Leveling Up My Bow In The Apocalypse

I hadn't said anything up until then. I remained silent, listening and absorbing the conversation around me. Charles seemed not to care what they thought, as long as they joined him. But I knew I needed something more. I needed security. Something that would keep us safe and well-treated.

I had no intention of joining either of them. I had already decided to follow my own path the night before. I needed strength, and I needed power. Something inside me began to stir at the lack of progress.

It would be foolish not to seize an opportunity to rise above what I currently was. More importantly, I wanted this. I wanted to hunt, fight, and face challenges. And I knew I wouldn't be able to do that if I stayed with any group.

I thought about the desire to hunt. I remembered how I felt after killing the three attackers the previous day, and the feeling of accomplishment—the feeling of power. I warmed myself in that feeling and channeled my lineage, letting a fake smile of endless confidence spread across my lips.

"Charles, is it? What's your level?" I asked, with a calm voice.

Charles looked at the group, noticing me for the first time. I was just a discreet young man, completely covered by the cloak given to all Fatal Shots. He didn't find anything extraordinary until he looked directly at my face. My eyes were practically glowing, and a confident smile formed on my lips, with a trace of excitement well hidden, deeply buried. There was no fear or concern in my expression, almost as if I wanted a fight to start.

"I'm at level 9 in my class, and we have a few others in our group at level 7 and above," Charles replied, sincerely, without hesitation in sharing. He probably thought I was just another office worker or something like that before this tutorial. The only thing that made me different was the Fatal Shot, which seemed to convey a slightly distinct vibe.

Anyway, they had leveled up since entry, resting for a few hours. They played it safe since they didn't have a healer, but he doubted that a single individual could overcome their group. He also doubted I was actually strong, since his companions couldn't hide their confused glances at my behavior. Or maybe I was fooling even my own allies?

"And who might you be? Your level too, if you don't mind?" he asked, in a straightforward tone.

I sighed lightly, feeling a slight disappointment. It wasn't an act. He really expected the man to be stronger. From what I had seen so far, level 10 seemed to be the peak of power for monsters, and humans could reach something similar. But his level 9 didn't impress me.

"Well, that's a bit disappointing. I was expecting you to be stronger," I said, with a sneer. "As for my name and level? I'm Mr. Shit-Eater, and I'm level Go-Fuck-Yourself."

I saw Charles' smile disappear almost immediately. Lucas, Beatrice, and everyone else were stunned, not understanding what the hell I was doing openly provoking the man. Especially considering we were outnumbered. Had I gone mad?

"I thought we were getting close to reaching an agreement here?" Charles asked, clearly irritated by the unexpected turn in the conversation. He didn't seem to understand who I was, a Fatal Shot he hadn't even noticed before. What gave me such confidence?

"Oh, I'm almost certain they're joining you, but not me. I have a bigger prey to hunt," I replied, keeping the smile as I moved closer to Charles and his camp. As I approached, a tingling sensation took over me, alerting me to the danger lurking behind the man. I could distinctly feel three Fatal Shots with their bows probably aimed at me, in case I tried something.

"I just wanted to make something clear. I'll leave my old comrades with you, so take good care of them. Of course, if anything happens, we'll have a problem," I said, now just a step away from the middle-aged warrior.

Charles was a good ten centimeters taller than me, looking directly at me. But he seemed unsure of how to act. He had a strange feeling that I was unusual, but refused to back down, not wanting to appear weak in front of his men.

"Hoh, problems? What kind of problems would those be?" he said, looking at me as he took half a step forward, trying to loom over me.

My smile widened even more. "The kind of problem where I get a convenient prey served on a silver platter. Do you think you're superior? Do you think those three Fatal Shots will land a shot before I cut off your head? Do you think their arrows have any chance of hitting? Do you honestly think you're the predator in this scenario?"

I said this as I spread my arms out to the sides, watching Charles tense up, stop smiling, and grow serious as he stared at me.

"Because you're not. You can take them, train with them, fight with them, and survive with them. But I'll be watching. One wrong move, and I'll hunt you and all your friends one by one. Sweet dreams."

I turned and began to walk away.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Fatal Shot just behind Charles starting to pull his bow, but Charles raised a hand, signaling for him to stop. However, when I saw that, I made exactly the same move, making both of them stop as soon as it became clear that I could somehow still see them, even with my back turned.

I returned to my comrades, who were there, watching me with confused expressions.

"Are you leaving us?" Wyatt managed to murmur.

"Yes, that was my plan all along. I have my own objectives for this tutorial. If you join them, you should have a much better chance of surviving than alone. Don't worry, I'll check in occasionally," I replied, smiling at them. It wasn't the threatening and almost manic smile I had given Charles, but a friendlier, calmer smile.

"Take good care of everyone, Lucas, and don't let them intimidate you or anyone else," I said, finally turning toward the forest with the intention of leaving.

"Wait!" Lucas shouted and ran up to me, hugging me and secretly passing me one of the bags he was carrying. Inside were all the health potions from the attackers the night before, along with the three health and resistance potions from Lucas.

Ending the hug and pulling away, Lucas looked at me and smiled.

"Be careful, my friend, and please, come back and check in whenever you can."

I nodded and stepped away from the camp. There were no sincere goodbyes from any of them, except Wyatt, who shouted for me to be careful. I had a strong feeling I wouldn't see them for a long time, but even without showing myself, I hoped the power of the threat remained. However, I was sure that dear Charles would give me a chance to really hammer that home soon.

I had seen Charles whisper something to the Fatal Shot as I was returning to my comrades earlier. Looking once again, I realized that the said Fatal Shot, whom I had assumed was his second-in-command, had left with some of the light warriors.

Smiling, I entered the bushes and moved at a fast pace, heading directly away from the clearing. I couldn't see them anywhere in my sphere, but I knew they were getting closer. Charles didn't seem like the type of man who would easily accept threats, and sending a team after me to remove a potential threat was perfectly characteristic of him.

Quickening my pace, I began to run to create some distance. My heart was still pounding from the earlier performance. I wasn't entirely sure how I had found the confidence to do that, but, in a way, wasn't there a certain emotion in this kind of challenge too?

Excitement bubbled in my stomach as I found a place that seemed simply perfect.

Smiling at the thought of my pursuers, I knew they would be arriving soon. I could feel it. I began retracing my steps, going back about ten meters, stepping over my old tracks as I approached a tree. I had intentionally walked near it on my way there, keeping that in mind, of course.

Moving according to my basic stealth ability, I felt it activate as I quickly climbed the tree, finding a good hiding spot among the leaves. Soon, they would be on top of me, and I was ready for them. Not a single thought about how they were human even crossed my mind. Today, they were just prey.

"They think they've understood something," I thought while waiting. "I'm the one hunting them."

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