Chapter 29: Violet – 1

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to test the power of Violet.

Too many eyes were on me.

So I suppressed my presence and slipped outside.

Volcan had disappeared somewhere, and I had nothing else to do, so I decided to head to the inn.

Until.

“Oh my, hello—”

I saw her.

The Executioner Princess, Lucia.

An infamous villainess with the title of Executioner…

Honestly, that’s just sad.

I looked at Lucia.

Blood-red hair, crimson eyes.

Her gaze, almost heart-shaped, stared at me as if filled with affection.

…Has her obsession gotten stronger?

What’s with her all of a sudden?

I seriously started to wonder.

Could Violet have some kind of hypnotic or alluring effect on people?

“Your eyes have changed,” Lucia said.

“I leveled up in the labyrinth and got a Gift.”

“Some Gifts do affect the body. It seems you’ve received a powerful one.”

“You think it’s a good thing?”

“Gifts that alter appearance are usually tied to an attribute. Attributes have downsides, but their strengths far outweigh them.”

Lucia smiled brightly as she spoke.

Her sultry voice made the moment feel almost picturesque.

I stared at her.

I knew she was obsessed with me.

I knew she was labeled a villainess.

But still.

Seeing her like this, I couldn’t help but waver for a moment.

She looked beautiful, no matter what.

Well, there must be a reason she’s called a villainess.

Even if she had been engaged to some strange man.

Even if that man had been strung along by another woman.

None of that mattered to me.

Besides, things weren’t likely to play out that way anymore.

“Oh? Yuseong?”

A familiar voice.

It was Erme.

And she looked… different.

Instead of her usual outfit, she was wearing a short skirt and a blouse that accentuated her figure.

Suspicious.

Where exactly was she going, all dressed up like that?

Erme smiled brightly as she approached me—then suddenly paused.

“…Huh? Your eye color changed? Wait, did you level up? That was fast.”

Erme’s bright, sparkling eyes locked onto me.

She was smiling as usual.

But the moment she noticed Lucia, her expression stiffened for just a second.

Just for a second.

“And who is this?”

“Oh, I just stopped by since this place seemed nice. No need to worry too much.”

…That sounds exactly like something you say when you should worry.

“But what about your outfit? You look like you’re heading somewhere fun.”

Lucia smiled sweetly as she looked at Erme.

And Erme—smiling just as brightly—linked her arm around mine.

“Well, that’s because we have a date today.”

“…A date?”

For the first time, Lucia’s expression cracked.

Her face stiffened, and her gaze turned ice-cold.

“Yes, a date. I was preparing for it while Yuseong was in the labyrinth. I was worried about timing, but it worked out perfectly!”

Erme kept smiling, but something about it felt off.

I suddenly felt uneasy.

For some reason, it seemed like she was picking a fight with Lucia.

…No way.

Erme’s too rational for that.

“Come on, let’s go. I found a great place! Oh, but you must be exhausted from the labyrinth. I’m so sorry, I should have been more considerate. How about a bath first? Then we can go eat somewhere nice together, okay?”

Uh.

She was acting playful, even tugging at my arm a little.

Most guys wouldn’t be able to resist this.

But since we were in the same party, I let it slide.

Though, this does feel a little off…

Bath first, then a meal.

Shameless man.

Rishiel’s voice echoed in my head.

Should I leave?

As long as I stay in your room, I suppose it won’t matter.

…That’s not happening.

That woman looks more than ready.

If you let your guard down, she might just pounce on you.

I chuckled at Rishiel’s sarcastic tone.

No way.

By “a nice place,” she probably just meant somewhere to buy arrows.

Or does she think Lucia will steal me away?

Was this what people called a woman’s intuition?

She knew Lucia was obsessed with me and, as the party leader, maybe she was just looking out for her teammate.

Hmm…

Rishiel made a strange expression, as if something was bothering her.

But I ignored it and headed into the bathhouse.

This world is surprisingly convenient.

It had just about everything I needed.

Bathhouses, hygiene standards for food, even flavors I didn’t expect to be good actually tasted great.

Living in this world didn’t seem too bad.

The problem is… this world is doomed.

I recalled what my friend had said.

That bastard had tried so hard to get me into this game.

He succeeded, and now I was here.

Thinking about it just made me sigh.

All of this because of him.

Honestly, if I could just spend my time being doted on by Lucia, life wouldn’t be so bad.

But… destruction, huh?

What happens when the world ends?

Nothing remains—that’s what destruction means.

Wouldn’t that at least make dying easier?

If I had to go, I’d prefer a peaceful death.

Not that I plan on dying easily.

I’d struggle as much as I could.

What other choice did I have?

Erme looked to be in a great mood.

Was it because Lucia wasn’t around?

Either way, our destination was a large workshop.

I had expected her to take me to the dwarven blacksmith with the [Master] title.

“That guy specializes in swords. He doesn’t deal with special arrows or bows. Oh, but if you ever need a good sword, I can recommend something from his shop.”

“That so?”

“Yep! But today, we’re heading here.”

Erme smiled brightly as she pulled me along, chatting about all sorts of things.

Mostly about herself.

“I grew up in the countryside. A retired knight there taught me how to use a sword.”

“I figured. Your balance is too good.”

“People think knights are either offensive or defensive, but it really depends on the person. Most of us train to be well-rounded, focusing on strong fundamentals.”

Her eyes sparkled when she talked about swords.

That was a rare trait.

Not many women were this passionate about swords.

But it wasn’t a bad thing.

Whatever it was, she was serious about her craft.

“This is the workshop.”

The place Erme led me to looked more like a massive factory.

Plenty of adventurers were gathered outside—most of them mid-to-high rank.

Must be a pretty famous place.

Inside, even more adventurers crowded the area.

Because of the packed space, Erme’s grip on my arm loosened.

I unlinked my arm and took her hand instead.

“Eh? Ehh? E-Eh?”

She made a series of dumb noises.

“Whew~ hot couple alert.”

A familiar voice.

I turned my head.

Volcan was whistling at us.

Where had this old man disappeared to?

“You need something?”

“Well, I came here to fix the scarecrow you wrecked, but I ended up seeing something interesting. So, I thought I’d have a little fun.”

Is this really an “interesting” sight?

I only held her hand because the crowd was dense.

I shot Volcan a look, but he just gave Erme a pitying glance.

“You’re incredibly talented in combat, but when it comes to this… you have no skill at all. Or maybe you’re too skilled for your own good.”

Volcan stroked his chin, deep in thought.

What is he even talking about?

“Anyway, what brings you here?”

“I’m here to buy a bow and some arrows.”

I didn’t mention the part about it doubling as a date.

If I did, he’d just grin like a pervert and tease me endlessly.

“Hmmm. So it’s not a date?

The girl seems to think it is.”

“Fine, let’s just say it’s a date and a shopping trip.”

“Hah! You unbelievable bastard.”

Volcan suddenly cursed at me.

I didn’t think I had done anything worthy of being called an unbelievable bastard, but whatever.

“So, what kind of bow do you use? I’ve never actually seen you fight from the backline.”

I fell into deep thought at his question.

Bow size wasn’t much of a disadvantage for me.

A longbow had high power and range but required more strength.

A shortbow had a faster firing rate.

With my current mana control, it wouldn’t make too much of a difference, but…

A shortbow might be better.

Whenever I used Hidden Space, I always had to take out my weapons.

Or, if I wanted to create a surprise variable in a fight, I had to make it visible first.

While I was lost in thought, Volcan gave me an incredulous look.

“…Why are you so deep in thought over a bow?”

“I’m just thinking about which type would suit me best.”

“You mean… which type of bow? What kind of bow do you use?”

“I just… shoot a bow.”

“That sounds like something an amateur would say.”

Volcan gave me a strange look.

“But since it’s you saying it, I can’t exactly ignore it.”

“As long as I shoot as well as anyone else, it shouldn’t matter.”

—

“…No, he shoots at least at the level of a Rank 3 Specialist Archer or higher.”

—

“WHAT?!”

Volcan’s face twisted in shock at Erme’s words.

A specialist archer—someone who dedicated their entire career to archery.

“That’s insane. Shouldn’t someone like that know what kind of bow they use?”

Volcan eyed me suspiciously.

Erme just smiled.

“Then why don’t we test it? There’s a shooting range here, after all.”

“Hmm…”

Volcan gave me a skeptical look but eventually nodded.

“Alright. If you’re as good as you claim, I’ll get you a top-tier bow from this place.”

He was offering me a high-quality bow just for showing my skills.

That old man is cunning.

Cunning?

This bet isn’t much of a loss for him. If you really have that level of skill, it strengthens the Adventurer’s Guild’s position.

If not, all that happens is Erme loses a bit of credibility.

Rishiel explained matter-of-factly.

A bow like this only costs a few dozen gold coins. In return, he gets to confirm whether a skilled and reliable backliner is in their ranks. That’s a solid trade.

Is it really that important?

More precisely, skilled and trustworthy individuals are rare. Always remember—skill and character don’t always go hand in hand. Even the most gifted can have the worst morals.

Like you, Rishiel?

For a moment, Rishiel was speechless.

To be fair, our first meeting had been horrible.

Could it have been any worse?

Well, she was somewhat trustworthy now, at least.

“T-That… was uncalled for. My heart nearly stopped.”

You don’t even have a heart.

I ignored her grumbling and turned back to Volcan.

“Fine, let’s do it.”

Not like I had anything to lose.

The shooting range wasn’t too crowded.

It was a wide-open field with several training dummies set up at various distances.

“What do I have to do?”

“A Rank 3 Specialist Archer should be able to land solid hits from this distance.”

“Wait, so I don’t have to destroy the target?”

“Not necessarily. Even if a Rank 3 could break it, not every archer focuses on raw power. Some prioritize rapid shots over sheer strength.”

“Then”

“If you destroy the target, that’d be ideal.”

Volcan grinned.

Well, breaking it won’t be a problem.

But why did it feel like he was expecting something from me?

“Of course. I already recognize your talent. But if you prove yourself as an archer too, it’s a different story.”

“This is about reputation, isn’t it?”

“Exactly. In the end, it’s all about results.”

So, he wanted to push me forward.

I glanced around.

No one else was watching.

Then.

I might as well go all out.

I reached into my cloak as if drawing a bow.

Then, I pulled the string back, aiming at the target.

One arrow, locked on.

Charging Shot.

A surge of mana drained from my body.

A violet glow began to gather around the arrow.

Crackle, crackle.

Lightning flickered at the arrowhead.

…I didn’t activate that.

Was every skill I used now infused with Violet’s power?

I stayed calm, focused.

Purple lightning crackled at the tip of the arrow, energy condensing at the bowstring.

Whoosh!

A sound tore through the air.

Boom!

Followed by an earth-shaking crash.

A deafening thunderclap roared as the arrow hit.

The Level 3 Training Dummy—the one I was only supposed to damage.

Had been completely erased without a trace.

“……I told you to break it, not erase it from existence.”

Volcan sounded exhausted.

I had nothing to say.

I just stood there in silence.