Introverted Archer 2

Test

2. Rational Leveling Up!

"Goblins, huh... I can handle one about that size!"

It seems like they haven't noticed me over there.

They're leisurely wandering around. They may be small fry among monsters, but at my level, a direct fight would be quite a struggle. 

Being bitten hurts, after all. I'd prefer not to face them head-on. 

They don't seem to have spotted me yet, so maybe I'll go for it.

I hide behind the trees, set an arrow on my bow, and slowly but forcefully draw the string.

"Don't move too much...!"

Even though they're monsters, if I can't finish them off, my position will be exposed from the direction the arrow came. I can only launch this one attack from their blind spot.

"Take this!"

As I release the breath, I let go of the string, and the arrow cuts through the air.

In the next moment, the arrow pierces the goblin's head, and its small body falls to the ground.

Alright, it worked out well. With my limited combat skills, taking down the goblin without taking damage is a big achievement.

I've been repeating this monster extermination for a month, using the time after school.

To get stronger, I need to level up. And the experience points for leveling up come from defeating monsters.

――

You have reached level 3.

Learned skill <Intuition>.

――

"Oh, it's finally here!"

A long-awaited level-up!

When your level increases, you can learn new skills.

"So, what kind of skill is this...?"

I activate the appraisal skill <Observation Eye> to examine the details.

――

<Intuition>

Perception skill. Able to sense the presence of living beings within a radius of 25 meters.

――

"I see, indeed, the ability to scout is necessary for an archer. ...But what I really want is a combat skill. This might not be too useful."

—No, wait a minute.

"Maybe, with this, I can increase the efficiency of leveling up?"

As soon as the idea strikes, I put it into action. I hide behind the rocks again.

"First off... that one."

"Kyukyu!"

The next creature I spot is a slime, the weakest monster in this cave. A single shot can take it down.

"Just like usual!"

I glare at the slime and roughly release the arrow.

The arrow flies in the opposite direction of the slime. However, the wind direction quickly changes.

The arrow adjusts its trajectory and heads toward the slime, piercing through its gelatinous body.

This is the effect of <Sure Shot>. If the target is visible, it automatically tracks and attacks.

"Now, like this."

Next, I close my eyes and shoot the arrow.

Opening my eyes to check, the arrow is embedded in the wall, and it doesn't seem like it's going to chase after the monster.

"Attacks won't hit if not visually confirmed, and the target isn't clear... just as always."

<Sure Hit> is not omnipotent. I need to recognize the target myself for the attack to land. That's why I'm fighting on the front lines like this.

"Alright, what about this?"

I activate the perception skill <Intuition>.

With this, I can sense the presence of enemies within a 25-meter radius.

If I can't see them from here. Oh, there they are.

"Gugegegege!"

Around the corner, there's the presence of a goblin. Will it track if I shoot at it?

With a prayer-like feeling, I pull the string tightly and release it.

Just like when I attacked the slime earlier, the arrow changes direction and goes around the corner.

A few seconds later, the presence of the goblin disappears.

"All right! Just as I expected! <Intuition> ensures a hit even on enemies detected with it!"

That's quite innovative. Until now, I had to visually locate the enemy, move to a position to target them, and then attack.

Targeting the enemy means there's a risk of being targeted by them. Because of that, I had to be quite cautious before being able to attack.

However, with <Intuition>, that risk is drastically reduced.

In other words, the rational optimal solution I've come up with is as follows:

"<Intuition>!"

First, detect enemies within a 25-meter radius. There's one goblin and one slime nearby.

Once a monster is spotted, ready the bow and release the arrow.

"Geggege!"

"Kyukyu!"

Then, in a few seconds, the monsters can be taken down.

Instantly slay monsters with detection and tracking, completely risk-free.

Huh. Could this be insanely powerful?

Not only has the possibility of taking damage been reduced to almost zero, but efficiency has also skyrocketed.

"Could it be that I can reach the second floor by the end of today?"

When I mutter this, I'm half-doubtful but grasping a somewhat confident feeling.