Archers were always seen as support.
Their role was cover fire, harassment, never the front line.
Never the ones to clash head-on with colossal beasts.
Born was exactly that—a newly awakened with nothing more than an E-Rank Archer's talent.
In the squad, he was nearly invisible, forgotten by all.
Even Abbott never expected anything from him.
But when the moment of life and death arrived—
Born drew back his plain alloy longbow.
The string sang.
The arrow flew.
One perfect shot, guided as if by the gods themselves, dragged Abbott back from the brink of death—snatched away from the claws of the Rock-Armored Behemoth.
TWANG!
The arrow split the air in silver light, striking the beast's joint. Cracks spiderwebbed across the heavy stone armor.
Abbott's body lit up in thunder. His roar shook the battlefield:
"Kill!"
The squad snapped out of their shock, voices rising as one. They charged in a desperate counterattack.
—This was their first true battle.
—And Born's first time unveiling his power.
With action louder than words, he declared to all:
An archer was never just support.
He could turn the tide of war.
Silver shafts rained from the rooftop.
Every arrow hit the monster's weak points with surgical precision, halting its charges and breaking its rhythm.
Each shot gave the squad another breath, another chance to strike.
At that moment, Born stood at the peak of the battlefield.
Longbow in hand, eyes cold, every release timed flawlessly—
as if he were the commander of the entire war.
The beast bellowed one last time.
Then the massive body crashed to the ground, throwing up dirt and shattered stone.
Abbott's thunder flickered and dimmed.
Andy and the others were left gasping for air—
but their faces shone with unrestrained joy.
They had won.
"Clear the field!" Abbott barked, spear still humming with lightning.
Then he couldn't help but glance back at the rooftop.
Electric light flashed in his eyes as he raised his thumb high toward Born.
The Rock-Armored Behemoth wasn't truly strong—its power was only around that of a Third Stage Martial Warrior.
The reason the battle had dragged on so bitterly was simple: lack of experience, clumsy teamwork.
If not for Abbott's A-Rank Lightning talent holding the front—
If not for Born's arrows constantly bending the battle away from disaster—
someone would have died here today.
Andy jogged forward, handing back the recovered arrows with genuine respect shining in his eyes.
"Born… that was incredible."
"Are you sure you're just an archer? Without you, at least two of us would've fallen."
"Unbelievable!"
The squad erupted into chatter, their excitement and awe written plainly on their faces.
Born only smiled, offering no explanation.
Abbott sheathed his spear, his gaze steady as he asked slowly:
"Born… is your talent really E-Rank Archer?"
The air grew still.
Everyone held their breath, waiting.
To their knowledge, archers weren't known for overwhelming firepower. At most, they disrupted and delayed.
If Born had awakened with a B-Rank talent, even A-Rank, they could accept it.
But E-Rank?
Impossible.
Born's expression didn't waver.
"At awakening, yes. I was E-Rank."
He didn't speak the truth.
He only added silently in his heart—at awakening, yes. But now… things are different.
"Ridiculous…" someone muttered, and whispers spread.
An E-Rank Archer, altering the course of battle by sheer force?
Such a thing had never been heard of.
Abbott drew in a deep breath, then let it out, shaking his head. He asked no further questions.
But in his eyes—when they met Born's—there was something new.
Trust. And expectation.
"Alright, the points are secured."
Abbott raised his spear, his gaze steady.
"With Born here, I feel a lot more confident about passing this rookie assessment."
—A first victory on the battlefield. One that would be remembered.
—And Born, the archer everyone had nearly forgotten, had already carved an indelible mark into their hearts.
Far off, other rookie squads were still locked in their own first battles.
Not all of them would end as smoothly as Born's team.
Inside a stone barracks, the squad leaders of the Beast-Taming Army's recruit division gathered.
Before them lay a heavy stack of battle reports.
These were the official evaluations of the rookies' first fights.
The atmosphere was weighty.
Dwight unfolded a scroll, his voice low but clear as it broke the silence:
"Overall evaluation: A+."
"Squad leader Abbott—command rating: A; combat rating: A+."
"The rest of the members—average rating: A-."
He paused, eyes suddenly narrowing, his voice rising half a pitch:
"Special mention: Born. Current strength—First Stage Martial Warrior. Overall rating: A++."
The short lines struck the room like thunder.
Even Dwight's hands trembled slightly, his pupils contracting.
Abbott's marks didn't surprise him.
With an A-Rank Lightning talent, Abbott was destined to leave the other recruits in the dust.
The rest of the squad's grades were within expectations.
But Born—
Born was the shock.
An archer who had awakened as nothing more than E-Rank.
And yet here, in black and white, his evaluation had surpassed Abbott's.
A double-plus rating.
A++.
Unbelievable.
If Dwight hadn't known that this assessment was personally overseen by Bobby, he would have sworn someone tampered with the records.
—What kind of joke was this?
—An E-Rank Archer, graded A++?!
At the same time, Bobby was already leafing through another battle report in his own hands…
Unlike Dwight, the reports in Bobby's hands had already been filtered.
Only elite squads remained—those rated A or above.
Fifteen in total.
The meeting room was deathly silent.
Only the dry rustle of parchment turning echoed in the still air.
Dwight's mind churned with doubts.
Why was Born's evaluation so high?
Even Abbott, with his A-Rank Lightning talent, had only earned A+.
Finally, when Bobby's eyes landed on the report marked Dragon Squad, his brows lifted ever so slightly.
For the first time, he looked up at Dwight, whose expression was a knot of confusion.
"Dwight."
Bobby's voice was calm, but it struck the room like a war drum.
"Do you think there's a problem here?"
In an instant, every gaze in the chamber locked onto Dwight.
Even the sound of breathing seemed to vanish.
Dwight's lips twitched. He forced a bitter smile.
"I… I don't know."
He shook his head, torn with conflict.
Before he could say more, a squad leader beside him leaned over, sneaking a glance at the report on Dwight's desk.
And when his eyes caught that last bold line—
he froze.
"Born… overall evaluation: A++…"
His throat constricted. He sucked in a sharp breath, Adam's apple bobbing as disbelief flooded his face.
—This was their very first battle.
—Every one of them was still just a rookie.
And yet Born, a mere First Stage Martial Warrior, had stepped into combat for the first time…
and walked away with an A++ rating.
The result made his scalp tingle.
It even stirred a memory of Bobby's own past.
As far as he knew, even Bobby—now a First Lieutenant—had only managed A+ in his rookie assessment.
And with that grade, it had taken him five years of blood and iron to carve his way to this rank.
But now, someone had surpassed Bobby's record—
on their very first trial.
The atmosphere in the chamber tightened to breaking.
After a long silence, Bobby's lips curved into the faintest of smiles.
He closed the scroll with a soft snap, his gaze sweeping across the room like steel.
"Go. Bring me the officer in charge of rookie evaluations."
Every heart in the room jolted. Faces shifted with unease.
They all understood.
An E-Rank Archer earning an A++ had already drawn Bobby's personal attention.
And from this moment on, Born's name would be etched deep into the annals of the legion.