Everything happened so suddenly that not even Specter had ti to react.
The black beam of light struck Steven and Sona head-on, engulfing them in an explosion of smoke and debris.
The floor beneath them collapsed with a deafening crash, sending up a thick cloud of dust that blanketed the entire area.
But unlike the silver-haired girl by the stairs—who scread and tried to rush into the ruins to find Sona—Specter didn't panic. She simply brushed back the blood-streaked hair sticking to her face and quietly observed.
Even with her reflexes, all she had seen in that instant was a massive, spear-like projectile—a bizarre, oversized black arrow that had struck near Steven.
The power behind that thing was no joke. She didn't even think she could dodge sothing like that, let alone tank it head-on.
Still, that was her. The mistake the attacker made was choosing Steven as the target.
Seriously now—soone who could suppress three Abyssal Hunters on his own? What did they call people like that again…?
The mory that tried to surface only gave her a headache, so Specter didn't bother chasing it. No need to think about such irrelevant things. What mattered was that she had complete confidence in Steven.
Sothing like this? It wouldn't be enough to take him out.
Sure enough, as the smoke cleared, the massive black arrow had been stopped by sothing.
At first glance, it looked laughably flimsy: a wooden shield, almost like a door panel. But sohow, it had absorbed the full impact of the shot.
Beneath that shield, Steven was crouched low, an arm wrapped protectively around Sona. He grimaced and covered his mouth as the dust swirled around him, then finally uncurled to help her up.
"Ugh, there's so much dust, I feel like I just inhaled a whole lungful of it. Are you trying to kill by asphyxiation or sothing?"
He muttered under his breath, brushing himself off as he stood. Then he turned and examined the oversized arrow still embedded in his shield.
To be honest, the sheer force behind the shot was impressive, it's probably equivalent to a missile strike from his old world in terms of speed and impact. Thankfully, it didn't co with an actual explosive payload.
And no matter how large or over-the-top it looked, at the end of the day, it was still a projectile. And a projectile without enchantnts to pierce defenses? That wasn't getting through his shield—period.
This unimpressive hunk of tal, forged from nothing more than a chunk of iron and so wood, had blocked more lethal strikes than anyone could count.
People always underestimated it until it saved his life.
Honestly, even if that arrow had hit him dead-on, he doubted it would've killed him. Maybe he would be in pain. Maybe even shed so blood. But dead? Not likely.
Still, just as he reached to pull the oversized arrow out of the shield, his eyes caught a flicker—three sharp glints of light streaking through the gap blown open by the previous impact.
Not one. Three.
"…Can you not?" he muttered, squinting up at the sky.
Without missing a beat, he glanced at Specter, giving her a subtle signal. Then he tucked away the battered shield and drew a bow.
It looked like the kind of wooden toy you'd give a kid—a crude, hastily crafted little thing. But the faint, violet shimr dancing along its limbs gave away its true nature.
Magic.
Sothing was about to go down.
You couldn't even tell where Steven had pulled the bow from—one mont it wasn't there, the next, it simply was, like it had manifested from thin air. As he effortlessly drew back the string on the unassuming wooden bow, an arrow materialized in place, sharp and ready.
The tension in the bowstring grew so intense it looked like it might snap in half at any second. Then—twang!—he released it.
A shockwave erupted from where he stood, blasting outward with raw force. The conjured arrow ignited mid-flight, catching fla the instant it left the bowstring—and then, it vanished. It moved so fast it beca invisible to the naked eye.
Before Steven even lowered his bow, the oppressive feeling of being locked-on disappeared from around him. In his vision, the three streaks of black in the sky—projectiles that hadn't yet descended—were all struck mid-air by the flaming arrow. They snapped and shattered, disintegrating in the sky.
And yet, the arrow didn't stop. It continued flying like a teor, vanishing far beyond his line of sight.
Only once the sky fell still again did he roll his shoulders and tuck the enchanted bow back into his pack.
As expected, a standard Minecraft bow—normally with a max range of just over a hundred ters, even with Power V—had clearly received so serious buffs in this world.
Then again, the power and range of a bow ultimately depended on the user's strength and the bow's resilience.
Judging by the results, he was very satisfied with the upgrade.
And then, in the top-left corner of his vision, a ssage popped up:
[Duel of the Snipers (Terra Exclusive) — Achievent Completed √]
5000 World Acknowledgent Points
Steven couldn't help but chuckle.
Sure, the five thousand points were whatever, but that "Terra Exclusive" tag? That got his attention.
Did this an he could grind for a 100% achievents rate in this world too?
But then he glanced at the asly reward and shook his head.
Unlocking them now and then for fun was fine, but going out of his way to chase them? Not worth it.
Still, if the system had handed out an achievent, that probably ant he wouldn't need to worry about any follow-up attacks—at least for now.
Brushing the dust from his clothes, Steven climbed out of the rubble and walked over to where Sona and the others were recovering.
"All good now?"
"That's my line!" Sona snapped, her voice still breathless and a bit shaky. As Steven approached, the adrenaline started fading and she finally processed what had just happened. Her hands flailed as she tried to express herself.
"That—what you just did! How did you do that?!"
She still hadn't fully wrapped her head around it.
That arrow—the one that hit them—had been like a teor, sothing she was sure would be her end.
In the instant she braced for death, Steven had shielded her with his body… and actually blocked it.
He blocked it!
With a piece-of-junk door panel!
Then imdiately counterattacked on the spot like it was nothing!
Sona couldn't even begin to describe the power behind Steven's shot. To her, it didn't feel like he had simply loosed an arrow—it looked more like soone had launched a missile. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she'd have thought an explosion had gone off. There was no way that was just an arrow fired into the sky.
She had no idea where that arrow had ended up. Nor did she want to imagine what would happen to anyone unfortunate enough to take it head-on. All she knew was this—
The man she had always assud to be just a doctor, or maybe a strategic advisor type… was way too absurdly strong.
"Huh? What do you an 'how'? I just notch an arrow and let it loose. That's all," Steven replied with a shrug, casually brushing the situation aside. He didn't bother offering any real explanation.
What was he supposed to say? I was born with monstrous strength? That'd just sound like a humblebrag.
But that was the truth. Not that he could explain it any better.
It's not like being that strong had any rational reason behind it.
"Sona, we should go. That attack was way too loud. The K.G.C.C's forces will definitely be here soon."
It was the gray-haired little squirrel who snapped back to reality first. Though she had been equally stunned, she was still clear-headed enough to recognize the real danger.
Sure, Steven was powerful—but for now, he was on their side. That was good. The problem was, if they stuck around, things would get worse fast. She and Sona might be able to manage, but what about their fellow infected?
"Yeah… you're right. Let's go. Use the hidden route."
Prompted by her comrade's words, Sona quickly gathered herself. She nodded and, with the gray-haired girl's help, started heading downstairs.
As Infected, they were always under threat—always prepared for the worst. Secret passageways and hideouts… these were things they had long since prepared.
Whether that was a stroke of foresight or just a grim reality of their oppressed existence… it was hard to say.
But then Sona noticed sothing.
Steven wasn't following them.
Nor was the Specter beside him.
She cast a questioning glance in their direction. Though she said nothing, her expression clearly asked: Why aren't you coming with us?
"You go with them," Steven said, catching that glance. He turned to Specter and gave her a nod. "Find sowhere to lay low. Maybe get cleaned up, and change into sothing fresh."
She looked like she'd just walked off the set of a horror movie with all the blood splattered on her. It was a bit much, even for her.
"What about you?" Specter didn't argue. She simply stopped revving her chainsaw, slung it over her shoulder, and tilted her head at him.
"? I've still got stuff to take care of. Like, I dunno… causing a little trouble for so people. Warming up, stretching out."
Then he grinned and added, "Besides, I already bought a ticket for the Major today. No way I'm missing that."
Glancing at the sun above, Steven did a quick ntal ti check, then flashed a smile like he had all the ti in the world.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
sdrive.google/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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