Episode 6. The Bow Beats the Wolf

“Phew……”

At the northern village gate.

Arin couldn’t quite hide the trembling in his steps.

“Wow.”

For the first time since leaving the village, Arin stepped out into the hunting grounds and let out a gasp of wonder.

A wide, endless meadow stretched out before him.

Having never traveled abroad, it was the first time in his life he had seen such vast grasslands.

It felt like the suffocating weight on his chest had burst wide open.

‘Now I see why people praise Illusion so much.’

A new experience impossible in reality.

The vast open world, threatening to shake up his dull life, momentarily overwhelmed him.

“Ugh! You rabbit! Stop right there!!”
“Why’s it so fast?! Catch it!!”
“Argh! The rabbit just drop-kicked me!! Hey! Heal!!”
“I’m still only level 2! Where am I supposed to get a heal? Dodge it!!”

The first monsters visible outside the village were rabbits—the beginner mob that every new player had to face.

Small, with red eyes.

Long ears twitching upright, they looked docile—but they weren’t.

“Gah!!”

One player collapsed after taking a rabbit’s drop-kick to the face.

The rabbit promptly climbed on top of him, raining down tiny fists on his face.

At first glance, it looked harmless.

Thwack! Thwack!!

‘That impact sound isn’t normal. How the hell can punches from a rabbit sound like that…? Huh?’

And then he saw it.

The stone clutched in the rabbit’s hand!

The rabbit knew its fists were weak—and had taken to using weapons!

“What the hell… even rabbits….”

Who would have thought that such harmless-looking creatures hid such brutality inside?

Looking around, it was clear everyone was struggling against the rabbits.

‘Not going to be easy.’

Arin pulled out his bow.

He figured he’d try hunting at least one.

‘Been a while since I’ve shot one of these.’

He had once learned archery from a guest in his father’s workshop, but never had much chance to use it.

After his father passed away and guests stopped coming, there had been no time—or space—for practice.

He pulled the string slightly.

Though nervous after so long, his hands didn’t feel clumsy.

“Oh? That player’s using a bow?”

A nearby female player, hunting rabbits herself, perked up with interest.

“I’ve never seen anyone use a bow here before!”

Her companion, however, only frowned.

“Trash weapon.”
“Huh? But long-range attacks are good, right?”
“Sure, later on. But early game? Bows suck. Too hard to use.”

Yes, bows had range. But they had downsides.

Arrows were consumables.

Wooden arrows could be bought in bulk (1 gold for 1,000 arrows), but for beginners, even that cost stung.

And hitting a moving target wasn’t easy.

Swords could simply be swung at close range, spells covered wide areas—but bows? Not so forgiving.

“My friend used a bow once. Said the wind messed with his shots and ruined accuracy.”
“That bad?”
“And damage? Weak. An E-rank sword has attack power 10, but a bow only has 5.”

The male player, seeing the female’s curiosity, kept on mocking.

“So what’s that guy doing?”
“What else? Clueless newbie who bought the wrong weapon. He’ll regret it soon.”

He turned expectantly, waiting for Arin’s arrow to fly clumsily off-target.

But Arin steadied himself.

He remembered the words of that old guest in his father’s shop.

“Do you know what’s most important when shooting a bow?”
“Uh… hitting the target?”
“Of course. But how do you hit it?”
“…?”
“It’s posture, boy. Always posture. Only with stable form will your arrow fly where you want it.”

Arin drew the bowstring.

Even though years had passed, his body still remembered the form.

‘He said he was a national archer, right? And good friends with Dad….’

Creeeak— thunk!

He released.

The arrow soared like a fish finding water, piercing the rabbit cleanly.

[Dexterity positively influences Archery.]
[You have slain a Rabbit.]
[You have gained Experience.]
[You have obtained Rabbit Hide.]

One shot.

The rabbits here were only level 1.

His bow, requiring level 10 to wield, had higher base damage—making the kill inevitable.

“Hmm. Easier than expected. Is it thanks to Dexterity… or a hidden option?”

Still, it felt good to hit true after so long.

Cute or not, watching rabbits strangle players with their ears erased any hesitation.

‘If I hesitate, I’ll end up like them.’

He nocked another arrow.

Bam.

Push!

It was like a shooting range.

Rabbits leapt, arrows flew, rabbits fell.

Other players panted from chasing, but Arin stood still—draw, release, kill.

[You have slain a Rabbit.]
[You have gained Experience.]

One shot, one kill.

The simplicity of it made his results all the more shocking.

Nearby players froze.

“Uh… wasn’t the bow supposed to be bad? Right?”

They couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

His clothes showed he was still low-level, yet every arrow landed true.

All they could do was gape.

“…Awesome.”

That day, Hector’s Weapon Shop sold out of bows and arrows.

[With remarkable archery skill, you have massacred Rabbits.]
[Agility +1]
[Dexterity +2]
[Level Up!]

Arin lowered his bow.

‘Is that enough?’

He opened his Status Window.

[Status Window]
Name: Arin
Level: 4 | EXP: 1.55%
Class: Carpenter of the Stars
HP: 700/700 | MP: 700/700

Attributes
Strength: 10 + 2 | Endurance: 5 + 2 | Agility: 6 + 4 | Wisdom: 5 + 2

Special Attributes
Dexterity: 19 + 10

Unassigned Points: 4

He had gained one level while hunting.

Without hesitation, he invested all points into Dexterity.

‘Since Dexterity boosts crafting, it’s never a waste.’

Closing the window, he continued on.

Hunting rabbits had gone better than expected.

Every successful shot carried a rush of satisfaction hard to put into words.

‘This is fun.’

Maybe now he understood why people praised Illusion so much.

It was a chance to live out experiences he had only dreamed of.

Checking the map, he turned toward the forest.

The abandoned village lay beyond it.

As soon as he stepped inside, the mood shifted.

Unlike the beginner meadows, the forest teemed with stronger monsters.

He moved cautiously.

The sunlight streaming through the canopy made it seem peaceful—but—

Rustle!

A gray wolf emerged from the underbrush.

[Gray Wolf – LV. 5]

It lunged instantly, fangs bared.

‘Too close!’

Bows thrived at range. Up close, they were almost useless.

Unless—

Arin’s mind flashed back to the old archer’s words.

“Do you know why bowstaves are built sturdy?”
“So they don’t break easily?”
“That’s one reason. But the other is… to smack enemies at close range!”

“Take this!”

Whack!!

Arin swung his bow like a club, slamming the wolf’s skull.

Yelp!!

Sure, the bow might warp from such abuse—but survival mattered more.

Arin grit his teeth and swung again.

From a distance, another player entered the forest cautiously, gripping his sword.

‘Better be careful. Wolves spawn here.’

But then—

Thud! Thud!

Following the dull sounds, he arrived at a scene.

“Die! Die!!”

A player was beating a wolf to death with a bow.

Five minutes later, a new post appeared on the Illusion community board:

[Question: Can bows be used for melee?
I’m in Bark Forest and just saw a guy smacking a wolf with his bow…
Is melee with bows actually viable??]

└ Lol what kind of nonsense is that? Hitting wolves with a bow?
└ No way that works. Total BS, haha.
└ But hey, drawing that much aggro with a bow is impressive, at least.

Of course—nobody believed him.

Meanwhile, Aren—

[You have slain a Wolf.]
[You have gained Experience.]
[You have achieved a remarkable feat.]
[Though not a combat class, you have soloed 10 monsters.]
[New Skill Acquired: Star Modification LV. 1]

He had unlocked a new skill.