High Martial Arts: Invincible Starts from Basic Archery Chapter 3: Unlock, Basic Archery

Chen Fan followed the noise to its source, discovering a small cottage encircled by a gathering of people. Whispers and murmurs drifted through the crowd in a continuous wave.

"What could have driven Xiao Hong to lose her mind and hang herself?"

"Sigh, her husband never returned yesterday. Since her child died years ago, she's been all alone. She likely felt there was nothing left to live for and chose to end it."

"It truly is a tragedy."

"In these desperate times, when no one knows where their next meal is coming from, death might actually be a relief."

A heavy silence fell over the onlookers following that remark.

Indeed, when life is a constant struggle for survival, death can seem like a final escape from agony. However, facing the end still requires a certain kind of bravery.

"Move aside, let us through."

A shout cut through the air as two men emerged, carrying the body of a pale, skeletal woman on a crude stretcher.

The woman’s tongue protruded grotesquely from her mouth, creating a gruesome image.

At the sight of her, Chen Fan’s heart hammered against his ribs in shock.

Yet, the rest of the crowd appeared accustomed to such sights—or perhaps simply numb. Even children under the age of ten watched the scene without flinching.

Chen Guodong was the last to exit the house, his face etched with deep regret. Had Zhuzi not perished yesterday, this woman might have held onto a shred of hope.

With a raspy voice, he offered a few words of comfort to the group before turning to several men. "Prepare yourselves; we head out to hunt in thirty minutes."

The men exchanged glances and gave firm nods.

The dead were gone, but the living still had to endure another day.

"How long have you been standing there?"

Once the crowd had thinned out, Chen Guodong walked over to ask Chen Fan.

"I just arrived."

Chen Fan was still visibly shaken by the horrific state of the corpse.

Chen Guodong nodded briefly and began to walk away.

"Dad."

Chen Fan called out suddenly, "Are there any extra bows available? I want to practice Archery."

Stopping in his tracks, Chen Guodong looked back with a hint of astonishment. He had always viewed his son as quiet and fearful. To him, sending the boy to face fierce beasts was tantamount to a death sentence.

What had sparked this sudden change?

"I need to get stronger," Chen Fan explained earnestly. "I don't want to starve to death."

A flicker of pride and relief crossed Chen Guodong’s eyes for a brief second.

"We have them. Head to the warehouse and look for Uncle Zhang. Mention that I sent you. There are several bows inside; pick the smallest one and see what you can do."

"A few bows?" Chen Fan was taken aback.

He had assumed iron bows were a rarity in the camp, considering only a handful of people carried them. Based on his father's words, it seemed there were more than he expected.

Reading his son's expression, Chen Guodong said softly, "Archery isn't as simple as it looks. It takes immense effort to master. If you're skilled, you can take down a beast from twenty or thirty meters away. If you aren't, you'd be better off with a saber."

With that final piece of advice, he departed.

A sense of unease washed over Chen Fan, making him worry he had been too overconfident. However, since the commitment was made, he had no choice but to follow through.

The warehouse sat in the northwest corner of the settlement. The path there was nearly deserted, as everyone stayed indoors to save their strength.

Upon his arrival, he noticed several teenagers his age training with spears in the open dirt lot in front of the building.

They held two-meter spears, repeatedly practicing basic thrusting motions.

A scruffy middle-aged man with a noticeable limp paced behind them, barking orders like "Retract" and "Thrust" to correct their form.

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes, realizing this must be the Uncle Zhang his father had mentioned.

Taking a steadying breath, he walked toward them.

Before he could get close, the limping man turned and scrutinized him from top to bottom.

The practicing youths used the distraction to stop and eye the newcomer with curiosity.

"Uncle Zhang, my father is—"

"I recognize you."

The man with the limp gave a knowing smirk. "You're Chen Guodong's boy, the one who nearly died after eating those wild fruits a few days back, right?"

Chen Fan could only manage an embarrassed smile.

"Are you here to join the spear drills?"

"I'd like to try Archery first," Chen Fan replied.

The teenagers looked at one another, sharing a silent, knowing look.

"Another one, eh?"

The man chuckled. "Follow me."

He turned to the youths before entering, his voice sharp. "Why have you stopped? Sweating more during training means bleeding less in a fight. Do you understand?"

The boys shuddered and immediately returned to their spear thrusts.

As Chen Fan followed him inside, he was stunned by the collection of weaponry. The large room was packed with sabers, spears, swords, halberds, shields, iron axes, and various other armaments. There were even a few cannons sitting in the corner.

Seeing his interest, the limping man shrugged. "No gunpowder, so they're just scrap metal. Look over there, those are the bows. Take your pick."

Chen Fan turned to the left wall where a row of longbows hung, arranged by size. The smallest was roughly a meter long, while the largest was nearly two meters, rivaling the height of a grown man.

He swallowed hard and spoke honestly. "Uncle Zhang, maybe I should start with the smallest one on the far left?"

"At least you have some common sense."

The man laughed, pulled the bow from the wall, and gave the string a test pull. A sharp "twang" echoed through the room as the string vibrated. It was clear that a snap to the face from that string would cause a serious injury.

"This bow has a draw weight of forty pounds. At twenty paces, it can drop a low-level fierce beast in a single shot. Give it a go."

He tossed the weapon to the boy.

Chen Fan caught it quickly, holding the bow in his left hand while grabbing an arrow with his right. Aiming at a nearby target, he began to pull back the string, immediately feeling a heavy resistance. Gritting his teeth, he channeled every ounce of his strength to reach full draw before letting the arrow fly.

"Snap!"

The arrow whistled through the air as a jolt ran through Chen Fan's frame. His right arm felt leaden and sore from the effort.

In that instant, the attribute screen in his mind flickered and updated.

Skills: Basic Archery, Level 0 (1%)

"???"

Chen Fan almost cried out in shock but managed to keep his composure.

To his amazement, simply picking up a bow and firing once had unlocked the "Basic Archery" skill. Even though it was only Level 0, the progress bar showed 1%.

Did this mean there was hope for him?

Following that logic, if he picked up a saber or a sword, could he unlock Basic Saber or Sword Techniques? If he practiced martial arts—even something as simple as Turtle Fist—would he unlock Basic Fist Techniques?

A sudden wave of determination swept over him.

"?"

Uncle Zhang watched Chen Fan, noting the excitement written all over the boy's face, and frowned in confusion.

Was the youth of today really this easy to please? Getting that thrilled over drawing a standard bow—and only doing it once?