"Take this, you bastards!"
"(Starfall Technique)!"
I used the archery technique I had once taught Lora. I released the arrow with all the mana I had, and as it shot from my bow, it split into thousands of arrows that rained down on the humanoids. Within seconds, they were all dead.
After that, I collapsed to the ground, completely drained of mana.
"Ha… ha… ha… That was absolutely insane!"
Most of my mana and strength had been consumed by that technique — but that wasn't a big problem. I smiled and purchased a pill from my system shop.
Item: Regeneration Pill
Description: A pill created by the Poci clan.
Effect: Fully restores mana and instantly heals all wounds.
Cost: 3000
Maybe I can survive this SSS-level trial — as long as I keep unleashing spells like that and continue drinking these pills.
Without wasting any time, I swallowed the regeneration pill. Instantly, all fatigue and exhaustion vanished. Then I sat down to meditate and refocus, and the five-minute break passed quickly.
As soon as the bell rang, several figures began to appear — this time, 20 humanoids! Four sword wielders, four spear warriors, four archers, four unarmed ones… and four mages??
"What?! This is getting ridiculous!"
All 20 humanoids turned their heads toward me. Their eyes — the only defining feature on their faceless bodies — glowed as they stared, and just looking into them sent shivers down my spine.
Just as I was planning to use the same tactic again, the four mages raised their hands and began chanting spells. Right as I prepared to interrupt them, several arrows rained down from the sky.
Seeing that, I quickly conjured a barrier to block the incoming attacks. As the mages finished their chanting, massive fireballs began to fall.
"Damn it!"
Realizing there was no way to avoid them, I immediately reinforced my barrier and coated my body with mana. Some spells crashed into the barrier while others grazed my body. As the fiery assault ended, I was met with a storm of arrows, swords, and spears. I could hear my sisters screaming behind me.
"Damn it! These attacks never end!"
"System! I need five ice, fire, chaos, and void arrows right now!"
[Request acknowledged… processing]
[DING!]
[Item purchase successful – 100,000 points spent]
Hearing that made my heart ache — so many affection points gone just like that. Soon, various arrows materialized inside my quiver.
Without hesitation, I grabbed an Ice Arrow.
Item: Ice Arrow
Description: An arrow crafted by the legendary blacksmith Regi.
Effect: An AOE arrow that freezes enemies in place for 10 seconds.
Cost: 5000
I dodged the relentless attacks, then drew two Ice Arrows, imbued them with the (Multiply) spell, and fired. The two arrows quickly split into six, striking different locations. In seconds, the battlefield turned into a frozen wasteland, the ground around each impact point encased in ice.
Without wasting time, I used my remaining mana to fire normal arrows imbued with (Multiply), shattering the ice and slaughtering all my enemies.
After that, I collapsed to the ground. My ribs were broken, and parts of my body were bleeding. I could still hear the cries of my sisters behind me. Quickly, I took another regeneration pill and swallowed it — but this time, the healing and mana recovery were much slower.
When I turned around, I saw Rena crying uncontrollably and Invidia — usually expressionless — with tears streaming down her face. I just gave them a faint smile. Meanwhile, the system monitoring chamber was deathly silent.
"Are archers usually this powerful?"
Someone in the room finally spoke, breaking the suffocating silence.
"Not only that — the arrows he's using are extraordinary."
Lidya, with her vast experience, explained the situation.
"He must have gotten them from the Saint Archer. But every single item he's using is extremely rare and powerful."
"Not just that. Zeref is handling multiple rounds perfectly. Every move he makes is coordinated and calculated, turning even the simplest actions into deadly ones."
Lidya was deeply impressed — at the very least, Zeref could be considered a natural-born warrior. While others praised him, Shopia was crying in worry as she watched her son wounded and bleeding.
Just as the five-minute break ended, 30 new humanoids began to appear. Even though I had taken a regeneration pill, my body still felt weak. Although I didn't feel any pain, muscle tension lingered from my injuries.
I could see some new humanoid types — even assassin-types wielding daggers — and some carrying shields.
"Now I understand why my survival rate is only 0.0001%…"
Just the sixth round was already this difficult. What about the rounds after this? And how many rounds are there in total?
This time, I didn't want to take any risks. I immediately pulled out Fire Arrows, Void Arrows, and Chaos Arrows and placed them on my bow.
Item: Fire Arrow
Description: An arrow crafted by the legendary blacksmith Regi.
Effect: An AOE arrow that engulfs the entire area in unquenchable flames.
Cost: 5000
Item: Void Arrow
Description: An arrow crafted by the legendary blacksmith Regi.
Effect: An AOE arrow that completely pierces through enemy defenses.
Cost: 5000
Item: Chaos Arrow
Description: An arrow crafted by the legendary blacksmith Regi.
Effect: An AOE arrow that creates chaos. After being fired, all enemies become confused and may even attack their own allies.
Cost: 5000
Just as I was about to fire the arrows at the humanoids, I sensed danger from behind me. My instincts — honed from battles with beasts and bandits — kicked in. I immediately ducked and rolled to the ground.
The moment I stood up, several dagger-wielding humanoids appeared. I quickly raised my bow to defend myself and blocked multiple stabbing attacks from the assassin-type humanoids. But at the same time, Void and Chaos arrows from enemy archers targeted my blind spot.
I quickly detonated several smoke bombs to obscure my position and activated the magical device Disparaître, causing my presence to vanish completely. As I hid within the smoke, I could hear the terrified screams of my two sisters behind me…