"You will find him in one of the available indoor training facilities."
That was the ssage that had Aldrich wandering through the training halls of Eldora, searching for the person he was ant to et. The massive floor was a dedicated space where students honed their Arts, refining their abilities in an environnt built for improvent.
"Was it here…?"
He had already searched nearly every room, opening door after door, only to find nothing but empty spaces or students too imrsed in their own training to be the person he sought. With each unsuccessful attempt, frustration crept in.
Had the person left already? Maybe they got tired of waiting?
Another thought surfaced? Had he been deceived? Was this Professor Mariana's subtle way of dismissing him? Had she, instead of outright rejecting his request, led him on a futile chase to make him give up on his own?
Aldrich quickly dismissed the idea.
"No, Professor Mariana isn't that kind of person. If she didn't want to help, she would have said it outright, not resorted to sothing so underhanded."
Placing his trust in her character, he decided to check the last remaining door at the far end of the hallway. If no one was inside, he would return and report his failure.
After all, Professor Mariana had assured him that this person could help him. Aldrich was eager to find out how.
Gripping the handle, he pushed the door open.
Before he could step inside, a sharp whistling sound cut through the silence, followed by a heavy thunk, the unmistakable impact of an arrow striking wood.
Intrigued, Aldrich stepped in cautiously.
The mont he entered, his eyes landed on a lone figure in the center of the room. A man stood there, ard with a bow, his quiver nearly empty. The air in the room was with silence, save for the faint creak of the bowstring settling into place.
Aldrich hesitated. The man's focus was absolute, his presence commanding, making Aldrich uncertain how to announce himself without disrupting the quiet intensity of the mont.
Then, the man reached behind him, his hand moving with deliberate slowness as he selected another arrow from his quiver.
Aldrich thought about speaking up, but sothing about the man's movents intrigued him enough to hold his tongue. Instead, he watched.
The archer moved thodically, taking his ti to nock the arrow onto the bowstring. His pace was frustratingly slow, almost agonizing to witness. Aldrich wanted to tell him to move faster, but he refrained, drawn in by the sheer confidence in the man's actions.
As the archer prepared to take his shot, Aldrich shifted his gaze toward the target at the far end of the room.
It was much farther than the targets he had shot at during his test session, yet he could still make out the cluster of arrows embedded in the smallest circle, each one placed with perfect accuracy.
"He's good."
No, more than good. The precision was uncanny.
Aldrich had prided himself on his archery skills back on Earth, having earned countless belts and accolades from competitions. He knew what mastery looked like, and this was beyond impressive.
Then the man did sothing unexpected.
He closed his eyes.
"Is he crazy?!" Aldrich whispered, barely audible.
Shooting with eyes closed? That was absurd. No matter how skilled an archer was, attempting a long-distance shot blindly was an invitation to failure.
And yet…
Aldrich didn't imdiately dismiss it as impossible.
Instead, he found himself even more intrigued.
If this man had landed all those shots, there was a thod to his madness. Maybe there was sothing to learn here.
So he remained silent.
The archer drew the bowstring back, not far, just a short pull. Too short. Not nearly enough force to send the arrow flying the required distance.
Aldrich frowned.
From his understanding, the arrow needed far more montum to reach its destination, let alone pierce through the already crowded center of the target.
He could have interrupted, pointed out the flaw in the draw strength, but he didn't.
If this man had landed so many shots without a single miss, then surely he understood that as well.
Perhaps… this was a test?
With the bow fully drawn but not enough to content, the man released.
The arrow soared through the air with unnatural grace, cutting through the space between the other arrows. In an instant, it found its mark, seamlessly embedding itself into the congested center of the target.
Aldrich's breath hitched.
He was srized.
Almost unconsciously, his hands clapped together in genuine admiration as he stepped further into the room.
"That was incredible!" he praised, his astonishnt evident in his voice.
The man turned slightly, glancing at him with mild amusent.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Aldrich studied him more closely now. His attire? A sports uniform belonging to Eldora Institute revealed his identity as a student.
"Beyond beautiful." Aldrich admitted. "But choosing to pull that lightly… was that confidence? Or just a gamble on luck?"
The man smirked.
"Luck? Are you soone who believes in luck, Mister Aldaman?"
Aldrich wasn't surprised that the man knew his surna. His silver hair made him easily recognizable to anyone familiar with the Institute's current affairs.
"That depends," Aldrich replied thoughtfully. "I trust my abilities, but I know I wouldn't have been able to make that shot."
It wasn't an exaggeration. He wouldn't have even attempted it.
And that realization unsettled him.
Since when had he beco soone who hesitated to challenge himself?
Archery had always been his passion, his ans of self-improvent. Yet lately, he hadn't been training. He had neglected his skills, letting them gather dust while focusing on other aspects of this new world.
Had he subconsciously dismissed the bow as inferior?
Perhaps it was the knowledge that, in a world where warriors could move faster than bullets, an arrow seed… obsolete.
"You seem to lack faith in your own capabilities, Aldaman," the man observed.
Aldrich's jaw tightened.
"Faith has nothing to do with it. I trust in the results of my training. But I haven't had the ti to test my abilities or refine them."
A poor excuse.
Deep down, he knew the truth. He had chosen not to train.
For whatever reason, he had begun to downplay his bowmanship, convincing himself it wasn't as valuable in this world.
"Is there a reason why you've neglected your training?"
Ti? No. That would be a lie.
The real reason was sothing he wasn't sure he wanted to admit.
Instead, he settled on an answer that felt easier to accept.
"I guess I've been too focused on adapting to this world and its rules."
The man regarded him with an unreadable expression before extending his hand.
"Then what about now? Are you up for so bowmanship practice, Mister Aldrich Aldaman?"
Aldrich's brow furrowed.
"You know my full na?"
It was one thing to recognize his surna, but his first na?
"Professor Mariana didn't tell you, did she?"
At the ntion of her na, realization struck Aldrich like a bolt of lightning.
"You're the one she sent to et."
The man nodded.
"John Foster, fourth-year student of Eldora, S-rank in Bow Arts."
With a confident smile, John extended his hand further.
Aldrich stared at it for a mont before clasping it firmly.
For the first ti in a long while, a familiar feeling stirred in his chest.
A challenge.
And he was ready to face it.
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