Zach looked startled, then gave Leo a curious look.
"You're saying… you want to try the sixty-pound bow?"
As he said this, a strange expression crossed his face.
If memory served him right, hadn't this kid tried that bow yesterday? He struggled for ages and couldn't even draw it halfway.
Leo nodded earnestly.
"Uncle Zach, after the past two days of training, I think I might be able to draw it now."
Just two days ago, his Strength stat was under 8—barely enough to manage a forty-pound bow. Now it was close to 12. He was pretty sure he could even handle an eighty-pound one, but that'd be pushing it too far. Sixty pounds felt just right.
Zach still looked doubtful but nodded.
"Alright then. Come with me."
Leo followed with a faint smile.
"He's going to use the sixty-pound bow?"
Their conversation wasn't exactly quiet, and it quickly drew attention from Warren and the others.
"Sixty pounds? That's a massive jump. Can Leo really handle that?"
"Zhao," one of them turned to the tall, skinny youth, "didn't you try the sixty-pound bow before? What was it like?"
Zhao's tone was bitter.
"The first few shots were okay, but after that, I had to rest ten minutes between draws. Later, it became thirty minutes per shot… it's brutal."
"Still, if Leo says he can do it, he probably has some confidence." Warren added quickly.
"Let's hope so. I heard with a sixty-pound bow, even mid-tier beasts that aren't too tough can be taken down."
The group's eyes filled with anticipation.
Inside the armory, Leo reached for the sixty-pound longbow. It was hefty, the string thicker, and it felt powerful the moment he held it.
"Go ahead, give it a shot," Zach said, watching him closely. He wasn't holding out much hope—he figured the kid needed a reality check.
"Okay."
Leo, a little excited, nocked an arrow, raised the bow in front of him, and began to draw it back, inch by inch.
Zach, who had been casually watching, suddenly stiffened—then his jaw dropped.
He… he drew it?! This kid actually pulled it back?!
Am I dreaming?
"Feels good," Leo said with a smile and loosed the arrow.
It whistled through the air.
"I'll go with this one," he told Zach confidently.
Zach coughed awkwardly.
"If you can draw it, that's good enough. Within fifty meters, it's got killing power about the same as your last bow at thirty meters. At thirty, it'll hit even harder. Should be enough to deal with lower-tier beasts."
"Fifty meters, huh?"
Leo nodded thoughtfully. That might be pushing it, but thirty meters? That was ideal.
He glanced at the remaining bows on the wall—particularly the last one: a monstrous three-hundred-pound warbow.
When would he be strong enough to draw that?
He had a feeling that day wasn't far off.
Zach, watching him, could tell what Leo was thinking.
"This kid… he's ambitious. But honestly, based on what I've seen these past two days… he might just pull it off."
He re-hung the forty-pound bow, and the two of them stepped outside.
"You ready?"
Zach returned to his usual spot and gave Leo a nod.
Leo licked his lips unconsciously and nodded back. He was eager to see whether a heavier bow would also increase his skill experience gains.
Zach tossed the target into the air.
That familiar sensation surged through Leo once more.
Whoosh!
The moment the string released, the arrow slammed into the center of the target, punching it so hard it tumbled several meters through the air before crashing down.
"Not bad," Zach murmured, clearly impressed.
That shot… if it hit a human, it'd be fatal. Even a lightly armored mid-tier beast would be wounded.
Leo quickly checked his Status Panel—and grinned wider.
----------------------
Basic Archery – Lv.3 (4%)
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That one arrow had raised his skill by 3%.
Now the odds of reaching Lv.4 before tomorrow's hunt were looking much better.
For a moment, he even considered trying the eighty-pound bow—but quickly shook off that idea. Long-term sustainability came first.
The rest of the day passed in a rhythm.
Zach passed off the target-throwing duty to Warren, who then handed it off to Zhao when he got tired. Eventually, night began to fall.
From the camp entrance came the sounds of people returning—but they were oddly quiet.
It was clear: the hunting team had come back empty-handed.
Everyone on the field fell into silence. The mood grew heavy.
One day without meat was fine. But if this continued for several days...
Warren and the others exchanged uneasy glances. They didn't want to say it, but they all knew: that outcome was very possible.
"Alright, it's getting late. You boys should go home."
Zach turned to Leo.
"You still going to keep at it tonight?"
"Absolutely," Leo answered without hesitation.
Shooting moving targets at night was harder, sure—but he didn't have a choice.
Zach nodded.
Warren and the others looked at each other.
"We'll come back too," Zhao said first.
"Yeah, we can practice spearwork while helping Leo out."
Leo felt a wave of warmth in his heart. He didn't refuse.
"Thanks, all of you. I really appreciate it."
The group smiled, some already beginning to consider whether they should join the hunting party themselves.
After parting ways, Leo made his way home. From a distance, he could already smell cooked meat—and hear his mother's frustrated voice.
"Those people from Ravenshade Hold are unbelievable! That beast fell into our trap—how can they just walk off with it and not leave us a single bite?"
"They're nothing but bullies! How is that fair?"
"Exactly! When the Wells brothers were still around, they didn't dare pull this kind of stunt!"
"Enough," Grant's low voice cut in. "It's done. Complaining won't change anything now."