"…Cough, cough."
The rough sound broke Leo's thoughts. Across from him, Zach Mercer gave him a side glance, then spoke in his usual casual tone.
"Kid, that bow in your hand? It's the most basic one. Anything past thirty meters, it barely scratches low-tier beasts. And you've only drawn it once."
He nodded toward the training yard. "See those guys with spears?"
Leo glanced out the doorway and gave a small nod.
"They started with bows too. Some even used the second one—the sixty-pounder. But guess what? Two, maybe three days, and they gave up."
Zach looked at the bow again and said, "Take it from me. You'd be better off picking up the spear. You'll stand a better chance when a beast is in your face."
"Thanks, Uncle Zach. But I still want to give this a real shot."
Leo's eyes shifted briefly to the panel only he could see. The tiny progress bar next to Basic Archery still rested at Level 0—but it was moving. Slowly but surely.
He could feel it.
A grind he was weirdly excited about.
"Suit yourself," Zach muttered.
'They never listen,' Zach thought. 'Not until their arms give out and they can't lift their hands to eat.'
Leo scratched his head and asked with a grin, "Uncle Zach, can I try the other bows too? Just wondering—if I use a stronger one, maybe the skill levels up faster?"
"Go ahead."
Zach raised a hand and began listing them off. "Second one's sixty pounds. Third—eighty. Fourth, a hundred. Fifth, two hundred. And the last one? Three hundred."
"...Three hundred?"
Leo stared at the tall black bow near the end of the wall. It stood almost as tall as him.
To even draw it, he'd need at least three hundred pounds of force—on one arm.
"That scare you?"
Zach smirked. "There are people out there pulling five hundred-pound warbows. One of them shot down a steel-armored rhino from over a kilometer away."
"A steel-armored rhino…" Leo muttered.
That was one of the highest-ranked mid-tier beasts—its skin nearly impenetrable, able to deflect small-caliber bullets.
"That guy must've been an Awakened, right?" Leo asked without thinking.
Zach shook his head. "Nope. Martial Initiate."
"Martial... Initiate?"
Leo blinked, confused.
"Only one in a million awaken," Zach explained. "For everyone else? We rely on tools—or ourselves. But ever since the world changed, our limits shifted too."
He paused, his voice quieter.
"Some people started pushing past what used to be possible. Training their bodies. Forging strength from bone and muscle. That's a Martial Initiate. There's one in Stonefort, a few clicks away. That guy? He can pull the three-hundred-pounder like it's nothing."
Leo inhaled deeply.
'There's… a path. A path I can walk.'
"Do we have any here?" he asked, eyes lit with hope.
"Not quite like him. But close," Zach said. "The Wells brothers, for example. They can both draw a hundred-pounder. They're the backbone of our hunting squad. But they won't be sticking around much longer."
Zach sighed. For a moment, worry slipped through the cracks of his usual calm face.
"How do Martial Initiates compare to Awakened?" Leo asked.
Zach chuckled dryly. "They don't."
"Early-stage Awakened can still be killed. But once they get used to their powers? Forget it. The guy in Stonefort? Sure, he's strong—but he can't stop bullets. Awakened can. Some of them? They don't even fear mass destruction weapons. They can flatten towns with a wave of their hand."
Leo's mouth opened slightly.
'Awakened… are that terrifying?'
He had a strange feeling. His system wasn't tied to being Awakened—it felt closer to what Zach described. A Martial path. But if that was just the backup plan for the powerless… would he always be second-rate?
'Or… is this system something else?'
"You ask too many questions," Zach grunted. He pulled the sixty-pound bow off the wall and tossed it toward Leo.
"Try it."
Leo caught it, swapped out his previous bow, and attempted to draw.
His face flushed red halfway through. His right arm shook. He grit his teeth and pulled harder—but he couldn't reach full draw.
Not yet.
Zach raised an eyebrow. "Wanna try the eighty?"
"Nope." Leo gave a strained smile.
But his eyes lingered on the heavier bows.
'Not now. But soon.'
Zach handed him a quiver of arrows and led him outside.
"Target's twenty meters out. Watch closely."
He drew his bow, aimed, and—
Thwip!
The arrow hit the dirt wall next to the target.
"Not really my thing," Zach said quickly, pretending like he wasn't embarrassed. "Anyway, remember the Three Flats—front wrist flat, back elbow flat, both arms aligned with the shoulders. That's the foundation."
"Yes, Uncle Zach," Leo replied, nodding.
"Good."
Zach turned around quickly, face a little red. In truth, he sucked at archery. That's why he was stuck guarding the warehouse.
Leo took a deep breath and stepped into position. Feet shoulder-width apart. Left hand gripping the bow. Right hand nocking the arrow.
'Let's do this.'
He drew slowly. The string groaned.
Eeeenk…
A sharp pull in his right shoulder made him grit his teeth.
Then—
Whoosh!
The arrow launched—and missed entirely.
Leo blinked, unsurprised.
'No one hits a bullseye on their first shot. I'm not a genius. I know that.'
But what mattered wasn't the target.
It was the panel.
He exhaled and focused—
----------------------
Status Panel: Skill: Basic Archery – Lv.0 (3%)
----------------------
'Yes!'
Even a miss had bumped it forward—+2% added in a single shot.
'Just forty-nine more to go… and I'll hit Level 1.'
He gripped the bow tighter, his heartbeat rising.
'This… is just the beginning.'