〈 Chapter 68 〉 Entrance Exam (2)

*

Whoosh!

The arrow sliced through the air and struck the flying Chaos Beast.

With that, the Chaos Beast plummeted and vanished into particles.

The Chaos Beasts in the Archery Class entrance exam were different from those in the Swordsmanship Class.

While the Swordsmanship Class dealt with mainly close combat-type Chaos Beasts, the Archery Class faced flying foes or long-range attackers.

This was due to the different positions each class was assigned.

“Catching a flying Chaos Beast like that should be a given.”

Ludmilla commented as she watched the candidates take their tests.

However, she wasn’t even the main instructor of the Archery Class.

She had merely assumed the temporary professor title at the Hero Academy while searching for a successor, as there was a dedicated instructor for the Archery Class.

“There are tons of candidates who can’t even catch one like that…”

Kyle, the instructor sitting next to her, muttered.

He was scribbling on a student’s paperwork from just a moment ago.

“For now, this one’s a candidate for passing. That’s more than enough.”

“Wait, Kyle, are you really judging based on just that one capture?”

“The decision for passing candidates is up to me, the instructor.”

“But I’d like to share my opinions on the archery training…”

Kyle pointed to Ludmilla’s blank paper.

“Half of the candidates have already gone, and you haven’t written anything down.”

“Well, none of them caught my interest.”

“Ludmilla, I keep telling you that your standards are too high.”

He sighed.

“Anyway, your relic isn’t that demanding. It’s a blessing in and of itself. Just pick some average kid to inherit it and enjoy a leisurely retirement.”

He honestly couldn’t understand Ludmilla.

There were plenty of promising archers among last year’s graduates.

It was only natural. Rumors of Ludmilla preparing for retirement drew aspiring archers from all over the country.

Yet, she dismissed them all, claiming they weren’t good enough.

“Do you even think about marriage? When are you going to find a man?”

“Ugh!”

Ludmilla, as if she couldn’t stand the topic, slammed her fist on the desk.

“Just grab any guy, so stop worrying!”

Hearing that made him even more worried.

Kyle forced himself to shift his focus back to the candidates.

‘Well, that’s typical.’

Eighth Chaos Beast.

It was different from all the previous Chaos Beasts.

It was a tough one that would be hard to pierce with any normal bow.

And as expected, the candidate was struggling against it.

It was an opponent that ordinary archers couldn’t hope to defeat.

They would need the support of a Stigma or a relic to have even a slight chance.

Isn’t that unfair?

Well, you can’t take away the chance to showcase the effects of a Stigma or a relic either.

Besides, if they had already defeated up to the seventh Chaos Beast, it meant they were already in the passing zone.

So, defeating the eighth was just a bonus.

‘If I catch it, great; if not, whatever.’

In the end, the candidate couldn’t catch the eighth Chaos Beast.

There seemed to be a Stigma, but perhaps because it was the rapid-fire type, it couldn’t exert its power properly.

With a surrender signal, the candidate disappeared from view.

“Ugh…”

Just as Ludmilla was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the next candidate entered the field.

“Isn’t this a bit much?”

“Are you aware that you’re the reason so many are here?”

Kyle shook his head, checking the next candidate.

‘From Sakh. Name’s Sung Yoo-rang, huh.’

*

‘Where is this…’

As I opened my eyes submerged in the lake, an unfamiliar landscape unfolded before me.

Or maybe it was a scene somewhat familiar to me.

‘Is this outside the barrier?’

Blackish-red particles floated all around.

And there were sporadic traces of civilization.

The outside of the barrier was quite well rendered.

‘Looks like they didn’t even bother to depict chaos.’

That makes sense. There’s no guarantee that those coming to take the Hero Academy exam would be equipped with a Stigma or a relic.

However, merely this strange environment would certainly spook them.

“So, do I have to defeat that thing first?”

I spotted a small Chaos Beast in the vicinity.

It was quite an intuitive form of testing.

Nothing else was moving around, except for it.

I nocked an arrow on my bowstring.

And let go of the drawn string.

The arrow shot through the air and pierced the Chaos Beast.

So far, I didn’t need the Wind’s Power or any inherited traits.

The Chaos Beast wasn’t moving fast, nor did it possess thick skin.

But it wouldn’t always be this easy, right?

The first Chaos Beast disintegrated into particles and the next one appeared.

I had already nocked another arrow.

*

The seventh Chaos Beast.

It was a blur zipping around randomly, known as Squishy.

It was nearly impossible to dispatch it with a sword; it was a Chaos Beast designated solely for archers and magicians.

‘I think I could take it down using Libero’s swordsmanship, but…’

Using sword techniques here would defeat the purpose of taking the archery exam.

In the end, I had to catch this one using archery.

Of course, no matter how much I trained diligently for months, my limitations were clear.

With my current pure archery skills, I could hardly hit a stationary target if it was too far away.

At least I had a relic from the Church that boosts accuracy and the Wind’s Power assisting me, which allowed me to hit slow-moving targets.

‘But against something that fast, it’s a different story.’

Fortunately, I wasn’t alone in this struggle.

There wouldn’t be many who could hit such a fast-moving target in just a shot or two.

Lucky ones or those with prior experience against Squishy, maybe.

I fell into the latter category.

I hadn’t faced Squishy directly.

But it seemed I had quite a bit of experience dealing with it during the hundred-playthrough second trial.

Thanks to some hazy memories, I had a rough idea of its movements.

‘It’ll be tough, but I can hit it.’

After a few missed shots, I finally struck Squishy.

Calculating a bit using the Player’s knowledge, I thought, ‘To catch Squishy at least [Archery(B­)] is necessary…’

[Archery(B­)] level would surely be enough to pass at the Hero Academy.

However, considering the influx of competitors drawn by Ludmilla, it seemed I needed to show a bit more.

I didn’t want to absolutely dominate the competition, but I wanted to ensure my passing.

‘Then the next one’s crucial.’

Just then, the eighth Chaos Beast showed up.

It was quite the hefty beast, proudly boasting a thick hide, unlike its predecessors.

It was as if they had intentionally prepared a Chaos Beast that archers couldn’t tackle.

‘Can I take this one down or not, huh?’

I believed that catching just the previous one already put me above the passing line.

But capturing this one would practically guarantee my acceptance.

I nocked an arrow onto the bowstring.

A direct shot wouldn’t likely pierce its hide.

Shoot the same spot multiple times? I’m not a genius who can do that.

I was just a beginner at archery barely making it work thanks to the Wind’s Power and the relic.

But, there was one more difference I had.

I still had the inherited traits left.

I used the inherited trait on the arrow nocked on the string.

The arrow began to envelop in a dark aura.

[Overload (Minor)]

Temporarily boosts the weapon’s performance at the cost of significantly degrading its durability.

This trait enhances the weapon’s performance.

The main difference from the original [Overload (Major)] was that it was less efficient compared to the durability sacrifice.

In other words, if the original weapon could withstand three shots at the same level of enhancement, the inherited [Overload (Minor)] would break after just one.

‘But there is a way to offset the penalty.’

The best example is the weapon I’m currently using.

Not the bow, but the arrow.

Using a single-use arrow like this means the penalties of [Overload] are practically non-existent.

“If this works…”

An arrow imbued with dark aura from Overload flew forth.

The arrow was also imbued with divine power equivalent to a Rank 1, but it was amplified by the Overload effect.

And finally, I succeeded in penetrating the outer skin of the Chaos Beast.

But one shot was not enough.

I began unleashing a flurry of arrows continuously.

Saving arrows would be foolish.

Ultimately, after ten or so arrows lodged into the Chaos Beast, it toppled.

As I watched it disintegrate into particles, I nocked another arrow.

To prepare for the next one.

Of course, I would pass even if I stopped here.

But on the other hand, I was curious about what the next one would be.

Depending on the situation, I might take a shot or two.

Then, as I confirmed the next opponent’s appearance, a curse slipped out reflexively.

‘What the hell.’

*