Rio crouched low in the middle of the forest clearing, her eyes locked on three low-level mobs pacing nervously in front of her. She gripped her sword tightly, the familiar weight comforting against her hands.
"Alright," she muttered under her breath. "Let's see what Chronos Eye can really do."
She took a deep breath, focusing her mana. A faint, shimmering aura began to emanate from her eyes, tingling across her limbs. With a swift step forward, she swung her sword in a wide arc.
The moment her blade connected with the first mob, time itself seemed to ripple around the creatures. Their movements slowed dramatically—every swing of their claws, every shuffle of their feet, all reduced to near sluggish motion.
Ryota's jaw dropped. "Whoa… that's insane! Did you see that?!"
Rio didn't look impressed. Her brow furrowed slightly. "Hmph. It's… okay."
She activated the skill again, striking a second mob. Time slowed around it too, the same as before. The third mob followed suit. Rio landed a few more precise blows, each hit triggering the temporal distortion.
Ryota couldn't hide his amazement. "I've never seen anything like that! It's like you control time itself!"
Rio shook her head and stepped back, exhaling. "No… this is a bad skill for swordsmen."
Ryota tilted his head. "Bad? Are you serious?"
Rio turned to him, eyes sharp and serious. "Listen carefully. Chronos Eye spends 35 mana per activation. For that cost, I can either slow down time for the target I hit, or speed it up, but here's the catch—using a sword means I have to physically strike them up close. I can't affect them without hitting them."
Ryota frowned. "So, you can't just snipe them from a distance?"
Rio shook her head. "No. And that's why this skill doesn't really fit my fighting style." She looked back at the mobs, swinging her sword slowly as she considered. "I don't want to be a ranged unit like archers. They're too slow, require precise aim, and must maintain distance from their targets. Too much focus on positioning, too much chance for mistakes."
She clenched her fists. "And gunsmen? Close combat is their weakness. Hand-to-hand fights? They're too weak. I've spent years perfecting swordplay. That's where I excel."
Ryota considered this for a moment. "Why not use a handgun? Like a flintlock musket. It's short-range, powerful, and you can still hit up close if you time it right."
Rio froze, staring at him. "You… you realize how crazy that idea is, right?"
Ryota nodded, calm and confident. "Yeah? Why?"
Rio's eyes widened, and she blinked several times. "Flintlocks are one of the weakest guns in the entire game! Low damage, poor rate of fire, terrible durability. I'd be wasting my time relying on that!"
Ryota shrugged. "Might be good for timing with Chronos Eye. Slow the target… fire once… maybe control the flow of battle."
Rio rubbed her temples, exhaling sharply. "Huh… you might be onto something, but still… the risk is insane. I'll have to test it carefully."
The forest clearing fell silent, save for the low groans of the slowed mobs and the soft whisper of wind through the trees. Rio's mind raced with possibilities, trying to reconcile the immense potential of Chronos Eye with the limitations of her swordsman instincts.
Ryota watched her closely, silently impressed. Even in her frustration, she exuded focus and determination—qualities that made him certain she would dominate Evermount no matter what path she chose.
"And yet," Rio muttered, gripping her sword tighter, "this is going to take some serious adjustments…"
Rio stood in the clearing, the mobs circling her lazily as she contemplated. She rubbed her chin, narrowing her eyes.
"Fine," she muttered, exhaling. "I'll try Ryota's idea. Not like I'll lose anything… just a few minutes."
She opened her in-game shop interface, scrolling through the beginner weapons. Her eyes landed on the small, unimpressive mini musket Ryota had mentioned.
"One copper coin…" she muttered, confirming the purchase. Her currency dropped from 4 copper coins to 3. She let out a long sigh.
One copper coin equals… about 1,000 yen in real money.
She shook her head. That's insane, but whatever…
The game's currency system was intricate: Copper → Silver → Gold → True Gold, with 100 copper = 1 silver, 100 silver = 1 gold, and 200 gold = 1 True Gold Coin. Every coin mattered, but for this experiment, she didn't care. It was the start of the game anyway everyone here has hardly any copper coins.
She grabbed the musket from her inventory, its tiny frame looking laughable compared to her sword.
Taking a deep breath, she activated Chronos Eye, feeling the familiar tingle of temporal energy pulse through her body. The aura shimmered around her eyes and hands as she aimed the musket at the nearest mob.
"Here goes nothing," she muttered.
She fired. The bullet hit the mob, and instantly, time around it slowed dramatically. Its movements became sluggish, almost comically slow as it tried to respond.
Rio's eyes widened. It worked.
Without hesitation, she swung her sword strapped to her left arm, cutting through the slowed creature. It collapsed instantly.
She stepped back, blinking rapidly. "No… no way…"
Ryota, watching from a safe distance, grinned like an idiot. "I told you! I knew it would work!"
Rio shook her head, still stunned. "Your dumb idea… actually worked. It… it really worked!"
She tested it again on the remaining two mobs. Chronos Eye slowed them as the musket shot connected, and her sword delivered the finishing blow immediately after. Every hit was precise, every attack instantaneous.
She couldn't help but laugh, a mixture of shock and exhilaration. "I… I can't believe it. That's… actually viable."
Ryota stepped closer, clearly proud. "See? Sometimes the weakest weapons have the biggest potential if you use them right."
Rio nodded slowly, gripping both her sword and musket tightly. Her mind raced with possibilities. With Chronos Eye and this musket combo, she could control fights like never before.
"This… this changes everything," she whispered, almost to herself. "Maybe Ryota isn't as dumb as I thought."
The mobs lay defeated at her feet, frozen in slow motion from the skill, as Rio's grin widened. Today, the Silver War Goddess was testing not just a lost skill—but a completely new way to dominate Evermount.