Episode 176 Ninety-Nine Middle of White Hair (1)
A vast gymnasium.
The sound of arrows striking a distant target is loud.
…puck! …puck! …puck!
Among the students attending the Colosseo Academy, those who use the bow often gather here to practice.
It was mainly used by students from the archery class of the Cold Weapons Department, and although it was rare, students from the Heat Weapons Department’s distance magic class, who had exceptionally long ranges, often visited it.
In the case of other general students, it was also a place where they did not have to come very much because they only hold bows during liberal arts classes.
and. Among the few students who visited this place, Bianca was the one who boasted the most excellent archery skills.
As the head of the Cold Weapons Donation Department, she shot the bow very well, befitting a descendant of the Usher family, called the Princess of Heaven.
…puck!
The arrow Bianca shot accurately hit the target 100 meters away without a handful of mana.
A yellow circle within a red circle within a blue circle within a black circle within a white circle.
All of Bianca’s arrows were tightly packed inside the yellow circle.
“Wow, did you just see it? Another 10 points.”
“It’s really great. The class is different.”
“At that level, I’m sure you’ll get a high score in the practical midterm exam.”
“…It’s like a hunting goddess.”
The other students around her are spitting exclamations of admiration for her archery, which is close to divine skill.
but.
‘There are two 9’s mixed up. Today, the wind is bad and the condition is not good…’
Bianca herself seemed not satisfied even though she had put all the arrows into the smallest circle.
A perfectionist, she was dissatisfied with not being able to fit all the arrows into the smallest yellow circle in the center.
As usual, I might have been quite satisfied with the fact that I had scored 98 out of 100, shooting 8 out of 10 and 2 out of 9 out of the 10 arrows I had just shot.
but.
“……I don’t like it.”
Today, her obsession with scores close to mysophobia was getting worse.
puck!
It was because of the dull noise coming from the passage right next to it.
…Pupperpuck!
The sound that bursts out in succession without a moment’s gap.
One arrow flies into the target, and the moment the sound is heard, the next arrow flies right next to it and pierces it before the sound is cut off.
This happened ten times in a row.
10 out of 10 arrows, 10 shots out of 100 points, 10 shots, 10 points (十發十中).
“…Ah, ten feet.”
Bianca stopped bowing to the protest and frowned.
Then he turned his gaze and looked at the man standing next to him.
Shaggy bangs covering nearly half of his face, fair skin, and plain clothes.
Slightly shorter than the average 18-year-old boy and skinny.
Bikir. Cold Weapons Donation Class B like Usher Bianca.
Always expressionless, today he was standing in the yard holding a practice bow and arrows.
Kiririk –
Bikir feeds arrows to his bow.
The target is a target 100 meters away.
A yellow circle with a diameter of 12.2 cm. Standing 1.3m above the ground, it looks like the eye of a needle.
Ting-
Bikir let go of the protest.
Fuck!
Without fail, you get 10 points for the highest score that one arrow can produce.
The students who were practicing arrows around them stopped what they were doing and came to see Bikir’s bow skills.
“Wow, he shoots really well.”
“Do you see that over there?”
“I just look like a yellow dot…”
“Isn’t he getting out of the way? That handwritten first place.”
“Oh, is that handsome boy? I can’t see him because of his bangs.”
“That guy was an archer. Somehow, his mana reserves were low.”
“It doesn’t matter if an archer has a little less mana.”
Meanwhile, Bianca, who was shooting an arrow in the lane next to him, was in a strange situation.
Usher Bianca of the Consort of the Princess is an honor student with a reputation for her archery skills in the academy.
In other words, when she stands on the shaft, the eyes of the audience must be directed this way.
But usually, she hated having people watch her shoot.
He said it felt like being a clown.
……But what about now?
People’s eyes are not on him, but on Bikir next to him.
It’s not a pity that he didn’t get attention, but it was unpleasant that the public seemed to implicitly evaluate Bikir’s skill better than his own.
“…”
Bianca turned her head to catch a glimpse of Bikir’s archery stance.
…… The conclusion is a mess.
Even with empty words, Bikir couldn’t say that his posture was good.
Nocking, Grip, Hooking, Set up, Drawing, Anchor, Full Draw, Release, Fallow through… What? There was nothing that fit the standard.
but.
Ting-
As always after Bikir leaves the protest.
Fuck!
The arrow flies and hits the target.
‘How the hell do you shoot? I can’t even see it.’
Bikir’s posture seemed so relaxed that it seemed as if there was no frame or formality.
It was like a bow fired by a savage in the forest.
‘A normal blind arrow shoots like that, but how the hell does that hit the target?’
Bianca glared at Bikir, wrinkled between her brows.
She, too, ferociously bounced off the protest.
…puck!
As expected, an arrow that goes to 10 points.
Bianca, too, was diligently putting each shot into the center of the target.
But if there is one difference with Bikir.
…puck! …puck! …
Puck pup pup pup pup pup!
The difference is the level of shooting speed.
While Bianca focused and fired one shot, Bikir was firing five or six shots in quick succession.
The score itself obtained by the two is flowing in a similar pattern, but there is a huge difference in the speed at which arrows are consumed.
‘profit! Do you think it’s sweet as long as it’s fast!?’
Bianca bit her lip.
But contrary to her claims, Bikir wasn’t just fast.
Bikir’s arrows, which had a fast rate of fire and were accurate, continued to march with 10-point shots.
On the other hand, due to poor concentration in the beginning, Bianca, who shot two 9-point shots, was definitely behind Bikir by 2 points.
‘Don’t make a single mistake from now on!’
Minor differences in the early stages lead to huge differences in the second half.
This is a common occurrence in the trajectory of an arrow extending outward.
Because of this, Bianca was more focused than in the actual fight. More than ever.
Soon after leaving the demonstration, her last arrow hit the target.
…puck!
But there were disappointing results.
Maybe because her thumb slipped because of sweat, Bianca’s arrow was stuck in the nine-point box.
‘Damn it!’
Bianca wanted to throw away her bow and run.
However, there are many eyes watching, so you shouldn’t be shaken here.
as calmly as possible.
‘I can’t bring down the honor of the Princess Consort!’
If the eldest daughter of the Usher family, who is famous for archery that has reached a new era, is pushed by the baseless archery of a commoner without genealogy, it is certain that it will be ridiculed by the whole world.
Kirik-
Bianca drew a protest, conscious of the fact that Bikir on the sideline had stopped archery at some point.
All eyes are focused on one point at the end of the dot.
yet.
Piyung –
Arrows fly through several layers of overlapping atmospheric walls.
that.
…Fuck!
I hit the X10 square in the center of the target.
Bakak-
that is, by splitting the first arrow in half.
‘it’s okay!’
Bianca called for joy.
141 10-point shots and 3 9-point shots.
In addition, he accomplished the feat of putting two feet into an X10 target the size of a fingernail, splitting the first foot in half and putting the second foot through it.
As a result, Bianca shot a total of 144 arrows and scored 1437 points out of 1440 points.
Considering that Bianca’s score usually fluctuates between 1433 and 1435, today’s record was exceptionally good.
Because Bikir, a pacemaker and competitor, was present next to him, he was able to maintain a high level of concentration until the second half, and it was possible because of that.
Meanwhile, the onlookers were exclaiming.
“It’s really amazing. It’s the bride of the bride.”
“It hits the center of the shooting foot.”
“…Hey! But, Bikir is also amazing, right?”
People’s eyes are again drawn to the side by side where Bikir is.
After firing all the arrows, Bianca also turned to look at Bikir.
‘What are you doing?’
Bianca tilted her head slightly.
After firing all 143 shots, Bikir had been aiming for the last one for a long time.
Chigigigg –
The tension of long-term demonstration is not something to be ignored even if it is a big muscular business man.
Moreover, it is even more so if you are not using mana.
But despite this, Bikir just stands still with his string tightened.
It was quite different from the way he had been shooting arrows at great speed so far.
“……why don’t you shoot?”
“I don’t know, man. I guess he’s trying to concentrate.”
“What are you going to put so much effort into doing at the end?”
“Isn’t 10 the end anyway? There’s no higher score than that.”
“That’s what I’ve been doing so far, so I’ll put it in 10 points.”
“Wow, so if I get 10 points this time, will I get a perfect score of 1440 out of 1440? Awesome, first time seeing it!”
“Wasn’t the Academy’s official highest score up until now 1439 points? When you didn’t use mana in 100m saro.”
“Right. I think it was about 30 years ago? The record set by the current head of the Usher family while he was a student at the academy is officially the highest score.”
“God, it’s a pity that this is an unofficial record. Maybe it’s the moment of breaking a historic record.”
The students who were watching also swallowed dry saliva without even realizing it.
“…”
It was the same with Bianca in Saro next door.
A feeling of tension flowing through the intestines.
yet.
pop!
Bikir’s bow spat an arrow at the long end.
And the moment the arrow flies to the target and pierces it with a pop.
“……!”
Everyone, including Bianca, had to open their eyes wide.
