Thanks to the live demonstration, we had successfully fended off the "guest" who had come to complain. Now, the shop was busier than ever. Some guests were praising the bravery of the clerk for not backing down, while others were fired up to try the game themselves now that the highest difficulty had been proven possible. Some were even egging on male students who were trying to look cool for their dates. In short, the place was in the midst of a full-blown festive frenzy.
Amidst the chaos, the female student prompted me to step up to the reception desk for a rundown of the game.
"There are four difficulty levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced, and super-advanced. The equipment is the same for every level, but the distance and target size vary. You’ll be given five arrows, and if you hit three or more targets, you clear the game and win a prize. We also have participation prizes for those who miss every shot, so don't be afraid to give it your best!"
"Haha, thanks. Do you have a recommended difficulty?"
"A recommendation? Well, most people go for the intermediate level. The distance is about three meters, and the targets are the size of a CD. That male student over there is currently challenging intermediate."
The girl pointed to a corner of the classroom where a male student was carefully aiming his bow.
"That one, huh..."
"About one in two people succeed on intermediate."
"I see. That sounds like a good starting point for a casual game. I think I'll go with that."
"Good choice. Depending on how busy we are, some people like to try intermediate first and then move on to advanced or super-advanced."
It certainly made sense to ramp up the difficulty in stages—provided there was an opening. I glanced toward the classroom entrance and saw a crowd of people who, like me, had peeked in out of curiosity during the earlier commotion and were now being drawn in by the staff.
The shop was definitely on a roll. At this rate, it would soon be so packed that I wouldn't have the chance to try multiple times.
"By the way, what’s the advanced level like?"
"For advanced, the distance increases to five meters. The targets are roughly the size of the bottom of a 500ml bottle. Only about one in seven or eight people manage to clear it."
"That’s quite the jump in difficulty..."
"The prizes are a bit better to compensate."
She pointed toward the prize corner. The advanced section featured medium-sized bags of assorted snacks. Compared to the small bags for intermediate, they were definitely more enticing.
Then again, I had already won a massive snack basket... but I doubted anyone in the club would complain about having more.
"I see... Alright, I’ll take on the advanced level."
"Are you sure? It's pretty tough."
"Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I'll do it."
"Understood. A guide will show you to your station as soon as it's free. Please wait just a moment."
I finished my registration and moved to the designated waiting area. Apparently, there was one other person signed up for advanced ahead of me, so I’d have to wait for two people to finish. I wasn't in a hurry, so I settled in to wait.
Besides, I found the perfect way to kill some time.
"Let’s see... 'Proper Archery Techniques'?"
I read through the instructions written on a cardboard sign while picking up a spare bow to check its weight. According to the sign, the first step was to hook the string into the notch of the arrow and pull—basics 101. Next was the aiming method. It suggested pointing the bow at the target and trying to keep the target, the arrow, and your dominant eye in a straight line. It was a different method than formal archery, but given the questionable precision of these handmade bows, this was supposedly the most effective way to hit the mark.
A seasoned archer could probably do it by feel, but for a complete novice, this was likely the best approach.
"Ah, crap."
When I gave the string a light experimental tug, I heard a faint, ominous creak. The wood was far more fragile than I had imagined; it felt like it would snap if I wasn't extremely careful. I immediately stopped pulling and informed a nearby staff member that I might have damaged the bow. It had only made a sound, but I didn't want the next person to get hurt if it splintered in their hands.
To my relief, when I apologized, the staff member brushed it off easily. Apparently, the explorers in the class had done the same thing multiple times during testing. Because the construction was so simple, they had prepared plenty of spares.
"Please be careful, though," the Trunk Room Guide warned me. "A crack is fine, but since the string is under tension, if the bow actually snaps, fragments could fly everywhere."
"I'm sorry. I'll be much more careful."
I gave a polite nod of apology to the Trunk Room Guide for the trouble.
"You're up next, by the way. It'll just be another moment."
"Got it."
I watched as the person ahead of me stepped up to the line. They hadn't started yet, so I decided to keep my hands to myself and just observe. I didn't want to risk breaking another bow while waiting.
Once the previous guest finished their turn—they unfortunately only hit two out of five—it was finally my time.
"Thank you for waiting. Next guest, please."
"I'm ready."
Following the Trunk Room Guide, I headed to the table where the bows and arrows were laid out. Just as described, five arrows were waiting for me.
The Store Clerk in charge of the station began the official briefing.
"Let’s confirm the rules. You've chosen the advanced difficulty, correct?"
"That's right."
"For advanced, you’ll be shooting at the targets from this line, five meters away. You have five arrows; hit three targets to clear and win a prize. Any questions?"
"Is there a practice shot before I start?"
If I could fire just once, I’d be able to get a feel for the bow's quirks. With a practice shot, I could probably aim for a perfect five-for-five.
However, the Store Clerk shook his head.
"Unfortunately, no practice shots allowed. We found that explorers can usually hit every target after just one warm-up..."
"Ah, that makes sense. No problem."
Fairness was important, after all. Explorers naturally had a high dexterity stat thanks to their level-up modifiers.
"Any other questions? If not, let's begin."
"I'm good to go."
"Then let's start. And just as a reminder—never point a notched arrow at another person."
"I know, I know. Safety first."
The Store Clerk stepped aside, and the game began.
I picked up the bow and arrow, notched it as instructed, and took my stance. Mindful of my earlier mistake, I only drew the string far enough to give the bow a decent flex. At five meters, I didn't need full power to reach the target.
"Sss..."
I took a light breath and held it. If I kept breathing during the release, the slight movement would throw off my aim, no matter how steady my hands were.
I held for a second, found my mark, and released.
"Ah, so close! A miss."
The Store Clerk sighed as the arrow whistled just to the right of the target.
These handmade arrows were a mess. They wobbled significantly in flight. Part of it was the off-center weight, but the fletching was the real culprit. The feathers weren't uniform in size, and after being reused so many times, they were creased and chipped. This was actually harder than it looked; the further the distance, the more the arrow's flaws were magnified. That girl from earlier must have been incredibly skilled to hit consecutive shots with equipment like this.
"Don't worry. I expected to miss the first one."
"Really?"
"Really. That was my practice shot. Now that I’ve got the feel for it, I won't miss again."
"Big words... I'll be watching, then."
I hadn't meant to sound cocky, but I'd talked myself into a corner. These arrows were genuinely poor quality. The next one I picked up had fletching that was practically bent at an angle; there was no way it would fly true.
"Sss..."
I notched the arrow and focused on the target five meters away. I had a sense of the bow's pull now. Piercing the exact center might be a gamble, but simply hitting the target felt doable.
I held my breath, made a final adjustment, and released.
"Ah!"
The arrow caught the very edge of the target, just enough to knock it over. The Store Clerk, who had seemingly expected another miss, let out a surprised yelp. A hit was a hit, though.
I’d followed through on my promise.
"Whew... How’s that? A hit."
"Well, yes, technically. But it just barely grazed the edge. After all that tough talk, I expected something a bit more... central."
"Yeah, yeah, I hear you. But a hit counts. I’ll nail the center with the next one."
"Sure you will..."
Under the Store Clerk's skeptical gaze, I looked away and reached for the third arrow. I knew I hadn't looked particularly cool, so I really needed to nail the next one.
But man, these arrows were terrible. This one actually had a slightly warped shaft. Had someone stepped on it?
"Sss..."
By the third shot, I was in the zone. The warped shaft was a nuisance, but within my margin of error. I already knew not to trust the equipment's precision.
I took aim and let it fly.
"Whoa! That one was dead on!"
"See? I told you I could do it. I'll be taking that prize now."
"Not so fast! You still need one more hit to clear. It’s not over until the last arrow is gone. I’ve seen people miss everything after getting two hits, you know."
"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm clearing this with the next shot."
I enjoyed the banter with the Store Clerk—it was exactly the kind of fun you expected at a school festival.
But I never got to fire that fourth arrow.
Just as I was about to notch it, a loud, aggressive shout erupted from the entrance. The sudden noise startled another guest, who accidentally fired their arrow into the ceiling; a prize-winner fumbled their bag of snacks; and everyone in line turned toward the door in shock.
Standing at the entrance with a sneer on his face was the male student—the same complainer who had been kicked out earlier. And he wasn't alone. He was accompanied by someone who looked like an External Guest.
"Hey! I'm back! And this time, you better not try any of your tricks!"
The student screamed his accusations of cheating all over again. I thought the girl's demonstration had already proven him wrong...
The shop was instantly filled with a heavy, awkward silence, and the staff looked utterly exhausted.
"Excuse me, but I believe we already proved our game is fair with the demonstration earlier," one staff member tried to reason.
"As if a clerk doing it proves anything! You probably just practiced that specific shot a thousand times! That doesn't count as proof!"
"Hah... Then how exactly do you want us to prove it?"
The student was being completely unreasonable, but the staff was clearly at a loss for how to satisfy such a ridiculous demand.
"That's why I brought a senpai! This guy is an explorer who actually uses a bow! If he can't hit your targets, it proves your game is rigged!"
The situation was taking a very bizarre turn.
Between the persistent complainer and his new "witness," the entire classroom was plunged into a state of total bewilderment.