Dark Dragon: The Summoned Hero Is A Villain-Chapter 44: Going Hunting (1)

The woods on the eastern fringe of the school grounds felt a little too quiet as Arlo led Noah through the winding paths. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The leaves rustled overhead, the branches filtering golden sunlight down in patterns across the dirt. Birds chirped in the distance, and a few squirrels darted between the trees.

Noah kept close, trying to get used to the strange calm that surrounded them.

It was a different kind of silence. One that came with nature, not the oppressive tension of academy halls or classrooms.

Soon, they emerged into a small clearing, where two students waited by a fallen tree. Liam and Theo. Both Silver-tier students.

Liam stood up at once, his brow furrowing as he saw who Arlo had brought. "Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me."

Theo narrowed his eyes. "You brought him?" he pointed at Noah with his chin, his tone sharp. "This was supposed to be a private outing."

Arlo grinned, unbothered. "Relax, gentlemen. You owe me, remember? I’m calling in that favor. And besides, he’s my friend. If I’m staying, so is he."

Liam looked like he wanted to argue, but after a moment of glaring and sighing, he slumped back against the tree. "Fine. Whatever."

"Where’s the rest?" Arlo asked, glancing around.

Theo scratched his head. "Meetings with their instructors. Apparently, personal training is more important than shooting birds with us lowlifes."

"Lovely," Arlo muttered.

Liam rubbed his face and groaned. "Fine. Let’s get this over with." He looked to Noah. "You’ve hunted before?"

"Not exactly."

Liam pointed at the small crate sitting nearby. "These are enchanted arrows. Basic ones. Each of us gets one. You throw them at a target after infusing them with your mana. The enchantment will do the rest. Just make sure you aim properly, and don’t waste mana."

Noah picked up one of the arrows. It was about the size of a dart, the shaft etched with small glowing lines that pulsed with faint blue light. It felt light and balanced, and the material was slightly warm to the touch.

Arlo added, "Fun fact. You’ll only get a few decent shots out of these with our FFF-rank mana reserves. So pick your birds wisely. If you miss more than twice, just go back to watching and cheering."

Noah gave a crooked smile, knowing what Arlo was trying to say. "Encouraging."

With Noah’s S-rank mana reserves, he could practically keep shooting them forever.

Liam crossed his arms. "We’ll split into two groups. Me and Theo, and you two. Whoever gets the most kills in three hours wins. We’ll meet back here afterward."

"And what does the winner get?" Arlo asked, cocking his head.

"Bragging rights," Theo muttered. "And the satisfaction of knowing you didn’t completely waste your day."

"Sounds like a deal," Arlo said, nudging Noah.

The four of them packed up their arrows and began to separate, heading into different paths that led deeper into the woods.

Noah turned one last time toward the clearing before stepping into the shade, the enchanted arrow held firmly in his hand.

Something about it all, the tension, the competition, the hunt, set his blood stirring.

He couldn’t wait to see what bird dared cross his path.

Their footsteps crunched against the dry twigs on the floor as they moved through the forest, sunlight slipping between the thick canopy above.

While Noah knew he should be on the lookout for birds, he couldn’t help but stare at the trees.

The trees stretched tall, their trunks gnarled with age. He’d been pretty much a city boy back on Earth, so this was not a common experience for him.

Besides him, Arlo walked with a sack slung across his shoulder and a lopsided grin on his face.

"So," Arlo began, scanning the sky. "Liam and Theo, those two grumps back there, their families are what you’d call military nobility. Not the pampered, silver-spoon kind. Their parents were knights and commanders. Generations of warriors."

Noah raised a brow. "So they’re nobility with actual grit."

"Exactly. It’s why they’re not obsessed with parties or fan clubs," Arlo replied. "Still, they’re stiff about protocol. You showing up ruffled them."

Noah smirked. "Good."

Arlo suddenly pointed. "Bird. Right branch. Two o’clock."

Noah followed the direction of his finger and spotted a small, red-plumed bird sitting on a gnarled branch.

He reached into his satchel and pulled out the enchanted arrow Liam had given him. Channeling mana into it, the arrow shimmered faintly, humming with magic.

He threw it.

The arrow flew with surprising speed and accuracy, slamming into the bird mid-flap. The creature tumbled down in a puff of feathers and thudded softly into the underbrush.

"Nice," Arlo said, already moving to retrieve it.

Noah bent beside him, watching as Arlo dropped the bird into the sack. "These arrows are insane."

"Yeah, but they only work on birds," Arlo said, tightening the sack’s strap. "The enchantments are specific."

Noah looked at him, confused. "Why not make them work on people, and demons, too? They’d serve as good weapons in that war you guys are fighting."

Arlo laughed. "You’d think that, right? But humans, and demons, are... complicated, and more alike than most people think."

"Our bodies and souls are full of weird little defenses, even if we’re not aware of them. Designing an enchantment that targets humans requires so much specificity that most enchanters just don’t bother."

"So it’s too hard?"

"Not just hard. It’s also stupid." Arlo replied. "Even if you made one, it’d only work on really weak mages. Once you hit a certain level, most mages have spells or skills that protect them instinctively. And enchanted weapons? They can usually break or deflect them. It’s not worth the effort."

Noah nodded, absorbing the information. "So these arrows are basically cheat tools for hunting small magical creatures."

"Exactly," Arlo grinned. "Great for birds. Useless in a duel."

They rose to their feet again and resumed walking, eyes peeled to the branches above. The forest was thick, but peaceful. Every now and then, they saw birds darting between the trees, their feathers a flash of red, blue, or green.

"Bet we’ll beat Liam and Theo," Arlo said casually. "You’ve got good aim."

"Let’s just try to kill more birds and not start a noble feud," Noah replied.

"No promises," Arlo said, grinning wide.