The weapon slowly descended from the midair. As reluctant as he was, Jax was forced to raise his hand and hold the weapon on its handle. But astonishingly, this thing was quite bigger and heavier than the other two crossbows he obtained. Even holding it for a short moment seemed to wear his energy out.
''This time, it's a heavy crossbow, huh?'' Jax muttered, his expression suddenly became serious. The crossbow's handle was placed on top of the weapon as he held the heavy crossbow upside down. It was designed to only be lifted at the waist-level.
First was a crossbow, then a light crossbow, and now a heavy crossbow...
Jax struggled to make sense of what on earth was going on with his luck.
Resigned, Jax stared at the heavy crossbow. Strangely, his heart throbbed for a moment. His grip of the crossbow subconsciously became tighter. He stared at the big thing with a growing sense of seriousness as he couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.
How intimidating.
Jax thought for a moment. If he was to compare it to something, then it should be something like a beastly ox with a lot of horns. The crossbow's limbs looked like the horns of a monstrous ox. Then another angular horns were placed in front of the limbs, going upward in an intimidating manner. Then at the end of the flight groove were two smaller horns, like the tusks of the great boar, to make way for the bolts and make sure that they wouldn't fall out of their place.
The heavy crossbow displayed strength, power, and destruction, as if its very existence only served one purpose.
To cause destruction and agony.
However, that big thing was really befitting of its type. It was extremely heavy, and it was hard to move it around. He even doubted whether he could run with this thing in hand.
If this heavy crossbow was like this, how could he use it properly? Wouldn't he easily become vulnerable to all attacks if he wielded this big thing?
Jax frowned. He better check its description first before he made any more pointless assumptions.
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Name: Wailing Siegebow
Rarity: Forbidden
Grade: Forbidden
Rank: Forbidden
Description: Seeking for destruction, this heavy crossbow can bring forth power many times greater than a ballista. Bolts loaded onto this bad boy are blessed by the giants as they can grow in size and deliver massive destruction.
Once its heavy bolt landed, it will shrink back to its original size and cause a shockwave that reaches up to a hundred meters radius. The bolt will disappear and its shockwave can inflict fear on all living creatures within its range. Anyone affected by fear will have a portion of their energy and life stolen.
____________________
Jax suddenly began to sweat upon reading the description. If the description was already this OP, how much more was the actual thing would do?
Jax failed to restrain his excitement and curiosity. He aimed in a certain direction, held the crossbow tighter, and with eyes flashing with a growing sense of fierceness, he pulled the trigger.
Click!
Only then did he realize that a bolt wasn't loaded yet into the crossbow.
''Ah... Now that I think about it, how can I load this big thing? And where can I find a bolt to...'' Jax was still pondering about something crucial when, suddenly, the white quiver wrapped around his waist had its lid open. Then one of the bolts resting on it floated in midair.
To Jax's surprise and bewilderment, the color of the bolt was pure black, so black that light couldn't reflect on it. He remembered that his quiver only held white bolts before. He stared at it, but now there were also black bolts mixed with his white bolts. He shrugged his shoulders as he struggled to make sense of what was going on.
After a moment, the bolt went directly to the flight groove, loading the crossbow as if it had a thought of its own. Jax was surprised at first to see the sudden occurrence, but later, he wondered how that small bolt could be fitted to the...
Amidst his thoughts, the bolt loaded into the crossbow suddenly became bigger, fitting the flight groove and the heavy crossbow itself. Jax was stunned for a moment, but after a short while, a wide smile suddenly appeared on his lips.
''Good job, Quinncee. You're the best,'' Jax spoke, he glanced at the quiver wrapped around his hip and gave it a wink.
The quiver shook slightly and shrunk back as it immediately closed its lid. It was as though accepting the praise that came from its master in a shy manner.
Jax retracted his gaze. He looked ahead as his bright smile turned into a malicious grin.
Then, with a growing sense of excitement, Jax finally pulled the trigger. However, he realized then that the heavy crossbow needed casting time in order to fire the bolt. He needed to hold the trigger, and while he was at it, his energy was also being consumed.
''Damn, this is troublesome.'' Jax grunted. Still, a smile remained unfazed on his lips. Since he wanted to see how that big thing could bring out its might, he persisted even if he had to grit his teeth and sweat it profusely.
Click!
When he was about to run out of strength, Jax finally heard a satisfying sound. A smile resurfaced on his lips as he finally felt the heavy crossbow stopped consuming his energy.
Knowing what would happen next, Jax said, ''Die!''
Swoosh!
The bolt was finally released. It immediately ran wild and spun like a furious drill, forming a vortex of wind during its departure.
And when it got enough distance away, the bolt suddenly grew into a gigantic size. The bolt spun furiously even with its size, throwing away everything that dared to obstruct its path.
Trees and boulders became no different from mere leaves and pebbles.
***
Meanwhile...
King was surprised at first when he saw Jax suddenly aimed the heavy crossbow in his direction. He frowned and knitted his eyebrows in an attempt to understand what that little brat was up to do this time.
Why was he pointing his weapon in his direction now? King was certain that Jax wouldn't be able to notice his presence there. He was certain that he didn't know that he was watching him from there.
Well, that could also be a coincidence. That little brat must be aiming at something else.
Still, King couldn't shake the feeling that something annoying was ready to happen at any moment.
Swoosh!
King narrowed his eyes as he finally saw Jax released the bolt. He was complacent at first, not giving it any care. But his complacence didn't last too long when the bolt suddenly became gigantic in size, growing as big as a coconut tree.
His eyes widened for a moment. However, the surprise didn't end there. The giant bolt appeared like a giant drill, tossing away everything obstructing its path.
King failed to react on time, but thankfully, the bolt didn't hit him. It went past him only by a meter away, sending him shivers down his spine.
Slowly, he shifted his gaze beside him, the trace of the bolt making its own path was clearly visible before his eyes.
''That brat...'' King uttered, frustration and anger began to creep up into his mind. He clenched his fists as he struggled to restrain himself from going there to hit Jax real hard.
Fortunately, that bolt earlier missed him. If he was to be hit by that sudden attack, King felt like he would struggle to survive.
Kyaaaahhh!!!!
Amidst King's thought, a sudden cry disrupted his mind. His heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly shifted his gaze in the direction of that strangely familiar cry. That was in the direction where the bolt cast by Jax had gone through.
King frowned as he narrowed his eyes to see further ahead. Not too faraway, there he saw a humanoid creature. To his shock, it was actually a familiar creature that King didn't want to see yet.
King turned serious and cautious. By the looks of it, that humanoid creature tried to stop the giant bolt cast by Jax with just its body. Or more probably, it was caught off guard by the sudden bolt flinging in its direction as it had no choice but to block it with its bare body.
'As expected...' King nodded his head, as he remained expressionless while thinking. Then he muttered, "An Elemental Mermaid surely is a tough nut."
That humanoid creature was, of course, a mermaid.