Chapter 75: Archery Class (2)

Chapter 75: Archery Class (2)Lira stepped forward to take the shot. She had recovered completely from the time she ran into the class, so she calmly nocked an arrow on the bow.


Drawing the string, and steadying her breathing, she released the arrow, with her first shot hitting just outside the bullseye, the second grazed the inner ring, and the third striking dead center.

’Impressive. Very impressive.’

Adrian concluded that Lira had to be of a higher skill level than him, because he wasn’t sure he could pull such off with the Mana Gun despite being at the Intermediate level according to Tech Core.

"Excellent job, Lira. You tensed your shoulders at the first shot, but it was nice you realized your mistake. You need to learn to relax more, and your shots will flow better. We’ll work on that."

Lira bowed in respect, and he turned to Adrian next.

"Your turn."

Adrian stepped up with the bow in his hand. He mimicked Lira’s stance as best he could, nocking an arrow and drawing the string.

The bow’s tension was unfamiliar, but he still managed to aim it on the target and release.

~SWOOSH~

The arrow flew completely of course, landing on the wall where the target rested.



Adrian smiled wryly in embarrassment and nocked another arrow. This time, he tried clutching onto the bow more tight than before.

He decided to let go of overthinking and follow his instincts, trusting the muscle memory he just happened to have.

He wasn’t sure if it was his [Intermediate Shooting Technique] at play, but as he drew the string back, the motion felt smoother and more natural. His eyes locked onto the target, and he released.

~THWACK~

The arrow slammed into the target with a satisfying thud, embedding itself in the outer ring. It was nowhere near the bullseye, but Adrian’s heart lifted.

He had hit the target this time, a marked improvement over his first wayward shot.

The solid impact gave him a some confidence that his shooting skills might indeed translate to other weapons like the bow.

Taking a deep breath and steadying himself for the third shot, Adrian nocked another arrow on the bow and focused it on the target, trying to channel the same instinctual flow.

He relaxed his shoulders, as Sam had advised Lyra, and let his body guide the release.

~CRACK~

The arrow flew straight, striking the target with a sharp sound that echoed through the range. To Adrian’s surprise, it had split his second arrow clean in half, the two halves dangling from the impact point.

He sighed in frustration. He had hoped for a shot closer to the center but the shot didn’t seem to be better than his last one.

The three shots were done, so he lowered the bow to the mat and turned away, brushing off the result.

Lyra, however, was staring at the target with her eyes wide in awe.

"Y-you split your arrow in half?!"

Adrian glanced back at the target, seeing the split arrow for what it was; a perfect accident. He shrugged, but chose not to say anything.

Lyra pressed on though.

"I didn’t know you were a good archer! How did you do that?"

He considered explaining that it was a coincidence, that he hadn’t aimed for the other arrow, but decided it wasn’t worth the effort.

He gave another shrug and remained silent. Lyra, undeterred, hurried to the target, carefully removing the arrows with a determination and retuning to her spot.

She nocked an arrow, and fired, clearly aiming to replicate Adrian’s feat. Her shot hit close to the bullseye, but the second shot failed to split it.

She frowned but didn’t give up, already reaching for another arrow.

Instructor Sam chuckled at her determination, then turned to Adrian. Unlike Lyra, he could tell the split was pure chance.

"Nice shot, even if it wasn’t planned," he said with a wry smile. "Now, about that weapon of yours... the gun. Can you show it to me? I’m curious how it compares to a bow."

Adrian nodded and walked to his bag, retrieving the mana gun from it.

He held it up and its sleek, metallic form immediately caught Sam’s eyes.

He looked at it deeply. "How does this even shoot? Do you put an arrow in that tiny hole? I’m not sure one would fit."



Adrian smirked, stepping back to the shooting line. He had swapped the 3-Star magic crystal for a 1-Star variant before class, knowing its full power was too much to handle.

Even at its lowest intensity, it was risky, but he wanted to show Sam what it could do.

"Let me demonstrate," he said, raising the gun and dialing it down to its weakest setting.

He aimed at the target, the familiar weight of the gun grounding him and then his finger squeezed the trigger.

~ZAP~

A thin beam of mana lanced through the air, faster than any arrow, and struck the target with a sharp crack.

The wooden board split slightly at the impact point, but the beam hit the inner ring squarely, leaving a faint scorch mark.

Adrian frowned, his gaze fixed on the cracked board. "Tch. Even the lowest intensity is too much for this range," he muttered in disappointment.

Sam, however, stood frozen, his jaw slightly dropped. He approached Adrian in an urgent tone.

"Where did you get that? That weapon is not normal. How is that even possible?!"

"It’s an information I’ll prefer keeping to myself."

Sam’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t press. "A weapon like that could change the status quo," he said quietly. "Thank the Goddess it’s not too powerful. If you know where it came from, keep it to yourself. Something like that could be dangerous in the wrong hands."

Adrian nodded in a neutral expression. "Understood, Instructor."

Sam exhaled, then shook his head. "We can’t train with that here. It would only slowly damage the targets. For now, you’ll stick with the bow. "

Adrian was disappointed, as he was vert much interested in training his shooting with a master. But than a thought crossed his mind.

"If I can make it weak enough to just mark the target without breaking it, would that work?" he asked.

Sam raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued at how he would do that but decided not to pry. "If you can manage that, yes. We’ll train with it next class."

Adrian nodded, already planning the adjustments. "Okay, thanks. I’ll have it ready."

Sam, still visibly puzzled, clapped his hands to refocus the class. "Alright, let’s move on to drills."

The next three hours were a grueling but rewarding series of exercises.

Sam guided them through a rigorous sequence of drills; stance alignment, draw techniques, breathing control, and release timing.

He moved between them, offering precise corrections: a nudge to Lyra’s elbow to keep it level, a tap on Adrian’s shoulder to stop him from hunching.

His instructions were clear and methodical, emphasizing the importance of muscle alignment and mental focus.

"Archery is as much about your mind as your body," he said at one point, demonstrating a slow, deliberate draw. "Clear your thoughts, and the arrow will find its mark."

Lyra was a natural, absorbing Sam’s guidance like a sponge. Her shots grew sharper with each volley, her arrows clustering tighter around the bullseye.

By the second hour, she was hitting the center consistently from twenty yards. Sam pushed her further, moving her back to thirty, then forty yards, and still her accuracy held.

In a stunning display during the final hour, she fired a series of arrows, each one slicing through the fletching of the previous one, splitting them cleanly as she’d aimed to do after Adrian’s accidental shot.



The thwack-thwack-thwack of her arrows was almost rhythmic, and Adrian couldn’t help but be shocked.

It was as if the three hours had transformed her into a master archer as her progress was so rapid it seemed almost supernatural.

Adrian’s progress was slower but tangible. The bow felt less alien as the hours passed and his movements grew smoother with each shot.

He focused on Sam’s advice; relaxing his grip, steadying his breath and aligning his body. He also found his arrows landing closer to the target’s center.

He hit the bullseye only once, but most of his arrows struck the middle or outer rings.

The consistency was enough to satisfy him, and he could feel his confidence growing. The bow wasn’t his weapon, but the principles of aim and control were universal, and he began to see how they could apply to his gun.

The bell soon went by the time the sky had turned dark. Sam clapped his hands, signaling the end.

"Outstanding work, both of you. Lyra, your progress is phenomenal; keep refining that precision, and you’ll be ready for martial techniques soon.

Adrian, you’re getting there. That bullseye wasn’t luck. Practice the stance and breathing, and you’ll see more. If you can adjust that gun, we’ll try it next class."

Adrian was happy he attended the class because he knew he made improvements. If his improved shots didn’t convince him, the system did.

[Intermediate Shooting Technique (3)]

The skill had jumped from Level 1 all the way to Level 3, and Adrian looked forward to the next class, where he’ll have a chance with his gun that time.