Chapter 8: The Wrong Kind of Target Practice_Cursed Blade Online

James adjusted the borrowed shortbow on his back, feeling like an absolute fraud. He’d never been an archer in any game—he always defaulted to swinging a sword—but after realizing he needed to train his Defense, he figured he might as well start leveling up Ranged and Magic too.

And what better way than with a quest?

“I still think this is a bad idea,” Lyra muttered as they approached a small wooden shack on the outskirts of town. A hunched-over, one-eyed hunter sat on the front porch, lazily carving an arrow.

“This is a great idea,” James said, faking confidence. “Low-risk training.”

Lyra gave him a look. “The last time you said that, you got your spine pulled out.”

James ignored her and stepped forward. “Hey, you the guy needing help?”

The old hunter squinted at James, then at Lyra. “You two look green as goblin piss. You sure you’re up for this?”

James grinned. “Absolutely.”

The hunter grunted. “Alright, kid. I need you to deal with a small problem.”

A quest notification popped up.

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Quest Accepted: Culling the Swarm

* Objective: Kill 10 Cave Stalkers in the Deepwood Cavern

* Reward: 75 Gold, Hunter’s Bracers (+1 Ranged)

* Difficulty: ???

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James nodded, satisfied. “See? Ten monsters. That’s a solid training mission.”

Lyra sighed. “Just once, I’d love for you to read the difficulty before accepting.”

James waved her off. “Come on. How bad could it be?”

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FIVE MINUTES LATER – INSIDE DEEPWOOD CAVERN

James screamed as a Cave Stalker lunged at him from the darkness. The thing was horrifying—a spider-like abomination with too many legs, glowing red eyes, and jagged, venom-dripping fangs.

“Oh, hell no,” James blurted, fumbling with his bow. He loosed an arrow—it hit, but the 3 damage it dealt barely phased the beast.

The Cave Stalker pounced.

CRUNCH.

James felt his ribs cave in as the monster’s jaws snapped around his torso.

YOU HAVE DIED.

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James respawned outside the cavern, gasping. Lyra stood beside him, unscathed, arms crossed.

She arched an eyebrow. “Wow. That lasted all of three seconds.”

James coughed. “Okay. Maybe… Maybe melee is the way to go.”

Lyra smirked. “No, no, you committed to Ranged. Let’s try that again.”

James groaned.

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ATTEMPT #2: MAGIC?

James re-entered the cavern, this time gripping a small, worn-out spellbook he had picked up from a merchant. He flipped to Lesser Spark, focused, and—

ZAP.

A weak electric bolt arced toward the Cave Stalker… dealing 1 damage.

The beast hissed.

James panicked. “Crap, crap, crap—”

The Cave Stalker lunged.

CHOMP.

James’ head rolled across the cavern floor.

YOU HAVE DIED.

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James reappeared outside, groaning. “Okay. Magic also sucks.”

Lyra snorted. “Or maybe you suck.”

James scowled. “One more try.”

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ATTEMPT #3: TACTICAL GENIUS

James formulated a plan.

* Step 1: Lure the Cave Stalker out.

* Step 2: Fire arrows from a safe distance.

* Step 3: Don’t die.

Lyra sat on a rock nearby, watching with an amused smirk. “This is going to be good.”

James crouched outside the cave entrance and notched an arrow. He spotted a Cave Stalker skittering through the gloom.

“Here we go.”

He loosed an arrow. It hit the monster in the eye. Critical hit!

“Hell yeah!” James cheered.

The Cave Stalker screeched in rage—and then something worse happened.

The entire cavern began shaking.

Lyra’s eyes widened. “Uh. James?”

James gulped. “What now?”

The walls of the cave burst open, revealing more Cave Stalkers—dozens of them, swarming toward him.

“…Oh.”

James turned to run.

The horde slammed into him.

YOU HAVE DIED.

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James respawned, shaking. “NOPE. We are NOT doing that quest.”

Lyra, who had fallen over from laughing too hard, wiped a tear from her eye. “Oh gods, I needed that.”

James exhaled. “Lesson learned. Ranged and Magic are a work in progress.”

Lyra smirked. “So what’s next?”

James frowned. He still needed to level up, but maybe… maybe he should try something less suicidal.

“…I think I’ll find something a little easier first.”

Lyra grinned. “Smartest thing you’ve said all day.”

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A SMARTER APPROACH?

After several more attempts—and at least six more deaths—James finally took Lyra’s advice and switched tactics.

Instead of fighting the Cave Stalkers head-on, he started kiting them.

* He’d fire a single shot, then immediately backpedal.

* If they got too close, he’d switch to Magic and cast a weak Lesser Spark to stagger them.

* Rinse and repeat.

After about an hour (and another five deaths), he finally killed one.

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Cave Stalker slain!XP Gained: 55 Ranged XP, 10 Magic XP

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James collapsed against the cave wall. “I… I did it.”

Lyra clapped slowly. “Congratulations. It only took, what, twelve deaths?”

James glared at her but was too exhausted to argue. He checked his XP bar—he was still Level 1 in Ranged and Magic.

“…Wait. That’s all the XP I got!?”

Lyra chuckled. “Yep. Welcome to the grind.”

James groaned. “I hate this game.”

She smirked. “You’ll hate it even more when you realize we still need to kill nine more.”

James wanted to die.

Again.

His arms ached, his fingers were sore from drawing the bowstring, and his body still remembered the phantom pain of being torn apart over a dozen times.

Lyra crouched beside him, resting her elbows on her knees. "So, what now?"

James stared at his XP bar. He was still Level 1 in Ranged and Magic despite finally managing to kill one of those Cave Stalkers. 55 XP barely moved the bar.

"...I have to do that nine more times to finish this quest?"

Lyra smirked. "Oh no, that's just the first wave. This is an OSRS-styled game, remember?"

James' eye twitched. "What does that mean?"

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

She shrugged. "It means the last Cave Stalker you kill is probably gonna be a boss."

James groaned. "Of course it is. Screw it. Let's just get this over with."

----------------------------------------

ANOTHER HOUR OF PAIN

James respawned six more times before he finally started getting it.

* He stopped panicking and actually aimed his arrows.

* He learned to read the monsters' movements instead of just flailing.

* He used terrain to kite the Cave Stalkers around rocks and pillars.

And slowly... ever so painfully slowly... he started winning fights.

----------------------------------------

Cave Stalker slain!XP Gained: 55 Ranged XP, 10 Magic XP

----------------------------------------

James wiped sweat from his brow as another Cave Stalker collapsed in front of him. He was finally getting used to this.

Then, from the shadows, he saw a pair of glowing red eyes watching him.

Lyra immediately tensed. "James... I think you just triggered something."

James froze. "Oh, come on—"

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BOSS FIGHT: THE BROODMOTHER

The cavern rumbled as something massive crawled out of a deep tunnel.

A towering monstrosity stepped forward—easily the size of a wagon, with twisted, spiny legs and pulsating egg sacs hanging from its bloated abdomen. Multiple eyes blinked in unsettling patterns, and black venom dripped from serrated fangs.

Above its head, a red nameplate appeared:

BROODMOTHER – LVL ???

James paled. "Oh. Oh, that is so not Level 10."

Lyra backpedaled. "Yeah. Uh. Good luck."

James snapped his head toward her. "Wait, what do you mean good luck?"

Lyra grinned. "You're the one leveling Ranged and Magic, right? Have fun!"

And then she vanished into the shadows.

"YOU ABSOLUTE—" James was cut off as the Broodmother shrieked, lunging at him.

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DEATH COUNTER +10

James was bitten in half.

James was impaled through the chest.

James was trapped in sticky webbing and devoured.

James fell into an underground pit filled with baby Cave Stalkers, who ripped him apart in seconds.

James tried to run—the Broodmother spat acid on his legs and slowly crushed him.

James tried to climb a rock—the Broodmother just climbed after him and ate him whole.

James cried.

----------------------------------------

ACTUALLY WINNING?

James respawned for the twentieth time. His morale was nonexistent.

But each time, he learned a little more.

* He figured out the Broodmother had a pattern—it always opened with a web attack.

* He realized he could bait its lunges and force it to miss.

* He discovered the egg sacs on its back could be shot to cause explosions.

On his next attempt, James dodged the opening web, rolled behind a rock, and fired an arrow into one of the egg sacs.

BOOM.

The Broodmother screeched as one of its legs exploded into green gore.

James grinned through the pain.

"Alright, you overgrown spider. Let's dance."

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FINAL ATTEMPT

The battle was long.

James had to kite the Broodmother around the cavern, dodging its attacks, firing at its weak points, and managing his stamina.

After what felt like an eternity—and with only one HP left—James fired one last arrow straight into the Broodmother’s skull.

The monster let out an ear-splitting shriek, collapsed, and twitched violently before finally going still.

----------------------------------------

BROODMOTHER SLAIN!

XP Gained: 1,500 Ranged XP, 500 Magic XP

LEVEL UP! RANGED LVL 5!LEVEL UP! MAGIC LVL 3!

----------------------------------------

James collapsed, breathing heavily. "Oh my god. It's dead."

Lyra reappeared, casually clapping. "That only took you, what? Twenty-one deaths?"

James groaned. "Please. Just let me enjoy this moment."

Lyra grinned. "Fair enough."

Then James saw the loot drop glowing in front of him.

----------------------------------------

SUPER RARE DROP: SHADOW PIERCER

* Ranged Weapon – Legendary

* +10 Ranged Attack

* Passive Effect: Arrows have a 10% chance to phase through armor.

----------------------------------------

James stared at the item description.

Lyra whistled. "Oh, wow. That's insanely rare."

James picked up the Shadow Piercer, feeling its weight. It was a sleek, black crossbow with eerie glowing engravings.

James exhaled. "Okay. Maybe Ranged is kinda cool."

Lyra smirked. "Feeling good about this quest now?"

James gave her a deadpan look. "No. I feel like I died twenty-one times and lost a piece of my soul. But yeah, I guess this is a nice consolation prize."

She laughed. "Come on, hero. Let's get you out of here before something worse spawns."

James didn't argue.

For once, he'd actually won.

And for the first time, he felt like he was actually getting stronger.

----------------------------------------

His arms ached, his fingers were sore from drawing the bowstring, and his body still remembered the phantom pain of being torn apart over a dozen times.

Lyra crouched beside him, resting her elbows on her knees. "So, what now?"

James stared at his XP bar. He was still Level 1 in Ranged and Magic despite finally managing to kill one of those Cave Stalkers. 55 XP barely moved the bar.

"...I have to do that nine more times to finish this quest?"

Lyra smirked. "Oh no, that's just the first wave. This is an OSRS-styled game, remember?"

James' eye twitched. "What does that mean?"

She shrugged. "It means the last Cave Stalker you kill is probably gonna be a boss."

James groaned. "Of course it is. Screw it. Let's just get this over with."

----------------------------------------

ANOTHER HOUR OF PAIN

James respawned six more times before he finally started getting it.

* He stopped panicking and actually aimed his arrows.

* He learned to read the monsters' movements instead of just flailing.

* He used terrain to kite the Cave Stalkers around rocks and pillars.

And slowly... ever so painfully slowly... he started winning fights.

----------------------------------------

Cave Stalker slain!XP Gained: 55 Ranged XP, 10 Magic XP

----------------------------------------

James wiped sweat from his brow as another Cave Stalker collapsed in front of him. He was finally getting used to this.

Then, from the shadows, he saw a pair of glowing red eyes watching him.

Lyra immediately tensed. "James... I think you just triggered something."

James froze. "Oh, come on—"

----------------------------------------

BOSS FIGHT: THE BROODMOTHER

The cavern rumbled as something massive crawled out of a deep tunnel.

Above its head, a red nameplate appeared:

BROODMOTHER – LVL ???

James paled. "Oh. Oh, that is so not Level 10."

Lyra backpedaled. "Yeah. Uh. Good luck."

James snapped his head toward her. "Wait, what do you mean good luck?"

Lyra grinned. "You're the one leveling Ranged and Magic, right? Have fun!"

And then she vanished into the shadows.

"YOU ABSOLUTE—" James was cut off as the Broodmother shrieked, lunging at him.

----------------------------------------

DEATH COUNTER +10

James was bitten in half.

James was impaled through the chest.

James was trapped in sticky webbing and devoured.

James fell into an underground pit filled with baby Cave Stalkers, who ripped him apart in seconds.

James tried to run—the Broodmother spat acid on his legs and slowly crushed him.

James tried to climb a rock—the Broodmother just climbed after him and ate him whole.

James cried.

----------------------------------------

ACTUALLY WINNING?

James respawned for the twentieth time. His morale was nonexistent.

But each time, he learned a little more.

* He figured out the Broodmother had a pattern—it always opened with a web attack.

* He realized he could bait its lunges and force it to miss.

* He discovered the egg sacs on its back could be shot to cause explosions.

On his next attempt, James dodged the opening web, rolled behind a rock, and fired an arrow into one of the egg sacs.

BOOM.

The Broodmother screeched as one of its legs exploded into green gore.

James grinned through the pain.

"Alright, you overgrown spider. Let's dance."

----------------------------------------

FINAL ATTEMPT

The battle was long.

James had to kite the Broodmother around the cavern, dodging its attacks, firing at its weak points, and managing his stamina.

After what felt like an eternity—and with only one HP left—James fired one last arrow straight into the Broodmother’s skull.

The monster let out an ear-splitting shriek, collapsed, and twitched violently before finally going still.

----------------------------------------

BROODMOTHER SLAIN!

XP Gained: 1,500 Ranged XP, 500 Magic XP

LEVEL UP! RANGED LVL 5!LEVEL UP! MAGIC LVL 3!

----------------------------------------

James collapsed, breathing heavily. "Oh my god. It's dead."

Lyra reappeared, casually clapping. "That only took you, what? Twenty-one deaths?"

James groaned. "Please. Just let me enjoy this moment."

Lyra grinned. "Fair enough."

Then James saw the loot drop glowing in front of him.

----------------------------------------

SUPER RARE DROP: SHADOW PIERCER

* Ranged Weapon – Legendary

* +10 Ranged Attack

* Passive Effect: Arrows have a 10% chance to phase through armor.

----------------------------------------

James stared at the item description.

Lyra whistled. "Oh, wow. That's insanely rare."

James picked up the Shadow Piercer, feeling its weight. It was a sleek, black crossbow with eerie glowing engravings.

James exhaled. "Okay. Maybe Ranged is kinda cool."

Lyra smirked. "Feeling good about this quest now?"

James gave her a deadpan look. "No. I feel like I died twenty-one times and lost a piece of my soul. But yeah, I guess this is a nice consolation prize."

She laughed. "Come on, hero. Let's get you out of here before something worse spawns."

James didn't argue.

For once, he'd actually won.

And for the first time, he felt like he was actually getting stronger.

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Chapter 8: The Wrong Kind of Target Practice

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