I spent the entire day and a good part of the night firing arrows. My arms were hurting quite a bit thanks to that. My back too, since I slept in the warehouse of the guild and my bed, was a pile of straw. At least I had food and water given to me and couldn’t complain.

  While I was resting, I soon realized the problem of being the only member in this guild here… without the others to interact, I couldn’t make allies and then try to hunt the monsters together. The other people of the other guilds could plan that much ahead, while I would remain in the dark. Asking to join them made me feel awkward just by thinking about it.

  I also felt that I didn’t need that much, but it was just my own bias. I also felt that it would be more annoying than anything to rely on others and try to make my plans while considering them as well. Little by little, I was learning more and more who I was thanks to those thoughts and with that in mind; I fell asleep.

  “You have made good progress for a day, hitting the bull’s eyes one if four shots is acceptable.”

  “Yes, master.”

  “Today your goal is to use your stamina as an energy source and power up one of your arrows and learn your first technique: the Power Shot.”

  The same sounded simple and pretty familiar. Thanks to that, I had an idea of what the technique could do. Matilda grabbed an arrow in one fluid motion while her arm was relaxed, but soon it got a bit tense as she pulled the string of her bow. I could tell that the surrounding air changed as well… it felt like she was about to break her bow, but then she unleashed her arrow.

  For a moment, I heard the sound being pushed away from it and then the impact of something being destroyed in the distance. I was only able to see pieces of the straw doll falling around. The bull’s eye had been completely decimated as well.

  “That is the Power Shot. You control your vital energy, also known as stamina, to make an arrow reach new levels of power. Naturally, the technique can become much stronger as you use it. If I were to use mine seriously, I would have destroyed that wall.”

  “For real?”

  “Hah?”

  “... Very impressive, master?”

  “Anyone with enough training can do this much. Now, go fix the straw doll and put it in the right place.”

  I wanted to ask why I had to do that when she was the one who destroyed it, but it would be a waste of time. While I was fixing the target, I wondered how I could copy Matilda… she didn’t give more details, so I couldn’t imagine that it was something as simple as just pulling the string as much as possible. That would increase the range and piercing power, but it wouldn’t be the same thing, right?

  “Don’t think too much about it. Just experiment with it and learn with your body.”

  That was what she said when I returned to the shooting spot… that didn’t seem that much helpful, but I decided to follow the instructions. Perhaps she was right. Archer was my first class, so I should have some compatibility toward it and its skills as well.

  I did the usual and nocked an arrow before aiming at a target, and then tried my pull on the bowstring. It was surprisingly heavy considering that it was a simple bow… I insisted and soon felt my aim becoming less steady and before long, my stamina began to be drained.

  “That is it. Now hit the target.”

  Without thinking too much about it, I fired the arrow, and the arrow flew… way far away from the target. It almost hit the wall on the side of the stand. Even if it could increase my power, it was useless if it dropped my aim that much.

  “Once you hit the target under these conditions, you will learn the skill. You should do that as soon as possible, because this is the easiest part of your training.”

  “Are the conditions this simple, master? Why?”

  “It is a crystal thing, so don’t worry too much about it.”

  I looked to the side and noticed that Matilda also had a crystal bracelet with her. It made me wonder what kind of nonsense the crystal is for it to work like that and the people not finding it weird at all. Regardless, considering what I heard, the crystal had a lot of magical effects… one of those effects is probably to turn some specific actions into magic or techniques. As long as we could do something similar, the crystal would allow us to learn the technique and improve it.

  Was that an overly simple explanation… Now that I thought about it, wouldn’t it make sense for the crystal to be the cause of me being here and without my memories as well? This felt really fishy. It was starting to feel like the crystal was some sort of entity or was being controlled by one that felt useful to us being here. Those were my thoughts. They made sense in my head for some reason.

  In any case, I resumed my training and kept trying to use Power Shot. I wanted to ask these kinds of questions to Matilda, but the people here would have nothing to gain by knowing that or answering the questions.

  Since I wasn’t making any progress with the shots, I decided to stop thinking about that and focus on the training. Thanks to that, things improved considerably. Given that my instincts were helping me this much, I decided to always listen to it… thanks to that, by noon, I finally hit the first target. Instead of destroying it, the technique pierced through the straw doll.

  Sean

  Primary Classes: Archer Lv 01

  Health: 80/80

  Mana: 100/100

  Stamina: 45/100

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Strength: 09

  Dexterity: 10

  Magic: 06

  Vitality: 08

  Spirit: 10

  Endurance: 10

  Luck: 05

  Free Points: 00

  Techniques: Power Shot Lv 01

  Spells:

  Effects:

  I confirmed that the technique appeared on my status screen and at the same time, the knowledge of how it worked became clear in my mind. That happened at the same time I was able to see the skill of the explanation of the technique. It was really weird, but at least it confirmed my guess… the crystal indeed helped people learn skills faster for whatever reason, at least once some conditions were confirmed.

  “Congratulations… you managed to pull it off a lot faster than I had expected.”

  Matilda’s words made me feel like I had accomplished a lot, but her expression didn’t do the same. She was studying me instead. It made me wonder if she was considering me a threat somehow. That didn’t make any sense considering how she acted in front of me until now, but it would make sense considering the redhead and the pirate captain. We were here to help, but it was hard to say when we would be welcome as true allies instead of possible threats.

  “Now, listen. Techniques, spells and effects can be improved in many ways. The main way is to use them as much as possible during fights. Training them can have some effect, but it is very small. Is at least ten times slower if compared to real fighting.”

  “I see…”

  “Anyway, continue using the skill for a while. Even if it won’t improve, you need to get used to using it. We might as well consider your hit a complete fluke here.”

  Although Matilda said that, I hit the targets half of the time with Power Shot, but she had a point. It was harder to control that way. For the rest of the day, she didn’t do anything and just watched me using Power Shot. Stamina recovered fast, around one point per second, so I could use the skill faster than I could spend my energy.

  The next day, after breakfast, Matilda jumped over on the other side of the shooting stand and then yawned before she grabbed her curved knife. It looks like it was time to train with the knives. Still, rather than worrying about stabbing her while she was sleepy, I was more worried if she wouldn’t be focused enough not to stab me.

  “Once you reach my level, you don’t have to worry about letting the enemy get too close where you will be forced to use this, but we can’t expect you to be as skilled as me, right? So, grab your knife and get ready. I will teach you the basics on how to use a knife or a short sword.

  I grabbed my knife from my waist and then looked at it. It looked a bit better than a kitchen knife, but I was fairly certain that I never held it to fight another person. At least that was what my tension told me.

  “All right, let’s start with the basics: your stance. The first is the Forward Guard., a stance that prioritizes offense and control. By positioning the lead foot forward, the fighter can quickly close the distance between themselves and the opponent. The weapon is extended slightly in front, ready to strike or parry any incoming attacks. This stance encourages forward momentum, making it ideal for pressuring the opponent and forcing them to react. However, it requires the fighter to be mindful of their balance, as committing too much weight forward can leave them vulnerable to counters.”

  “Wait, wait… aren’t you giving too much information? And why such an offensive stance? Isn’t it better to first learn a defensive stance or something?”

  “Do you think that is a good idea?”

  I stopped to think for a moment… it seemed that Matilda wanted to make me find an answer by myself. I held my chin while considering possible explanations. The first that came to mind seemed obvious and agreed with certain types of people. Archers are supposed to be damage dealers, so it would make sense that is the case.

  “It isn’t a good idea to assume a defensive stance against a target that managed to avoid my arrows, master?”

  “That is right. You don’t want to let a fight drag out. Most enemies and beasts would think that an archer at close range would be hopeless, so it is a good idea to surprise them with a sudden attack like this.”

  Matilda stepped forward in the blink of an eye, crossing a distance of ten meters and then putting her knife against my throat. I gulped after a shiver ran down my spine. I didn’t see her moving at all… it felt like she took advantage of the moment I blinked to approach. While I was thinking about that, I saw that Matilda had a bunch of throwing knives under her cloak.

  “I see… that was impressive, master. By the way, do archers learn how to throw knives, too?”

  “They can, but it is more of a thief's skill than anything.”

  “You teach thief skills as well?”

  “Didn’t I tell you?”

  “No, but it suits you.”

  “Are you trying to pick a fight?”

  In any case, it didn’t seem like she got any thief students either… it made sense since most people would hesitate in getting that class. One of the primary reasons people avoid the thief class is the negative social stigma associated with it. Thieves are often seen as criminals, and adopting such a class may result in the person being ostracized by other factions within the society. This can limit the person’s access to certain resources, allies, and opportunities, creating a sense of isolation or constant danger.

  At the same time, the thief class typically doesn’t offer the raw physical strength or magical prowess that classes like warrior or mage provide. Instead, thieves often rely on stealth, cunning, and agility, which can be challenging to master and less satisfying in direct confrontations. People who prefer to be at the forefront of battles, dealing damage head-on or wielding powerful spells, may find the thief’s reliance on sneak attacks, traps, and subterfuge boring or less impressive.

  “Anyway, assume that stance and then try to block my attacks. I will use the other side of the knife, so don’t worry about it.”

  I nodded and copied Matilda’s stance. Without any warning, she charged forward once more and then attacked me faster than the wind, but it looked like in the last moment, she slowed down considerably to give me time to react to her attacks.

  Although Matilda had thin arms, her attacks were weirdly heavy. Blowing away my guard was as easy as breathing for her or making me break my posture or force me to step backward. I didn’t hurt myself using the bow aside from the tip of my fingers, but Matilda made sure to hit my forearms a few times with the handle of her knife whenever I messed up too much.

  The next day, she taught me the low guard stance. The Low Guard stance is one where the fighter lowers their body to maintain a low center of gravity. With weight evenly distributed and knees bent, the fighter remains stable and ready to absorb any incoming attacks. The weapon is held at waist or hip level, ready to deflect strikes or counters when an opening arises. This stance is highly effective for defending against powerful strikes while keeping the fighter’s movements close to their body for swift retaliation.

  In the next few days, she also taught me the side guard and the neutral stance, but I felt more comfortable with the reverse grip. The Reverse Grip is a specialized stance best suited for close-quarters combat, where the fight has moved into grappling range or when immediate retaliation is required. With the weapon held in a reverse grip, the person is positioned to strike rapidly in tight spaces. The dominant foot is still forward, but the fighter’s body is lower to the ground to aid in stability and quick reactions.

  This stance is good for swift, close-range slashes or thrusts, especially in situations where an opponent’s weapon is close to the user’s body. It’s a less conventional grip, making it harder for opponents to anticipate and counter. The main challenge of the Reverse Grip is that it can leave the fighter vulnerable at longer ranges, so it’s best used when the fight is already in proximity. After blocking a few of her strikes and finally trying to land some hits as well that Matilda easily deflected, she studied me for a bit.

  “Hm. It seems that you aren’t half bad with the reverse grip stance. If you survive for long enough, then come here and pay me to teach you how to dual wield. That might make you a bit better at close combat.”

  “Thank you very much, master.”

  “We only have half a day left, so there isn’t much that I can still teach you, and I want to give you more time to complete the first stage of the bow training. So, I guess the only option left is to teach you Takedown. Try to attack me.”

  I nodded. I wanted to ask first before doing anything what the skill could do, but sometimes it is better to learn by doing. With that in mind, I charged and then tried a side slash with the reverse grip and Matilda blocked the attack with ease, deflecting my weapon to the side. Her dagger also moved to the side, but soon she stopped and then tried to slash my wrist. I felt a shiver run down my spine, but she stopped at the last moment.

  “This is Takedown, pretty good to disarm opponents that use weapons. You can try to learn this at a later time. For now, you should try to complete your night training while you can.”