Aaron looked at the map and counted a total of eleven red dots. Taking a closer look, he noticed that ten of them were marked with a Level 1, likely bandits. But the last one stood out. It was shaped differently, and its label read Level 2. A spider.
He knew this world was filled with extraordinary creatures, but he hadn’t expected to encounter one so soon.
Just then, he noticed something else, three of the red dots were moving rapidly in his direction.
Aaron’s gaze sharpened. He turned to Maria, who was still seated quietly on Elly.
"Miss Maria, I want you to stay here. Just in front of the tree."
Maria looked puzzled but obeyed his instructions without question. As she watched, Aaron dismounted from his horse and, to her surprise, began climbing the tree beside her.
A few minutes passed before Aaron spoke in a louder tone,
"Miss Maria, three people are approaching our direction. They likely belong to the Spider Bandits. If they see you, they’ll definitely chase you."
Maria felt a panic rise in her chest.
"Then Aaron... won’t you help me?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Of course I will. But you know as well as I do, there might be more of them, and it’s getting dark. That’s why I need you to stay here. Don’t move. Leave the rest to me."
He said this because his Archery Mastery allowed him to hit stationary targets, but not moving ones. Perhaps with more practice, he could improve. But for now, he had to rely on precision and positioning.
Three bandits approached the edge of the Dark Forest, unaware of the danger waiting for them.
Suddenly, one of them spotted the horse, and the lady seated atop it. His eyes widened in surprise.
"Hey, look! Isn’t that the noble lady Molt and Tely went after?" he said in a puzzled tone.
"It is. I can see Tely’s horse too. But where’s Molt?"
"Doesn’t matter. Let’s capture her and get out of here quickly."
"Agreed. Let’s move."
On the other hand, Maria saw the three bandits approaching. Her heart raced with panic, but anger also flared within her. She recognized their faces, the same cruel expressions she’d seen during the chase.
Still, she followed Aaron’s instructions and stayed put.
Within a minute, the bandits had closed the distance. Just five meters away, they stopped.
One of them stepped forward and asked,
"Where are Tely and Molt?"
Before Maria could respond, an arrow whistled through the air and struck the speaker square in the face. He collapsed instantly.
The remaining two turned in shock, but another arrow flew, piercing the chest of the second bandit.
The last one panicked and turned to flee.
A final arrow hit him in the back, and he fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
Aaron climbed down from the tree and checked the map once more. It showed two of the bandits marked as dead, but the third was still active, though unmoving.
"Pretending to be dead..." he muttered.
Without hesitation, he nocked another arrow and fired. The shot struck the bandit squarely in the head, ending the deception, and his life.
Aaron glanced back at the map. The red dots had vanished.
For now, they were safe.
He pulled out the arrows from the corpses again. But this time, one of the arrowheads broke, leaving him slightly dissatisfied.
Then he looked at Maria, whose expression had returned to normal, and said,
"Miss Maria, please stay here. I’ll scout the area and see if I can find anything."
Aaron said this because he didn’t want anyone to know about his abilities. If he was spotted by the bandits, he preferred to deal with them alone.
Maria simply nodded, her face blank, and watched him ride away on the horse.
Using the map, Aaron could already see the bandits’ camp. He stopped the horse about 200 meters away and observed the area carefully.
They needed shelter, and despite the risk, the camp was a better option than spending the night exposed in the wild.
He stared at the red dots carefully and observed the layout of the camp.
Four bandits were patrolling around its perimeter, while one remained inside the largest tent, the one housing the Level 2 spider. The remaining two were resting near the campfire, likely preparing for the night shift.
Aaron noted that the patrol route kept the four bandits roughly fifty meters away from the camp. They moved alone, spaced apart, making them easy targets.
He focused on the nearest one.
The man was armed with a bow and quiver, and a sword hung at his waist. A standard setup, but dangerous if not handled quickly.
The light was fading fast.
Fortunately, the camp’s location, on the outskirts of the Dark Forest, meant the area was thick with trees and bushes. It was the perfect terrain for stealth and assassination.
Aaron didn’t hesitate. He carefully approached the target, moving silently through the underbrush. From behind a tree, he aimed at the bandit, who had his back turned. Without a second thought, he released the arrow, striking cleanly and eliminating him.
He quickly dragged the body into the bushes, retrieved the arrow, and refilled his quiver, just in case.
Then he rushed toward the next target.
It was another clean kill, just like the first. The third went down just as easily. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
But the fourth was different.
The bandit had wandered close to Aaron’s hiding spot, unaware, simply looking for a place to relieve himself. Unlucky for him, he chose the wrong tree.
Aaron sprang forward and, with swift precision, used his dagger to silence him.
He carefully approached the camp and confirmed that both bandits were indeed resting. Silently, he crept into the two smaller tents and, with swift precision, sliced their necks, killing them instantly.
Then his eyes turned to the largest tent.
A flicker of hesitation passed through him. He didn’t know what kind of danger awaited inside. The presence of the Level 2 spider made the air feel heavier, more threatening.
But he gritted his teeth.
"Danger and opportunity always walk together," he reminded himself.
If he could take down the high-level bandit inside, then maybe, just maybe, he’d stand a chance against the spider.