Gather Divine Coins and Gacha! - Chapter 264

 When Alec activated the Thread of Dunlem, a massive bow appeared.

The gallery, witnessing this, buzzed with excitement, exclaiming, "Oh!"

The bow was made of wood with a dark ebony-like color, black and brown in hue. There was something glowing in a circle around the grip, but aside from that, it looked like an ordinary bow. Of course, the size and weight were entirely different...

Even Alec, who could usually swing a large club with one hand, looked somewhat strained.

"Alec, if it's a blessing item, you should be able to string it and make arrows appear by focusing your mind," Zigheart advised.

"Hmph! ...I see. Seria, there's no one behind the target, right?"

Following Zigheart's advice, Alec concentrated, and in an instant, the bow glowed, and a string appeared. The arrow that materialized wasn’t a regular arrow but a glowing rod. It hummed with a powerful energy... This was going to be something extraordinary. Alec seemed to sense it too and turned to confirm safety with me.

"Hmm... yeah, it’s fine. Not a soul, not even a monster, is around."

"Good. Step back a little..."

Once we moved back, Alec drew the bow.

It was mid-February in autumn. Though not cold enough for a coat, the temperature had dropped, and we were dressed warmly. Even through the layers, the muscles in Alec's arms and back bulged visibly.

"I'm about to shoot!"

Just as Alec gave the signal, there was a flash of light at his hand...

"Whoa!?"

There was a sharp sound as the arrow was released. The arrow of light shattered the target, gouged out the plain behind it, and broke through dozens of meters of trees in the forest before it finally disappeared. The distance it traveled must have been around 400 meters.

"Oh... this is the one that hit me. Brings back memories."

"Indeed. Did it disappear because of the distance or because it was fully consumed... which one, I wonder?"

"The distance... is a bit short. It probably got consumed."

While the two of them discussed it calmly, there was a stir among those behind us. And as for me, I was sitting on the ground in shock.

You shouldn’t watch something like that up close...

The people behind us probably thought it was just a light show, but after seeing that... Well, I’ve seen similar sights in dungeons before, but for a first-timer, it would be terrifying.

"The power is impressive. Are there any drawbacks?" Seriana, who had come over after ensuring our safety, asked Alec.

"Well... the weight and draw strength make it difficult to use for just anyone... but considering this power, that’s hardly the only issue..."

"I can’t even hold it, so it seems like a fair trade-off..."

I recalled something I heard when we were heading to the royal capital by ship. Sometimes, people part with items like these because of situations like this. I had Alec to test it out with, but not everyone has someone conveniently nearby to lend it to.

In that case, selling it might be a better option.

"Seria, why don’t you try casting your Prayer on Alec next? It might change the power, weight, or draw strength."

I turned towards the voice, and saw Liesel and August had come over as well. They seemed quite entertained.

"True... Seria, please."

"Sure. Zig, Fio, could you prepare the next target... oh, you’re quick."

Just as I was about to ask them to prepare the target, they had already finished setting it up. And they had smartly placed it in a different spot from before. If we gouged out the forest any further, it might turn into a pathway for monsters...

"Alright. Everyone, step back. Seria, if you please."

"On it!"

As Prayer was activated, I also stepped back to where everyone else was. Last time, the shockwave even reached behind us...

"...Hmm?"

Alec didn’t move after taking hold of the bow. Everyone around was also wearing a puzzled expression.

"Alec?"

When I called out, he started walking towards us, still holding the bow. It seemed like the Prayer was working, as he walked without showing signs of struggle from the weight.

"It’s not activating."

Alec shook his head and said those words.

"...Did it break?"

Seriously?

"It wouldn't break that easily. Maybe it can’t shoot consecutively?" Liesel countered, dismissing my concern.

"Probably. Now that I think about it, there was a delay between shots on the battlefield too."

"Ah... that’s right. I thought he was changing positions between shots to avoid counterattacks, but maybe it’s because it can’t shoot consecutively," Zigheart recalled something as Alec spoke.

It would make sense not to stay in one place while firing something so conspicuous. By moving, he might have been concealing this drawback.

"Look here."

Alec pointed to the grip of the bow. Earlier, it had glowed in a circle, but now only about two-thirds of the circle was lit.

"When I first took aim, it was about halfway lit... I think it will be ready to fire again when the circle completes. About one shot every ten minutes?"

Alec seemed a bit disappointed. But isn’t that more than enough?