The Survival Logs || Sword Art Online Fanfic

Memory Flashback Arc: Chapter 34 - Arrow of the Rainbow Part 2

17 April 2023

Faerie Hill, 26th Floor

The arrows soaring above my head weren't illusions.

And neither was the bow held by Irokei, as she aimed at the giant moth up high.

As I witnessed the girl, who was pulling on her bowstring every arrow. She didn't have the best shooting rate, but her arrows were steadily hitting their marks at the boss, especially its wings. Her arm movements were fluid, trying to move on to the next shot as fast as she could, never wasting even a second in her attacks.

Wow, that's unexpected.

Was what I thought as I stood speechless. At the same time, realization flowed through my mind, as our strategy to defeat the boss had just changed for the better.

Usually, the Faerie Moth would take about an hour to kill, longer than most field bosses, due to its ability to fly around the dome whenever it wanted. Sure, it had abysmally low defences, but no one could ever attack the boss at a height of about 20 metres, just because of the fact that players usually wielded melee weapons in SAO.

However, using a bow--a ranged weapon type--turns the tables around. Dealing damage from a distance was already an ability that one would do anything to get their hands on, and the additional damage that the boss takes while its flying also saves time in defeating it.

I'm a fellow bow user too, and had already thought it out on the first time I encountered the boss with my party members. It would have been perfect if I had used my bow back then, but I couldn't break my own rule that I had set for myself. I didn't even have the temptation to use my bow in the first place.

Irokei was still near the walls of the dome. I understood her intention immediately though, as she would stay immune to any more wind attacks that come our way. Another advantage and reason to use ranged weapons on that boss.

I could use my bow too, in such a situation, but I knew why I shouldn't. Irokei could still be taken down by a melee attack from the boss, and that would be disastrous. Someone else has to take on the role of distracting the boss from the main damage dealer. In other words, gaining aggro.

I was the only player who could fill up that role, in that situation.

Finally understanding the new strategy, I looked up and shouted as loud as I could.

"Giant bug, let's duel!"

I could only hope that the boss doesn't notice Irokei while I try to taunt it. As the boss charged at me with only its last HP gauge left, I held my spear in a tighter grip, and prepared to strike at the boss with a spear skill. As sparks flew between my spear and the moth claws, I knew, with confidence, that the battle would end with our victory.

Another 15 minutes was all it took for the Faerie Moth to disappear into oblivion......again.

We took our time in sorting out the material drops, though it only took a short while, since I practically took all of them. I hoped Irokei had enough Brown Feelers to satisfy her demands.

As we were leaving the dome, Irokei suddenly walked ahead and stopped, facing in front of me.

"Um......you saw that, right?" she asked with a lower tone.

"Saw what?" I asked with a nonchalant tone.

"My.....my bow....and my arrows....."

I sighed as I asked her a question of my own.

"Is that a secret you're supposed to keep from other players, that kind of stuff?"

"Yeah......" Irokei's head drooped, as if she had just realized her mistake too late.