The system handed me over to the state.

Bronya turned her gaze to the building beside her. The civilization of this world was still in the Middle Ages, which was a very classic isekai (otherworld) setting. What was interesting was that she could see that many people had systems attached to them.

It seems that systems have become the most common thing in this world, and everyone has them, but that doesn't mean everyone can become a hero. To put it bluntly, it still depends on talent.

Just then, the sky suddenly darkened. Bronya looked up at the huge castle in the distance, which must be where the king of this country was located.

In an instant, four beams of light of different colors rose from the castle. Bronya silently turned her head. Her current goal was clear: to gather information about this world. Leveling up was a minor matter; intelligence was the top priority.

...........

Three days later, Bronya sat in a small tavern, looking at the newspaper in her hand. It was hard to imagine that a country in the Middle Ages would have newspapers, but they did provide her with a good source of information.

Bronya has been finding it very difficult to adapt to this world for the past three days. One issue is the change in lifestyle, and the other is the lack of hygiene. Especially the hygiene; as a modern person, Bronya finds it truly unbearable that the hygiene in medieval civilization is so absurdly poor.

The hotel bedding all smelled musty! In the end, she had to buy fabric and cotton and make her own bedding set by hand, which was really too much for her.

During this time, she did not sleep in the town's hotels, but instead found a place to rest outside and then came in during the day to gather intelligence.

"Have you heard? That Shield Demon actually tried to harm the princess!"

"I heard about it. Apparently, she's already lost her virginity! It's really despicable. She looks so respectable, but she's such a beast behind the scenes."

Bronya listened to the discussions and curses about the Shield Hero in the tavern, but felt nothing. What did it matter to her? Even if that Shield Hero turned into a great demon king, her goal wasn't to save the other world or anything like that, but to deal with the hero of that other world.

Wait a minute, speaking of which, are the heroes from another world those four heroes who were summoned?

Bronya began to suspect that if it was the four of them, then... she was in trouble. The other side was a hero with natural weapons, powerful skills, and the protagonist's halo. She had nothing, and her two passive skills alone would be difficult to contend with them. She needed to find a way to break the deadlock as soon as possible.

So, the primary goal is to find a weapon that suits her. She's used to big guns and cannons, and she's not very comfortable with melee weapons. Maybe... she could try using a bow and arrow?

Bronya thought it was worth a try. Bows and arrows are also ranged weapons, and with higher levels and skills later on, it might be possible to turn archers into stationary artillery turrets.

Hmm, then I'll be an archer. But the question is, how do I get a bow and arrow?

Looking at her empty purse, Bronya felt helpless. Did she have to rob someone?

So the primary goal is still to make money. With money, she can buy weapons. The problem is that she has no way to do so. She is an undocumented person, and the medieval environment basically eliminates the possibility of her working to earn money.

Hmm... how about we go fishing?

Bronya could clearly feel the gazes upon her. Inside the tavern, many people were staring at her, not with desire, but with a scrutinizing look.

Are you assessing whether you can fetch a good price from slave traders?

That's settled then.

Having decided on her next plan, Bronya got up and left the tavern, walking towards the street. The people who had been watching her parted, and a few of them followed her from a distance.

Bronya immediately turned into a side alley, and the others followed. After entering the alley, the two looked at the empty alley and cursed, "Damn it, such beautiful goods got away!"

"Boss, should we go after them?"

Standing at the entrance of the alley, the leader glanced at the dark and deep alley and decisively said, "Let's split up and go around from both sides of the street! Don't go into the alley, I don't want to get stabbed through."

Bronya, hidden in the shadows, stared blankly as the group outside left the alleyway and circled around to another location. Bronya was shocked! There were actually... there were people who could resist the temptation and not come in!

Wasn't the agreement that everyone should come in so we could reap the rewards? Why isn't the other side coming in?

You're not playing by the rules, I'm going to report you for cheating!

Bronya was helpless. What could she do? The only legitimate way to obtain coins was now gone...

"Does this mean I really have to farm materials by hand?"

Thinking of this, Bronya couldn't help but cover her head in exasperation. What should she do? Did she really have to go and fight those monsters with her bare hands?

Bronya rubbed her temples. She tried to attack the most basic balloon monster, which was relatively easy. Her first money was earned from those balloon monsters.

However, if I were to switch to an archer, with my current sluggish body, even if I reacted, my body wouldn't be able to keep up.

Then the only option is to try fighting on your own and take it slow.

There's still some time before the first wave arrives. Although it's unclear what the wave actually is, it's most likely something like a monster siege. However, the exact location and time are unknown. I'll just teleport myself there when it arrives.

Let's take it slow. The balloon monsters are low level and weak. You can earn your first amount of money by killing a lot of balloon monsters, and then buy yourself a bow and arrows. Most importantly...

Bronya looked down at her clothes and decided to leave them as they were. Her clothes hadn't been sealed, and this evening gown, which retained its original abilities, was her greatest asset.

Next, Bronya traversed the city streets, heading straight for the wild balloon monster area, the most basic monster area. Regarding this game-like world, Bronya believed her preferred playstyle was agility-based.

With a bow and arrow, use maximum agility to fly the arrow like a kite, and some strength to ensure the power and intensity of the arrow.

It's a completely new experience, starting from scratch and gradually getting stronger... wait, even with this outfit, it doesn't really feel like gradually getting stronger... Ah! Why am I worrying about all this!

The fact that this outfit wasn't sealed means it must be a loophole left by Tong Xi. Keep up the good work.

Bronya wasn't very fast at clearing out the balloon monsters. Even though her Herrscher abilities and physical enhancements were sealed, her reaction speed remained the same, but her body couldn't keep up, making her combat skills somewhat clumsy.

In three hours, Bronya had barely collected less than 20 Balloon Monster skins; that's too slow...

Bronya shook her head, looking at her dwindling health. "Fine, that's enough for today..."

However, on her way back, Bronya suddenly spotted a person moving around in the same area of ​​the balloon monsters. The person was dressed in light green and was waving a shield, trying to attack the balloon monsters surrounding them.

Bronya stood at a distance and watched for a while before choosing to leave.

The man in the distance suddenly stopped fighting, glanced at the departing figure out of the corner of his eye, and then continued his battle against the balloon monster.

That night, Bronya ate her dinner in the tavern with the money she had earned from exchanging the balloon monster's skin, pondering her next plan.

The income from the balloon monster was too little. Although it was enough to sustain her life here, it was just enough. To buy weapons, she needed more money, and she needed a way to earn more money.

What can be done?

Bronya pinched her chin, pondering the possibilities, when suddenly a commotion broke out in the tavern. Bronya turned her head and saw a familiar figure.

Wearing a military green cloak and sporting a very modern and stylish hairstyle, Bronya frowned slightly. Wasn't this the person she had met this afternoon?

The shield on his arm... The Demon of the Shield?

Bronya hadn't seen anyone use a shield in the past few days, but this man was the first person she had ever seen using one.

So, is she the Shield Hero, the hero from another world summoned by this country?

The Demon of the Shield, the criminal who raped the princess, hmm... what does that have to do with me?

But Bronya suddenly thought of something: a hero must be very strong, right? Even if he was rejected, his own strength and power were still there. Why not try to team up with this Shield Hero?

After thinking it over, Bronya gave up. It wasn't necessary, and the other person was in a similar situation to her, or even worse. Putting the two of them together didn't necessarily mean they could turn the tide.

Bronya watched as the Shield Hero and the three tavern thugs left the tavern and headed outside. Bronya sighed, deciding to think about how to solve her life's problems first.

After finishing her dinner, Bronya left the tavern and went straight out of the city to the wilderness. She found a nice spot a few days ago, spread out her bedding, lit a candle, and looked at the booklet in her hand. It was a record book of monster-related materials, containing records of many monster materials besides the Balloon Monster.

Hmm... should we save some money and buy weapons first?

.............

A week later, Bronya slammed the coins in her hand on the table. "Get me a bow, and a lot of arrows."

"Oh...you have quite a lot of money, so you probably want a better bow, right?"

The weapon shop owner, a bald man, stared at the money on the table, then looked at Bronya, especially at her clothes, which surprised him. He had never seen clothes of this style before.

Exquisite, luxurious, and even more luxurious than the clothing of royalty.

"I'll pay separately for the best bow and arrows that this money can buy."

Bronya looked around the shop. There were quite a few weapons in the shop, and the shop was also quite large, so it was not bad. The first wave would take some time, so after changing her weapons, Bronya prepared to stock up on some supplies and then pack them up to go to the wilderness area to stay for a long time.

Furthermore, due to the system's mission, she cannot leave too many traces in this world, nor can she form deep friendships with others. She doesn't want to return to this terrible Middle Ages, and Shenzhou certainly has no interest in such a country. It doesn't even have the ability to fly out of the atmosphere, so what's the point of bringing it into the alliance?

Chapter 413: The Hunt

"Focus".

The moment the words fell, the monster in Bronya's vision suddenly slowed down, and in an instant, as if time had stopped, it revealed its ferocious appearance to Bronya.

Bronya's gaze sharpened, and the arrow in her hand was covered with a layer of blue light. The moment she released it, the effect that seemed to stop time in Bronya's eyes suddenly disappeared, and the arrow immediately struck the monster's head.

However, the monster's vitality remained tenacious. Bronya used the same trick again, shooting another arrow that pierced the monster's head once more. This time, the monster completely lost its life force, and its body, which was lunging towards Bronya, stopped right at her feet.

Bronya crouched down and quickly dissected and cut up the monster beneath her, stuffing the pieces into her prey bag. Since she no longer had any spatial equipment, she could only use the most primitive bag to carry these spoils.

Furthermore, my physical condition is limited, and I can't carry too much stuff at once, but...

My level is already 40. I've been leveling up day and night, and my level is rising really fast. However, I can't gain experience points now. According to the locals, I need to go to the Dragon Carving Hourglass to advance.

Her profession... wasn't displayed. Oh well, as long as she could advance and continue to increase her level, that would be fine. The higher the level, the stronger her body would be, and the more combat methods she could use. It's just that she had too few skills.

I need to find a way to acquire some skills; I wonder if skill books even exist.

Continue hunting in this area. Today's task isn't leveling up, but mainly collecting materials to prepare for upgrading equipment. There are still three days until the tide arrives, so take advantage of the time to quickly upgrade your weapons and equipment before preparing to face the tide.

A few minutes later, after confirming that her hunting bag was full, Bronya set off back to town. The weapon shop owner was a nice guy; he offered good prices for the materials she had hunted, and the weapons were of good quality.

Bronya glanced at the reusable arrows, which were beginning to age and whose sharp arrowheads were starting to become dull. She thought to herself, "If only there were a weapon that could shoot energy arrows."

Unfortunately, she didn't have any. The bows and arrows that passed through her hands were mostly made of wood, and she couldn't even fire steel arrows with the bow she had.

Let's use these materials to make a new one this time.

On the way back, Bronya felt a bit tired, an emotion she hadn't felt in a long time. Except when facing the unsatisfied Blackie, she almost never felt this way anymore. Starting from scratch, no, this wasn't quite starting from scratch at all.

It was incredibly difficult. There were no cheat codes, no external advantages, no special status, no weapons. Everything had to be earned through hard work and struggle. Even the physical enhancements were weakened. It was truly too difficult.

After a brief moment of reflection, Bronya dismissed these thoughts, deciding there was no need to dwell on them any longer, and quickly headed back.

An hour later, with the boost of her high agility, Bronya was incredibly fast. Since she didn't have the money to buy a means of transportation, she always ran out and back on her own.

If you can sustain this for a long time, you can also develop several passive skills related to endurance.

A few minutes later, after passing through the city gate checkpoint, Bronya arrived at the weapon shop she had been frequenting lately. The shopkeeper smiled the moment he saw her.

"Oh! Miss, you're here again. What new material do you have this time?"

Bronya placed the prey bag on the table and opened it. The weapon shop owner looked slightly surprised. "Oh! You actually went to such a high-level monster area? These materials are not cheap. They are usually hunted by teams. Miss, you were able to do it all by yourself. That's really impressive."

"Would this money be enough to buy a metal bow and metal arrows?"

The weapon shop owner nodded and began calculating the value of the prey in front of him. A few minutes later, Dad emptied the contents of the prey bag and placed it behind his shop. "Hmm... it's 24 gold coins in total. The materials are in very good condition and of very high quality, so the price will be a bit higher."

"If we follow your usual practice, Miss, you have a metal bow, 25 metal arrows, and 10 gold coins left over. Do you still want to buy anything else?"

The gun shopkeeper grinned broadly. Bronya pondered for a moment; armor was something she never considered, but weapons...