Then Archery is my path

In the middle of archery training, Master turned abruptly toward the direction of the forest's exit. Moments later, sounds of someone pushing through the trees and bushes began to grow louder.
"Evans, you don't take care of my traps at all," came a gruff voice.
The speaker was a 60-70-year-old man with a long ginger beard, a bald head, a tall stature, and a swollen belly.
Master responded calmly.

"Long time no see, Henry."

He looks familiar, I thought to myself.
"Hello, I'm Kail, Mr. Evans' apprentice," I said, introducing myself.
The man—Mr. Henry—widened his eyes in disbelief, looking back and forth between me and Mr. Evans.
"Evans, is this true?" he asked.

"Yes," Master answered, his tone short and direct.

Mr. Henry erupted into laughter.

"HaHaHa! Well, I'll be damned! You haven't lost all your luck, old man!"

"To some extent, yes," Master replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"Finish whatever you're busy with, and let's celebrate your first apprentice! I've got just the right liquid for the occasion."

"Kail, finish the training, then go hunting. That'll wrap up the day," Master instructed.

"Understood," I replied, noting that I still had 15 shots left to complete my archery session.

Since my first hunt, I had yet to let any of my prey survive the first arrow. Finding two rabbits, however, took longer than expected, and by the time I returned, the sun was already close to setting.
Entering the house, I was met with a scene I had anticipated but never imagined I'd see Master participate in.
"Ooooooo, here's today's hero!" exclaimed Mr. Henry enthusiastically, a pint of beer in his hand.
"Come in, tell me how you found this gloomy man!"
I walked in, carrying the two rabbits I had already cleaned. Placing them on the table, Master swiftly cut them with wind blades, and I added them to the boiler along with some wild vegetables.
Once everything was settled, I joined the two men at the table. One was cheerful and very talkative—Mr. Henry—while the other, of course, had his usual emotionless expression.
"Well, tell me, how did you find this old man and end up here?"
I began recounting my journey from the hospital for war veterans to the Elderwood Forest.

"Since then, I have been training here under the Master's supervision," I concluded.

"Wow, I didn't know that old fox knew so much. It's no wonder he leads one of the biggest guilds!"

"What do you mean?"

I'm sure I know all the guild leaders."You're not supposed to tell anyone. This isn't public information."

"Then how do you know"

"Hohoho, back in the better times, I led the Iron Spark Guild myself. Of course, I know the state of other guilds."
That's why he seemed familiar to me.
The Iron Spark Guild is the largest guild specializing in all kinds of weapons, non-aetheric armor, enchanted books, and any other war-related items.
After two hours, I went to sleep since the next day wasn't a break day. Meanwhile, the two veterans continued their conversation late into the night.
January 21, 3106
By morning, Mr. Henry had already disappeared. When I asked Master about his whereabouts, he replied that Henry had gone to check on the traps.
The day passed without any major events—just the usual training.
By evening, Mr. Henry returned from the forest.
"I checked all the traps and repaired those that were damaged as much as possible. Some couldn't be fixed since I don't have the right materials."

"Why are there traps in the first place? Master is so strong that I doubt anyone would stand a chance against him."

"Let's just say there are people who'd rather Evans disappear completely. They've already tried to eliminate him a few times."

"Who would want Master dead?"

"Different groups with different reasons. This one, for example, has a specific grudge against Evans."

Mr. Henry didn't give me a direct answer, though it was obvious he knew more than he was letting on.
The next morning, he bid farewell to me and Master. Just as he had appeared, he vanished into the trees.
May 15, 3106I turned 14 today.
During the monthly improvised hunt, I was once again searching for Master, expecting the same pattern as in previous months. Without much hope of finding him, I ran through the forest, scanning for tracks and following the air currents.
Suddenly, I noticed an unusual current. It was different—not just in direction but also in speed. Curious, I decided to follow it.
As I continued to follow this current, it became more and more pronounced. At first, it was like a thin strand of hair, but now it resembled a tangled ball of rope.
During previous impromptu hunts, I'd occasionally spot Master, but he would vanish the moment he noticed me approaching. However, this time, I had a lead—a distinct wind current trailing behind him. Unlike the other transparent currents, this one was dark green, clearly marking the path Master had taken. Determined not to lose sight of it, I decided to activate:
Movement Technique: Wind Kingdom (4 ☆)1st Stage: Territory Formation – 3m
I surged forward, covering ground instantly, then continued pushing myself until I could use the technique again. Yet, despite my efforts, the current gradually grew fainter and eventually vanished entirely.
Thus marked my first attempt to track down Master during a hunt.
Since then, I made it my mission to observe him every month. But no matter how much progress I made, he always managed to disappear faster than I could catch him.
February 5, 3107
I was deep in meditation, preparing to unlock the armor on my left leg.
Forty minutes had passed since I began using the breathing technique. I could feel my pores reaching their limit, just one more push, and I'd break through. Just a little further, and I would gain my second piece of armor.
At the fifty-minute mark, I succeeded! My left leg was covered in a black, foul-smelling substance. My body was drenched in sweat, even though I hadn't performed any physical exertion. The breathing technique, however, placed significant stress on the body. The circuit demanded continuous control, and my pores had undergone an intense effort.
Mana Armis: Left Foot (Minor) – 1st Form Appearance
The armor took the shape of a sleek, futuristic shoe, adorned with wind sigils across its entire surface. The sole had an ergonomic design, optimized for comfortable and swift movement.
"I did it! I opened it!"
Now, the objective was to incorporate the breathing technique into combat so that I could reliably use the armor in real situations.
Breathing Technique: Tempest Flow (4 ☆)2nd Stage: Wind Acceleration
This allowed me to increase the circuit speed in a specific area, enabling the effective use of aether armor.
The difficulty lay in the fact that the circuit's speed wasn't uniform throughout the body. It required intentional focus: areas without armor had to maintain a slower circuit, while areas with armor demanded a much faster one. Controlling this variation was significantly more challenging than the steady flow required in Wind Circulation. The hardest part, however, was maintaining this control during combat. If the circuit was interrupted for even a moment, the armor would vanish entirely.
After a week of rigorous training, I finally managed to activate it.
This enabled the condensation of armor for both my left hand and foot:
Mana Armis: Left Foot + Hand – 2nd Form Condensation
Unfortunately, the moment the armor materialized, I lost my concentration, and it disappeared.
Over the course of a month, I dedicated myself to practice. By the end of it, I could maintain the armor for up to 10 minutes. This significantly improved the results of my techniques:
With Mana Armis:

Archery Technique: Tornado Archery (4 ☆)1st Stage: Guided Arrow – Activation time reduced to 5 seconds

Movement Technique: Wind Kingdom (4 ☆)

1st Stage: Territory Formation – 5m radius

April 23, 3107
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
While I was hunting, a piercing scream broke through the forest's usual quiet. I cautiously approached the area from which it had originated.
What I saw shocked me. Three unfamiliar men dressed in prisoners' robes were struggling in the clearing. One of them was missing a hand. The second man's body was covered in cuts of varying depth. The third had his leg caught in one of the traps set across the territory—it was likely he who had screamed so loudly.
Perched on a high branch some distance away, I silently observed them.
How did they get this deep into the forest? And what are they looking for? This forest holds no special value, aside from wood for furniture. But these men are clearly no carpenters.
They looked frustrated and uneasy, visibly stressed by the traps and their unfamiliar surroundings. After some effort, they managed to free their companion from the trap and continued walking, heading in a particular direction.
Strange, but this has nothing to do with me. I thought to myself and prepared to leave.
But then, I heard one of them speak:
"Are you sure we'll be free if we kill this old man?"
"YES! How many times do I have to repeat it? The person has major connections, and getting us out of prison means nothing to him."
Look, if this doesn't work, you'll answer with your life!
It seems I've found my prey for today, I thought, my grip tightening on my bow.