The Genius Archer Who Became a One-Man Army

Chapter 6

“Uwaaaaaaa-!”

“Kill them! Kill them all!”

The moment they encountered the beastmen tribe defending the rear of the canyon, it became a melee.

‘There are more enemies than us…!’

Even though they had joined forces with the 5th platoon that came from the other side, the number of beastmen tribe members easily exceeded a hundred.

“JSHA EMFDMF WNRDU!”

“WNRU! WNRUFK!”

The soldiers extended their spears and attacked the beastmen tribe members charging with long broadswords.

But at the moment of battle, the inexperienced rookie soldiers froze.

“Get a grip, you bastard!”

“You’ll die if you lose focus! Hold your spear properly and thrust!”

“Uaaaaah!”

Amidst the shouts and screams erupting from all sides, Lian quickly scanned his surroundings.

“Save me!”

A soldier, fallen to the ground, screamed loudly.

Though he didn’t know the soldier’s name, he recognized the kingdom’s armor he was wearing.

Thwack!

At that moment, Lian grabbed an arrow and pulled the bowstring.

Creak!

The bowstring bent instantly, and the left hand holding the bow trembled slightly.

A familiar feeling.

As Lian drew the bowstring and aimed, he released it without a second thought.

Whoosh!

Thunk!

As the arrow shot straight and pierced the chest of a beastmen tribe soldier,

“Gah-!”

The soldier let out a single scream and fell to the ground.

The soldier, who had fallen in front of the beastmen tribe member, blinked his eyes in astonishment.

Thud!

Lian quickly ran over, grabbed the soldier’s spear, and stabbed it into the throat of the fallen beastmen tribe member.

“Get a grip!”

Lian shouted at him.

From his expression, Lian could tell he was a rookie who had joined around the same time as him.

‘If you let the real battlefield’s atmosphere get to you, you’ll lose your mind.’

Just like this guy right now.

There are many who boast before experiencing real war, claiming they’ll kill all the enemy soldiers or that they were top of their training class.

But when actually engulfed in the heat of battle, their minds go blank, and everything they thought disappears.

“Hold yourself together. Don’t go crazy and stab our allies! Got it!?”

“Y-yes!”

Lian grabbed the soldier’s shoulder firmly and handed him the spear. Then he turned and pulled the arrow from the beastmen tribe member’s chest.

‘We’re running low on arrows.’

They had fewer arrows compared to the number of enemies.

It was crucial to make the most out of the arrows they had.

‘There are at least over 150 enemies.’

Lian had fewer than twenty arrows left.

‘I’ll take down at least thirty of them.’

If he could kill thirty enemies by himself, they could end this melee quickly and clear the path.

Lian turned his gaze towards the end of the canyon.

The melee was already underway.

‘The odds are… about even?’

They were fighting evenly due to the surprise attack, but the effect of the ambush would quickly diminish over time.

They had to finish it before losing momentum.

Thud!

Lian quickly moved inward, scanning his surroundings.

‘Where is the commander…?’

Not seeing him here meant he was deeper inside?

‘That guy is the most dangerous…!’

Lian recalled the war records from the time he had blinked during the Pellon Gorge battle.

He hadn’t realized it during the chaos of war, but the records later detailed the battle in Pellon Gorge.

Being ambushed by the enemy was one problem, but the beastmen tribe’s commander leading them was an unbelievable beastmen.

– Every time the beastmen tribe’s commander swung his halberd, the heads of two to three soldiers would fly off, and none of the officers could stop him.

The memory was vivid.

If they couldn’t take down that commander, they couldn’t win this battle.

“I have to… get inside.”

Gulp.

But wasn’t this an anticipated situation?

He was no longer a clueless rookie like before…

‘If I achieve a clear feat in this battle…’

『I will become the Grand General.』

After concluding his thoughts, Lian stood up and drew the bowstring.

Creak!

It wasn’t a very good bow, so it creaked every time he drew the string.

But it didn’t matter.

What mattered was the person shooting.

“Hoo…!”

After inhaling, he exhaled halfway,

Squeak!

He held his breath and drew the string to the limit.

Though his body still lacked strength, the limits were clear.

But a soldier does his best within his capacity.

Thwip-!

“…!”

Derek was startled as an arrow shot past him. And then, thud!

“Ugh-!”

As the arrow pierced the chest of a beastmen tribe soldier, he screamed and staggered.

But that was enough.

“Haaah-!”

While the soldier hit by the arrow hesitated, Derek’s sword pierced his abdomen.

Thwack!

Derek kicked him over and turned to look at Lian.

‘He hit that precisely from there…?’

The distance wasn’t far. But in such a chaotic situation with allies and enemies mixed, could a rookie hit an enemy accurately?

It wasn’t just about being good or bad with a bow.

Most wouldn’t even draw the bowstring, fearing they’d hit an ally, unless they had nerves of steel.

“Haha.”

Laughing in disbelief, Derek turned his head forward.

“Push through! We break through here quickly!”

“Uraaaaah!”

“Die, you bastards!”

Derek’s shout boosted the morale of the Eagle Company soldiers.

But contrary to Derek, Lian’s expression twisted.

‘Damn, I missed…!’

He had intended to target the neck and finish him in one shot.

But with his unsteady aim due to this weak body, it was difficult.

‘Focus, Lian…!’

Gritting his teeth, Lian ran up the canyon wall.

In this unstable aiming condition, covering from behind allies was risky.

It was better to shoot from a higher vantage point with a clear view.

Thud! Thud-thud!

Sweat poured down Lian’s forehead.

He quickly climbed up the hill beside the canyon and looked down.

“Good.”

There weren’t many places to hide, but he could conceal himself behind a suitable rock crevice.

Moreover, it was an elevated slope above the battlefield, providing a clear view of the scene below.

“Kuahahaha!”

“CUQKFQDK WNRDUFK!”

“QNWHR! DNLGKDU!”

The beastmen tribe shouted and yelled amongst themselves.

The Fierce Spirit of Eagle Company Momentarily Faltered

However, as soon as a beastmen tribe officer shouted, the balance began to even out again.

Lian’s eyes sparkled.

‘Is it that guy?’

From the elevated view, it was clear. The beastmen tribe defending the rear was centered around a giant man.

“Ku-rararara!”

Crash!

A broadsword, twice as large as any other, crushed the head of a soldier in front of it. The soldier’s helmet was completely crushed, and he fell to the ground with just one blow.

“Bronta! Aaaah! You bastard!”

An enraged Eagle Company soldier charged at the giant, furious over the loss of his comrade.

“It’s dangerous!”

Anger doesn’t make one suddenly stronger. Instead, it clouds judgment and leads to a reckless death.

As expected, the soldier screamed and thrust his spear at the beastmen tribe officer.

Thunk!

But the officer easily caught the spear. The Eagle Company soldier, looking shocked, realized the vast difference in strength with just one move, but it was too late.

“ENLWU ZMZ!”

The beastmen tribe officer sneered and raised his broadsword, intending to crush the soldier’s head.

Swish!

At that moment, an arrow shot through the air, aiming for the officer’s head. Despite his focus being on the Eagle Company soldier, the arrow was a surprise attack.

Clang!

The officer instinctively raised his broadsword and blocked the arrow with its blade. It was almost a coincidence that he managed to defend himself.

The officer looked in the direction the arrow came from, his expression filled with surprise.

“Ku-rarara!”

Was it anger from nearly being killed? He reversed the spear he had just taken and threw it at Lian with a mighty leap.

Whoosh!

It was an incredible throw. How could someone throw a spear nearly two meters long so accurately?

As the spear flew with force from just a few steps of running,

“Ugh!”

Lian ducked quickly, hiding behind a rock in front of him.

Crash!

The spear struck the top of the rock and bounced off to the side.

“…Crazy.”

The top of the rock was deeply dented by the spear. How strong must one be to throw a spear with such force?

But that wasn’t the end.

“ROWKTMLR! WNRLSEK!”

The beastmen tribe officer broke formation and charged at Lian. But he hadn’t left the formation without a plan; he knew how dangerous a precise archer could be.

“Damn it.”

Seeing the officer charging, Lian cursed. The officer was too fast.

‘I can’t escape…!’

His extensive battlefield experience told him he couldn’t outrun him. Even if he tried to flee, he’d be caught soon, and even if he managed to escape, unleashing such a beastmen in the midst of his allies would be disastrous.

‘The damage would be too great…!’

The number of soldiers dying would increase significantly. The entire platoon might die trying to stop that one officer.

‘It has to end here.’

Fortunately, Lian was alone here. The officer was running in a straight line towards him.

Thump! Thump!

His heart started pounding again.

He had faced worse situations before.

Creak.

His body moved faster than his mind. Lian nocked an arrow and pulled the string. Fortunately, the distance between him and the officer was still more than twenty meters.

He could shoot one or maybe two arrows.

Without hesitation, Lian released the string.

Whoosh!

He aimed for the officer’s left thigh.

Thunk!

“Gah!”

The officer staggered as the arrow struck his thigh. Of course, it was to be expected. Not only was the distance close, but most would aim for the chest or head.

‘First, immobilize him.’

Despite the crisis, Lian turned and put distance between them.

With an arrow in his leg, the officer’s speed would decrease.

After running about ten meters, Lian grabbed another arrow and turned around.

He intended to finish it by piercing the officer’s heart.

“…What?”

But as he turned, he saw the officer had already closed the distance.

‘Was I… too slow?’

He realized he had overestimated his speed based on his former self.

At 14 years old, with underdeveloped muscles, he was weak and slow.

“Damn it.”

“Ku-waaaaa!”

The officer leaped, blood spurting from his thigh. His rock-hard muscles tensed, and his massive broadsword came crashing down.

‘Am I going to die again like this…?’

“Uaaaaah!”

Time seemed to stop as Lian threw himself to the side.

Thud! Scrape! Roll!

His left shoulder and waist felt like they were breaking, and the world spun.

Barely evading the attack, Lian rolled down about ten meters before stopping against a large rock.

“Ugh!”

He felt like he might pass out, but losing consciousness would mean death.

He quickly stood up, seeing the officer charging at him.

“RMXDLEK-!”

The officer shouted, thinking killing a young boy was nothing.

Thud!

Lian quickly hid behind a rock.

“THDYDDJQTEK!”

The officer’s shout echoed as if he was right next to him, making his whole body tremble.

‘One chance…’

This was truly the last chance.

Kill or be killed.

Standing at the brink of life and death, Lian steadied his breath, grabbed an arrow, and prepared to shoot.