"Was that trajectory a bit forced? I actually messed up," Shane muttered to himself. He had aimed for the overseer's head, not his neck.
He hadn't wanted to give the guy even a slight chance of being saved after one shot. Fortunately, the crimson longbow was more powerful than he anticipated, so there weren't any complications.
"A Mage! There's an intruder Mage!"
Finally, someone reacted. A tall, thin overseer pointed at the corpse, his face pale and his voice trembling.
Panic spread instantly among the guards. They looked around wildly, as if invisible arrows could strike from any corner at any moment.
"All slaves, return to your cells immediately!" another overseer screamed, cracking his whip in the air. "Move! Anyone moving slowly will be executed as an intruder!"
The slaves, bewildered by the sudden turn of events, were herded like frightened sheep back toward the prison block.
Shane silently blended into the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw several overseers gathered around the corpse, grimly examining the smooth hole in the ground and exchanging uneasy glances.
As for the unlucky slave who had tripped, no one seemed to be paying him any attention. He had escaped death for now.
This operation is even more amateurish than I thought. Shane shook his head inwardly as he watched.
Terrified of a potential attack, they rushed all the slaves back to the cells without even considering that the intruder might be hiding among them.
They didn't even think to do a basic screening... Had they relied on brute force for so long that they'd lost the instinct to think?
---
---
Clang.
The heavy iron gate slammed shut behind them.
In the darkness, Shane sat against the wall. The wound on his back grazed the stone, sending a jolt of pain through him, but his eyes were unusually bright.
Time to review.
The action just now had been a bit reckless, but the rewards far exceeded his expectations.
First, the Archer Card's abilities were even better than he had imagined.
They could be roughly categorized into three types:
1. Physical Enhancement: He could draw a heavy bow effortlessly thanks to this.
2. Archer Instincts: It granted him bowmanship instincts approaching the level of a Heroic Spirit.
However, this still required practical adjustment. For example, to avoid exposure, he had chosen a high-difficulty vertical lob shot instead of a direct shot. The result was slightly off-target, hitting the neck instead of the head.
Although such an arcing shot was practically a miracle for a normal person, it showed he still needed to familiarize himself with this power.
3. Arrow Construction: This was a supernatural ability. If the first two were still within the realm of understandable reality, this one truly stepped into the domain of Magic.
Not only could he condense arrows from Magic Power, but he could also craft more powerful physical arrows from existing materials.
However, one thing puzzled Shane slightly. His Magic Power rank was only E-. Theoretically, he shouldn't have any Magic Power in his body, so how could he condense arrows with it?
Though confused, Shane was optimistic by nature. If he couldn't figure it out now, he'd shelf it and think about it later.
Aside from these, two other things were worth noting.
First, regarding the [Archer] Class Card itself. While the abilities it displayed were already exaggerated, they still fell short of the scope of a legendary Heroic Spirit's Noble Phantasm.
This made Shane wonder if there was something he hadn't unearthed yet that was concealing its true power.
He guessed the key lay in the "True Name" hidden within the spirit.
According to the Book of Heroic Spirits, a Heroic Spirit is an aggregate of mystery, and the source of their power lies in their legend. The True Name is the summary and core symbol of that legend.
"Maybe I'll only fully master this Class Card once I decipher this symbol called the 'True Name'?" Shane speculated inwardly.
But he was close.
He had already guessed the Archer's identity with about 80-90% certainty, but he was willing to wait until the next dream for the final reveal.
Well, maybe it's just the history major in me. When 'history' presents itself right before my eyes, I feel the need for a bit of ceremonial suspense.
Finally, his plan for what came next.
This operation not only verified the Archer's abilities but also confirmed one thing: Mages are human, too.
And people die if they are killed.
Most of these guards were paper tigers—strong on the outside but weak on the inside. Their ability to react to sudden changes was practically zero.
Armed with this intel and the ace up his sleeve, Shane was very confident he could escape this stone tower.
But precisely because of that, he was no longer in a hurry.
"With defenses this lax... it's hard not to get other ideas."
He muttered to himself, his interest piqued by the "R-System" that could supposedly resurrect the dead. This was a rare opportunity.
Besides, Jellal and the others weren't bad people, and the overseers were disgusting. Now that he had power, it was only natural for Shane to want to do more.
After all, he was greedy.
As if responding to his surging thoughts, the Book of Heroic Spirits in his mind flipped open.
[Trial: The Method of Departure]
[The path of a Heroic Spirit is not always about charging forward. Lying low in humble times is the strategy of the wise; breaking the game in prosperous times is the stance of the strong.]
[Leave the Tower of Heaven and receive the corresponding reward.]
"It really does issue trials based on the current situation..." Shane's lips curled up slightly. He decisively took this as an endorsement of his decision.
Moreover, this trial was different from the "Initiation" series. The reward mode this time was based on how the trial was completed.
This meant the harder the method of clearing the level, and the more side objectives completed, the higher the final reward!
Exactly. Since the goal was to become a Heroic Spirit, how could he be satisfied with just "escaping"?
A Heroic Spirit should act like a Heroic Spirit.
Shane made up his mind. He was going to uproot the Dark Magic Cult here completely. He was going to set this stone tower, soaked in blood and sweat, ablaze.
He didn't want to sneak away. He wanted to walk out the front door in broad daylight.
But he couldn't do it alone, even with a Class Card. Shane looked at his silent cellmates.
These people all had superior physical strength. Long-term oppression and labor had buried a spark of rebellion deep in their bones.
If Magic weren't a factor, they could overturn these pampered cult dogs on their own.
Right now, they just lacked a sharp blade to rally them.
"And I am that blade..." Shane's expression was calm, but his heart was restless, even a little impatient.
Perhaps Shane's gaze was too intense, because even Jellal, who was still immersed in the memory of that magnificent arrow, noticed something odd and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, Shane?"
"What else could it be?! Magic! It was Magic!" Sho stood up excitedly. "That arrow just now was definitely Magic! The Council must have found this place and sent Guild Mages to save us!"
As a country boy, even Sho had heard of the Magic Council—the authority that governed all Mage Guilds and maintained order in the magical world.
However, Jellal calmly poured cold water on the idea. "Impossible. If it were the Council, there would have been a large-scale attack by now. That arrow only killed one overseer... While satisfying, honestly, its effect was limited. It would only alert the enemy."
"Yeah. If it were Guild Mages, it would be chaos outside right now. It wouldn't be this quiet," Grandpa Rob agreed.
"What... so is this Mage not that good then?" Sho calmed down, muttering under his breath.
Shane touched his nose awkwardly. Since he was testing things out, alerting the enemy was unavoidable. It was a necessary cost.
"At least they saved someone. People like us who didn't dare to help have no right to criticize them," Jellal said calmly.
Sho understood this too, but with his hopes dashed, he couldn't help feeling down.
He turned to Shane and asked with concern, "Is your wound okay? You really scared me back there. I knew something bad was going to happen to you... but hehe, that guy died. Serves him right."
"I'm fine. Just a flesh wound," Shane said, not trying to be tough.
The Class Card had been transmitting a warm flow of energy, and the wound on his back was already itching and scabbing over. It really was fine.
Sho obviously didn't believe him. He knew how frail Shane's body was—he'd helped him move rocks plenty of times on the site. He assumed Shane was just comforting himself.
"I'll share some of my food with you later. You'll recover faster if you eat more," Jellal added from the side.
Shane could only smile bitterly. He couldn't explain what was really happening, so he just accepted their kindness for now.
Just as they were talking in low voices, the iron gate clanged open.
"Get in." An overseer expressionlessly shoved two figures inside roughly, then slammed the door shut.
Newcomers again?