Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

The landscape in front of Kaizen was majestic. The cave opened to the horizon, allowing Kaizen to see the snow-capped mountains in the distance and to the side, their peaks lost in the clouds. The black, imposing rock of the cave contrasted with the whiteness of the snow-covered landscape, creating an atmosphere of mystery and majesty. The wind blew furiously, whipping Kaizen's hair and causing him to shrink from the cold.

Kaizen was stunned by this unexpected discovery, feeling a mixture of fascination and apprehension. This was undoubtedly not a good place for someone to meet other players, and he wondered how the group of barbarians had stopped and found themselves there, in the middle of a remote mountain.

Kaizen walked a bit beyond the cave and looked around, trying to orient himself in the area. It wasn't hard to notice a rusty metal structure rising directly above him. It was a cable car station that had probably been used to transport ores or travelers to the base of the mountain. However, it was clearly abandoned and in a state of disrepair. Some of the wires were broken and hanging precariously, and the structure was covered in rust.

The sight of the ruined cable car station added an air of desolation to the scene. Kaizen imagined how busy this place must have been in the past, with the shuttle of cable cars and the bustle of miners or visitors. Now it was silent, abandoned and eroded by time.

Despite the precarious state of the cable car station, Kaizen felt a twinge of hope. Perhaps this was his chance to find an easy way out of this remote mountain without having to go all the way back the way he had come. He wondered if there might still be a working cable car to get down to the base of the mountain. The prospect of exploring this option excited him, even if it meant facing the challenge of dealing with broken wires, deteriorating structure, and strong winds.

Kaizen decided to take a closer look at the cable car station in his search for answers. He approached it cautiously, examining the loose wires and damage to the metal structure.

There were three stationary cable cars in the station, some of whose walls had failed to withstand time without maintenance, but none of them seemed to be in serviceable condition; as much as one of them was still structurally sound, its cable was too worn and would probably snap as soon as Kaizen forced a descent.

"Um. I could switch the cable cars by lifting them with <Psychokinesis>, only my control with that ability is still a bit limited, not to mention I can't tell if that would do any good." Kaizen thought aloud.

Looking to the side and then down, Kaizen realized that he hadn't even noticed when he looked at the map of the area. His group's battlefield was not only in a mountainous and snowy region, but also in a valley. In other words, he was surrounded by all these huge mountains. And looking from this position, from the ropeway station, Kaizen was higher than any other player and could see absolutely everything.

Even with the whitish wind obscuring his view a bit, Kaizen could see the village where he had fought Orddiar, and he could also see several other points of interest in the area.

In addition, Kaizen could see the particles of intense battles and hear the sounds of powerful skills, even through the howling noise of the strong wind. Kaizen was probably the only one of the 298 living players in his party who could see all this; it would be crazy not to take advantage of it.

So Kaizen abandoned the idea of going down in the gondola to meet the players down below, since he could actually see several players from where he was standing. He then climbed to the top of the cable car station structure, crouched down, and opened his inventory.

By instinct, he almost chose the common old bow, which had a curse that always tried to divert his arrow from its intended target, but Kaizen no longer needed this bow, as he had received another one from a player at the beginning of the tournament. So he found Graham's bow and equipped it. The bow was very beautiful, with a detailed finish in dark wood and leather, and shone faintly in the dim sunlight filtered through the dense clouds.

With bow in hand, he scanned the horizon again, assessing the possibilities. With his keen eyes, he spotted suspicious movement in a distant area, in the middle of a field, where a small group of players seemed to be facing off against a more powerful player. This might be an opportunity for Kaizen.

Meanwhile, the live chat seemed confused about what he was doing.

[dikomaya8: What exactly is that guy doing crouching down from that spot?

Vtot30: Is Kaizen planning to stay in this place to hide and survive?

arthuryukiuu: Shesshh, is Kaizen planning a long range shot? I'm curious!"

kcfps_: Is anyone else curious about Kaizen's strategy? I have no idea what he is trying to do LOL

iamlupin: Stupid camera, show us what Kaizen is looking at!

Defteros_Sp: Weird...

seven6Five: Wait a minute, is Kaizen really aiming at someone tens of meters away? Is that crazy or is he crazy?

DrAkOn2001: He is out of his mind, I am absolutely sure of it.

Val_Val: I have never seen a video of him using a bow, not even a rumor. Since when is he good with that kind of weapon? Go back to the sword soon! You'll never get it right!]

With his mind focused, Kaizen adjusted his stance and carefully adjusted his aim, watching a distant player who moved quickly, using his skills to dodge attacks from other players. The strong wind made accuracy a bit difficult, but Kaizen trusted his skills, especially his ability to adjust the path of the arrow.

He pulled the bowstring tight, feeling the familiar tension as he aimed at the moving player. His heart raced as he held his aim, waiting for the right moment to release the arrow. With a smooth motion, he released the string and the arrow flew through the air, cutting the wind with a whistle.

...

Edited by: DrHitsuji

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