Chapter 18: Incredible Archery Techniques

"Long-distance attacks," Tyrak mumbled as the gears in his mind quickly turned. His eyes lit up as he recalled all the skills he had learned from his dad before he became a slave. "Doesn't that mean I would have a chance against peak-stage apprentice warlocks if I relied on bows and arrows? I would use my speed to continuously escape the range of their attacks while simultaneously launching volleys of arrows at them. That could give me an advantage."

Tamara's eyes lit up. "That's possible. But you'll have to be quite skilled at archery to stand a chance of ever threatening a peak-stage apprentice warlock from a distance. Additionally, you will need specialized arrows and potent skills to break their defenses and injure them. If I may ask, do you have any experience with archery?"

"I learned archery from my dad during my younger years," Tyrak said. "I only need to polish my skills a bit to master the basics again. Maybe, I'll regain my feel for archery before the ruin appears."

"How long has it been since you last held a bow and an arrow?" Tamara asked.

"Almost seven years," Tyrak replied truthfully. "But worry not. My parents used to say that I could become a prodigy in archery with some practice."

"Oh!" Tamara exclaimed. "If that's the case, then you might have a chance. You might succeed."

Tyrak nodded, his eyes full of expectation. He flicked his wrist, and a large bow, at least a third of his height, appeared in his left hand. But he didn't stop at that. He also summoned an arrow from his storage ring and held it in his other hand.

"That's quite a nice bow weapon. What do you plan on doing?" Tamara asked while watching his actions with a calm expression.

"Trying out archery, of course." Tyrak flashed her a smile and nocked the arrow onto the bowstring.

Tamara's pretty lips twitched at the corners, and she nodded. "Can you try hitting that tree just beside the stream? Be careful. Don’t hurt yourself." She said while pointing at the tree in question.

Tyrak followed the direction of her finger and noticed that the tree was roughly sixty yards away. He smiled confidently and said, "The target is at an acceptable distance. Maybe, I can hit it on the first try."

"Okay, go for it," Tamara cheered from the side. "Let's see if you have the skills to match your bragging."

Tyrak ignored her and focused on the tree. After judging the distance, he took a deep breath as all the archery basics he had learned from his dad flashed through his mind. He visualized all the steps of shooting an arrow, from stance, finger placement, hand placement, bow arm alignment, drawing, anchoring, holding, aiming, release and follow through. Then, he raised his bow, pulled back the string, and swiftly let the arrow fly.

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"Whoosh!"

Tyrak's newly enhanced fitness worked like a charm, and the arrow flew forward like a dark lightning bolt. It was faster than he could have expected. Before he could blink, the sharp arrowhead punctured the tree, leaving only a third of the arrow shaft exposed.

"What power!" Tamara exclaimed from the side. "The strength of your arrow is good, and your accuracy is spot on. You might really be skilled in archery. Try hitting the same target from twice the distance away."

"Okay, I will try." Tyrak's hopes had already soared. He quickly ran along the stream, heading away from the tree. After reaching the border of the forest clearing, he judged that there were almost a hundred-plus yards between him and the target. He whirled around and took his firing stance.

He nimbly nocked the arrow, pulled the bowstring back, and let the arrow fly. But he didn't just stop at that. He summoned a second arrow from his storage ring and let it soar toward the target. Then, as a finishing touch, he called forth the third and also unleashed it towards the very same tree a hundred-plus yards away.

Tyrak's fitness had grown to an incredible level after he refined his twelve primary meridians. His motions were swift beyond measure. In a short span of less than three seconds, he had released three arrows toward the target. They chased each other like flying swallows before quickly puncturing the same tree. Moreover, they were all concentrated in one spot and barely inches apart after hitting the target.

"Amazing..." Tamara gasped. "You're really skilled with the bow. But why were you having trouble hunting rabbits if you were this good at archery?"

Tyrak chuckled and scratched his nose. "Well... I wasn't sure about the level of my archery skills, especially after spending the last seven years without touching a bow. I could only try hunting the rabbits by relying on my own speed."

Tamara stared at him and shook her head. "All I can say is you're a bit dumb."

Tyrak smiled sheepishly at that without making any retort. In fact, he was also pretty much surprised by his skills with the bow. During his younger years, he didn't have the required strength to pull the bowstring to its full extent. As such, his skills were only amateurish, and he often struggled to hit targets more than sixty yards away.

Tyrak had expected those mediocre archery skills of his to regress after he spent the last seven years without touching a bow. But surprisingly, they had improved and allowed him to achieve the level of a skilled ranger. Most likely, it was because of the enhancement of his physical fitness. His heightened perception and more robust body allowed him to execute perfect shooting motions by relying only on the training he had received from his dad more than seven years ago.

"Okay, you can return," Tamara yelled. "Let's continue sparring and see if you can threaten me with your bow."

Tyrak hurriedly jogged back before standing about a dozen yards from Tamara.

"As you should know, there are never stationary targets during battle," she said. "So, I have to ask before we continue. Do you think you can hit moving targets with your arrows?"

Tyrak narrowed his eyes and said, "I should be able to. But my accuracy will drop."

"That's understandable," Tamara said. "If you can hit a moving target three times after shooting ten arrows. That's enough to threaten your opponent. Let's continue sparring. Be careful! I won't show mercy this time."

"Can I go all out?" He asked, just to be sure.

"Don't hold back," she replied. "Let me see the full extent of your strength with the bow."

Tyrak nodded. He summoned an arrow from his spatial ring and nocked it onto the bowstring. Without waiting for Tamara to finish chanting, he drew the string back and let the arrow fly.