Whoosh…
The void-breaker arrow left the bow and struck the glowing target board. The target board and the arrow vanished just like that, without making any sound.
It all happened instantly, before Kent could blink. As he stared at the target board where the arrow touched, a number appeared in place of the target board.
'13'
The number denotes the effectiveness of the attack and the mastery of the attack used. It's like a percentage, and a perfect attack would be 100 which is impossible to achieve.
Gripping the bow tightly, Kent began releasing the Void Breaker Arrows one after another, aiming at different target boards on each attack. But his proficiency still stuck around 10–18.
After releasing more than a hundred arrows, his proficiency reached a maximum of 25.
"What the hell am I doing wrong?" Kent muttered, changing his targets from rigid ones to moving target boards.
"9"
The lowest number is displayed when his arrow struck the moving target. Kent sighed angrily and began adjusting his stance.
If any of the beginner 'Arch-Magas' see this, they will be begging Kent to teach his trick. While worrying about low numbers, Kent forgot that his every arrow struck the target, and even moving targets also did not pose any problem to his aim.
One hour has passed since Kent's practice. His arm began straining with a bit of pain. Soon, he paused his practice and opened the old man video, who gave a long lecture on how to improve spell proficiency.
For the next two hours, Kent immersed himself in the lecture, noting down the key points to increase his spell proficiency.
Increasing proficiency in arrow spells, like any other skill, requires dedication and a multifaceted approach. The old man in the lecture mentioned Octo Santeria (8 ways) to improve spell proficiency.
They are studying theory, visualization and mental practice, physical conditioning, breath, control, and focus, experimentation and innovation, cross-training to find out the timing of arrow release, environmental awareness, reflective practice, patience, and persistence.
After understanding the ways to improve the effectiveness of the arrow spell, Kent closed the sky pearl and sat in meditative posture.
He analyzed what mistakes he had made and where he could have improved. He imagined practicing with the Void Breaker Arrow and spent a lot of time finding the best timing and method to release the arrow.
While thinking, he got several other insights on improving his stance, reducing the time gap between spell casting and a normal arrow, how to increase the speed of attack, etc.
The time passed quickly, and the elder in charge of combat rooms began checking the occupied rooms to lock them before leaving for rest.
Kent finally stood up from meditation with a confident look. He picked up his Victor bow and took a brave stance before releasing the arrow.
As he opened his eyes and drew the bow string, an aura arrow formed, glowing brighter than previous attempts.
"VACCUS DISSOLVO IMPETUM"
Kent shouted with a decisive look while aiming at the target board, which is a long distance away from his sight.
Before the arrow fully changed its form, he released it from the bow.
"Karrrrr…"
Kent heard a loud, tearing noise. For a second, he did not understand what is happening. When he stared at the target board he aimed at, a glowing 69 number is displayed in large text.
But in the next second, all the target boards and magical animations disappeared inside the combat room.
Only a thick black room stood before Kent as he stared with a confused face. "Did I break the combat room inscriptions?!" Kent muttered while staring at Fire Kirin, whose mane is glowing in that dark room.
"What happened here? Who broke the inscription?" The in-charge elder hurriedly came running from the entrance gate, which opened automatically when Kent's Void breaker arrow struck the target board.
Kent's face glowed in the lamplight as the elder used his wand to light the surroundings. "You... why did you break the inscription?" The elder questioned with a serious face.
"Elder, I didn't do it deliberately. When I fired my arrow on the target board, a tearing noise came, and in the next second, the room turned pitch dark." Kent replied honestly without fearing the elder's murderous look.
Instead of arguing with Kent, the elder went to check up on the inscription plate, which is placed in the center of the room where Kent placed the key stone.
The elder took out a white key stone from his pocket and placed it in the central magic circle, which is faintly glowing. Immediately, the glow of the magic circle vanished, and in place of that, a square-sized copper plate came into visibility.
With the help of a wand light, the elder observed the inscription plate for a long time. There are light cracks on the inscription plate. Thankfully, the plate did not break completely.
With a sigh, the elder took out his key. "You... what type of attack did you use?" The elder asked with a serious face.
"Elder, I used the Void Breaker Arrow. But I didn't break anything intentionally." Kent replied, keeping the Victor bow inside his bracelet.
"Whatever… From now on, you are not allowed to use combat rooms. Our school only has level 1 combat rooms, and they won't support high-ranking attacks. Do you understand?" The elder asked, moving closer to Kent.
Kent fell into a dilemma after hearing the elder's words. The combat rooms inside the private hotels and in his palace are very small and won't support heavy damage spells.
"Elder, if you ban me from practicing here, where could I go? The secondary Magus competition is just four days away, and I need these combat rooms for practice." Kent replied with a serious look as he stared into the elder's eyes.
"That's not my problem. You can go to the Semen family combat rooms, which have level 2 inscriptions, or else go to the Small Crow Forest." The elder replied with a nonchalant look.
Kent's eyes went wide after hearing the elder's suggestion. "Elder, this is unreasonable. I heard the Semen family trains black witches, and it is open to girls only. As for the small crow forest, it is very dangerous." Kent complained in a demanding tone.
"Pay a few silver coins... the Semen family will open their gates for you. Also, you won't become a great magus by practicing inside walls. So, put up some courage and visit the small crow forest's outer area." The elder suggested in a proud tone and left, walking.
Kent stood on the spot, thinking of where to go. But his thought were interrupted when the Fire Kirin stood up, indicating the present situation.
Putting aside his training worries for tomorrow, Kent mounted on the Fire Kirin and flew towards Hanging Pearl Palace for a good night's sleep.