Chapter 8 Archery

Standing on the short grass-filled ground in the backyard, I looked towards the red-white target with a round shape in front of me.

Taking out a wooden arrow from the quiver, and pulled the tight bowstring.

I focused my eyes on the target.

Even a slight moment might result in a miss.

I focused on the target and held my breath for a couple of seconds. After confirming everything, I released the arrow.

Sweeeeeeeeesh. Thud!

The arrow hit the target slightly off the center, which was an excellent shot.

"Huuuu..."

I released the breath, which I was holding for quite a long time now.

"Good one, Eon!"

Dad shouted from the sides.

"Nice one~, baby!"

Mom also cheered me from the balcony.

'He has improved this much in just a week. That's really impressive~.'

She thought as she looked down at him from the balcony with a proud look.

"Ok, now next. Let's try multiple arrow shooting."

I smiled brightly and picked up my bow.

'I never thought I had a talent for archery in real life.'

Though I have always played games in <Archer> or similar class, I never tried that in real life.

Maybe my previous life's gaming experience played a role but, I learned the real thing pretty fast.

Archery in this world is not only about shooting an arrow but about the understanding of the weapon and the [Techniques] or [Arts].

The technique of shooting multiple arrows at the same time or shooting many arrows at a very fast speed is mostly used by experienced archers.

But most of those things are very difficult to do in reality.

You can't shoot 20 arrows at the same time without any knowledge of how to do that.

Practice and understanding of the concept are very important in this field of weaponry.

'But I was able to learn how to fire 3 arrows at the same time after training to hold the arrow for some time!'

I took out three arrows from my back at the same time.

Holding three of them in my gloved hands, between the fingers, I pulled the bowstring.

"Good luck Eon!"

"You can do it~."

Dad and mom cheered with anticipation in their eyes.

I looked toward the three lined-up targets at the front.

I fixed my eyes on the center of each target one by one.

This was my first time practicing with three arrows while mom and dad watching so I was a bit nervous.

I took a deep breath and stood in the position.

'Here goes nothing.'

Sweeeeeeeeesh. Thud. Thud. Shwish.

I released the bowstring, and the arrows shot forward in unity.

But...

One was on the target, just slightly away from the center, like before.

One was on the corner of the target.

And the last one just brushed past the target and flew backward.

"It's okay! That was also amazing!"

Dad instantly exclaimed, thinking that I was disappointed.

"Keep it up! You can do it this time~!"

Mom shouted with a cheerful voice.

'It's already impressive that he can shoot all three of them at once!' she thought, looking at the targets and the arrows.

But instead of listening to them, I took out the next batch of arrows.

'I will have to take wind current, direction, and the other factors more seriously.'

There are sometimes many factors you have to consider with a projectile.

'I need more practice, anyway.'

I got in the position and repeated the previous process.

This time...

Sweeeeeeeeesh. Thud. Swish. Thud.

The middle one got missed and the last one stuck to the edge of the target.

But it did not disappoint me at all.

I sharply focused my eyes on the targets only.

The surrounding world was getting blurry to me.

Repeating this process again, I shot the third batch of arrows.

Sweeeeeeeeeesh. Thud. Thud. Thud.

All of them hit the target this time!

The first one was even at the perfect center.

The cheers of my happy parents entered my ears.

"Wow~. Awesome Eon! Very good!"

Mom clapped loudly with a proud smile on her face.

"Amazing! My little boy could even beat experienced hunters just with this!"

Dad said with a cheerful expression and sparkling eyes.

'This is tough.'

Though I have learned how to handle three arrows at once, I need more practice with target hitting.

'Well, this should be good enough.'

"Huuuuuu...Huuuuuu…"

I took some deep breaths and released them slowly, channeling some of the inner energy to lessen my fatigue.

I walked towards dad and sat down next to him.

"Here. Drink this."

He handed me a glass of orange juice, which he made with fresh oranges.

"It's good!" I exclaimed after just one sip.

I unconsciously said it out loud, but it was truly refreshing.

"That's right! I made it with extra care! I knew you would like it!"

Dad said proudly, holding a transparent jar which was now just slightly less than half.

"Your mom likes this, too. You two are the same~."

Dad continued after some time.

His eyes had a happy and nostalgic look.

"Ok then. That should be enough for today."

Holding the bow, which was half of my height, I stood up and made my way towards the door.

Today was good enough. I was able to refine my long-distance arrow and improve the triple arrow firing.

But there was one thing I felt was weird.

'The last batch which all hit the target felt... different?'

The feeling was a first for me. Only seeing the target and almost nothing else.

'This was like what I heard most expert athletes feel when they are hyper-focused on their goal.'

But, I am still far away from that. I could feel that.

Though my learning speed is quite fast, I will still need a lot more practice to grasp that feeling.

'Well, I have all the time I would need for that. There is also a lot more for me to learn regarding archery.'

There were many other techniques that I had to even try first.

Mom gave me some books on archery on my birthday, so I was happy.

Dad had a special gift for me. I touched a small pendant on my neck.

' A <Mana Crystal>.'

<Mana Crystal> is a natural mineral that is naturally created and is only found in deep caves with high Mana in very small quantities.

This processed pendant is a rare item on the market, and very few artisans know how to handle these things properly.

The <Mana> inside the pendant is in a condensed state that doesn't circulate and gets discharged in nature unless it's used as a source by someone to cast a spell or differently.

'I can speed up my <Awakening> process with this if I want to, but I will hold on to it for any possible future emergencies.'

I had a long way to go already.

'So, let's put everything on the side and eat something~.'

I have to eat a lot to grow faster; you know.

***

'Status Window'

============

Name: Axion Kromet

Age:5

Strength:10

Dexterity:12

Stamina:13

Magic Power:9

Intelligence:18

Luck:11

Charm:9

[Skills: Energy Circulation]

[Origin Skill: Sun's Blessing]

============

'Hmm. Not bad.'

Almost all of my stats were in the range of 10.

Only the MP and charm were stuck at 9.

After some time of quiet thinking, I thought to myself.

'MP will rise significantly once I go through the <Awakening> and create my <Mana Nucleus>. And I don't have to worry about charm at all.'

I looked at myself in the large mirror in the room.

'I look like a prince of a fairytale. What will I do in the future?'

With sparkling blond hair like midday sun and ruby red eyes that can charm anyone, I was already many times more handsome than in my previous life.

'I now wish I was a little less pretty.'

I never thought about it but, my appearance might result in some problems in the future.

'Well, I really don't have to worry about it for now.'

Worrying about the unknown future is not a good thing.

Things will work out somehow. At least... I believe that.

The thing I have to worry about is my next part of the training, which obviously is 'core creation'.

There was still some time left for the night, so I got to the library.

Reading is one of my hobbies now.

I read almost all the time when I was not doing training or eating.

My parents are amazing to let me do what I want if it is not dangerous.

They are sweet and thoughtful to buy me many books which even they know a 5-year-old kid could not entirely understand.

They know that I am different from most kids in many aspects, so they support me and help me with anything I need.

'They think they are fortunate ones, but it's the other way around.'

I smiled in relief.

Well, let's not think about that and do some homework on the next arrow technique I will be practicing.

I also have to improve my senses to do some cool stuff with arrows later when I have mastered some other tricks.

I got to the library and opened the archery guide that mom gifted me and started flipping the pages.

I stopped on a page with some drownings and looked at the title of the technique.

[Arrow spin]

'Though difficult, this one will be interesting.'

I smiled lightly and started reading about it.