22 Joker
Chapter 22: Joker
Three ordinary wolves guarded their boss's nest like usual.
Their steps were silent, and careful not to wake him up.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary…
Something whistled in the forest.
That was when one of them fell.
A second later, another one dropped flat.
It took a second more to finish the last guard, who hadn't noticed that his pals had died. Each had an arrow protruding from their foreheads, and the kills had been so clean that barely any blood leaked out.
Anyone who would have been here to witness the killing scene would praise the person behind it.
It was the tutorial island, and those three wolves were often pests to players as it was difficult not to get them to notify the boss about the intruder.
The archer behind the three arrows had been precise and silent, displaying the prowess and advantages of his class, as his arrows weren't loud or flashy like magic was.
He was hidden so well as though he had the outline of the forest and the boss' camp drawn on his palm.
Coming out from his spot, Jake silently walked toward the sleeping boss. He wore casual beginner clothes that didn't offer him any defense or armor stats. This was because he had come here to conclude himself as a Joker, and he didn't have any resources that he could use to craft armor suitable to the Joker stance.
The equipment he had produced with the wolf bosses' hide and fur suited the soldier form just because it was tough and thick, severely limiting his movement speed and flexibility.
He was also a newbie at tailoring, so Jake didn't have enough experience to turn it into flexible stuff that would support him in his archer endeavors.
In a nutshell, Jake's only equipment improved his defenses at the cost of his speed, so only soldier form benefited from this craft.
It was another problem he would have to deal with soon.
That said, Jake's weapon fit everything, and he swore to make bows that would fit his every style. His first personally crafted bow—The Harbinger Of The Archer—occasionally disappeared in the shadows of the tutorial forest as though having the unique skill for it.
But that was only because Jake made it from the wood of the tutorial forest with such care and meticulousness that he produced a wonder.
Anyone careless was at a risk of not seeing his bow.
The wolf boss, however, was aware from the start that an archer had invaded his space as the arrow neatly lodged itself in his eye, taking away half of his eyesight.
[You have done a critical strike!]
[-104 HP!]
He rose to his four feet and howled at his foe.
Jake smiled his body already in the joker stance. He drew his bowstring back, but not with three fingers as usual, but with a ring on his thumb. It was called the thumb ring release, and it helped him take off the burden from the rest of his fingers, only applying it on his thumb.
He hooked the bowstring tight, then let it slide on his wooden, smooth ring. The ring in question could have been said to be drowned in the sandpaper, as Jake had been polishing it for quite a while to make it as smooth as possible.
Just sliding his finger on it felt so good!
The arrow has been released.
[-70 HP!]
Another one followed it!
[-78! HP!]
At this point, Jake was forced to display his athletic skills as the boss' earthshaking steps rang in his ears.
He leaped behind as though his body weighed less than a feather, which was because Jake learned how to stack strength in his muscles—the unnatural strength coming from the increased STR stat.
The boss' paw missed his target.
Before landing on his two feet, Jake released two arrows consecutively. He hit his target, not perfectly, but some damage had been done, and none of the precious time had been wasted—that was Jake's goal.
In his previous battles with the boss, he often missed his targets while flying because shooting from a solid position is different and more familiar. He improved and even asked Ingrid for advice, honing a skill that would be useful for the future.
It was far from perfect, but Jake was way too optimistic about it.
After landing on the ground, Jake immediately ran to the side. At that moment, the boss was the closest to him, and he would be able to cross him soon.
Jake, however, had practiced another movement for this! With his body still being at the highest speed he could have ever mustered, Jake abruptly stopped, throwing himself into a slide. He slid as though on the ice floor, curving his upper body behind.
The boss' paw cleaved the air above him.
Once he finished his peculiar movement, Jake threw his bow far away from himself and flipped backward without wasting time. Flipping backward had become quite familiar to him, and he could break the distance relatively faster without turning around and picking up strength.
In addition, the higher strength stat and dexterity worked well for that particular move, which seemed like spinning in Jake's case.
The distance was thus created.
Jake picked up his bow and nocked the arrow.
He smiled, 'He's going for the roar.'
Which was exactly what the wolf boss did. He couldn't risk having Jake doing his acrobatics again!
The invisible roar had been released from the terrifying jaw.
And while it seemed that the whole arena had been filled with it, Jake knew it was a fake impression created by the boss' wide mouth. Anyone would have believed it was the vast howl!
Jake, however, had been fighting the boss so many times that he could now see through it well.
He remained in his joker stance, then suddenly turned to the side.
The roar went past him, blowing up his black hair and clothes.
Jake drew the bowstring and deeply looked into the boss' eyes, "The Wolf Boss. You've been conquered."
Although this wolf boss was a new entity that respawned in the game world, in that one particular moment, he could see all of his other demises in Jake's green eyes.
He was overcome by fear and let out a high-pitched shriek. The boss could have sworn he had seen the cruel and wide smile spreading across Jake's face, too!
Jake was indeed merciless.
He released arrow after arrow, finishing his enemy in a victorious streak of critical strikes.
Once the wolf boss died, Jake lowered his bow.
He caressed his wooden ring, feeling its smooth surface.
[Ring Of Freedom(Ring)(Unique)(Durability: 100/100)]
[Increases the archer proficiency by two when combined with the bow.]
Therefore, Jake's archery proficiency was no longer at the beginner level!
On that day, Joker won.
