Chapter 76: The Shame of a Third-Tier Archer

"Damn it! Before you kill someone, shouldn't you at least figure out who they are?!"

Despite the 'kill on sight' order barked by the lead knight, my heart burned with fury. Yet, as a mere first-rank novice, I had no choice but to swallow my anger—for any random member of their team could easily overwhelm me several times over. So, even though their words were insolent, I had to grit my teeth and endure, halting in my tracks and braving the attacks of the Blackwind Direwolf to prove my 'innocence.'

But it seemed my words fell on deaf ears. The squad, without so much as a backward glance, plunged straight into the darkness of the forest...

All except for the archer who'd strayed from the group.

He scoffed at my words with utter disdain. "You think just because you don't wear a mercenary badge, we won't touch you? Hah... If you have the guts to stir up trouble in Xuan Frost City, you'd better be prepared to die by our hands. And remember this—next time you see me, or anyone from the Supreme Mercenary Corps, you'd better go the other way. Otherwise, we'll kill you every time we see you!"

With a cold sneer, he drew closer, slowly pulling back his silvery metal bow and nocking an arrow... His eyes roamed over me, a glint of greed flashing within.

From the archer's expression and the scavenger qilin's reaction, he'd already guessed that I was likely a diversion orchestrated by the Dragonwolf Cavalry. If I wanted to relay a message, I'd use the team channel—this blatant warning was obviously for their ears.

But as soon as his gaze landed on the silver gear I wore, he realized the first-rank silver equipment's stats were excellent—any piece dropped would fetch at least fifty gold on the market.

Temptation took hold.

He decided to play along, ready to muddy the waters—after all, who would dare challenge the Supreme Mercenary Corps?

With that, he grew even more brazen...

"Bastard..."

Fury surged within me at such shameless, domineering logic. Especially when I caught the greed in his eyes—I sighed inwardly; it seemed I would not escape this time. This scoundrel was simply out to rob me while I was down!

Realizing my predicament, I hesitated no longer.

"Quick Step!"

I sprang away, instantly widening the gap between myself and the archer, shedding the Blackwind Direwolf in the process as I dove into the shadows of the forest.

A mocking laugh echoed behind me. "Only now you think to run?"

The metal bow snapped taut. "Too late!"

The archer's arrogant shout had barely left his lips when, in the same instant that I activated Quick Step, an arrow shot towards me like a bolt of lightning! He'd been watching my every move. But...

"Not necessarily."

At the first twang of the bowstring, my body reacted instinctively, darting sideways. The arrow, whistling through the air, struck the empty ground where I’d been.

"You have suffered a malicious attack from War Wolf. Defensive counterattack state engaged! Duration: 180 seconds."

"War Wolf's attack missed!"

War Wolf...

I silently committed the name to memory, then sped up, leaving him twenty meters behind! Glancing back at War Wolf, who had activated his own Quick Step to give chase, I smirked with derision.

The Supreme Mercenary Corps made a miscalculation, sending an archer after me...

Though War Wolf outclassed me in both strength and speed, the tangled depths of Blackwind Forest played to my advantage. Here, amidst the chaos of trees and undergrowth, it was anyone's guess who would come out on top!

War Wolf was furious at missing his shot—he had thought dispatching a first-rank novice would be as easy as crushing an ant. To be mocked by the scavenger qilin only stoked his temper.

"Don't get cocky, boy! Let's see how many times you can use Quick Step!"

A third-rank archer, War Wolf dominated in both basic stats and skill levels. His Quick Step swiftly closed the distance between us...

But I had little fear of being shot. My mind absorbed the landscape in a flash—every bush, every tree factored into my escape route.

Zigzagging through the forest, I moved with no discernible rhythm, my path wild and erratic. Yet each time, I left a thicket or a tree to block War Wolf, who was drawing his bow again and again in pursuit.

Perhaps War Wolf had never imagined that chasing a first-rank bowman could be so maddening. Still, he remained confident—certain he could finish the fight quickly and rejoin his squad to hunt down the Dragonwolf Cavalry.

His missed shots, he told himself, were merely the result of the forest's treacherous terrain, which lowered his accuracy. Besides, the scavenger qilin was far faster than any novice should be.

So, for a while, he sensed nothing amiss.

But after fifteen seconds, frustration crept in.

Every time he drew his bow, the scavenger qilin would veer away from an unexpected angle, and a tree or a troublesome thicket would appear in his line of fire.

The scavenger qilin moved through the woods like a natural-born hunter—even in haste, his dodges were smooth and fluid. War Wolf, by contrast, was ill-adapted to this environment. He constantly rustled through bushes, and each turn saw him hesitate just a fraction of a second. The edge he held in speed was steadily eroded, and at times the gap between them would suddenly widen...

Anger and anxiety warred within War Wolf—his opponent was too slippery, darting through the most tangled terrain like an eel!

Losing his composure, he saw the distance grow once more...

Until, with a few nimble turns, the scavenger qilin vanished entirely from his sight—swallowed by the endless darkness of Blackwind Forest.

A surge of inexpressible rage and humiliation flooded War Wolf's chest!

His face burned crimson—his pride as a third-rank archer crushed by a first-rank bowman. Consumed by wrath and shame, he tore through the forest in pursuit, charging after the fading echoes of footsteps.

A third-rank archer, shaken off by a first-rank bowman?! Unforgivable—he could not bear to carry such a disgrace!