Lord of the Myriad Worlds

Chapter 68: Winter Training

When he returned to the camp, sure enough, Fila was already waiting at the warehouse entrance with pine tar, smiling cheerfully.

Fortunately, Fila didn't demand an exorbitant price, only asking for 50 hunting experience points.

However—

"George, pine tar is very dangerous. If you need it, come find me. Never try to extract it yourself, understand?" Fila repeatedly warned him. Oh, so this was going to be a long-term business arrangement.

This day had left him feeling completely drained and numb, as if covered in blood from being fleeced.

But, to be fair, applying pine tar to the bow body to prevent it from becoming brittle and losing functionality was currently the best method available.

According to Penny's explanation, wearing finger tabs and an arm guard not only prevented injuries but also helped correct archery posture to some extent, provided warmth, and improved shooting accuracy, among other benefits.

Finally, he even followed Penny's suggestion and, gritting his teeth, cut up the sheepskin blanket he used for sleeping, sewing it into an insulated bow bag.

Only then could he say he was truly prepared for winter outdoor training.

Around one or two in the afternoon.Inside the warm room, Leon had already finished making boots and gone out to work, leaving only Fila and Li Wei.

The former was leaning by the fireplace sewing boots, while Li Wei was jogging in place, moving his limbs to warm up his body.

According to Penny, this could prevent physical injuries—exerting force in subzero temperatures of over ten degrees below zero was different from doing so in a warm environment.

After warming up, Li Wei went outside, jogging all the way to the temporary shooting range outside the camp. He took the recurve bow from his bow bag, drew an arrow, and pulled lightly. The gentle sound from the recurve bow's body was truly pleasing to the ear, and he could clearly, vividly sense the potential energy accumulating within the bow.

Yes, this was exactly the feeling—as if the power stored within the recurve bow and the strength in his body were no longer separated by any barriers. That arrow became an extension of his power, a manifestation of his will.

"Whoosh!"

The fletched arrow flew through the air, vanishing instantly into the snowy landscape's glare, completely out of sight. Yet Li Wei felt divinely assisted in his certainty—he had missed the target entirely.

But this was completely normal.

At this moment, Li Wei slightly narrowed his eyes, controlled his breathing, and felt the gentle cold breeze brushing against his cheeks. He needed to judge the wind speed and the trajectory of the arrow's flight.

Additionally, factors like distance, wind direction, the arrow's center of gravity, and the bow's draw angle all came down to experience. They required repeated calibration, careful memorization, and understanding until they became instinctive.

Next, Li Wei shot three more arrows at a steady pace. The first hit the target, while the second and third consistently struck the bullseye.

Then, he stopped shooting immediately, placed the recurve bow back into the bow bag, didn't even bother retrieving the arrows he'd shot, turned around, and ran back.

Only after returning the bow to the room and letting it gradually warm up did he go back out to collect the arrows.

The current outdoor temperature was at least fifteen degrees below zero. Even with the bow bag made from sheepskin, prolonged exposure would inevitably cause slight damage to the bow body.

Well, perhaps this approach was a bit excessive, reminiscent of the clear foolishness of someone who buys a bicycle but would rather carry it on their back when encountering muddy puddles... Yes, he knew himself that this was quite silly, like a fool. But he preferred this cumbersome process to ensure his recurve bow remained in optimal condition.

Li Wei didn't know how to become a master archer, but if he couldn't consistently maintain his equipment in peak condition, he would inherently be at a disadvantage on life-and-death battlefields.

Currently, he didn't have the means, but in the future, he absolutely needed one bow for daily practice and another for combat. If he could have a backup bow as well, that would be perfect.

The afternoon passed quickly.

Li Wei didn't idle around; he dashed back and forth like an excited dog, but he only actually shot arrows thirty times.

This might seem rather few, but that wasn't the case because he was currently trying to perceive wind speeds more subtly, testing how arrows were affected under different wind speeds, temperatures, and angles.

He was also attempting to shoot while moving.

This was far more difficult than shooting from a stationary position.

So, his final fifteen arrows didn't hit the target even once.

But he still felt excited and fulfilled, truly experiencing a sense of complete immersion.

As evening approached, he retrieved his arrows for the last time. Penny came over, glanced at his target with a strange expression, seemed like she wanted to say something, but ultimately left without speaking.

Then Thomas specifically detoured to come over, chuckling, "George, don't rush. This isn't about poor technique but the harsh environment—the wind is too strong. Also, you're aiming a bit too high. Don't insist on the fifty-meter target; start with thirty meters, or even twenty meters."

Thanks so much for your concern.

Li Wei smiled, treating it as empty talk.

The first day of the month passed like this, and it seemed all family members had decent gains. Both Leon and Fila made a pair of simple, even somewhat crude deer hide boots, with wooden soles that would definitely be very uncomfortable to wear.

But it didn't matter—such boots at least provided warmth, far better than straw sandals. Even if they got damaged, they could always be repaired!

After dinner, Thomas and Margaret silently returned to their rooms to rest without working late into the night like last month.

The impact of the cold weather was truly significant. It was evident they had pushed themselves to the limit mining stones that day—the bone-deep exhaustion couldn't be faked. Even with their First-Level Awakening health attributes, prolonged strain would still cause some physical damage.

Unless they achieved Second-Level Awakening.

After dinner, even after Fila had returned to her room to rest, Li Wei still sat by the fireplace, with several oak sticks of varying lengths and thicknesses but all very straight placed beside him.

These were leftovers from when he previously cut and processed oak wood; he had many more in his room.

The shorter sticks were intended to be carved into arrow shafts, while the longer ones were for making wooden spears.

Although he already had an iron spear, he still habitually carved wooden spears in his spare time, storing the better-quality ones.

It wasn't due to any particular hobby, but after some thought, Li Wei believed that primitive weapons like wooden spears were actually quite effective—easy to source materials for, simple to make, and excellent for close-quarters combat and holding off enemies.

He couldn't naively assume that an archer only handled long-range attacks without considering close combat.

As time passed and the family camp continued to upgrade with expanding membership, conflicts with external forces were inevitable. Thus, combat would be unavoidable, and battlefields were ever-changing. He couldn't blame his own close-combat units for failing to protect him and then carve "the other side is fully responsible" on his tombstone!

Therefore, wooden spears and spear-type weapons were something he absolutely needed to consider.

Another reason he chose wooden spears was that they could be thrown.

This made them practically the chosen spear.

Before they could be thrown, wooden spears were at best low-tier spearman weapons—after all, as everyone knew, spearmen had E-rank luck...

But if they could be thrown, then they'd at least qualify as E+ rank luck, right?

The night was so tranquil, with only the faint howling wind from distant mountain peaks and the crackling of burning firewood in the fireplace. Li Wei held the steel dagger, precisely and steadily shaving off wood chips that fell like scattered snowflakes.

Occasionally, he would stand up to add more firewood to the fireplace, making the fire burn brighter.

He didn't need to worry about firewood consumption, but the fireplace fire couldn't be allowed to go out.

He hadn't arranged for this in the previous main quests, so he could only make up for it himself.

Otherwise, every morning, family members would complain repeatedly. Small grievances accumulated over time—each one was like a hidden arrow aimed at him as the Family Head.

Of course, there was actually another reason: the sheepskin blanket Li Wei used for sleeping had been turned into a bow bag. If he didn't stay by the fireplace, where else could he go?