Then Archery is my path

October 26, 3104

I woke up in bed, every part of my body aching. My upper back, shoulders, and legs were in agony.

"Get ready. We're going."

It all started again, as if the previous day had just been a nightmare that was now unfolding in reality. But the soreness in my muscles wouldn't let me believe that.

"Master, does the training really have to be this intense?"

Evans turned to me with the same calm expression he'd worn throughout the previous day—no aggression, joy, or disappointment. Indifference was the only thing I could read on his face, as if he didn't care about my efforts. But in reality, he monitored every exercise I performed with unwavering attention.

"You're behind compared to your generation. Your physical constitution is wrong. You changed your specialty from knight to scout, and your body is weakened from lack of intensive training for half a year."

He was right. Those were only the major issues—there were many more minor ones.

"But since you're still in a growth phase, if you continue and endure training at such an intense level, then maybe you'll be able to catch up. I can't speak for the major talents and descendants of the big clans, but I can guarantee it's possible to be among the best in some Academies."

"Even with those from Altgrad Academy?"

"No."

Hah, why do I have so many empty hopes?

"You might be able to match those at the lower end of the lists, but nothing more than that. And by age 25, you won't be able to compete with them at all."

"Why by 25?"

"Most will have full ether armor on all limbs by then, and opening a major component is extremely difficult and time-consuming."

Standard ManaArmis Development Path:

Age Range

Progression

1-7

ManaVentis

7-18

4-3 minor components, 1-2 medium

18-25

4 major, 6-8 medium

25-35

4 minor, 8 medium, 1-2 major

35-50

Full Armor

"Today, you'll only run in the morning so that you'll have the energy to deliver the message tomorrow."

"Can't you deliver it yourself?"

"Think about it. If I could leave the forest, would I still be here?"

"I admit, that was a stupid question."

The day was identical to the previous one, but toward the end, instead of running, Evans took me hunting. He explained where to look for tracks, how to identify them, how to navigate by them, and, based on the depth, estimate the speed at which the prey had moved.

As he explained further, he suddenly fell silent and looked off into the distance. Then he pulled out a simple handmade wooden longbow and an arrow with a flat arrowhead. Carefully positioning the arrow on the arrow rest and bowstring, he drew back the string and raised the bow, which was initially pointed downward. In one smooth movement, he released the arrow. A moment later, the sound of something falling could be heard from a distance.

"Let's go."

We found a deer lying on its side, an arrow in its eye. It had died instantly, without any suffering.

"No living being deserves to endure agony before death. Killing is not for pleasure or symbolism. It doesn't matter if you saved someone or protected yourself—you killed. That fact shouldn't disturb you or change your intentions. Life is a constant struggle; if someone kills you, it's because you failed to defend yourself. And if you kill, you bear responsibility for that death—not the one who handed you the weapon, not the one who trained or commanded you. You released the arrow, struck with the sword, or suffocated the person. You are the one responsible. Only you bear the weight of what happened and the consequences that follow."

Dinner was stifling.

Not a single instructor at SinderCrest ever approached this topic, even though they taught us how to kill. It's ironic that the only person to speak to me about the meaning of death is the one who hasn't yet taught me how to do it.

Night fell, and the only sound was the crackling of wood smoldering in the stove.

October 27, 3104

"Get up."

Today's the day I have to deliver the message to the driver.

"To make it out of the forest by noon, we need to start now."

When we left the house, I found myself in a situation I never thought I'd end up in again—lying flat on my back, my head pointed toward the ground, speeding through the forest.

"We arrived from here, you alone?" 

"Ok."

I turned around and started walking.

"Run!"

"What? Now as well?"

I ran again, weaving through the trees, which created the illusion that I was moving in circles. But, surprisingly, after some time, I saw the exit and crossed through it.

When I emerged from the forest and looked around, I spotted a black sedan in the distance. It was really there.

"Hello, Mr. Kail. Are you all right?"

I glanced at my clothes—still unchanged after three days, torn in places, covered in dirt, with some bloodstains.

"Yes, I am fine."

"From the looks of it, I assume you didn't succeed?"

"Quite the opposite."

The driver studied my appearance again.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. More importantly, here are these two papers."

Kail pulled out two sheets of paper—one covered in a list of things written top to bottom, and the other folded so the contents weren't visible.

"Can you please send these to Mr. Collins?"

"Of course, but what are they?"

"He'll understand. I have to go back—otherwise, I'll have problems."

The decision to return to the forest lingered in Kail's mind, one he needed to think through more carefully before committing.

"You didn't run the whole way."

How the hell does he know? This was only at the start of the forest.

"No, I ran the whole way."

"Lies."

He seriously reads minds?

But then nothing happened, and my horizontal journey continued.

The rest of the day was the same—jumps and a spade in my hands. Unfortunately, today, I didn't escape the evening run.

This time, it felt different—either I was hallucinating from muscle fatigue, or the wind resistance was weaker than usual. But, of course, I didn't complete the full circle, and I lost consciousness on the way.

In the evening, I woke up again, with a bowl of food in front of my eyes, held by Evans.

(They eat only once a day because meat and wild vegetables have a higher concentration of calories.)