Chapter 60 - 55: MESSAGE FROM THE EXPLOSION VICTIM, THE WINDS OF WINDHOWL PEAKS, AND THE DANCE OF THE DAGGER

The next morning, sunlight filtered through my room curtains with a warmth that felt different. Usually, the morning light was an annoying reminder that I had to face the torturous medical routine again. But today, I woke up with an extraordinary feeling of freshness.

Doctor Karin visited earlier than usual. She carried a folder containing the results of my blood tests taken yesterday afternoon. As she read the rows of numbers on the paper, her brow furrowed deeply, yet her eyes radiated a happy disbelief.

"Rian, I have been an oncology doctor for more than a decade, but I have never seen a case of remission this rapid," Doctor Karin said while adjusting her glasses. She pointed at the graph on her report paper. "Your leukocyte count is starting to normalize. Your immunological cells are not only fighting the remaining cancer, but are also rebuilding damaged tissue at an anomalous speed. The drastic hair growth yesterday was merely a visual side effect of the high-level cellular regeneration inside your body."

Mira, who stood beside my bed, covered her mouth with both hands; her eyes once again welled up.

"So... Rian will fully recover, Doctor?" Mira asked in a trembling voice.

"If this trend continues without any complications or bodily rejection, yes. He is on the fast track toward full recovery," Doctor Karin answered with a wide smile. She then looked at me intently. "I don’t know what triggered this surge in vitality, Rian. Whether it is your determination, our experimental medicine, or perhaps the therapy from the Virtual Reality game stimulating your brainwaves. Whatever it is, keep it up. But remember, do not push yourself too hard physically in the real world just yet. Your bones still need time to catch up to normal density."

I nodded obediently, returning her smile. This news was the strongest moral buff I had ever received. The oatmeal porridge and protein milk breakfast that usually tasted bland felt like a five-star restaurant meal this morning.

At nine in the morning, after finishing a light physiotherapy session to train my leg muscles, I returned inside the Game Capsule. The log-in process felt extremely smooth.

The coolness of the virtual morning air and the scent of pine wood immediately greeted me. I was once again standing in the back room of the "Waterwheel" shop in Silvergrass Village. Morning sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the Titan’s Ironbark Longbow that still leaned elegantly in the corner of the room.

Before starting today’s adventure, I opened the system interface to check my message inbox. There was one letter icon blinking with a red exclamation mark. The sender was hidden, but the subject read: "Crazy Bombs".

I pressed the open button, and a holographic text message appeared in front of me.

From: [Hidden]

Subject: Crazy Bombs

Message: Hey, Miss Alchemist. This is the Warrior who bought out your stock yesterday. I don’t know what kind of devil your bombs are made from. Our Guild Alchemist tried to dismantle them in the headquarters laboratory to find out the recipe. The result? Our laboratory exploded, destroying half of the western wing of the headquarters, and our Alchemist died twice in a row because of residual effects left in the air. You are truly a monster. That recipe is impossible to reverse-engineer without exploding. But its destructive power in the Dungeon is extraordinary. The floor 15 boss was leveled to the ground. I need 50 medium bombs and 20 large bombs again. Send them via the Cash on Delivery system. I will pay double your display price if you are willing to make our Guild your exclusive buyer.

Reading that message, my loud laughter immediately burst out and echoed inside the shop.

"I told you, right? Gunpowder and swamp peat gas are not something that can be casually dismantled and reassembled by amateurs," I muttered while wiping away virtual tears that had come out from laughing too hard.

The exclusive offer was extremely tempting. However, becoming a permanent supplier for a major Guild would take up a lot of my precious time. I played Second World Online to adventure and feel freedom, not to become a weapons factory worker.

I typed a short reply: "Thank you for the offer. Stock is currently empty and I produce according to my mood. Please check my shop display periodically. First come, first served."

After sending the reply that sounded arrogant yet preserved the exclusivity value of my goods, I closed the system screen. I slung the Titan’s Ironbark Longbow onto my back, checked the binding of the Spellweaver’s Dirk on my thigh, and made sure my arrow quiver was full with a mix of Blood Oak arrows and ordinary wooden arrows.

Today, I wanted to test my flexibility in using two weapons that were polar opposites.

Using the Waypoint Crystal, I teleported to StoneBrook and immediately walked toward the Eastern Gate. My destination today was Windhowl Peaks, a mountainous area of Level 25 to 30 famous for its steep terrain and never-ending windstorms.

The journey there took about forty minutes on foot. I had to pass through the Whispering Plains where Alya and her friends might be hunting and climb a steep ascending rocky footpath. The higher I climbed, the green trees began to be replaced by withered shrubs and sharp rock formations that towered like giant teeth.

The moment I stepped past the boundary of the Windhowl Peaks zone, the system immediately gave an environmental warning notification.

[Environmental Warning: Gale Force Winds]

[Debuff Effect: Projectile attack accuracy reduced by 30%. Movement speed in the air hindered. Footstep sounds masked by the roar of the wind.]

The wind blew extremely hard, striking my gray cloak until it fluttered wildly. The roar of the wind crashing against the gaps in the rocky cliffs produced a high-pitched whistling sound that was ear-piercing, exactly like its name.

For standard Archer-class players, this 30% accuracy debuff was hell. The strong wind would deflect the trajectory of their arrows, making long-range attacks extremely unpredictable. That was why this area was more often visited by Warriors or Assassins who played from close range.

But for me, this was the perfect training ground.

I crouched low, activated the Stealth passive, and moved forward carefully. The advantage of this roaring wind was that my footsteps were truly inaudible.

About two hundred meters from the zone boundary, I saw my first targets.

On a stone pillar spanning above a small ravine, three monsters perched. The upper half of their bodies resembled women with pale bluish skin and sharp yellow eyes, while their arms connected to densely feathered wings like those of giant eagles. The lower part of their bodies consisted of sharply curved predatory bird talons.

[Razorbeak Harpy – Level 26]

Our distance was about fifty meters. The wind blew strongly from my left to right.

I drew the Titan’s Ironbark Longbow. Its heavy weight forced my arms to work extra hard to maintain aiming stability in the middle of the wind gusts. I nocked an ordinary arrow. If I used a heavy Blood Oak arrow, the arrow might not be too affected by the wind, but I wanted to train my archery instincts.

I drew the thick Bog Troll sinew string to full draw. The Sniper’s Nest passive activated, clarifying my vision.

I did not aim directly at the Harpy in the middle. Accounting for the crosswind speed and the accuracy debuff effect, I shifted my aiming point about one meter to the left of the target, letting this game’s Physics Engine do its job later.

I did not use any wind magic skills to strengthen my attack. Harpies were wind-element monsters; they had high resistance to the same elemental magic. I purely relied on the brutal physical attack of the Titan.

DHAAAANG!

The wooden arrow shot forth. As I had predicted, immediately after the projectile left the bow, the storm wind slammed into its side, pushing its flight trajectory to curve to the right. However, because the draw weight of the Ironbark was extremely extreme, the arrow’s speed overcame the air resistance.

The arrow returned to its path and slammed precisely into the left chest of the Harpy that was still off-guard.

CRAAASH!

The penetration power of this Epic bow was truly unreasonable. The ordinary arrow pierced through the Harpy’s rib bones, producing a hard cracking sound. The monster screeched high-pitched; red blood sprayed into the air. Its HP bar immediately plummeted drastically, leaving less than 10% from only a single basic attack that triggered a long-range critical.

One second later, the Harpy lost its balance and fell headlong from the stone pillar, dying from the additional damage caused by the impact.

[Lethal Hit! You have defeated Razorbeak Harpy (Level 26). Gained 4100 EXP.]

The other two Harpies immediately reacted. Their previously calm yellow eyes now radiated anger. They screeched furiously, spread their giant wings, and leaped into the air. They did not need much time to find my position because of my conspicuous size with this giant bow.

They dived down from the air at a terrifying speed, utilizing gravity and the wind gusts. The fifty-meter distance shrank to twenty meters in a matter of seconds.

I immediately nocked a second arrow. I drew it quickly even though my attack speed penalty made this movement feel like slow motion then released it.

My arrow shot toward the Harpy on the right side. However, this time the monster did not stay still. Its wings flapped hard, creating a small vortex wind wall in front of it. My arrow pierced through that wind wall, yet its trajectory was slightly deflected. The tip of the arrow only grazed its shoulder, tearing several feathers and dealing insignificant damage.

Their distance now remained five meters. Razor-sharp talons that gleamed under the sunlight were already stretched toward my face.

"Too close!" I muttered softly.

Trying to draw this giant bow for a third shot was suicide. With reflexes honed by my status, I immediately released the grip of the Titan’s Ironbark Longbow, letting it hang on my back via the sling strap.

My right hand moved like lightning to my right thigh, drawing the Spellweaver’s Dirk from its sheath. The clinking sound of silver rubbing against the leather sheath sounded melodious.

The first Harpy lunged at full speed. I spun my body sideways using a side-step movement, relying on my elf agility. The monster’s talons tore through empty air, only a few centimeters from the sleeve of my cloak.

The wind generated from its attack brushed against my face. When the Harpy passed my position, its momentum made it lose balance for a moment. This was the moment I had been waiting for.

Unlike when using a bow where I maintained distance, close-range combat forced me to look directly into the eyes of the monster that intended to kill me. My heart raced wildly, injecting virtual adrenaline that sharpened my senses even further. I did not have the Strength to block its attacks, so I had to dance between its lethal strikes.

I gripped the dagger’s handle tightly. Using my massive INT status, I channeled mana into the astral silver blade. The runes carved on the dagger instantly glowed with bright green light.

I slashed the dagger from bottom to top, aiming for its right wing.

Sring!

The speed of my slash, supported by high DEX, produced a deep cutting wound. But that was not all. The Gale Slash passive from my dagger triggered! That 15% chance activated immediately on my first attack.

From the silver blade, a crescent-shaped wind blade projectile shot out. The wind blade, whose power was calculated from 50% of my total INT, slammed accurately into the Harpy’s wing.

ZRAAAASSH!

The wind blade cleanly severed half of its right wing. The Harpy screeched in pain, was flung to the ground, and rolled across the dusty rocks, no longer able to fly.

However, the threat was not yet over. The second Harpy landed right behind me. I could hear the sound of its wing flaps. Without turning, I immediately activated my wind magic skill[Wind Walk].

A small whirlwind formed under the soles of my feet, providing a 20% movement speed boost for several seconds. I shot forward, avoiding the second Harpy’s talons that struck the ground where I had stood a second ago.

I spun around. The second Harpy was preparing to leap again, while the first Harpy whose wing had been severed was crawling angrily toward me.

I did not have any active skills for dagger-type weapons. I was an archer and a mage. Therefore, I had to combine what I had.

My left hand cast elemental magic. A small blue magic circle appeared on my palm. [Water Ball]. A fist-sized water ball shot forth and slammed into the face of the second Harpy. Its damage was very small, yet the water impact was enough to disrupt its vision for a moment.

Utilizing that opening, I shot closer. My body moved low. I slid across the sharp gravel, slipped under the defense of its arms, and stabbed the Spellweaver’s Dirk directly into its left chest.

I injected mana to the maximum. The Gale Slash passive did not trigger, yet the physical sharpness of the astral silver succeeded in piercing its defense. I pulled the dagger out quickly and leaped backward exactly when the Harpy swung its talons blindly. Its HP bar dropped drastically because of the fatal wound in a vital area.

The rest of the battle was a heart-racing dance of death. I dodged slashes, parried using agility, and cut every time there was an opening. This dagger felt like an extension of my own hand. Its light weight allowed me to maneuver without burden, while its magical destructive power covered the deficiency of my physical strength.

In less than three minutes, both Harpies finally fell, shattering into bluish light particles that flew away, blown by the mountain wind.

[You have defeated Razorbeak Harpy x2. Gained 8200 EXP.]

[System: You have leveled up! Current: Level 23]

I stood in the middle of the rocky area, panting. The hand holding the dagger trembled slightly from the residual tension. Close-range combat truly drained focus and stamina far more than shooting from a distance.

"Vivi really did not lie. This dagger... is a masterpiece," I whispered while spinning the dagger in my hand, observing the virtual blood that slowly evaporated from its silver blade.

I picked up the loot dropped by the three monsters. I obtained [Harpy Feather] x5, which would be very useful for making high-quality arrows with low air resistance, and two [Lesser Wind Core], high-value alchemy materials.

I sheathed my dagger and adjusted the position of the Titan’s Ironbark Longbow on my back. My feeling was extraordinarily satisfied. My weakness at close range had now been perfectly covered. I was no longer merely a Glass Cannon that could only run if the enemy approached. I now had sharp fangs to tear apart those who dared to enter my safe zone.

The wind of Windhowl Peaks still roared strongly, challenging me to climb higher. With a smile full of confidence, I stepped forward through the storm, searching for the next target.