Chapter 84: Meis Teachings (1/2)
The days passed by, and as two weeks went by, Arion and Shun had exceeded Old Zi's expectations by mastering hand-to-hand combat faster than the timeframe he had in his mind.
Before, Arion and Shun were unable to even exchange a move with Old Zi. But after a day, they were able to exchange a single move which turned into three, six, ten, twenty, and so on as days passed.
Of course, Old Zi only used his bare hands and held back his strength while sparring with them, but still, he didn't hold back his fighting skills at all.
After getting lots of tips and guidance from Old Zi, Arion felt as if his earlier street fighting skills were no different than a baby who knew some tricks.
He felt as if he entered a whole new world of fighting arts where he could employ a number of moves according to different situations and also make better use of his senses.
It was already night when Old Zi decided to stop for today and said in an appreciative tone,
”Good. You two are doing well so far. Tomorrow we will take a break so that you two can use this break to properly rest and be ready for weapons training the day after.”
Arion, who was wondering when he would get to learn his new weapon, became quite zealous after hearing his words.
But then he remembered that he barely had any time to practice his bow and arrow after coming here and felt that tomorrow morning, he should ask Mei if she could start teaching him.
The night soon passed, and as planned, Mei got up along with Arion in the early morning since she was ready to teach him.
”So, where are we going?” Arion curiously asked as Mei asked him to follow her outside.
”To hunt for some wild beasts. After all, it's best to teach you on the field. But we won't go too far since there could be Dreadlings if we go too down,” Mei answered.
”Alright. Sounds good,” Arion happily said as he strapped his bow and quiver over his shoulders as he followed her.
Arion then asked a question that was on the back of his mind, ”How are there wild animals here when Dreadlings lay hidden here? Won't they kill all of the animals here? Or wouldn't the animals be afraid to linger around in these areas?”
Mei nodded, ”True, but on the other side of this hill, there is a wide expanse of a forest where all sorts of animals live in that place, and since it's close to a human settlement, Dreadlings are not present there. And sometimes, these wild beasts come out of their forests for a lot of reasons and wander onto the hills where they probably would be able to return back alive since the Dreadlings on these hills don't always attack. What happened to us was just an unlucky event.”
Arion nodded in understanding, but at the same time, thinking about the Baneteeths and the powerful Hell Wraith attacking their party made him feel that it all might have happened because of him.
The two went down the hills by about a few hundred meters and stopped upon seeing a number of crowded trees before them.
”There is a three-eyed deer ahead. Ready your bow and arrow,” Mei said in a low voice as she spotted a deer munching on the leaves a few dozen meters away.
Arion looked in the direction of her gaze and spotted a strange three-eyed deer with luminous brown fur.
He felt it a bit weird to see a deer with three eyes but knowing that this world didn't make sense by normal standards, he easily accepted it.
With the lightest of movements, he drew his bow and aimed in the direction of the deer.
Mei came behind him and gently held his arms, making his expression become a bit relaxing, basking in her pleasant fragrance.
”Keep your head up straight. You have to draw the string to your chest and then line up your aim,” Mei whispered as she held his hand and pulled the string till it reached his chest.
”Keep your shoulders low, and the string should be aligned with your nose and chin,” Mei instructed as she helped him adjust his body posture.