Eternal Freedom's Ascension

Chapter 155: Weapon Training (1)

After they had separated into four groups, Instructor Rina called upon the four assistant instructors and began introducing them.

She stood beside a tall, slender woman with a short green hair shaped in a styled cut.

"This is Master Janet, and she’s going to be the instructor for the Polearm group."

Liam and the others who were in this category nodded, their expressions filled with curiosity and slight respect.

Rina turned to the next person, a short man with a muscular and powerful physique, having a bald head and a wild beard.

"This is Master Iroh, and he’s going to be your instructor in the Blunt Weapon group."

Logan stared at the man intensely, his red eyes shining with excitement. Kiera meanwhile, was a little skeptical.

’This man looks short and too thick. Would his speed be that much?’

She didn’t know, but she hoped he could prove her wrong. After all, although she had decided to use clawed gauntlets, speed was still her greatest forte as a bloodling.

Unaware of the girl’s thoughts, Rina moved on to the next person. It was a handsome man with the physique of a knight. He held a charismatic smile on his face as Rina introduced him.

"This is Master Grey. He will be the instructor for the Blade Group. Learn well from him."

Hazel, Ariel, and many others who were in the Blade Group nodded respectfully. Among the four groups, they had the highest number of students.

Hazel breathed a sigh. ’Will a swordsman really be helpful in training me?’

After all, her weapon of choice was a battle-axe. Skeptical but hopeful, she decided to wait and observe.

Meanwhile, Rina finally moved on to the last personnel. This person has their face covered, but judging from their body shape, it was obviously a female.

"This is Master Aira. She’s going to be the one training those in the Ranged Group."

Kaiser had his gaze fixated on her, as if he could see through her cover. Suddenly, as he observed deeply, his nose twitched.

’This scent...’

His eyes snapped up to her veiled face, and he whispered. "Vulpina?"

’No, it’s not her.’

He shook his head. Although the scent seemed familiar, it was slightly different. However, he could confirm it now.

’This person is a beastkin.’

Rina stood before the four assistant instructors, her posture straight.

"I am going to act as a supervisor in this training, and I will only intervene when necessary."

She turned her head slightly, addressing those behind her. "You all go train your students. You have just an hour and half."

The four of them nodded, then separated and approached their respective groups.

Kaiser paid no attention to the other groups, instead observing the instructor for his group.

"Master Aira, why are you hiding your face?"

Astron asked, his brows furrowed tightly.

Master Aira turned to him, her green eyes cold and sharp.

"How does it concern you? Focus on what I’m here for instead."

Astron immediately apologized, realizing he had been too nosy. The adult lady turned from him, then counted everyone in the Ranged Group.

"You’re all eight in total." She said coolly, her voice as soft as silk. "First of all, there are two things you need to know."

She stepped towards Astron who was at the front. "To be a good ranger, you need to have powerful, yet flexible arms."

She grabbed his arm, pressing his muscles and checking their density.

Astron winced but didn’t complain. After a while, she stopped and turned to another student.

"You don’t just need strength. You need flexibility. Without flexibility, you’ll only become a waking armored tank."

She grabbed another students arms, tracing her biceps and triceps carefully.

"The second most important thing is a good eyesight and reflex." She paused, summoning a silver longbow into her hand.

"Bows, javelins, crossbows, or even slings. All these weapons might need strength and flexibility, but without precision, it is all useless."

Kaiser agreed with her, as he remembered these were the same words one of the Solace Clan elders had said to them when they were younger.

’A kill must be precise. Without precision, it will become a mess.’

Master Aira continued. "An archer’s precision is their greatest tool, and your reflex determines how fast you can react to movements."

She then led them to an open space behind the Training Facility. This part was dedicated only for archery training, and had targets scattered across the enormous field.

Putting the students behind her, she held up her bow, then summoned an arrow.

"Some of you might have been here to train before, but I’ll do a little demonstration."

She knocked the arrow, waited for a few seconds, then fired.

Whoosh-!

The arrow streaked through the air, flashing straight towards a moving target. Just when it seemed like it might not hit the target, the arrow struck it directly.

Gasps rang out from the students, awed by how accurate the shot was. Astron’s eyes narrowed.

’Holy, she’s very skilled. She accurately predicted what time the target would fall into her trajectory, then fired at the right moment.’

He couldn’t help but be awed. Suddenly, he noticed someone who didn’t seem to be amazed.

’Kaiser...? Wait! What’s he doing here? Shouldn’t he be in the Blade Group? When did he become an archer?’

He could clearly remember Kaiser using a sword during the Gate Closure Special Evaluation.

"Now, come forward and try shooting a moving target."

Master Aira called out to him, her green eyes showing a hint of expectation.

Astron had to stop paying attention to Kaiser and focus on the task given to him. He collected the bow from the woman, and another arrow she had summoned.

She stood just a step behind him, then pointed at a target a hundred meters away.

"Shoot that down."

Astron’s eyes narrowed, and he took a deep breath. His eyes locked onto the target which moved to and fro at a moderate speed.

He nocked the arrow, pulled the string taut, waited for a few seconds, then fired.

The arrow instantly shot through the air, streaking straight at the moving target. Unlike Master Aira’s shot, his own arrow only grazed the side of the target, chipping some wood off it.

"Not bad." She said, then turned to the student who had been observing her intensely. "You. You’re up next."