Matthew continued to teach Aidan the essentials of the breathing technique. The meat broth on the hearth bubbled noisily, sending up curls of steam.
Once Aidan had grasped the basic rhythm of the breathing, Matthew instructed:
“Practice once in the morning and once in the evening. Consistency is key. But you must keep in mind that practicing a breathing technique consumes a great deal of physical energy, so you need to make sure you eat enough.
If you feel pain or anything unusual during practice, stop and rest immediately. Do not force yourself to push through it. This breathing technique relies on gradual accumulation over time, so there is no need to rush.”
Aidan nodded earnestly. By then, the broth was fully stewed, and the two of them shared the meal while it was still hot.
Once their hearty brunch was over, Matthew glanced at the heavy snow outside the window. Suddenly recalling how starved he used to get when he first started practicing, he took a pouch of dried meat from his cloth bag and handed it to Aidan:
“You'll be ravenous after finishing the breathing technique, so don't skimp on food. The key is to train well and grow stronger as quickly as possible.”
Taking the dried meat, Aidan's face was filled with gratitude. He solemnly thanked Matthew once again:
“Thank you, Brother Matthew! I will definitely practice hard and never slack off!”
“Consistency is the most important thing.” Matthew patted him on the shoulder. “Go on. Remember to act within your limits, and stop if you feel any discomfort.”
The two parted ways in front of the cabin. Clutching the dried meat and filled with a renewed determination, Aidan headed back home.
After watching him leave, Matthew sat cross-legged and meditated for a while. Once he had restored the energy he had expended this morning to its peak, he gathered his gear, preparing to head into the Shadow Forest.
First, it was to check the traps he had set yesterday to see if there was any harvest, or if they had been damaged and needed repairs.
Second, it was to practice his 【Basic Archery】, and practice required live targets.
But now that it was winter, there were no birds in the wheat fields.
On the other hand, the complex environment at the edge of the forest—with its undulating terrain, obstructing trees, and occasionally appearing wild beasts—made for an excellent training ground.
With these thoughts in mind.
He took down the 【Forest Shadow Hunting Bow】 hanging on the wall, checked the arrows in his quiver, and stuffed a few pieces of dried meat and a tinderbox into his travel pack—preparations against potential hunger and the chill of the forest.
Pushing open the door, the wind and snow instantly rushed over his face.
Matthew pulled his fur coat tight and stepped into the snow, heading in the direction of the Shadow Forest.
Though the snow fell heavily, his steps were steady. Just as he thought, this bit of cold was nothing to a body that was close to the Brass Rank.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Inside the Shadow Forest.
The snow became sparser inside the forest, as the towering canopy blocked some of the snowfall.
Matthew trod through the ankle-deep snow, his steps light and steady. With one hand holding his bow and the other lightly resting near his quiver, his gaze swept across the forest like a hawk, searching for any movement.
Before he had even walked a hundred paces, a soft rustling came from the bushes on his right.
Without stopping his feet, Matthew simply turned his body, drew his bow, and nocked an arrow... The movements were seamless. Almost the instant the sound registered in his ears, the arrow had already flown from the string.
With a soft thud, the arrowhead precisely pierced the neck of a snow rabbit.
The grayish-white figure twitched twice in the snow before falling completely still.
Matthew stepped forward, pulled out the arrow, and slipped the still-warm rabbit into his travel pack.
The entire process took only a few breaths; he had not even fully stopped his pace.
He continued forward.
A hazel grouse was startled into flight from a low branch, flapping its wings as it darted diagonally forward.
Without even looking, Matthew reached back for an arrow and drew his bow. The arrow traced a low, flat arc, striking the grouse squarely in the chest.
The bird fell to the ground at the sound, kicking up a small puff of snow.
Scenes like this repeated themselves over and over along the way.
Whether it was a mole poking its head out from under the snow, a gray finch hopping on a branch, or a lizard darting between rock crevices—as long as they came within thirty paces of Matthew, they could hardly escape his swift and accurate arrows.
Every time he drew his bow, the action was clean and efficient, without a single wasted movement. Every shot found its mark.
【Basic Archery +1】
【Basic Archery +1】
【Basic Archery +1】
【.....................】
Matthew's gaze swept over the lines of small black text popping up before him. He then weighed his gradually swelling travel pack, a faint, unexpected smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
He had indeed anticipated some harvest today, but he had not expected that once he calmed his mind and focused entirely on his bow and eyes, these seemingly hidden forest creatures would have absolutely "nowhere to hide."
The deeper he went, the more the forest mist began to emerge.
At first, it was just thin, wispy strands clinging to the ground, like the cold breath exhaled by the earth itself.
But as he approached the stream along the familiar path, the mist gradually grew thicker, wrapping around the tree trunks and casting a grayish-white veil over the distant scenery.
Yet, it was still considered thin, much sparser than the mist near the mound last time.
Matthew looked up at the sky—though obscured by the forest canopy, he could still tell that the sun had begun its westward descent.
“The mist alone is enough to identify whether one has ventured too deep...” He recalled Instructor Calm's words.
The mist in the Shadow Forest was not evenly distributed. The closer one got to the core or dangerous areas, the thicker and heavier the mist became, sometimes even to the point where one could not see their own hand in front of their face.
Whereas in the outer areas, the mist was mostly as thin as morning mist.
But this method would be greatly compromised at night.
The night itself devoured light, and when combined with the shroud of mist, it was extremely easy for people to lose their direction and unwittingly wander into the depths.
Because of this, there was a common consensus among everyone: unless there was an urgent matter, one must withdraw from the forest before nightfall.
Matthew put his thoughts away and quickened his pace toward the traps. Fortunately, there was still plenty of time, more than enough to withdraw from the forest before dusk.
About fifteen minutes later, the faint sound of running water drifted from ahead.
While Matthew felt a surge of joy in his heart, he also became more cautious.
He quickened his steps toward where he had set the traps yesterday. As he drew near, Matthew noticed at a glance that the camouflage at the pit opening had been disturbed—
The thin branches, dry grass, and light snow covering the top had been broken through, revealing a gap.
“No way! Am I really that lucky?!” He was overjoyed.
But after taking just a few more steps forward, he felt a faint sense of discrepancy and secretly thought, Oh no.
This gap was simply too small...
Coming closer, Matthew bent down to inspect the bottom of the pit. Inside, a plump wild rabbit was pierced through by a wooden spike.
Matthew frowned, scrutinizing the damaged camouflage around the trap.
He quickly realized that if even a wild rabbit could trigger it so easily, the trap would not only be wasted for nothing, but it might also scare away more valuable, larger prey nearby.
“In the future, when setting this kind of trap, the covering of the pit opening must be much sturdier!”
He reflected in his mind.
“I'd rather have no harvest for a while than let the trap be triggered so easily. After all, a Vine Trap is more than enough to deal with small wild rabbits like this.”
“Still, this wild rabbit shouldn't go to waste...”
With this thought.
Matthew leaped down, landing precisely on the spot he had prepared beforehand. He reached out to remove the rabbit from the wooden spike, then with a powerful spring, he jumped back out of the deep pit.
Drawing his short blade, he skillfully slit the rabbit's belly open, pulled out its organs intact, and threw them down into the pit to enhance the trap's subsequent luring effect.
Rate on N.U.
