"Son of a bitch. That archer is way too sneaky."

Marcus swore under his breath, frustration tightening his chest as he guided Blackie through the air. The situation had turned ugly far faster than he expected, yet he was not completely without options. He still had Wanderlust, his instant teleport skill, the one ability that had saved him countless times before. No matter how sharp that stone archer’s aim was, it could never predict him simply disappearing.

He snorted softly, confidence returning for a brief moment.

’You want to kill me? Not even close.’

The image of himself vanishing right in front of the archer almost made him grin. He imagined the creature staring blankly at empty air, completely confused. That thought alone was satisfying enough to calm his nerves.

"Wanderlust."

Marcus activated the skill while the black arrow was still flying toward him. For a fraction of a second, he felt certain he had escaped.

Then the system notification appeared.

Ding!

[Stonehaven, you are currently in combat and cannot use the Wanderlust skill.]

Marcus froze.

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

Cold realization slammed into him. Combat status. He had never been locked into combat before the attack even landed. The arrow had not touched him, yet the system already counted him as engaged.

Only a Mythic Beast level monster could bend the rules like that.

"RUN!"

The black arrow screamed through the sky toward him, wrapped in a heavy earthy-yellow glow that radiated crushing pressure. Marcus urged Blackie upward instinctively, but deep down he knew the truth. No mount alive could outrun an arrow already this close.

"I’m dead."

The arrow closed in. Death felt inevitable.

Just as despair settled in his stomach, Blackie suddenly reared up beneath him with a furious neigh. The Nightmare Dragon Steed kicked its front hooves into empty air, and dark light burst from its body like a storm breaking loose. The air trembled as power gathered rapidly around the prismatic horn on its head, black energy spiraling tighter and tighter.

"Dark Piercer!"

Blackie lowered its head and charged straight into the incoming attack. The horn, wrapped in dense darkness, collided head-on with the arrow.

"Blackie!"

Marcus watched the moment of impact with his heart lodged somewhere in his throat.

BOOM.

The sky shook violently as the two forces collided. The earthy-yellow aura surrounding the arrow exploded outward while Blackie’s dark energy surged against it. Yellow and black light clashed like rival suns, illuminating the entire battlefield.

Even the Carp Demon guarding the Well of Earth turned its massive head to look toward the explosion. Had it not been bound to protect its own treasure, it likely would have flown over just to witness the spectacle.

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.

The black arrow finally gave way. Unable to withstand the force, it shattered into three fragments that fell helplessly from the sky. The archer’s deadly strike had been completely neutralized.

Marcus stared down at Blackie, disbelief written plainly across his face.

"Holy crap..."

When a Divine Beast decided to act, it did not hold back.

The power of Dark Piercer did not fade after destroying the arrow. The skill continued forward, unleashing a roaring beam of darkness that tore through the sky in a straight line. Like a dragon breaking free from chains, the black laser surged toward the stone archer below.

"No way..."

Was Blackie actually about to one-shot that monster?

Marcus held his breath as the beam raced toward its target.

But Blackie understood its limits far better than Marcus did. The instant Dark Piercer fired, the mount used the recoil from the clash to propel itself away. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

CLOP. CLOP. CLOP.

Blackie galloped across empty air, climbing higher and higher until they were more than two hundred meters away from the archer. The retreat was immediate and decisive.

One-shot the stone archer? That had only been wishful thinking.

Looking back, Marcus watched the dark beam close the remaining distance. When it reached roughly fifty meters from the archer, the stone figure reacted instantly. Three arrows fired in rapid succession, each strike precise and merciless. Thwip. Thwip. Thwip.

The dark laser shattered into fading particles of light.

The archer stood motionless afterward, yet its presence radiated unmistakable anger. If it had not been forced to guard the Bodhi Stone, if Blackie had hesitated even slightly, the creature likely would have taken to the air and hunted them down without mercy.

The difference in strength was obvious. Even after countering the attack, Blackie was still fighting something far beyond its level.

"Blackie, you okay?"

Marcus dismissed the Pure Mist Cloud Cluster beneath them and leaned forward to check his mount. His expression tightened when he saw the result. Nearly a third of Blackie’s HP had vanished from that single clash.

"Super Health Potion."

He quickly fed the potion to Blackie while checking for injuries, but aside from the lost health, the Nightmare Dragon Steed appeared completely unharmed. Its breathing remained steady, its eyes bright and alert.

Relief washed over him.

"Blackie, you magnificent bastard."

He reached forward and stroked the creature’s dark mane affectionately. Normally this lazy beast barely bothered attacking while Marcus farmed monsters, almost never using its ultimate skill. Dark Piercer was something Marcus had only seen in theory.

Yet today, when it actually mattered, Blackie had unleashed it without hesitation.

Silent for ages, then suddenly delivering a masterpiece.

A Divine Beast truly was not something you could measure with common sense. Especially not a super Divine Beast like Blackie.

"Good boy," Marcus said again, unable to hide his pride.

Blackie tossed its head happily at the praise, prancing midair with obvious satisfaction. The Seven Colored Divine Eagle perched atop Blackie’s head chirped excitedly, spreading its wings before hopping onto Marcus’s shoulder, clearly sharing in the victory.

The brief moment of celebration faded as Marcus looked back toward the ground.

The stone archer still stood beside the Bodhi Stone, unmoving, relentless, an unbreakable wall between him and the treasure. Marcus frowned, tension returning immediately. The situation had not actually improved. If anything, it had confirmed just how difficult this fight would be.

He patted Blackie’s neck thoughtfully.

"Blackie, what do we do now?"

The mount answered with a simple whinny, leaving the decision entirely to him. Marcus fell silent, thoughts racing as he replayed every detail of the encounter in his mind.

Then suddenly, his eyes widened.

"Ah!"

He slapped his own forehead.

"Stonehaven, you idiot."

Without wasting another second, Marcus began rummaging frantically through his backpack, tossing aside items until his hand finally closed around something familiar.

"Hahaha... thank God."

Relief flooded his face as he pulled the item out and stared at it. Slowly, a dangerous grin spread across his lips.

He tilted his head back and laughed.

"Son of a bitch. Stone archer... today I’m going to make you die of frustration."