Chapter 44

Marco came running full tilt and threw his arms around Theo in delight. Then he proudly showed off the arrow he and Blaine had managed to craft. It was small, only about 25 centimeters long—just enough to fit neatly in one hand.

“It’s a bolt. Normally, they’re around 19 centimeters, but since I made the arrowhead bigger, it ended up a bit longer.”

Marco handed the arrow to Theo. Theo looked between the two of them with awe before taking it into his hand. He honestly hadn’t expected them to succeed.

“I thickened the shaft so it’d be easier to grip, and I took off the fletching. I widened the collar above the head a little, like the guard on a sword, to keep your hand from slipping down. And I wrapped the grip with leather strips too. It shouldn’t feel uncomfortable.”

As Marco explained each detail, Theo tested the weight in his hand. He hadn’t given any instructions, but Marco had thought of everything that might cause discomfort and adjusted it for convenience. This guy really was a born craftsman. The bolt sat snug in Theo’s palm, as though it had been custom-fitted for him.

Theo checked its stats next.

The maximum attack power of a normal arrow was around 15. But Marco’s bolt exceeded that by far, since the head was forged at the minimum blade size of a sword.

Theo spun the bolt around his fingers, then slid it into a pocket belt strapped to his thigh. It was new—clearly bought just to carry bolts around.

“But Hyung, there’s one thing you need to watch out for.”

“Hm?”

“Arrows are consumables, you know that, right? Once you pull it from your quiver in battle, don’t let go of it. It’ll vanish.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll be careful. Anyway, you guys really worked hard. Thanks.”

“If it weren’t for Blaine, I’d have been screwed. Honestly, it’s all thanks to him.”

Marco grinned and patted Blaine’s shoulder. Blaine waved his hands quickly in denial.

“No, it’s all because of you, Marco.”

The two of them passed the credit back and forth. Theo, walking toward the village square, called over his shoulder.

“Want to grab something good to eat? My treat.”

“Ah, sorry. I’ve got a commission to finish—I can’t leave the workshop.”

“Yeah? Well, that can’t be helped…”

Theo sighed in disappointment, then turned his steps not toward the food stalls but the plaza. Marco, following behind, suddenly remembered something and asked.

“By the way, Hyung, are you good on this month’s town fees?”

A faint worry creased his face. He knew Theo had been running around because of the Eternal Fog and hadn’t had time to make money. But Theo just nodded like it was nothing.

“I was planning to go make some. I’ll buy an Action or two, then go fishing.”

Seeing that Theo didn’t seem too worried, Marco finally relaxed and came bustling to his side.

“Then while you’re heading out to sea, can you grab me something from Rakvana?”

“Huh? Like what?”

“Handia cookies, braised date-and-lamb, and flat peach lipes!”

The three foods Marco listed were specialties sold at a restaurant in Rakvana, the capital of Nilam across the sea. Though common dishes in the Nilam region, that particular player’s restaurant used special recipes, giving them a flavor you couldn’t find anywhere else.

Theo often stopped by Rakvana’s traders when he sold fish for higher prices, so he was already used to buying or eating those dishes whenever he went.

Without hesitation, Theo nodded.

“Sure. I owe you a lot anyway, so I’ll bring them back for you.”

“Hell yeah! Bring lots!”

Marco cheered, then waved as he headed back to his workshop. After seeing him off in the middle of the plaza, Theo turned to Blaine. Together, they headed toward the stalls to buy an Action.

The street was lined with player-run stands. Theo walked quickly, scanning each one for the creator’s name to see if the Action he wanted was available.

After a while, he stopped in front of a stand, made his purchase, then went to a blacksmith NPC to enchant it with Strength before heading out into the field.

“What Action did you buy?”

“The Action for my tier.”

“Oh? You decided already?”

“Yeah. After I bought Sword Aura last time, I started looking to see if there was anything else like it. Something melee but that still needed aiming. Actions aren’t strictly divided by weapon type, so I figured as long as it dealt close-range damage, it’d work. If I couldn’t find one, I was planning to make it myself. Luckily, this one existed.”

“Wow, I really want to know what it is.”

“The only downside is that it eats a ton of mana.”

As he spoke, Theo drew a bolt and fired the Action at a monster ahead. First, the bow in his hand spread out like an illusion. The blurred image multiplied into three. Then blue energy surged under his feet, spreading outward with a rush of wind.

Pitch-black Eternal Fog scattered all around, a stark contrast against his golden hair. Theo gathered mana beneath him, and the more he concentrated, the more illusions of the bow appeared in his hand.

In total, seven. If his mana pool had been larger, he could’ve made more, but seven was his current limit.

Once everything was ready, Theo lifted his gaze to the sky. Blaine followed his line of sight and gasped. Floating in the air, arranged in a half-circle, were seven massive swords forming a cross-shaped pattern.

The outcome was obvious. The seven swords plummeted one by one to the targets Theo designated. Each strike came with a flash of blue light, a violent gale, and a ground-shaking roar. By the time the seventh blade fell, only the scars of their impact remained—gouged earth tracing the swords’ paths, and a silent cross-shaped grave swallowing the monsters whole.

“……”

Blaine stood dumbfounded, staring at the grave. For something labeled a Tier 10 Action, its destructive power was terrifying.

“Ah, one of them missed.”

Theo muttered something to himself as he walked toward a certain spot, then frowned in dissatisfaction. To Blaine, everything looked perfectly aligned, but apparently it didn’t seem that way to Theo.

In the end, Theo tested the Action a few more times at that same spot. Only after getting results he deemed sufficient did he finally step away, looking satisfied.

“I’m going fishing now. What about you?”

Theo asked while heading toward the relay station. Of course, Blaine wanted to go with him, and the two of them naturally boarded the scheduled carriage.

When they arrived in Ratteon, Theo pulled out fishing gear from Storage. Then, a thought crossed his mind.

“Come to think of it, what did you pick for your Life Class?”

“Huh? Ah, I haven’t decided yet.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t really know what I should do… I don’t know what I like, and I’m still not sure what suits me.”

“Ah… then have you ever tried fishing before?”

“A few times, at docks or small ponds…”

Blaine trailed off, watching Theo’s reaction. Theo could tell right away.

“So it wasn’t very fun for you, huh?”

He asked with a smile. Blaine looked flustered, unsure how to answer, and then awkwardly apologized.

“Why are you apologizing? Not everyone has the same tastes.”

“Still, since you like it, I want to like it too…”

“Then try enjoying it this time around.”

Theo summoned a ship through the dockkeeper, and a massive sailing vessel appeared at the pier. Blaine stared blankly at the unexpectedly large ship, while Theo hopped onto the deck in a single jump.

“Blaine, get on.”

When Theo urged him again, Blaine, still dazed, jumped and landed on the deck as well.

As soon as Blaine was aboard, Theo climbed to the upper deck, grabbed the helm, and set sail. His ship sliced smoothly through the waves as it left the harbor behind.

Blaine wandered the deck for a while before heading up to join Theo. Behind Theo’s back, Ratteon and its port were shrinking in the distance. All around, scattered islands and the vast, shimmering sea stretched out into view.

“Wow…”

It was a completely different sight from the sea he’d seen in Visitor of the Deep Sea. Theo, clearly accustomed to the ocean, handled the ship with practiced ease.

Snapping out of his trance, Blaine quickly pulled out his fishing rod.

“Hyung, should I start fishing now?”

“No, wait until we’re in the open sea. Around here, you’ll only catch minnows.”

“Minnows?”

“Yeah, like Red Snapper.”

“……”

Only then did Blaine realize Red Snapper was the name of a fish. He nodded silently and stood next to Theo, staring blankly at the endless sea.

After some time, Theo’s expression grew serious. Something kept flickering at the edge of his vision, nagging at him. He thought about it over and over, then finally spoke with difficulty.

“Hey, Blaine.”

“Yes?”

“…Could you fasten your cloak and sit on the stairs?”

“Huh?”

“Your cloak… it keeps fluttering…”

Your bare back is way too distracting.

Theo couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. Blaine, confused, glanced down at his cloak. The ship’s steady speed and the sea breeze were whipping it wildly.

Blaine quickly looked back at Theo. His cheeks were brightly flushed, and he couldn’t even meet Blaine’s eyes.

Blaine’s face heated up as well. He hurriedly clutched his cloak closed and sat on the steps leading up to the deck. His cheeks burned with heat, and his heart thumped hard as he became acutely aware of Theo standing behind him.

And he felt happy. Just the fact that Theo had reacted to his body made Blaine’s chest swell with excitement and joy.