Aaron let out a long, deliberate sigh, his gaze lingering on Lilly with a slight frown before shifting to Vince. "When and where?" he asked, his tone direct.
"Hehehe," Vince chuckled, a smug look spreading across his face. "We have a dedicated training area. Since most of the villagers are skilled fighters, there's always a space for practice."
"Do you even understand what he's saying?" Protean whispered to Aaron, who simply shook his head, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
[Training Ground]
"Push yourselves harder!" Chief Egon's booming voice echoed across the training grounds as he oversaw the village's warriors.
"Dad."
The Chief turned to see Emily approaching, accompanied by Aaron, Vince, Lilly, and two younger children.
"What are you doing here, Emily? You don't have scheduled training today."
"Aaron, you're finally back!" Aurora, clad in light armor, hurried towards Aaron, a relieved smile on her face.
"Hi Mom, how are you doing?" Aaron replied, returning her smile.
Aurora knelt down and embraced him in a tight, motherly hug. "I missed you so much."
Aaron hugged her back, a warmth spreading through him. "Missed you too."
"I missed you as well, Mom," Protean added from Lilly's shoulder.
"Me too," Aurora chuckled, releasing Aaron and gently tapping Protean's head with her finger. "What brings you all here?" she asked.
"Well..." Aaron glanced at Lilly.
"We made a bet! And we're here to compete!" Vince declared with a confident smirk.
Aurora turned to Lilly and sighed dramatically. "Lilly, again?"
Aaron nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"What is this bet all about?" Chief Egon asked, walking over to join them.
"Archery," Vince explained, his smirk widening. "Whoever gets the best shot wins. Now that everyone's here, you all can be the judges!" He proceeded to detail the terms of the bet to Chief Egon and Aurora.
The two elders exchanged a brief, knowing glance, a hint of a frown on their faces. The younger children, except for Aaron, looked slightly worried, anticipating a refusal.
Aurora: "Fine by me."
Chief Egon: "I see no harm in it."
"Huh?" The five younger individuals were taken aback by their easy agreement.
"What's going on here?" Rob asked, entering the training grounds and observing Aaron and Vince standing side-by-side, bows in hand and quivers slung over their shoulders.
"Those two youngsters are about to compete in archery to see who's the best," a nearby soldier explained.
"The Archer's son, Vince, will undoubtedly win," Rob said confidently, folding his arms across his chest. "He's the best in the village after his father. Even Emily couldn't beat him."
"That's because Emily is an Assassin Class, not an Archer Class like Vince," the soldier pointed out. "I just wonder if this other kid is also an Archer Class. If not, he's going to be soundly defeated."
"Let's see what unfolds," Rob replied, his gaze fixed on the two competitors.
"Alright, you two," Chief Egon announced, stepping forward. "We'll start with a ten-meter distance. Whoever hits the red bullseye wins the bet."
Aaron studied the target ten meters away. The concentric circles were painted in red (the smallest), followed by green, yellow, blue, black, and orange.
'This is ridiculously easy,' he thought, a slight smirk forming on his lips.
"I'll go first," Vince declared confidently. He nocked an arrow, drew back the string, and aimed carefully at the target. "Watch and learn, country bumpkin," he sneered before releasing his shot.
Whoosh!
BAM!
The arrow struck the red bullseye dead center!
"Nice shot!"
"I knew he could do it!"
"Good work, Vince!"
"That kid's got skill."
"Impressive."
All eyes now turned to Aaron, who calmly removed an arrow from his quiver and nocked it onto his bow.
{All Seeing Eyes}
{Combat Mode Activated.}
{Success rate: 200%}
'Can a success rate even go that high?' Aaron thought, momentarily stunned. He subtly glanced around, his enhanced vision taking in every detail.
"What? Are you scared?" Vince taunted with a smug grin.
Aaron scoffed and, to everyone's surprise, closed his eyes.
"What's this kid doing?"
"Shooting an arrow with his eyes closed? Isn't that incredibly dangerous?"
"He's going to miss the target by a mile."
"Yeah, for sure."
Whoosh!
Aaron released his shot, then slowly opened his eyes. The onlookers watched in stunned silence as Aaron's arrow cleanly split Vince's arrow in two mid-flight, the two halves fluttering to the ground. Aaron's arrow continued its trajectory, piercing the red bullseye and then flying an additional fifty meters beyond the target without losing momentum.
".....!!!!"
"Did that just...?"
"...."
"What in the world just happened?!"
"Is this kid also an Archer Class?"
"Wow! Such incredible force in a single arrow."
"Hmm... There's no clear winner here. We'll need to increase the target's range. Rob!" Chief Egon called out.
"Yes, Chief!" Rob stepped forward promptly.
"Set the target to forty meters."
"Forty... forty... forty meters?" Rob stammered, completely taken aback.
"You heard me."
Rob nodded dumbly and hurried off to reposition the target.
"Are you still up for it?" Vince said, trying to sound confident but with a hint of nervousness in his voice. "Forty meters is nothing to me. You just got lucky with that last shot."
"You wouldn't dare let them set it to one hundred meters, would you?" Aaron challenged, a knowing glint in his eyes.
"One hundred meters?!" Vince exclaimed, momentarily frozen in place.
"I suppose you're not as skilled as you pretend to be," Aaron said, shaking his head with feigned disappointment.
"Chief! Set it to one hundred meters!" Vince yelled, his pride clearly stung.
"One hundred meters?" Chief Egon raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"What is Vince thinking?"
"I have no idea. The furthest he's ever hit is seventy meters."
Even Vince's two friends exchanged confused glances.
"Really? Vince. One hundred meters is still quite close. I didn't realize you were such a scared kitten," Aaron taunted, a playful smirk on his face. "I thought you'd suggest two hundred meters... instead of just copying my one hundred."
"What?!" Vince was now completely flustered. 'My absolute limit is seventy meters. Can I even manage one hundred? I'm definitely not sure about two hundred. What if he's just trying to intimidate me?' He thought frantically before turning back to the Chief. "I meant two hundred meters!"
"What?!!" Now the entire training ground erupted in surprised murmurs.
"Is this young man truly that skilled? Hitting a target two hundred meters away... I can't even achieve that feat."
"Yes, and the wind current is quite strong today. It won't be easy to hit."
"It seems the Archer's son has either greatly improved his skills or ascended to a higher realm."
"You might be right."
"What is he doing?" Emily asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"My brother is the one doing it," Lilly said with a confident smile.
"The prince?" Emily gasped, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Even if it were five hundred meters, as long as the target remains still, my Master will knock it down," Protean declared from his perch on Lilly's shoulder.
"Are you certain about this, Vince?" Chief Egon asked, his expression a mixture of surprise and concern.
"Yes," Vince nodded firmly, though a bead of sweat trickled down his temple.
"What about you, my Pri... I mean, Aaron?" The Chief turned to Aaron.
"He asked for it," Aaron said with a nonchalant shrug and a confident smile. "If I refuse, he'll simply look down on me, and I can't allow that to happen."
"You are absolutely right," Chief Egon said, nodding with a satisfied smile. "Hey, Rob!" he yelled across the training ground. "Set the target to two hundred meters!"
"What?!!" Rob exclaimed, his jaw practically hitting the ground.