"Ranged weapon? What kind?"
Gusion paused. He'd just sold his Godslayer Sniper Rifle—not because he didn't need a ranged weapon, but because he wasn't good with guns.
"Bow and arrow. Do you have a specialty? If not, maybe ask your friends."
Titan took out a longbow from his storage, his expression tinged with sadness. "This was my brother's bow. He fell in the last world, and traded it to me with his dying breath. We'd wanted to recruit a new ranged physical DPS, but most ranged explorers now use sniper rifles. We have no choice but to sell it."
"Leader... can't we wait a bit longer?" The vendor, Little Wolf, looked moved at the sight of the bow, clearly holding special feelings for it.
"No point waiting. We can't recruit the right person, and I've just bought new guns for our two snipers. Not many use bows these days."
Titan waved. He was only asking Gusion out of hope—maybe Gusion would know someone who could use it.
Bows were hard to sell because they required real skill, unlike modern guns, which, with a bit of training and an aiming system, anyone could use. Whether you could hit anything with a bow was another matter.
Their previous third-in-command, the master archer, had been a triple Olympic gold medalist in archery before entering End Space.
"Let me see."
Gusion didn't refuse, looking at the black-brown longbow.
It had a simple design with hornlike curves at the ends, exuding a sense of great power. Clearly, it wasn't something easily drawn.
[Barbarian King's Bow]
Origin: Native World #87123
Rarity: Legendary
Equipment Type: Main Weapon (Bow)
Durability: 200/200
Enhancement: +8
Special Effect: Godspeed—Initial arrow speed +30%
Toughness: 45
Effective Range: 10–30 km
Requirements: 40 Strength, 40 Agility, Master-level Bow Specialization
Description: Passed down through generations in the Kabak tribe. Drawing this bow requires immense strength; whoever can draw it becomes the new Barbarian King. Don't try unless you're strong enough, or you'll be seriously injured.
Skill 1: Arrow of Nature (Active): Ordinary arrows can't handle the bow's power. Besides special arrows, the Pioneer can consume soul energy to conjure a high-density energy arrow. If it hits and inflicts effective damage, the arrow explodes inside, dealing 400% mixed damage based on the user's Strength.
Cooldown: None
Skill 2: Brute Force (Passive): Arrows shot from this bow gain immense force, with strong penetration. If not fully penetrating, they deal powerful knockback.
Skill 3: Enchant (Active): Pioneer can enchant arrows in various ways; the effect lasts one second after the arrow leaves the bowstring.
Rating: 400+
Evaluation: Take violence to the extreme—one shot pierces the earth!
[]
Gusion was amazed—he fell in love with the bow at first sight.
He wasn't lacking in ranged attack methods—kido worked at range, but Kido was more spell-like and, except for a few high-level ones, usually didn't hit hard. So he rarely used destructive kido for ranged attacks, mostly relying on binding spells for support.
The Barbarian King's Bow was a classic ranged weapon—simple, direct, and violent. It matched Gusion's taste in weapons.
As for the requirements, his normal Strength and Agility weren't enough, but if he activated his states, he could easily meet them, and he had Master-level bow specialization.
His firearms skill was only average, but his archery was truly Master-level. His old-fashioned master had taught him archery as part of the traditional six arts. If not for circumstances, he'd have learned mounted archery too.
He was a fast learner in martial arts, hitting targets at a hundred paces as a child. Compared to cold guns, traditional bows felt more natural.
This bow would perfectly fill his mid- and long-range combat gap. With it, he'd have no combat weaknesses and could handle any mission world.
The only problem was, this bow was too good—even enhanced to +8. It wouldn't be cheap.
He only had 90,000 coins left, and needed to keep at least 10,000 as a reserve for preparations and consumables, leaving only 80,000 to spend.
"Well, Mazuko, what do you think?"
Titan asked. Despite his burly appearance, he was perceptive—he could tell Gusion liked the bow.
That surprised Titan; he'd only asked Gusion on a whim, hoping he'd spread the word.
But Gusion's gaze said it all—he not only liked it, he met the requirements!
Titan glanced at the sword at Gusion's waist and realized this man was no ordinary explorer. If his bow mastery was this high but his main weapon was a sword, it meant his sword mastery was at least also Master-level—maybe more!
Was this really just a second-tier explorer?
Turns out, all the successful soloists were monsters.
"Great bow. Frankly, I really want it," Gusion finally said. "But I probably can't afford it. How much are you asking?"
"100,000."
Titan replied bluntly.
"A shame—it's worth that to the right person." Gusion shook his head. He needed to keep some reserves, so he could only offer 80,000.
Titan hesitated for a few seconds, then said, "How much can you pay?"
"80,000. I need some for preparations."
Gusion said honestly.
Titan looked conflicted, but quickly decided, "Fine. 80,000 it is!"
Gusion was surprised. This was a full-score Legendary main weapon, enhanced to +8.
He had a Luck Stone, so +8 wasn't hard for him, but normally, it'd cost 20,000 coins to enhance this far.
"You're sure?"
Gusion asked.
Titan smiled bitterly. "Don't ask again, or I'll change my mind."
He knew he was selling it cheap, but they couldn't find a bow user, and few could use such a weapon. The team was entering a world next week—they couldn't let the bow go unsold. 80,000 was acceptable; it'd help the next member survive.
Gusion said no more, completed the trade, and received the Barbarian King's Bow.
"Mazuko, let's add each other as friends. Next time we get good stuff, we'll contact each other first."
Titan suggested.
Gusion agreed. More contacts meant more business opportunities.
Now broke, Gusion didn't have to worry about spending money—he could just focus on training.
Leaving the market, he headed for the arena. He'd lost his title after advancing, so he wanted to see if he could earn a new one in the second-tier arena.
…
…
…
[Pioneer has reached 300 victories in the arena, now ranked 29th.]
With the prompt, Gusion was teleported out of the arena and back to the lounge.
He'd spent the past two weeks grinding in the second-tier arena. Compared to the first tier, the second was much harder. After reaching the top 30, he struggled—many opponents now had 50 points in their main attributes, waiting to rank up after the next world.
Gusion could hit 45 points with all his buffs, so reaching this rank was already impressive—he relied on skill, outmaneuvering opponents, and seizing chances to win.
He wasn't worried; there were two weeks before the next world. He felt his attributes would soon rise, and then he could try for the top spot.
Leaving the arena, he went to the commercial street—today was the pickup day he'd agreed on with the sailor-uniform girl.
He walked through the alley to find her shop closed, which puzzled him.
Just as he was about to email her, the door opened. The sailor-uniform girl, disheveled and dazed, looked at him blankly.
When she recognized him, her expression changed—she looked awkward.
"What's wrong?"
Gusion felt uneasy—surely something hadn't gone wrong? The contract protected him, but he didn't have two weeks to wait for new equipment.
"There was... a bit of a problem."
She said awkwardly. "Come in and I'll explain."
"What kind of 'problem'?" Gusion frowned. Had he overestimated her skills? Were all her skill points in making beds instead of equipment?
She led Gusion inside and pulled out a tray, lifting a cloth. "The quality... isn't quite up to standard."
"What do you mean, 'not quite' up to standard?" Gusion emphasized the words.
"I mean... I made a purple item." She fidgeted with her skirt, looking ashamed. "It's a disgrace—using such good materials, and I only made a purple."
Gusion felt disappointed too, but didn't cancel the order—he was curious what she'd made.
He looked at the tray: a white-blue, translucent ring.
He was shocked. She hadn't lied—it was a purple item.
But it was a growth equipment...