Monster names are typically bestowed by the first person or group to discover them, and they often contain intuitive meanings.

– Screeeeeech!

A noise that was grating to the ears made my face involuntarily grimace.

Do moths even make such a sound? Not that I know of, at least.

But then, monsters in this other world could be biologically and magically different, making such a noise possible.

Parasitic Moth.

It’s a monster I’ve encountered in the original work.

The keywords from its name are ‘parasitic’ and ‘moth’.

I sensed the shape of the Parasitic Moth flying in the sky using my other senses.

Its three pairs of wings fluttered endlessly, scattering the wind while its proboscis emitted a loud noise.

The sheer intensity of its magical aura.

‘…Ugh.’

My stomach churned. The force of the mana was more tremendous than I had imagined. My legs quivered. If I had to fight such a creature in reality, I’d surely be backing away by now.

The only reason I was slightly less scared was that this place wasn’t real—it was inside the Tower.

– Whoosh!

“Argh! Damn it!”

Below the Parasitic Moth, a more intense blaze surged, and that—at least for now—was on our side(?).

This region was completely dead. The devastation bore a stark similarity to what we had passed earlier.

The difference was, while the previous place bore signs of everything burnt to ashes, here, life and mana seemed to have been sucked dry, leaving everything lifeless.

Parasitic Moth.

It was given such a name due to its ability to absorb mana. Absorbing vast amounts of life force and mana from its surroundings is a racial skill of its kind.

Being an alpha specimen, it would certainly be more powerful.

– Squeeeee!

The Parasitic Moth emitted a different kind of noise than before. Mana around it writhed and was sucked toward the creature.

The mana coursed through the Parasitic Moth’s body and converged in its proboscis. Hong Yeon-hwa stomped the ground, a clear prelude to something ominous.

– Boom!

A burst followed. A simple, brutish column of mana struck down from the sky.

Such an attack, condensing mana and firing it in a straight line, was typical for monsters inherently endowed with enormous mana reserves.

The Parasitic Moth swept its proboscis around. Lines of mana scorched the earth, trailing after Hong Yeon-hwa.

– Whoosh

Hong Yeon-hwa stomped the ground once more. Her form flickered like flames.

Even in a world of darkness, Hong Yeon-hwa blazed red.

This was due to her fire attribute mana and Qi, influenced by her nature as Gop-hwa.

With each roll of her legs, the ground shattered. Ejected fragments were erased by the pillars of mana and consumed by Gop-hwa, not leaving a single ash behind.

Despite greedily absorbing mana, the Parasitic Moth’s attacks never so much as grazed Hong Yeon-hwa.

– Crash!

Dodging the onslaught, Hong Yeon-hwa executed a sharp turn. Accompanied by a thunderous noise, she accelerated her momentum.

Pulling an arm back, she assumed a stance akin to hurling a javelin.

Magical energy billowed and condensed in her grasp. It soon transformed into a lengthy spear of flames.

“Die!”

With a throw, the spear shot from the ground to the sky, unlike the downward-struck mana beams.

– Screeeeeech!

The Parasitic Moth halted its attack and desperately twisted its body. Despite its large size, its movements were swift.

The spear of flames pierced through where the moth’s wings had been just a moment before, shooting into the sky, where it exploded.

“Ah, damn it! That freaking insect!”

Hong Yeon-hwa scowled, her displeasure evident. She took a moment to catch her breath and then turned around.

“I’m going to roast that thing with a direct flame… Hey… um…”

Amplified touch can finely detect even the perception of a gaze. Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyes locked onto mine.

Her gaze trembled slightly. It was an expression tinged with both awkwardness and color, scanning my face and body before drifting away.

As her gaze turned, I assumed it had landed on Elia and Baek Ahrin as well.

Elia showed no particular response.

At most, a hint of welcome lingered in her gaze. It seems Elia’s affability had reached even Hong Yeon-hwa.

Then her gaze turned to Baek Ahrin.

“…Hello?”

Baek Ahrin offered an awkward smile and waved her hand.

Whoosh! Gop-hwa’s intensity escalated. Anger rose palpably.

The fury fed the Gop-hwa’s flames. A quivering blade of fire formed behind Hong Yeon-hwa, ready to launch at any moment.

“Aaah! Hayul, save me!”

Baek Ahrin shrieked and leaped back, heading straight behind me.

– Sorry, but take my place.

‘Gyah!’

Reluctantly giving my back to Baek Ahrin was discomforting. I too jumped back, finding myself behind Baek Ahrin.

We circled around Elia like a game of tag, endlessly chasing one another.

Hong Yeon-hwa clenched her teeth. The blade of fire that had formed behind her trembled before dissolving into thin air.

“Fuuuu…! …damn.”

“Filtered to ‘damn’…? How bad must the unfiltered curse have been to come to that…?”

Baek Ahrin muttered in astonishment, having ceased her circling. I too, barely managed to stop.

“Cursing? Hey! It’s because you spout such bullshit… you get cursed!”

“Maybe it’s a problem that you, Yeon-hwa, jump without hearing everything out…”

They naturally bickered with each other. It was a common sight. I calmed my pounding heart and raised my senses.

– Screeeeeech

The Parasitic Moth continued to hover in the sky, eyeing us keenly, especially Hong Yeon-hwa.

‘Gop-hwa?’

Upon closer sensation, something was off about the moth’s left wing. Its internal mana was frayed as if burnt by fire, likely a run-in with Gop-hwa.

It must not have been a direct hit. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be flying so effortlessly.

“Hayul!”

Following Baek Ahrin’s short scream, the warmly welcoming voice of Hong Yeon-hwa approached me abruptly.

I felt a similar warmth. It had only been a few days, but I missed seeing Hong Yeon-hwa.

However, the situation wasn’t favorable. Suppressing my gladness, I waved my hands and pointed to the sky.

Understanding my intention, Hong Yeon-hwa nodded and filled me in.

Baek Ahrin’s bluff had sent Hong Yeon-hwa crashing into a crowd of cadets, resulting in her rampant outburst. In the process, some were disqualified, and others fled, saving their “lives”.

I had been assumed disqualified since I was out of sight, causing a brief moment of gloom.

We found a suitable spot nearby to rest and spend the day. Precisely speaking, just before, Hong Yeon-hwa had sensed the presence of the boss.

And thus, the brawl unfolded.

“I embedded Gop-hwa into its left wing, but it was a bit off, not causing a fatal wound. Its flying capability is somewhat reduced.”

“What about the other cadets? With all this noise, they would’ve gathered by now.”

“Not long after we started fighting, so no one else has shown up yet. I’ve made such a ruckus that the ones nearby ran off. But if the noise continues, more will come.”

Hong Yeon-hwa smacked her lips and swung her sword.

“Right now, it’s flying about, so subduing it is difficult. Getting close to strike is a hassle, and shooting mana from the ground is hard to hit.”

Flying monsters are especially challenging to subdue. That’s why flight is highly valued when categorizing monster tiers.

A flying tier 5 alpha specimen? If that were released into the world, even upper superhumans would struggle to catch it.

The explanation was brief. While conversing, I turned away from Hong Yeon-hwa, who remained vigilant of the Parasitic Moth.

Facing me was Baek Ahrin, who seemed immersed in thought.

As far as I knew, Baek Ahrin was the most adept at strategy and tactics here. Expecting she might have a plan, I looked her way.

“…How about this?”

True to the expectation, Baek Ahrin’s lips parted with a suggestion.

.

.

.

And then, I held a bow.

‘……’

It was a bow that once belonged to an unnamed cadet, now reduced to ash. Although labeled as a standard issue, it boasted excellent performance, thanks to its origin from Shio-ram.

I toyed with the bow absentmindedly before turning my senses away.

In the distance, Baek Ahrin zigzagged on the ground, firing ice spears into the sky. Occasionally, she leaped high, using blocks of ice as platforms to aim directly at the flying Parasitic Moth.

The moth fluttered its three pairs of wings frantically to evade. The flow of wind wrapping around its wings seemed aberrant, suggesting it possessed wind attribute abilities.

Though it was hit by a few attacks, the moth, befitting its tier, showed little damage to such restraint-based assaults. Baek Ahrin created distance and kept peppering it with minor strikes.

I recalled the plan we had just heard.

– The plan is simple! With Elia’s buff, Ahrin and I will distract the moth, creating an opening for Yeon-hwa to finish it off with a maximum output of Gop-hwa!

It was a straightforward strategy. I had remained calm, but Baek Ahrin had looked at me, adding further explanation.

– It’s unavoidable. Yeon-hwa might have wiped out the surrounding cadets, but we don’t know when others might swarm in.

– Not wiped out, disqualified, you damn… girl.

– Exclamation!

‘…A bow.’

I had never used a bow. Though I was training with Professor Atra in combat, I had only learned swordplay, punching, and kicking—I had yet to handle firearms or bows in practice.

Actually, my image of bows was somewhat negative. From my past life, I couldn’t fathom why anyone would use a bow over a gun.

Of course, if I get into that debate, then it falls into the dilemma of why not just use a gun instead of swords or spears.

Frankly, Hong Yeon-hwa could flick away incoming bullets with her fingertips, so whether it’s a gun or a bow, the user is what matters most.

‘Huff…’

With a deep breath, I aimed the bow calmly. My target was the Parasitic Moth, flying about in a frenzy.

No need to be nervous.

The goal was to catch the moth’s attention.

It didn’t have to be a lethal hit. Just create a brief opening for Hong Yeon-hwa to strike.

I gripped the bow and carefully assumed my stance. Though it was the first time handling it, I naturally took a proper posture.

‘Jack-of-all-trades.’

A unique ability that grants a minimum level of aptitude and skill enhancement in various fields.

Since it falls under the category of combat, I should be able to manage it to some extent. Moreover, I knew how to use it in theory.

I grabbed the bowstring with my right hand.

Pulling back the mana-made bowstring, it made a surprisingly convincing sound as it grazed my ears.

The bow’s integrated principles manifested, and an arrow made of mana formed on the string.

[Mana Arrow Implementation]

A basic function included in most standard-issue bows.

Normally, you imbue a real arrow with mana and shoot it, but when you run out, you can shoot an arrow made entirely of mana.

I drew mana inward. Tapping the core, I extracted mana and guided it to the bowstring. The mana rushed obediently at the command of its owner.

The pulled bowstring gathered mana, shaping it into an arrow.

‘…[Flame Imbue].’

Whoosh! The mana arrow was enveloped in flames.

A low-tier attribute-imbuing spell. The attribute imbued was that of flame.

To a living creature, fire is naturally a dangerous element, except for some unusual or special kinds like golems.

Parasitic Moth. Despite its appearance, it’s essentially an insect, not made up of elements like stone, wind, or water.

A flame surging with mana should grab its attention well enough.

Creak… I pulled the bowstring to its limit. The Jack-of-all-trades supported my stance, and mana affinity tuned the imbued attribute spell.

To attract attention, it must seem ‘dangerous if hit’. I poured more mana into it. The flames sticking to the arrow grew fiercer.

– Whoom!

The fire blazed, fueled by the mana of high purity. The bow in my hands felt heavy, as if it could somehow weigh down the powerful mana-filled arrow.

‘This should be enough…’

It seemed likely to succeed.

Just as I was about to signal Hong Yeon-hwa, Baek Ahrin, and Elia, waiting for the right moment, I felt their appalled gazes on me.

– Whoosh!

Flames erupted from my right hand, wrapped in an arm cover. The fire on the arrow was so fierce it paled the surrounding blaze.

I stood there, mouth agape.

‘No.’

Why is this happening again?