Chapter 109: I never said I’d fight normally.
Silas exhaled slowly. The monster was an A-Rank, his second A-Rank opponent.
The difference between an S-Rank and an A-Rank wasn’t merely statistics. It was the accumulation of countless battles, instinct, mana control, and authority over one’s own power. Silas was an S-Rank but fairly new. The Solar Tyrant had been an A-Rank for more than just years. If he tried to overpower it...
"I’d get folded."
The realization wasn’t humiliating. It was exciting. He had experienced it with the Orc King, and even with that, he had help from three people. This time, he was facing it alone... foolishly.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"So this is what fighting something strong feels like."
The Solar Tyrant Gallus unfolded all six of its radiant wings. Every flap generated scorching winds powerful enough to uproot forests. Molten-gold feathers drifted through the air, each one burning like a tiny sun.
SKREEEEEEEE!!
The sound alone cracked the surrounding mountains. Silas’s eyes glowed faintly as he called his bow.
"Bow."
Pink particles gathered before his left hand. Threads intertwined with wood, mana, and light. Within seconds, a beautifully crafted wooden bow appeared in his grasp.
The Wooden Hunter Bow.
It was simple and elegant, but strangely alive. The moment his fingers wrapped around its grip, the world changed. Everything slowed.
Wind direction, air resistance, distance, elevation, and heartbeats. He instinctively knew them all. It was as though the bow had become another limb.
A notification appeared.
[Wooden Hunter Bow Equipped.]
[Bow Arts - Level 1 Active.]
[Silent Steps Active.]
Silas smiled.
"So that’s what you meant..."
The system sounded strangely proud.
[Archery is not something you learn. It is remembered.]
Silas stretched the bowstring, his right hand glowing. Several ordinary Piercing Arrows he’d purchased from the Shop appeared inside Storage before instantly transferring into his fingers. They were styled just like his Cupid Arrow Set: Piercing Arrows, but were more physical and ordinary-looking. They were made of steel and were at the C-Rank.
Nothing special, but...
"They feel different."
[The bow enhances arrows, not their rank.]
Silas raised an eyebrow.
"The hell does that even mean?"
[I don’t know either.]
"You made it sound profound."
[I tried.]
Silas snorted.
"Idiot."
He quickly equipped his gauntlets, the dark metal covering both of his forearms and fists. Perfect. Now, long-range and close-range, he had both.
The Solar Tyrant has stood, staring at the pink-haired creature curiously, but its hunger won in the end. It moved, vanishing once again with insane speed that was unexpected considering its size.
Silas didn’t even attempt to block. Silent Steps activated instinctively, and his body melted into motion. He wasn’t faster, but he simply wasn’t where the attack landed.
The gigantic talon slammed into the mountain instead, and the peak exploded. Silas appeared hundreds of meters away atop another cliff, and his first arrow was already flying.
TWANG!!
The arrow screamed through the air, causing the Solar Tyrant to tilt its head.
TING!
The arrow struck its neck and bounced off.
"Rude." Silas snorted.
The giant bird screeched, almost mockingly.
"Oh?" Silas smiled. "You wanna laugh?"
He drew again. One arrow, then another, and another. His fingers moved instinctively, five arrows crossing paths in midair. Each approached from a different angle.
The Solar Tyrant destroyed three with a flap of its wings, the fourth shattered against its beak, and the fifth pierced the membrane beneath its left wing, causing a drop of golden blood to fall.
The giant bird froze.
Silas whistled. "So you do bleed."
The eyes of the Solar Tyrant narrowed. The ground underneath its talons exploded as it charged. Silas fired continuously while retreating through the forest. His arrows weren’t meant to kill. They were meant to irritate anywhere its feathers didn’t fully protect.
Each successful hit left only shallow wounds, yet they accumulated, causing the Solar Tyrant to become visibly angrier.
SKREEEEEEEE!!
Its wings spread and hundreds... No. Thousands of blazing feathers detached.
Silas’s eyes widened. "Oh, you’ve got skills too?"
The feathers shot toward him like missiles, and the forest disappeared. Explosions chased him through the mountains, but Silent Steps carried him between trees, over cliffs, and across rivers.
Every footfall became soundless, every movement economical. His body moved before his brain could think. One feather grazed his shoulder, and the explosion launched him through three trees. Silas rolled across the ground before springing back up. Blood trickled from his shoulder.
"Hah..." He laughed. "This is fun."
[You are mentally ill.]
"Probably."
The Solar Tyrant descended again, but Silas didn’t retreat this time. He rushed forward, and the bird thrust its beak. Silas slid underneath it and slammed his gauntlet into its leg.
The impact from the collision echoed across the valley, causing the gigantic bird to stagger. Silas followed with another strike and another; every punch targeted the exact same location.
Weak Point Detection. Thread Analysis.
The abilities worked together flawlessly. Soon, one scale split.
"There we go."
The Solar Tyrant roared, its enormous wing slamming sideways. Silas barely crossed his arms before impact.
He became a pink blur as his body skipped across an entire lake before smashing into a cliffside. Rock buried him instantly. Silence engulfed the place as the monster clacked slowly, its eyes staring at the rubble.
The rubble exploded outward, and Silas stepped out, coughing.
"Ouch..." He rubbed his cheek. "That actually hurt."
Blood dripped from the corner of his lips, but his eyes only shone brighter. He raised his bow once more, but this time, he didn’t draw just one arrow.
His fingers danced as he activated Thread Manipulation, causing dozens of invisible threads to wrap around the bowstring. Piercing Arrows floated around him, thirty in number. Every arrow pointed toward the Solar Tyrant.
[That...]
[...is not how you’re supposed to use a bow.]
Silas grinned. "I never said I’d fight normally."
The threads pulled every string simultaneously, and the Wooden Hunter Bow groaned under the impossible strain. Mana surged, while the surrounding wind began spiraling toward the bow itself.
The Solar Tyrant sensed genuine danger for the first time, causing its pupils to contract.
It immediately folded all six wings in front of itself, golden mana flooding every feather like living armor.
Silas inhaled.
"Let’s see which breaks first."
His fingers released the strings, and the mountain range disappeared beneath a storm of arrows.