Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Proposal to Go Solo

“This won’t do. Open your shoulders a bit…” Out on the clearing beyond the desolate Fire Swamp, Artoria watched Zhao Tianhe’s posture as he nocked the arrow, stepping forward to pat his shoulder, arm, and back as she spoke. “My experience may not suit you entirely, but it’s certainly better than your haphazard ways. Now, watch closely—ready, go…”

With that, Artoria suddenly hurled the paper bag filled with pebbles into the air!

Zhao Tianhe sensed the trajectory, adjusted his stance, and released the arrow!

He missed…

Rarely able to manifest in her warrior form, Artoria wasn’t about to waste the opportunity. Since this was the last dungeon run for the day, she decided to use the remaining time to instruct Zhao Tianhe in archery.

“It’s a bit tough to start off like this…” Zhao Tianhe chuckled wryly, offering her a bag of cookies and walking toward the scattered pebbles.

“Your perception is superior to mine. Once you get used to the stance and react a bit faster, you should be fine,” Artoria said as she walked, eating as she went. “My teacher taught me this way. There are no fixed targets on the battlefield.”

“A teacher? Hmm… Surely you don’t mean Merlin?” Zhao Tianhe asked hesitantly.

“Who else could it be?” Artoria replied matter-of-factly. “Those were difficult days, but he was indeed a good teacher.”

“I see…” Zhao Tianhe pursed his lips, not bothering to argue further.

Nearby, the archers watched Artoria’s instruction with interest. The mistakes she pointed out were real—though not crucial, good habits can only help. Even the slightest improvement in accuracy during combat was a significant advantage.

“Master the basics, and then you can develop your own style,” Artoria said, brushing cookie crumbs from her hands. She took the bow and arrow from Zhao Tianhe, kicked a stone into the air, and with a casual movement, nocked and fired.

The fist-sized stone arced toward a tree, and as it was about to strike the trunk, an arrow pierced it, pinning it firmly to the wood!

“See? This practice is absolutely effective,” Artoria tossed the longbow back to Zhao Tianhe and resumed eating her cookies.

“No way! You’re this skilled in archery, too?!” Liu Tie exclaimed in shock, then turned to Isis. “Can you do that?”

“I can, but not every time…” Isis, a specialized archer with the weapon master talent, had recently unlocked a new archery skill. Still, such near-miraculous feats weren’t always within her grasp.

---

“Miss Artoria is so cool…” Bald-headed mage Ryan stared at the golden-haired knight girl, his intelligence seemingly diminished.

“But Miss Artoria’s abilities have improved so much lately. She could solo a C-grade dungeon now, couldn’t she?” Lainis said, watching Artoria from afar, worry creeping into her voice. “If those higher-ups learn about Brother Zhao’s gifted abilities, he’ll definitely be recruited for a C-grade team.”

“That’s true. The Piltover dungeons mutated recently; several D grades turned into C. Luckily, the B grades didn’t change much, or headquarters would have sent in reinforcements,” burly Willson nodded. “Honestly, with Brother Zhao’s strength, leading us is a bit of a waste.”

“Come on! Three D-grade dungeons, and all of them quite active. This month alone, three moon bosses appeared. The strength and loot almost rival a C-grade!” archer Baruto complained. “We’re basically working overtime! The big shots above just look at the numbers and expand recklessly!”

“It’s because every city leader wants to report flawless dungeon performance for their zone… I heard Piltover’s hero growth numbers were exaggerated by three percent a few years ago…”

“Exactly! I heard several boss gear pieces were faked, too!”

“Those damn politicians! They’re using our lives for their achievements!”

…

The squad grumbled incessantly, but it was hard to blame them.

Imagine switching from a ninety-one-zero four-hour workday without breaks to an eighty-six-zero, wouldn’t you object? Especially since heroes face high risks. If not for Zhao Tianhe, the super-perceptive leader with powerful talents, they wouldn’t have managed three bosses this month.

Honor can’t fill your stomach, nor endlessly motivate. Everyone was truly exhausted.

Hearing their complaints, Zhao Tianhe considered submitting a report to rotate members for a few days off each month.

“No need,” Artoria shook her head, patting Zhao Tianhe’s shoulder. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll handle two dungeons alone. If a boss appears, I’ll need to limit myself to one, but… isn’t there her as well?”

Zhao Tianhe snapped his fingers, suddenly enlightened.

Of course! With both Elaine and Artoria in warrior form, he could run the dungeons solo! Experience would surge, and he could finally plan to unlock Elaine’s class system!

“Let’s call a meeting when we get back,” Zhao Tianhe nodded.

---

After returning to the apartment, Zhao Tianhe shared his thoughts with the team.

“No way! I’m not comfortable with that!” Bald mage Ryan was first to stand up in protest. “I want to team up with Artoria—no, with the boss!”

He was promptly pinned to the floor by Liu Tie…

“Boss, I trust Miss Artoria’s strength, but…” Willson hesitated. “We should still be cautious!”

“Haha, don’t worry. I’d never take risks without absolute confidence,” Zhao Tianhe replied with a smile.

“Yes, and there’s Miss Elaine, too,” Lainis nodded.

“You mean the beauty who often goes on dates with the boss? Is she another summoned heroic spirit?!” Liu Tie stared at Zhao Tianhe in surprise. “Boss, is your talent really just summoning heroic spirits for battle?”

“Of course,” Zhao Tianhe answered sternly, though inwardly he roared: ‘How could that be?! They’re all my wives! As long as I’m strong enough not to get killed in a love triangle disaster…’

Though his relationships with Elaine and Artoria had grown ever warmer with rising affection, and he occasionally enjoyed small perks in their shared space, Zhao Tianhe still didn’t dare cross that final boundary with either.

It wasn’t for any other reason—just pure survival instinct!

Who in their right mind would cheat between King Arthur and the Goddess of the Underworld?!

That’s not cheating—it’s courting death!