[Bowhunter Skill: Longshot
A shot that can reach as long as the eye can see. Immune from wind disturbances and does not have arrow drop.]
[Used "Longshot"]
The first shot missed the target by a few inches. Unlike the "Spear Shot" skill, which had ungodly accuracy, the "Longshot" skill was just as accurate as the basic skill shots.
There was also the distance. A hundred yards away and the swans looked like the size of cotton balls. A tiny margin of error would convert to a miss of several inches.
The good thing was that he could try again. The arrow landed on the water, creating a little splash, but the birds paid no attention to it. It was most probably the first time the swans saw an arrow, and had no idea of what it was.
Furthermore and most surprisingly, the longshot skill did not have a cooldown. And Anthony could use it as fast as he could reload. And his reloading speed was already decent as he had used a bow before.
Far from discouraged, Anthony would try again but this time became a little more realistic. A hundred yards was still an impractical range for him, given his current skills. Thus he decided to advance twenty meters closer.
He had no need of the quiver, as he had mastered summoning items out of his inventory simply by thinking of them. He stretches two fingers out, folds them, and in between an arrow out of nowhere simply appears. Then he would immediately nock it, stretch the bowstring and release.
[Used "Longshot"]
[You have killed a Swan]
[Mastery Points +15]
The second shot was unexpectedly successful. He aimed for the body, but the arrow hit the bird in the eye, giving it a quick and silent death. So silent, in fact, that other birds had not noticed what had happened. The dead bird was still sitting like it was, moments ago, except that the neck had gone limp.
He would aim for the next bird, and the same results: he missed his first try and made his second, this time hitting the bird in the breast. His second prey fell a little too sharply into the water, and the other birds had started to notice something was wrong and became more alert. It was at the fifth shot, and his third miss, that they finally perceived him as a threat and flew away.
Anyhow, he was satisfied with the results. The longshot skill showed promise. Two birds hunted, without taking a single step or a sweat on his brow.
[Used "Butcher"]
[You have obtained Swan Meat x10]
[Are you sure you want to sell Swan Meat x10?]
[You have obtained Tokens x300]
The meat yield, however, was disappointing. The swans were smaller up close, and the pheasants he had hunted were significantly bigger. And although Swan meat was three times more expensive than pheasant meat, it was not worth it.
But he was not about to wrap things up. Gaining tokens was not his primary purpose of being out there. It was to familiarize his new occupation, and harmless little birds were perfect for the purpose.
Impressed by it, he would continue using the Longshot on other flocks. He wanted to get use to the feeling, get the right angles and master the timing.
His effort would immediately yield results, and he would get better at it at every shot. The Occupation did not only come with the skills, but also the talent. Similar to how he learned how to use the throwing spear in just a couple tries.
After an hour, he could make four of out of six shots within 50 meters and could release six "longshots" a minute. With such proficiency, the swans became literal sitting ducks.
When he realized that he was yet to use his second skill, the remaining birds could be counted in within two hands. He had enjoyed using the Longshot skill a little too much.
[Bowhunter Skill: Rapid Shooting
Enables the Bowhunter to release one good shot every second. Lasts for five seconds.]
"Not bad at all." Anthony commented as he read the description. A skilled Archer needs at least five seconds to reload, that would make five times faster, at least for five seconds. The short ten-second cooldown was the icing on the cake.
There was only one last remaining spot where he could test it out. The rest of the birds were too scattered across. About eighty yards away from his last hunting ground were the last flock of swans, consisting of four members.
Seventy meters we're still too far for him, and so he advanced to have a closer shooting view. But the hooves might have been too loud, or the swans have learned to be alert. After closing in to just sixty meters, the birds spread their wings and took flight.
Anthony could not just watch them fly away, and so immediately he halted his horse. He aimed at the swans that just left the ground and used the skill.
[Used "Rapid Shooting"]
He had high expectations for the skill, but he would never have thought about what happened when it was triggered.
The whole world slowed, and he saw the birds fly in slow motion. But he knew the skill was not about slowing time, it just appeared that way. The skill, in reality, bestowed him godly speed and alertness.
Six arrows flew within those five seconds. The reason for the extra arrow seemed to have been the fact that he saved time by summoning the arrows out of thin air and not manually getting it from the quiver.
He targeted five birds and would shoot down two. Because it was fast, it was not as accurate as a properly aimed longshot. But it was not that bad of a job, considering the distance and the size of the game.
He would conclude the hunt with twenty four hunted swans. Not much tokens to bring back, but an occupation explored.