From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

Ty grasped the arrow, noting its lightness with a hint of surprise. "I-It's so light…?" he remarked, a touch of perplexity in his voice.

Yun-Jin, catching the bemusement on Ty's face, couldn't help but give a confused look back. "Well, yeah, it's an arrow. It can't fly far and true if it's a brick," she explained, her words accompanied by a light chuckle. "You probably carry a lot on your shoulders, don't you?"

Ty, exhaling deeply, simply replied, "Yeah, it's because I do. Sometimes I wish I could just go back and not take that stupid shortcut."

"Well, it's happened, and it's done with. We all make decisions we either love or regret, but we can't allow those to weigh us down forever, or else you will drown yourself before you can look forward," Yun-Jin offered, her words aiming to lighten the burden Ty seemed to bear.

As Ty took another deep breath and looked forward, readying himself to conjure the flame bow, a voice whispered in his head, challenging the solace he sought in Yun-Jin's counsel.

"You don't actually believe all that nonsense, do you? You know, at the end of the day, you will not make it without me!" The voice, unsettling in its confidence

Ty's concentration honed to a fine point, envisioning the bowstring light and true.

He aligned the arrow's notch to the flaming cord, drawing it close to his cheek before releasing his fingers.

A snap of energy burst forth, the arrow tearing through the air with a force that kicked up a gust of wind. Around Ty, sparks of gold danced momentarily, highlighting the power of his shot.

The arrow, with relentless momentum, slammed into the tree, piercing straight through it and continuing its destructive path through four more trees before it softly embedded itself into the trunk of a fifth.

"Whoa! Jun-Jin exclaimed, astounded by the display. "You just obliterated that tree!"

Ty, allowing himself a moment of pride, smiled at Yun-Jin. "Thanks, I didn't understand the weight of an arrow, so I've just been putting so much pressure into it. Letting go of all my thoughts helped as well to focus in on that one moment."

"Let's keep training to perfect it, so hopefully we can get you—" Yun-Jin began, her encouragement cut short by the sound of Lt Daemon's device ringing. He pulled out his phone, his attention immediately captured. "Yes, what's going on?"

Listening intently, his responses punctuated the conversation. "Really, that bad, huh? No way… I see, well, that is a surprising turn of events."

Yun-Jin, curiosity piqued by the lieutenant's cryptic conversation, couldn't help but interrupt. "Hey, what's going on?"

"It looks like they will be shipping out everyone a day early due to the death of Realdo…" Lt Daemon's words hung heavily in the air.

Yun-Jin's eyes widened in shock. "Wh-what? You can't be serious. You can stop joking now, you know."

"No joke. He was killed by someone as he was conducting an investigation into the rebels. With his death, they are worried about the manpower that is present and, to ensure the Arena goes off without a hitch, they will be departing the contestants an entire day early without letting anyone know," Lt Daemon explained, the gravity of the situation evident in his tone.

Ty, unfamiliar with the name, inquired, "Who is this Realdo, and is he someone special? I'm sorry about his death, regardless."

Yun-Jin, struggling with the news, managed to say, "He was always a dumbass over his head, but I just can't understand how he died. He's always been so careful; he was my mentor back when I was an academy student."

The Lieutenant, understanding the depth of their loss, responded, "Well, to be safe, it's best that we get Ty back to ensure nothing goes awry, and we keep you safe, Lady Yun-Jin, until they figure out who did it."

The revelation from the Fairy cast a heavy silence over the group. "I saw who killed him, actually. I saw him on my way back from visiting JJ, and I saw the old general guy walking through some dark alley," she disclosed, her voice carrying the weight of the crucial information she held.

Yun-Jin, visibly confused and shaken by the fairy's sudden interjection, asked, "Wh-what are you talking about, Fairy?!"

Continuing, the Fairy explained, "When I followed him, he went into a secret passage, and I wanted to follow because I was worried about what might be happening. That's when I saw him meeting with a few bandit-looking people. As I was leaving, he stated he had spotted Realdo, and that's when Realdo dived in to confront him."

Yun-Jin, overwhelmed by grief and disbelief, pleaded through tears, "S-stop, you have to be lying!"

Lt Daemon, now deeply concerned, knelt down and gently grasped the Fairy. "And you're sure this wasn't some shape-shifter skill?" he inquired, trying to piece together the events and determine the authenticity of the fairy's account.

The fairy, troubled by the memory, recounted the sequence with a hand on her head. "I-I'm not sure, they had a quick fight with Realdo trying to slice at the old guy, but as he deflected it, the sword shattered instantly. Then he struck Realdo's shoulder, I think, and then they had a short conversation about ideals."

"After the old general didn't hear what he liked, he snapped his finger and his arm exploded before he threw some needle at him, and he fell instantly," she continued, her account shedding light on the violent encounter.

Lt Daemon, overwhelmed by the complexity and gravity of the situation, covered his face with his hand. "Ugh, I see. Did he see you at all?" he asked, concerned for the fairy's safety amidst such dangerous elements.

"I don't think so. I did bump into him on my way out, but I was gone before he could piece anything together. He also mentioned something about... I, I can't remember the last part..." The fairy's voice trailed off, her memory faltering under the weight of what she had witnessed.

"That's okay, little fairy. Just be glad you're in one piece and not turned to ashes," Lt Daemon reassured her, his tone softening in consideration of her ordeal.

Turning to Yun-Jin, who was grappling with a tumult of emotions, he cautioned, "Yun-Jin, I need you to not do anything rash right now, okay?"

Yun-Jin's tear-filled eyes gradually transformed into a gaze filled with burning rage. "He has to pay for this. You know that as much as I do!"

If the government takes him he will just be jailed for his entire life or hung by his feed until his brain fails… I need to have his head personally!.

The Lt tried to calm Yun-Jin, "Yun-Jin, it's not—"

But Ty interjected, "I don't know who this is, but I know if it was someone I loved, I would burn a hole through the earth if need be to get revenge… I think our best bet is to play this time wisely and see if he has been discovered. If not, we can lay a trap for him at some point, and you can get your revenge for this Realdo guy."

Lt Daemon, contemplative, placed his hand under his chin. "I'm not a fan of vengeance, but this might be the best direction to take things until I can piece everything together, regardless."

He turned to Yun-Jin, his voice firm yet concerned, "I will see what I can do on my end, but for the time being, Yun-Jin, don't do anything brash, okay? You're no good to anyone if you're dead."

Ty nodded in agreement. "If time permits, we can do this together. I don't have a bone in this, but—"

Before he could finish, the fairy spoke up again, "Sorry, I left out some information…"

Curious and concerned, Ty turned to Lt Daemon, then back to the fairy, asking, "What could that be?"

"Erebos was there, as I was leaving. He hovered over Realdo's body, smirking in my direction. I'm not sure if it was at me or the old general guy," the fairy explained, shedding new light on the situation.

Ty sighed in relief. "This is good news. Thank you, Fairy."