Fantastic Voyage

"No problem. I filled up on elemental energy after my last adventure."

Bennett rubbed his nose and flashed a grin, revealing his white teeth.

Anyone with a Vision needed to absorb elemental energy to use an Elemental Burst. They could keep storing it if they did not use it, but after each use, they had to replenish it.

"That makes things easy, then," Li Qiuzhi said calmly.

They had two archers here now. Whether it was him or little Amy, dealing with Ruin Guards with such obvious weak points would be a piece of cake.

"Your Highness, Sir Oz, could I ask you to draw the Ruin Guards' attention in a moment? I think I can finish them off quickly!"

Li Qiuzhi did not suggest that he and Fischl take down the Ruin Guards together with their bows.

For one thing, he had yet to see Fischl bring out a bow. Revealing that he knew she used one might cause some trouble.

For another, she could charge her arrows with elemental power. Those infused arrows could destroy the Ruin Guards' cores more easily, and if Fischl stepped in, there might be nothing left for him and Bennett to do.

For Li Qiuzhi, the Experience Points from defeating powerful enemies were more appealing than the treasure chest.

"Hmph, quite right." Fischl closed her eyes and raised her head haughtily, her fair neck as graceful as a swan's. Her soft lips parted gently as she said, "As the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, how could I intervene so casually? Then I shall leave these foes to you, my retainers!"

"Thank you for your grace, Your Highness," Li Qiuzhi replied, playing along.

"Is there anything you need me to do?"

Bennett reached for the back of his head out of habit.

"Bennett, just use your ult where you are... er, unleash your Elemental Burst," Li Qiuzhi said with a slight smile.

Bennett used a one-handed sword, so it was better not to send him over and risk any mishaps.

Actually, with his Quenched Arrows, he might not even need Bennett's burst. But Quenched Arrows cost Mora, while Bennett's burst was free, and he could quickly replenish his elemental energy.

"No problem. Leave it to me!"

Bennett clenched his fist as though cheering himself on.

With his extensive combat experience, he also knew bows were the best choice against Ruin Guards. Combined with his Elemental Burst, they could indeed be taken down easily.

Provided Li Qiuzhi's archery was accurate enough.

"Oz!"

Seeing that everyone had finished discussing the plan, Fischl called to the Night Raven.

"Understood, milady."

Oz answered, understanding her intent perfectly. He beat his night-dark wings and flew toward the Ruin Guards at the bottom of the large pit.

While the Ruin Guards were on standby, their cores were as hard as their steel bodies. Unless one could destroy their bodies, directly attacking their cores in that state was difficult.

As Oz the Night Raven approached, the Ruin Guards awoke one after another, just as expected.

Their rust-colored steel bodies rose in the dim surroundings with mechanical noises. Seeing this, Li Qiuzhi took the Adventurer's Hunting Bow from his back along with an Armor-Piercing Arrow.

"Let's light it up!"

Bennett shouted at the sight, performed a backflip on the spot, and slammed one foot into the ground, unleashing his Elemental Burst.

A crimson field bearing a "Thumbs-Up" design appeared on the ground, enveloping all three of them. Li Qiuzhi felt a scorching, flame-like power bolster his body.

Even the steel Armor-Piercing Arrow took on a faint red glow, though unfortunately, it had not been infused with Pyro.

Perhaps Bennett had not yet grown to the point where he could infuse other people's weapons with an element, as his "sixth constellation" did in the game. Even if he could, though, it apparently would not work on bows.

That was exclusive to melee weapons.

Of course, Li Qiuzhi believed this was merely a matter of insufficient strength or understanding. Once Bennett grew stronger, he could probably infuse arrows too.

"Oh, how remarka- ahem, splendid! As expected of this Prinzessin's trusted right hand!"

Fischl also felt the enhancement from the Elemental Burst, "Fantastic Voyage," and promoted Bennett's assigned role to that of her trusted right hand.

Just then, the core of the first Ruin Guard to activate lit up completely.

A ring of golden light swept away the surrounding gloom. Judging by its presence, it was considerably more imposing than the five outside the Temple of the Thousand Winds.

Twang!

The faintly red Armor-Piercing Arrow left the bowstring, turning into a pale streak that shot straight toward the Ruin Guard like a beam of light unaffected by gravity or wind.

With level-two Favonius Archery: Fundamentals and level-three Hunter's Archery, Li Qiuzhi was unlikely to miss these slow, lumbering hulks.

And with his reasonably good two-star Adventurer's Hunting Bow, bolstered by "Fantastic Voyage," a single arrow to the core was enough to disable a Ruin Guard.

The faintly red arrow collided with the golden core.

With a crackling sound like shattering glass, golden currents flashed across the Ruin Guard's body. Its destroyed core had caused it to short-circuit.

As one collapsed, another finished activating, only for a faintly red arrow to arrive right behind it.

Another crackle of electricity followed, and the Ruin Guard fell before it could fully straighten up. Li Qiuzhi handled them far more comfortably than last time.

At the same time, he noticed that half the sealing runes around the Exquisite Chest had lit up.

It seemed defeating the enemies really was the way to undo the chest's seal.

Before Bennett's short-lived Elemental Burst ended, he defeated and disabled the next two Ruin Guards as they activated.

Experience Points +642

Experience Points +601

Experience Points +655

Experience Points +633

Li Qiuzhi gained a large number of Experience Points in one go. Judging by the amount each provided, they seemed much stronger than those outside the Temple of the Thousand Winds.

Experience Points: 2651

Adding the 120 Experience Points he had left over, Li Qiuzhi now had a reserve of more than two thousand.

He could make another round of upgrades.

According to the Adventurers' Guild's investigation, most of the dangers in this Domain were Ruin Guards.

Spending over two thousand Experience Points on his level would only raise it twice, which would not help much against steel Ruin Guards. Investing all of it in archery, on the other hand, would raise it to a much higher level in one go.

Then, even without Bennett's support, he might be able to defeat an ordinary Ruin Guard with a single arrow.

With that thought, Li Qiuzhi hesitated no longer and repeatedly selected his higher-level "Hunter's Archery (0/300)":

Lv.4 (0/400)

Lv.8 (0/800)

He invested a total of 2,500 Experience Points, just enough to reach level eight. Two more levels would bring it to its maximum and make it "extraordinary."

Countless insights into archery and "Hunter's Archery" appeared in his mind, as though he had already honed the skill to perfection through years of practice.

With his current level-eight "Hunter's Archery," barring any surprises, he would be far better than Draff, who had devoted many years to it. Calling him a master archer would not be unreasonable.

His "Hunter's Archery" would now be more powerful, more discreet, and utterly silent.

Thank you to all the readers who bookmarked, recommended, cast monthly votes, and kept reading. Please keep supporting me! (The author presses his palms together, looking sincere.)