"Well, my name is Silver."
Silver introduced himself as he walked beside Christopher through the barren plains.
Christopher glanced at him and nodded.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Eventually, Silver cleared his throat.
"Christopher, you're really strong."
"Hm?"
"Can you do me a favor?"
Christopher raised an eyebrow.
"What favor?"
Silver scratched the back of his head.
"Well... I'm pretty weak. I haven't even killed a single creature yet. Could you help me hunt a few? That way I can get stronger."
Of course, that wasn't his real intention.
After seeing Christopher effortlessly kill the raven-like creature, Silver knew one thing very clearly.
If Christopher wanted him dead, there was nothing he could do about it.
Still, if Christopher became occupied fighting creatures, there might be an opportunity to slip away.
Unfortunately, Christopher wasn't interested.
"No."
The answer came instantly.
"I won't help you with that."
Silver sighed inwardly.
As expected.
The two continued walking.
The wind swept across the endless plains as silence settled between them once more.
After several minutes, Christopher suddenly spoke.
"You saw my Body Arrow, right?"
Silver blinked.
Body Arrow?
The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember hearing it before.
What the hell is Body Arrow?
Still, he kept those thoughts to himself.
"Body Arrow?"
"Yes."
Christopher nodded.
"It's an Ability Art."
Silver immediately became interested.
Ability Arts were rare.
Extremely rare.
Many people spent their entire lives without ever seeing one.
Christopher looked ahead as he explained.
"The art turns you into an arrow."
Silver frowned.
"An arrow?"
"Your body becomes the arrow."
Christopher tapped his chest.
"Your strength becomes the bow."
Then he pointed toward his forehead.
"And your will becomes the archer."
Silver's expression gradually became serious.
Christopher continued.
"When the art activates, your will chooses a destination."
"Then it fires."
"There is no hesitation."
"There is no retreat."
"Why?" Silver asked.
A faint smile appeared on Christopher's face.
"Because an arrow cannot return to the bow."
Silver felt a slight chill.
The explanation sounded simple.
Yet there was something strangely powerful about those words.
"The stronger your will, the stronger the strike."
Christopher clenched his fist.
"But if your body isn't strong enough..."
He paused briefly.
"The bow snaps."
"And the arrow falls."
Silver immediately understood.
Body Arrow wasn't merely a movement technique.
It was a commitment.
A path that allowed no retreat.
"That's an incredible Ability Art," Silver admitted.
Christopher chuckled.
"It is."
"Unfortunately, very few people can learn it."
"Why?"
"Because most people lack the will."
Christopher shrugged.
"Everyone wants power."
"Very few people are willing to become the arrow."
Silver silently memorized those words.
The two continued their journey.
Hours passed.
Then, in the distance, a massive structure appeared on the horizon.
Silver's eyes widened.
Towering metal walls stretched across the plains.
Watchtowers rose into the sky.
Huge reinforced gates stood at the entrance.
Even from afar, the shelter radiated strength.
Christopher smiled.
"We've arrived."
Silver stared at the enormous settlement.
"Thunder Lord's Shelter."
"That's right."
The closer they approached, the larger it seemed.
People constantly entered and exited through the gates.
Hunters.
Traders.
Awakened.
Mercenaries.
The shelter was far more lively than the wilderness outside.
As soon as they approached the entrance, several residents noticed them.
More specifically—
They noticed Silver.
"Hey!"
One of the men laughed.
"Look who's still alive."
Another burst out laughing.
"It's Silver!"
"I thought he was dead."
"So did I."
Silver's expression darkened.
Of course.
The moment he returned, trouble found him.
One of the residents looked toward Christopher.
"Who's the guy beside him?"
"No idea."
"He looks strong."
"Stronger than Silver, at least."
The group immediately laughed.
Silver rolled his eyes.
"You're all hilarious."
"We know."
Christopher simply ignored them.
The crowd, however, continued growing.
More and more people gathered around.
Curious whispers spread through the area.
"Maybe he's a wanderer."
"Probably an Awakened."
"He looks confident."
"Think he can fight?"
Silver suddenly had a bad feeling.
Whenever large groups of people became interested in something, it usually led to trouble.
Then somebody in the crowd suddenly shouted.
"Philip!"
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The surrounding residents became excited.
People moved aside.
Others climbed onto nearby crates and railings to get a better view.
Silver frowned.
"What now?"
Christopher looked ahead.
A large man was walking toward them.
He was nearly a head taller than everyone around him.
Broad shoulders.
Powerful arms.
A physique that looked like it had been forged from iron.
Each step seemed to carry tremendous weight.
The crowd immediately erupted into discussion.
"Oh, this is going to be good."
"Philip's definitely going to challenge him."
"You think so?"
"Of course."
Another resident shook his head.
"Don't be so sure."
"There are plenty of powerful Awakened in the Ashlands."
"Maybe."
The first speaker snorted.
"But Philip is still Philip."
Several people nodded.
Clearly, the man possessed quite a reputation.
Another resident glanced at Christopher.
"He does look strong though."
"Yeah."
"For all we know, he might actually give Philip a good fight."
The first speaker immediately scoffed.
"A good fight?"
"Don't compare him to Thunder Lord's people."
"Philip isn't even weak among them."
Someone else nodded.
"That's true."
"Thunder Lord's faction is on an entirely different level."
The discussion continued as Philip approached.
Meanwhile, Christopher looked completely uninterested.
Silver, on the other hand, was already regretting coming here.
Why does this always happen to me?
Philip finally stopped several meters away from them.
His gaze swept across Christopher.
Then toward Silver.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
The crowd immediately fell silent.
Excitement filled the air.
Everyone was waiting to see what would happen next.
And Silver had a feeling it wasn't going to be anything good.