Hiss.
A barely perceptible whistling sound passed through the air, followed by a loud collision noise.
Bang!
It was intermixed with the shrill sound of bending metal.
The metal arrow had pierced through the iron plate on the chest of the humanoid wooden target, and the remaining kinetic energy caused it to topple backward, making a thud as it hit the smooth basement floor.
Colin stepped forward to examine it closely.
The wooden target was nearly the size of a person, its lower half a huge counterweight block of iron.
And on its chest hung a piece of iron so thick it could be called a block.
The iron plate was about a dozen centimeters thick and had been completely penetrated by the metal arrow.
A satisfied expression appeared on Colin's face.
This was still the first time he had used the Limit Breaking Arrow Shooting Skill on a physical object with full force... When he had killed the thug, North, he had only used one-tenth of his power, far from his full strength.
Now it seemed that the power of the Arrow Shooting Skill after one Limit Breaking exceeded his imagination.
At least the Steel Armor witchcraft before Limit Breaking was absolutely unable to defend against it. If it were the Steel Armor after one Limit Breaking, maybe it would be a fifty-fifty chance.
'But the metal arrows... seem somewhat inappropriate.'
Colin slowly drew out the arrow, pondering deeply.
Now that the Arrow Shooting Skill had its power deficiency compensated for after Limit Breaking, it still required arrows.
But ordinary arrows were not convenient to carry... Perhaps it was time to switch to a more portable "arrow."
After one Limit Breaking, his understanding of the Arrow Shooting Skill had deepened; he knew it was not limited to just shooting arrows.
As long as it was a suitable metal, after certain adjustments, it could be launched via the Arrow Shooting Skill.
Putting thought into action, Colin walked upstairs, instructing Arthur to go to the blacksmith to forge several different models to test their effects.
Upon receiving the order, Arthur immediately drove off. These days, such miscellaneous tasks had always been his responsibility.
Meanwhile, Renee was preparing dinner on the other side, while little Demi played alone in the yard.
The yard was originally supposed to be a well-maintained garden, but now it was overgrown with weeds, and there was a huge coconut tree on the left.
After moving in, they only roughly cleared the weeds once and didn't maintain it carefully afterward, making these random wildflowers and plants become Demi's playground.
She wasn't afraid of Colin and just played around with a small wooden stick.
Colin beckoned her over and pinched her face.
Demi was five years old this year, both her looks and personality extremely likable. In the modern world, she certainly would have been the kind of child who walked around during New Year's collecting red envelopes until her hands were sore.
Initially, Colin was worried about her playing alone unsafely. For example, the coconut tree on the left often dropped coconuts, fearing that one might accidentally hit her.
But the children of this world were far sturdier than those of his previous world and knew how to avoid many dangers.
Eventually, he got used to her, a five-year-old, playing around by herself.
After all, even her sister, Renee, was not worried.
After playing with Demi for a while, Colin felt sufficiently rested and continued to return to the basement to practice witchcraft.
He was ultimately not some non-human with a monstrously firm will.
Apart from the Golden Paper, he was just an ordinary man, unable to continue training like a machine every day.
No doing other things... no socializing, no entertainment.
So he would occasionally chat with Renee, pinch Demi's chubby cheeks.
As for Arthur, he was a taciturn type and always stiff around him, so Colin rarely sought him out for a chat.
The new "arrow" models were ready by the next day.
Last night, another wild boar, a Fierce Beast of the same kind, had attacked.
But unfortunately for it, it had stumbled into the territory of Captain Holt, and within a few meters, had been strangled to death by vines.
To distinguish, Holt had named the beast the Black-Maned Giant Pig last night.
Its characteristic was its unusually large size.
The Dark Forest was an extremely dangerous place, perhaps only the wizards of the Lap School felt confident to traverse it safely.
The origins of these fierce beasts within the Dark Forest remained unknown…
The only certainty was that the beasts were growing stronger, something Colin had heard others lament more than once.
After finishing his shift and waking up, Arthur had brought him several different models of new arrows.
There were the simplest steel balls, as well as shuttle-shaped and diamond-shaped ones, among others.
Colin immediately went to the basement to test them.
One after another, ghostly lights shot out from his hand, pockmarking the iron plate in front of the wooden target.
Finally, after careful testing, Colin chose the shuttle shape. This form was faster and more powerful.
The custom-made shuttle-shaped arrows were only the size of a knuckle, making them easy to carry.
The only downside was that they were more difficult to make compared to other types, so they were also more expensive.
But they were still within the range Colin could afford.
Over the next few days while on duty, they were attacked by the Black-Maned Giant Pig.
And each time, it either happened on the neighboring territory of the Chiwen Gang or on their Lap School's grounds.
Although each incident ended with the wizards killing the beast, due to its robust life force and massive size, it always managed to cause significant damage to the fields.
After finishing his shifts, Colin frequently saw many gaunt farmers trying to salvage the wheat, their expressions growing increasingly grim. Once he even saw a thin, elderly farmer lying on the ground, picking up wheat and shedding tears.
The situation continued until his eleventh day on duty.
That morning, after his shift was over and he was about to leave, Holt called him and the other team members back.
The squad members rarely gathered together.
Holt led them to an open area outside the city gates, where a middle-aged man with black curly hair was standing.
"City Lord Price," Holt greeted him. Colin and the others followed suit respectfully.
From his position, Price was at least on par with the three top apprentices of the School and perhaps even a bit more powerful. Clearly, he required deferent treatment.
Price responded kindly.
Colin looked up at Price; this was the first time he had seen the legendary City Lord of Blackstone.
He looked like an ordinary middle-aged man, albeit weathered.
Moments later, five wizards from the Chiwen Gang arrived.
Colin spotted a familiar, frail figure among them.
Clearly, he also saw Catherine, his expression changed slightly, and he subtly hid behind his nearby companion.
Catherine did not notice him, or perhaps she had forgotten him.
"Everyone is here, so I'll make it short," Price said gravely.
"In recent days, the repeated attacks by the Black-Maned Giant Pig have caused severe damage to the fields. If this continues, many people in the city will die this year.
It seems that a group of wild pigs has already appeared in the Dark Forest… We can't let them continue to reproduce.
So, I've called you here to take the initiative tonight, led by the strongest among us, Wizard Holt… Marlow, you have no objections, right?"
"No, City Lord," the leading wizard of the Chiwen Gang, a first-class apprentice, replied.
"Good. Afterwards, I will personally offer 150 Magic Stones as a reward, and if we manage to bring back the Black-Maned Giant Pig, I will buy it at the standard rate," Price nodded, then slowly continued after scanning the group:
"That's all I have to say. The specifics will be handled by Holt."
With that, he turned and boarded the luxurious carriage behind him, leaving.
Then, Holt briefly discussed the tactics,
which essentially involved driving the wild pigs into a panic, making them flee back to the Dark Forest. From there, they would take the opportunity to follow them to their lair and eradicate all the wild pigs.
Of course, given the dangers of the Dark Forest, if they ventured too deep, they would abandon the operation directly.