Moving Shot

The boars below charged relentlessly, their tusks swaying and intermittently blocking the arrows' paths, making it even harder for Sylutia to aim.

Mick gradually drew the giant boar away from Karen and Ray. He ran nimbly through the mountains, glancing back now and then to throw stones and draw the beast's attention.

He landed heavily on the muddy ground again, his feet slipping a little and splattering mud. Then he pushed off and charged forward once more.

His attention was entirely focused on the giant boar and his escape, so he didn't notice that Sylutia had already climbed into a tree on the other side.

The enraged giant boar snorted and pursued them without pause. Despite its enormous body, it wasn't at all clumsy or slow. It hurtled through the forest like a sturdy spring, crashing into trees. Even when its bulky body struck a tree, it only rocked slightly, and the impact did no harm to the beast.

This won't work.

After aiming for a while, Sylutia lowered her bow. She couldn't get a clear shot under these conditions. There were simply too many distractions and variables, and her arrow had to hit the giant boar in the eye to take it down in one shot.

Realizing it wouldn't work, she started leaping between the branches again. Her light body and keen eyesight helped her find footholds, but jumping around like this took a lot of stamina. She also had to use the Breathing Technique to muster enough strength and speed.

Her chances were limited. She couldn't keep this up for long.

After thinking it over for a few seconds, she decided to get down and aim at the giant boar from the ground. The angle would be better, but it was much more dangerous.

With that in mind, she leapt from the tree, lightly touched down on her toes, then took a few steps forward to slow herself. As she ran, she drew her bow and aimed at the giant boar chasing them from the side.

From this angle, she could avoid the boar's tusks and adjust her own speed to run more or less parallel to it, reducing the shift in her aim caused by its movement.

At last, Mick noticed Sylutia's actions. He was surprised that the girl was so agile, and understood that this was a crucial moment. Instead of dodging from side to side, he ran in a straight line, doing his best to make the giant boar follow suit.

Every passing second felt unbearably tense. Sylutia adjusted her breathing, trying to keep herself as calm and steady as possible. Then, slowly, she aimed at the giant boar running alongside her.

One second... two seconds... three seconds...

At the fifth second, Sylutia finally found her moment. She leapt into the air, and time seemed to slow. Over the brief span of two seconds, her arrow gradually lined up with the giant boar's eye, until she had it perfectly in her sights.

The bowstring snapped loose. The white-feathered arrow shot forth, threading through the gaps in the leaves and hurtling toward the giant boar running through the woods opposite.

A bloom of blood burst across the boar's face. The arrow had struck its vulnerable eyeball.

(Basic Archery proficiency +56)

The wobbling shaft was soon snapped off, but the arrowhead remained lodged in the giant boar's eye. Wounded, it grew especially vicious. Nearly frantic, it changed direction and charged toward Sylutia. But with the vision from one eye gone, it could no longer dodge the trees properly. It crashed through them one after another, its thick hide scraping against the trunks and sending splinters flying.

"Roar—" A long plume of white breath poured from its mouth, followed by a furious bellow.

The shockwave made the hearts of the two nearby people clench, leaving them oppressed and shaken. If they'd been small animals or rabbits, the sound would likely have shattered their hearts on the spot.

"Go!" Sylutia put away her bow and hurried off. Mick quickened his pace and followed.

With one eye injured, the boar had slowed even as it pursued them. The two gradually pulled farther ahead.

Ten minutes later, Sylutia finally stopped. She leaned against a tree and panted, while Mick simply slumped down against another.

Jogging and running at full speed took vastly different amounts of energy. All they could do now was hope the giant boar wouldn't come after them.

As if remembering something, Sylutia reached for the small pouch at her waist and took out the black-cloth-wrapped bracelet. She put it on.

A warm vitality spread from the bracelet in an instant, flowing through her whole body and driving away her fatigue and soreness. Even the side effects from using the Breathing Technique gradually faded.

Did that mean she could use the Breathing Technique for longer each day? No wonder Blazing Sun was considered one of the three upper Aspects. Its effects were so versatile and potent.

About a minute later, Sylutia had completely recovered. Her breathing and heartbeat were back to normal. If not for the faint beads of sweat still on her forehead, no one would have guessed how desperately she'd just fled.

Mick, on the other hand, was in much worse shape. He could barely stand after recovering a little of his strength, and the aftereffects of using the Breathing Technique and the soreness in his muscles were still hard to bear.

"Let's go." He knew they couldn't linger, so he walked ahead to lead Sylutia.

Half an hour later, the two found the other three and regrouped. Their perilous trip through the forest had finally come to an end.

"Let's go back, let's go back. I'm never staying here again," Comia said, raising her hand.

"Agreed." The others had no objections. The trip had been full of close calls.

The five gathered their things and started back down the mountain. The descent was much harder than the climb, so they made slower progress.

The journey was relatively smooth until they were halfway down. Then several orange-red Ti Wolves raced out of the woods and appeared in front of them.

"How come we didn't see a single one on the way here, but now five show up at once?" Comia complained.

"They probably smelled our sweat," Karen guessed. "We were fresh on the way here, and we weren't in a hurry, so we didn't sweat much."

"Uh, can they really do that?"

"It's time to fight, everyone." Karen drew her short sword first. The wolves were too close for anyone to get an arrow off in time.

The five orange-red Ti Wolves didn't waste a moment. As soon as Karen drew her sword, they charged as one. She kicked one away and blocked another's Bite with her sword, but couldn't evade the third. It clamped its jaws onto her bracer, and she could barely hold on.

There was no time to lose. Mick charged forward and drew his sword to intercept one of the wolves behind them. Meanwhile, Ray was supposed to cover Karen's other side, but he couldn't move fast enough. All he could do was watch as a Ti Wolf darted past him and lunged for Karen's back.

But the wolf didn't get its way. Another sharp short sword thrust out and pierced its neck, drawing a strained whimper from it.

Sylutia pulled out her blade, planted a foot on the wolf's body, and stabbed it in the head again, killing it instantly. Then she rushed forward to help Karen deal with the remaining wolves.

Soon, the five Ti Wolves were dead, one after another, thanks to the group working together. Not one had escaped, though Karen had gained a shallow cut on her wrist.

After washing the wound, Sylutia carefully bandaged Karen's wrist. Only then did the others finally relax.

"That giant boar probably won't follow us this far," Karen said, looking back at the endless forest stretching across the mountains.

"And now we've got five more prey," Mick said, counting the Ti Wolves on the ground with a satisfied nod.

Once they'd settled down, they took stock of what they'd brought back. They'd been in such a hurry to escape that they'd abandoned many of their less valuable catches and supplies. All they'd managed to keep was a light bundle of herbs and the five wolf carcasses before them.

While Karen and Mick skinned the wolves, Comia finally began to put a few things together.

"Tia, you were so fast just now, and your speed was impressive. You're even really good with a sword!" She rattled off a string of questions.

"Y-yeah." The girl sat on a rock, with a short sword and longbow resting across her knees.

"I actually know the Breathing Technique, and I can fight, too," she explained, winding a lock of hair around her finger.

"Do you remember the exam that day? I was going to take part."

"But Teacher Heide told me I didn't need to, so I changed my mind."

"I had a chance to explain later, but I figured keeping a low profile would save me a lot of trouble, so I never told everyone."

"Whoa! Does that mean Tia's an all-around genius?" Comia exclaimed, voicing what everyone else was thinking.

No wonder she could give Ray and me pointers on our fighting techniques, Mick realized.

That must be why Tia learned archery so quickly, Karen thought as well.

"I wouldn't call myself an all-around talent. I'm just better at the things we've learned so far." The girl shook her head slightly. She understood that there would always be someone better.

"And Tia's really pretty, too!" Comia added, pointing out something everyone else had overlooked.

After all the running and fighting, her troublesome glasses had long since vanished somewhere. Sylutia could no longer hide her naturally striking looks.

"Yay, the prettiest Tia, the most brilliant Tia, the cutest Tia~" Comia circled the girl, looking her over again and again as she happily chanted.

Sylutia could only respond with a helpless, embarrassed look, waving her hand to make Comia stop.

"All right, I know Tia's embarrassed. Hehe." Comia finally stopped.

After packing up the wolf pelts, the five set off again. The conversation along the way revolved almost entirely around Sylutia: where she came from, why she'd hidden her appearance, where she'd learned swordsmanship, and so on.

"Now that everyone knows, we can make time to train outside the city. We'll get some real combat practice, and it'll also help Tia avoid the other students' eyes," Mick and Karen suggested.

"Outside the city? Doesn't that mean a long walk every time?" Comia said, sounding reluctant.

"Comia, don't you want to train your eye technique? You could try using your eyes to charm some little animals in the bushes."

"Ah, I guess so. There aren't really any suitable targets in the city." With that, Comia stopped objecting.

As they talked, the three slowly made their way back to Scorched Stone City.

"We're finally back. What a terrifying day."

"I should report to the Hunters Guild in town. That giant boar was extremely dangerous," Karen said.

"Mm-hmm. I need to stop by the Adventurers Guild, too, and see if there are any short jobs I can take to get some practice and earn a little money," Mick said after thinking it over.

There were many beasts in the mountains, and those that had formed a complete Aspect were even stronger than humans of the same rank. The ones that survived in such an environment were naturally the strongest of their kind.

These ignorant beasts had once been the overlords of the Fourth Era, mighty rulers of the land. But the ages had turned, and this was no longer their time.

--

Aspect Power [Beast Fang]: Fallen Star-Gazing Beast, the degraded struggle and slaughter.