Archery Practice

'Well, this is new.'

Chuckling to himself, Isaac curiously gazed at the thematic zone that he had just arrived in. It had turned midnight a moment ago, and a new day had begun, but he was still very far from ending his current dungeon exploration.

Precarious Path, that was the name of this zone, and it was… actually quite fitting. It wasn't even bad. While it didn't give one a good idea of what was to come, contrary to what so many of the other zones' monikers did, it at least sufficiently warned one about the dangers ahead. This thematic zone was the first one that felt like it went all in on the fantasy aspect, at least from a very superficial perspective.

The staircase that Isaac had come from ended just a few hundred meters underneath the ceiling of the 69th floor, which was sporting the same kinds of day and night cycle-emulating crystals that could be found on the 18th floor - the entire area ahead of him was currently dimly illuminated, as if enveloped by gentle moonlight.

One might wrongfully assume that the vertical size of this floor was smaller than that of others before it, but it had actually stayed about the same. The spot at which the staircase had emerged was simply very high up. Tens of kilometers, to be exact. Of course, it didn't just float there - it was a part of a massive stalactite structure that was close to a thousand meters long.

Every few kilometers or so, a stalactite that was just as big could be spotted extending from the ceiling, with a few smaller ones interspersed in between. Naturally, stalagmites of comparable size were growing from the bottom of the cave all over the place. Without his Eyes of Hermes, however, he never would have been able to look upon the very bottom of the cavern, because there was a close to five hundred meter deep layer of purplish, poisonous mist obscuring it.

Although the absence of any particular source of water, which should be necessary for such a place to form naturally, could already be described as 'fantastical', it wouldn't catch more than a sliver of Isaac's attention. No, what made him so fascinated were the rock pieces of various sizes floating in between the countless stalactites. They led further into the distance in a manner that seemed deliberately organized, like multiple paths.

How were these rocks hovering in mid-air? That was exactly the question on Isaac's mind at the moment. He very quickly could strike 'mana' as well as 'runes' from the list of possible causes. The former's influence would be all too easily observed, and even the latter would need some sort of energy - be it mana or life force - to perform their job.

'Alright, just a quick glance.'

As he was quite curious at the moment, he temporarily allowed himself to take a direct look at the laws of this world - of course, without scrutinizing them too closely. There was something that he suspected to be the case, and he merely wanted to confirm it.

What he saw made his eyes widen slightly, then he quickly sealed that ability of his again. He returned to his previous state, one in which he would only be made privy to the laws of this world if they directly interacted with him. There was such a thing as 'too much information' - it would spoil significant amounts of his enjoyment if he could clearly read the laws directly all the time.

'It is as I expected.'

The laws of the world that affected the large rocks that were hovering in mid-air had subtle differences compared to the laws that affected the rest of this floor. Gravity simply couldn't affect them in the way that it would otherwise be supposed to. Even though he had had a few theories for a while, it was still a noteworthy discovery that the dungeon, seemingly, had the ability to influence the very laws of this world. Whatever it was, it clearly far surpassed regular deities. If Isaac had to go out on a limb, then he would wager that even primordial gods were inferior to its power. Regarding the actual identity or realm of power of the dungeon, however, he couldn't say anything. He was missing far too much knowledge to make an educated guess.

SCREEEE!

His intrigue-fuelled happy mood suddenly got interrupted by a shrill roar that sounded like both a dragon, as well as a bird. Slightly frowning, Isaac returned all of his focus to the hundreds of monsters that had already started to approach him from afar. He hadn't completely disregarded them before, but it still felt a little bit irritating to have to put his mental musings on the back burner because of them.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I'll be right with you."

A flock of Feathered Dragons, the second strongest monster species on this floor, had made their home on a nearby stalactite. As was common with monsters that had already reached Level 6, their senses allowed them to perceive presences that were more than two kilometers away, and with him just standing there for a long while, it would have needed a miracle for them to disregard him.

The dragons had serpentine bodies that were quite rare amongst all species that were being called 'dragons' in this world. They were about 25 meters in length and had green feathers growing from in between the gaps of their dark grey scales. Their wings were very reminiscent of those of a falcon, just far bigger, and there was a sharp bone spike protruding from the ends of their long tails. Even their snouts looked a lot more like a beak than a dragon's maw. Still, due to their ability to shoot breath attacks at their prey, their heritage was undeniable. Relying mostly on their Agility and Magic stats, which both could reach up to C-650 / 62,650, they usually harassed their enemies from a distance.

During his initial research of the dragons, Isaac only utilized his orichalcum sword and his Anemoi Steps - as well as perfect positioning and balancing acts using the floating rocks as a basis - to take them apart. It didn't take him long to study the movement patterns and behaviours that they showed when he wasn't anywhere near them and when he chose to face them in close combat, the Agility that was so integral to them couldn't give them any hope of escape. Once he was done with this scientific effort, he switched to his bow and arrow - this was a routine that he followed for all of the monsters of this thematic zone. First, he would finish studying his specimens, then he would use them as archery dummies.

Needless to say, there was a reason for this. Ever since he had come to this world, there hadn't been a good chance for him to progress in the combat skills that he had already acquired in his old world. Although he regularly used swordsmanship, a bit of archery, as well as the various martial arts and weapon masteries that he needed to instruct his students, he didn't make any progress in them. He had full and perfect control over his body, which was primarily what he used to deduce the most optimal way to use any and all weapons. In theory, as well as in practice, he had refined them to the pinnacle.

Well, this statement only held true if viewed from the perspective of his old world, where mana, as well as any other 'magical' elements, did not exist. Here, in this world that was similar to the one in the DanMachi novels, a new path to further refinement had been opened.

He didn't immediately begin embarking on it, however. At first, he gave himself time to grow used to his new bow, and attempted a 'new' method for retrieving his arrows - to attach some of his mana to each arrow, and to use this to store them back into his inventory once they had fulfilled their purpose. Due to their high quality and his flawless skills, not a single arrow was even noticeably damaged while fighting the monsters on this floor!

Aside from the Feathered Dragons, there were four other monster species that started to appear on the 69th floor.

The weakest of them all were the Draconic Bats. Their flocks numbered in the thousands, and just as the latter part of their name implied, they hung upside down from small protrusions in the ceiling, as well as the stalactites. They wrapped themselves in their Western dragon-style wings when resting, completing the picture. The rest of their bodies looked like emaciated Lizardmen, with longer and sharper claws. Their scales were a dull green, intermixed with purple, and they could even shoot very small, but nonetheless threatening, breath attacks - as was customary. Their highest stats were their Strength and Dexterity, which could both be at up to D-500 / 57,850, and they preferred to surround their prey tightly as a swarm. They fought upfront, only using their breath attacks as slight distractions to support their close and personal battle style.

A bit stronger than them were the Poulimen. Just like Minotaurs, most of their bodies were humanoid, but they sported a non-human head - this time, that of an eagle. And similarly to angels, wings grew from their backs, even though they didn't look nearly as sacred. Because they only sported a height of a little over two meters, they used some of the smallest stalactites as natural weapons, as impromptu spears. They were also very proficient in army-style formations and flying maneuvers. While their pure firepower would never be able to compare to the Feathered Dragons, getting encircled by them would feel like stepping into a swamp - it was very hard to escape. Their Agility and Dexterity were both mostly at D-550 / 59,450, with their other physical stats not too far behind.

The next monster species on the list made Isaac's expression darken - solely because of their name: 'Healthy Wyverns'. He had expected an absolute joke of a name like this to come up at some point, especially because some bright genius had already dubbed another wyvern species as 'Ill Wyverns' before. But still, when the moment ultimately came… even though Fels had already told him about it… it felt annoying.

To be honest, the Healthy Wyverns really lived up to their title. They weren't haggard in the slightest, and really muscular. They had an air of imposingness around them, even though they couldn't measure up to actual dragons. Their pure physical might was astonishing, and even the fireballs that they could shoot at their opponents instead of breath attacks were terrifying. Just like their sickly cousins, they had no forelegs, which was the main difference between them and proper dragons. Their wings were similar to those of Sirens and Harpies - at least in overall structure - but as one would expect, they didn't have any feathers. Overall, these wyverns were extraordinarily strong, with every single one of their stats reaching C-600 / 61,050. Considering that they roamed this floor in groups of hundreds, any ill-prepared party would easily be wiped out due to them alone.

Last on this part of the list were the Hovering Turtles. They were by far the rarest of the bunch, and only one or two of them could be encountered every few kilometers. Yet again, they were a victim of someone's horrible naming sense - or rather, someone's inaccurate naming sense.

Previously, monsters like the Crystal Turtles and the Lava Turtles had appeared in the dungeon, which replicated a part of their surroundings - islands, to be exact - and were actually turtle monsters whose shells simply tended to milead some reckless adventurers. The Hovering Turtles were indeed similar to them, because they appeared just like any other rock that was floating in mid-air at first glance. They were an environmental hazard that could cause anyone that stepped on them to plummet to the ground - not that most people who made it here would die from this. Although there were no sonic booms, there was still air resistance... and a terminal velocity. By building up a high enough Endurance stat, it became close to impossible to be damaged from falling or the following impact on the ground. There were other dangers at the bottom of the cavern, though, but only one of them was actually present this early into the thematic zone: the poisonous mist.

As Isaac had night instantly noticed, Hovering Turtles weren't actually turtles. While they did have a rock shell, their insides were pretty much indistinguishable from the bodies of the Goos. Yes, they were basically slimes, and one 'merely' needed to destroy their cores to kill them. But considering how massive these slimes were - they could fill up to an area of a few hundred cubic meters - that was easier said than done for a regular adventurer.

Still, why call this slime mimic a 'Hovering Turtle'? Just because it would evoke caution in the adventurers who had already encountered the other turtles of the dungeon? That was most likely the reason, but this laziness and sheer inaccuracy still left a bad taste in Isaac's mouth.

He didn't tarry for long, and at around 2 a.m., he found himself on the 72nd floor. This was the second to last floor of the Precarious Path, and four new monster species joined the dungeon's lineup here.

First of all, there was another reskin, this time of the Iguazus, which were called 'Blinkers'. Their Strength and Agility could reach up to B-750 / 65,850, and their only purpose was to send hundreds of their own numbers at their prey, bombarding them to death. They didn't care about their fragile bodies shattering on impact, which caused them to only be able to damage their enemies once - after all, they weren't trying to live, their only purpose was to kill. Compared to the Iguazus, they were, of course, many times stronger, as well as twice as big. What made them stand out a bit more was that they didn't only have the ability to throw themselves at their prey from an elevated position, but they could assault them from literally anywhere, as long as enough charging room was available and there were no obstacles. But, as might be expected, they weren't very notable.

As for the Rockclimbers, while they did look very similar to enlarged, grey geckos, they at least were more of a fresh sight here. Yes, lizards weren't uncommon, but how many of them clung to the walls and kept still, trying to drag their prey towards the depths and a swift death? So far, none. Just like chameleons, they had the ability to change the colour of their scales to blend in with their environment - it was even a bit more advanced, because it incorporated mana to veil the senses of anyone within a few meters of them, making it more difficult for them to be spotted once one got closer. Their Strength, Agility and Dexterity were all at A-800 / 67,450, which finally blessed Isaac with a very miniscule amount of excelia again. It honestly was barely worth mentioning, but because he hadn't earned any ever since his rank up, it felt nice to have at least trace amounts of it trickling in now.

There was only one more monster species that could be fought if one chose to continue battling while following the path laid out by the hovering rocks and stalactites - the Dark Birds. Their names… they were absolutely facepalm-worthy, but not surprising. Earlier in the dungeon, Isaac had encountered the 'Firebirds', which had truly lived up to their names - they honestly weren't worthy of prestigious titles like 'phoenixes', because they weren't anything special whatsoever. But these birds were different.

They were close to twenty meters in length, and their wingspan was more than sixty meters! Black feathers covered their entire bodies, while a mist of the same colour surrounded them and veiled them in what seemed like a regal robe of darkness. Like rulers of the night, they silently shuttled through the 'sky', the flaps of their wings barely disturbing the air flow. Inhaling the mist that surrounded them caused weaker-willed adventurers to have hallucinations, and would at least be disorienting.

Even though the Dark Birds didn't have the ability to shoot fire from their beaks like the Firebirds, they didn't need it. Their overwhelming physical strength, coupled with their stealthiness, their breakneck speed, as well as their black mist, had been more than enough to deal fatal blows to some of the Zeus and Hera Familia members when they first came here. Although they hadn't lost anyone until they came to the 72nd floor, which was a blessing compared to the slaughter that they had had to face in the Mushroom City, these avian monsters finally posed a significant threat again. All of the Dark Birds' stats, aside from Dexterity, were at A-850 / 69,050.

As for the strongest monster species of this thematic zone - aside from its Monster Rex - it could be found on the ground, within the now one kilometer deep layer of purple, poisonous mist. The monsters sported dull scales of the same colour, which made them stick out even less, and had caused the Zeus and Hera Familias heavy casualties back in the day. They had grown used to the bottom of these caverns not having any dangers - the mist could easily be taken care of by their Abnormal Resistance, and they would just have to scale one of the stalagmites to return to the mid-air path - and although most of them had stayed reasonably cautious, the results proved that they still hadn't stay vigilant enough. In retrospect, it was clear as day that complacency had led to nearly all of these past hegemons' troubles.

And as usual, the name for this dangerous monster species was boring and simple to a point that would leave any sane person disappointed - Purple Dragons. Yes, they were proper dragons, and their scales were indeed purple. But reducing them to just this felt truly pitiful. Although they normally wouldn't take to the 'skies', as they preferred to stay within the mist, they had strong and massive wings with a wingspan of over 100 meters. Including their tails, they were close to 80 meters long, and when lying flat on the ground, their height was more than 15 meters. They weren't the biggest monsters of the dungeon - far from it - but just like the Basilisks, they were extremely poisonous. Their breath attacks expelled toxic, purple flames that even caused lots of the surrounding mist to combust. This only occasionally resulted in a dust explosion, but when it did, then it increased the devastating might of their attacks even further.

The easiest ways to fight them were to either lure them out of the mist by targeting them from the outside, or to enter the mist while surrounded by a barrier of some kind that kept it at bay. At least for Isaac and Ais, this was easily accomplished - thanks to his air manipulation, and her wind. The safety of his research environment could even be vastly increased by using his magically created wind to generate a large area devoid of the mist, and keeping the dragons within. Naturally, during the initial stages, he didn't do this, so as to experience the most dangerous environmental hazards and tactics that the dragons had in store, but due to his ridiculous movement speed and reactions, as well as his flawless predictions, he didn't even come in contact with any of the mist directly, keeping his - admittedly pointless - record of not having unlocked Abnormal Resistance. Obviously, this was only because he had managed to keep his wind barrier intact. If it had been hit directly, the outcome would have been different.

While he was searching for the nearest staircase to the 73rd floor, which should be found at one of the bigger stalagmites, Isaac returned to the floating rocks above and fired his arrows at any and all monsters that entered his field of view.

Shortly after he had mastered his arrow-collection technique, he had begun to incorporate mana a lot more directly into his shots. Sometimes, he would use it to slightly change the trajectory of an arrow, to wound a monster from an angle that wouldn't otherwise have been targetable at the specific time that he had loosened the arrow. At other times, he would utilize it to make the arrow spin, achieving somewhat of a drilling effect. This wasn't actually very useful, because it reduced the arrow's velocity, but he was just casually experimenting with what he could do. There were countless other things which he could attempt as well, but air manipulation was still near and dear to his heart. It wasn't like he couldn't try other kinds of magic, but he simply had no need to do so at the moment.

When he was combining the trajectory alteration and spinning arrow techniques for the 179th time, finally succeeding in his endeavour, the system demanded his attention, causing him to stop in his tracks once he had made sure that he was in a safe spot.

[ The host's comprehension and mastery of archery has significantly surpassed the host's previous prime state.

Detection restriction has been removed.

Archery-related Skills, Magics and Development Abilities can now be naturally obtained. ]

[ The Development Ability 'Archer (I)' has been obtained.

Grade insufficient to represent the host's skill, upgrade initiated.

The Development Ability 'Archer (H)' has been obtained.

Grade insufficient to represent the host's skill, upgrade initiated.

…

The Development Ability 'Archer (SSS)' has been obtained.

Grade insufficient to represent the host's skill, upgrade initiated.

The Development Ability 'Archer (SSS)' has advanced to the Development Ability 'Supreme Archer (I)'. ]

[ Supreme Archer (I): Improves comprehension speed of bow, arrow and quiver related skills and abilities by 36%. Increases all stats by 18% when equipped with a bow. ]

[ Archer has reached its maximum grade.

Quest 'Make five Development Abilities' grades reach the maximum.' completed. 5,000 AP rewarded. ]

Ever since he had come to this world, this was the first time that he had learned of Development Abilities having the potential to advance past the SSS-grade. He had suspected that it might be the case, but had never found it necessary to inquire about it, because he was certain that he would reach this point in due time.

Now that he had finally fulfilled the self-imposed requirements to unlock this Development Ability - ones which he had only theorized about, and had never been certain of - he wouldn't say no to the benefits. The increase to his stats was significant, and could definitely be exploited if necessary. He could just sling the bow over his shoulder and count it as 'equipped' after all, right?

With his lips slightly curving upwards, he pulled another arrow out of his inventory and nocked it, then he aimed at a Feathered Dragon that was just a handful of kilometers away. He could only see it with his Eyes of Hermes, as it was hidden behind a massive stalactite. To wound it, he would have to alter the trajectory of his arrow far further than before, but such a drastic change would reduce its velocity markedly. Instead, he chose to slightly alter its trajectory multiple times, which, as a result, only reduced the velocity by about a tenth of what it would have been reduced by if he had chosen to change it in one go. The arrow hit and pierced right between the scales that he had aimed for, flawlessly. Another Feathered Dragon silently bit the dust.

For the first time ever, Isaac experienced a weird feeling. The laws of this world… they were slightly nudging him in the correct direction. Not in his decision making, but in how to exactly calibrate his actions to achieve a desired result. He would normally have to find out how to do this with far more trial and error, and countless calculations. But now, it felt like there was a soft whisper in his subconsciousness, one that gave him very slight hints, or at least told him the general direction of what he was searching for. Admittedly, it was… strange. And a bit invasive. It even reduced the challenge that he faced, but only by a miniscule amount. If he hadn't been so accustomed to acquiring knowledge on his own, to progress by purely relying on his personal effort, then he would have never noticed this change.

'Is this… what people call 'talent'?'

He couldn't help but ask himself that question, and felt that it was likely to be the case. Although the majority of people used the term 'talent' for anything that someone was good at, irrespective of whether or not they made it that far via back-breaking effort or without doing much of anything at all, it should only apply in the latter case. When one had to put in way less effort than someone else to improve at something, and it wasn't because they had exhausted themselves mentally to deduce the optimal route to take, then this 'gut feeling' of what one should do could really only be explained in a handful of ways, one of which was 'talent'. Some people were talented. And now, Isaac understood that they, most likely, were quite literally supported by the laws of the world that they resided in.

His smile turned wry as he realized that he had indeed never been talented at anything before. Sure, he had vastly surpassed everyone that he had ever heard of in his old world - in most things, at least. But the only reason for this was the excruciating and unfathomable physical and primarily mental effort that he had put into it. He was hardworking, incredibly so - even an unprecedented workaholic, when he decided to aim for something. Effort could easily trump talent, but it still felt slightly bitter to finally know for sure that others had had a much easier path.

Having been blessed by the laws of the world themselves, he felt alienated. He even wanted to just lock this effect of his new Development Ability away. But upon overcoming that instinctive recoil reaction, his rationality returned.

Why should he say no to something that he had earned the qualifications for, even if it made a small part of his life easier? That would be foolish. Still, it wasn't like he hadn't done things that had disadvantaged him before - such as locking the chants of his Magics - but he had always had his reasons. This supportive effect was so minor that it was barely even there. It would only very slightly accelerate his path, and lessen his workload. So ultimately, he decided to let it stay.

There was only one thing that he cautioned himself of. He couldn't grow dependent on it. If one accepted the recommendations of the laws of a world as the optimal path, then one would always be restrained by that world's limits. To go beyond them was most definitely one of his goals, so locking himself in a subconscious mental cage was the opposite of what he wanted to do. He would treat this 'talent' of his just like a wise king would handle a court advisor - it was an additional perspective to occasionally learn from, but not an evermore reliable guide.