Chapter 145: Archery Perfection
Surrounded by the crowd, Duane and Elwin arrived at the archery range, where Elwin was explaining the rules of the competition.
"The targets here have nine concentric rings, numbered 1 to 9 from the outside in. You score points corresponding to the ring you hit. For example, hitting the first ring gets you 1 point."
"A bullseye is worth 10 points."
Elwin held out his hand, taking a Longbow. With a casual motion, he drew the bow and let an arrow fly. It landed in the seventh ring for 7 points.
This showed that his Archery was indeed quite good.
"We each get six arrows: three stationary shots, and three while running. At the end, we’ll tally the scores. Highest score wins. How does that sound?"
Duane nodded. "The rules are clear. No problem."
Elwin smiled smugly. "Good. Then I’ll go first."
He took an arrow, drew a deep breath, and slowly pulled back the bowstring. He aimed, then fired.
TWANG!
The bowstring snapped with a thunderous crack. The arrow crossed a distance of two hundred meters and struck the bullseye dead center!
"Woohoo!"
Someone let out an excited cheer, shouting, "10 points!"
Elwin’s heart surged with excitement. ’Yes, this is it,’ he thought. ’This feeling of being cheered on. Today, I’m the star of the show.’
He drew and fired a second time, but perhaps due to his excitement, this arrow went slightly astray, hitting only the seventh ring.
’Seven points. Not bad...’
He drew and fired once more. THWACK! Another bullseye.
Someone shouted, "Stationary shots, 27 points!"
Elwin handed the Longbow to Duane. "Your turn. No pressure."
Duane smiled as he accepted the Longbow. He drew the string slightly to test its draw weight, then slowly eased it back.
From watching Elwin’s posture and the extent of his draw, Duane had already gotten a basic feel for the bow.
After testing it himself, he knew exactly how to handle it.
Duane took an arrow, then drew, aimed, and fired, his movements utterly fluid.
The arrow flew through the air and struck the ninth ring.
"9 points!"
Someone exclaimed.
Elwin’s expression darkened as he stared at Duane in disbelief. ’How is his Archery this good too?’
After just one shot, he felt immense pressure.
If he lost a challenge he had personally initiated, how could he ever show his face again!
Duane drew his bow and fired a second time.
SWISH!
The arrow struck the eighth ring for 8 points!
Elwin relaxed slightly. ’I’m safe. Even if his third shot is a bullseye, the most he can do is tie my score.’
Soon, it was time for the third arrow.
Duane narrowed his eyes, aiming for the ninth ring.
The arrow flew true, striking its mark.
"A 9 on the third arrow! For a total of 26 points!"
"Elwin is in the lead!"
Duane smiled and handed the bow back. "It seems your Archery is a cut above mine."
"Hahaha! The competition isn’t over yet. Anything could still happen."
Elwin took the Longbow, walked three hundred meters away, and then began to run.
While running, he drew the Longbow and began to take aim.
It was difficult enough to hit the target while moving like this, let alone score high.
But he had practiced for this.
The arrow flew with a whistle, striking the seventh ring for 7 points.
"7 points! A little low!"
Elwin clenched his fist. ’Duane’s Archery is good,’ he thought, getting into position again. ’I have to crush his confidence with a high score, make him feel the pressure so he misses.’
He started running again. His second arrow smoothly struck the ninth ring, and the third did the same.
"7, 9, and 9! That’s 25 points for the moving shots!"
"Elwin’s grand total is 52 points!"
With a maximum possible score of 60 for six arrows, 52 was an extremely high score.
"Duane, Archery is all about your state of mind. Don’t feel the pressure," he said, already certain of his victory.
"Thanks for the tip."
Duane took the Longbow and began to run, matching Elwin’s distance and speed.
He drew his bow and fired.
The first arrow: a bullseye!
"Ooooh..."
The spectators gasped in awe.
Scoring 10 points while on the move was incredibly difficult!
Elwin clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. ’Just blind luck!’ he thought.
A slight smirk touched Duane’s lips as he walked back to the starting point to prepare for his second shot.
He could tell Elwin was someone who cared deeply about his reputation. It was his birthday, after all; losing would be a huge embarrassment.
Duane had no grudge against the guy and didn’t want to make an enemy of him just for the sake of showing off.
It wasn’t that he feared retaliation from Elwin; he simply didn’t want to offend Viscount Ugo over something so petty.
So, he decided he would throw the next two shots.
As for why he’d hit a bullseye on the first shot? Duane had been annoyed by Elwin’s premature celebration and wanted to make him sweat a little.
The second arrow: the sixth ring.
The third arrow: the eighth ring.
[Congratulations, your Basic Archery Skill Level has reached Perfection.]
[Perfection Level Basic Archery has triggered an Enlightenment. You have received the "Wind-Held" Spell Model, the "Wind-Held Arrows" Enchantment formula, and +3 attribute points.]
While Duane was checking his attribute panel, an announcer loudly declared the results:
"10, 6, and 8! Baron Duane’s total for the second round is 24 points, bringing his grand total to 50 points!"
"Elwin’s total score is 52 points. Elwin wins!"
As the results were announced, the entire crowd burst into applause.
They cheered for Elwin, but they applauded for Duane as well.
A score of 50 was still an incredible achievement. Duane had only narrowly lost.
Today, they had seen a completely different side of the descendant of a Celestial Tier Warrior.
The so-called "useless trash who can’t cultivate"—it was all just rumors!
"Congratulations!"
Duane handed the Longbow back, graciously giving Elwin some face. "When it comes to Archery, I’m no match for you."
The smile on Elwin’s face was strained.
He might have won, but it wasn’t the overwhelming victory he had imagined.
A two-point lead hardly demonstrated his supposed superiority.
"It’s been a long time since I’ve had such an exhilarating match!"
He handed the Longbow to a servant, his gaze intense. "An opportunity like this is rare. Why don’t we have a proper duel?"
"A match!"
"A match!"
"A match!"
The crowd, already fired up by the intense Archery competition, started cheering and egging them on when they heard Elwin wanted another contest.
Duane sighed internally. ’What a pain. I didn’t want to embarrass him, so I let him win. Why is he still pushing it?’
"Elwin, Duane is tired today."
Just as he was trying to think of a suitable excuse, Natalia stepped forward to refuse on his behalf.
"Let’s not continue with this duel."
But Natalia’s intervention only made Elwin more irritated, strengthening his resolve to duel Duane.
"Natalia, this is a duel between men. It’s not your place to speak."
Elwin cut her off. "Duane, I know you barely broke a sweat in your duel with Charlie, so there’s no way you’re tired."
"Come on! Face me in a duel!"
With that, he leaped onto the Combat Arena.
Duane shrugged. "Sorry, I refuse."
Elwin’s face fell. Having been so openly rejected, his tone turned hostile. "What, are you scared?"
"It’s not necessary."
Duane glanced around the hall. "There’s lovely music, an elegant dance floor, and delicious food. Why resort to fighting?"
"Hmph! Indulging in pleasure will only impede your progress!"
Elwin repeated a phrase his father often used. "Duane, don’t give people a reason to look down on you!"
"That’s enough, Elwin! Duane is my guest!"
Natalia spoke up again. "If you’re so determined to fight, why don’t you face me instead?"
The crowd had been eager to see a duel between Duane and Elwin, but the moment they heard Natalia offer to take his place, they fell silent.
A Level 3 Mage challenging a Warrior in the confines of a Combat Arena was at a significant disadvantage.
Count Kais doted on his daughter. If Natalia were to get hurt, the people who had been cheering for a fight would likely pay the price.
Elwin knew this as well. He ignored Natalia completely, his eyes fixed on Duane. "What, are you just going to hide behind a woman?"
Duane sighed. ’Fine,’ he thought.
It seemed that no matter what he did—whether he threw the match or not—his relationship with Elwin was destined to be hostile.
"I don’t live my life based on whether others respect me or not,"
he said. "I already let you win once. Is a second match really necessary?"
"What did you just say?"
Elwin sneered. "’Let me’ win?"
"You think the only reason I was able to win just now was because you let me?"
Everyone could hear the fury in his voice. The outsiders in the crowd quieted down, not wanting to get caught in a dispute among the Nobility.
Only Elwin’s friends and the sons of the Knights under his family’s command continued to jeer, demanding that Duane apologize for his insolence.
Duane’s previously humble expression hardened.
Seeing this, Natalia felt a pang of guilt. She started to walk forward, intending to get on the Combat Arena and face Elwin herself.
She had been a Level 3 Mage for two years; against Elwin, who had only recently become an Advanced Warrior, she had a decent chance of winning.
But she had barely taken two steps before Duane caught her by the hand.
"What is it?" Natalia asked instinctively.
Duane shook his head. "He’s after me."
This scene played out right before Elwin’s eyes, filling him with a burning rage.
Even though Natalia always gave him the cold shoulder, and even though Count Kais was always wary of the Calvin Clan,
he had always believed that Count Kais would eventually yield.
The circumstances demanded it.
Though the Calvin were an ordinary Lord Clan, they had already built up a powerful network. With enough time, absorbing the Kennedy clan would be no issue.
And so, he had always considered Natalia his.
She was sixteen, and Count Kais had yet to arrange a marriage for her. To Elwin, this meant the Count was considering him, but was just waiting a few more years to see how things developed.
But now, he had just seen Duane take Natalia’s hand.
He had never even touched her hand!
"Duane! Get up here!"
He roared, "Otherwise, this floor becomes the Combat Arena."
This duel was now inevitable.
Duane released Natalia’s hand. He walked over to the servant, took the Longbow again, and grabbed a handful of six arrows.
He held three between his teeth and three in his hand.
He drew the bow, nocked three arrows, and fired them all at once.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
The three Arrows flew toward three separate targets. All of them struck bullseyes.
But he wasn’t finished. Duane broke into a run, then leaped into the air.
Before he landed, he fired the remaining three arrows.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
All three struck the bullseye—of the very same target!
Duane tossed the Longbow back to the servant, who was too stunned to catch it.
He turned to Elwin and let out a dry chuckle.
"Now," he asked, "do you still think you could have won if I hadn’t let you?"