“Once the assassin deck information goes public, the archer deck will take an even bigger hit than the gunslinger deck.”

The Hardcore Assassin deck had been chosen to counter the gunslinger deck, but it had an even more extreme matchup advantage against the archer deck.

Archer (2): Gains 10% additional attack speed for each tile between the archer and the target.

I hadn’t paid much attention since archer decks were considered non-mainstream, but that didn’t mean Trivik lacked archer factions.

Once the newsletter published the assassin deck information, it would deal a massive blow to the archer factions, who were extremely vulnerable to this counter.

While everyone was focused on the gunslingers, this was a precise strike against the overlooked archers.

“Aha—I understand what you mean.”

Chasey nodded, seemingly grasping the implication.

If it was a faction barely clinging to the 999th rank, they would take a direct hit from this article.

Falling out of the rankings meant losing all their current benefits, making an exodus of faction members inevitable.

Since champions who had experienced ranged combat rarely switched to melee champions, their alternative would be another ranged champion.

Most of them would likely transition to the more accessible gunslinger class, making it difficult to disrupt the gunslinger factions’ rankings.

Even if gunslingers fell slightly out of the meta, they retained the distinct advantage of countering tank decks.

Archers, however, were truly hopeless.

Because assassins naturally leapt to the farthest enemy, archers stood absolutely no chance against them.

Nor did they possess a synergy with a clear advantage, like the gunslinger’s strength against tanks.

“Still, won’t it take some time? I don’t think the article will have an immediate impact…”

Chasey’s concern was valid.

It would take some time for the assassin deck information to spread and actually affect the battlefield.

That was exactly why I needed to be thorough.

“If the Rorte Newsletter does its job properly, we can resolve this issue within a week.”

“Huh? How?”

“We hit them with a follow-up article. One that proves archers are truly doomed.”

Killing the archer class—that was the method I had chosen.

Once the foundation to rebound in the rankings disappeared, they wouldn’t be able to re-enter the ranked tier without a special catalyst.

That was why factions desperately recruited talent to maintain their rankings.

***

A commotion erupted at the headquarters of Arrow of the Blue Sky, a faction located in the eastern district of Trivik.

Boom-!

“Faction Leader! We have a serious problem!”

“What is it?”

It was the first time Freud, the Vice faction leader, had ever raised his voice like this.

Phil Kruger, the leader of Arrow of the Blue Sky, wore a look of sheer surprise.

“Look at this-!”

Shrrk-

Freud held a single newsletter in his hand. Seeing the text at the top of the page, Phil Kruger tilted his head.

“What does it say? Isn’t it a bit different from what you usually read?”

As an elf, Phil Kruger could understand and speak the human language, but he couldn’t read or write it. He had to rely entirely on Freud to interpret the article.

“This isn’t the Yukan Newsletter; it’s the Rorte Newsletter. It must be your first time seeing it, faction leader.”

“Ah! I see.”

“Anyway, that’s not what’s important! We’re in serious trouble now!”

“Huh? Why?”

Phil Kruger possessed archery skills incomparable to any ordinary person, but having lived his entire life in the forest, he wasn’t very accustomed to using his head.

Conversely, Freud, the Vice faction leader of Arrow of the Blue Sky, was terrible with a bow but quite sharp-witted, so they compensated for each other’s shortcomings.

If even Freud was wearing such a grave expression, the situation was truly dire.

Freud raised his voice.

“The article contains the assassin deck information! From beginning to end, including the core of its operation strategy.”

“Wow—that’s amazing! Who leaked it?”

Phil Kruger let out a sigh of admiration.

To think there was a person among greedy humans who would release information so freely.

Since the only humans Phil Kruger had ever met were the penniless wretches in Yukantar, he couldn’t help but be astonished by such generosity.

However, Freud’s expression remained dark.

“That’s not the point, faction leader. You said it yourself last time: an archer is a dead man walking the moment they encounter an assassin.”

“Right-! You’ve learned well. That’s why I told you to develop the ability to identify assassins first. That is the fundamental requirement of an archer.”

Phil Kruger nodded with a pleased expression.

He was a guy with absolutely no talent for the bow, but after all the continuous training, he was finally grasping the core concepts.

To Phil Kruger, Freud was both a reliable Vice faction leader and an endearing disciple.

“That might be true in reality… but it doesn’t work like that on the battlefield, you know?”

Freud beat his chest in frustration, but Phil Kruger firmly shook his finger.

“That’s exactly what I’ve been saying. Places like the battlefield are completely useless for honing your archery skills. Why don’t you give up on the battlefield and learn how to use a bow properly? Well, Freud lacks talent, but with effort, you might become like me someday!”

“Ugh-seriously! We can only make a living like this because of the battlefield! At this rate, both you and I will end up out on the streets!”

Their conversation completely bypassed each other, and Freud finally snapped, frustrated by his faction leader’s inability to grasp the situation.

“Hmm-the streets of this city are really terrible… Is the situation that serious? Is there anything I can do to help?”

Perhaps realizing the gravity of the situation after seeing Freud raise his voice, Phil Kruger finally put on a serious expression.

Freud pressed his fingers firmly against his temples as if nursing a headache.

Then, he let out a deep sigh.

“You still have no intention of participating in the battlefield, then?”

“Yes, I’m sorry. I can’t help that.”

For the elven race, who valued spiritual peace above all, a battlefield overflowing with death was not a good environment.

If his spirit became contaminated by death, he would eventually degenerate into a Dark Elf. For an elf like Phil Kruger, that was an unbearable humiliation.

Freud shook his head as if there were no hope left.

“Do you know what our faction ranking is right now, faction leader?”

“Well… didn’t you say it was 960th last time? Did it drop a little?”

“Our ranking is 988th now. We’ve dropped 28 places in just a week.”

“Wasn’t the faction ranking incredibly important? How did that happen?”

Phil Kruger was essentially a figurehead, so Freud was the one who practically managed the faction, and he knew its circumstances better than anyone.

“It’s because of that article from the Yukan Newsletter last time that ranked the classes. Archers are Tier 5—Tier 5! They put our rivals, the gunslingers, in Tier 1. Isn’t that just too much?”

The Yukan Newsletter always wrote sensationalist articles, but seeing his own class dismissed like that didn’t sit well with him.

A few faction members had even switched to the gunslinger class under the influence of that article. This current situation was even more severe.

“There’s no need to care about public perception. The bow is a weapon with infinite possibilities. It can do things like this that a gun never could.”

Vwoomm-!

As Phil Kruger gently raised his hand, a manifested mana arrow floated into the air.

Though it lacked physical substance, its destructive power was immense. Sensing a fragment of the power contained within it, Freud gulped.

Slither-

With another gesture from Phil Kruger, the mana arrow floating in the air vanished without a trace.

“The gun is a dependent weapon. As magic engineering advances, its destructive power will naturally increase, but it’s not suitable for refining oneself.”

“That may be true, but…”

What am I supposed to do about the Empire making the gunslinger synergy better!

Suppressing the thought that rose in his mind, Freud dropped his shoulders in resignation.

“I doubt the faction members will be able to accept your thoughts, faction leader. They’re only blinded by immediate profit and likely have no interest in refining themselves.”

“It doesn’t matter. Even if just one person understands my intentions, that is enough.”

When Phil Kruger smiled, Freud, as the Vice faction leader, had no choice but to accept the situation.

Freud felt the responsibility to lead the faction as the Vice faction leader, but the wishes of his master, Phil Kruger, took precedence.

In Freud’s eyes, Trivik was not a suitable city for a pure elf to live in.

That was why he had founded an archer faction where Phil Kruger could maximize his abilities, but this was ultimately his limit.

Knowing full well that struggle, Phil Kruger patted Freud on the shoulder.

“I’m not a special person. I’d be satisfied just making a normal living and living an ordinary life.”

“But you, Mr. Kruger…”

Seeing Phil Kruger’s blunt ears, Freud choked on his words, a surge of emotion welling up inside him.

His elven savior, Phil Kruger, had not left the forest of his own free will.

He had done his utmost to repay that grace, but as someone without any talent, Freud couldn’t find a way.

That was when it happened.

Knock-

“Who is it?”

“Faction Leader, it’s Praon.”

“Come in.”

Creak-

It was the first time Praon, the most promising talent cultivated by Arrow of the Blue Sky, had visited the office at this hour.

Freud sensed something amiss, but with the faction leader present, stepping forward himself would amount to overstepping his authority, so he quietly observed the situation.

“I’ll get straight to the point. I intend to leave the faction. I’m sorry.”

“… …”

He had been a diligent member who had never once expressed dissatisfaction, making the shock even greater for Freud.

He had believed that even if everyone else left, Praon would remain.

“May I ask the reason?”

Phil Kruger wore a faint smile as if it were no big deal, but the words that followed were even more cruel.

“Archers have no future. It’s not just us; the faction rankings of other archer factions are plummeting as well. By the next ranking update, our faction will fall out of the rankings too.”

“Don’t worry, Praon! With the faction leader here, surely we can maintain our ranking, can’t we?”

Freud had no choice but to interject, but Praon was resolute.

“Don’t board a sinking ship. Those were your own words, Vice faction leader. I need to find a way to survive too, don’t I?”

“… …”

Before this year’s major patch, the archer’s standing hadn’t been that bad.

It had been something Freud said to recruit Praon, who had been courted by multiple factions and was deliberating his options, but to think it would come back to bite him like this.

Just thinking about the Imperial Parliament, which oversaw the patch, made him boil with anger even in his sleep.

“I understand. It can’t be helped. Thank you for your hard work for the faction all this time.”

Phil Kruger stepped forward to wrap up the situation, and eventually, Freud had to resign himself as well.

“…I’m sorry, faction leader.”

Praon bowed his head and stepped out of the office.

Small factions didn’t impose any restrictions when recruiting talent, so they couldn’t hold him back even if they wanted to.

Knock-

Unfortunately, it seemed Praon wasn’t the only one who had thought this way.

Had Praon been the detonator?

More faction members visited the office than expected.

“Do you have a plan for where you’ll go?”

“…I’m sorry.”

It seemed they had discussed something among themselves, but he didn’t even want to know anymore.

After weathering the storm, the office finally fell silent.

Phil Kruger quietly opened his mouth.

“I think it might be nice to go on a little trip. Somewhere an ordinary person like me could live would be good… I heard Artemis is a nice city to live in, how about it? Or we could go a bit further.”

“… …”

Phil Kruger’s face looked noticeably aged.

It was proof that the elven trait of eternal youth was gradually fading.

Knock-

And then, another knock sounded.

“Is there anyone else leaving? Alright? Go on, get out.”

The now-resigned Freud answered dismissively, but the voice from outside was different from what he expected.

“I came because I’m interested in joining the faction… is this Arrow of the Blue Sky?”

An unexpected guest.

There were people who didn’t read the newsletters, so it wasn’t strange for someone to visit here completely unaware during these difficult times.

Already half-given up, Freud looked at Phil Kruger.

“What should we do?”

“There’s no need to turn away a guest who sought us out. Tell them to come in.”

“He says to come in.”

Creak-!

The office door opened.