Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Genius Divine Archer Who Became a One-Man Legion (50)
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The Arrowhead Unit's first battle left a profound impression on Bieltuna's soldiers.
It was unavoidable, as it marked their first major victory in years.
And among them, the standout figure was none other than Isaac.
Despite his small stature, the sight of him wielding dual swords and cutting through barbarian warriors like a whirlwind left an indelible mark not just on the regular soldiers, but on the officers as well.
"Of course, Vice Unit Commander Isaac was incredible too. Unit Commander Rian might not know, but some soldiers are even seeking out manuals to learn dual swordsmanship."
"Is that so?"
Homel’s words brought a slightly surprised expression to Rian’s face.
He hadn’t paid much attention to such things, but the Arrowhead Unit’s influence on Bieltuna’s soldiers was greater than he’d imagined.
Homel gave a small smile.
"The positive effects are spreading widely. They used to only think about surviving day by day, but now they’re looking toward a slightly more distant future."
Homel stopped walking.
As Rian halted alongside him, Homel looked at Rian and said,
"This is all thanks to you, Unit Commander Rian."
"......"
The direct praise felt oddly embarrassing.
Rian shook his head, trying to hide his awkwardness.
"Wasn’t it something we achieved together?"
"If you see it that way, we’re grateful. And the soldiers we’re meeting today were deeply inspired by your archery in the recent battle."
Just a few days ago, while sitting around the campfire, Rian had made a request.
There were archers among those who could handle bows who wanted to join the Arrowhead Unit.
For Rian, who had been continuously seeking out more archers, this was nothing short of great news.
Bieltuna was a place where large and small battles erupted over a dozen times a month.
Being able to wield a bow in such a location was something one could proudly call abundant experience.
Rian followed Homel to the training ground where the soldiers were waiting.
Upon arriving at the training ground,
"These are all the soldiers who wanted to meet me?"
Rian asked Homel with a slightly surprised expression.
Homel nodded.
"Let me introduce them."
Homel called out each soldier’s name one by one. They stood at rigid attention.
There were well over thirty of them—more than Rian had expected.
Each one responded loudly when Homel called their name.
Once the brief introductions ended, Rian looked at them one by one.
'They’ve got solid discipline.'
Their faces showed some tension, but their eyes told the story.
Rian spoke.
"Good to meet you all. I’m Rian, vice commander of the Arrowhead Unit."
"It’s an honor to meet you!"
"Thank you for calling us!"
The soldiers responded enthusiastically to Rian’s words. He addressed them.
"But you said you were impressed by me in the recent battle... Could you even see me? I was shooting from hiding, so you probably didn’t get a good look."
That was the truth.
Unlike Isaac, who fought out in the open, Rian had only commanded the unit briefly at the start before moving through the trees, sniping enemies from cover.
At that moment, a man with a thick scar near his left neck spoke to Rian.
His name was Gav, right?
"They say you see as much as you know. It might not have been visible to other soldiers, but to us, your constant movement between hiding spots for real-time sniping was incredibly impressive."
"Exactly... When your arrows hit those demons in the head, we almost forgot we were fighting ourselves, we were so entranced."
The other soldiers nodded in agreement with Gav’s words.
Even they, defending themselves behind the walls while attacking, struggled to hit the enemies accurately.
A slight mistake could injure their own tangled allies.
But Rian was different.
He was cautious yet swift, and bold.
The sight of demons dropping every time Rian loosed an arrow brought a strange thrill.
Gerard, who had come with Rian, nodded at their words.
They might not have seen it, but what he’d witnessed—especially Rian taking down barbarians while fleeing a few days ago—was archer-god level.
"But the Arrowhead Unit’s archer squad isn’t for just anyone."
Gerard said to the soldiers standing before him. They swallowed hard.
They didn’t know who this Gerard with Rian was, but he was clearly someone formidable.
Rian gave Gerard a slightly bewildered look at his words.
"Gerard."
"Yes?"
"Step back."
"......Yes."
When did this guy turn into this kind of character?
Not that it was a bad thing.
He was adapting quickly to the unit and exerting a positive influence with his lively demeanor.
As Gerard retreated with a dejected expression, Rian said to them,
"Then let’s take a quick look at your skills?"
At Rian’s words, they nodded with determined expressions.
* * *
Screeeech—thunk!
Thud! Thump! Thump!
Homel watched the arrows embedding into the targets with tense sounds, his own face tense.
They were all performing well, but it was because of Rian, who watched expressionlessly.
'......I can’t read what he’s thinking at all.'
It was grateful that he was taking it seriously. But his inscrutable expression dried Homel’s lips taut.
Finally, the last soldier finished, and Rian looked at them.
"All done?"
"Yes, sir!"
The last shooter replied, and Rian nodded. Then, clap clap clap clap clap!
The tense atmosphere eased a bit at the sight of Rian clapping with a faint smile.
Rian spoke to the soldiers.
"I watched just as seriously as you took the test. The stiff atmosphere might have kept your true skills from showing fully, but you all did well."
"Thank you!"
"No problem! We’re fine!"
They were spirited bunch.
At their responses, Rian glanced at the arrows in the targets.
They’d tested on moving targets too, but,
'Overall, their skills are decent.'
As Homel said, since they’d learned through real combat rather than formal training, there were rough and unpolished aspects.
Moreover, the soldiers’ ages were a bit older than average elsewhere.
Around early thirties on average?
But one stood out particularly.
Unlike the others, he looked young.
"That soldier seems a bit young."
"Ah, you mean Philson. He wasn’t originally a soldier."
"What? If not a soldier, then......"
Rian asked with a puzzled expression. Homel looked toward Philson and explained.
"He was originally a territory resident living in Bieltuna, but he volunteered after the battle five years ago."
The irrecoverable disaster that struck those fighting to defend Bieltuna.
After the defeat five years ago, Bieltuna had changed in many ways.
Rian knew that too.
Without Barus’s absurd improvisation, Bieltuna might have vanished.
"Quite a few residents volunteered back then. They’re the ones protecting Bieltuna now."
"......I see."
Rian nodded.
As he’d assessed earlier, their archery wasn’t bad. In other words, none were exceptional.
But they had one clear advantage over others.
'Their eyes.'
How many battles had they fought?
Dozens?
Some might have over a hundred real combats.
Through it all, they’d honed not just combat skills, but mental fortitude.
Each soldier was remarkably seasoned and tough.
Rian said,
"I’ve seen your skills. It’s hard to believe you learned alone. You’re all impressive."
At Rian’s words, they puffed up with pride a bit.
But a hint of regret crossed Rian’s face.
'I want to take them all, but......'
He could only select nine right now.
Rian didn’t hide his regret.
"Sorry. I’d love to take you all, but with my authority, I can only bring nine."
"It’s okay. Just being acknowledged by you is enough, Sir Rian."
"Shooting before you was an honor!"
Rian forced a smile at their words and continued.
"And if you join the Arrowhead Unit, you’ll have to leave after subjugating the barbarians here. Is that alright? Some of you have roots here."
That was the issue.
These recruits weren’t one-offs; they’d serve in the Arrowhead Unit long-term.
But Rian’s concern was unfounded.
"If we can kill all those demons, I’d throw my life away right now. Once they’re gone, we can leave happily."
"Me too."
"Same here!"
"Me too!"
The soldiers answered without hesitation.
Rian nodded.
The decisions were already made.
He began calling out the nine soldiers he’d chosen.
"Leyson! Pomerin! Zeke!"
The called soldiers stepped forward with loud responses.
After naming seven, Rian called the youngest among them, Philson.
"Philson!"
"Yes? Oh, yes—!"
A bright smile spread across the tense Philson’s face.
As he stepped forward, Rian called the final one.
"And...... Gav."
"......!"
Gav’s eyes widened in shock.
Not just him—the other soldiers looked surprised too. Then they urged the hesitating Gav.
"Brother, what are you doing?"
"Your name was called! Respond already!"
"Ah, uh...... Yes—!"
The other soldiers’ eyes shone with genuine congratulations.
It was inevitable, since even Gav hadn’t thought he’d be selected.
At forty, he was among the oldest here.
His peak as a soldier was long past.
But Rian recalled the Gav he’d seen before.
Just as they’d spotted Rian in battles big and small, some soldiers had caught Rian’s eye too.
Gav was one.
'Age is just a number.'
In Rian’s eyes, Gav possessed passion that belied his years, paired with icy composure.
Even in emergencies, he calmly cared for comrades and handled situations cleanly.
His current ability alone made Rian choose him over all others here.
'His applying is our luck.'
Rian slowly walked up to stand before Gav.
Gav couldn’t hide his bewilderment as Rian approached.
"Wh-why me......"
"Name."
"Yes?"
"Name."
Rian stared at him sternly.
Gav met Rian’s serious gaze and quickly schooled his dazed expression.
Gav clenched his right fist and struck his left chest.
Thud!
"Sergeant Gav—!"
"Gav, as of this moment, you are appointed Ten-Man Commander leading the Arrowhead Unit’s archer squad."
"Ehhh?!"
Gerard, who’d been silent, let out a startled yelp, eyes bulging.
But Rian ignored the reaction and extended his hand to Gav.
"Looking forward to working with you."
Seeing the hand, Gav gripped it, barely suppressing his tremor.
"I’ll do my utmost to serve!"
"Let’s do well together."
Rian smiled, squeezing the trembling hand firmly.