The Strongest Spellblade

“Hello, I am Erika, Bowmaster,” the woman said. It was rare to get a female tutor for combat skills. “Is there a problem?”

“Uh, no. Normally my combat tutors are men. Just surprised,” I said.

“Hmm. Well, let’s get started. Your Strength stat and Bow Skills level?” she asked me.

“My Strength is 17 and my Bow Skills is 15,” I replied. She then looked at the nearby weapon’s rack that had been set up on one side of an open grassy area on the estate grounds. She picked up a bow and then handed it to me along with a quiver.

“Shoot that target, let me see your form,” she said. I put the quiver on my back and drew an arrow. I then shot at the nearest target she pointed to. It was 20 meters away. I hit quite close to the bullseye.

“Next target,” she said, and I drew and nocked an arrow. After steadying my breathing, I fired when I breathed out, striking the next target, almost on the center. It was 40 meters away.

“Next target,” she pointed at the target 60 meters away. I had to angle my bow much more and the arrow hit the side of the target. She walked over and placed her hands on my body.

“Adjust your form here. Loosen these muscles. Keep your wrist looser. It is too tight,” she said while poking various areas of my body and adjusting my posture.

“Now shoot again, first target,” she said. I repeated shooting at all three targets. It felt a bit weird, but my accuracy was slightly better and the trajectory of the arrow was easier to control.

“Good. Your basics aren’t bad. But in terms of combat, you will struggle. To become skilled with a bow, you need to be able to fire in a single breath and hit a moving target while you are moving yourself. A stationary bow adventurer is a dead bow adventurer.” She then walked forward.

“You will move and shoot, at me. Don’t hesitate or be afraid. At your skill level and with your stats you can’t harm me. Aim for lethal points and keep moving. It can just be a walk for now,” Bowmaser Erika said.

“Yes, Bowmaster Erika,” I answered and nocked an arrow. She began walking backwards away from me. I fired at her head. She tilted it out of the way.

“Your accuracy isn’t good enough to target a vital area like a head. Danger Sense will alert whatever you are shooting at. Aim for center of mass,” she told me. I nocked another arrow and fired at her, while walking towards her.

She shifted directions just as I fired and the arrow missed her by a small distance. “Aiming directly center is not always the best choice. Keep firing and try and lead your target and predict their moves,” she said. I fired again aiming to my left slightly. She came to a stop.

I was already nocking a second arrow and fired at once. She stepped backwards and I missed. I kept firing arrow after arrow, while slowly walking, while she dodged each and every shot. I missed every single one and soon ran out of arrows.

“Now go and collect them, quickly,” she said. I ran off as she ordered. Out of the twenty arrows that had been in the quiver, two had broken. “Good. You collected them all. A major weakness of using a bow is ammunition.”

“What about spatial storage or a bow ore skill that creates magical arrows?” I asked.

“When you are an elite or legend you can ask that question. When you are starting off, you won’t have access to such items. That is why it is important to know where your shots go. Also to know what is behind your target. You hit one of the targets in the field while trying to hit me. If that had been a companion, you would have severely injured them,” she said.

“I didn’t know I was supposed to avoid shooting them,” I replied, and she shrugged.

“It is just a warning to pay attention where you are shooting. You also didn’t try and get fancy or take too long. Speed is incredibly important when using a bow. Accuracy will come in time, but speed is the first thing you need to focus on. Now, let’s go again,” she said and walked away.

I didn’t hesitate to shoot an arrow at her feet where she would step. She shifted her stance and the arrow struck the ground next to her foot. “Nice attempt to change things up, but center of mass is still best,” she said as she easily sidestepped another arrow. I fired all 18 and another 3 broke this time. She had me collect 5 replacement arrows from the weapon’s rack to go again.

My hands and arm were quickly becoming tired and sore from the constant firing of arrows as quickly as I could, trying to hit her. Bowmaster Erika kept dodging. Healer Castelle was on the side watching these training weapon’s training sessions in case of an accident and to replenish my reserves.

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I felt refreshed as my stamina recovered and kept firing arrows, then running out to collect them. The entire time I kept my breathing as steady as possible. When lunch finally came and servants brought out food and drinks, I was mentally exhausted.

“Your dodging is quite risky,” Healer Castelle said over lunch.

“I would never do such a thing in the dungeon, and I would never put someone else out there. But it is the only way to properly train someone in using a bow for combat purposes. It is the same as someone sparring with another weapon. Just that I am not shooting back, like I normally would,” she replied.

“Wait, you would shoot back?” I asked in surprise.

“Of course. The biggest risk in a fight when using a bow is being hit back by a ranged attack. In a team, a bow user will target other ranged attackers first, before assisting their teammates. It can get quite chaotic and learning how to dodge is important,” she explained.

“Then, why aren’t I doing that?” I asked.

“Your skills aren’t high enough. Dodge is a tier 2 skill. But I am told you are working towards it,” she said.

“Dancing,” Healer Castelle said, and I looked at him. “I have been in enough conversations with Damian and the Supreme Warlady to know what is planned for you. Maximized Dancing can transition into Dodge.”

“I thought it was just a noble skill?” I asked.

“Dancing is a noble skill and so is Dodge to some degree. Nobles don’t like to get hit after all,” he said, and Bowmaster Erika chuckled at that.

“Indeed they don’t. The few that do fight, think they can stay in the back with a bow, but using a bow is the most dangerous position. Since you have to be aware of everything happening and both your hands are in use to fire. No shield or other weapon to block,” she explained.

“Similar to being a healer. A massive pain in the ass,” Healer Castelle said.

“Oh, you have gone into the dungeon?” Erika asked.

“More than enough for one lifetime. Now I watch over Justin here, making sure he doesn’t kill himself during his training,” he replied.

“The same. I reached the 9th layer, you?” she asked.

“Made it down to the 15th,” he replied and her eyes went slightly wider at that.

“The 15th, then you must be close to being an elite,” she said.

“Bah, I don’t care for such things anymore. I am a Healer first and foremost and will die a Healer,” he replied.

“Any team would want someone like you with them,” she said.

“Foolishness and idiocy. I appreciate the kind words, but the dungeon is nothing but despair and darkness. So much is lost down there that can never be brought back,” he replied.

“Hmm, that sentiment, I can understand. A bow can only do so much. Skills struggle to latch onto arrows and the higher quality ones are too expensive. That is the trouble with using a bow, every shot with gold tipped enchanted arrows is a massive expense. Once you have to start using platinum, there is just despair. I just couldn’t keep up with the costs. I tried to cut corners. I was a fool,” she said softly at the end.

She had probably lost people as well and had retired from adventuring. “And how is retirement treating you?” Healer Castelle asked.

“Well enough, especially after this job. At least Justin here doesn’t complain or whine. I swear, I want to shoot brats in the ass when they complain,” she said, and Healer Castelle chuckled at that while I kept quiet as the two talked.

“I know the feeling. The smallest scratch and they ask for healing. At least this one has had a proper upbringing, not getting spoiled senseless, by his mother,” he said while giving me a smile.

“I would have liked to meet the Supreme Warlady, she is an inspiration to female adventurers everywhere,” Bowmaster Erika said.

“She is a force to be reckoned with, that is for sure. Ah, the sun is nice on my old body,” Healer Castelle said while stretching and enjoying the noon sun.

“What about lingering injuries? I hate to bother you, but I ran out of healing points and took an attack to my knee,” she said. Healer Castelle let out a small sigh at that and opened his eyes.

“Come sit next to me. I will need to check your body,” he said. She got up and moved her chair over. He put a hand on her knee.

“Health Analyze,” he used a skill and then removed his hand. “Five years?”

“Six,” she said, and he frowned.

“The healer you got did a decent job, it is just that the bone plate and the tissue in-between has worn down,” he said.

“Can it be fixed?” she asked.

“You would require a Flesh Crafter, not a Healer. The injury has settled into your soul, so healing skills won’t work to remove it anymore. It is a natural part of you. That means cutting you open and fixing things directly, a Flesh Crafter, not a Healer,” he explained.

“Ah, I thought so, but I wanted another opinion from someone experienced. My granddaughter is talking about going into the dungeon, I wanted to accompany her,” she replied.

“You must have been quite young when you had a child,” Healer Castelle said.

“I was, but my husband was an adventurer. When he died, I needed a way to support myself and two kids and I had always been good with a bow,” she replied.

“Don’t spread it around. This isn’t proper healing. This should last for a year, less the more pressure you put on your knee. When it goes, it will be sudden, be prepared for that.” He put his hand on her knee once more. “Stabilize Injury.”

Bowmaster Erika stood up and moved her leg. “It doesn’t hurt,” she said.

“My Mana is helping prevent the injury from worsening or hurting, but it isn’t fixed. When my skill finally runs out, your injury will be much worse. It will wear out more quickly, the more pressure you put on that knee, so be careful,” he replied.

“Ah, thank you. That is fine. I just wanted to go with my granddaughter on her first descent. After that, full retirement for me. This job is paying for her gear,” she said with a slight smile. “I might be old, but I can still handle the first layer or two of the dungeon.”

“Hmm, I would take a potion or two if you can, just to be on the safe side. My skill is likely to give out at the worst possible moment. Don’t treat it as healed. Don’t be an idiot,” Healer Castelle said.

“I understand. Thank you. I will be careful. Well, let’s start the afternoon training,” she told me and I got up.