool.’
She remembered the promise they’d made as children.
But to Nephert, that promise had never felt truly binding—in fact, she now regretted ever making it.
‘You don’t need to keep that promise… just stay by my side.’
The very day Hans and Leah left, Nekhuf began his training.
Nephert suspected it was their influence.
She gave a bitter smile.
“Seriously, why start this all of a sudden?”
“Hah… I just realized my weakness. So I’m trying to fix it.”
“But you’ve always sensed magic so well! Do you really need to go this far?”
Nephert was proud of Nekhuf.
For a blind person to reach his current strength was nothing short of a miracle.
Yet that strength still wasn’t enough for the dream he pursued—because Nekhuf wanted to become the greatest adventurer in the world.
“Yeah. I can’t just stay put. I have to…”
‘…become someone like Brother Hans.’
To Nekhuf, Hans was truly extraordinary.
He’d overcome racial differences and used ingenious methods to teach a young elf who prided himself as the village’s strongest.
As the master of Leah—the one who defeated the Demon King—Hans was surely the strongest human in the world.
Nekhuf had even mistaken Hans’s calm demeanor for weakness, not realizing it was mastery concealed.
Now, thinking of Hans, he pushed himself toward even greater heights.
But life rarely goes as planned.
Watching Nekhuf struggle to find a solution, Nephert finally spoke in frustration.
“What if you just summoned a wind spirit to blow the fog away?”
“A wind spirit?”
Nephert nodded matter-of-factly.
“Yeah. Fog can always be cleared by wind spirits or wind-based magic, right?”
“Oh? Wait a second…”
Seeing him fall deep in thought, Nephert sighed inwardly.
‘Ugh… please tell me you didn’t overlook something this obvious.’
Her suggestion was simple—basic, even.
At first, Nekhuf had been overwhelmed by the sudden Fog Magic, but after replaying the duel in his mind many times, he’d considered using wind to dispel it.
‘What if I use the wind?’
An idea struck him. Nekhuf immediately summoned a wind spirit.
“Sylph!”
His voice echoed—and a tiny spirit appeared before him.
A small, translucent girl with a greenish hue flew straight into Nekhuf’s face and nuzzled him.
—Nuzzle, nuzzle.
Enjoying the cool, gentle touch of the adorable wind spirit, Nekhuf gently pushed her away.
“Long time no see, Sylph. Can you stir the wind around us?”
At his request, little Sylph beamed and nodded—and a refreshing breeze filled the air.
Feeling the desert heat momentarily cool, Nekhuf sat down on the ground and focused on the airflow.
The heat rising from the hot sand… the wind Sylph created…
Nekhuf concentrated every sense on the currents of wind and the magic dispersed in the air.
‘If I can sense the wind even better…’
He began to perceive the subtle shifts in airflow caused by moving objects.
Compared to magic—which required tactile-like sensitivity—wind felt slightly easier to detect.
Nekhuf poured all his focus into honing this new perception.
“Nekhuf, what are you trying to do?”
Nephert watched quietly as he strained to feel the gentle breeze.
She didn’t understand his goal—but knew better than to interrupt his intense concentration.
Time passed.
Deeply immersed in the nuances of wind and air, Nekhuf finally hit a new threshold.
He started sensing the minute disturbances in airflow created by any moving form.
‘Ah… finally.’
Touched by this small breakthrough, Nekhuf nearly wept.
At last, he’d found the answer to the trial Hans had set before him.
After that, Nekhuf and Nephert set off on their journey.
The appearance of a Sand Elf couple in the human world drew attention—both good and ill.
Their striking beauty, exceptional archery, and spirit magic made them objects of fascination.
Some admired them; others wanted to capture and sell them as slaves.
But Nekhuf, having already overcome his trial, easily defeated all who threatened them—and soon earned fame as a formidable adventurer.
They searched for Set’s Dungeon… and eventually found it.
To them—raised on ancient tales of the Sand Elves and King Set—the dungeon was a dream made real.
When Nephert saw its entrance, she couldn’t believe her eyes.
No one had ever expected Nekhuf to reach this far.
Everyone—including Nephert—had assumed he’d return within days of leaving the village.
She’d even prepared comforting words for when he came back heartbroken.
Instead, here he stood—proud and triumphant before the legendary dungeon.
The entrance, half-buried in desolate sands, bore engraved hieroglyphs that unmistakably confirmed its identity.
“I never… thought you’d actually find it.”
Hearing Nephert’s disbelief, Nekhuf was surprised too.
He’d followed rumors without certainty—and at the time, his “eyes of wind and magic” hadn’t fully awakened yet.
“Are you sure this is really Set’s Dungeon?”
Nephert brushed away the sand covering the hieroglyphs on the wall.
“Yes. These glyphs spell King Set’s name.”
A faint tremor. Overwhelming emotion. How many times had they dreamed of this moment as children?
As excitement slowly spread through him, Nekhuf let out a deep breath.
“Hah…”
‘I’ve finally made it here.’
His long-awaited goal—his dream—was now just… one step away.
As Nekhuf conquered the dungeon, he defeated every half-beast, half-human guardian—until at last, he reached Set’s chamber.
Before him stood a monstrous figure: over two meters tall, muscular, with a dog-like face and an even longer snout.
In its hand gleamed a long, golden metallic spear.
Nephert believed Nekhuf could easily handle it.
His swordsmanship was divine, his arrows swift and precise, and his unpredictable spirit-based attacks had felled every foe.
Even Leah herself, she thought, couldn’t easily defeat the Nekhuf of today.
But…
“Ugh! What the?!”
“Nephert, watch out! It’s too fast!”
The attack—powered by a violent sandstorm—was devastating.
The sand, carried by wind, was sharp and strong enough to shatter stone.
“Kyaaah!”
The gust grazed Nephert’s shoulder, tearing flesh—and the two barely escaped with their lives.
“Nephert!”
At his panicked cry, she forced a calm reply.
“I’m fine! Just focus!”
Though her skin was ripped open and dark red blood seeped out, she pretended nothing was wrong.
‘Stay calm, Nekhuf.’
But unlike her hope, Nekhuf had already caught her scent—blood filled his nose.
‘What do I do? Where is it?’
Just as Hans once deceived his senses with Fog Magic, Nekhuf now strained to sense magic—but to little effect.
Set’s sandstorm was saturated with dense magic, overwhelming his perception.
Helpless against the swirling sands, Nekhuf refused to accept death.
He bit his lip hard and shouted,
“Damn it! Sylph! Blow the wind away!”
The wind spirit tried her best—but she couldn’t overcome Set’s immense power.
This was the might of a king who had spent millennia plotting vengeance against the Sand Elves—far beyond a minor spirit’s capacity.
Though their elemental affinities clashed, Nekhuf dodged Set’s attacks as best he could—but Nephert couldn’t keep up.
“Urgh!”
—So my enemy comes to me willingly. Become food for the sands!
A massive sand vortex surged toward Nekhuf—but he leapt and weaved, narrowly avoiding it.
‘I have to kill Set—the one controlling the wind! Otherwise…’
He couldn’t keep dodging forever.
—Heh heh. Die!
Sensing lethal intent right in front of him, Nekhuf swung his sword blindly.
—Clang!
—Hoo? Blind as you are, you read my killing intent?
Mocked by Set’s taunting voice, Nekhuf snapped back,
“Shut up, you stubborn undead…!”
—Thud!
He never finished his sentence.
Set drove his knee straight into Nekhuf’s stomach.
“Kuhk!”
—Child of my enemy. Repent for entering this place.
“Run, Nekhuf!”
As Set raised his spear to strike Nekhuf down—a single, extraordinary arrow shot forth from Nephert.
—Tch!
Swinging his spear wide to block it, Set turned—and found Nekhuf had already retreated to a safe distance.
In that brief clash, Nekhuf had felt the crushing weight of Set’s overwhelming power.
“Hah… hah…”
His will was already broken.
—I’ll kill you first!
As Set lunged toward Nephert like a bolt of lightning, spear in hand—
—Pwock…!
“Kuhk…”
The long golden spear pierced straight through Nephert’s abdomen.
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