"…Tampa."
The squad stepped into the ruins as Born crouched low, brushing dust from an ancient stone tablet.
Despite the erosion of centuries, the carved letters still stood clear:
"Tampa, once a small city—territory spanning 873 square kilometers."
The streets lay in gray silence. Broken cobblestones were split and cracked, abandoned iron carriages rotting at the corners, half-devoured by creeping vines.
Between shattered walls and fallen towers, the wind itself seemed to whisper tales of the city's downfall.
…
Their squad formation was confirmed once more:
Two healers, including the B-rank medic Andy.
Two enhancers.
Four combat talents— among them, Abbott with his A-rank Thunder.
This was the Legion's standard eight-man tactical unit—balanced for offense and defense alike.
But Abbott's expression was uncharacteristically grim.
"The beasts in Tampa's ruins… some can reach the strength of a Sixth-Realm Warrior. Their numbers are unknown."
His voice was steady, edged with steel, stripped of all his usual bravado.
Facing true monsters for the first time, every heart in the squad carried the weight of invisible dread.
As captain, it was Abbott's role to anchor them.
His gaze swept across the squad, settling finally on Born.
"Born, your task is the high ground—scout and provide long-range support. Spot targets, track movements, and cover us when the battle starts."
"Healers—guard the fighters first. Enhancers—once combat begins, pour everything into amplification!"
The squad answered with firm nods, the tension thick enough to choke on.
Abbott stepped closer to Born, lowering his voice.
"Be careful. We'll be waiting on your signal."
Born gave a single nod—then in the next instant, his figure blurred into the shadows of the ruined streets.
…
Moments later, he stood atop the jagged crown of a collapsed tower.
The dying sun cast its last light, twilight deepening, shadows stretching across the ruins. The world dimmed, painted in hues of crimson and dusk.
And then Born's eyes changed.
From ordinary black, they ignited into brilliant amber, glowing like molten gold.
Before his vision, a translucent screen of words shimmered:
[Talent Skill · Hawk-Eye Insight]
Consumes spirit power to grant the vision of an eagle.
Current detection radius: one kilometer (scales with cultivation).
A gift awakened with his breakthrough into the Third Realm.
The alloy longbow rested steady in his grip. Wind whispered past, lifting his hair as he gazed outward.
At this moment, Born was no longer just a boy.
He was a hunter in the shadows—
eyes sharp, unwavering—
searching silently for his prey.
Suddenly, Born's eyes narrowed.
"Southeast—old marketplace. Rock-Armored Beast spotted. Distance: eight hundred sixty-five meters."
His voice carried through the tactical crystal, reaching Abbott and the others in an instant.
"How far?" Abbott froze, needing confirmation.
"Eight hundred sixty-five meters." Born's tone was firm, precise to the last decimal.
Gulp.
Someone in the squad couldn't help swallowing, their face twisted with disbelief.
"Eight hundred sixty-five meters? Are you kidding me?!"
"Andy, what's your limit?" Abbott demanded.
The B-rank healer hesitated, then admitted awkwardly:
"…Two hundred. Maybe a little over two hundred meters."
Silence crashed over the squad.
The gulf between two hundred meters and eight hundred sixty-five was so vast it almost sounded impossible.
But Born's eyes were steady—calm, unwavering. There was no hint of deception.
Abbott clenched his teeth, then barked his order.
"Doesn't matter—believe him!"
"Move out!"
He swept his spear in a broad arc, scattering dust into the air. At his command, the eight recruits transformed—their breathing shifted, their presence sharpened. Hunters, stepping into the hunt.
"Born, keep reporting its movements!"
"Understood!"
From atop the ruined tower, half-hidden in the dusk, Born crouched low behind crumbling stone.
The black longbow in his hand was already drawn, a silver-glinting arrow resting silently on the string.
Beside him, thirty identical arrows lay neatly arranged, their cold gleam scattering like fragments of moonlight in the darkening sky.
…
At the broken street corner, the target finally emerged.
An eight-meter monstrosity—the Rock-Armored Beast.
It was as if a rhinoceros had been fused with a crocodilian titan. Its body was sheathed in thick slabs of stone-like armor, its limbs knotted with muscle.
Most terrifying of all was its massive tail—ending in a swollen, hammer-like bone mass capable of pulverizing towers with a single swing.
The air quivered with each of its breaths. The ground trembled under its every step.
…
"Combat buffs—now!" Abbott growled.
At once, the two enhancers moved.
One unleashed strength augmentation—muscles swelled, flesh and bone hardened like iron.
The other invoked a speed sigil—light flickered around their legs, their steps turning swift as wind.
"Attack!"
The order had barely left Abbott's lips when—
The night split with a piercing shriek of something tearing through the sky.
A silver arrow split the darkness first, gleaming coldly as it streaked toward the Rock-Armored Beast.
This arrow was not meant to kill—only to seize its attention.
Sure enough, sparks burst from its armored hide, ringing out with a sharp, metallic clang.
The beast's massive head snapped around, its vertical pupils locking onto the rooftop.
"ROAR—!!"
Its bellow shook the night, the colossal body trembling once before it lunged forward. Four powerful limbs slammed into the earth—BOOM! The ground quaked as though thunder itself had descended. For all its eight meters of bulk, the creature moved with terrifying speed, like a war elephant in full charge.
…
"Now!"
Abbott surged forth, thunder spear blazing with arcs of lightning, striking from the flank.
The other fighters followed without hesitation, weapons raised, while even the healers invoked their martial skills to aid the assault.
In an instant, blades, battle auras, and Abbott's spear of thunder all smashed against the beast's armored frame.
But the Rock-Armored Beast roared, swinging its titanic tail hammer in a sweeping arc.
The very air detonated with the force—like mountains collapsing in a storm.
"Dodge!" Abbott roared.
The squad dove aside, rolling desperately to escape.
Even so, one was too slow. The tail clipped him, hurling his body like a ragdoll. He crashed against the stone road, coughing blood.
In the same heartbeat, Abbott drove his spear down, lightning flashing from its tip as it slammed onto the beast's head.
CLANG!
Sparks exploded!
The weapon left only the faintest scar upon the rocky armor—barely piercing the surface.
"Damn it!"
Abbott's face hardened, and he tried to retreat—
But already the beast's tail hammer came screaming back, its weight and fury doubled.
"Captain, look out!" the squad cried out in panic.
Abbott, suspended in midair with no leverage, felt his arms numbing from the recoil. A chill surged through his heart.
—It's over!
…
And in that instant—
Swoosh!
The night split open. A silver arrow tore through the sky like thunder, streaking straight for the beast's tail hammer.
BANG!!
The arrow struck dead center on the joint, its force so brutal that it knocked the monstrous tail off its path!
The beast's hammer-tail, once certain to crush Abbott, suddenly veered off course. It howled past him, close enough to rattle his bones, before smashing into a stone pillar and shattering it into rubble.
Cold sweat drenched Abbott's back—death had brushed him and moved on.
The squad froze in collective shock, every gaze snapping toward the source of that arrow.
On the rooftop, amid the whistling wind, a young man stood tall with bow in hand. His amber eyes blazed like twin stars burning in the night.
Born.
Abbott's chest heaved. Then he bellowed, voice raw with excitement:
"Good! Kill that bastard!!"
Blood boiled in every heart, their spirits ignited like wildfire.
That single arrow, a judgment from the Moon Goddess herself, had shaken them all to the core.
—An archer… could be this terrifying?