Choosing a school is a bit difficult, actually really difficult. A school is a place where you learn subjects about certain matters including history, way of cultivating, etc.
Now, we (me and my twin brother) are having difficulties which school to choose. There are ranking on schools based on the achievements of their students, from highest to lowest is the Heaven, Sky, Earth.
We were asked to choose a school but we do not know what our parents wants us to choose from these different rankings. We then just came to the conclusion of finding a "Sky" leveled schools with different focus for example is the Sword, Bow, Craftsmanship, Medicine, even Poisoning included and many more.
Now we were simply discussing which school to go and decided to just roll a dice on which school to go. On the dice, there are what I just said earlier. Sword, Bow, Craftsmanship, Medicine, Poisoning, and Runes.
"Let's roll the dice now." As I said that, a sweat dropped from my forehead as this will decide our future.
"Agreed." Said my twin brother who is in the same condition as me.
*sounds of the dice rolling*
First, the word sword came out but it switched to bow, and then medicine, followed by poisoning, and then it rolled again and finally...
"Craftsmanship" both me and my twin said that at the same time.
"Guess we have that already or you still want to roll the dice?" I said that and looked at my twin.
"Roll it another time. If its the same then it was meant for us." my brother looked really sad on this first try.
"Very well." I said that and rolled the dice away and what came out surprised me even my twin as well.
"Bow... better than the other try." Brother said this and just looked at me.
"Fine with this?" I asked him as I think he may not want this.
"You join the bow, I join the sword. Funny it is that its like we were made to support each other, right Shiro?"
"Fine, I'll agree with you going to a sword school but don't get wounds now or I'll shoot that guy/girl." Me being sarcastic and all and the two of us just laughed together and made a promise.
"Never ever get wounded even once or else we suffer the consequences." After that we gone our separate directions him going to train the sword and me asking for our mother to give me a bow.
"So you want to go into Archery? What a coincedence, even I attended an Archery school." - Mother
"Then can you suggest me a school to go into, Mother?" - Me (Shiro)
"I suggest you go into a Peak Sky Archery School, one is near our house. I'll train you the basics right now so you'll get a bit if chance to pass." Mother said that with a devilish grin and it just made me shiver.
"First get a bow." - Mother
"Where?" - Me
"Here." And as I look around there are no bows around.
"Make one yourself." - Mother
What a devil my mother is. Well first I ran through the nearby forest to secure a proper wood. But I turned around and came back home to the storage and found myself an axe. It is a but heavy but with my Third Level Elementary Cultivation I can handle this weight with 1 point of energy expended every hour.
I look around the trees and then a message popped-up in my UI.
'Activate observation mode? Y/N' well duh I would certainly say "Yes"
As soon as I look around the trees I saw their strengths and weaknesses as well as how to make of best use for them.
"Well this sure would be fun." Looking around, I saw a caterpillar the size of a hand and the UI identified it.
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Name : Iron Stringed Caterpillar
Info : It survives with the use of its own strings using them as traps on their sorroundings and create as much traps as possible. Its strings could be used in bows to add more into power.
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A great string for a great bow. I'll be making good use for you. But how to secure it? Hmmmmm, food!
Looking around I see apples in the vicinity, getting a pebble with a sharp edge, I aim for its hook.
The UI helped me by scanning my brainwaves and knowing my possible action it automatically arranges the trajectory in my mind. Simulating it and trying it a thousandth time in my mind in a nanosecond and kaboom!
The pebble in my hand turned into a miniature meteor as it flies through the sky as it hit the hook of the apple.
"Nice" I said as I catched the apple that fell. Looking at the caterpillar, I offered it the apple in exchange of strings that can cover my right arm. It called for its friends and cover my right arm with strings and made it loose enough so that my right arm wouldn't be wounded.
As I said my thanks, I again looked around for a suitable wood that can be paired with the grade of string I have. And as luck would have it, I just saw a tree with an age of 150 years on its back.
Now trees in this world aren't like the ones on Earth. The trees here grow stronger as years go by and the higher their age, the most suitable it is for weapons. I asked the tree if a branch can be cut off for my weapon and it shook in agreement offering a branch that it has cut by itself. I said thanks to the tree and offered 25 points of my energy and it shook in delight as another branch was grown.
I smiled at the tree and left the area. And suddenly had an idea, I came back at the tree and asked, "Can you craft a bow for me using these materials I have procured? In exchange I will do what I did earlier with a bit more power." And it agreed to my request and absorbed the strings as well as the branch inside it.
Looking at the scene I was amazed at how beautiful these materials entered the tree and remembered a book I have read about trees as well as others gaining intelligence by the age of 107 and then having the ability of transforming as a human in the age of 200.
'A tree transforms at the exact age of 195.'
So my UI says. And while waiting, I tried to put energy to my eyes and I stooped as soon as I did. Why?
'Warning : Energy detected in the eyes. Stopping the transfer of energy and processing the energy to a higher grade for UI absorption. Done'
That was scary... my vision turned red as soon as I saw that warning. Scrolling through the menu, I saw "Filters" and opened the tab. I saw the "Observation", "Combat", "Crafting", "Cooking", etc. And I used the "Filter : Crafting" and my vision turned into an x-ray and I saw my bow coming into shape.
The tree opened the branch he gave and put the string inside, now the string was folded until the lenght of half an adult and inserted to the alloted space made by tree in the branch. Now I see that the branch was gaining age as the process goes on probably because of the tree helping in. As soon as the process was done, the tree gave it a mark of ¤ on the top part probably symbolizing that it is a work of nature.
It then used its branches to offer the bow to me and I held the bow with my left arm. I put my right hand on the tree and gave it 40% out 100% of my energy. Happy enough, it gave me a set of arrows that comes the bow and it too had the mark of ¤ .
Extending a branch it spoke, "Do not be afraid and put a drop of your own blood to the bow for it to recognize you as the owner. After which it can only be used by you and no other, the bow was blessed by the nature itself and not me. It was a symbol he always gave to the good people, now hurry on as I see your mother coming here in extreme speeds. Goodbye."
As the tree ended its words, it returned back to the peaceful tree it once was and I marked it with a peace sign on its center and it shook again.
"Shiro, come here." - Mother
"Why mother? Did something happen?" I was clueless and looked at my mother for answers.
"I felt that you were expending energy so I thought you were hurt but gladly it wasn't the case." As her sight wandered of to my bow, she was surprised and asked.
"Where did you get this bow?" - Mother
As I recount the story to Mother, she gave me a warm smile and said, "My child Shiro, you were blessed by the Nature therefore you should also take care of them. Anyway, this is our land so you can take care of them later. I will take care of them for the time being, on school day offs come back here okay? Now go back to the house I need something to do here."
"Okay Mother." And I head back not knowing what my Mother will do.
Chapter 6 : The Nature's Bow