Chapter 46: 46. Heaven-Piercing Archer – 2

stinnnnng…

The sound rang out clearly through the vast open space of the Domain of Infinity as the arrow left the bowstring.

The vibration lingered for a brief moment in the air before fading into silence, leaving only the faint echo of its passage.

Will stood with his feet planted firmly into the ground, his posture relaxed but attentive, while his fingers loosened around the simple wooden training bow in his hands.

The bow itself was unimpressive by any standard. It was roughly carved, slightly uneven in curvature, and clearly meant for beginners or children who were just learning the basics of archery. Yet despite its crude construction, the weapon felt strangely responsive in his grip.

It had been a few days since he began experimenting seriously with the bow after acquiring the Heaven-Piercing Archer talent, and during that time he had tested nearly every aspect of the ability that he could manage without proper equipment.

Each day inside the domain had been spent firing arrows into the distance, observing trajectories, testing range limits, and deliberately activating different effects one at a time to understand how they behaved in isolation.

The most delightful discovery during these experiments had been the ease with which he could infuse arrows with stellar fire.

Thanks to the elemental arrow infusion effect of the talent, the process felt almost instinctive.

He did not need to concentrate heavily, or calculate timing.

The moment he willed it, the arrow accepted the energy naturally, as if it had been waiting for the command.

Golden-white flames clung tightly to the arrowhead without dispersing, and when fired, the arrow cut cleanly through the air without losing stability.

There was no chaotic explosion, no uncontrolled flare. The stellar fire remained condensed and disciplined, burning only what Will intended it to burn.

The most recent shot, however, had been fired for a different reason.

This time, Will wanted to verify the extended stabilityeffect.

He had drawn the bowstring slowly, deliberately limiting his strength so that the arrow would be fired with what should have been an ordinary amount of force.

The release had been smooth, and the arrow had flown forward in a straight line without wavering. What shocked him was not the speed, but the persistence.

The arrow did not arc downward.

It did not lose momentum.

It simply continued forward, cutting through the air for kilometers without any visible drop in velocity before finally embedding itself deep into the bark of a massive tree far beyond what should have been the effective range of such a bow.

Will lowered the bow slowly, his expression tightening as realization settled in.

He exhaled quietly.

In his hands was just a simple wooden training bow, and the effects were already this exaggerated. The thought of what would happen if he used a high-grade bow, or even a divine-rank artifact, sent a faint shiver down his spine.

With proper equipment, he could easily wreak havoc across an entire battlefield from distances that most enemies would not even consider threatening.

The only thing missing was bow intent.

Unlike sword intent, which he had already grasped through training, bow intent required a different form of understanding.

It was not about cutting or dominance, but about focus, patience, and absolute clarity of aim.

However, Will did not feel any anxiety over that gap.

Leila existed.

She would be his source of all bow-related experience in the future, just as Ethan and Maximus served as anchors for sword-based growth.

His main weapon remained the sword, and he had no intention of abandoning that path.

The bow was meant to be a secondary option, a complementary tool that expanded his versatility rather than redefining his identity as a combatant.

Even with bow techniques, he planned to let Leila do the actual practice while he reaped the benefits through the bond of the system.

With that thought settled, Will relaxed his shoulders and spoke aloud.

“System show me my status window”

The familiar translucent interface appeared instantly in front of him.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Name: William

Race: Human

Age: 14

Rank: F+

Path: Eternal Sovereign

====

Talent: Lawless Adaptation (Supreme), Fatebound (supreme), Beloved of the Universe (Supreme), Heaven-Piercing Archer (Legendary), Sovereign Spirit Transformer (Legendary)

====

Absolute Affinities: SUN, NETHER ENERGY, DARKNESS, ICE, LIGHT

[Primordial Affinity]

====

Physique: Divine Sun-God Physique

====

Techniques:

SWORD ARTS:

– Heaven-Sundering Divine Sword Art (God Rank)

– First Form: Origin Severance (newbie)

– Tempest Sword Technique (Saint Rank)

– First Form: Whispering Breeze (Perfection)

– Second Form: Thunderclap Sever (Beginner)

• Sinclair Serpent Blade Art (Heaven Rank)

– First Form: Intermediate

====

Bonds

– Ethan

– Maximus

– Leila

– Seraphine

====

mark of destiny – Tamasya

====

Current SP: 0

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Will examined the status window carefully, scanning each section without rushing. The structure was familiar, but the contents had grown steadily more absurd with every update.

Despite that, the numbers and ranks felt earned rather than hollow. Every line represented pain endured, risks taken, and decisions made under pressure.

Looking at the display, Will felt satisfied.

The system’s voice sounded immediately after.

[it’s about time you start cultivating, the monthly free purchase cool down has ended]

A grin spread across Will’s face.

“hehe, then what are you waiting for, purchase that damn thing!!”

[ding! understood]

[ding!! monthly free purchase has been claimed]

[ding!! you have bought energy fusion core]

[host brace your self]

Will blinked.

“hmm!! why, is it painful??”

The system responded without sympathy.

[just bite a cloth and sit down]

Confusion crept into his expression.

“wait why!! …what”

The answer arrived immediately.

“AAAAAARRRGHHHHHH!!!!”

A scream tore violently from Will’s throat as agony flooded his body. The sensation was not localized, nor was it dull or gradual. His mana core was being forcibly displaced, its position within his body shifting while another structure was being implanted alongside it.

The pain was immediate and overwhelming.

It felt as if invisible hands were tearing through his chest, rearranging something fundamental while his nerves screamed in protest.

His soul itself seemed to shudder as energy pathways were torn apart and reforged. He collapsed to one knee, his vision blurring while his breathing became erratic and shallow.

The fusion core was not replacing his mana core.

It was being added.

The process was brutal because it violated one of the most absolute rules of the world.

In Aris, a person could only ever possess one energy core.

This was not a belief or tradition. It was a natural law.

As the pain continued to rip through him, Will clenched his teeth and forced himself to stay conscious.

Over time, the sensation shifted from sharp destruction into a deep, burning pressure as the two cores stabilized in parallel.

His mana and energy channels adapted under the influence of Lawless Adaptation, preventing catastrophic collapse.

The pain remained intense, but it was no longer fatal.

These days, such suffering had become disturbingly common for him.

However, this did not mean he had grown numb to it. His body trembled as sweat drenched his clothes, and his muscles locked and released involuntarily.

Yet even through the agony, Will knew one thing.

This was worth it.

In the world of Aris, there were three recognized types of awakened individuals.

Warriors relied on physical reinforcement and mana circulation through weapon techniques and mana cultivation.

Mages focused on mana manipulation through spells and formations.

Spiritual cultivators, the rarest of all, used spiritual energy, which possessed properties far more subtle and potent than mana.

Mana and spiritual energy were similar in structure, but spiritual energy was rarer, more refined, and far harder to cultivate.

As a result, spirit cultivators were respected almost universally, and their presence alone could alter political and military balances.

Energy in Aris was controlled through cores.

A person was born with either a mana core or, in rare cases, a spiritual core. Once awakened, that core defined the path they would follow for the rest of their life. No exceptions existed.

Except now.

The girl Will had encountered in the forest during his journey had been a spiritual cultivator, which explained her abilities and the pressure she had exuded without visible effort.

The fusion core shattered the limitation entirely.

Its primary function was simple in concept but terrifying in implication.

It allowed the host to control and cultivate any type of energy.

Not just mana or spiritual energy, but energies from outside the world itself. Demonic energy, abyssal energy, nether energy, and others that existed beyond Aris’ native system could all be integrated safely.

With the fusion core, Will could cultivate multiple energy systems in parallel.

He already possessed a mana core.

Now, he had the foundation to expand far beyond it.

As the pain finally began to subside, Will collapsed backward, gasping for breath while his body adjusted to the new internal structure. His nerves still burned, and his muscles trembled, but the worst had passed.

The pain had been unbearable.

But the reward was worth every second of it.

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