Eren's mission accomplishment

Village southwest of the Capital City

Not everyone cared about the Festival of Lights or could attend it. Against the backdrop of the whole incident, life went on, and people went about their business. It was the same with Eliz's younger brother, Eren.

Eren arrived on horseback in a small village just two hours away from the Capital. It was a village like any other, but this one was a bit larger due to its proximity to the Capital, so the village had not only an inn but also a few small shops. Eren stabled his horse at the inn but did not stay. Instead, he went outside and looked at the paper where he had the information on Simon Rudderquill.

Ever since he had received the assignment from Elizabeth, he had been concentrating on it with all his might so that he could complete it in time. Even though the most important thing for Eren was to complete the task for Elizabeth, he had another reason why he was in a hurry to complete this task. He looked up from the paper and stared into the air, his mind causing a magic window to appear.

Main Quest

Elizabeth must survive

Description: Elizabeth Von Roseblood is burdened with the unfortunate fate of being destined to die. The Male Lead's mission is to protect and save his beloved twin sister from this grim destiny

Reward: Ending the Cycle

Failure: Restarting the Cycle, Falling under Selene's influence.

Side Quest Update!

Be a good brother

Description: To regain your sister's trust and love, you accepted her assignment to find a retired master sniper. You sought out and acquired Simon Rudderquill as your master, bringing him to the Blue Rose Estate.

Reward: Memory Recovery 2%, Achievement: Sniper Ace, NPC Number Reduction. Shooter Ace combined with the Legendary Shooter Achievement creates a new Achievement - Cosmic Sagittarius.

Cosmic Sagittarius Achievement - Your shot never misses the target, focused eyess, sight range up to 2000 meters, mastery of each ranged weapon, boosted shot power and penetration, once per day instant kill shot (upgradeable).

Failure: Increase NPC number, Degradation of Legendary Shooter Achievement to Talented Shooter

Secondary Quest

Memory Recovery

Description: Complete tasks and restore your memory and rights. Due to many failures, you have lost the right of autonomy. Through the Visitor's efforts, you have gained the chance to regain what you have lost.

Reward: Memory recovery, Visitor rights

Progress: Memory restored 1%

Eren didn't really understand what it was, but he felt it was beneficial to him. He wondered if a deity had targeted him and was helping him with this, but the question was, what did the god want in return?

What worried him the most was the task regarding Elizabeth. Was it her destiny to die? What had happened? Why? He certainly couldn't let that happen! He wished this unknown god had told him more, but he realized he shouldn't be ungrateful. He was getting more than enough already.

Eren sighed and pocketed the paper before heading towards the hunting lodge the innkeeper had told him about. Simon Rudderquill would be staying there.

A few minutes later, he arrived at a lonely cottage that looked quite ordinary. It was made entirely of wood with a small porch on which was a swinging chair. The chair had just been upholstered by an elderly man in his sixties.

Despite his age, the man was still strong. The wrestler's body was dressed in leather hunting clothes of black and brown, and his short grey hair was slicked back with distinctive sideburns. The grey hairs still showed a little brown in the grey, indicating the color they once were. His square beard was neatly trimmed and clean; he had obviously taken good care of it. Rudderquill also had rather pronounced eyebrows that gave him the appearance of constantly frowning, and he had prominent cheekbones.

Simon swayed slowly in his swinging chair, eyes closed and exposing himself to the morning sun. He looked peaceful, as if he was about to fall asleep at any moment. But when Eren came closer, he immediately opened his dark grey eyes and stared at Eren, who stopped, surprised by the intense stare.

"What do you want, punk?" he asked in a voice that sounded younger than his actual appearance. It sounded sonorous, more like the voice of a young man.

Eren cleared his throat and bowed. "Greetings, my dear sir. My name is Eren Von Roseblood. Mr. Rudderquill, I have come to ask you to be my master." He explained the reason for his visit, but naturally, he didn't believe the man would do it just because he asked. But it was a good way to start.

Simon stopped rocking in his chair and looked Eren over from head to toe and back again. "So you're a Roseblood cub, huh? But still... I refuse! Go away, kid."

Eren was prepared for the rejection. "I'll pay you well, and it won't be wasted time for you either. I have great talent!" Eren didn't say that because he wanted to brag, but he actually could shoot quite well, and that divine window told him he was a Legendary Shooter, so it was pure truth.

"Arrogant!" Simon exclaimed with a deep frown.

Eren shuddered and quickly spoke. "Ah, that's not what I meant, master! I was just..."

"Who the hell is your master!?" Simon Rudderquill stood up abruptly and grabbed the sniper rifle that had been placed next to him; he hadn't seen it when he was sitting, so Eren couldn't see it.

Simon immediately aimed at Eren, who opened his mouth in surprise but didn't have time to say anything as Rudderquill fired. The bullet, covered by a thin layer of blue mana, flew very close between Eren's legs. The bullet burrowed into the ground behind him, creating a small crater.

Eren froze in place and turned green because it was too close! He almost lost his royal jewels!

"Next time I won't miss again, kid! Get out!" Rudderquill threatened, his dark grey gaze assuring Eren that he was serious.

"Ah!" Eren turned and ran away. He gritted his teeth inwardly. He retreated for now, but he definitely wasn't giving up.

***** 

An hour later, Eren reappeared. This time, he held a small barrel in his hands and carried it determinedly back to the house.

Simon was once again rocking comfortably in his rocking chair, but this time he wasn't sleeping; he was cleaning potatoes with a small knife. When he noticed Eren, he frowned and sighed. "Boy, you probably want to start talking in a high voice, don't you?" he said, putting down the potato and knife.

Eren swallowed nervously but ignored the tingling sensation. "I brought your favorite drink from the inn. I'll give it to you for at least listening to me!" he said.

Simon glanced at the keg, and his eyes brightened slightly. "Kalan Brandy?" he asked, and when Eren nodded, Simon licked his lips involuntarily. Kalan Brandy wasn't cheap, and the innkeeper wouldn't just give it out at the regular price, so Eren must have vastly overpaid the innkeeper and bought a whole keg!

Simon was tempted. He stared at the keg, then at Eren and the whispers. "Fine. I'll listen to you. But I still won't take you on as an apprentice. So don't get your hopes up, kid," he said.

Eren sighed; he was glad this worked out, and so he went over to Simon and handed him the keg. Simon took it from him and opened it straight up before taking a drink from it. Eren was momentarily stunned, thinking they were going to go in or at least pour him some.

Simon wiped his mouth and looked at Eren. "What are you looking at? Kids can't drink! Start talking."

Eren resisted the urge to frown. Doesn't he even get a seat? But Eren suspected Simon was being deliberately rude to discourage him. And so he began to speak. He explained the whole situation to Simon, not going into too much detail about Selene, just telling him about being controlled by the curse, how he'd escaped it about his sister, the prophecy of her death, his need to protect her. Once he briefly explained the recent events, he told him the benefits if he took him on as an apprentice. Aside from the salary, he would have a prominent position, a good place to live on the Blue Rose Estate, and he even promised him a similar keg of Brandy every month.

Meanwhile, Simon was slowly sipping, and judging by the way his eyes were slightly glossy, he had drunk quite a lot. When Eren finished, Simon smacked his lips and looked at him. "Are you finished? Excellent. Then you can go," he replied.

Eren was disappointed, but then again, he suspected that being a veteran, Simon wouldn't be swayed by any sentiment. "I'm not giving up, Mr. Rudderquill. I will keep coming back and asking you until you agree." Eren glared at him.

Simon let out a long sigh. "Can't you just leave the old man alone? I'm not the only retired sniper."

"I'm sorry, but I can't."

"I don't like children," Simon growled and paused.

"Fine. I'll give you a chance. See that hill over there with the tree at the top? Be there in ten minutes." Simon said and set the keg down, then stood up and headed in that direction.

Eren was confused, but also excited. Had he made it? Master Rudderquill would probably test him, and if he passed, accept him as an apprentice? It certainly wouldn't be easy, but Eren was determined to make it.

Ten minutes later, Eren stood at the bottom of the hill, looking up at the tree. The hill wasn't high; it was just a small hill with a large and slightly crooked tree at the top. It might have taken five minutes to reach the tree.

Eren couldn't see Master Rudderquill anywhere, yet he stepped forward. It was at that exact moment that he heard the low sound of a flying object. Eren only had time to look up before something hit him hard on the forehead until his eyes flashed before him.

When his vision cleared, he was lying on the ground, his forehead aching, and the sky above him swaying slightly. "Ow..." He started to sit up and touched his forehead, only to feel a huge bump. "What the hell?" He muttered to himself in confusion and looked up.

"Took you long enough," he heard Simon's voice from the front. Eren squinted in that direction and found Mr. Simon sitting on the lowest branch of the tree. One leg was bent on the branch, the other dangling, and he was swinging it lightly in the air. On the branch in front of him was a basket of stones the size of half a palm.

If Mr. Simon had not been an elderly man, he would have looked like a naughty boy. "What... was that you, Master Rudderquill?" Eren wondered, picking himself up off the ground.

"Naturally. You want me as a master, but I'm not about to teach someone useless. I'll be your master if you make it to this tree. Of course, in the meantime, I'll blast you with these rocks. If I hit you, you have to go back to the beginning and start over. Shooters have to be fast. So get ready. You can give up anytime."

Eren swallowed and nodded, measuring the distance with his eyes. With mana, he should make it up quickly. "Heh. And feel free to use whatever you want. Just be prepared that the moment you use mana, the stone strike will be even more painful." Simon warned him with a smile that seemed a bit sadistic.

Eren actually wondered for a moment if it wouldn't be better to find someone else to be his teacher. But even if he gave up on the assignment, he would be more bothered to see the look Elizabeth would throw at him if he came back with a failure.

Eren readied himself and let the mana flow through his body; he only needed to travel a short distance. He could do it! He shot out of his seat like a bullet until a cloud of dust rose up behind him, but he didn't even get halfway, and two rocks came flying at him. Only one stone hit Eren's forehead again, and the other hit him in the throat.

"Gasp!" Eren immediately collapsed, but this time he didn't faint as he struggled to breathe. "That fucking hurts like hell!" he screamed mentally while rolling on the ground in pain.

"What was that kid? Didn't you say you had talent? Don't you know you can't change direction that easily at that speed? Are you crazy?" Simon taunted, tossing another rock at him.

"Bleeeh." He watched as Eren rolled over and threw up. "You're quite the sissy. I had my knee shattered and a lung shot once, and I still kept fighting. This is nothing. Pull yourself together and be a man!"

Eren already vaguely suspected that he was entering the worst phase of his life.

***** 

A few hours later, it was dark. Eren thought it might give him an advantage, but Simon had eyes like a hawk even at night, and the stones kept hitting him until his body was all blue and purple. Every movement hurt, and he wished he could just lie down and never move again.

Several times he even thought of giving up, but at such times, he would reopen that divine window, and that motivated him to continue.

Eren was full of pain but also full of admiration for Simon. His aim was incredible, and he was obviously masterful with his strength, for even though he was all bruised, none of the stones ever tore through his skin or broke a bone. He even managed to hit the same spot as before! If Eren is supposed to be the Legendary Shooter, then what is Mr. Simon?

However, Eren also still learned from the whole test. He didn't immediately use mana to accelerate. While trying different methods, he found that the most effective way for him to use instant acceleration was to dodge stones. As soon as he heard the swish of a rock, he used the momentum of mana to his feet and dodged, then moved forward before dodging again. This was how he managed to get to the middle of the hill before being mercilessly beaten again.

Mr. Simon upped the difficulty from the middle of the hill and was able to predict where Eren would dodge, so he started throwing more rocks at him.

Eren soon fell again, grinding his teeth to keep from making a single sound of pain. He heard footsteps, so he turned his head to see Mr. Simon's silhouette looming over him. "I... I haven't given up yet," Eren said, worried that Mr. Simon had given up on him.

"I know. But I'm out of rocks. Wow, you look like a bloody knee. Haha." He laughed. Eren's face grew grim, and even though he had the utmost respect for this veteran, right now he wanted to kick him. "Come on, kid. We'll continue tomorrow," Simon leaned down and offered him his hand.

Eren didn't hesitate to accept his hand, feeling that he couldn't get up on his own. Then together, they walked back to Simon's hut. Eren moved very carefully and slowly. Simon looked back at him and started to roar with laughter. "Hahahaha! You walk like a shaggy duck!"

Eren looked at the ground, searching the darkness for a rock to throw at him.