CHAPTER 153: MARKSMAN

Hopefully, she wouldn’t come out of this scarier than she already was.

Zarah’s screams tore through the clearing, raw and ragged, as the green aura poured from her in thick waves, wrapping her body like a cocoon of shifting light.

Her frame convulsed beneath it, every muscle straining as though being reforged in fire.

"Aaaargh!"

The cry cracked into something closer to a sob, and my chest tightened.

The sound wasn’t just pain; it was suffering, sharp enough to make me want to move.

For a heartbeat, I almost stepped forward, almost reached out to hold her, to ground her against the storm she was trapped in.

But I stopped myself. I knew better.

There was nothing I could do to ease it.

I’d seen this before with Narg, watched him thrash and burn through the agony of his own evolution, and I had learned then that no outside hand could soften the process.

The only thing I could do now was wait.

The transformation pressed on, relentless.

The aura didn’t fade but swelled, pulsing harder with every second, rippling out from her body in continuous waves. It rolled over the trees, made the leaves shiver, and sent an electric tingle across my skin as if the very air was being rewritten around her.

After a few more minutes the aura began to thin, the torrent of energy drawing inward as though it were retreating back into her veins.

The light around her dimmed, the pulsing hum softening until, after a final faint beat, it vanished entirely.

The evolution was complete.

Zarah collapsed forward slightly, chest heaving, her breaths ragged but alive.

Then, with deliberate slowness, she pushed herself upright.

Her movements carried the heaviness of exhaustion, yet there was also a newfound steadiness in the way she stood.

I stared. Her skin had taken on a smoothness I could only compare to that of a newborn, unmarked and vibrant, almost glowing under the dim light. Her form had shifted as well, curves more defined, her posture straighter and sleek, the very embodiment of precision and grace. She looked every inch the archer — but refined, elevated.

And yet what struck me most was her presence. Zarah had always been striking in her own way, but now there was a maturity to her beauty, a weight that made it difficult to look away.

I found myself entranced, words catching in my throat until I forced them out. "Zarah, are you alright?"

She turned toward me then, her eyes catching the light, and for a moment I forgot how to breathe.

Her gaze was softer than I expected, almost gentle, and when she spoke her voice carried a weight that hadn’t been there before. "Yes, Chief."

My heart gave a heavy thud.

The sound of her voice hadn’t changed in pitch, but the tone — the texture of it — was different. It carried maturity now, a resonance that made her feel older, steadier, as though she had stepped into another layer of herself. She seemed almost like a different person, though thankfully not to the extent of Narg’s transformation. His had been an outright rebirth — from fearful runt to commanding general, a complete reversal. Hers was subtler, more refined, like the sharpening of a blade that had already been deadly.

I lifted a hand and invoked [Analyze]. The panel flared before me, numbers and titles shifting into view.

[Zarah | Level 11 | Goblin Marksman]

Skills: [Mana Shield], [Stealth], [Warcry], [Flame Orb], [Roar of Intimidation], [Eagle Eye], [Homing Arrow], [Double Shot], [Mark of Ruin], [Venom Hex], [Valkyrie’s Descent]

Loyalty: 95%

Her loyalty had gone up. That was the first thing my eyes locked onto, the very first detail I noticed, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. Out of everything on that panel — her class, her level, the sheer wall of new skills — why did my focus land on that number first?

I shook my head, dragging my thoughts back to what mattered. Her new class was Goblin Marksman, and just the title alone carried far more weight than Goblin Archer ever did. It sounded sharper, more dangerous, a role meant not just to fire arrows but to define battles with them.

And her skills... there were so many new ones.

I didn’t have full descriptions, but even without them, the names alone painted the picture clearly enough.

[Eagle Eye] — no doubt a skill that sharpened her vision, letting her track her target with impossible clarity.

[Homing Arrow] — that one I had already seen in action, the arrow she had "missed" returning to strike with perfect precision.

But if she already had it, why hadn’t it registered in my earlier analysis? Was it dormant, waiting for her evolution to bring it forth?

I couldn’t say.

Then there was [Double Shot].

Straightforward, but deadly. The ability to fire more than one arrow in a single draw, doubling both her speed and her potential damage.

Then there was [Venom Shot] — simple in name but deadly in function. Most likely an arrow that, once it pierced flesh, would inject venom straight into the veins.

But it was the last two skills that drew my attention most.

[Mark of Ruin] and [Valkyrie’s Descent].

I couldn’t even begin to guess at their true mechanics.

Mark of Ruin sounded ominous enough, like some curse that branded a target and amplified the damage she could deal to it, or perhaps it eroded defenses over time.

As for Valkyrie’s Descent... that name alone provoked a hundred wild thoughts.

Did it summon a Valkyrie to fight at her side? Did she transform, becoming something akin to one herself? Was it a devastating aerial strike, raining arrows like divine judgment? The possibilities tumbled through my mind one after another, each more ridiculous and awe-inspiring than the last.

"You’re doing it again, Chief..."

Her voice cut through my spiraling thoughts like a blade, pulling me back to the present.

I blinked, caught off guard, and frowned slightly. "Doing what?"

"Staring blankly," she replied with a small grin tugging at her lips.

I couldn’t help but smile back, bringing my attention to the goblin in front of me.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Great," Zarah said, her eyes dropping to her arm as if testing the weight of her own body. Then her voice softened, almost reverent. "Amazing, even."

She lifted her gaze back to me, expression steady, and then went down on one knee:

"Thank you for this, Chief. I will forever serve you."

The words struck deeper than I expected, but before I could stop myself, I muttered:

"But your loyalty is still at ninety-five percent."

Her brows shot up. "What?"

Shit. I cursed, realizing I’d said it out loud.

"Don’t mind it. Stand," I said quickly, brushing past my slip.

She gave me a searching look but didn’t press.

Instead, she rose smoothly to her feet, standing tall in her new form.

Then, with a faint tilt of her head, Zarah asked:

"Are you curious about what this evolution brings?"

"I am," I admitted without hesitation. I truly was.

I had only been making guesses so far, and assumptions could only take me so far.

What I wanted was proof — to see her new power in motion.

"But... I’d rather you show me."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, confusion flickering there as she tried to piece together my intent:

"You mean...?"

I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I reached into my inventory and drew Gravefang, its dark blade glinting faintly under the light. The weight of it in my hand was grounding.

"I will not strike back," I said, holding the weapon loosely at my side. "I’ll simply avoid your attacks. Show me what you can do."

There was a beat of silence between us, heavy enough that I almost wondered if she’d refuse. No. Unless Zarah’s personality had changed with her evolution, she would never refuse.

But then Zarah lifted her bow, drawing an arrow with steady hands, her expression sharpening into something deadly serious.

"Alright, Chief," she replied. "I will not hold back."

The string sang, and before I could brace, the arrow hissed through the air.

I tilted aside, weaving just enough for it to whip past my head.

And the shaft sliced the air beside my ear, and the rush of danger sent a jolt down my spine.

Too close...The hell... was it just me, or had her arrows gotten faster?

I barely had time to think before the next volley came.

Multiple arrows this time, loosed in rapid succession, descending on me like a rainstorm.

My body reacted before my mind could — I warped, space folding in a flash. Instinct had taken over; weaving alone wouldn’t have been enough.

I reappeared atop the thick branch of a nearby tree, the bark rough beneath my boots, my chest rising and falling as my heart hammered against my ribs.

What the hell... Her arrows weren’t just faster — they carried a heavier force behind them, each shot sharper, deadlier.

Zarah’s gaze snapped upward, locking onto me with unnerving precision, and in a single smooth motion, she raised her bow again, her fingers already drawing back the string.

Then I felt it — the shift in her presence. A deadly aura radiated from her, thick and suffocating, the kind that made your instincts scream that you were prey.

Yep...I had to lock in for this one.