I nocked a wooden stick on the bow, causing metallic sounds to ring out. At the very next moment, Rachel's scream rang out. It was as if the stick pierced through space itself.

"... Its description wasn't kidding."

I couldn't help but admire the perfection of this weapon known as the [Black Lotus Bow],

[Black Lotus Bow] [Legendary] [Ghost Attribute]

- A bow presumably crafted and synthesized by a Dwarf. A black lotus flower pattern is engraved on the bow.

- Lotus: Arrows shot through it unconditionally hit its target(But only if they're within the user's sights).

- Black Sun and Moon: The user's eyesight is enhanced and their movements muted.

- Spirit Destroyer: The power to destroy the dead.

The Dwarf name alone was enough to excite anyone, but the options that came with it made it even more impressive.

"Arrows shot through it unconditionally hit its target."

For as long as I could see my opponent, my ranged attacks would no longer miss them no matter where and how I fired it, for as long as I did it through the [Black Lotus Bow],

Its description itself was simple, but its effect was close to being an entirely different ability. Without it, I might not be able to make fun of Rachel right now.

"Again."

I launched another stick. Unable to dodge it, it hit her little toe. It was a one-sided offensive, but it didn't make me feel that great.

I could still hear her words in my mind.

- Even the wicked are human. Not all people have to die just because they are evil.

She was right.

I still saw this world as a novel, which made me think of myself as nothing more than a stranded foreigner, unable to leave.

"... Again."

Feeling uncomfortable, I tormented Rachel for her own sake.

To an extent, I understood the feelings of the kings who hated protests... but while watching her, I felt as if something was off about her. She seemed too oppressed, suffering from the weight of her own mistakes, convictions, and the limits she had set for herself.

She wasn't supposed to be like this in the plot I made.

I wanted to help her stand upright in her own way to bring her true self back and compensate her for the 'Evandel' incident.

"Again."

To do so, I chose anger.

Weren't anger and sadness the classic cliches in the dramatic great moral awakening?

- Ugh... Ugh!

Having been hit ceaselessly, Rachel finally lost her reason and swung her sword randomly. She didn't give up, however. The way she slashed and hacked still formed a sharp barrier around her.

I fired another stick, lightly piercing her sword and smashing against Rachel.

- Ugh!

It slapped her forehead hard, pushing her back a step. She trembled and flopped down.

- Ouch, it hurts...

Her wet voice crumbled like dust.

Lowering my bow, I sighed.

"... Why aren't you using your spirits?"

Rachel seemed to be restraining herself. Her talent would shine when paired with her swordsmanship, but rather than doing exactly that, she suppressed it.

"Did your teacher tell you not to?"

Rachel didn't answer.

I didn't like that silence. I didn't know if she was just too kind or dull, but it frustrated me.

"Why do you serve a teacher like that?"

- ... Don't insult my teacher.

Visit ., for the best no_vel_read_ing experience

Rachel's voice sounded quite stern.

However, seemingly unable to make a fierce expression, she looked infinitely awkward. Her words sounded more like a cat growling, which was quite cute, unbefitting of what she wanted to portray.

"Okay, then keep beating your head against the wall like that. Can you catch it?"

- I was already thinking about doing so...

I picked up the bow again.

Speaking ill of her teacher seemed to have enraged her. She now burned with willpower, but my wooden sticks still beat her until five in the morning.

The procession resumed early in the morning. Perhaps thanks to last night's rest, the members didn't look that bad. They moved leisurely, yawning and chatting.

"Whoa! It's wide!"

As they went along, they came to a meadow where they could run freely. Their eyes, looking at the wide expanse of the horizon, gleamed.

"Is this place okay?" Rachel asked Xtra for his thoughts, to which he said it was fine.

With a nod, the crew grabbed the reins. Windy, her wind spirit, created an air current suitable for running.

"Hey~ I feel like all of my stress is gone~"

"I think I just passed 200 km/h."

"No way. We're going uphill."

They ran for about an hour, the field gradually rising and cramping in. Soon enough, they greeted the uphill road again with lively laughter.

"Huh? Vice-captain, are you wounded?" Slowly climbing the road, Fermin noticed a small bruise on Rachel's forehead. The other members glanced at her as well.

"It must have been a mosquito bite. Don't worry about it."

Pretending nothing was wrong, she lowered her bangs to cover it.

"Huh? No way. That doesn't look like a mosquito."

"I'm fine."

"Still, just in case-"

"I said I'm fine."

"Got it." In response to her thorny reply, she immediately shut her mouth.

Rachel was quite sensitive right now.

The humiliation she suffered at dawn had never happened in her life. He so helplessly defeated her that she felt taunted beyond control.

That caused her will to pay him back to be quite fierce.

Of course, Xtra's skills far exceeded her expectations, but she didn't feel hopeless.

"Oh, there's a fork in the road. Vice-captain?" Fermin pointed to a fork in the road, and Xtra immediately provided instructions.

- To the right.

"To the right."

Rachel relayed his words, and the members followed it without hesitation.

Watching the scene, Xtra snickered.

- You're like a parrot.

Rachel bit her lip slightly as she looked around the scene, refusing to answer.

Shortly after that, three paths appeared.

- The road on the far left.

"The first road from the left."

After about 20 minutes more of walking, a four-way road.

- Forward.

Visit . for a better_user experience

"Down the center."

She continued changing his instructions ever so slightly. When he chuckled at her great pride, she scoffed.

"Hmph, what are you laughing at?"

- Nothing. You're cute.

"You damn-!"

She made a tense sound without noticing. In an instant, she was pissed. Rachel grabbed the crystal ball tightly and trembled.

"... What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know."

The members tilted their heads at her, unable to understand her behavior. However, unlike them, Fermin felt a little tenser. She had been wondering about an issue since yesterday evening.

Why did Xtra, a mercenary whose capabilities far exceeded everyone's expectations, decide to accept this royal duty and even give a discount?

She had always had suspicions of him. Now that it felt even more evident, she thought of discussing it with Rachel and the other members.

"... Being that beautiful isn't all that great, is it, dearest Vice-captain?" Fermin sighed and muttered.

Four days had passed since the procession began.

In that period, the British Royal Guild reached the depths of Central Asia without any difficulties.

Of course, their full-fledged journey was just beginning, but the members weren't worried. They had come to fully trust their guide's ability.

"Pant, pant..."

Their guild's routine was simple. They marched from dawn to evening, and they found a suitable campsite to pitch their tents on at night.

For Rachel, however, she had an additional agenda in her schedule.

"Still..."

The so-called stick bet.

At first glance, one might think it was just a game for kids, but she was now lying on the floor, soaked in her own sweat.

- Still, what?

For four days straight, she mobilized all of her moves.

But nothing worked.

- You can't do it without using your spirits.

The sticks Xtra shot at her landed on her bowed head. Not only sand, soil, stones, leaves... all sorts of strange things flew in and piled up on her head.

Rachel planted her palms on the ground, her nails digging into the dirt.

'Is this really impossible without a spirit?' She questioned herself desperately, but Shin Yeohwa's face came to mind. She had a duty to keep as her disciple...

- You're pitiful.

"... Haa." His minuscule sympathy ignited her anger. It was as if it cut off something in her head.

She scrambled up and closed her eyes, her rage soaring like flames and burning her reason. With only her instincts remaining, she summoned her spirit and wrapped it around Gallatin.

- The wind, huh?

Rachel raised her spirit sword, focusing her full attention on the entity and her weapon.

With a diagonal slash of her blade, a gust of wind erupted.

Holding out Gallatin, she shut her eyelids even tighter. Unable to follow his movements, her vision proved nothing but a hindrance to her. It would be better to stand still and calmly wait for him to attack.

Stick-

While she was waiting, she got hit on the forehead.

"... What?" Rachel blankly looked down at the sword in her hand, her spirit still resonating in it.

Even though she broke her teacher's taboo, the result remained the same.

'This can't be. I must have misunderstood something...'

Visit . for a better_user experience

She denied reality, but she still felt like crying. She wanted to just throw everything away, sit back, and whine.

To ask him to go easy on her at least once. To slow down a bit.

- Don't be sad.

"Hie-!"

Rachel hiccuped involuntarily, but Xtra didn't even laugh. Rather, he continued speaking in a serious tone.

He seemed different than usual.

- It's impossible to get it on the first try. You haven't used it for a long time, so you have to wake it up little by little. Spirits are that kind of power.

She tilted her head. His words were meaningful.

It was as if he knew everything. She thought it was just a bluff, but she now became suspicious.

"What do you know- Argh!"

A sandstorm rushed into Rachel's mouth as she spoke.

- I'll start again. Don't let the wind in your sword go.

She was still spitting out sand when another stick flew in. Their bet resumed.

She developed swordsmanship in harmony with her spirits. Each time she swung her sword, Shin Yeohwa's face came to mind, but she had decided not to care about her now...

The moment she solidified her decision, she felt strangely relieved.

"... It's brutal."

The next day, the guild resumed its march in the ever infamous Central Asia.

At some point in their procession, the landscape of the world around them began to change. The blue sky turned red, and the earth became dark. With every breath they took, their mouths felt hot, almost as if they had swallowed flames.

The members wore masks and hooded capes, the best equipment given by their unidentified sponsor.

"Vice-captain. Doesn't this feel a bit dangerous?" Marcus asked cautiously. Sharing the same ominous feeling, Rachel hardened her expression. Soon enough, Xtra sent a message of confirmation.

- I think you should go a little faster from now on. Keep going straight.

"... Alright."

Whooosh-!

The winds starting to blow didn't make their situation any better.

A mana storm had begun digging up the road's surface.

Rachel, at the forefront of their ranks, pulled out a magic rope and turned around.

"Hold, everyone! Tie the ropes around your waist!"

"Yes!"

"I'll roll call while we're at it!"

After confirming that no one had been left behind, the line moved forward. It didn't take long for the storm to completely engulf their vision. Amid their surroundings covered in dust, they couldn't see even an inch in front of them.

Even under this dire situation, Xtra continued to communicate and correct their direction, but was it too much after all?

They hit a dead-end wall for the first time.

"The road..."

- Step back a little. I'll pierce it for you.

Before Rachel could think about it, a small bullet hit the stone wall, causing it to explode. Miraculously, its damage only spread indefinitely inwards.

With their obstacle pierced, a long, cylindrical passage unfolded before them. His equipment truly did exhibit great firepower, but they had no time to be surprised.

- Hurry. There are people following behind you and vipers in the sky.

Kyeeeh!

A monster's roar resounded from above them. Vipers were upper-intermediate-ranked monsters that were best avoided when possible.

The latest_epi_sodes are on_the . website.

- I'll cover you, so run in a straight line. Now!

"Everyone, run!" She exclaimed, and their procession of horses ran into the passage, unsettling mana reverberating behind their hooves stampeding through the ground.

As they rode with their lives on the line, shells began to rain down.