Chapter 367
‘It isn’t bad to have one spear.’
Spear Shot.
It was a skill that used the concept of ‘throwing the spear,’ so it was somewhat tricky for general warriors to use. The slightest slip meant they could lose their weapon. But Grid was different. There were many ways for him to retrieve the thrown spear using the God Hands. He was confident that he could use Spear Shot properly.
“The test has finished!”
While Grid was feeling satisfied with his new skill, all of the reservists ended their test. The average score of the reservists was 50 points, and it took a full three minutes. It was a level that was barely above the cut line. There were four people who failed.
Grid’s score of 100 points in 1 minute and 23 seconds became even more outstanding.
“Hrmm... Next is the swordsmanship test.”
Instructor Kaesul was still stunned. The sudden change and growth of Blue Falcon Grid was unbelievable, even when he saw it directly with his own eyes. While Instructor Kaesul was feeling confused, Grid and the reservists followed the assistants. Each of them stood in front of a new scarecrow.
The scarecrows had solid lines on them.
The instructor explained.
“If you cut along the solid red line, you will get 5 points. If you stab it, you will lose 5 points. Stabbing the green dot will earn you 5 points, cutting it will lose you 5 points. Stabbing the blue line will earn you 10 points, cutting it will lose you 10 points. You will pass if you get 50 points in three minutes.”
It was a bit more complicated compared to the spearmanship test. Grid was lacking in the past and had barely gained any points from the three colored solid lines. In particular, the weapon that Grid normally used was a greatsword, and it wasn’t effective when it came to stabbing. This was the biggest cause of his low score.
However, after becoming Pagma’s Descendant, Grid had used Kill hundreds of times. Now he could stab with a greatsword. The continuously intersecting solid lines and dots? Compared to Piaro and Kraugel’s movements, they were trivial enough to make him yawn.
“G-Grid passed...!”
100 points in 39 seconds. Grid was like one with the sword as he obtained this score. Instructor Kaesul and the assistants’ mouths gaped open at the sight.
‘He has the makings of a knight!’
’He was just acting as a Blue Falcon until now!’
They didn’t know why he was acting. Anyway, they had to admit it. Grid had the best qualities. On the other hand, Grid wasn’t feeling inspired at all. He had fought against countless strong enemies, so striking a scarecrow was just boring.
[You have set a new record in Patrian’s reserve forces training Swordsmanship Test!]
[The rare skill ‘Continuous Stab’ has been acquired.]
[Continuous Stab Lv. 1]
Quickly stab the target 5 times.
Every stab that hits will deal 100%, 120%, 150%, 190%, and 240% of your attack power respectively.
Mana Consumption: 300
Skill Cooldown Time: 3 minutes.
It was a multiple hits skill. It could be defended against or avoided, but it was useful against sluggish enemies, as it was a type of skill that contained explosive power.
‘Yes, it’s weaker than Kill.’
It was a good substitute skill for when Kill was on cooldown.
‘Good.’
In the past, he felt like it was hell. Now he was getting great rewards from the reservist training, so he wanted to dance with joy.
***
Shoot!
Grid and the reservists stood side by side with a target 10m in front of them. The archery test was about to begin.
‘This test is to get 50 points with 10 arrows.’
The target was divided into 10 points, 8 points, 6 points, 4 points and 2 points. Tension filled Grid’s face.
‘In the past, I couldn’t even hit the target with one arrow.’
To be honest, he wasn’t very confident. In the absence of Bow Mastery, the hit rate of the arrows was proportional to agility.
‘But.’
He had watched Jishuka shoot for more than a year. He’d made hundreds of bows for Jishuka and the soldiers of Reidan.
‘I’m not a complete newbie to archery.’
Believe in himself.
‘10 meters. It is only 10 meters away. I can focus enough.’
Every time he made a bow and tested the performance, the target distance was 100 meters. Grid took a deep breath and watched the center of the round target. He was aiming for 10 points.
‘I will be sure to acquire a rare skill!’
He felt hope as the distance to the target was too short. He could do it if he concentrated.
“Hmm?”
Grid was trying to reproduce Jishuka’s posture when he frowned. It was because the quality of the training arrows for the test was very low.
‘Did beginner level 3 or lower blacksmiths make this?’
The shaft was twisted and the weight balance was off.
‘Anyway, the reservist training environment is disappointing in reality and the game.’
The shaft should be leveled and the balance between the arrowhead and shaft adjusted. The weight of the arrowheads should also be balanced. An unbalanced arrow wouldn’t fly far, no matter how hard they were shot.
‘A material with a heavy weight can cover it to some extent, but this arrow is made from the worst material.’
The legendary blacksmith, Grid. As Pagma’s Descendant, he had made over 100,000 arrows. He might’ve lost the Legendary Blacksmith’s Craftsmanship skill, but his eye for arrows hadn’t disappeared.
‘I can win, even without the power of items.’
Determination flashed in Grid’s eyes.
“Grid, what is it?”
Instructor Kaesul’s attitude towards Grid had toned down. He didn’t call Grid ‘Blue Falcon’ or curse at him. Grid unabashedly demanded, "The arrows I’ve received are in a very bad state. Can I have a look at the ones in your hands?”
“What?”
Instructor Kaesul was very embarrassed.
“Look. The structure of the arrow is so simple that anyone can easily make it, but it doesn’t just depend on the arrow when being fired. A novice who doesn’t know anything touching them, of course the arrows will be bad. If the arrows are a problem, I will give you new arrows.”
Instructor Kaesul gave a signal. Then an assistant brought new arrows to Grid. But the state of the arrows were just as bad.
‘It might be different if I had the Bow Mastery skill.’
Grid was determined and asked again.
“Let me handle the arrows myself."
"Geez, he isn’t a blacksmith.”
“It seems he’s become arrogant just because he gained some skills.”
The assistants complained. They were dissatisfied with Grid, who was slowing down their schedule. However, the response of Instructor Kaesul was surprisingly favorable.
"I understand. If you can, then try it.”
The reason why Instructor Kaesul felt contempt towards Grid before wasn’t just because he was incompetent. Grid didn’t try to overcome his incompetence and had an attitude of hating everything.
Now Grid was overflowing with enthusiasm. The instructor didn’t want to pour cold water on that positive change.
“Thank you.”
Grid left the group of reservists. While the other reservists did the test, Grid started to repair the arrows.
‘I would prefer to cut the shaft thinly and make it flatter.’
Grid currently had 0 dexterity. He wasn’t able to exert his full ability just by relying on experience and theory alone.
‘I could break the shaft. Forget my greed and focus on the balance.’
Grid picked up a stone that was three times smaller than the arrowhead. Then he tore a few branches and tied it to the back of the arrowhead.
‘Good.’
The arrows, which were so light they couldn’t go against wind resistance, now had a moderate weight. Grid smiled with delight and pulled some of the feathers behind the shaft. It was an extreme measure to balance the left and right side of the shaft.
‘It’s crude, but better than before.’
A notification window popped up as Grid tried to improve the curve of the shaft.
[The options of the ‘Reserve Troops’ Arrow’ has changed.]
[Reserve Troops’ Arrow]
Attack Power: 1~2 Accuracy: +2
Someone saw what was wrong with the arrow and fixed it.
The workmanship is poor, but the performance of the arrows has improved. It will fly quite far when fired well.
Weight: 0.01
“Now it purely depends on my abilities.”
Grid spoke to an assistant and took deep breaths on the shooting range.
Kkirik!
He remained tense, but there was no hesitation in his actions. The bowstring was drawn back.
‘Remember when I test the performance of my bows.’
He followed the posture of an expert archer. It was a posture he had seen from Jishuka since the days of the Malacus raid. He would be able to hit a target 10 meters away.
‘Now!’
Grid stopped breathing and aimed the arrow tip. At that moment, the arrow burst out with a cheerful sound and flew away. It fell in a parabola and succeeded in penetrating the target. It was 6 points. He was aiming for the center, but it deviated to the right.
‘Then.’
Grid aimed more to the left of the first shot. But he failed to read the wind direction in his rush. The direction of the wind changed and the arrows fell down. It was another 6 points. His opportunity to acquire a rare skill was flying away.
The Grid in the past would’ve cursed with irritation.
But.
‘It’s still okay.’
Grid was calm. The reservist training included sparring, so the level of the participants needed to be similar. In other words, the power of the 50 reservists currently participating in the training were around level 20 like Grid. It would be difficult for them to hit the targets with all 10 arrows.
‘The record will be for the level 20 reservists in the past. It’s still possible.’
He couldn’t give up. This time, Grid raised his concentration to the maximum, read the wind direction, and fired the arrow.
Puok!
10 points. There was no difficulty after he got it once.
Puk puk puk!
Grid completely grabbed the feeling and got 10 points eight times in a row. The result.
“Grid has 92 points!”
[You have set a new record in Patrian’s reserve forces training Archery Test!]
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