Perhaps Borik misunderstood Ulrich’s inquiry; nonetheless, he explained. “It’s not a cursed or mystical item. Rather, it’s an ordinary item, though it holds a significant meaning to one of us.”
“A keepsake?”
At this moment, he noticed Snezana smiling. Not that cheery, or amicable one, but one filled with a hint of sorrow, or grief, or longing. Ulrich wasn’t sure, but he knew it was one of those three.
From his perspective, the matters of these people were unrelated to him.
He was here for his own reasons, and so are they. Looking at it that way, he felt better. After all, he wasn’t like these mercenaries, living and existing within the Shadow Realm. As he may, everyone had their own problems.
In the end, he sighed. “As long as your word from before is true, I don’t mind helping you.”
With that said, he gestured for them to lead the way.
From behind, Snezana whispered. “Thank you.”
“…”
They entered through the giant, shattered gate. At one point, Ulrich imagined it must be a magnificent castle, yet all was reduced to rubble. As a matter of fact, throughout his journey in the shadow realm, there was a feeling of impermanence that permeated this land.
Just as that thought passed, Borik narrowed his eyes and held onto his shield. “From this point onward, we are going in blind.”
You don’t say…
Snezana and Mason tightened their grips on their respective weapons. Meanwhile, Ulrich blinked, and the countless shadow lines danced in his vision.
All these lines… So many skeletons! And monsters!
In his views, there were many lines, each possesses a ‘shadow’. Through repetition, he’d learn to recognize which line was an inanimate object, and which was ‘alive’.
At this moment, Ulrich whispered.
“Mason, can you aim at behind that sheet?
“What?” Confused, he looked at the tattered piece of cloth. There was nothing there. As the breeze picked up, the cloth fluttered. Yet in the end, it was just an ordinary cloth.
“Trust him,” Borik said.
Mason didn’t voice his thoughts and raised his bow, nocking an arrow and pulling it back before letting go.
Tink!
“Arrg!”
A cried, bellowed.
No kidding. I didn’t see anything!
Borik's lip twitched. Snezana was surprised. As for Mason, he was the most startled.
I knew it was right to recruit this man.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Ulrich spoke again.
“One more is coming, just aim at the same spot. I’ll tell you when to let go.”
This time, Mason acted without hesitation.
In that moment, Ulrich narrowed his eyes, focusing on the line that danced in his vision. This line was curved and changing, which indicated that it was moving. Gradually, the line ‘centered’, and the form of the monster was outlined in a black glow.
“Now.”
Tink!
Followed by another desperate growl.
They didn’t dare walk forward and instead, stuck close to Ulrich. After about a minute, he nodded. “There’s no more.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Hearing this, they sighed with relief and moved cautiously past the cloth, weapons still raised, until they came upon the first body.
A wolf-like creature sprawled on the stone floor, its massive form still radiating an unnatural heat. The beast was easily twice the size of any natural wolf, with fizzled black fur that seemed to absorb the dim light around it.
Its jaw hung open, revealing rows of serrated teeth designed to rend flesh.
But what drew everyone's attention was the arrow.
It struck from the exact center of the creature's skull, buried so deep only the fletching remained visible.
A single, perfect shot through bone and brain.
"By the lord..." Borik breathed, crouching beside the corpse. His hands trembled slightly as he reached out, then thought better of touching it.
"I couldn't see a damn thing. Just... nothing. Or hear a sound!"
Snezana circled the body, her expression unreadable. "The shot placement is perfect. Dead center." She looked up at Ulrich, studying him with growing interest. "You saw this? While it was moving?"
"The shadow lines," Ulrich said blankly, though his own voice carried a note of uncertainty. He wasn’t sure how to explain it in layman’s terms. "I can see where things are, even when they're invisible."
Borik moved to the second corpse inches away—another wolf-creature, this one caught mid-motion. The arrow had punched through its throat, dropping it instantly.
"This is beyond remarkable!" Borik muttered, his usual gruff demeanor cracking to reveal genuine awe.
He straightened his back and fixed Ulrich with a hard stare.
Man… don’t stare at me like that, you’re creeping me out…! Ulrich held back his urge to back away, but remained in his place.
Mason stood, brushing off his knees. He looked at his bow, then at the dead monsters, then at Ulrich.
A slow grin spread across his face. "I shot blind twice and killed twice. Because you told me exactly where to aim, and when to shoot."
He laughed, though the sound was draped in disbelief. "I've never made shots like that."
"Don't let it go to your head," Snezana said dryly, though even she seemed impressed.
She nudged the first wolf with her boot. "These creatures were completely invisible to us. We would have walked right into them."
Ulrich shook his head and turned his attention toward the center of the ruined castle. “Get up, there’s more coming.”
Immediately, they raised their weapons and looked at where Ulrich was looking.
“Armored skeletons?”
Borik charged forward, taking the initiative to draw the group of skeletons' attention. In that same instant, Mason shot the first arrow, but it struck short against the steel armor.
“Ugh, it’s useless!”
Fortunately, Snezana was not far behind as she leaped and sliced the skeleton’s nape, hoping to cut off its head.
Fuck, the bone is too hard!
Immediately, she twirled the dagger in her hand and hoisted it on her back, then took out a small mace and swung it with all her might.
Bang!
The sound of the metal mace resonated with the steel helmet, though it only temporarily bound the skeleton’s movement.
In that moment, Borik came through. He raised his morning-star mace and struck the same skeleton that Mason and Snezana failed to eliminate.
Bang!
It was deafening, not just because the skull shattered. But also because the steel helmet was dented.
That man's strength is not ordinary! Ulrich's eyes betrayed his emotion.
It took the effort of three people to defeat a single armored skeleton. And by the time they did, the other two had already surrounded Borik, leaving him no time to retreat.
Seeing this, he raised his shield, bracing for impact.
Snap!
Yet, it never came. They stared at the bizarre sight before them as he skeletons collapsed to the ground, their steel armor embracing the earth.
Tunk. Tunk.
“W-What happened?”
Recalling the snap that suddenly came from behind, they turned around. There, Ulrich stood, his right hand gently lowered to his side.
These people… It’s just some skeletons. Why are they struggling so much?
Ulrich failed to understand that in the shadow realm, it was common for people to carry blunt weapons or objects due to how abundant skeletons are. Normally, they can be ‘killed’ just by smashing the skull open.
However, in the case of an armored skeleton, it was much more difficult, as the skulls are often guarded. Even someone like Snezana barely left a dent. And she was no ordinary fighter.
As for Borik… His strength was honed through years of combat, being extremely effective against skeletons. On the other hand, Snezana and Mason were unfortunate since their specialties lie elsewhere.
Either way, Ulrich cannot be compared to ordinary people. This is because his ‘attacks’, or more specifically, ‘arrow’ do not conform to the concept of ‘physical defense’. It directly attacks the shadows; thus, having armor or not changes nothing.
The arrow will strike the shadow all the time, just as death reaps all living things.
In that moment, Ulrich had to pull them back into the present, or else, they might spend the whole day staring at him like a zoo animal.
“Shall we go?”
