Chapter 398 396-The Barbarian
At this moment, although Ethan was unsure of what lay ahead, he did not stop but continued to advance.
After walking for a while, he reached the vicinity where the birds had been startled into flight.
Ethan knew that whatever had caused the disturbance must be nearby, so he heightened his alertness, paying close attention to the sounds around him.
It was then that he noticed a set of enormous footprints in front of him.
What could have made these?
The sheer size of the footprints surprised Ethan, clearly indicating that the creature was massive.
In the Shadow Forest, Ethan had never encountered anything of such size.
After all, the dense forestry would make it nearly impossible for such a large creature to move, let alone thrive.
Yet here were its footprints, suggesting it could only inhabit the slightly less dense areas on the edge of the Shadow Forest.
Driven by curiosity about what this creature could be, Ethan followed the footprints, eager to discover more.
However, after some distance, the trail suddenly vanished.
Just as Ethan was puzzling over this, a noise from above caught his attention.
Looking up, he saw a massive net stretched overhead, entangling an enormous animal that he couldn't name.
The creature was struggling desperately within the net.
It was large, and Ethan deduced that the footprints he had been following were likely left by this very creature.
The earlier disturbance of the birds was probably caused by the noise of this animal being caught in the net.
Seeing the animal ensnared in the large net, looking pitiable, Ethan couldn't help but feel a sense of compassion.
He untangled the net and released the creature.
The animal, showing a hint of intelligence, nodded at Ethan as if expressing gratitude, then dashed back into the forest without a backward glance.
Having freed the animal, Ethan was about to leave when suddenly he heard a shout from behind: "You damned fool, you're asking for trouble!!!"
Ethan frowned slightly upon hearing this.
Though he didn't know why the stranger was so rude, the fact that he dared to insult Ethan was something he couldn't tolerate.
Turning around, Ethan saw a very burly man charging towards him.
The man was clad in clothes made of animal skins, with long, unkempt hair and beard that were tangled like a clump of wool.
His appearance was reminiscent of a barbarian.
Ethan couldn't fathom why this man would attack him, but since he had initiated hostility, Ethan saw no need to show mercy.
The barbarian man rushed at Ethan, axe in hand, swinging it directly at him. Ethan calmly dodged, avoiding the barbarian's attack.
The axe hit the ground, carving a long gash in the earth and cleaving the stones beneath it in two, demonstrating the immense power behind the strike.
Had it connected with a person, the result would have been dire.
However, Ethan was not at all concerned.
With his current strength, dealing with this man would be relatively easy.
The barbarian's attack, forceful and fierce, missed its mark, causing him to stumble slightly.
Watching the man's clumsy efforts, Ethan couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"You dare to laugh at me! You're asking for it!!!"
The man's face turned red with anger upon hearing Ethan's laughter.
In a fit of rage, he raised his axe and charged at Ethan once again.
It was evident that the barbarian was quite strong, but his skill level was not enough to concern Ethan.
Ethan could easily handle him.
However, Ethan didn't really want to harm the man.
He found the man somewhat amusing and bewildering.
Ethan thought of just teaching him a lesson, to deter him from further provocation, and then letting him go.
As the barbarian's axe came swinging down again, Ethan still didn't put up a defense, not even flinching, simply watching the man's attack with an impassive expression.
Seeing this, the barbarian grew even more puzzled.
Why wasn't Ethan moving? Had he been frozen with fear?
Thinking this, the barbarian's axe neared Ethan.
But just as it was about to strike, Ethan suddenly moved.
In a blur of motion, he sidestepped, effortlessly dodging the descending axe at the very last moment.
Ethan's movement was incredibly swift, leaving the barbarian no time to react or retract his strike.
The man was left hacking at thin air once again, bewildered by what had just happened.
Fueled by his fury and having exerted his full strength in this attack, the barbarian found himself unable to recover quickly enough.
He stumbled, thrown off balance by his own exertion.
Witnessing this scene, Ethan found it amusing and couldn't resist the urge to tease the barbarian a bit more.
An impish idea formed in Ethan's mind, and a sly smile crept onto his lips.
At the same time, Ethan casually extended one of his legs.
The barbarian, having missed his target and already off-balance, saw Ethan's outstretched leg but couldn't stop in time.
He tripped over it and was sent flying forward.
He flew a good distance before crashing to the ground in a graceless heap, his axe flung away from his grasp.
The whole scene was exceedingly comical.
Ethan couldn't help but burst into laughter again at the sight.
The barbarian lay on the ground, clearly hearing Ethan's laughter.
It was evident that the man was now seething with rage, his body trembling with fury, as if he wished to tear Ethan into pieces.
However, the fall had clearly taken its toll on the barbarian, who lay in pain, unable to get up immediately.
Such a tumble would be no laughing matter for anyone, flying that distance and crashing down.
Yet, Ethan wasn't too concerned about the barbarian's wellbeing at this moment.
The man was robust and tough; while the fall was undoubtedly painful, it was unlikely to cause any serious harm.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before the barbarian staggered to his feet.
His eyes were bloodshot, almost bulging with rage, as he glared at Ethan with an intensity that seemed almost capable of setting him ablaze.
If looks could kill, Ethan would have surely been slain by the barbarian's fiery gaze.
It was clear how much the barbarian loathed Ethan at that moment.
Initially, Ethan thought that after tasting defeat, the barbarian would no longer dare to be reckless.
After all, the barbarian wasn't a fool; he should have been able to discern the gap in their strengths and realize that he stood no chance against Ethan, and would consequently choose to back down.
As for the barbarian's fall, Ethan saw it as a lesson for his earlier insolence towards him, considering the matter settled and even between them.
However, what Ethan didn't expect happened next.
The barbarian staggered to his fallen axe, picked it up once again.
Just as Ethan was trying to comprehend why the barbarian hadn't conceded defeat, the man lifted his axe and charged towards Ethan for another attack.
Here we go again!
Ethan was utterly speechless at this sight, surprised at the barbarian's tenacity.
Even after such a fall, he still dared to come back for more.
In that moment, Ethan found the situation somewhat ridiculous yet increasingly intriguing.
After all, dealing with this foolishly stubborn barbarian had been quite amusing for Ethan previously.
He had thought the game was over, but it seemed it was far from finished.
Ethan realized he could have a bit more fun with the barbarian.
With this thought, a smile once again spread across Ethan's face.
This time, the barbarian's fury had reached its peak, his anger visibly at its limit.
With a whooshing sound, his axe swung with full force, aimed directly at Ethan's head.
In response, Ethan remained motionless, planning to replicate his previous tactic: dodging at the last moment and tripping the barbarian once again.
The barbarian, however, seemed to have learned nothing from his previous fall.
He swung the axe with all his might, just as he had done before, oblivious to the impending repeat of his earlier blunder.
Ethan found this forgetfulness amusing and increasingly enjoyed toying with the barbarian.
Like the previous time, Ethan waited until the axe was about to hit him before swiftly moving aside, dodging the barbarian's attack.
At the same time, he extended his foot to trip the man.
The barbarian was tripped once again and sent flying.
However, at that moment, something unexpected happened.
As the barbarian lost his balance and flew forward, he swung his axe backward in a wild arc.
Ethan, standing behind the barbarian, watched in surprise as the axe swung in his direction.
Ethan felt a jolt of shock seeing the barbarian's reflexive, desperate swing aimed his way.
Th𝓮 most uptodate nov𝑒ls are published on freew(e)bnove(l).𝓬𝓸𝓶