Draven walked deeper into the crevice, which was barely wide enough to fit a human. The green moss lining the walls glowed with a soft, dim light. As he ventured further, the path grew wider and taller, and the moss became denser.
It didn't take long before he entered a vast cavern, its surfaces carpeted with glowing moss. The air was filled with the distant sounds of battle—clashing metals, shouts, and the shrieks of monsters. Draven followed the noise, moving cautiously.
Soon, he reached the edge of the battlefield. Draven quietly cleared the glowing moss around him, plunging his hiding spot into darkness. He quickly hid behind a large protrusion and peeked out to assess the situation.
The ten humans surrounded about thirty massive worms, each one thrashing and snapping in the center of the cavern. The battle was fierce, with each person taking on three monsters except Jude taking on four. Draven observed their movements, noting their battle style. The unmasked girl and Jude, in particular, stood out. They fought with precision, but Draven noticed a lack of effort—almost as if they were toying with the worms.
'Looks like I can't get monster crystals here, but… farming Soul Vitalis and gear isn't impossible,' he thought, his eyes scanning the battlefield for targets.
'I only have a few seconds, and I need to make the most of it. With their size, I won't miss, but to ensure a one-shot kill, they need to be severely weakened. And I'll need to escape immediately. Who knows what Jude will do if he catches me.'
Draven studied the worms, marking the ones that were growing weaker.
'Twenty targets.'
He sprang into action the moment he spotted his targets.
Draven pulled back the bowstring and released the arrow, infusing it with a Soul Vitalis.
[–1 Soul Vitalis.]
A blue streak cut through the air and struck a worm in the forehead.
[Second Order Transient rank killed: Obsidian Worm!]
[+1 Soul Vitalis.]
[+1 Gear received.]
Draven didn't stop. He recalled the arrow and fired again. Another worm let out a dying shriek before collapsing.
He repeated the process, volleying arrows one after another. The attackers were momentarily stunned by the sudden deaths of their targets.
In seven seconds, Draven released twenty shots, killing twenty worms—two from each person's share, except the girl, whose target was completely untouched. He made sure to take out all of Jude's targets.
Jude and the unmasked girl were already rushing toward him at incredible speed. The others were still tied down by the remaining berserk worms.
The moment Draven killed the twentieth worm, he pulled back the bowstring and aimed at Jude. His focus was razor-sharp—Jude wasn't a weakened worm; he could dodge and defend.
'Trying to kill me? Hehehe.'
Draven fired the arrow, infusing it with Soul Vitalis but not activating it yet.
A silver arrow shot through the darkness toward Jude.
Jude sidestepped to dodge, but the arrow suddenly turned blue, curving mid-air and accelerating at an alarming speed. It struck Jude's chest, breaking past his armor and shallowly plunging into his right chest.
Jude tumbled to the ground.
'Hmm? He survived? And the arrow didn't pierce him?'
Draven quickly recalled the arrow and bolted away, just as the girl summoned a red boomerang.
'I avoided her worms, so why is she chasing me?'
He sprinted like mad, trying to escape the girl, when he spotted a red object arcing through the air toward him.
Draven dove forward, rolling just as the boomerang missed him by a hair's breadth. It struck the rock beside him and detonated in a fiery explosion, sending him flying.
He crashed into the cavern wall and slumped to the ground, groaning. Shaking off the disorientation, he looked up to see the girl closing in fast.
'Damn! Outrunning her is impossible. I can't escape. This is going to be a bloody battle…' he thought, calculating his options. 'What if…'
Draven grabbed his bow from the ground and infused it with a Soul Vitalis. The bow glowed blue as he gripped it tightly with his enhanced right arm.
Without hesitation, he mentally commanded the bow to pull him toward the entrance.
The bow yanked him forward at incredible speed, dragging him across the moss-covered floor like a ragdoll.
'Shit! This is one hell of a ride. At least the moss is soft.'
He glanced back and saw the girl sprinting after him.
'Damn girl!' he cursed, sending another Soul Vitalis back toward her with his free hand.
Surprisingly, the girl didn't seem to notice the glowing firefly approaching her.
Draven directed the Soul Vitalis into a cart-sized rock behind her and hurled it at her.
She ducked, but Draven halted and smashed the rock into her exposed back, sending her crashing face-first into the ground. He hit her again before the Soul Vitalis was exhausted.
Finally, he focused on controlling the bow, which dragged him to the crevice entrance just as the Soul Vitalis ran out.
Draven flipped to his feet and darted into the crevice, hearing footsteps close behind.
When he burst outside, the sky was still dim.
Draven's mind raced. 'Should I mount an ambush? The crevice is narrow, making it impossible to dodge my arrow. But what if there's more than one of them chasing? Jude even survived it. Collapse the entrance? No, that might not stop them. Escape? No, they're faster. Think, Draven! Think! Wait… deception!'
He summoned an arrow and shot it into the distance, then quickly scaled the hill.
Just as he reached the top, someone burst out of the crevice.
Like he'd predicted, she was the one.
Draven lay flat and activated [Stasis], then used Psyche weave to control the arrow, making it move at human speed. The glowing arrow resembled a distant blue light from their position, attracting the girl's attention.
The girl stared at the arrow, then scanned the area, searching for something.
Another figure emerged from the crevice—Jude. His helmet was off, revealing a face twisted with anger. Blood dripped from the wound in his chest where the arrow had struck, staining his silver armor crimson.
"Where is he?" Jude snarled, gripping his sword.
The girl turned and looked up at the hilltop, a sweet smile spreading across her face.
Jude followed her gaze.
'Fuck me…'