25 Book 3 Chapter 21

Taking a deep breath, Jason drew the bowstring until it grew taut. He eyed his foe; five wooden targets no wider than three inches. They flew through the air at dizzying speeds - the handiwork of a mage using telekinesis.

A crowd of ascenders spectated nearby with bated breath. This was a private event. Only those who participated in the raid against Hector were allowed to witness what was occurring. These people were amongst the most experienced ascenders; they had spent countless hours fighting and training, so they knew how hard it was to raise skill levels. That was why the sight before them left them breathless.

Just then, the twang of a bow resounded.

The targets shattered, bits of wood piercing the ground from the immense destructive force. On the far side of the training ground, five arrows could be seen embedded in the stone wall.

"Damn. Five arrows as one?" Rodrick, a young man wearing woven animal hides stepped out from the crowd, a complicated expression on his face. "It took me ten years to reach that point, y'know?"

Five arrows as one was a benchmark frequently used among archers. It signified a certain level of skill. One that wasn't high, but not low either. The requirement was that five arrows had to be fired at such speed that only a single twang was heard.

Jason went even beyond that. Every target was accurately hit.

"Sam," Rodrick felt helpless as he turned to a rogue, "how many hours was that?"

Sam, dressed much like Rodrick, glanced up at the sky. "Three hours, about."

"Three hours? Only three hours?" Rodrick muttered before turning to face Jason. "What's your skill level at now?"

Jason, both excited and embarrassed, shared the info of his latest notification.

Rapid Fire - Level 3 - Veteran

Consume 50 stamina. Over the next 5 seconds, each arrow fired adds a stacking 10% damage buff that lasts 5 seconds. No other arrow skill can be used during this time. 1 minute cooldown.

"It really is veteran…" Rodrick's shoulders fell.

Jason walked over and patted his companion on the back. "It isn't that you aren't talented, it's just that the m-serum is too miraculous. Plus, I had you to guide my way. Not to mention having high stats."

Jason thought it best not to mention the several notifications informing him of his agility stat increases.

"Yeah," Rodrick's mood improved after hearing that. He puffed out his chest. "Haha, lucky you had me here to teach you!"

The crowd of ascenders murmured amongst themselves, their motivation reaching an all-time high. Although no one spoke about it, the death of their comrades at Hector's hands dealt a big blow to their morale. Now, though, after witnessing Jason's shocking growth, they felt the m-serum was worth the risk.

Everyone looked at their guest. There, all by his lonesome, sat a scrawny black youth. With a shaved head and a natural untrustworthy face, he could perfectly roleplay as a gangster. Actually, it was less him sitting there, and more that he was tied to the chair. The rope was no ordinary rope - it gleamed with magical light. Only in that way could they prevent the escape of Andy, champion of Alister, the god of illusions.

Jason, Peter, and Shenlong glanced at each other as they came to a decision. With a nod, Jason signaled to Olivia.

Olivia made her way over to Andy with a doubtful look. "Are you sure you've agreed?"

"Yes, I said so didn't I?" Andy responded with an upturned chin.

"Hmm." Olivia's pace slowed. "Really?"

"You have my word." Andy was starting to get a bit irritated. Why was Olivia so distrustful of him? He was an upstanding guy!

Olivia finally arrived next to him, but made no motion to undo the rope. "Hmm."

"What is it?" Andy struggled to twist his body in order to look up at Olivia.

"DId you know I was gifted a celestial grade ring once?" Olivia asked, her expression one of complete innocence.

"Why would I kn- Ah!" Andy's eyes went wide and took a closer look at Olivia. Though he couldn't be certain, he felt that she was somewhat familiar. That stature, that cold expression, that voice. A memory of one of his escapades surfaced. With a pained look, he replied. "Isn't it just a celestial grade ring? I've plenty of those."

"Great." Olivia nonchalantly undid the rope without a change in expression. After helping Andy to his feet, she whispered into his ear. "It was oh so easy to capture you, y'know? I mean, I was trained by Wolf since birth." Seeing Andy freeze, she continued. "Oh, did I forget to mention the most powerful assassin in the world is my father?"

"No problem… no problem... no problem," Andy wandered over to Jason like a drunkard, his body soaked in sweat while muttering the same phrase repeatedly. In his mind, Olivia cemented herself as a grim reaper; capable of harvesting his life at any moment. Only the sensation of hitting something brought him back to reality. He looked up, only to realize he bumped into the publically strongest ascender in the world.

Shenlong eyed Andy like a wolf would its prey, or at least that's how Andy saw it. In reality, Shenlong's resting face was really that of a friendly next door neighbor.

"L-look, I said I'd join, but I'm not good at fighting. Don't expect me to do any killing." Andy quickly explained, the pressure coming from Shenlong almost too much to bear.

Peter rubbed his chin. "Is this really a god's champion?"

Hearing the remark, Andy quickly defended himself. "Who said illusion techniques are for fighting? Alister is a support type of dude."

If Alister heard that, he'd instantly revoke Andy's status if he could.

"Makes sense." Peter shrugged. Su Long was a craftsman, so it was easy to add Andy to the list.

"I'm actually pretty useful."

Jason felt a headache come on as Andy explained the benefits he brought to Peter and Shenlong. At this point in the timeline, Andy was still horrible at combat. Basically, he wasn't the killing god Jason wanted. He couldn't even imagine what it would take to bring Andy to his peak power.

Wait.

A brilliant idea suddenly popped into Jason's head. Although it wasn't ideal, it would work. Jason wrapped his arm around Andy in a friendly manner and spoke with a sinister voice. "Hey, wanna do some drugs?"