Who Will Win? - 1
"Slow."
"Gah!"
There wasn't anything special about my stance that needed fixing. I'd been training steadily myself, after all. So after firing off a few initial shots, Ryu Sena and I headed into the sparring arena.
Just like in the dungeon last time, she wasn't using her spear. What she held was a practice bow from the training hall, along with a few arrows tipped with soft, sponge-like heads for sparring. And with that, our archer-versus-archer duel began.
Fighting solely with bows in the wide-open arena. She said this was the best way to properly learn moving shots and aimed shots.
I had no choice but to follow orders, so I went along quietly. And this was the result.
"When firing on the move, you need to aim faster. If you keep doing it at your current level..."
"Gah!"
I got hit again! These arrowheads were definitely sponge-tipped, and I even had Diamond Protection up—why did it hurt so much?!
I grimaced at the arrow that struck my shoulder and fell away, but Ryu Sena didn't bat an eye.
"Your gear seems to be boosting your accuracy itself, but you still need to speed up your aiming."
"Does that mean I need to learn a skill?"
"No. Basic training will do the trick."
Those with the Archer aptitude get bonuses to accuracy and aiming speed. Without that, the only way to reach a usable level is through practice. She fiddled with her practice bow, her expression impassive, then reached for her quiver.
Two arrows nocked on the string.
"Skills are nice, sure. But even without them, enough training lets you do this."
-Thwip thwip!!
The two arrows slicing through the air smacked both my shoulders. As I winced from the sharp pain, she closed in fast, arrow trained on my throat.
"To be a proper archer, you have to know how to move. You're way too slow."
"I'm a backliner, though."
The reason I was learning archery was just to occasionally disrupt enemies or draw their attention. I didn't want anyone expecting too much from a buffer.
"Is that so? Fine, then. Anyway, let's go again."
She glided backward, and somehow the arrows she'd fired at me were already back in her hand. Had she come over to retrieve them?
Hmm... I really wanted to land at least one hit. She dodged like an eel, slipping away every time.
"...Huh?"
"Yeah?"
An opening! While glaring at her, I flicked my eyes toward the entrance. The moment she followed my gaze—shot!
"No way! A miss?!"
I'd created the perfect opening! Was the skill gap just that huge? Ryu Sena twisted her body ever so slightly to dodge the incoming arrow, then scowled like she was seriously offended.
"Cheap trick..."
"Can't I just call it strategy? If there's no opening, you make one. That's obvious, right?"
What? Why? This was strategy too.
"Can't argue with that."
Her bowstring drew back slowly, aimed right at me.
"Put everything you've got into it."
Uh... she wasn't mad, was she?
By the end of training, I was a total wreck. Ryu Sena, of course, was spotless. So there I sat on the floor.
"Whew. So close. Paper-thin margin."
"...By your standards, is a sheet of paper about a meter thick?"
It was just a figure of speech. Why nitpick?
"Anyway, thanks. I think I've got a feel for it now." Of course, I hadn't landed a single hit, but I'd dragged it out to the wire a few times.
"Yeah. You were getting somewhere toward the end. If I had more time, I'd keep going, but..."
The training hall was closing soon, and it was getting late anyway. The student council president didn't have endless free time to tutor me, so I couldn't ask for more.
"Can I hit you up again sometime?"
"...Hm? You sure? My training's pretty intense."
"This was perfect."
"Alright, then. Call me when you need it."
The president stared at me for a moment, then turned and walked away.
Alright, time for me to head back too...
"Yohaaaan..."
"Whoa! Geez, why do you always pop up out of nowhere like that?"
It was Elizabeth. She was in workout clothes, so she'd been training too.
"...Kill... me..."
And next to her were Hyejin and... Yoo Choa. They were both panting and exhausted—victims of Taylor Swordsmanship, no doubt. Hyejin made sense, but Yoo Choa wasn't even on the team. Had Elizabeth trained her anyway?
"You trained with them?"
"Yesss! But what about you?! Were you training with the president?!"
"Uh, yeah. Wanted to get a real handle on moving shots."
"...Going all out, huh! Then I'll give it my all too!"
Please don't.
The next day, Max, Yoo Choa, and I headed to the annex. Everyone was pumped. Makes sense—if you were applying for Thousand Li Gallop, you had to have confidence in your skills.
"Everyone here? Let's move."
The examiner for Thousand Li Gallop stepped forward. We followed him to the gate, where armed upperclassmen stood guard.
"Scores are relative. We'll evaluate based on how many and how strong the monsters you hunt are... Oh, and if things get dangerous, use the signal flare."
They handed out signal flares. Fire one, and the seniors would come to the rescue.
"Also, attacking other examinees means zero points. First place gets a great reward. A Group, you're up first."
"Let's go."
Me, Yoo Choa, and Max—Group A—entered the gate right away. Inside was a fairly vast forest.
"This place..."
"Looks like a hinoki cypress forest. Let's move."
No monsters around the gate. First come, first served—better grab a spot quick.
We pushed into the forest, alert for threats, using the sunlight filtering through the dense cypresses as a guide.
"Where even is this?"
"Baekryeong Island."
The academy had bought a few islands for training and tests. Among their forests, only Baekryeong and Seungbong had this many cypresses.
"Lighthouse over there. That's Baekryeong's."
A lighthouse matching one I'd seen on TV stood at the forest's edge.
"Got it. Baekryeong Island... Anyway, let's head out. What monsters are in the Baekryeong training grounds?"
"Mooks for starters... some undead too. And..."
-Kreeeek!!
A freakish screech rang out as a monster like an overgrown lizard shrieked at us.
Big Lizard. One of the E-rank monsters.
"Reptile type."
"Then I'll take the first shot!"
Yoo Choa hurled a pre-made mana cannon shell. The Big Lizard tumbled across the ground amid the explosion, and Max clutched his face.
"Brute force. Make that much noise, and the prey'll scatter."
"Mooks might, but didn't you hear? This test is about how many and how strong the monsters you catch."
Most strong monsters were aggressive, so the plan was to make noise and lure them in? Not a bad idea, but risky.
"No thought to the aftermath."
Max clicked his tongue, drew the longsword at his hip, spun it once, adjusted his stance, and smashed the charging Big Lizard's head.
-Kwaaak!!
Yoo Choa's attack flowed into Max's. My turn—I couldn't sit idle.
Buff up!!
-Kwaaaaang!!
Blessing of the Holy Spirit on Yoo Choa, Diamond Protection on Max. Big Lizard had poison attacks too, so Twilight Shadow on Max as well.
Max took a faceful of poison breath but shook it off unscathed, looking baffled.
"...What? The hell."
"Buff."
"A buff?! But..."
"Hey! Attack it!"
"Right."
The flung-back Big Lizard charged again. Its scale-reinforced rush would've hurt like hell. If not for Diamond Protection.
"...Huh?"
Max took the hit but just tilted his head. Thanks to the Subhuti prayer beads boosting Diamond Protection's defense, no damage at all.
"Hup!!"
Max finished it with a strike to the Big Lizard's weak spot on its side, then glanced at his hand and smirked.
"Not just a simple healer, huh."
"'Not just'?"
"Eh, someone like me would notice. Even Elizabeth couldn't pierce Instructor Kim Yeonha's wind barrier that easily."
"Oh..."
"And you took down the Sword Demon too, right? Puts it together—you've got something special."
Cold, hard analysis.
"Didn't expect trash buffs like these to pack such a punch, though. I've researched heroes pretty thoroughly myself..."
"Guys? Can we quit chatting and focus on hunting?"
We should've paced ourselves. But Yoo Choa was right—the explosions had lizards slinking out of the woods.
"Yohan! Ready?"
"Always."
I cast Blessing of the Holy Spirit on Yoo Choa, refreshed Diamond Protection on frontline Max, and grabbed my bow.
"Since we're at it, why not aim for first place?!"
I grinned at her excited shout.
Tough with all these monsters around.
But... quitting without trying? Nah.