Questing System - Chapter 22：Genius

Caylus slowed down his speed as he spotted them coming from a distance. At first, he was relieved and wanted to rush towards him to help. That was when he noticed it; Icarus was in full control of the mare. In fact, full control was probably an understatement; the mare was following the boy’s every instruction as if it was raised by him. Combined with the natural pose and the perfect balance that Icarus had, Caylus could only come to one conclusion; Icarus had mastered the riding skill.

This blew Caylus’ mind as he struggled to make sense of it all. Icarus trotted up to Caylus and could clearly see the confusion on his face. ‘I nearly went over a cliff!’ He wiped his brow as he dismounted the mare. ‘If I didn’t manage to control it at the last minute I might have not been standing here.’ He tried to use his best acting skills, which were not the greatest.

Caylus simply nodded at this. Icarus breathed out in relief; at least Caylus had believed it. He had tried his best, if Caylus had any more doubts, they certainly weren’t visible on the surface. ‘I’ll just handle the trouble as it comes.’ He put the matter to the back of his mind as Caylus began speaking.

‘Well, I thought it might have been too early but I went ahead and prepared something for you anyways at the settlement. I guess it was a foresight on my part.’ He smiled at Icarus, who stared back at him with a tilted head. Caylus didn’t say anything and simply whistled extremely loudly.

At first, Icarus was startled as nothing happened. Caylus didn’t react either, simply looking around as if he was waiting for something. It wasn’t until a few moments later that Icarus was able to faintly pick up the sound of thundering hooves. The noise got louder and louder until finally, the brushes burst open to reveal a pure white stallion. The stallion jumped through the bushes and trotted around in a circle around Caylus before finally coming to a stop. Icarus could immediately detect inferiority developing in his heart.

‘What the hell? Why am I feeling inferior to a horse?’ Becoming confused, it was only after hearing a soft neighing did he realise that the feelings weren’t his at all. He gently stroked the mare’s black fur which seemed to comfort her. ‘Alright. Since it seems that you can control the horse, follow me.’ Caylus mounted the stallion before trotting away. Icarus also got on the mare and which had to canter to keep up.

As they weaved their way through the trees, the surroundings finally opened up revealing a path. Following the path, they made their way deeper and deeper into the forest. It was relatively clear and the melodies of the forest made sure that there wasn’t an awkward atmosphere between them. Soon the trees receded as they entered a hillside. The ground was relatively even, although a little steep. The horses slowly trotted their way towards a bunch of houses built on the slope. They were built in a rustic European style with a flare of ancient oriental style. Icarus curiously stared at the houses as he had seen nothing like them back in his old world. ‘The Settlement has changed quite a bit ever since I last visited.’

‘I like the new design.’ Icarus nodded as they made their way through the Settlement. It was only until they came to an open empty field that they stopped.

Soon Icarus found himself with a bow and arrow in hand. ‘Did you get all of that?’

‘I…think?’ Caylus shook his head and gestured for him to shoot. ‘Well, at least have a go.’ Icarus nodded and notched the arrow, aiming at the post at the end of the field. He kept his back straight and was trying to keep his posture steady. Taking a deep breath, he waited until his concentration reached an absolute peak before he let go of the bowstring.

Whoosh

The arrow shot through the air, drawing a straight trajectory as it struck the wooden stump.

Thud!

The arrow quivered due to the force as Icarus exhaled deeply. At the same time, a ringing sound went off inside his mind.

‘You did well,’ Caylus clapped twice before pointing at the target on the stump. ‘Try to hit the target next time though.’ Icarus rubbed the back of his head as a tinge of red appeared on his cheeks. The way he did it was an exact imitation of the way that Caylus had shown him, but it was an imitation in the end. The arrow had struck the base of the stump instead of the actual target. ‘Haha.’ He drew the arrow again, this time simultaneously performing another task. Bringing up his skills menu, there was another addition to the list. He had just completed the Hidden Quest ‘Ready, Aim, Fire!’ giving him the Archery(Initiated) skill. Since Caylus was standing right next to him, he decided to go slowly this time. Investing only a single skill point, he brought it up to Archery(Beginner). Immediately his back straightened even more and posture adjusted itself minutely. He felt as if he had gained greater control over the bow and the arrow, able to accurately predict its movements. These changes didn’t go unnoticed by Caylus, but he didn’t react, causing Icarus to be unaware of it. Taking a deep breath, once again Icarus waited for his concentration to reach the peak. This time, the arrow drew a slightly arcing trajectory and landed on the outer most ring of the target.

‘You’re getting better at this. Keep trying. I want you to be able to hit the bullseye ten times in a row before coming to show me. I will be waiting in the main meeting hall.’ Caylus turned around, leaving two quivers full of wooden arrows. Continuing to take it slow, Icarus decided to wait until Caylus was out of sight before he took another arrow out of the quiver, investing one more skill point before shooting it.