Chapter - 15 : Progress

(Continuation…)

(Third Person View)

The setting sun cast a warm glow over the training ground, where a skilled young Archer, just sixteen years old, stood poised and focused.

The training ground around him was a sight to behold. There were Hundreds of arrows he had shot scattered all over.

Targets of different distances were set up, some with arrows still stuck in them. The sun made the sharp points of the arrows glow warmly.

His sweat-soaked training attire clung to his sweaty body, a testament to the effort he put into his practice.

His rough, torn hands held the Bow tightly.

"aaaahhhhhhh…."(Rai)

With a deep inhale, he put an arrow on the bowstring, then pulled it back, his biceps and triceps straining against the weight and his muscles shaking.

The young man's breathing got faster, and his chest went up and down quickly.

However, his sharp black eyes were totally focused on the target, like nothing else mattered.

Finally, he let go of the arrow.

—Whoosh!~

—Twang!!

It flew through the air with a sharp sound, followed by the vibration of the bowstring in milliseconds.

His hands shook even more as he let the bowstring slip away.

—Thwack!

The arrow hit the middle of the target, leading to a bullseye with a solid thump.

His whole body was trembling from working so hard and feeling so thrilled.

Looking around at all the arrows he'd shot and the targets he'd hit, it was clear he'd been practising a lot.

As the sun continued to go down more, making long shadows, the young man's breathing slowed down.

"That completes today's goal."(Rai)

Rai declared in a soft voice.

Standing there with the empty quiver and red marks on his hands, possibly bruises caused by excessive archery.

Nonetheless, his face reflected a sense of serenity and advancement, like he had achieved something significant, as he stood tall, pleased with the effort he had been putting in.

.

(Rai's POV)

"That completes today's goal."(Rai)

I declared with a sense of satisfaction, but my hands were still numb from the intense Archery training.

It would probably take at least ten more minutes for the feeling to return.

But I must admit, my body is still too weak to handle such intense Archery training.

"*chuckle…"(Rai)

I chuckled at the thought, realising how unaccustomed I was to such rigorous physical activity, and couldn't help but wonder if I had been living under a rock all this time.

Before regaining my memories, I never would have imagined myself engaging in training like this.

Like, come on! Shouldn't the Prince who is next in line to become King be supposed to receive some basic formal training?

And here I am, planning to join the toughest Military Academy with this weak and fragile body of mine.

Recalling the moment when a lone bandit knocked me out with a single hit to the head, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed by my own weakness.

I really should have realised it then itself…

"Missions…"(Rai)

I whispered wearily, glancing at the window of the mysterious System to which I have become accustomed.

◤────────────────────────◥

◆[System Note : Another Mission will be provided once the Host completes any.]

∇───[Missions]───∇

#[1]-Shoot Ten-Thousand[:10000] Bullseye

➠Reward : {3-Y.Exp} in [Archery]

Progression : [19%]

∇──────────────∇

◣────────────────────────◢

I still have a long way ahead…

Glancing at the system note, the challenge to shoot ten thousand bullseyes-The difficult task-is still present, to which I have only made 19% progress so far.

I knew I had a long way ahead, but at least I was making some progress.

More importantly, it is better than the first day of my training.

On the first day, I struggled to even shoot 100 bullseyes, with my arrows often going astray.

Me being a little clumsy and my lack of familiarity with the bow are two reasons.

And the other being that I just played around most of the part.

Well, playing around was not the right word…

-Attempts-

It's more like I tested it out with a few unconventional and failed attempts while trying to trigger the System.

Like the System only said–

-I need to hit the target with a Bullseye.

So I got this idea, what if the Bullseye point is big, like really big?

Would the System consider it?

And let's not forget my other brilliant idea of shooting from ridiculously close distances.

The System did not clarify, neither the distance between the target and me nor the size of the target, right?

So what if I hit the target at a closer distance?

Like really close, just a few feet away.

But yeah!

None of them worked out in the end.

You should have seen the raised eyebrows from Kavir and the face he made at the time when I did that.

So I can at least say it is not a total waste, as it served to amuse my loyal companion.

Now that I think about it once again, I did play around for the most part I guess.

Speaking of Kavir, I realised something…

I hadn't seen Kavir today, which is odd, like really.

But it isn't a bad feeling.

"A little alone time is not such a bad thing once in a while."

Remembering the good old days of my 25-year-old bachelor life existence, I muttered to myself.

Guess I can take a breather.

After checking the progression one last time, I decided to take a bath to freshen myself up as I was soaked in sweat.

I decided to visit Elza after freshening up, so I headed back to my cabin.

.

(After half an hour…)

(Rai' POV)

As I walked through the halls, heading to visit Elza after a short and refreshing bath.

The sun had long descended beyond the horizon, calling it a day.

The Knights on guard duty and the maids passing by greeted me warmly, and of course, I returned the greeting with a smile.

I kept walking down the hallway until I heard a faint but clear sound in the distance.

But amidst this silence, a faint but distinct sound reached my ears – the rhythmic clanging of metal meeting metal.

It was an odd occurrence that disturbed the peaceful mood of the castle at night.

My interest was piqued by intrigue, forcing me to stop my steps.

I turned and scanned the hallway I had just come from as I followed the sound to its source.

Soon I stopped in my tracks as I found a figure in a patch of moonlight that seemed to emphasise her presence.

The same figure I had been seeing quite often recently, a silhouette standing there.

…with a Sword in her hand.

Well, if I had not mentioned-

Princess Viviana Rosalind is SwordsWoman.

A Monstrously talented one at that.

And honestly, what did you expect? She is the second Protagonist of the Novel [War Zone].

Were you thinking of a weak and fragile type of flower girl?

Well, she is far from it.

"Aaaaahhhh…"(Rosalind)

With each swing of her sword, she emitted a sound of excitement and determination.

Her eyes sparkled with passion as she honed her craft, pouring her heart and soul into each strike.

Watching her, I couldn't help but feel captivated by the elegance and grace of her movements, as well as the sheer power she wielded with the sword.

.

(To be continued…)

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Chapter words : 1240

Total words : 20.99K