Chapter 16: Versus The Gatekeepers (3)

Before the second arrow whistled toward him, Blake weighed his next moves.

Those who excelled in ranged weaponry and sharpshooting skills were often vulnerable up close, yet Blake refused to underestimate this foe.

The feminine voice behind it all—The Supreme Archer—hid her arrows within a crimson haze, using it to her advantage.

Moreover, her arrows could pierce his armor, even though it mitigated more than half of all incoming damage.

It would be foolish for Blake to look down on her.

Considering the circumstances and that single devastating shot, he now regarded her as the final boss of the third objective—the last gatekeeper blocking his path to the precious fragment of The Lost King’s crown.

Certain of her prowess, Blake felt a thrill at the thought of facing her in close combat.

That, however, would come later, and only if he could pinpoint her location. For now, the archer concealed not only her arrows but also her very presence in the red zone.

This meant that when Blake stood in the hall’s red section, he couldn’t see her or her attacks. Retreating to the blue zone would somewhat solve this issue, but it would feel as if he were running away—something he was against.

Not out of pride, but because giving the archer more range would be the worst possible decision at this moment.

[HP: 1021/1125]

‘I can take about four arrows before it gets truly dangerous. Within that window, I have to adapt to her hidden volleys and track her down. Pretty doable,’ Blake thought.

To anyone unfamiliar with this immersive game, such reasoning would sound insane. How could someone adapt to invisible attacks and pinpoint their source without any special abilities?

Even NPCs would believe Blake overestimated himself, given his low level and unimpressive stats.

Yet he was simply built differently.

By the end of the beta testing era, Blake had acquired and mastered a broad array of passive and active sensory skills—abilities one could only encounter in a world of fantasy.

His mind still remembered the strain of those peculiar techniques, and he understood their underlying principles. One was that the so-called sixth sense could be awakened by anyone, even in the real world.

Everyone has likely experienced a sudden insight or a flash of intuition—akin to a sixth sense. In this game world, one could deliberately harness such instincts.

Pointing his blade downward, Blake assumed a defensive stance. With his eyes shut, he heightened his remaining senses, focusing keenly on his hearing.

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As a faint whistle cut through the silence, he instinctively clenched his eyes tighter.

The second arrow hit dead-center on his chest, tearing through his armor. Fortunately, the high-grade steel and the armor’s attributes prevented bleeding—an affliction that would have weighed heavily on him in this predicament.

The third arrow followed swiftly, once again targeting his chest and aiming for the crack created by the previous shot…

…which Blake detected just in time, shifting his balance to prevent the damage from compounding.

The fourth arrow seemed hastily fired, streaking toward his helmet.

Yet behind that demonic mask lay a steady, unflinching expression. He remained utterly composed, steadfast in his guard.

As the fourth arrow entered striking range, he swept his blade upward, cutting its tip and shifting its force into his katana. Biting his lip, Blake tensed every muscle and deftly deflected the projectile to one side.

His eyes snapped open.

Like a hound freed from its leash, he surged forward, racing toward the final gatekeeper concealed in the red zone.

Having grown accustomed to the arrows’ speed, Blake had also deduced her position.

Meanwhile, the gatekeeper betrayed nothing. She drew her bowstring taut again and released a spinning arrow at Blake.

To her astonishment, Blake’s katana was already raised before she finished drawing. He paused only long enough to intercept the arrow—replicating his earlier feat—then pressed onward.

The arrow clattered across the floor, much like the severed heads of countless other gatekeepers before. Blake continued his assertive advance, his katana slicing through the space where she hid.

What he cleaved apart, however, was her cover, which parted like a curtain to reveal her.

[The 12th Lost King’s First Forged Soldier Lv. 1 HP: 800/800 MP: 278/455]

Forged from more lustrous steel than her counterparts, The Supreme Archer was unmistakably a woman. A small helmet revealed a long blonde ponytail, and though she was petite, her curves and short skirt left no doubt of her femininity.

Within her carved eye slits, two emerald, bestial eyes glared back, reflecting the image of Blake’s demonic mask.

As he tilted his hilt and lunged forward…

…her bow emitted a sharp clang, straightening and elongating into a long spear that she raised to block his strike.

BANG!

Blake sneered. “You’re in my domain now.”