The mysterious cave deep in the forest is not a rabbit nest, the hills in front of Roma are. She saw the long ears that stood up from time to time in the grass, and her stomach suddenly growled loudly. "I'm hungry," she announced.
"Then do it yourself." Yasukawa said, "But you won't catch them until dark, you will only get hungrier. These rabbits can run faster than your arrows."
"I will close the distance." The little lion didn't believe it.
"You can't do it at all. Don't underestimate these rabbits. You lions are the kings on the grassland, but if the lions use this kind of rabbit as their only source of food, I'm afraid the king will only starve to death." Anchuan told her, "We call this place Black Rabbit Hill, and it's the only place you can hope to catch them. Usually when you see a black rabbit in the forest - I mean the magic kind - you can just see it. At a glance. Their hearing is better than that of normal hares, but the most outstanding thing is their speed: if you see it, it means it can hear your footsteps; and if you plan to draw your bow, it will be directly in your field of vision. disappear."
Disappear directly. Roma was dubious. "Maybe it's good at hiding. What if it crashes into a tree and dies?"
"It's not hiding, it's running out of your sight. The magic of black rabbits can give them extraordinary speed, which is a mysterious use that your apprentices can't match." Yasukawa explained, "I have heard of someone picking up a rabbit that was hit by a wheel. Black Rabbit." There seemed to be more than teasing in his smile.
Roma had to use her brain. She remembered him talking about Black Rabbit's magic. "They can actually use magic?"
"Black rabbits are the lowest level of mysterious creatures. They do not need to ignite the fire, they are born with the ability to use magic... However, without igniting the fire, the mystery cannot be improved, and the class will never advance." Due to the understanding of the little lion in recent days In addition, Yasukawa already knew what questions she would ask based on his answer, so he simply informed them.
"My test is to shoot the rabbit?" She counted the number of arrows she had, "Ten chances."
"How many times do I have to say it again? You can't catch it with a bow and arrow. The test is indeed to hit any black rabbit, but there are only three chances."
"Why three times?"
"You only have ten arrows. I need you to control three arrows at a time. You can use the extra one as you like."
This is impossible. "I've never learned how to shoot multiple arrows at once!" she screamed, "and you have to test me for this. It's not fair."
"A rain of arrows is the only way to hit a black rabbit."
He was joking. Roma concluded. He knew clearly that even one of my arrows might not hit, let alone firing multiple arrows at the same time. The proficiency of such advanced skills cannot be compensated by physical fitness and learning ability. I've only been using bows and arrows for a week. "I'd rather use my claws," she fumed.
"You might as well use your ring." But Yasukawa didn't care whether she was angry or not. "This is not a skill, Roma, you already know how to hit a moving target." The little lion hit a falling leaf two days ago. "What I want to test is your ability to predict, not your accuracy."
She didn't believe it at all. Even if it is a rain of arrows, hitting the target is the first condition. The short interval during the journey forced her to concentrate on a few basic archery skills, and each of these skills was for the accuracy of the arrow. "What's the use of more numbers if I can't hit it with an arrow?"
Anchuan looked at her with helpless eyes. "Where did all your cleverness when you were lazy go? In terms of fighting and hunting, I have never seen a lion man as stupid as you." These words were a bit hurtful, but Windrunner himself didn't seem to feel it. "We fight with arrows and bows." He tried to convince Roma that the bowstring in his hand was a sharp blade. "Three arrows are too few, but I want you to come a few more times. Once you see a real rain of arrows, you will change your opinion. But it doesn't matter. It's just a few rabbits. What you need to do is judge the arrows The landing point is used to cause effects different from direct killing."
Maybe he's right. Roma doesn't understand. I may be stupid. "Not killing them?"
"You actually thought of that before. Tripping them up with arrows. How about that?"
She was about to ask if this was related to a trap, but suddenly realized the true meaning of his words. "Anticipate and trip. These rabbits can't make sharp turns?"
"You'll know if you try it."
So Roma climbed up the tree and drew the bow on the thickest branch. I have an advantage. The thought flashed through her mind. The wooden bow in her hand was taut, but Roma could draw it to full easily. During a mid-range target practice, she once shot an arrow through the wooden target.
The arrows shot out like starlight, but they were scattered sparks. A black rabbit was charging forward, arrows exploding clods of earth behind it. The guy shook the dirt off his fur and turned back to his burrow.
"This is the result of your persistence in the trial." Anchuan stood under the tree and told her without changing his expression. “Speed is only part of efficiency, not the same.”
"You want me to give up, but you can't!" I already know how fast they run. She bared her teeth and bent her bow to draw an arrow. No matter how many arrows are nocked at the same time, I only need to control one of them.
With a bang, the bowstring vibrated the air. This time another rabbit returning home was frightened. It shot into the grass like a ray of light, and even its short tail could not be touched by the smoke.
"A little closer," her mentor commented.
With the last chance in hand, Roma remained silent and made no move. It wasn't just her arms that needed rest, but also the impatience in her heart. Only one last chance left. Her fingers caressed the feathers. Four arrows, one chance.
Windrunner looked up at her movements. "To be honest, Roma, I agreed to your trial just because you have a chance to pass." He encouraged. "Think about it. Prediction and accuracy are actually the same thing."
One thing. Roma took off the ring finger and scratched the golden hair on the top of her head. She felt that her toes were almost sticking together and had to comfort herself that new shoes always squeezed her feet. What can I do? You should use traps to catch rabbits, not bows and arrows.
"You haven't done it yet?" Her movements caused the branches to sway, and Anchuan scolded her.
Didn't you give me that piece of flint? Roma wanted to say this, but the rhetorical question turned into another question before blurting out: "Does Black Rabbit like rainy days?"
"I don't like it." Windrunner blinked. "Don't say I told you."
no problem. The little lion shook his head, as if the sun had turned around. When another rabbit quietly poked its head out to survey the situation, she drew out all the arrows and fired them out in one go. The metal arrowheads were in a mess, and the shadows trailing their feather tails were connected together, and they plunged into the mound.
Grass blades were torn to pieces, stones flew everywhere, and earth mist poured all over the ground like rain. The four arrows were inserted into the grass in a twisted S shape, and none of them hit the target. A black rabbit fell dead after the last arrow, and the strange smell of blood wafted into Roma's nose.
"It's dead," Yasukawa said. Roma couldn't believe it, so he had to pick up the furry prey for her. "Look, there are no wounds on it."
The little lion was stunned for a long time before jumping down from the tree on his hands and knees. She wanted to touch the black rabbit's belly with her hands, but Anchuan stopped her and asked her to see the dead rabbit's bleeding mouth and nose.
"This is an interesting creature. They will be killed by their own magic." Windrunner told her, "The black rabbit's magic is extreme speed in a straight line. Once it encounters an obstacle, it will instinctively break away from the high speed state to dodge. . This is nothing. But the more obstacles it encounters, the greater the possibility of making mistakes in panic, until it reaches the limit of magic. At this time, the magic power that the black rabbit cannot accurately control will tear its own internal organs into pieces. Hunters have long discovered that black rabbits live in groups because they can't survive on their own - there's no room in the forest for a mysterious creature with serious flaws. You see, sometimes numbers do make a difference."
"It died suddenly." She understood completely.
"That's it. Your trial has passed." He gave her the golden strip. "Now you have the qualifications to become a mysterious creature. But I have to make sure you are ready."
"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."
Windrunner was silent for a moment. "Tinder is only the first step, I believe you understand."
Of course she knew. The gold strip is the ring test, and the gray strip is the proof of profession. Roma didn't come to Shimmer Forest with Anchuan just to become a mysterious creature. To have the ability to defend herself against the Crusaders, she needs to become a Windrunner. "I remember that the Fire Trial requires a ceremony, and a person is required to preside over the ceremony. I don't know the details." Who will preside over the Fire Trial in the Tower this year? Roma felt that he was probably still the young envoy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"I have prepared for the ceremony, but the host may not be up to the level of Kong Jing." Yasukawa said. "There are many Windrunners in the forest, but you only know me, so you have to make do with it."
Make do with what? This couldn't be better. Roma didn't know that much about the Trials of Fire, but she knew the importance of mystery. The higher the level of the mystic who presides over the ceremony, the easier it is to control magic. Except for organizations at the level of the Mystic Fulcrum, there is no place in the mysterious realm where Kongjing can serve as the host of the apprentices' fire ceremony. To put it bluntly, the effect of this magic is on a group of apprentice mortals, and ring-level creatures can also use it, even without a host - it is said that this is how the ancestors obtained the power of order. The only difference is the probability of success.
But compared to the "incarnation of rules and dogma" the Green Messenger in the tower, Roma would rather accept Yasukawa's trial. She had suspected that Dean Rubin had left magic on her back in Bloomnott, because he seemed to be able to detect every move of the little lion head, and her well-prepared shows were often ruined by him. Now Roma feels sick to her stomach whenever she thinks of that mean and vicious face.
