Chapter 400 A Little Closer
〈System Alert: 1/8 Destroy «Relic of the Sea».〉
Once the Relic of the Sea was shattered by Zi Yi, the thin barrier soon followed in its footsteps. But, that was not the only thing that occurred. The Relic Guardian who had been fighting viciously to protect the Relic of the Sea came to a sudden halt.
After the destruction of the Relic of the Sea, the Relic Guardian lost its power as if its source of energy had been drained.
"Good shot." Luna commented with a light smile on her face as she walked over and stood next to Zi Yi. She overheard the mocking tones of the Blue Oasis members and even she found their words irritating to listen to. But, Luna was also baffled by Zi Yi's actions. Zi Yi always possessed a high level of accuracy when it came to her shots - Even on moving targets. Therefore, how could she possibly miss a motionless like the Relic of the Sea?
"Thanks... Though I have to admit, I wasn't entirely sure if it was even possible. But, the thought of becoming an object of ridicule did help somewhat." Zi Yi stated in a half-jokingly manner.
Luna was aware that Zi Yi would not do something without a purpose, however, she did not understand Zi Yi's actions until she saw the results for herself. She could not help but find herself sighing in admiration. While the shot was impressive, it was not the main reason Luna was amazed.
"Still, to think you're already capable of making a shot like that with the system's aim assistance disabled. I'm afraid it'll be a challenge to find anyone who would dare turn off the system's aim assistance." Luna said.
When those words left Luna's mouth, the players who heard that felt shivers and cold sweats run down their backs. What did she just say? She made that kind of ridiculous shot with the system's aim assistance disabled? No, something like that should be impossible!
It was common knowledge that the aim assistance provided by the system was necessary for all ranged classes or ranged attacks. Without it, even hitting a motionless target standing over 10 meters away would be next to impossible, let alone over 20 meters away! As for hitting a moving target - This was out of the question.
"Hey, do you really think that's true?" One of the Blue Oasis players questioned with a frown to one of his fellow guild members. He went by the name Plays Two and was one of Blue Oasis' core members.
"How can that be possible? I tried turning off my aim assistance once, but I had to immediately reactivate it. Do you know why? It's because even hitting stationary targets at 5 meters is too demanding. Even at that distance, my arrows would only hit 1 out of 10 times. In an actual fight, missing 9 out of 10 shots is just asking for death." The player next to Plays Two with the player name Tagz responded.
"Then, she's just speaking nonsense... That shot was at least 25 meters away. If you can only hit 1 out of 10 shots from 5 meters, then how can she even hit 1 out of 100 shots, or even 1 out of 1000 shots, from that far away? She probably just got lucky with a skill or something and is trying to use the chance to show off. How embarrassing..." Plays Two said as he shook his head.
Zi Yi glared at the players speaking ill of her. She wanted nothing more than to teach them a lesson right then and there, however, she remained calm. How could she allow herself to be dragged down to their level? Instead, she had another idea in mind.
"I need to remember the feeling of that last shot. Luna - You'll have to excuse me for a moment." Zi Yi said.
"Take all the time you need." Luna replied as if understanding Zi Yi's intentions.
Zi Yi gave a small nod as she walked forward and stopped exactly 30 meters away from a strange coral that was approximately the same size as an average person.
'Oh? This should be interesting. I wonder if her arrows work on a principle that branches from the Law of Void.'
Izroth was curious as to if Zi Yi was able to freely make that same shot. If she was capable of doing so, then her offensive prowess would soar to new heights! Izroth believed it was possible that not just Valentine, but Zi Yi as well had acquired an enhanced version of a skill. In this case, it should be her Void Jump skill.
"Are you sure I shouldn't stop them? We don't have time to waste." Niflheim stated as he furrowed his brows. Originally, he planned on handling the matter with the members of Blue Oasis causing trouble, but Izroth requested for him not to interfere. However, even if it was Izroth making the request, Niflheim had to think as the raid leader, not a friend or acquaintance. Though to be honest, he too was taken aback by that shot just now and wanted to see if Zi Yi could pull it off a second time.
In the end, Izroth convinced him with a few words, "If she can freely make that kind of shot, wouldn't we be able to destroy all 8 relics without lifting a single finger against the Relic Guardians?". After hearing those words and weighing the pros against the cons, Niflheim decided not to interfere and would give Zi Yi a couple of minutes to see if she was able to pull it off. If she was, then they could save more than just a few minutes by skipping over the fight with the Relic Guardians.
As for Asgard, the guild leader of Blue Oasis, he had nothing to say regarding Niflheim's decision. He entrusted Niflheim with the raid leader position and so he would allow him to lead as he saw fit. Of course, if he became too reckless in his choices, then Asgard would not hesitate to take over command as was his responsibility.
Zi Yi nocked an arrow as she aimed towards the coral that was 30 meters away from her current position.
"What is she trying to do from that distance-" Tagz questioned with a frown. However, before he could even finish his words, he heard the sound of an arrow leaving its string.
Swoosh!
ZI Yi released the arrow as it flew through the air before disappearing into the void. Not too long after, the arrow reappeared. But, there was something bizarre about that arrow that caused everyone present to feel a certain pressure. There was no sound or movement when the arrow left the void that one could hear or see. The only thing they discovered was a single arrow pierced into the coral positioned 30 meters away from Zi Yi.
"Again." Zi Yi said quietly to herself as she fired off another shot. This time, however, she changed the angle and did not aim directly for the coral. Instead, she aimed off to her right side. Just like the previous arrow, that arrow also hit its target in the distance as it pierced into the left side of the coral.
"This attack is a bit..." Vanaheim frowned when she witnessed Zi Yi's attack. She was not blind to what had just occurred against the Relic of the Sea. There was still over 80% left on the state of integrity for the barrier blocking the attacks. However, this was not the main reason for her concern. As an Elemental Mage, Vanaheim depended heavily upon magic barriers to block fatal damage or any unexpected attacks.
But, after witnessing Zi Yi's attack just now, she felt that it was the bane of all magic casters. It was not necessarily its ability to break through shields that was the issue as there were a few attacks that possessed that unique trait. The problem here lied in how the arrow struck its target.
There was no warning or time to react to it. Why was this? It was because the arrow would instantly pierce into its target! This meant that unless one could predict the future, Zi Yi's arrow was virtually unstoppable and unavoidable! While most members of the Blue Oasis was left dumbfounded, Asgard, Complex Assault, and the other seven captains had something else on their minds. They wanted to know that if it was them in the place of that coral... How would they handle such a terrifying attack?
"Road, Abstract - How confident are the two of you in evading that arrow?" Nidavellir questioned in a serious tone as he closely observed Zi Yi's actions.
"Right now... Impossible... In the future... Maybe a 10% chance... Uncertain..." Road responded in broken sentences as he too observed Zi Yi. The moment he saw that arrow, he had already started to think of ways to defend against it. Not because he thought of Zi Yi as an enemy, but rather, it was possible that he may face a similar attack one day and wanted to be prepared against it.
Abstract sighed, "Honestly, I think the best way is to not give her the chance to shoot at all. Close the distance immediately and prevent her from firing a single shot. As for avoiding the arrow... Aren't you asking the impossible of us?" He shook his head and gave a helpless smile.
"I thought as much." Nidavellir sighed.
He then continued, "With this, at least we no longer have to worry about destroying the Relic of the Sea. This will also grant us some much needed time."
After firing off ten arrows without missing a single shot, Zi Yi felt comfortable and had successfully familiarized herself with the way it felt.
"The control is not an issue, but my timing is still off by a small fraction. Although I can't sustain it in a high paced long term fight, it shouldn't be an issue using it a few times. I never thought enhanced skills could be so useful. With my Enhanced Void Jump: Zero Point Contact - Am I at least a little closer to the current you, Izroth?" Zi Yi thought to herself as she looked towards Izroth who was standing next to Niflheim.
Izroth had a carefree smile on his face as he gave a small nod to congratulate Zi Yi. He was aware of Zi Yi's competitive nature. Along with her intelligence and quick ability to learn, as well as, adapt - Izroth believed that she would continue to grow at a frightening pace!
'It seems that I can't afford to slack off.'
"Should I be thankful for that display, or concerned? Now you've gone and fired them up." Niflheim thought to himself as he glanced over towards the other captains who all had serious expressions written on their faces. Those in the main DPS group now considered Zi Yi to be a major threat to their position. This lit a fire under them as none of them were willing to give up their spot to another player!
"Alright everyone, let's move! We only have 30 minutes before the Relic of the Sea regenerates. We have to destroy the other relics and enter into the outer layer before then. Zi Yi - I'd like to take the raid group to defeat the two seafolk guards. Can you handle the relics along with a small group?" Niflheim asked. If Zi Yi was capable of taking care of the relics, then it changed everything!
Zi Yi nodded and replied, "You can leave the relics to me. As for who'll be accompanying me - I hope you can leave this matter in my hands."
Niflheim gave a nod of approval as he said, "Agreed." He already knew the individuals Zi Yi wanted to take along with her.
A few moments later, Zi Yi left along with Izroth, Luna, Guan Yu, Halls, and Valentine to handle the remaining relics.
"Isn't it somewhat dangerous to split the raid group up this earlier?" Peaceful Chaos questioned.
Niflheim, however, shook his head and responded, "It's because it's this early that I decided upon this. After all, we can't let them do all the work for us, right? Everyone! We'll defeat the enemies guarding the entrance before they clear the relics!"
"Yes!" The members of Blue Oasis roared in unison.
…
Around 10 minutes later...
Izroth and his party had just successfully destroyed the 7th relic and were heading to the location of the 8th and last Relic of the Sea. The destruction of the relics was left to Zi Yi as the others simply briefly distracted the Relic Guardian. To be honest, Zi Yi could have most likely done this alone. It was just that one did not know what to expect in a raid. Therefore, it was better if she had others along with her in case she came across any unexpected danger.
"Ahahaha! I still can't get over the look on their faces back there. Zi Yi, you sure are ruthless." Halls said in a joyous tone.
"I have to say, I never took you for the type who shows off so openly." Valentine stated playfully as a smirk appeared on his face.
"What showing off? I just wanted to get used to it, that's all!" Zi Yi replied.