The Genius Archer Who Became a One-Man Army

Chapter 20

The rest was like honey.

For some, it might have felt long; for others, short. But the fatigue from running almost nonstop for nearly twenty hours was considerable.

Arriving at the village on their route, Lian ordered a warm meal for his squad and, after eating, they all passed out in their rooms.

After four hours of sweet sleep, the squad members gathered again, packs on their backs.

“Did everyone rest well?”

“I feel a bit more alive.”

“We have to push through to the end now.”

Of course, it was unrealistic to expect full recovery from such a short rest. But they had enough energy to keep moving.

Lian and his squad set off again towards the Isis River.

It was early morning, and visibility was low. The cold was biting, making their exposed cheeks feel like they were freezing.

After walking for a while, Lian spotted the river in the distance.

“We’ve arrived. That’s the Isis River!”

“Finally, we made it.”

“Wow… I can’t believe we got here so quickly.”

Though the squad looked a mess after just two days, the fact that they had arrived on time gave them a strange sense of exhilaration.

Lian quickly pulled out his pocket watch to check the time.

‘We have at most six hours to search…’

And with nightfall approaching, that time could stretch further.

Gathering his squad, Lian gave instructions.

“We’re heading upstream along the river. We need to find the broken ironwood once we reach the designated spot.”

“The broken ironwood?”

Ironwood, named for its strength akin to steel, would certainly stand out if broken.

‘The encroaching darkness is a bit worrisome…’

But with the oil they had, they could make torches and search within the time frame.

Lian and his squad began to quickly move upstream along the river. Finally,

“This is the spot…”

Reaching the bend in the river, Lian unfolded the map to get his bearings.

While the exact location was uncertain, he knew from his past life that the crossing point was roughly in this area.

“Spread out and look for the broken ironwood. As soon as you find it, blow the whistle to signal.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Understood.”

The real search began in earnest.

Getting to this point on time was already an accomplishment.

But if they failed to find the shallow crossing, all their efforts would be in vain.

‘If we stray too far from the main unit, we might not make it to Saleron on time.’

This search was critical.

Lian made a torch with oil and cloth, then began examining the area around the river.

– The shallow crossing near the broken ironwood, where stones had piled up on the riverbed.

This was the information Lian had.

Claire had crossed here with fifty soldiers, ambushed the enemy, and achieved a great victory.

But…

“Why can’t I find it…?”

After more than four hours of searching, they still hadn’t found the spot. The darkness made it hard to distinguish objects.

‘What am I missing?’

Think, think!

Lian quickly opened the map and held the torch close.

The wind threatened to blow the map away, and the cold was freezing his hands.

Lian pressed the map down with a large stone and examined it closely.

“The upstream part with the broken ironwood…”

If the ironwood wasn’t broken yet, they would have to at least find the tree.

But there were no trees, let alone ironwood.

Then, a thought struck him.

“Could it be… they crossed from the other side?”

Lian quickly checked the map.

Come to think of it, the records only mentioned crossing the river, not the direction.

‘I assumed they crossed from downstream to upstream.’

Because they were facing the invaders.

But what if it was the opposite?

‘You idiot…!’

Doubt turned into certainty.

Even if it wasn’t the case, it was worth checking out.

Schwing!

Lian laid out his arrows on the ground.

He wrapped the spare cloth around the arrowheads and soaked them in oil.

He was certain of the location.

Ironwood was thick and tall. If it wasn’t broken, it would be a tall tree; if it was, it would be noticeable.

The key was to shoot accurately towards that spot.

Lian took a deep breath and drew his bow.

It was a bow he had received as a reward for his previous accomplishments.

‘It feels good.’

The drawstring’s tension told him the bow’s quality.

Creek.

Lian nocked the oil-soaked arrow and lit it.

Fwoosh!

As the arrow ignited, Lian drew the bowstring to its limit.

He didn’t rush, taking his time.

‘The Isis River is roughly 50 meters wide.’

A distance easily covered by his shot. The important part was spotting the target once the arrow landed.

Thunk!

The arrow left Lian’s hand and flew across the river into the darkness.

Lian watched it intently.

‘Tree… Tree… Tree…!’

First, find anything resembling a tree, ironwood or not.

The first attempt failed.

Lian immediately marked an X on the map with a charred stick.

He planned to move gradually upstream, checking likely spots.

“Squad leader!”

“Squad leader, what’s going on!?”

The squad members, scattered by Lian’s signal arrow, began to gather.

Lian explained to them.

“I think I made a mistake. The ironwood might be on the other side.”

“The other side?”

“It’s so dark… I can’t see anything…”

Daylight would have made the search easier.

But they couldn’t afford to wait until morning.

At dawn, the main unit would be circling around the Isis River.

“We must find it before sunrise.”

“What can we do to help?”

“We’re ready to assist.”

Lian responded to his squad.

“When I shoot the arrow across, look for a broken tree or at least a large old tree.”

“Yes, we’ll keep our eyes peeled!”

Lian lit two arrows this time.

He planned to shoot at slightly different angles to illuminate a wider area.

Thunk-!

The arrows soared into the sky and crossed the river, lighting up the opposite bank.

Lian and his squad strained their eyes, but saw nothing. They moved further upstream and tried again.

“Hey?”

“Over there! There’s a broken tree!”

At the left edge of the illuminated area, they saw a broken tree surrounded by a few others.

Lian quickly prepared two more arrows: one with a flaming tip and one regular.

He shot the flaming arrow first.

Thunk-!

As it illuminated the area and began to fall in an arc, Lian drew the regular arrow, twisted the bowstring slightly, and aimed.

‘Now!’

Whoosh-!

The arrow flew with incredible speed towards the broken tree.

A distinct clang echoed when the arrow hit, unlike the sound of hitting a regular tree.

“It’s ironwood! It’s ironwood, sir!”

“Who would have thought it was on the opposite side…!”

Brent shouted in excitement.

While the others celebrated, Lian grabbed a long stick and rushed towards the river.

‘If we use that as a reference point… it should be around here.’

He used the long stick to probe the river.

The current was strong enough to almost snap the stick, but it eventually caught on something.

“Sir, the water line… It’s about here.”

The stick indicated a depth of just over a meter.

They could cross.

But there was one problem…

“The current is too strong.”

When he put the stick in, the current nearly swept it away.

Given the poor visibility, crossing seemed impossible.

But if that was the only issue, they could wait until daylight and cross with the main unit.

The real problem was different.

“We need to cross and check it out.”

“Sir? Can’t we wait for the main unit?”

“Can you be certain the depth remains shallow all the way across?”

“That…”

Isaac clamped his mouth shut at Lian’s question.

That was the real issue.

‘Claire used the broken ironwood as a reference to cross. But can we be sure this spot is exactly the same?’

What if the depth increased beyond the midpoint? What if something had changed since Claire’s time, making the crossing impossible?

Or if the current was too strong despite the shallow depth?

“We have to verify it. Otherwise, it’s meaningless.”

Lian turned to a nearby squad member.

“Get the rope. I’ll cross myself.”

“Sir? What are you saying?”

“Are you crazy? How can you cross here?”

The squad tried to stop him.

With his small frame, it seemed impossible for Lian to cross the powerful current.

But Lian shook his head.

‘I have to take responsibility.’

This mission had to succeed.

He couldn’t risk someone else’s life.

“No one can stop the squad leader’s stubbornness.”

Kyle stepped forward, taking the rope from Lian’s hand.

Lian frowned as Kyle spoke.

“I’ll cross. I’m much better suited for it than you are, sir.”

“What did you say?”

“Kyle!”

“Don’t try to be a hero alone, sir. We’re a team. We do this together.”

From the moment Kyle lost to Lian and began training with him, he had been certain of one thing.

‘This man is worth following to the end.’

Despite his small frame and slender build, Lian’s fierce determination and unwillingness to delegate hard tasks had won Kyle over completely.

“I’ll make it across, don’t worry.”

Kyle thumped his chest.

At over 190 cm and weighing 120 kg, he was the best candidate to withstand the current.

“Alright.”

Lian nodded and handed Kyle a potion.

“Drink this.”

“This precious thing?”

“It’s not more valuable than you. Once you start, don’t stop. No matter what.”

Kyle looked at Lian silently, then gulped down the potion.

“Gah! Tasting this precious thing… Kyle, you’ve made it!”

He tossed the empty bottle aside and grinned at Lian.

“Of course, sir. Who do you think I am? I’m Kyle!”

Kyle tied the rope tightly around his waist.

“I will succeed!”

With those words, Kyle began wading into the river.