BXBX NOVEL Chapter 60: A Recurve Bow (2)
Talented mages often say they can feel mana flowing in their veins. During the magic revolution—The Dawn Of Mana—those claims had gone out of control, and lots of talents were shoved aside and buried beneath mediocre talents only because they couldn't sense the blue blood.
Perhaps Ingrid had mentioned that because she thought Jake would get that method to his head and think of himself as incapable of properly wielding mana.
A part of being an archer in the game world included using skills and mana, after all.
Such a thought, however, didn't cross Jake's mind.
Ingrid's last example was, "Swordsmen feel mana the best through swords. That's why every player is advised to try every weapon and find a knack for it."
After those words, Ingrid casually whipped out an ax from her inventory. "I can't perceive mana through this weapon, but I can have fun with it by throwing them. In this second character, I hurl them at my opponents and level up with friends from backlines. I mainly rely on physical strength and experience. It's simple."
"But taking them out of inventory is not so simple, right?" Jake commented on the magic Ingrid had just performed. He could tell with his keen eye that Ingrid hadn't opened the game system and clicked on the inventory icon. She didn't even extend her hand to pick up an ax but had the weapon materialize before her little hand.
All she had to do was to clench the handle.
Ingrid said, "It takes experience and time to do that. It's not a skill or part of the class—anyone can learn this inventory trick with time. It's difficult to tell because you've spent so much time in the tutorial. How did you summon your pets?"
"My eyes crossed through their icons, though I can also feel my summons because of the tattoos…" Jake explained. He didn't want to hide his summons from his friends and even the world, but he'd decided not to call them on the training grounds yet.
Here, it was different.
Ingrid nodded, "You need to use more active skills and feel mana more."
"Got it," Jake agreed.
It seemed he was forced to keep the quiver on his back or hip for some time until he learned that trick. That said, Jake wasn't so sure about giving up on the quiver. It had its disadvantages, but he could also see its many benefits!
That was when Ingrid cut to the chase.
"We've come here to have you practice with a recurve bow. In short, this type of bow is good for your styles because of its design and weight. But good doesn't mean the best. Each of your styles could use different designs—for instance, the longer and wider limbs are better for the Soldier Form.
Since you're the armorer of your styles, you should research more about recurve bows and find the best compromise for your three styles until you can craft or find a bow that can adapt to your forms in action," Ingrid said.
With the inventory trick in his grasp, Jake would have been able to bring out different bows during his battle against opponents. It looked possible and passable on the surface, but the more Jake thought about it, the worse it became.
Seconds were precious in battles.
Jake couldn't allow to sacrifice even a second to grasp a new bow's handle. Even if he was the fastest man regarding this trick and summoned the bow to his clenched hand, he couldn't break the common sense of wasting seconds that came with changing weapons.
Jake took out the recurve bow from his inventory and examined it.
It was light.
The limbs curved away from him.
The handle was rough, but he could hold the weapon just fine.
It lacked Jake's conveniences, such as the arrow rest and the stabilizer.
That said, the bow would crumble if he were to draw his entire strength.
Knowing that, Ingrid proposed a challenge, "We'll both control our strength and dexterity stats. I'll take the center and throw axes around. Your goal is for your arrows to hit the targets next to mine at the same time. You also can't match the throws that will break the bow."
Now, it was a challenge!
Jake nodded.
While Ingrid took over the center of Viktor's tree plantation, Jake stood at the man's workshop's feet. He could see his master well and the trees surrounding her.
Odin and Wukong no longer accompanied her as well.
At last, Ingrid threw herself into a motion and hurled the first ax.
While the swing brought her shoulders low, Ingrid didn't stop there. Using the force of inertia, she threw the second ax from a different angle and in another direction!
Jake was surprised by that!
Even if her second game character was her hobby and for fun, this movement was too fluid. She didn't even hit the ground but held herself before the ground in one hand. If she wanted, the other hand could send the third ax flying, which would give too difficult a challenge to her pupil!
Lifting up to her two feet, Ingrid looked over her shoulder and saw Jake standing with his bow drawn.
He hadn't shot even one arrow, though.
She turned around and curved her lips at him, "It's not only the distance you must keep an eye for. It's the distance and my axes' velocity, meaning we're upping your training regime to the second level, Jake. You have to see through those factors with more than just a glance."
'And those factors will level up my overall performance,' Jake thought, his heart burning with excitement. If he could read the speed of everything around him, he could level up his perception skill, to say nothing of his archery!
Just like he wielded the bow, he now needed to learn to wield his stats through his muscles.
"I count on you, Master," Jake said, smiling from ear to ear.
Ingrid chuckled before seriously saying, "I have an hour before walking with my dogs and supper. I refuse to eat past 6 p.m."
"I won't waste a second, then," Jake replied.
Author's note: Because of life, I will be posting irregularly... but I am obliged to post daily, so fear not, daily dose of Supreme Archer shall not stop!