Introverted Archer 51

Test

51. Rational Ripple!

Hey, I'm Kageyama Eimu. A high school student aiming to become the world's strongest rationalist!

Suddenly, what do you think is the strongest weapon in this world? Yeah, yeah, there might be various opinions depending on the person.

For example, how about swords?

It's a balanced one-handed sword with excellent handling for both offense and defense. A great sword boasting overwhelming destructive power in exchange for weight. Dual swords exhibiting unmatched agility.

Then, there's the answer of a spear, too.

The strength of a spear lies in its long reach. A spear that keeps enemies at bay and delivers fatal blows with just a small opening is undoubtedly a candidate for the strongest.

But, let me dare say. The strongest weapon in this world is the 'bow'.

The bow possesses overwhelming strength stronger than all other weapons. Humanity has yet to realize this.

When saying this, there might be objections.

[The power of a bow and arrow is severely inferior to that of a hammer.]

[It takes time to shoot an arrow. In close combat, a knife should prevail.]

[Depending on the user's skill, a bow may not hit. There is no weapon superior to a rapier for reliably hitting attacks.]

So, what about this?

What if there were bow and arrows capable of delivering a single blow with firepower far surpassing even a hammer?

What if arrows could be shot at speeds surpassing the blink of an eye, like stabbing with a knife?

What if arrows could be hit with 100% accuracy from distances many times farther than the rapier reach?

If such things were possible, the bow would be the strongest in the world.

"Hey Eimu-kun! Look at this!"

The most rational and ugh!

It's break time. The one talking to me is Hina.

"Hina, haven't I told you before? Lunch break is a time for rational rest. So you should be sleeping on your desk..."

"More importantly, look at this!"

Saying so, Hina eagerly shows me her smartphone screen. What is this? A news article on the net?

"Your name, Eimu-kun, it's in the news!"

The news article title is Midoriyadai Parking Lot Calamity――What's the Identity of the Mysterious Light?'

A mysterious light? Could it be...?

I had a bad feeling. I read the rest of the news article.

――

Around 1 p.m. on May 30, a calamity occurred at the Formo Parking Lot, a commercial facility in Midoriyadai, Tokyo.

The scale of the calamity was rated Level 4 out of a maximum of Level 8 for major calamities. Despite the dungeon's small size, it received an unusual Level 4 rating.

The reason for the evaluation lies in the quality of the monsters overflowing from the dungeon. 

According to eyewitness accounts from local adventurers, the number of overflowing monsters exceeded 100.

Furthermore, among them, the most threatening were five dungeon bosses. 

These five always acted together, and according to an adventurer with appraisal skills who saw them, the combined strength of the five monsters far exceeded that of a 10th-floor boss.

However, there were only nine casualties in this calamity. When compared to the previous Level 4 calamity in Hakata, which had over 100 casualties, the damage was significantly lower.

That was because of the [mysterious light] spoken of by local adventurers.

[A light rain poured down on the parking lot, defeating all the monsters.]

A-rank adventurer, Yamamura stated. He's highly regarded as a capable person locally.

Many people witnessed this 'Rain of Light', but the light rain user hasn't been identified.

――

That's totally about me.

Fortunately, they still haven't exposed my identity, but this news site is quite famous. 

Does this mean people all over the country are seeing this?

"Eimu-kun, you're famous! Congrats!"

"You're so carefree. For your info, I don't want to be famous."

Well, the likelihood of me getting identified from here is low. 

It's almost unimaginable for someone who doesn't know my background to believe that I use [Sure Hit] to my current enemies with <Materialization> arrows.

――

Among the adventurers who saw the mysterious light, some speculate that it's the return of the 'Hero of Light'.

――

"What's this 'Hero of Light'?"

"Eimu-kun, you don't know about the Hero of Light!?"

When I muttered softly, Hina's eyes sparkled.

"The Hero of Light is a legendary adventurer who stopped a major calamity! He was incredibly strong! He soloed over 10,000 monsters! That kind of thing!"

A legendary adventurer, huh? Since the major calamity was 60 years ago, it's plausible compared to a great person, but it's still suspicious.

"Eimu-kun, are you listening!? The Hero of Light is――"

Come to think of it, my daydreaming has derailed again.

The bow is the most rational and strongest weapon. I will prove it.