Chapter 192: The Fundamentals of Archery (2)

The object on the first table was a set of rods of various sizes and lengths. At first glance, it was hard to tell what they were for, but Keter and Taragon, both archers, immediately recognized them.

“Are these... bow and arrows?”

The thicker rod looked like a bow with its limbs folded inward, and the thinner, longer rod had a sharp point at the bottom and feathers at the top.

Taragon’s eyes sparkled as he reached for what appeared to be the bow, but Volkanus smacked his hand.

“Hey! Didn’t I tell you not to touch anything?”

“Ow! I mean, it’s not like it’s going to break if I touch it!”

“Just look. I think you’re going to curse them if you touch them.”

“You always pick on me...”

As Taragon grumbled and stepped back, Volkanus cleared his throat and picked up the folded bow.

“Anyone with eyes can see this is a bow. But unlike traditional bows, this one is far more portable. It doesn’t just fold—there’s a groove in the center so the limbs tuck in perfectly. Here, compare it to a regular bow and you’ll see the size difference clearly.”

Volkanus placed a standard bow next to it for comparison. The size difference was nearly double.

“You could carry this inside your coat.”

Hearing Taragon, Volkanus scowled.

“You can say that so easily because you’re not the one making them. Keter, you understand how ignorant that comment was, right?”

“Lord Volkanus, just say you don’t like me! Calling me ignorant is harsh!”

Taragon didn’t understand why Volkanus was so upset, but Keter, as a fellow craftsman, nodded.

“He made folding joints and the center hollow to reduce volume, but that also compromises durability. And using lightweight materials on top of that? That would make it even weaker, practically making it a disposable weapon. Of course, there are metals that are strong, flexible, and light, but they’re incredibly expensive. That might work for a custom weapon, but when you have to mass-produce tens of thousands, it makes sense to compromise on materials.”

“H-huh?”

Taragon looked confused as Keter explained Volkanus’ dilemma with technical terms. Ignoring Taragon, Volkanus let out a hearty laugh in delight.

“Kahaha! As expected of you, Keter! You know everything! Like you said, there is a metal that is durable, flexible, and light: quinix. But making a bow out of quinix would cost at least seven hundred gold each. And that’s not all; quinix is one of the hardest metals to work with. In the entire kingdom, there are probably fewer than a hundred human blacksmiths capable of handling it.”

“And since steel alone isn’t strong or flexible enough, you used silver-steel.”

“Ha! You even noticed I used silver-steel? It looks like regular steel from the outside, so how could you tell?”

“Look the same? They’re clearly different. Steel and silver-steel differ in brightness and saturation. Anyone who can’t tell the difference by eye is blind.”

“You maniac. Even master blacksmiths can’t tell them apart just by sight!”

“Then I guess they’re all fakes.”

Taragon slowly backed away from their intense exchange and turned to Six, the blue-haired boy Keter had picked up. He always followed Keter around, though no one really knew why.

“Hey, do you even understand what they’re saying?”

“...”

Unfortunately, Six couldn’t answer. His third memory slot had been set to do nothing except follow Keter. Not knowing that, Taragon just nodded to himself, already used to being ignored. Then, he turned his attention back to Volkanus.

“Now, I’ll show you how it fires,” Volkanus said, handing the folded bow to the knight assigned for the demonstration.

The knight looked fairly average, but when he took the bow, the veins in his forearms bulged with tension.

A silver-steel bow... weighs around twelve kilograms. The silver-steel has quite a high silver content.

Considering that even steel bows usually weigh five to seven kilograms, this one was nearly twice as heavy. Of course, that kind of weight was nothing for knights, but bows were typically one-handed weapons. Even with good weight distribution, the user would feel two or three times the actual weight.

If I’m right, even unfolding it won’t be easy.

Keter was right. The knight had to exert his full strength just to unfold the limbs. However, that was by design; if the limbs could be easily unfolded, they could just as easily collapse during battle, which would be fatal for an archer.

Click!

The limbs snapped into place with a satisfying sound.

They lock automatically when fully opened. Amazing, as expected from Grandpa.

Keter silently praised Volkanus for the built-in locking mechanism.

Fully extended, the bow measured one meter, making it a short bow.

Volkanus cleared his throat and said, “As you can see, the bowstring isn’t attached. You can fold it with the string on, but that would damage the durability of the string over time. You have to string it after unfolding, like this.”

He pulled a string from his pouch and strung the bow himself. The short bow was now complete.

“Try hitting the fifty-meter target,” he said, pointing to the target.

The knight took an arrow from his quiver and fired with like he would with any other arrow.

Twang!

Whoosh!

Thunk!

The sounds of the string being released, the arrow piercing through the air, and the impact came nearly at once. The arrow was dead center.

“Now shoot the one-hundred and three-hundred-meter targets in succession.”

The knight followed. The one-hundred-meter shot landed slightly off-center, and the three-hundred-meter shot hit the outer ring. It was partly because the knight lacked skill and because it was a short bow designed for close range, but even Taragon understood that wasn’t the main issue.

“I think the bow lacks a bit of elasticity.”

“Wrong, idiot. Silver-steel has plenty of elasticity. The problem is the groove in the center that allows the limbs to fold. That groove subtly throws off the bow’s balance.”

Taragon looked dejected after being told he was wrong, like a scolded puppy. Feeling sorry for him, Keter decided to side with him.

“Well, that’s basically an issue with elasticity, in a way. The problem is that the central groove and the limbs have different elasticity, which creates an imbalance.”

“Aw, are you defending your brother?”

“Like how a bow is curved inward, so is my arm.”

“Keter...!”

Taragon seemed touched. The moment he saw that, Keter was impressed because as soon as he saw that face, he immediately wanted to tease him. There was something about Taragon that stirred a sadistic urge.

“Of course, I consider many people family.”

Then, Keter casually bent his arm outward. Taragon yelped in shock.[1]

“Ahh! What?! Keter, your arm!”

“Anyway, is that all, Grandpa? The foldable bow is cool, but I don’t think it uses shape-memory alloy metallurgy. Does it?”

“Hehehe... I was waiting for that question.”

Volkanus grinned and snapped his fingers. On cue, one of the knights channeled aura into the bow.

Creak!

The short bow stretched outward, becoming a longbow that was one meter and sixty centimeters in length.

“Behold! The world’s first portable bow that transforms between a short bow and a long bow: the dual bow!”

The dual bow was a foldable bow that took up less space and could also switch lengths using shape-memory alloy metallurgy.

Archers had always needed to carry different short and long bows depending on the mission, but not anymore. This was Volkanus’s masterpiece, the result of countless revisions and experiments.

“There are many issues, such as durability, production time, and other minor problems... So, it’s not ready for real combat just yet, but with a little more tweaking, it’ll be field-ready in no time!” Volkanus exclaimed.

“Hm... So, how long until it’s deployed?”

Keter was genuinely curious. However, Volkanus deflected.

“Let me show you how to fold it. There’s a latch here, and you push it and fold the limbs in.”

“How long, Grandpa?”

“...I think we’ve seen enough of the arrows. Next are the arrows. These guys are even better than the bow...”

People usually let it slide when someone dodged a question like this, but Keter was not the type to do so.

He placed a hand on Volkanus’s shoulder and whispered, “How. Long. Will. It. Take?”

“Damn it!”

Volkanus swung a fist behind him, but Keter dodged easily and asked again, “How long...”

“A long time! It’ll take a long time! I need at least six months! The fine-tuning is incredibly complex! I had to make it, break it, make it, break it... You think I just made this in a day?!”

Volkanus finally exploded, and Keter scratched his head.

“Well, I wouldn't know.”

“Then shut up and wait!”

“That’s hard to do. Six months is too long. Let’s say... two months?”

“You’re insane! Two months?! Then bring me ten master blacksmiths!”

Though he said it out of anger, Keter replied seriously, “So, you’re saying ten is enough?”

“...!”

“I’ll find them within the month, so you just wait.”

“W-wait! If you’re going to get me people... I’ll also need at least one hundred blacksmiths to assist.”

“One hundred? Got it.”

“I’ll also need much, much more material too.”

“Of course, I’ll get everything you need.”

Keter acted like he would get everything for Volkanus. Excited, Volkanus listed more demands.

“Can you get rare metals like orichalcum or quinix?”

“Absolutely.”

“What about high-quality magic stones that are difficult to obtain, even with a lot of money?”

“As easy as eating lukewarm soup.”

“Dragon horns?!”

“That’s pushing it.”

Keter frowned, and Volkanus came to his senses.

“Ahem, right, right. Dragon horns are too much, but the rest is doable?”

“When have I ever gone back on my word? You know who I am—I am Sefira’s genius doctor, Sefira’s golden hand, Sefira’s divine archer, and now, the Bow of the South.”

“Ugh, nothing’s more annoying than a talented guy bragging about it.”

“That reaction is exactly why I do it.”

As the two bantered, Taragon, starved for attention, chimed in, “Keter, I never find you annoying. I love seeing you. I want to see you all the time, even when I eat.”

“...”

“...”

Keter and Volkanus both stared at him. Sweat beaded on Taragon’s forehead.

D-did I... say something wrong?

Volkanus turned and casually walked to the next table.

“Now, I’ll show you this arrow, my next masterpiece. It’s even more refined than the bow and ready for combat.”

“Ooh. Now this I’m looking forward to.”

The cold response might have embarrassed anyone else, but Taragon didn’t care and pushed himself between the two.

1. There is a Korean saying, “Your arm bends inward.” This phrase means that people always tend to grant more leniency to their own family compared to other people, even if they do the same things. ☜