"Orion! Stop! Explain immediately what happened!"


    "What do you mean, ''explain''? I just fired arrows at the rock in front of me. Nothing unusual."


    Orion was now in training mode.


    After releasing two newly acquired ''Key'' abilities, the left leg''s ''Second Gear'', and his right arm''s ''Overdrive'' state, he used his full might in the very first attack to see the extent of his power.


    The entire area was covered by a thick cloud of dust, created by the arrows Orion had fired. Bothered by the lack of visibility, Amelia swiped her hand while releasing a blast of wind, clearing the dust away.


    ''My movements were unnaturally fast, so I was unable to clearly see what had happened. What I know is that I aimed at that, ran around it, and shot six arrows at it. When I came back to my original spot, it was already like that.''


    ''...''


    Orion looked down at his feet. Three steps away from his actual spot, he noticed his previous footprints.


    ''I am slightly off. This was to be expected, as my control over the ''Second Gear'' is different from the first.''


    ''Also, I cannot use it for long. To avoid creating any lasting injuries to myself, I need to find a way to have it under control. Thirty seconds is a tiny time frame to have for such an ability...''


    Thinking of all the problems it would cause him to learn this ''Second Gear'', Orion looked in front of him, watching the dust dissipate.


    "The dust is dissipating. Thanks, Amelia."


    "Don''t thank me. Explain! For the love of everything in this world, Orion! What is this, horror?!"


    "Huh? I just fired six shots."


    Dumbfounded, Orion looked at her as if she had finally lost her mind.


    "Amelia, why are you panicking so much?"


    She was losing patience with him, seeing as he had no plans to look at the mess in front of him.


    "So you didn''t see what you did? Did your brain freeze when you activated your ability?"


    "Am I imagining things, or you''re being awfully mean to me right now?"


    "You''ll see... Prepare yourself, then. You won''t believe it."


    Orion turned his head forward, now that the dust had completely disappeared.


    ''There''s no way it made much difference compared to before. It may be an improvement in firepower, but to exaggerate that-''


    His thoughts stopped when his eyes fell on the result of his training.


    "What... is this?"


    Orion lost his breath, his eyes glued to the place where the rock stood.


    "I can''t have done this, right? I''m firing arrows, you know? Not sharp blades."


    "It seems like you got another stupidly strong boost in your overall strength."


    The state of the rock was, to be honest, a pretty clean result. The rock Orion chose as a target practice was a round-shaped rock, rather rough on the edges.


    What was out of the ordinary was that it was perfectly cut into six parts. There were cracks where the arrows entered, but besides that small detail, the inside was cut smoothly.


    The six arrows he previously shot were all five meters away, splendidly stuck in the ground, leaving behind them a trail of dirt as they grazed the grass before lodging themselves in the earth.


    Orion fired at an angle going from the top of the boulder to the bottom of it, cleaving it perfectly on both sides.


    "This is atrocious, even for you. I thought you were incapable of piercing rocks and trees before. Even your drilling arrows can''t do this much damage."


    Still in an astonished state, his curiosity was again sparked.


    "I need to try that type too!"


    He created the second type of arrow, the drilling arrow, with its tip shaped into a triangle.


    "Orion, let me move away first! You know those are terrifying."


    "Right, better be safe than sorry; I should also shoot it in a different direction than the fairy village."


    He waited for Amelia to move away. Once she hid behind some rocky cover, he slotted his arrow.


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    *Click*


    "Amelia, I''m ready to fire! Don''t miss it, in case it is different. I will fire only one arrow this time."


    He glanced at the place she was hiding, seeing her face peek from the top of the cover. She made a ''go'' sign to Orion with her hand as an answer.


    Orion turned to the target and aimed without activating the ''Second Gear''. He got the result he expected from using it once, so he could limit the burning that grew rapidly in his leg.


    After aiming carefully at the sliced rock, he pressed the trigger.


    A strong wind, like a tornado, ripped the grass off the ground. They did not blink, yet the rock pieces vanished before they could process what had happened.


    "O-O-ORION! You''ve pulverized it! Why is your arrow able to spin this fast?! I don''t understand at all; what''s happening?"


    "I don''t know; I''m just as confused as you are right now..."


    Orion was looking straight at the leftover trail of his arrow and the place where the rock was before. Amelia got out of her cover and walked next to him.


    "I never imagined you could make such an expression."


    His face was cramped with pain, but also with immense unease.


    "Is it a power I can use on humans anymore?"


    *BOOM*


    But just as he finished his sentence, a massive explosion happened a few kilometers away, creating a powerful shaking. A considerable pile of dirt was thrown into the air, creating a new hill in the landscape, along with a deep hole next to it.


    ~


    *BOOM*


    The ground rumbled and shook inside the mansion.


    "What''s happening! Are we being attacked?!"


    Dramia got woken up suddenly by a rumble she hadn''t'' felt in ages.


    "Drania, can you feel anything?"


    "No, I can''t! Come see this!"


    The apathetic Dramia moved next to her sister and stared outside the window.


    "Sis, was there a hill over there before?"


    Drania, the most cheerful of the two Queens, looked at her sister with a sheepish look.


    "Of course not! There''s no hill over the-"


    "Wait! There''s one now?! How''s this possible?!"


    The Queens were in a panic. Well, mostly Dramia, as her sister found this situation very entertaining.


    Was this finally the moment when the full enemy force decided to attack?


    "We need to look for the cause of this. I''m sorry, Tiohr, I''m going to use some of your magic for a moment."


    Dramia''s began to see the world in a darker tone. She could see the colors of the inhabitants from her room and looked around for quite some time.


    "There''s nothing unusual in the village except the panic they all show. Hmm?"


    Her gaze moved to three lone shapes further away from the rest of the village. She could recognize them even without focusing much on them, but one was particularly shocking to her.


    "Karteira? What is she doing over there? And why does she look so... aroused?"


    "What do you mean? Isn''t Karteira only looking to fight? If we are attacked, then it isn''t strange, isn''t it?"


    "Drania, there are no enemies in sight. There''s nothing whatsoever, not a single darker shape."


    "What?"


    Just then, Tiohr-nam''s voice echoed in Dramia''s mind.


    ''You are not looking at the right place; follow Karteira''s gaze, and you''ll find the culprit.''


    "Tiohr? Weren''t you sleeping?"


    She received no answer, as the tree only briefly awakened through her magic.


    ''I have to finish before worsening her state.''


    She stared at Karteira before her vision focused on the two silhouettes slightly away from her. There, the gold and silver aura of a man caught her attention.


    "I should''ve guessed! Orion caused this."


    "What?"


    "Drania, can''t you say anything other than ''what''?"


    Drania rarely bothered to develop her thoughts, so it usually ended with a short response.


    "I let the brain stuff to you."


    With a shrug, she turned around.


    "Now that we found out Orion''s the cause and that there''s nothing dangerous out there, can we go back to sleep?"


    Dramia sighed, stopped using Tiohr-nam''s magic, and moved back to the bed.


    ''I suppose I''ll have to question him later. She can be such a pain sometimes.''


    -


    Karteira had just finished eating. She was a strong believer in exercising after a meal, so she was on the path to the training field next to the realm''s portal.


    As she hummed while walking, she spotted a couple she hadn''t expected to see for the rest of the day.


    ''What are these two doing?''


    Intrigued, she stared at their backs while observing their every move and expression.


    ''It seems like everything is going well now. His face is more relaxed, and her expression is less nervous. Now they are more likely to enjoy our fight later.''


    She was overjoyed by this sudden development.


    But her curiosity was piqued when she saw both of them leave the village.


    ''Maybe I should follow them; I wouldn''t want them to get lost or get attacked out of nowhere.''


    She followed them from a fair distance away, making it impossible to hear their conversation.


    Karteira was able to gather that they had a serious discussion during their excursion outside the village.


    ''I like his expression; he seems like he has his goals straight now. I do like a strong and ambitious man.''


    ''Wait, what am I thinking? I thought I only loved the thrill of battle?''


    Something slowly began to grow inside her, but she couldn''t understand it. Pushing it deep in her mind, she focused on watching them.


    The couple finally stopped near several big rocks before she hid herself next to a few scattered trees.


    A small light flashed, and she saw, for the first time, his ability. A white crossbow, and a slight change in his hair color.


    ''Is he going to train his ability? Wasn''t he supposed to rest?''


    But what happened next left her speechless. The man focused on a semi-crouched pose and disappeared before running around the rock at a mind-bending speed.


    Six arrows ripped the rock apart before a massive dust cloud obstructed her vision.


    The dust hid the two for a few minutes, enough for her to process what she saw.


    ''He is powerful; those weren''t novice movements. I never expected to find such a great fighter so soon. I was sure I would have to leave the village for that after fighting back the corrupt beasts.''


    The dust settled before her vision returned, but this time it was the bewildered faces of the duo that caught her attention.


    ''What is that face? Is this new to them? I thought they knew how to fight already.''


    Disappointment slightly crept on her face. Despite this, the next action changed her stance instantly.


    She watched as Amelia moved into cover, as if she expected something crazy to happen.


    Orion straightened his posture, focused on the same rock, and fired another arrow.


    Along with the other two, she could barely realize what happened.


    ''Did he just... erase a whole boulder? Did he just do that?''


    Her breathing began to get rougher, and a slight pink flush showed on her face. Her tail moved from left to right, and her gaze began to strongly focus on Orion.


    Before the last nail pierced her heart, a giant explosion in the direction he fired his arrow happened. Dirt flew high in the sky, and a new hill was formed in the landscape.


    ''This man is the most absurd person I''ve ever met. No other fairy can compare to his raw power. I find his strength quite attracting...''


    -


    Orion never realized he was being observed by someone and continued to train, with moderation this time. Only the ''First Gear'', as Amelia refused to grant the rest for today.


    The day ended rapidly, until they both returned to the mansion.


    But, more trouble started as soon as they returned, as Orion received a summoning order from the two Queens.