The first bandit who left cover made himself an immediate target. Rog's arrow punched through his chest before he had even managed to walk two meters. The man didn't even let out a scream of pain before his death.

The other bandit was luckier since Rog couldn't shoot two arrows at the same time. Going in the opposite direction to his companion, the man managed to cross a long distance in a split few seconds. Unfortunately for him, he didn't leave the bow's range.

Another shrill sound and a short shriek. The bandit also fell dead with an arrow through his back.

It all happened so fast that Red barely had any time to process the situation. Up until this point, he still wasn't sure where Rog was hiding. Eventually, the sobering realization of the hunter's skill with his bow and arrow in this environment dawned on him. These bandits never had any chance at all.

Unlike his subordinates, the leader didn't immediately move even after being shot in the leg. Perhaps he knew Rog's strength? Red wasn't sure, but just as he was prepared to shoot again, he saw the man look in his direction.

The boy had a bad premonition. Sure enough, a few seconds later, the man shot into a sprint in his direction. The wound on his thigh didn't seem to affect his speed, as the bandit managed to move unnaturally fast. Red immediately recognized this was a strong individual, and he reacted just as quickly.

He gave up on the idea of trying to hit a moving target. Instead, the youth chose to run away into the open, where Rog could clearly see him. By that point, the bandit had already crossed half the distance between them. However, when he saw Red's movement, an ugly look appeared on his face.

The man didn't continue to chase the boy and instead began to zig-zag through the treelines. A second later, and an arrow shot through the spot he had just been at. Red, who was still retreating, couldn't help but marvel at the bandit's swift movements.

Unfortunately for him, it was Rog he was up against.

Another shrill sound cut through the forest. The leader immediately dove to the side, dodging the shot. However, before he had even stood back up on his feet, another arrow stuck into his spine out of nowhere. The man stumbled with an incredulous look on his face.

"What..." A croaking noise came from his throat.

He didn't seem to understand what happened even as his death approached. The bandit took a few more uneasy steps before falling onto the ground, unmoving.

Red stopped running and stared at the corpse. Even from an outsider's perspective, he still wasn't too sure what had happened. Apparently, not only did Rog manage to shoot two arrows in the blink of an eye, but he was even able to predict in what direction his target would dodge. The boy simply couldn't wrap his head around how someone could be so precise.

"Whew!" The hunter's loud voice came from between the trees. "That worked out well."

Red looked over and saw the man leisurely walking towards him. There were no signs of exertion on his body, and no one would have guessed the hunter had just killed six people by himself.

"Help me pick up the arrows." Rog asked as he approached one of the bandit corpses.

The boy had a lot to say, but he did as he was told first. He neared the leader's corpse and tried to pull off the arrow that was stuck within the man's spine. Unfortunately, though, the task proved more difficult than he had at first imagined.

"I don't think I can pull it out without breaking it." Red spoke.

"That's fine." Rog responded. "Just make sure you don't leave any pieces behind."

Seeing as the hunter wasn't bothered by it, the youth picked up a knife from his equipment and got to work.

...

Ten minutes later, and the two of them were done gathering the arrows, including the ones that had missed their targets. Surprisingly, only two of them were still in usable condition, and one of them was the one Red had shot.

"You must go through a lot of arrows." The boy commented.

"Have to make do with cheap material." Rog shrugged.

He wasn't sure this was the material's fault.

The youth had used this opportunity to loot the bandits. Unfortunately, other than rations and other miscellaneous items, they weren't carrying anything valuable. However, Red did find what looked to be a map in the leader's pockets, depicting a place he didn't recognize. However, from the tree drawings, he could make a reasonable guess.

"Do you recognize this?" The youth showed the map to Rog.

"Hm, looks like a map of the region. Doesn't have any written information, though." The hunter pointed at certain symbols. "Do you see these exes? From their location, I'd be willing to bet these are their bandit's hideouts."

"Is that far?"

"Several days away." Rog explained. "This is not very valuable, though. Everyone knows the bandits live between the hills. The problem is actually going out there and dealing with them."

Red nodded, but he still decided to keep the map.

"What about that person he mentioned?" He asked. "Rickard, I think. Should we be worried?"

"If we were facing him directly, then sure." The man replied. "He's already opened his Spiritual Sea. He's the reason why the town hasn't eliminated these bandit nests."

"Can he figure out we killed his subordinates?" Red frowned at this new revelation.

"Can't imagine how." Rog didn't seem concerned. "Not like we left a lot of evidence, and I took my arrows back in the unlikely scenario he could link them back to Goulth."

"What about the corpses? Shouldn't we hide them?"

"Hide them how? Are you planning on digging a ditch for six people?" The man laughed at his suggestion. "Even if we did manage to dig a hole that big, any experienced tracker would be able to find it. Not to mention that animals might even dig it up and eat the corpses."

"So... Do we just leave them here?" The boy didn't look too confident.

"There's no need to worry, kid. Bandits under him die every day in this forest, and he doesn't investigate each death." Rog tried to assuage his concerns. "That guy is strong, but he isn't that smart. Else, he wouldn't be a bandit."

Red would have still preferred to cover all his tracks, but he knew the idea wasn't practical. While he was lost in thought, Rog had already walked up to the boar.

"Aren't they gonna be able to track our footprints?" The youth raised another issue.

"We're going back to town." The hunter explained as he put the boar on his shoulders. "Too risky out here right now, and we already got a nice haul."

Red nodded. If they were going back to the settlement with thousands of people, the bandits obviously couldn't track them. As Rog began to walk away, the boy noticed there was nothing else to do in the area.

Just like that, six people had died, and the matter was going to be buried as a triviality. Red didn't feel pity for these men, but he couldn't help but think to himself.

It seems that human life is not any more valuable on the surface.

...

On the journey back, Red finally took the opportunity to clarify one of his doubts.

"How did you do that thing with the arrows?" He asked.

"What thing?" Rog looked confused.

"You shot two arrows at the same time at that person."

"I didn't do that." The hunter shook his head. "I just shot them really quickly."

The boy frowned. It seemed absurd to him that someone could do the entire action of nocking an arrow and shooting it two times in less than a second. However, the man had no reason to lie to him.

"If you could shoot that fast, why did you wait until then to do it?" The youth asked.

"Can't keep that rhythm up the entire time." Rog explained. "Would tire me out eventually."

Red examined the hunter's countenance. He didn't look tired at all. Of course, there was also another issue in his mind.

"You shot the two arrows before he even dodged, right?"

Rog nodded in affirmation.

"How did you know he was going to dodge that way?"

"I didn't." The man shrugged. "It was just a guess."

The youth frowned, unconvinced.

"Look, I'm not lying." Rog continued once he saw the boy's expression. "The first arrow was to force him to dodge in a particular direction, and the second one was to hit him where I thought he would land. He might have reacted differently than I was expecting, though, and both shots would have been useless. It was just a bet that turned out well."

Red understood his rationale, but he had a feeling this was not a mere gamble. Every shot Rog took was fast and precise, and the fact he could make this kind of move in the heat of battle was a testament to his skill.

"You're very strong." The boy commented. He wholeheartedly admired the man's strength.

"When you can't advance any more in cultivation, you tend to focus on other things. I just ended up choosing archery and hunting." The hunter shrugged. "But what I achieved is nothing impressive, really."

"It can't be that simple." Red continued. "I doubt every archer is as good as you."

"You're right, I guess." He scratched his beard. "I suppose it's why Hector chose to recruit me. But there are certain things no amount of skill will allow you to do. Spiritual cultivation and talent are still the most important thing at the end of the day."

The boy didn't detect any hint of sadness in the man's voice. However, the bluntness of his words still surprised him.

"This guild is just a bunch of old men with no future who dedicated their lives to learning a trade." Rog continued. "We might be better at it than the average person, but compared to true cultivators, we're no better than dirt. After all, if we were that good, we wouldn't be stuck at the same obstacle for our entire lives, right?"

Red didn't respond.

"Don't take us for an example, kid. What we can achieve is just scraping the bottom of the barrel. You have to be better than us if you want to make anything out of yourself in this world..." Rog trailed off.

Their conversation died down, and silence trailed their footsteps as they continued on their way to the town.

...

Red wasn't sure how much time had passed since they were out. It was still the middle of the night, though, and almost no one could be seen on the streets. Rog didn't bother with sneaking this time around, and the boy actually doubted he could while carrying a giant boar on his shoulders.

They earned themselves some strange gazes from a few patrolling guards, and Red became worried they would arrest him for his earlier crimes. However, in the end, no one stood in their way, and the two of them were able to peacefully make their way back to the guild.

As they approached, though, they overheard a commotion in the courtyard. From afar, Red could hear two women talking behind the gate.

"He wouldn't just leave like that!" Eiwin spoke in a concerned voice. "I just spoke with him earlier. Something must have happened!"

"We've not even known him for a week!" Narcha argued back. "How can you claim to know him that well?"

"It doesn't matter! I'm going to look for him. Are you coming or not?" The younger woman insisted.

"Ugh... Fine!" The warrior ended up agreeing, and the gate swung open.

As the two women walked out, they saw Rog and Red approaching from down the street. They froze in place.

"Oh yeah." The hunter had an expression of realization. "I forgot to tell you I was taking the boy along."

"Hah! There they are!" Narcha laughed. "No need to be worried, right, Eiwin?... Eiwin?"

Eiwin was staring silently at both men, and the youth couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine.