Chapter 79: Gathering Materials for the Bow Part 4

“Geeeeeeh!! “

The first move from the boss, the Feathered Deer, was rather unexpected—it unleashed a Wind Lance spell of the [Wind Magic]. I had assumed it would charge at them recklessly instead.

“Kyuaaa! “

In response, Karl used [Fire Magic] to create a Fire Wall as a defense. It was clear he was fulfilling his task of protecting Shio.

“Kebyuaaaaa!”

As soon as it realized magic wouldn’t be enough, the Feathered Deer pointed its horns forward and charged. It possessed skills of [Horn Strike] and [Charge], which meant its assault could likely inflict significant damage even on someone like me.

“Kyuoooo!”

In return, Karl extended his four wings and launched his own counterattack. By the way, he swung his right arm overhead; it seemed he intended to engage in a direct contest of strength. Perhaps he had quite a competitive spirit.

Bang!!!

The horns of the Feathered Deer clashed with Karl’s claws, producing a dull, heavy sound that reverberated throughout the area.

“Kyuaa!”

“Geh!?”

In the contest of strength, Karl emerged as the victor. To be honest, this outcome was as expected. Let me remind you that Karl possessed the power to defeat a Wind Wolf in a one-on-one battle.

For a monster that had evolved only a step beyond a regular deer, defeating it was a breeze, even if its stats were boosted due to it becoming a field boss. Too bad!

“Here it is~~ssu!”

Seizing the opportunity, Shio released an arrow. The arrow flew straight and pierced the base of the Feathered Deer’s left hind leg.

Naturally, my [Enchantment] was applied to this arrow as well. Thanks to that, it dealt damage far beyond what a regular arrow could inflict. Moreover, it seemed the damage it caused wasn’t the only effect.

“Geeeeh…!”

The Feathered Deer seemed greatly bothered by the deeply embedded arrow in its left hind leg. Observing its reaction, Shio smiled confidently.

“Just as Ruby said~~ssu; it seems damage accumulates in specific body parts~~ssu. So, arrows with barbed tips that are hard to remove once they’ve hit have a fantastic effect~~ssu, right?”

I wonder if Shio had this strategy in mind when she chose to be an archer. When I heard “specific body parts”, it reminded me of the Ratman King battle, where we relentlessly targeted its knees. Ruby must have shared that story with Shio.

Certainly, bows and arrows were considered challenging to aim accurately, but if they did hit, they could potentially hinder the target’s movements with those barbed tips. To pull it off effectively, one would need the skill and confidence to consistently hit the same spot. If you had that, bows and arrows could fall into the category of formidable weapons.

“Keep it up, Karl-kun! You’re doing great~~ssu!”

“Kyukyuu!”

◆◇◆◇◆◇

Karl defended against the deer charges, allowing Shio to release her arrows in the openings. Their coordination, though seemingly impromptu, displayed a remarkable level of skill. However, their firepower was low, so it was taking some time. The battle had dragged on, causing the effect of my [Enchantment] to wear off.

I could have re-enchanted, but Shio insisted they would handle it from here on, so I entrusted them with the task. The three of us at a higher level remained on standby, ready to intervene if needed, while continuing to watch the battle unfold.

“…Here it is~~ssu!”

“Geh!?”

Shio continued to shoot arrows calmly and accurately. She refrained from shooting in awkward positions and seemed focused on hitting the same spot consistently. Her ability to put this into practice demonstrated incredible concentration and skill.

“Geeeh…”

It seemed that their consistent attacks were having an effect. The Feathered Deer was now dragging its left leg. It appeared that it could hardly run properly anymore.

“Now’s the time to press the attack~~ssu! Karl-kun!”

“Kyuoo!”

Shio gave Karl the signal to attack, and Karl responded by launching a fierce assault. It seemed they were planning to mount a relentless offensive from here on.

“Geeeh!”

“Kyu!?”

“Seriously!?”

The Feathered Deer, which appeared to be cornered, had managed to ascend into the air!

Come to think of it, it had a skill called [Sky Walk]. That must have been the reason. Thanks to this escape into the air, Karl’s attacks missed, and the enemy had gained an advantageous position overhead.

“Gegyaaa!”

“Whoa!”

“Kyuu!”

The Feathered Deer, suspended in mid-air, vigorously shook its head and unleashed a barrage of [Wind Magic]. It seemed like the enemy had shifted to long-range combat since it couldn’t engage in a direct assault anymore.

“Standing still makes for an easy target~~ssu!”

“Geeaah!?”

However, it was a poor choice to stand still. Shio’s shooting accuracy was exceptionally high. Just because it was hovering in the air didn’t mean it wasn’t an easy target.

The arrow released by Shio struck the Feathered Deer squarely in the chest. Oh, its health took a significant hit, didn’t it? Did it pierce some internal organ?

“Geh… Geeegyaaa!!”

The Feathered Deer had very little health left. That’s why it decided to go all in. Remarkably, it ignored the pain in its left leg and began to run! And it was quite fast! It seemed that it gained a burst of strength in its desperate state.

Its target was clearly Shio, which made sense since she had inflicted a fatal wound. To avoid Karl, the Feathered Deer made a wide detour through the air, maintaining its speed, and then pointed its horn forward for a charge.

I had no choice but to cast a defensive spell…

“I’ve already predicted this~~ssu!”

…Before I could use my skill, Shio leaped to the side and released an arrow. I wondered if this approach would miss the mark, but it appeared that Shio had a firm grasp of her bow’s traits even while in motion. Even with the monster moving, her arrow flew straight toward the Feathered Deer…

“Geh…!?”

It pierced through its eyeball and into its brain.

“Geh, Geeegyaaa…”

Already on the brink of death, the Feathered Deer, now struck by an instant death blow, let out a feeble cry before finally dying.

――――――――――

You have won the battle.

You have defeated the field boss, “Feathered Deer”.

This marks the first subjugation party for the field boss, “Feathered Deer”.

As a reward, you have received 6 SP.

The race level of your familiar has increased.

The job level of your familiar has increased.

――――――――――

There were a few tense moments, but Shio and Karl’s teamwork led to victory over the Feathered Deer. Still, receiving SP without doing anything felt somewhat undeserved.

“Phew. It was a tough opponent, but we managed it~~ssu!”

“Yeah, you put up quite a fight.”

“Shi-chan, you were coool!” Ruby said.

I praised them sincerely. While not flashy like Jigoro’s, Shio’s steady and composed archery skills seemed reliable to me.

“Kyu!”

“Ooh, Great job, Karl. You were impressive too.”

I caught Karl, who had eagerly jumped into my embrace, and gently petted him while showering him with praise. Honestly, prioritizing coordination with Shio instead of charging in on his own was worthy of praise.

Nevertheless, it seemed that Karl had a tendency to charge forward. Were dragons naturally inclined toward aggression?

In that case, I thought it might be a good idea to have Jigoro and Genjuro teach him the basics of close combat. After all, even I had learned at least some self-defense techniques. Karl could aim even higher.

“I’ve skinned it. I think we’ve gathered all the necessary materials,” Iris said.

Oh, Iris is quite thoughtful. And I apologize for being absent-minded. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the materials we’ve collected and our rewards.

――――――――――

• Feathered Deer Horn – Quality: Good, Rarity: R (Rare)

Horn of the Feathered Deer that controls the wind.

It has a faint wind element.

Can be used as a weapon after processing, but it’s also widely used as a material for decorations.

• Feathered Deer Hide – Quality: Good, Rarity: C (Common)

Hide of the Feathered Deer covered in feathers.

It has a faint wind element.

An excellent leather material, and the feathers can be used for arrow fletching.

――――――――――

Ah, I see. So our task is complete, using the hide for grips and the horn for decorations. This was quite a challenging mission. While I knew Shio had impressive gaming skills, I wonder if she would have respawned multiple times without our assistance?

If this is considered a tutorial for field conquest, then experiencing respawns is certainly important. …I, however, have never died.

“At any rate, does this mean we’ve gathered everything we need?” I asked.

“Yes, that’s correct.” 

“Alright, shall we head back then?”

As I casually announced our departure, Shio let out a somewhat perplexed sigh.

“Oh, do we have no other choice but to climb that steep cliff~~ssu…?”

Ah, I see. She’s still unable to fly as a Birdian Chick. So she must be thinking she’ll have to make her own way back.

Fufufufu! However, there’s no need to worry. That’s because I possess the skill of [space-time magic]!

“No, it’s alright. Everyone, gather around me.”

“Huh? Is something going on~~ssu?”

“That’s right… base teleport!”

As I chanted the spell, our surroundings shifted in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, we were back at our home base. As long as I’m around, you see, it’s easy to return to the base.

“Ooh! You can use teleportation~~ssu?! How do you do it~~ssu? Please, teach me~~ssu!”

“Whoa, what’s going on?”

Out of nowhere, Shio approached me with intense curiosity! Huh? What’s with this kid? She’s kind of scary right now!

“Magic? It’s magic, right~~ssu? But it wasn’t in the initial selection of skills~~ssu!”

“Hey, calm down! I’ll teach you! I’ll teach you, so…”

“Sorry! My bad~~ssu…”

Shio, who had completely lost herself a moment ago, seemed to have calmed down somehow. But seriously, what was that all about?

“Shi-chan, that bad habit of yours popped up again.”

“Uuu…”

Ruby bounced up and perched on Shio’s head. She referred to it as a habit, but was Shio the kind of girl who did this sort of thing often? It was unexpected.

“You see, Shi-chan gets a little… “excited” when there’s something she really wants or when she’s curious about something.”

“A little…?”

“Uu!”

I don’t think I’d have the courage to call that “a little”… Shio herself seemed to realize it as her face stiffened. It looked like she was reflecting on it, so I decided not to push any further.

However, if Ruby’s words were anything to go by, Shio really wanted to learn how to use teleportation. Why could that be?

“…Positioning and movement are pretty important in shooting and sniping~~ssu, you know? If I could use teleportation on top of flying, it would be incredibly convenient~~ssu.”

Speaking of which, I remember seeing something like that in a book or a movie once. Even if you take a perfect sniping position, your location gets exposed when you actually fire. In such a situation, you have to quickly move to another spot or something like that.

In VRS (virtual reality shooter) games, where the line between reality and gaming is blurred, I suppose that aspect would be almost the same. Shio must want to master teleportation for this very reason, as she’s experienced it in several games.

Since there was no need to keep it a secret within our group and it would probably come up on the bulletin board anyway, I decided to go ahead and spill the beans.

“Being able to use teleportation is a part of the [Space-Time Magic]. You can acquire it by evolving both [Light Magic] and [Dark Magic]. Initially, you’ll learn the Short Teleportation spell, which allows you to instantly move to a location within your line of sight. When you raise it to level 5, you’ll learn the Base Teleportation spell, which I used earlier…. It lets your entire party return to the respawn point you’ve set. That’s everything I know about [Space-Time Magic].”

“Wow, really~~ssu? Then I’ll get [Light Magic] and [Dark Magic] right away~~ssu!”

Oh, she’s quick on the draw! In that case, I should tell her this too.

“Also, make sure to conserve your SP, alright? You’ll need 6 SP for each evolution of [Light Magic] and [Dark Magic], and acquiring [Space-Time Magic] will require a whopping 30 SP,” I explained.

Combined with the acquisition of [Light Magic] and [Dark Magic], that would require a total of 44 SP. That’s equivalent to leveling up 22 times. It would be quite challenging to cover that without actively defeating field bosses and discovering hidden areas.

“It’s quite a heavy cost, huh? But considering the effects, it’s fair~~ssu.”

“Y-you’re so carefree…”

“Huh? Don’t tell me you didn’t know~~ssu? For the second batch of players, the SP we get from leveling up until level 20 is double~~ssu.” 

“W-what…!?”

I was taken aback. So, does that mean she’ll have at least 40 SP by the time she reaches level 10? Ah, I’m so envious… (TN: Normally one gets 2 SP from a level up, but for new players, it’ll be 4 SP. so 4 times 10.)

“It seems like they balanced it out with the event used in the PV~~ssu. That event allowed you to earn a lot of SP, didn’t it~~ssu?” 

Ah, now that she mentions it, that’s true. Both the players who portrayed the bosses and the players who provided boss information should have earned SP. So, I guess it’s not unfair.

“More importantly, let’s go and craft that bow quickly!” 

Iris urged us; there was an unusual hint of impatience in her voice. She must really want to learn the bow-crafting method as soon as possible. With a wry smile, I followed the three of them outside the base.