Chapter 77: I’m Quite Desperate Myself

After she finished speaking, Laila crossed her arms and stood aside, watching with great interest. Lu Kuan habitually stroked his chin, picked up the hunting bow, nocked an arrow, and glanced to the side.

The members of the Glory Guild had not left; they stood nearby, all wearing poker faces as they stared unblinkingly at Lu Kuan.

It was hardly polite to crowd around someone while they were completing a task, and it could even interfere with their progress. Yet Moonlit Meteor was too unwilling to just walk away.

“That old Lu is always up to something wild. Who knows what he’s plotting this time? If his quest conflicts with mine, then he can’t blame me for being ruthless,” Moonlit Meteor thought to himself, face expressionless.

Lu Kuan looked completely unconcerned. He drew the bow, aimed at the distant target, and released.

Whoosh—

The arrow soared through the air and, to everyone’s surprise, landed four or five meters short of the target, embedding itself in the grass.

“Did that guy just miss entirely?”

“Haha, what a loser! He can’t even hit the target from this distance…”

The Glory Guild members immediately began to jeer, their schadenfreude obvious as they hooted and whistled.

“Deputy Commander, I really can’t concentrate with all this noise…” Lu Kuan shrugged helplessly.

But to everyone’s surprise, Laila didn’t intervene. Instead, she said coolly, “If you can’t handle a little distraction, then you’re not cut out to be an archer.”

With her words, the Glory Guild’s jeering grew louder, and even the usually composed Moonlit Meteor broke into a satisfied grin, clearly enjoying Lu Kuan’s embarrassment.

Lu Kuan pursed his lips slightly, his expression unchanged. Turning his back to the crowd, he took a deep breath and continued shooting.

Whoosh—

Thud!

…

As if genuinely affected by the disruption, Lu Kuan fired ten arrows in total, but only four struck the target, and none hit the bullseye.

Several players nearby burst out laughing, their ridicule unabashed, while Lu Kuan hung his head in apparent dejection, shaking it in disappointment.

Only Moonlit Meteor sensed something amiss. He glanced at the distant target, then at Lu Kuan, his brow furrowing deeply.

A faint disappointment flickered in Laila’s eyes as her expression returned to a cold indifference.

Fortunately, there was a second chance. Lu Kuan scratched his head, looking a bit nervous, and nocked another arrow.

This time, his shooting was even slower, as if deliberately taking extra care to mitigate the distractions. He took so long to aim each shot that the surrounding heckling grew even louder.

Yet his accuracy did improve. Three minutes later, after ten more arrows, he had hit the target seven times, with four arrows striking the bullseye.

He had managed to surpass Laila’s minimum requirement, albeit by a slim margin.

The female commander appeared mildly surprised, then shook her head gently. “Your fundamentals are lacking. You’ll need to practice much more in the future.”

“You’re right, Deputy Commander. I’ll work twice as hard from now on,” Lu Kuan replied humbly.

To be fair, Laila’s test was quite demanding: an 80% hit rate with at least three bullseyes was about the level of a top-tier archer in the game. Most players would need daily practice to reach that standard by level fifteen, unless they had gear that boosted their accuracy.

“Your skills are barely passable. Take the tools back, and give my regards to Aunt Mitchell…” Laila’s disappointment was evident. After a moment’s hesitation, she relented.

Lu Kuan’s heart leapt with joy—he had passed this stage!

Of course, this performance wasn’t a true reflection of his ability. He knew Laila’s personality too well. If he had demonstrated flawless archery, she would have taken a keen interest, almost certainly triggering a special event that would have kept him stuck at the training grounds, potentially causing him to miss the mission at Clearwater Village.

But if he performed too poorly, Laila would have failed him on the spot, and he would have lost the backpack quest—a consequence he couldn’t accept.

So, on his way here, Lu Kuan had decided to “put on a show,” making himself seem like an average adventurer to complete this stage as quickly as possible.

So far, everything was going according to plan.

At Laila’s command, a servant hurried off to fetch Mitchell’s tools from her residence. Seeing Laila’s clear lack of interest, Lu Kuan sensibly stepped aside.

With Lu Kuan safely through the test, the Glory Guild members fell silent. Having witnessed his prowess before, they dared not provoke him openly and kept their distance.

But the more Moonlit Meteor thought about it, the more uneasy he became. As much as he disliked Lu Kuan, he couldn’t deny the man’s skills. In fact, Lu Kuan was the best archer he’d ever seen among the players. The odd performance only deepened his suspicion.

“No, something’s off. Old Lu must be up to something, hiding his true strength for a reason! Whatever he’s planning, I should do the opposite—or at least make things harder for him.”

With that thought, Moonlit Meteor sidled up to Laila, whispering to her while occasionally glancing in Lu Kuan’s direction.

Lu Kuan frowned, a vague sense of foreboding rising within him. Was that fool plotting against him?

Sure enough, not long after, Laila finished her conversation with Moonlit Meteor and strode over to Lu Kuan, her cold eyes locking onto his.

Her level far surpassed his, and in the game, a significant level gap naturally created an oppressive aura—much like a dragon’s innate “Dragon Fear.”

Lu Kuan immediately felt the pressure, sweat beading on his brow. He coughed awkwardly, “Deputy Commander, is there something you need?”

Laila looked him up and down, a thoughtful smile playing on her handsome features. “I couldn’t tell at first, but you’re the first adventurer to advance in our Molten Fortress—and you’ve earned old Lohr’s favor?”

The moment he heard this, Lu Kuan realized what had happened. He squinted at Moonlit Meteor: That bastard! How dare he try to trip me up?

But now was no time for complaint. Clearly, Laila had grown very interested in him, her slender fingers tapping rhythmically against her belt.

“Impressive, impressive. I didn’t expect to meet such an archery prodigy. But… why put on an act in front of me? Are you looking down on me?”

As she spoke, her tone turned icy, and a faint red flush appeared on her translucent half-elven skin—a sure sign that her temper was rising.