[Art of Creation has been unlocked. The system is active.]
What… what is this?
A translucent panel flickered before Grey's eyes, filled with lines of shifting text. The only words he caught were his full name — not just Grey.
Name: Grey Stardel
What the hell is this? I don't have time for this now!
The Chieftain was charging after Elaine.
But something was different.
Grey realized that his body wasn't frozen anymore. He wasn't healed, but strength had returned to his legs and arms — the pain was still there, but his limbs obeyed.
He pushed himself up, snatched the axe from the ground, and ran.
Nothing about his body had changed. He only felt a faint rush of energy, enough to push through the exhaustion. The pain still lingered, but it no longer controlled him.
Ahead, the sound of battle echoed through the trees.
I'm not late!
He ran toward it, guided by the sound. In the moonlight, he saw Elaine circling the trees, shooting arrows while dodging the Chieftain's swings. Each movement was desperate but precise.
She was trembling, exhausted, but still fighting.
Grey was surprised she had lasted this long. Her shots glanced off the Chieftain's hide. None pierced it. Sweat darkened her hair and ran down her jaw.
She can't keep this up much longer.
He moved between the trees, using them for cover. No matter how strong he was, there was no chance he could kill the Chieftain in a single strike — but maybe he could wound him.
When Elaine's eyes caught his, she froze for a heartbeat, relief flashing across her face. The pause nearly cost her — the Chieftain's iron bar swung close enough to brush her sleeve. She ducked just in time and understood what Grey intended.
She shifted, keeping herself opposite him so the Chieftain's back stayed turned.
Grey crept closer, careful not to make a sound.
Where should I strike?
His axe was dull. It had grown blunt after his earlier battles — one solo kill and countless clashes in the forest. Cutting through the Chieftain's hide would be impossible.
Then something caught his attention.
Rings — faint, gray circles — shimmered around the Chieftain's legs, right behind the knees. They looked exactly like the markings he saw when using his Art of Wood.
He couldn't see it himself, but his left eye flashed purple for a brief second. The change was so quick that even Elaine didn't notice.
He didn't have time to question it. He simply acted.
Grey swung his axe toward the Chieftain's diamond-shaped joint behind the kneecap. The creature sensed danger too late. The blade sank deep into the joint.
The Chieftain howled, staggering. The axe cut far deeper than Grey expected — impossibly deep for a weapon that dull. The pain was enough to drop the giant to one knee.
But Grey had no time to wonder why. He was too close now. Even wounded, the Chieftain could crush him with one swing.
He rolled aside, forcing distance between them, then struck again — this time at the other leg.
A roar split the forest. The Chieftain dropped, both knees buckling, his body shaking the ground. Grey stumbled back to avoid the fall.
Elaine seized the opening. Her bow drew taut, and an arrow flew — straight into the Chieftain's left eye.
The beast screamed, thrashing violently. It wasn't dead, not yet. The hit had blinded it on one side, but its fury made it even more dangerous.
Grey held his axe tighter.
Why aren't there any more weak points?
He looked at the Chieftain's head, heart, or other weaker areas, unable to see any weak points.
He didn't know if the Chieftain had no more weak points or if he simply couldn't see them.
He didn't even know how he could see the weak points of something other than wood.
Maybe it was a hallucination, and there weren't any gray rings. Perhaps he was just lucky to attack the right spot.
Then another ring appeared — this one black — encircling the Chieftain's left shoulder.
What the hell?
Why would his Art show a black ring there? He remembered what the colors meant. White marked minor weak spots, gray showed structural points, and black indicated something vital — something that, when cut, destroyed the whole.
For example, each branch of a tree was shown with a white ring since they didn't affect the tree, but still a weakness since they were easy to cut.
On the other hand, the roots had black rings since, when they were cut, the tree would die.
The trunk had gray rings. It wasn't easy to cut the trunk, but since the tree was immobile, hitting the same spot was easy.
Of course, while chopping trees, a weakness was a weakness. The colors didn't mean much.
But now... The weakness ring was telling Grey that if he were to cut the left arm, it would harm the Chieftain greatly.
If that's true… cutting the arm might cripple him.
Since he had no other chances, he approached the Chieftain, only for him to swing his hands.
It wouldn't be easy to approach, but there was a way. Thankfully, Elaine's arrow had hit his left eye.
Is that the reason I can see the left arm as a weakness?
He remembered the difference between seeing a weakness and the color of the ring. A neck would always be fatal, but if it wasn't vulnerable at the moment, the Art wouldn't show it.
He breathed once, steady and slow.
This will have to do.
The Chieftain's arm swept across the air, forcing Grey to time his move. As the next swing passed, he stepped in close and brought his axe down on the glowing mark.
The hit wasn't perfect — he was no warrior, only a woodcutter — but it landed close enough. The blade sank halfway through the target.
The Chieftain didn't even scream this time. Just a small sound escaped its throat, a low grunt more animal than pain.
Did I fail?
Grey tightened his grip on the axe, ready to try again.