After a moment, the Amazon stopped laughing. Her expression suddenly turned serious as she glanced lightly at me.
Damn it, I didn't expect this Amazon's aura to be so strong when she got serious. No wonder there was a large empty space around her; this is the treatment an Expert gets. Why didn't I think of that just now?
Under the gaze of her clear blue eyes, cold sweat immediately broke out on me.
"Hmm, you hit it..."
She watched for a long time before gently nodding. Her voice was very clear, like a spirit, but it carried an intensity that spirits lacked.
What, I hit it? I hit it?
Haha, an Expert is an Expert, doesn't even need to aim.
At this moment, the strong aura emanating from the Amazon was immediately ignored by me.
"Is that so?"
I glanced at her indifferently and said nonchalantly, flicking my sleeve (cough cough, I mean hand).
"It's nothing, I'm already used to it."
I gently wiped the body of the bow, as if stroking a lover. My gaze was so gentle, yet my voice was so cold and indifferent.
A passionate archer with heartless arrows, perhaps this is the realm.
"Hmm," the Amazon nodded. "But I'm not used to it, so don't shoot down my target again in the future."
"Cough..."
My hand froze in mid-air. That bow, like a lover who had grown old and faded, could no longer be stroked.
I secretly glanced at the Amazon's target. OMG, was that a target? You're lying, it was more like a mosquito.
Hundreds of meters away, at least 4 or 5 times my distance, a tiny Hardened Skin Rat was nimbly scurrying around. At this moment, a "stray" arrow was stuck in the body of this poor Hardened Skin Rat.
This time I really was wielding a broadsword in front of Guan Gong; I lost face big time.
But who am I? Wu Fan. We can lose the person, but not the stance. I politely cupped my fists and bowed to the Amazon.
"I was itching to show off my skills for a moment and couldn't resist... I am truly very sorry."
The Amazon had been paying attention to me from the start. Seeing me place the huge beast's target 100 meters away and my rookie posture when drawing the bow, she already knew how embarrassing my level was. I couldn't believe that someone like this could actually pass the God's Test and advance to become an Adventurer. Had God's requirements for Adventurers been relaxed to such an extent?
Hearing my reply at this moment, even she was dumbfounded. There should be a limit to how shameless a person can be; his face was so thick it was almost defying heaven. He didn't know his own strength, but if shamelessness counted as an ability, then his Class Change was certainly more than enough. No, it was practically burying talent.
"Cough cough..."
Seeing the atmosphere fall silent, I coughed a few times unnaturally. Suddenly, I thought, where were Doug and Geoff?
I looked back and saw Doug and Geoff standing far away, their faces pale, looking at me with the gaze one would use for a dead person.
"Doug, Geoff, what's wrong? Come over quickly!"
Big-mouthed Doug uncharacteristically didn't say a word. Instead, he and Geoff desperately shook their heads in unison and continued to retreat a few steps.
Hmph, if you're not coming, fine. Good intentions get no reward. Looking at your spineless, pathetic look, I muttered softly. Turning around, I found the Amazon opposite me looking at me with a half-smile.
"Is... is something wrong?"
My "Expert" demeanor crumbled without attack. I was utterly pathetic, once again intimidated by her imposing presence, and my voice softened a bit.
The Amazon didn't speak. Her face seemed to carry a smile, yet gave off a very cold feeling. She ignored me, turned around, drew her bow with both hands, and with a few whooshing sounds, without even seeming to aim, the Hardened Skin Rat scurrying around in the distance suddenly had several more arrows in its body. OMG, the Diablo version of Li Guang...
My hands trembled as I raised the bow, but the arrows I nocked just wouldn't shoot out. Of course, how could they? Next to me was a badass with an AK-47 going berserk, while I was holding a water gun. How could I possibly be embarrassed to take it out and show off?
Forget it, I've already lost face completely anyway, what else is there to fear? I gritted my teeth, aimed at my target, and pulled hard.
This is bad! The moment I let go, I knew something was wrong. When I released it, the angle of the nock I was pinching was slightly off, and the bowstring didn't get much force at all.
Sure enough, that arrow traveled at an extremely leisurely speed, wobbling and spinning a few times in the air, tracing a subtle parabola before falling at the foot of the target.
The gaze from the side turned back towards me. I could even feel a mocking expression of someone watching a show within that gaze.
Hmph, anyway, I've already given up and decided to act recklessly, a dead pig doesn't fear boiling water. Today, I'll let you see what an Expert is!
I looked up profoundly and unfathomably, gazing into the clear blue sky. Then, I took out some knowledge I learned from who knows which military novel, licked my finger with my tongue to get a bit of saliva on it, and then stuck my finger out to sense the wind direction.
"Oh, it's an updraft today! No wonder my absolutely certain, a hundred hits out of a hundred shots, shooting through a willow leaf at a thousand paces arrow actually fell on the ground!" I suddenly realized.
"Whoosh!"
The Amazon beauty next to me shot an arrow onto the ground over 10 meters away from her target.
Hmph hmph, if I can't fool you, can't I disgust you to death?
Sharna stared speechlessly at the man before her. She had seen many shameless people, but never one so utterly shameless. She was already secretly called eccentric and strange by others for her personality, but compared to this Druid in front of her, Sharna felt she was as normal as the strictest Elder in the Amazon Tribe.
However, it seemed this little Druid didn't know his own "Title". Moreover, even if he didn't know his "Title", he clearly understood her strength from those few arrows just now, yet he still dared to act silly in front of her. This kid was interesting, truly too interesting. Although his strength was simply too horrible to look at, compared to those good-for-nothings who thought they were normal, he suited her taste.
Looking at the arrow she had just shot crookedly, Sharna suddenly realized. How many years had it been since she had shot an arrow crookedly here? 5 years? 10 years? It seemed that ever since undergoing 5 years of brutal training here, she hadn't missed a single shot. Then she spent a full 8 years undergoing Class Change to become an Amazon, and another 4 years after that to possess her current strength. 12 years! It passed in the blink of an eye.
Sharna looked at the little Druid beside her with a complex expression. It was clearly him who had caused her to suffer such great humiliation for the first time in 12 years. He was clearly just a little Druid who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, yet she surprisingly didn't get angry. What kind of feeling was this?
Sigh, it seemed she was truly becoming more soft-hearted. If it were in the past, she would have already beaten him half to death.
Sharna glared fiercely at the little Druid before her with her round eyes. Having shot an arrow crookedly, she no longer had the mood to continue practicing.
Straightening up her proud body gracefully, she casually threw the bow and arrow in her hand onto the ground. Her golden hair flowed as she walked, dazzling like a golden galaxy. Sharna left without hesitation. There were only a few thousand Adventurers in the Rogue Encampment; finding someone wouldn't be difficult.
We'll definitely meet again, you stinky kid. Even if it's just for that arrow just now, this old lady will remember you.
As we brushed past each other, in the blind spot of my vision, Sharna rarely revealed a faint smile. It spread across her exquisite and delicate oval face, enchanting and beautiful like a poppy flower, full of fatal temptation. Unfortunately, I didn't have the fortune to see it, and those who did see it didn't have the fortune to enjoy it.
"Did you see it? Sharna's smile of death."
Doug was trembling beside me, and Geoff quickly nodded. The two poor kids almost huddled together; it seemed they were scared stiff.
"What are you two doing over there? Come over quickly!"
After Sharna left, that large empty space began to be eyed by others. Sharna was like a wild beast leader; when she was there, no one dared to approach even an inch, but the moment she left, those lingering in the Training Ground immediately spotted prey and started walking towards this side.
"Come over quickly! If you don't come now, there won't be any spots left!"
I indignantly shouted at the two Barbarians who were still spacing out. Damn it, they call themselves Barbarians? They should just be called soft-legged shrimp!
The two Barbarians walked forward. Doug lightly patted my shoulder and said, choked up, "Dear Wu, please take care."
"Damn..." Before I could even speak, Geoff actually stepped forward and patted my other shoulder. "Wu, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?"
Look, look, what Geoff said was practical, unlike Doug who just talks vague, empty, boundless nonsense. Wait, no, what are you guys saying? What 'take care', what 'unfulfilled wishes'? Huh?
...
...
Under their guidance, I quickly mastered the standing shot posture. Of course, this was just the absolute basics. There was also the concealed crouching shot, and the prone shot used for ambushing people. These were just fixed postures. Later, it would get harder. First, you had to practice attacking moving targets, then practice archery on stationary targets while running, then aiming and shooting at targets in relative irregular motion. And then, there were many more 'thens'. In short, this was a practice that you knew was very mentally and physically exhausting just by hearing about it. To reach those later levels, you'd need to practice for at least ten or eight years. Maybe that Amazon just now could do it. Me? Right now? I'd be cheering if I could hit a stationary huge beast over 100 meters away while standing.
Fortunately, for classes like us who aren't proficient in archery, we don't need to reach the later difficulties. But at the very least, we must be able to hit moving enemies while stationary. I'm still far from that.
Geoff was truly worthy of the title of the number one Barbarian archer. He could already perform the high-difficulty task of shooting enemies in relative motion, with an accuracy rate of at least 60%. Moreover, his teaching was very careful and comprehensive, unlike Doug, who couldn't think of any good methods besides striking an archery posture and constantly telling me to imitate him.
Practicing bow and arrow was not something that could be achieved overnight for me, so I wasn't in a hurry, nor could I be. After practicing for a few hours on the Training Ground, I returned to the Inn with the two Barbarian brothers, who had faces full of black lines.
(end of chapter)