A soft sound was heard, followed by an arrow shooting through the air, drawing a graceful arc before breaking off a thumb-thick branch from the locust tree in the distance.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As the branch fell, three more soft sounds followed, with three arrows arriving almost simultaneously, intercepting the falling branch and precisely splitting it into four.
"Seventy meters away, comparable to Olympic athletes in my past life, but unfortunately..."
The speaker was a teenager dressed as a hunter, looking about fifteen or sixteen years old, with dark skin, a lean build, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, giving off an honest feeling. Yet, if you looked closely into his eyes, there was a striking sense of incongruity.
The young man held an aged-looking horn bow, which was well-maintained, with the bow's body glistening. His right arm was still trembling, clearly indicating that the four arrows just fired had put quite a strain on him.
The teenager silently chanted in his mind, and the next moment, a semi-transparent panel appeared before him.
Skill: Bow Technique (Full Level)
A very simple panel, just three lines up and down, without divisions like "Power, Speed, Intelligence," and no "Realm" divisions either, it could be said to have the Syrian decor style of the panel world.
The young man was named Zhong Lin, a transmigrant who, for not following traffic rules, rode a scooter through a red light and got hit by a truck, dying on the spot. Upon waking, he found himself possessing the body of a young hunter also named Zhong Lin.
Through the lingering memories of his predecessor, he knew this world was similar to ancient Huaxia from his past life. The village he lived in was called Lower River Village, under the jurisdiction of Black Mountain County, and beyond that, he didn't know, as one couldn't expect a boy who had never left Lower River Village to know much else.
In his memory, the village was struck by drought, it hadn't rained for a full three months, fields were dying, and there was a lack of food at home. Even the wild beasts in the nearby mountains had moved deeper due to the drought. Desperately, his predecessor went deeper into the mountains to hunt but encountered a bear, fell down a slope in panic, and was then replaced by Zhong Lin from Earth.
Fortunately, Zhong Lin, the transmigrant, also had the necessary Golden Finger awaken. Especially upon first seeing that "∞" symbol on the system panel, Zhong Lin was beyond excited.
"∞" is a mathematical symbol, knowledge learned in high school, representing "infinity."
The symbol "infinity" is not uncommon, and neither are "skill points." What was unusual was the combination of the two, which meant possessing infinite skill points.
What are skill points?
Anyone who's played games or read system novels knows that with enough skill points, just a little click, and you can soar to great heights.
Zhong Lin was so excited he immediately maxed out the "Bow Technique" skill originally possessed by his predecessor, which led to the spectacle of arrows shooting branches seen earlier.
Nearly a hundred meters away, an arrow shot through a thumb-thick branch, and as it fell, three more arrows were fired, splitting it into four.
Such bow technique was simply miraculous, worthy of Yang Youji's reincarnation.
But Zhong Lin soon discovered the flaw of the system panel: honing skills never just involved improvements in technique; it also included physical training.
A shooter capable of executing such amazing bow technique couldn't possibly be drained after just four arrows.
Reality isn't a game; it doesn't balance things by making shooters high attack, low defense.
In reality, every archer even without their bow could easily become a formidable fighter, just think of Guan Er Ye, who was once a cavalry archer.
"I thought it was like Deep Blue skill points, but it's merely an experience boost."
Zhong Lin sighed, feeling a bit disappointed.
"I don't even know what kind of world this is. The predecessor was just a mountain boy, his view limited to Lower River Village. He didn't even know which dynasty, let alone anything beyond that."
Zhong Lin rested on the spot, continually massaging his right arm to relieve fatigue, it took almost half an hour for his arm to regain some strength.
He stood up and retrieved the four arrows, there were only five arrows in the quiver, which were all of his predecessor's possessions, losing one was already distressing.
After another half-day of rest, once his arm had nearly fully recovered, Zhong Lin picked up the hunted prey and began to return.
A wild pheasant, two wild rabbits, and a muntjac.
Such spoils were considered abundant, something his predecessor could never have achieved. But now, aided by full-level archery, it was all effortless.
Rushing all the way, they didn't walk out of Black Mountain until the sun was nearly setting.
Lower River Village was so named for its proximity to the river. Upstream was Upper River Village, but the entire river had dried up due to drought. They lived off the mountains and water — farming during the seasons and hunting during leisure — yet drought took the game deeper into Black Mountain, making it harder and riskier to hunt. Had it not been for the severe food shortage, his predecessor wouldn't have risked entering, eventually leading to Zhong Lin taking over.
Stepping in the sunset, Zhong Lin walked into the village.
"Da...Da Lin, you...you're not dead?"
"Uncle Zhang, the Mountain God blessed me. I got lost chasing this beast but finally managed to bring it down."
Zhong Lin deliberately swung the muntjac on his shoulder while speaking, showing a smug smile.
"Wow! That's a big muntjac. It'll last for half a month. I'm glad you're safe. You were gone for three days, and everyone thought you were dead. You...better go home and have a look!"
Uncle Zhang's eyes flickered as he spoke; he wanted to say something but held back in the end.
Zhong Lin's expression shifted, he did not stay, striding towards his own courtyard.
Before getting close, he saw villagers coming and going from his yard, a bamboo pole at the entrance with a white cloth banner hanging on it, usually displayed only when someone had died in the family.
Zhong Lin's sudden appearance immediately froze the smiles on the villagers' faces.
"Da...Da Lin, you're not dead?"
"Da Lin's back? How's that possible? Wasn't it said he fell off a cliff and died?"
"Stayed in Black Mountain for three days and still came back alive?"
It started with surprise, then turned to awkwardness. The villagers in his home, one by one, avoided looking Zhong Lin in the eye.
Emotionless, Zhong Lin pushed past the villagers inside. The otherwise quiet courtyard was now filled with more than half of the village, a large stove made from earth bricks burning fiercely at the center, a large iron pot atop wafting an aroma.
Zhong Lin glanced again at the beam beneath the eaves, where wooden hooks originally holding cured meat and grain were now empty.