Thank you all so much for the support we've had this week!!
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
The ruined church district. August's makeshift base of operations.
This area was nothing like the clean, well-kept estates of the big Familias. Instead, it was a maze of broken buildings and poverty. The Hestia Familia and a handful of forgotten orphanages were the only ones here. But today, the ruins had a new purpose.
Hestia, Liliruca Arde, Miach, and the others sat up high, watching everything unfold below.
Down in the makeshift training arena.
"I'm in your care," August said, sizing up the Chienthrope, Naaza Erisuis.
"Right." Naaza gave a curt nod.
The second she nodded, Naaza vanished.
Even with the bright midday sun, August only saw a quick blur before she disappeared into the rubble.
"Fast..."
Before August could track her, an iron-tipped arrow whistled through the air, aid squarely at his back.
His newly honed combat instincts kicked in. He dove out of the way just as the arrow buried itself into the dirt where he had been standing a fraction of a second prior.
'When the hell did she get behind ?'
Sweat ran down his forehead. He thought his firepower and strength would be enough to beat Adventurers, but he was wrong. A veteran [Level 2] had just vanished, flanked him, and fired a deadly shot before he even realized she was gone.
'Give her a sniper rifle, and she'd blow my brains out from two clicks away.'
He had really underestimated them... He used to think Adventurers were just regular people with better stats, but he couldn't even follow her speed with his eyes.
"If this is a [Level 2], what about the high-tier monsters deeper in the Labyrinth?"
Reality hit him hard. August dove behind a broken brick wall, making sure to cover his blind spots.
"First ti dealing with a slippery target like this," he muttered.
A split second later, a second arrow whipped out from the rubble on his left.
August scrambled, barely twisting his torso in ti. The shaft grazed his thigh, tearing through the fabric and drawing blood.
"She can see , but I can't see her. Incredible..."
Was Naaza Erisuis super strong? Not really... But her Archery skill was boosted by the Falna, and her Chienthrope senses made her technique perfect. August had to admit how deadly she was.
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
High above the battlefield, a surveillance drone broadcasted the skirmish directly to a tablet held by the spectators.
They watched the arrow graze August's leg.
"Naaza's gotten sharper," Miach noted with a proud smile. His child hadn't neglected her archery training—she had actually improved.
"Making the kid eat dirt right out the gate." Hephaestus smirked.
As a master blacksmith who made bows, she could tell Naaza was using her weapon to its very limit. A [Level 2] archer could do trick shots and ricochets that normal people couldn't even imagine. Seeing the 'monster rookie' get pinned down was very satisfying. It was a tough lesson: never underestimate the veterans who made it in this city.
"Kuu..." Hestia bit down on her handkerchief.
Seeing August bleed frustrated her to no end. But she forced herself to sit still. This was exactly the kind of PvP combat experience he lacked. She had to endure it.
"Well, you can tell the boy is fighting like hell to adapt," Takemikazuchi praised.
He watched August's frantic attempts to lock onto Naaza's position. The rookie's martial instincts were waking up.
Takemikazuchi was right. As soon as August felt his own blood, adrenaline rushed through him. He felt that old urge to use heavy weapons and wipe out everything around him just to get rid of the danger.
But the second that thought surfaced, he recognized the fatal flaw.
Letting anger and brute force take over was a rookie mistake. It made him easy to predict. His tough military training took over, helping him control his temper. He pushed down the urge to destroy and focused on staying calm and logical.
He needed to stay calm. He used the adrenaline to sharpen his senses and relied on the close-quarters combat moves he had practiced again and again.
Another arrow sliced through the air.
Just like sensing a shift in the air before a punch, August tracked the arrow. He lunged, grabbed it out of the air, and vaulted to the side at the sa ti.
He already sensed the follow-up shot.
Naaza didn't give him any breathing room. The second she saw her first arrow intercepted, she fired another.
"As expected of an Adventurer. Relentless," August grunted, evading the barrage.
He couldn't pin her down. Without a detection skill, trying to follow a sniper who kept moving through the rubble was almost impossible. Every shot she took was aid at sothing vital.
"But I think I've got your rhythm down."
The next arrow flew.
This ti, August did more than just dodge. He felt light on his feet, bouncing off broken pillars and stones as he moved straight toward where the arrow ca from. After a few quick moves, he finally saw Naaza running through the shadows.
"Got you." August closed the gap, preparing to sweep her legs out.
But as he lunged, a sly smirk flashed across Naaza's face.
"You fell for it."
She spun on her heel, pivoting sharply behind a collapsed wall.
August charged after her.
SNAP.
"Son of a bitch!" August barked. "Who the hell plants a bear trap in a spar??"
A heavy-duty steel trap had clamped viciously onto his boot.
Of course. He was up against a rogue archer, so it made sense she set traps at the chokepoints.
"Devious."
August pried the rusted steel jaws open and inspected his ruined combat boot. He sighed. The trap's teeth had punched clean through the reinforced leather. If it weren't military-grade footwear, that trap would have sheared his toes off.
"I'll give you that one."
He swapped the ruined boot for a fresh pair from his inventory.
Veterans fought dirty. It wasn't just about having better stats. It was about using traps, tricks, and misdirection. This was his first real taste of Orario's underground fighting style.
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
As August prepared to resu the hunt, Naaza launched her next offensive.
This ti, she attacked from more than three hundred ters away. She stood on top of a ruined clock tower, a perfect sniper spot she had found the night before.
"Mr. August. This is going to hurt," Naaza whispered, drawing her bowstring taut.
This ti, she nocked three heavy, armor-piercing arrows.
The first arrow scread toward him. Confident in his timing, August sidestepped the projectile.
But the distinct whistle of a second arrow instantly followed.
"A second one?" August yelped, violently twisting his torso. He hadn't expected a rapid-fire double tap.
But as he contorted to dodge the second shaft, the third arrow slamd directly into his bicep, piercing clean through the muscle.
"A three-shot volley??"
August looked at the bloody arrow sticking out of his arm, shocked. Was this for real? Three arrows at once, all aid to predict his dodge?
His cocky, 'I-can-read-your-moves' attitude evaporated. Naaza had just given him a masterclass.
August scrambled behind a thick concrete barrier for hard cover.
"Aargh!" Gritting his teeth, he ripped the arrow out of his arm and imdiately cast [Healing Fire] to seal the wound.
He had just eaten a massive loss. "Is this an Adventurer?"
Her aim was unreal. If Naaza was this deadly, then Artemis, the real Goddess of the Hunt, could probably take him out with a regular bow, even without Divine Power.
"Impressive." August couldn't help but clap his good hand against the wall. The Falna's skill correction was no joke.
But he wasn't going to sit here and bleed out.
"Alright. Playti's over. Ti to bring out the big guns."
But just as August got ready to pull out a weapon and go after Naaza, he heard a voice from the shadows behind him.
"If you intend to use those weapons, then surrender imdiately."
August whipped around.
Stepping out of the darkness was a green-haired elf holding a wooden training sword. She wore her standard combat uniform.
"Wait, there's another one??"
August recognized the elf instantly. It was the other leading heroine of this universe.
Ryu Lion.
"Why are you here??"
Did he just walk into a boss rush by mistake? Why was a top First-Tier Adventurer standing in front of him? This was a huge jump in difficulty.
"Lady Hestia's orders," Ryu stated evenly. "This training is not just about evading ranged fire. You must learn to survive overwhelming close-quarters combat."
She had been hired as a specialized instructor. Her job was to show this grown man exactly how ruthless Orario's veterans could be.
Noticing his shock, Ryu raised an eyebrow. "I am unsure how you know , but regardless... let us conclude this quickly."
Ryu blurred.
She closed the distance with frightening speed, swinging the wooden blade down in a hard, sweeping arc. August barely saw the strike before he threw himself backward, scrambling to retreat.
"This is overkill!"
August scrambled, leaving his cover and running for his life. Why did Hestia hire the Gale Wind? Even without plot reasons, Ryu was a top-tier fighter. He had no chance against her in a lee fight.
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
Back at the spectator's vantage point.
"Hey, hey, hey! Hestia, have you lost your damn mind??" Hephaestus jumped.
She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Why did Hestia bring her in? Ryu Lion used to be part of the Astrea Familia. Hephaestus knew the elf worked as a vigilante in Orario's underworld. Having her spar with a rookie was crazy. This wasn't training—it was an execution.
"Yeah, Hestia, why the Gale Wind?" Takemikazuchi was equally baffled. The elf despised humans. She hated being touched. She never took on jobs like this.
Hestia watched Ryu enter the fray, her hands nervously clutching the railing.
"I didn't have a choice! This is the only way to force August to adapt!"
"Miach's child can teach him how to dodge, but she can't put enough pressure on him to make him improve. He needs to face real, overwhelming power. He has to learn that without his heavy weapons, he can't underestimate anyone here."
Hestia knew what she was doing. It was a harsh gamble, but it was necessary.
"With the way your kid fights, she's going to give him permanent PTSD," Artemis chid in from the sidelines. This wasn't a spar. If Ryu pushed too hard, August's confidence would shatter completely.
"No. I believe in him," Hestia said, her voice firm. If he couldn't clear this hurdle, he wouldn't survive the deep floors.
Down in the ruins, August understood exactly why Hestia had sent Ryu Lion on him.
He scrambled back, dodging another flurry of strikes from Naaza while desperately keeping his eyes on the elf. Tucked behind a collapsed pillar, August rapidly analyzed his win conditions.
'Do I use it? Let's test it out.'
Ryu had explicitly warned him to surrender if he pulled out his modern firearms. Because in this specific spar, relying on guns was a crutch.
But firearms weren't his only weapons. He had magic. He had skills.
Taking a deep breath, August stood up and stepped out of cover, facing the incoming elf. Ryu gripped her wooden sword and charged.
"Hestia. Let's do this," August whispered.
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
BULK UPLOAD OF 5 CHAPTERS IF WE HIT 1000 POWERSTONES THIS WEEK!!
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
~ If you have so spare Power Stones, drop a few since they help this story to progress.
~ Every 200 Power Stones = Bonus chapter
~ 15 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
sp-atreon/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
User Comments
0 comments from readers