The Blind Archer's Entrance

The air in the testing ground had grown heavy and awkward. The professor stared at the straw dummy with an expression of utter disbelief. A blind boy, unable to see a thing, had planted an arrow dead center in the target's brow. Even if it were pure luck, the distance was over 400 meters. She couldn't wrap her head around the absurdity of it. What were the odds of hitting a target the size of a bean without sight? Was it like getting struck by lightning on a sunny day?

The professor remained silent, her fingers tracing her own lips. 'He hit it by luck.' She didn't want to admit it, but the boy with the bandages over his eyes... the calluses on his fingertips caught her attention. Effort. Those calluses were clear evidence of hard work. The marks on his hands were deep, suggesting he had held a bow for a very long time. The professor let out a dry chuckle and shook her head.

'And they told me not to judge by appearances.' She recalled yesterday.

-"What? A blind person?"

-"He shoots a bow. We need a professor who specializes in that."

-"No... wait a second! You said he's blind?!"

-"Good luck!"

-"Chairwoman!"

-"Take good care of him~"

When she heard the student the Chairwoman was bringing in as a special admission was blind, she had finally concluded that the woman had lost her mind. That was, until she saw the results. After seeing the results, she realized the one who was crazy wasn't the Chairwoman—it was Kyle.

'So that was the reason.' It hits without fail. That single phrase cleared up all the questions she’d had. Air resistance, wind influence, even gravity—the arrow wasn't hindered by any natural elements. 'He was a broken, overpowered character.' In the game, he was treated as a worthless, washed-up main dealer. The character design was top-tier, but... a male character with a cool design but terrible performance. He was the guy who got mocked as "God-Kyle." I looked down at my skill window, but all the skills were locked.

Unlock conditions? I searched high and low, but I couldn't find them anywhere. Was I supposed to figure them out myself?

"You said your name was Kyle?"

"Yes."

"Did you use a Relic?"

"A Relic?"

The professor nodded. "No, I don't have any Relics."

Relics—items containing the power of the gods. Created by humans in the past to oppose the gods, using them granted the power to fight back. The reason humans today could fight without losing their territory to the gods was entirely thanks to the power of these Relics.

'It’s a shame I don't have that important Relic.' In the game, I think I got three or four just by running a dungeon once. Are there dungeons here, too?

"You don't have a Relic?"

"No."

"...."

The professor fell into deep thought for a moment. Soon, she grabbed my arm and stood me on a circle drawn on the floor. "We're starting the test."

"The test?"

"You must have heard everything from the Chairwoman. You just have to shoot the target directly in front of you without moving."

When the professor snapped her fingers, a clattering sound echoed from the ceiling. It was the sound of the lights turning on. Even with the lights on, all that entered my vision was darkness.

"Tell me when you're ready."

'Ready or not...' There wasn't just one target. There were five targets visible right in front of me. And the most annoying thing was... the moving target that left light trails. A square board was moving rapidly from side to side. Because of its swift movement, the light on its edges left trails, creating a distraction.

"...."

"Are you ready?"

I raised my bow. I was confident I could hit the four stationary targets, but the one that left trails in its wake bothered me strangely. Can I hit it? That thought took root in my mind. I didn't have the confidence that I would hit it.

"I am ready."

I picked up an arrow and drew the string. I fired at the target. Thwack! Naturally, the arrow landed in the center of the stationary target. Seeing that, the professor crossed her arms and scrutinized me.

'I can't feel any Relic power at all.'

'Did he really hit the dummy without a Relic?' She had thought it was a coincidence, but it wasn't. He was hitting the target accurately with pure skill. 'He's a monster.'

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Three arrows were embedded in the targets. Finally, I aimed at the moving target. 'What do I do?' Because of the trails, I didn't know where ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to place the arrowhead. The drawn bowstring vibrated, expressing its distress. A scream, begging to be released. 'I need to get a feel for it first.'

Twang. As I released the string, the arrow flew toward the target. But the arrow pierced through the afterimage and embedded itself in the wall.

"Why? Can't you hit it?"

"...."

I quietly pulled out an arrow and prepared to answer. I just had to stay calm. If I didn't worry about where it had been and just looked at the moving border...

Twang—Thwack! The arrow missed the edge of the target and embedded itself in the wall. The professor, who had been watching silently, shook her head.

'Can he not hit moving objects?' Even if he was blind, her evaluation had to be cold. If she set different standards for him just because he had a disability, it was obvious there would be talk among the other professors. Above all, there were no enemies that didn't move. Since this place was meant to raise children to be sent to the battlefield, she had to look at him with a cold, objective gaze.

'I have to say, "Fail."' To survive in the academy, one had to be strong. Especially since his specialty was archery, it would be hard for him to compete with other students here. Without a Relic, his pure skill was far from enough to overwhelm the others.

'Archery in this day and age.' It would have been better if it were a sword or magic. Even if he couldn't see, he could have covered that with a Relic somehow. 'What a waste of talent.'

There was only one arrow left in the quiver. There were already ten arrows stuck in the wall.

"Ha... was it a waste of time?" The professor stepped forward, unable to watch any longer.

"...."

The string was pulled taut. Even as sweat trickled down his cheek, his posture remained unshaken. He pushed his concentration to the limit, his arrowhead following the moving target.

'What kind of nonsense...' His refusal to give up made her unable to tell him to stop.

Twang—! With a crisp sound, Thwack!!! A dull thud echoed from the target. The arrow had barely managed to land within the border.

"Hoo..." I caught my breath. I had shot the arrow following the target, but because of the time it took for the arrow to fly and the movement of the target, I kept missing. So, I predicted the path and fired. It was a shame it didn't hit the center, but I had gained one piece of information from this. Don't rely on skills. The unique skill Sniping that Kyle possessed wasn't a panacea. When I saw "Ensures the arrow hits," I thought it could even hit a flying bird. When I fired, it did fly toward the target. The problem was that by the time the arrow arrived, the target had already moved from the spot I had aimed at. Did "Ensures the arrow hits" mean the spot I saw and aimed at?

'Look at that description.' They should have written important things like that in detail.

Clap, clap, clap. Applause rang out in a steady rhythm.

"You hit it after all. How did you do that?"

"Pardon?"

"You, can you see the target? How did you hit all of them?"

How was I supposed to explain this? I could see, but not perfectly. "Um... by instinct?"

"...You're joking, right?"

A faint smile played on my lips. "If it's hard to explain, never mind. You wouldn't be convinced even if I told you anyway."

She scratched the side of her hair vigorously. "Haa... I don't know what that woman is thinking. Why would she bring a kid like this..."

"Am I accepted?"

A stinging gaze pricked at my skin. It felt like needles piercing my entire body.

"From now on, call me Professor Elia."

Elia...? "Is it perhaps Elia Rubenhart?"

"You know me?"

I knew her all too well. The hero of the Disaster, known as the Lady of the Storm. A terrifying woman who knew how to push the power of a Relic to its limit. She had a history of driving away a god using the wind-attribute Relic, Tempest. I could only see outlines, so I wasn't sure who it was, but now that I thought about it, the voice was the same. Why hadn't I realized it?

"If you know me, it seems there's no need for self-introductions."

"I did hear that you were the one who drove away the Disaster."

"That's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quite a grand rumor. Follow me, I'll take you to your class."

— It was suffocating. As I entered the classroom following Elia, a buzz of noise spread. It felt like a bug had crawled into my ear and was scratching at my eardrum.

Thwack!

"Quiet."

When Elia struck the podium with a piece of paper, the chaotic classroom fell silent as if it had never been noisy at all.

"This is a special student. He'll be attending our academy on the Chairwoman's recommendation, so treat him well. Kyle, come up and introduce yourself."

I swallowed hard. The attention of so many people focused on me was burdensome. "I'm Kyle Crane, and I use a bow."

"You all heard him, right? Your seat is..." Elia moved her pupils here and there, looking for an empty seat. "Lucy, is the seat next to you empty?"

"Pardon? Ah... yes..." The female student answered timidly.

"You can sit there. I'll take you to your seat."

"Ah, it's fine. I can go by myself."

"Do you even know where it is to go by yourself?"

At her words, laughter erupted from the front. As I took a step forward, the laughter vanished cleanly. The empty seat Elia was looking at was in the middle of the classroom. 'I can go by myself because I can see.' Was it because I was nervous? The muscles in my legs, which had been moving just fine, started to spasm.

Thump—!!

I bumped my thigh against a desk. The student sitting there raised his head. "Ah, sorry..."

"Watch where you're going."

The student, who had whipped his head back, exchanged glances with a guy behind him. The guy who exchanged the look nodded his head.

Tap, tap. The sound of footsteps stopped abruptly. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Because of a leg that had suddenly shot out from below, my walk came to a halt.

"...."

'What is this.' The guy was slowly moving his leg forward. Was he hoping I'd trip and fall? 'I can't believe there's still a guy who does such childish things.'

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Sigh..."

I could only let out a sigh. The group sitting next to the guy was giggling quietly.

"What are you doing?" Elia asked, looking at me as I stood still.

"It hurts a bit because I bumped into the desk." I smiled brightly. 'Should I play along with this or not?'

"Go sit down quickly, we have to start class."

"Yes."

.......

Given Elia's personality, she wouldn't make a scene over something like this. 'Since it's come to this, should I just lean into the blind concept?' I slowly turned my head toward the guy. The guy's shoulders flinched.

"What, can he see?" The guy whispered to himself.

I smiled brightly and walked forward. Thwack—!! Like kicking a soccer ball, I slammed my instep into his leg. Along with a satisfying sound effect, Crash—!! I pretended to trip over his leg and fell to the floor, but it was fine.

"Gaaaaah...!!"

Because the bastard was grabbing his leg, writhing in pain.