The Genius Archer Who Became a One-Man Army

Chapter 37

The rumors spread quickly.

It was inevitable, considering that nearly twenty applicants would be bedridden for several months.

Naturally, those who had impure intentions did not show up again.

“Wow… with all the troublemakers gone, the number of people has significantly decreased.”

“Even so, it’s still much more than we need.”

Kyle said, looking at the applicants, responding to Brent’s comment.

Lian chuckled at their conversation and entered the training ground.

The official selection process for new recruits for Arrowhead began.

The process was the same as two days ago.

They demonstrated the basic kingdom spear techniques and were asked why they wanted to join.

Additionally, they evaluated each person’s specialty.

They aimed to accept anyone without major issues in their military background.

Most of the applicants had similar skill levels, and future training was what mattered most.

Even so, there were some they had to turn away.

They could only select about 50 applicants, excluding those who applied from the Eagle Company.

The selection process continued late into the evening, but none of the squad members complained.

They understood they were choosing comrades with whom they would share life and death.

“Well done.”

“Thank you!”

After sending off the last applicant, Lian stood up.

The process was almost complete as they had accepted most applicants.

However, none of the selected had the specific skills Lian was looking for.

“There are ten slots still open.”

“With this round, we have ninety recruits.”

“Why didn’t you fill the remaining ten slots?”

Kyle asked Lian, puzzled about why only ninety were selected for a hundred-person unit.

Brent responded to Kyle.

“Those ten slots are for archers.”

“Archers?”

Kyle’s curiosity made Lian smile faintly.

Everyone knew about this, but it felt like he was being selfish.

Brent said to Lian,

“It would be good if we could get archers through recruitment, even if it takes some time.”

“Moreover, since the commander is skilled with a bow, it would be beneficial to have at least one squad proficient with bows in the unit.”

“If we have archers, it would give us a significant advantage in battle.”

Semut and Jedron chimed in, agreeing with Lian’s preference.

However, learning to use a bow from scratch is much harder than swords or spears.

Finding specialized soldiers was a challenge.

‘In my previous life, they were all specialists… I can’t just bring them here.’

Requesting archers from units with many was tempting, but it was impractical for a newly established unit like Arrowhead to request specialists.

Lian sighed, a bit bitterly. Then Florang, who had been silent, spoke up.

“Do you know someone named Gerard?”

“Gerard?”

“Yes, I knew him from my previous unit. He’s a bit eccentric but skilled with a bow.”

“Eccentric?”

“Yes, quite… peculiar. That’s why he was transferred to another unit.”

Kyle asked Florang,

“What, did he disobey orders or beat up his superiors?”

“Well… something like that.”

“Sounds like a troublemaker. Isn’t it a waste to bring him in?”

‘Troublemaker’ is a slang term for low-level soldiers.

Florang looked conflicted.

“It’s hard to say. He managed daily life well.”

Lian spoke to Florang.

“I’m curious. Where is he now?”

“I kept in touch until about a year ago. If he’s still there, he should be in the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Corps.”

“The 2nd Corps…”

That’s quite a distance from their 6th Corps. But with Raymond’s help, it might not be impossible.

Lian nodded.

“Let’s look into it.”

“Sorry for the hassle.”

“It’s fine. He might turn out to be useful.”

“Commander, he was transferred for insubordination. He’s definitely a troublemaker.”

Kyle protested strongly, but Lian ignored him and headed towards Raymond.

—

Kingdom soldiers must learn the kingdom’s spear techniques.

It’s not a choice but a requirement.

The kingdom’s spear techniques are the foundation of combat for any unit.

Thus, periodic tests are conducted on these basic techniques.

Failing the test means punishment.

“Damn it!”

Clang!

A blond man with blue eyes threw his spear to the ground and cursed.

What a mess from the morning.

A comrade, familiar with his temperament, said,

“Hey, Gerard. If you fail this test again, you’ll get a pay cut. No, you’ve already failed three times, so you might be forcibly discharged.”

“Screw them. How do they expect us to fight with these sticks?”

“Hey! Where are you going?”

Gerard stormed out of the training ground and climbed a nearby hill.

He grabbed his bow from there.

“This is a weapon.”

The white cloth wrapped around the grip was well-worn.

Gerard took a deep breath and picked up some arrows.

Thwip.

The bowstring made a familiar sound as it was drawn back.

He aimed at a target he had set up.

A simple wooden board with a circle drawn on it, but it gave him satisfaction to shoot at it.

Whoosh! Thunk!

The arrow flew through the air and hit the center of the target.

There wasn’t a proper place to practice archery.

The target was only about thirty meters away.

Even so, his skill was impressive.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Arrow after arrow hit the center of the target.

Having used up all the prepared arrows, Gerard sighed and went to retrieve them.

If only he had a proper place to train, he could improve even more.

Collecting the arrows, Gerard returned to his spot and sat down.

He had joined the army with dreams of becoming a general.

But what was this?

Daily drills with spears felt like playing around. It was stifling.

As an orphan, his best shot at success was to join the military and make a name on the battlefield.

“No one knows how to utilize me properly.”

He enlisted at seventeen and was now twenty-two.

Yet, he hadn’t even become a squad leader. Instead, he had been transferred six times, and his status was still unclear.

“Damn it.”

Gerard muttered a curse as he looked down at the training ground.

If he failed the kingdom’s spear test again, he’d face more punishment.

He might even be discharged this time, not just transferred.

For Gerard, who had nowhere else to go, discharge was akin to a death sentence.

“I have to do it, even if I hate it.”

Gerard grumbled as he headed back down.

He decided to ask his squad leader, Ralfort, for help with the spear techniques.

“……?”

As Gerard descended into the base, he sensed an unusual atmosphere.

When he entered the training ground, everyone was staring at him.

“Gerard, where have you been?”

“I… I just went to clear my head for a moment while practicing spear techniques. Why do you ask?”

“You have transfer orders.”

“…What?”

What kind of nonsense is this?

—

“…Huh?”

Lian couldn’t hide his astonishment upon receiving a reply to his letter.

Following Florang’s advice, he had asked Raymond to locate a soldier named Gerard.

Thus, he had sent a letter to the relevant unit requesting information about Gerard and, if possible, to meet him.

Even when forming a new unit, one couldn’t just take soldiers from another unit without proper procedure.

However, the reply he received was astonishing.

The moment they received Lian’s letter, they immediately issued transfer orders for Gerard to join Arrowhead.

“Who is this guy…?”

Just how much of a thorn in their side was he for them to transfer him immediately upon a mere request to meet?

Lian sighed softly.

‘Well, that’s how the military is.’

There’s always a bad apple no matter where you go.

Since the officer who replied to Lian was of a higher rank, it was difficult to question the decision.

Of course, he could have brought it up to Raymond, but he didn’t want to cause trouble over this.

Besides,

“If they issued transfer orders immediately upon receiving the letter… he might arrive soon.”

Lian muttered quietly. At that moment,

“Commander Lian, there’s a new recruit here.”

Hendrik entered Lian’s office with the news.

Lian couldn’t help but laugh.

“Already?”

“Who is it?”

“…Never mind, where is he?”

Lian followed Hendrik to the barracks.

The barracks, now filled with around ninety soldiers, were bustling with energy.

“Oh, and call Florang.”

“Yes.”

Lian soon headed to where the new recruit was with Florang, who had arrived quickly.

They saw a young man with blond hair and blue eyes.

“Gerard?”

“Florang! Wow, what’s going on?”

Both Florang and Gerard were visibly surprised to see each other.

Florang looked at Lian.

“There were some developments. Let’s move.”

Lian spoke to Florang, who then instructed Gerard to follow as they headed outside.

Lian led Gerard to the training ground.

Despite the unexpected arrival of a new recruit, they needed to test him just like the others.

Although what Lian wanted to see was different.

“Is your name Gerard?”

“…Yes, sir.”

“You’ve had quite a few transfers in the past five years. Was it hard to adapt?”

“No, sir.”

“Well, now that you’re here, we need to conduct a simple test.”

Lian pointed to the wooden training spears hanging on the wall.

“Show us the basic spear techniques. Florang, you’ll be his opponent.”

“Yes, sir.”

Florang picked up a wooden spear with a serious expression.

Gerard also picked up a wooden spear, looking unusually tense.

‘If I fail here…’

He felt a sudden wave of darkness.

He had come here without expecting a test, especially not one involving the kingdom’s spear techniques, which he was least confident in.

“Begin.”

Tap!

At Lian’s command, Florang lightly stepped forward and thrust his spear at Gerard.

Aiming for his chest, Florang’s spear moved swiftly. Gerard hastily raised his spear to block it.

Ting!

Florang followed with several more attacks. Even at a glance, it was clear Florang was going easy on Gerard.

“Florang, don’t you think your behavior is insulting to him?”

“Ah, I…”

Florang hesitated at Lian’s reprimand.

He understood what Lian meant.

Florang sighed lightly.

“I’m sorry, I’ll do it properly.”

Florang looked at Gerard again. Gerard swallowed hard, looking at Florang.

Even with Florang going easy, all Gerard could do was barely defend.

Tap! Whoosh!

Not even thirty seconds after Florang started the real test, his wooden spear quickly swept upward, striking Gerard’s side.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Gerard grimaced. But that was just the beginning.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Florang’s spear struck Gerard’s chest multiple times in rapid succession.

Gerard fell to the ground, unable to even properly defend himself.

“Hmm.”

Even though Florang wasn’t using his full strength, it was still just above a standard test level.

Considering that, Gerard’s spear technique was terribly poor.

‘I think I understand why… to some extent.’

However, Lian wasn’t interested in Gerard’s spear skills.

Lian looked at Gerard lying on the ground and asked,

“Hey, Gerard.”

“Ugh… Yes.”

Gerard, grimacing, stood up and groaned softly.

Lian asked, watching him closely,

“I heard you can shoot a bow.”

At this, Gerard’s eyes sparkled.