Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 581: Reach For the Stars I

Silver's eyes flew open suddenly.

Instinctively, she glanced around, her eyes finally resting on Sugud.

Sugud felt exposed under Silver's intense stare, as if he had no place to conceal himself.

Her vision seemed to pin him in place entirely.

Should she decide to strike at that instant, he believed he'd have zero chance to flee.

'What in the world—?'

A chill of terror ran through Sugud.

Luckily, Silver soon composed herself and pulled back her Intent.

She offered a quiet bow of regret to Sugud and the enigmatic elder, both ensnared in the unintended burst of her strength.

The elder dismissed her worry with a casual wave.

Sugud quickly shook his hands too, showing he harbored no resentment.

Silver pivoted back to the Armament Stele, her thoughts burdened by reflection.

Aiming for the starry heavens proved to be more metaphorical than actual.

Looking back, that detail ought to have been evident.

Indeed, even a Legendary-ranked entity might not launch an arrow spanning light-years across the vast emptiness to hit a far-off star.

Certainly not someone at her Intermediate level.

'No...' Silver hesitated.

That description no longer fit.

She examined her hands as the truth hit her.

She had advanced beyond Intermediate.

Now she ranked as an Elite.

Completing the Armament test had supplied the missing element to propel her to the superior rank.

Recalling the ordeal, she noted that sending the arrow into space's void wasn't the hardest aspect.

The real hurdle was accepting that it could happen at all.

Silver had struggled for ages to let the arrow fly.

She couldn't convince herself that she—an mere Intermediate Hunter—could pull off such an unbelievable feat.

Moreover, the dread of flunking the test had persistently eroded her resolve.

In reality, belonging to Fortuna had always challenged Silver, particularly mentally.

To herself, she appeared as Alex's weakest direct disciple.

Her sole notable strength lay in scouting prowess.

She was certain the rest would pass their challenges, and thus dreaded being the sole failure.

Her thoughts wandered to a past exchange with Alex.

It occurred when she sought a crossbow, having seen its formidable power.

—

"Why do you insist on acquiring a crossbow?" Alex inquired with interest. "You handle a standard bow effectively, from what I've observed."

He crossed his arms in contemplation.

"Furthermore, right now, these crossbows' strength relies solely on their construction. You couldn't infuse them with mana like your bows—not without much greater difficulty."

Silver wavered for a long time.

Alex stayed quiet, giving her space to respond.

Yet his steady gaze showed he wouldn't drop the subject until she revealed the real reason.

At last, Silver yielded to the subtle insistence.

"Because... I refuse to lag behind."

That brief statement sufficed.

In that instant, Alex glimpsed an aspect of her he'd overlooked before.

By typical measures, Silver was just a regular person.

She lacked a potent bloodline or remarkable background.

If anything gave her an edge, it was her archer lineage and early training from them.

Beyond that, she was average.

Nevertheless, this unremarkable fighter—a female at that—had endured the savage tests of the Fury family's Prime agoge and graduated among the top.

Due to her excellence, Alex had missed a key point.

The immense dedication she must have invested to achieve it.

Her abilities paled in comparison to the others' gifts. Still, she held her ground with them—practicing and vying daily.

The role of 'Young Master Alex’s follower' weighed on her like an invisible leash.

It gradually constricted, choking her with pressure—mostly self-imposed.

"You may not see it," Alex stated abruptly, meeting her eyes directly.

"But to me—and to most in our group—you stand out as the most unique among us."

"I, my wives, and my other followers all carry bloodlines or natural gifts from birth," Alex went on.

"Many of us have leaned on or exploited those qualities to attain our present status."

"You're not like that."

"You've climbed to this point through pure effort."

"That's a claim none of us can fully make. Sure, we strive in our methods... but we can't ignore how our inborn advantages shaped our path."

"Thus, standing with us equally without those benefits—that sets you apart."

"We'll never belittle you."

Alex halted and regarded her earnestly.

"To clarify, we won't disdain you due to your history or accomplishments."

"It's because I—we—see your potential."

"Real potential." He stressed.

"And if you rely on that potential and keep advancing as you always do— no matter who's nearby —then someday..."

"You'll reach for the stars."

—

Regrettably, those remarks didn't fully penetrate Silver then.

She merely nodded in silence.

Only afterward, amid the trial—frozen by uncertainty and the task's absurdity—did they echo back.

'Advance like always... and reach for the stars.'

Silver whispered Alex's phrase to herself.

Then, it struck her as more than mere motivation...

More akin to a foretelling.

Silver embraced it as truth.

Though Pangea's inhabitants—and long-term plane dwellers—weren't overtly devout, they acknowledged a Creator and supreme force overseeing the cosmos.

Silver viewed Alex's timely words as guidance from any divine watcher over her.

Over all.

Thus, in that instant, she banished all uncertainty, dread, and reluctance.

She immersed in the archer's focus—a mindset holding only her bow... the shaft... and the mark.

PHEWWW!!

Silver unleashed her initial arrow.

Yet it barely left the green platform.

Her thoughts wavered briefly, but she willed calm.

'Reach for the stars...' she intoned, as if mesmerizing her psyche.

She drew another from the ten left, fitted it to her string...

And let go.

PHEWWW!!!

Again— no success.

Then one more.

And yet another.

Another still.

She kept firing until five shafts lingered in her quiver.

Each miss let skepticism seep in gradually.

'An Intermediate can't fell a star!'

Her qualms posed as logic, nibbling at her focus and pressing her to drop the bow.

[A.N: Inner Demons 😏😉]

But Alex's counsel resounded anew.

"Reach for the stars..."

She chanted it repeatedly like an incantation, until inner turmoil faded.

Then she loaded another...

And shot.

PHEWWW!!!

Still, the arrow stayed on the platform.

But this time, Silver ignored the setback.

She dwelled on the gain.

This shot had gone further than previous ones.

It almost touched the platform's border.

Then, the initial portion of Alex's advice—the bit she'd skipped—reemerged.

"Push forward like you always have..."

Silver echoed softly.

As Alex noted, she lacked the hereditary gifts others enjoyed.

Though she admitted some innate bow affinity, most skill stemmed from endless practice.

Loosing shaft upon shaft.

Day in, day out.

Till myriad shots forged her current expertise.

En route, she'd met many from her world with strong bloodline aptitudes.

Some started as superior bowmen.

But now, they vanished from view.

Via persistent drills and dogged resolve, she'd honed her craft, eliminating flaws sequentially until overtaking them.

They'd faded from her horizon long ago.

'Keep advancing...' Silver urged inwardly.

'Even if just a meter each try... keep going.'

'Someday... I'll touch the stars.'

She fitted another arrow.

And released.

PHEWWW!!!

***