20. 'My Gift "Additional Bonus," Which Was Treated as the Weakest, Was Actually the Strongest Skill That Could Obtain Allies, Weapons, and Rewards' - Chapter 21

Recap of the previous chapter

In the midst of the life-or-death struggle against the Black Fang Wolves, the Forest Spirit God Druid manifested once again.
Asked if she "believes in people," Selene overcame her hesitation and declared that she does "believe."
At that moment, the Spirit God's bow, Gandiva, was entrusted to her, and a radiance of emerald and silver enveloped the battlefield.

~Chapter 21~ Gandiva, Severing the Darkness

The first arrow made no sound.
Even though the string vibrated, the air was not disturbed in the slightest. A pale light was released as a thin thread, and the moment it touched the miasma of the Black Fang Wolves, quiet ripples spread out.
Pop—a dry, snapping sound like flicking a finger against glass. The miasma peeled away, and lines of light running through the black fur created fissures. One of the pack let out a scream and collapsed.

"It's working...!"
Leon gasped.
Gandiva's arrows do not "pierce"; they "unravel." It is a light that undoes darkness and dismantles curses.

Deep within Selene's chest, fear and determination were intermingled.
(I'm still scared. But—I won't look away anymore.)
She focused her consciousness on the fletching. The ivy crest on the bow's grip returned a warmth, and the line of the arrow overlapped with the forest's breathing.
"Next, I'll thin out the layers of miasma with rapid fire. Asura, I'm counting on you for the front!"
"Leave it to me!"

Asura held his black-silver dagger in a reverse grip, parrying two approaching wolves while slitting their throats. Fenrir froze their path with a frost roar, and Ifrit's flames burned through the gaps in the freezing air.
Sophia's chantless light arrows supported their flanks, while Cain and Zeke whittled down their numbers with shadows and blades. Ordo's shield remained unshaken, and Leon's words synchronized everyone's pace a beat ahead.

Selene released the second arrow, then the third—in time with her breathing.
The light branched out, breaking down into thin, thread-like arrows that rained down on the pack. They didn't pierce; they entangled, knotted, and unraveled. The seams of the miasma were dismantled, and the movements of the Black Fang Wolves slowed, one by one.
(My arrows are "fired to protect." Druid... I will protect your forest, and—)
In the corner of her vision, she saw Asura trusting her with his back while holding his own against a giant wolf.
(—I will protect this person's "back.")

The giant wolf growled low, condensing the miasma on its body surface.
Its red eyes locked onto Selene, and it stepped forward as if gouging the earth. Instantly, the black wolves around them scattered in unison, changing angles to form a circle of encirclement.
"It's coming, a pincer attack!"
Zeke's warning.
"Scatter," Leon said, and with his short command, the shadows of their allies stretched shallowly, creating a slight opening in their movement path.
Selene fired an arrow into the ground there. From where the arrow struck, it drew a circular pattern, and a barrier of pale emerald light rose for just an instant.
The black wolves' claws touched it, but they were repelled without a sound.
"A defensive barrier...! Selene, you even have a function like that...!"
At Milia's voice, Selene nodded briefly. "Gandiva is a 'bow that protects allies.' I fire for that very reason!"

The tide of battle began to visibly turn.
Most of the pack lost the thickness of their miasma, allowing blades to pass through. Fenrir's ice fangs bit deep, and Cain's twin blades regained the sensation of cutting through "flesh." Sophia's light revealed their weak points, and Zeke pierced those marks accurately.
Ordo did not retreat a single step, continuing to take the pressure as the anchor of their defensive wall.

However—the giant wolf was in a league of its own.
Although it shed miasma every time Selene's unraveling arrows hit, a black core like a furnace pulsed deep in its chest. As the arrows got closer, they were slightly repelled and their trajectories were deflected.
(The core... It won't end unless I shoot through that.)
Selene kept her fingers on the string, straining her brow. Her peripheral vision blurred quietly, and sounds faded away.
(The wind, the scent, the tilt of the branches... The entire forest becomes the path of the arrow.)
Her breathing sank deep, and the world converged into a single line.

"Asura, can you expose the core?"
It was a voice so small it could have been lost in the clamor, but he replied immediately.
"I'll try. Count to five, then go from directly above!"

Asura intensified the cold of his "Frost-Clad Cloak" for just an instant, drawing the giant wolf's gaze.
"One." A feinting step.
"Two." Sliding to the left, grazing its throat to make it reflexively open its jaw.
"Three." Freezing its feet with Fenrir's howl, robbing it of ankle mobility.
"Four." Running Ifrit's line of fire "sideways," forcing it to arch its chest.
"Five." —He struck the pommel of his black-silver dagger, momentarily forcing the sternum joint to pop out.

The core was exposed.
The black orb pulsed slickly, and the surrounding miasma converged and swirled.
Selene held her bow upright and whispered quietly. "—Sever, thread of dawn."

The released arrow looked like one, but in mid-flight, it unraveled its "strands" in all directions, falling onto the core as ultra-fine beams of light.
A direct hit—but it wasn't complete.
The black on the core's surface created ripples, writhing as if to absorb the arrow.
"It's still not enough...!"
The moment Selene gritted her teeth, the "Additional Bonus" on Asura's chest flickered.

<Cooperation Achieved: Line of Faith>
<Condition Met: Vow of Protection / Trust in the Back>
<Temporary Blessing: Guide Thread Granted>

Invisible threads bundled everyone together—Selene's fingertips, Asura's dagger, Fenrir and Ifrit, Milia's light, Sophia's arrows, Leon's words, Ordo's shield, and the blades of Zeke and Cain—into one.
"Now, one more time!" At Asura's voice, everyone's breathing aligned perfectly.

Milia's light drew a "ring" around the core, and Sophia carved a mark on the weak point. Leon dropped a single word, "Steady," and everyone's subtle weight shifts were corrected. Ordo held down the giant wolf's shoulder, and Cain and Zeke severed the tendons to fix its posture.
Fenrir's cold lowered the core's temperature, and Ifrit's flames softened "only the outer shell."

Selene pulled a jade-colored arrow from her quiver.
(This isn't just my arrow alone.)
She drew the string taut. Shoulder, back, waist—the lines of her entire body became one, and her consciousness rode the arrow.
"End it!"

The arrow didn't whistle in the wind; it was sucked into the core, leaving only light behind.
This time—it went through.
A thin hole opened in the center of the core, and the blackness collapsed from the inside.
The giant wolf let out a scream that tore through the sky, and the miasma scattered like smoke.

The giant body tilted precariously.
The moment they were certain of victory, a "different sound" rose from the depths of the forest.
A damp pulsation. Deep in the earth, a tremor of malice like someone gnashing their teeth.
The remnants of the collapsed core dripped onto the ground, and as if flowing backward on the soil, it began to reshape itself.

"Wait—this isn't the core... It's a 'Terminal of the Curse'!" Leon turned pale.
Milia's light trembled, and Fenrir growled. Ifrit narrowed its flames, staring intently at the flow of darkness.
The shadows on the ground gathered, stretching out thinly into a "human shape" that was neither wolf nor beast.
A mask peeked out from under a cloak. The voice leaking from it was dry, like the bottom of a distant well.
"The experimental subject has been destroyed... Even though the purity has increased, is it still not enough?"
The figure glanced at them, stopping at Selene's bow. "Gandiva... What a troublesome thing."

Asura stepped forward. The fact that the tip of his dagger trembled slightly was not out of fear. It was anger.
"You were the one behind the Black Fang Wolves..."
"Everything is for the sake of the 'Boundary.' The Contract of Dawn, what an interesting name. The dawn is most beautiful when the darkness is deepest."
He felt as if the mouth of the mask had smiled. The shadows on the ground swirled, and the figure began to fade.
"I won't let you escape!" Selene nocked an arrow.
But the shadow melted away into the depths of the forest, trailing black threads.

Silence.
The giant wolf did not move. The pack scattered, and the wind returned to the forest.
Selene lowered her bow and exhaled deeply. Her knees were shaking slightly.
(I made it in time... because everyone made me their "ally.")
Asura turned back and lightly thrust out his fist.
"Nice shot."
Selene paused for a beat, then gently bumped her fist against his. "...Thank you."

However, the reverberation of the pulsation continuing deep in the earth still lingered in their ears.
The battle was not over. The core was shattered. But there is "someone" pulling the strings.

The wind blowing through the treetops of the forest was cold, as if heralding the next battle.

Afterword (Chapter 21)

As a bow that "unravels," "protects," and "guides," Gandiva showed its power not just by pushing with raw firepower, but by restructuring the battle situation itself.
Selene has finally gone from "Observer" to "Ally." The moment the "Additional Bonus" activated during their cooperation, bundling everyone's movements into a single line of fire, was truly a moment worthy of the name "Contract of Dawn."
The Black Fang Wolves have been defeated, but there is a "human shadow" behind them—the story moves to the next stage. In the next chapter, we will approach the masked man and the true meaning of the "Boundary."

To all our readers

Thank you for reading this far!
Did the sensation of Selene's arrows "unraveling and changing" the battle situation come across?
And the masked man who appeared at the end—what do you predict his goal is?
Feel free to let me know your thoughts, theories, or favorite cooperation scenes in the comments!✨