Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

Chapter 618: A Backshot



Raising his hand to block the rays of bright sunlight falling from the brilliant vista above, Altair weaved through the crowded thoroughfare with skillful footfalls.

He moved away from the Godhand Bazaar, nested in the busiest part of Aeredale City, transitioning to an equally active but uniquely populated part of the city. The streets were no longer thronged by civilians dressed in cloth garbs or merchants heralding cavalcades.

Here, there were primarily people dressed in various armor, outfitted with many blades, shields, and other miscellaneous equipment.

Beside Altair, Ezra kept up with swift, fluid movements. He was like a shadow moving through the crowd undetected and ignored. Perhaps that was the outcome he aimed for.

"Are we going where I think we are?" Ezra asked, not in the slightest bit winded despite the pace they maintained. Her Stamina had to be comparatively excellent, but considering she had obtained a Legendary Class early on, it didn't seem strange.

Altair nodded curtly. "Yup. That's exactly where we're going."

"Wait up! Oh my god! Hold on... my lungs burn!" Bastion howled, lumbering through a crowd of people. Svelte movements had never been his forte, and that weakness was exacerbated by the focus of his Class.

"Shame. Shame!" Nemean teased.

He fared much better because although his Shield Enforcer Class was technically a defensive class, it was well-rounded, placing equal focus on offense and defense. Of course, there was a growing disparity between his stats and his companions' stats because of its low rarity.

Despite that widening chasm, Nemean kept his skills sharp and looked to make them sharper still, bridging the gap with technical aptitude that Kieran often praised. He had less to rely on than others, making him eke out everything his class had to offer.

"Hurry it up back there. You're embarrassing us," Altair yelled. His voice carried, but when people looked to see who screamed, he had vanished with superior Agility.

Instead, Bastion and Nemean found all those eyes on them. The attention of thousands was stifling, and it made them grimace, wishing for nothing more than to look away.

As Altair pointed out, they were genuinely feeling embarrassed.

"He's an asshole," Bastion squeezed through gritted teeth.

"I agree," Nemean nodded.

Eventually, the two craned their neck to take in the marvelous sight of a colossal tower in the close distance. It was attached to a large but comparatively unimpressive compound - the Adventurers' Guild - composed primarily of wood, metal, and stone to give it an antiquated feel.

When Bastion and Nemean reached the front doors, Ezra, Lux, and Altair stood with their arms crossed, each wearing similarly disappointed expressions.

"Someone needs to place more importance on Agility," Altair teasingly said, looking between the two. "Also, how do your lungs burn when Endurance should be amongst your highest stats?"

"I don't know," Bastion wheezed, bent over with his hands bracing his knees. "Asking me questions I don't know the damn answer to! All I know is they burn, and that shit is strange." "Uh huh," Altair muttered. He was skeptical but didn't voice anything else on his mind. He spun on his heels, swiftly turning to the building's entrance. Altair strode inside, and the others followed closely behind.

Given Altair's high-ranking status, arranging for a private training room inside the spacious Adventurers' Guild was straightforward. Not only did it scale according to a Disciplined's Tier, but it appeared Altair had completed several minor quests when he wasn't glued to Kieran's hip, earning him a glut of adventurer merit.

Minutes later, everyone was inside a private training room with an environment that matched a vale. The grass plain seemed genuine despite its artificial nature.

"So, how will we be doing this?" Lux asked.

Altair stretched and considered it for a moment. "We have a few choices, though some seem more impractical than others."

Lux gave a look that said, "I'm all ears," before standing attentively.

"The choices are: we work on our individual skills with the means provided by the training room. Or, we can use each other as whetstones to grow accustomed to one another's rhythm. I'm going to assume this is pretty much the entire team going on the journey save for the boss and Alice," Altair said.

Bastion was the first to comment. "Second option."

"I agree," Ezra said. "We could learn much about one another and pinpoint glaring issues in our teamwork or overall prowess."

"Sounds good. We'll take it slow and gradually ramp it up from there. So..." Altair paused to assess the best combinations for the five of them. "Ezra and I will spar. And Bastion and Nemean will go against Lux."

"Wait... what?" Bastion sputtered, pointing at Lux. "Him? Two of us versus him? How is that fair?"

Altair tilted his head. "Oh? Who is it unfair for?"

"The poor archer!" Bastion exclaimed. "Me and Nemean together will trounce that fool... no offense, Lux."

"None taken," Lux smiled, but his keen eyes showed a sharp, predatory gleam.

"Prove it," Altair said.

Bastion was taken aback by that comment but also felt challenged and underestimated. Somewhat upset, he looked to Nemean to see they were in accord.

Nemean gave a shrug of agreement.

Meanwhile, Altair's visage curled into a cunning smile.

It wasn't that he was looking down on Bastion or Nemean; he knew their capabilities very well, perhaps better than they did. On the contrary, Bastion was the culprit of underestimation. He looked down on Lux, viewing him as nothing more than an archer, and that was where he was sorely mistaken.

Lux approached the center of the vale, standing at a position that made an isosceles triangle with the two.

Altair counted down for three, and once he got down to one, the two broke out into a sprint. In terms of pure speed, Nemean outclassed Bastion, but they didn't hold a candle to Lux, who deftly nocked an arrow on his bow, pulled the string taut, and released in a fluid, trainer

manner.

The arrow flew true, whizzing through the air until it suddenly curved, shifting its trajectory toward Nemean. He braced for impact, raising his twin bracer shield.

The force of the arrow staggered Nemean, taking him by surprise. He didn't have time to find his bearings before a procession of arrows slammed into him.

Something possessed Nemean to separate his arms further and peek at his opponent through the gap between his shields. His expression filled with horror when he did.

An arrow shot skyward and erupted into a cloudburst of falling arrowheads that had Nemean scrambling for safety.

Bastion, meanwhile, endured the rain of arrows with his Innate Ability. When wielded in tandem with an actual shield, the effect was redoubled.

"Hahaha," Bastion laughed hysterically, feeling a rush of exhilaration. "I told you. He can't

afford to spare all of his attention on any one of us."

All of a sudden, Lux, who should have been tens of meters ahead, appeared on Bastion's right with his bow drawn and an arrow nocked.

The sudden appearance gave Bastion an unsettling start, disrupting his momentum as he struggled to maintain balance. Unfortunately, abruptly stopping was impossible, putting him in a position where Lux occupied his flank for a split second.

That's when the arrowhead glinted with a strange coating of focused and condensed mana.

The arrow flew from the bow, and within a heartbeat, Bastion howled like a wolf under the

moon-graced night sky.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"My ass! He shot me in my ass!" Bastion cried, bent over in the vale with his rear upthrust and

wagging.

"That's a backshot if I've ever seen one," Nemean whistled.