CHAPTER 164: FALCON

Aires was really curious. He only trusted and followed Drake’s arrows; he never saw them underground until they came out.

No doubt, without Drake’s guidance, he would have been ambushed, likely injured, before making any progress. ’Is that what makes this mission so tough?’ he wondered. Since Drake was expecting a question, he decided to ask, "How can you see them?"

Drake, anticipating the question, grinned. "You know, everyone only focuses on what they can do with aura, or mana, or divine power, without knowing there’s more to be explored in the body."

Aires leaned in, because it could be something that could help him in this situation he was in.

"Maybe I’m wrong to say no one explores it," Drake continued, "but ever since becoming a mercenary, I started examining my body. What could make me stronger? After thinking, I decided to look at them individually." He turned, his crimson eyes flashing. "As an archer, what did I need most? Speed? Reflexes? Strength? Oe was it my eyes?"

Aires nodded, realization dawning. ’So that’s why his eyes are red.’ Crimson eyes were a rare trait in the world.

"Just like the energy cultivation and all, I named it according to my selected focus, which was my eyes, Eagle’s focus."

’Is that where he got his name from?’ Aires thought.

"In Eagle’s focus, there are soon to be four stages, but for now, I have three stages. The first stage is Sight. To be able to pick up my surroundings at a glance and understand them. It appears as a mental picture in my head, then from the picture I can analyze the anomalies-"

"Like a hidden enemy," Aires finished.

"Exactly," Drake said, smiling. "The second stage, Gaze, which I’m currently on, lets me see through solid objects like trees, walls, and strike accurately."

Aires’ eyes couldn’t stop getting any wider. One could only call Drake a genius for thinking of this himself. If his aura or mana were returned to him, one could imagine the sort of devastation someone like him would be.

"Then, for the third stage I am currently working on, Mind Eye. I want to be able to predict movements and shoot based on those predictions."

"Shooting into the future?" Aires muttered, awestruck.

Drake laughed. "Nice way to put it. Yes, I want to be able to shoot into the future, but that seems to be the hardest of late." His expression faltered briefly, hinting at the challenge.

Aires’ mind reeled. He didn’t think of anything else aside from that; it was maddening. He could already guess the fourth stage was something like shooting weak spots in attacks to cancel it, or even targeting vital core points in the body

Aires sighed. He couldn’t keep admiring another person; he had to strive for his own. So, he asked, "How do I start?"

Drake’s grin turned sly. "Well, I can’t tell you for free."

"What do you want?" Aires asked.

"Form a team with me and help me clear my debt."

"How much is it?"

"About 120,000 gold," Drake said casually.

Aires’ eyes widened. ’That’s massive. What did he do?’

He thought deeply. Helping Drake meant delaying his own freedom, but the knowledge was invaluable.

’Still, I should help him, it is only the right thing to do.’ "Alright," he agreed.

"Nice!" Drake clapped, beaming. "It’s a good thing you agreed because I already have a plan that can let us handle it in two months before the calling for holy knights."

"Wait, you are also joining?" Aires asked.

"Of course, I have goals too, you know?"

’That means I will have to fight him,’ Aires’s brow furrowed.

"Don’t worry about that. When the time comes, we will cross that bridge." It was as if he could read his mind.

Aires nodded, reassured but focused. "So, how do I begin?"

"Alright, to begin. First, you need an area of focus. For me, it was my eyes; for you, it could be your legs, or your body, whatever. After that, the next best way is to choose an animal to imitate."

"Animal?"

"Yes, after I chose my eyes, I looked at animals with good eyesight, and I chose an eagle." He stopped there. "It was even more perfect as I chose missions related to eagles. Start there, and we’ll build on it."

Drake left Aires to ponder as they ventured deeper into the forest.

Drake’s arrows pinpointed wyrms with uncanny accuracy, and Aires followed, his sword cleaving through each emerging wyrm. Without his core, every move relied on physical prowess—sprinting to meet targets, dodging their needle-like projectiles, and striking with precision to inflict damage. The labor was grueling, but Aires kept his eyes on the future.

’Just which animal will I choose?’ Of course, his first choice was a dragon, but what exactly was he going to mimic? There was nothing in a dragon that he needed to mimic that didn’t need the presence of his core. He needed something else.

Two days later, as they carved through a quarter of the forest, Drake noticed Aires’ distraction.

"Struggling to choose?" he asked, nocking another arrow. "There are at least a hundred wyrms within 300 meters. Step it up, or it’ll hurt our performance."

Aires gripped his bloodied sword, frustrated.

"Take it step by step," Drake advised. "Start with your weapon."

Aires glanced at the blade, its silver glinting despite the gore.

"Think of your affinities," Drake added. "What does your aura lean toward?"

Aires reflected. ’I received the Solaris sun pill, but ever since I met that statue, I couldn’t feel the sun aura again.’ Not that he could feel it now, but when he saved that village, he had used light. ’And there’s what grand-aunt taught me. So, at the moment, I have light and sky cultivation.’

"If you have one, think of the best way to produce the best result using that affinity, and if you have more than one, think of the common way to produce the best result."

’...Best way to use light,’ Then an answer flashed in him. Speed.

What light needed was speed.

’I don’t know about the sky cultivation for now, but I think I found the answer.’

Aires then asked, "Which animal is the fastest?"

Drake smiled, as if he already knew, "Looks like we’ve found ourselves a falcon."