After eating and getting rest, Zane, Rein, and Zoe checked their bags and prepared a few rations to bring. Zane was able to recover some of the arrows fired during the battle. He ensured his quiver was full and his bow was in good condition. He borrowed a few throwing knives from Corvyn and attached them to his wrists and sides. He also picked up a sword that one of the goblins had used and attached its sheath to his belt. It was sharp but weak; however, it would work for this trip.

Zane checked his status as he was sitting there.

'ding' You have killed an elite monster and have gained extra experience.

(I am getting really tired of that stupid ding.) Zane thought as the notifications kept coming. The dings stopped suddenly, which was a relief for Zane, but the notifications kept coming.

Archer has leveled to 25, and you have unlocked the abilities of marksman, Sniper's mark, and overdraw.

Bow Mastery has reached level 10, and you must complete a quest to continue leveling.

Zane focused on the abilities and got a readout. Your accuracy from a long distance is unmatched, and you can hit any target you can see. Sniper mark allows you to mark targets ahead of time to shoot at. (can be used with some abilities) Overdraw allows you to store energy in your bow, causing more power to be behind your arrow, causing more damage.

He noticed he had gotten a general skill called throwing weapon mastery—level 40(Max). He figured he got this from Corvyn and was interested in that; however, he wasn't worried about the rest and decided to wait until later to view them.

"Everyone ready to go?" Zane asked as he shouldered his bag.

"I am," Zoe stated as she approached the gate.

"One second, we need one more thing," Rein said as he walked over to the Hobgoblin's corpse. I could use your help taking off this thing's head real quick, Arin."

Arin walked over and removed the monster's head with one swipe before putting the blade back on his back. Rein picked up the head and attached it to his bag.

"Why do we need to bring that?" Zane asked.

"Proof of kill on stronger enemies is sometimes required. I also have the shaman head in my bag. They could fetch us a fair price. I have a few other things to sell as well. We will need the funds for some supplies and accommodations."

"That makes sense," Zane said as he started towards Zoe.

A trail led from the mine to the main road. Once they hit the main road, they made their way towards the town. Zane remembered the basic way from when he was drawing out his copy of the map. On the other side of the mine from where they were was the river, and if we followed the river downstream, we would find the town. On the way to the town, they encountered nothing strange, but they killed a few wolves and rabbits for food as they came. Zane got quite good with butchering from all his experience from Corvyn.

They walked for about half the day when they could finally see the town entrance. As they approached the gate, they saw a group passing the guard. It was five members, and a large man was at the front with a giant axe on his back. They were talking about going to the mine to remove the goblins since the reward had changed, and it was finally worth it.

"It has already been dealt with. I'm sorry, but it looks like we beat you to it," Rein said as they walked past.

"There is no way that you, an archer, and a girl with a staff could have dealt with all of them," the large man said as he spun around.

"You can believe what you want, but that is the truth."

The large man scowled as he pulled his axe from his back. The rest of his party started to surround Zane and his party.

"Why lie about it. If you try to claim our bounty, you will regret it."

"And what are you going to do about it," Rein said as he whistled.

The two wolves from before came out of the forest and snarled as they approached the large man, who was starting to turn pale.

"That is enough! There will be no fighting here, and no wild animals will be allowed to enter either!" The guard yelled.

Rein whistled again, and the wolves disappeared into the woods around them.

"Sorry. It won't happen again. We will be on our way. By the way, here is your proof." Rein stated as he raised the Hobgoblin's head.

"There's no way you killed the hob. That would be a hard kill even for us. I challenge you for the head and right to turn in the bounty."

The guard sighed as he clapped his hands, and a shield appeared around the parties.

"I forgot to tell you that this could happen. If any party feels that the group turning in the bounty is lying, they can challenge them for the right to turn in." Rein said as he rubbed his hand down his face. "I honestly didn't think it would happen."

Zane nodded his head while using analyze and was given information about each of the party members. (Berserker - 18, Thief - 16, Healer - 15, Mage - 20, Defender - lvl 25.) He decided he wanted to test his strength and figured these would be easy compared to that Hobgoblin.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"I would like to fight this group with Zoe's help if that is okay with you, Rein."

"Of course," Rein said as he stepped towards the end of the shield.

"You are nuts, but that makes it easier for us. By the way, our names are Sam, Alice, Albert, Jack, and Griffith."

"I appreciate it. My name is Zane. Hope you remember my name after this is said and done."

Another clap rang out, and the thief moved first, running behind and around the team straight at Zoe. Zane used Sniper's mark, and a symbol appeared about each enemy's head. He flicked his wrists, causing the blades he had to come into his hands. He threw the first blade, and it struck the thief in the knee, causing him to fall. He threw the next at the mage that was currently casting, striking him in the right shoulder. This ended his chant and caused him to fall back, holding his shoulder. Zane noticed that the healer was starting to cast and pulled the next knife out, throwing it at the healer. The defender used his shield and deflected the knife as the leader ran straight at Zane. Zane took a few steps back and quickly pulled his bow, firing an arrow at the leader. The leader sidestepped, causing the arrow to miss as he raised his axe over his head. The axe was brought down with great force as Zane barely had time to pull his sword and barely deflect the blow. This caused Zane to get pushed back and the sword to crack, which made him sheath it again.

The fight caused a crowd to come around and watch. Amazed that Zane was holding his own against them. The crowd started to cheer, and some even made bets on who they thought would win. As the crowd cheered, Zane jumped back and fired another arrow straight at the mage. The mage cased a shield of water to stop the arrow. The berserker ran at Zane again, causing him to jump back. He fired an arrow as he did and hit the berserker in the foot, causing him to stop moving for a moment. Zane then stepped back and kneeled down. He pulled his string back as far as he could and used the overdrawing skill. He pulled the string back further and changed his arrow, creating a blunt, flat end instead of a point. He released the arrow straight at the healer at full power. The defender again tried to block, this time the arrow striking his shield and knocking him off his feet straight back into the healer, causing them both to be thrown from the ring and out of the shield. The berserker cursed, ripped the arrow from his foot, and yelled as loud as he could, causing fire to surround his axe, hands, and feet. He rushed towards Zoe. Zane jumped towards her, but before he could do anything, she hit the berserker in the chest with a stone, knocking him backward, then put an earthen shield around them both.

"How long can you hold this shield up?"

"I am honestly not sure. I feel I can hold it forever with this staff you made me, but I am unsure."

"When I signal, drop the shield, and after I fire my first arrow, imbue my second with lightning. Can you do that?"

"Yes, I can do that."

Zane charged another overdraw. He still had the Sniper's mark on each group member and focused on the berserkers to start. He focused on the shoulder on his right arm, which seemed to be his dominant hand. Zane fully charged the overdraw and nodded at Zoe. She dropped the shield, and the berserker jumped at them as soon as it dropped. Zane aimed his bow and released the arrow, hitting his mark, which caused the berserker's right arm to be severed and him to be thrown backward. Zane readied his second arrow and aimed at the mage. The mage attacked first with water droplets in the area, but Zoe put an earth shield in front of Zane to block it. Zane changed the next arrow into a blunted end before nodding again and fired the next arrow at the mage. Zoe released the shield just in time and imbued the arrow with lighting. The mage put his shield up again, but the arrow turned into a lightning bolt going through the shield, striking him in the chest. The mage hit the ground, unable to move. Zane readied his last arrow and aimed it at the thief. After the arrow became blunt, he fired it, striking the thief in the jaw and causing him to be knocked out.

Another loud clap came from the guard, and the shield dissipated. The crowd went quiet, and the fighters started putting their weapons away.

"What is your name?" The guard asked as he looked at Zane.

"My name is Zane."

"Zane's party is the winner. They have won the right to turn in the bounty and claim the enemy's gear as per the agreement at the start! Make sure to also collect your winnings from the bet that started; otherwise, they will keep it for themselves," the guard said as he pointed at a man collecting and counting coins.

"Thank you for the information."

"It was my pleasure. It isn't often we see such a one-sided fight like that." The guard replied, walking back to his post.

Zane turned around to see Zoe healing the ones that needed it. Rein had walked to the person collecting the coin and got our winnings. Zane saw the berserker's arm, picked it up, and walked over to him.

"That was a great time. You guys work well together."

"You say that, but you tore through us like nothing we have ever seen. You even blocked my attack with that sword, and its best days are far behind it. Honestly, I'm surprised it didn't shatter. I don't understand how you are so strong."

"Honestly, I don't understand it either, but I have a feeling this is just the beginning."

"You are right. I'd like to see what you can do in the future."

"Let's go ahead and fix this arm of yours," Zane said as he saw Zoe walking over.

Zoe began by having Zane hold the arm in place while she had lightning bounce between her fingers and the wound. After the arm was reattached

"I appreciate it," he said as he wiggled his fingers.

"It may feel strange for a while, but you should be fine," Zoe said, walking over and standing next to Zane.

"Thanks again," he said as he left his pack, weapon, and armor on the ground before Zane.

The rest of his group followed suit as they walked away, leaving a decent pile of loot.

"This will be a decent start for our party. We could sell a lot of this and make some good coin. We could also have a crafter absorb it and learn the recipes to recreate. We also made about five gold from their wagers, " Rein said as he walked towards them.

"Five gold?!" Zoe exclaimed questioningly.

"Is that a lot?" Zane asked.

"Yeah, it is. That could be a complete set of gear for all of us, possibly even a piece or two of affinity gear," Rein responded.

"What is affinity gear?"

"Seriously? How are you as strong as you are but need to know what an affinity is? Do you remember how the berserker had fire on parts of his body and weapon or how Zoe uses nature magic?"

"Yeah. Is it an element that you can use with your abilities?"

"Yes, but it is more than that. You can also infuse your affinity into different crafts as well. Depending on your affinity and skills, your class may change as well. For instance, a knight with light affinity can become a Paladin or Lightbringer, but the same class with dark affinity may be a Death Knight or Dark Knight. The affinities are as follows: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Dark, and Light. Variants such as Lightning, Blood, Nature, and many others also exist. Some people have more than one affinity as well. You can use the system to see what changes after you find out what your affinity is."

"How do I find out what affinity I have?"

"They will do a check when you register at the guild. Let's go!"