The Immortal Genius Spearman

The Empire had been relatively quiet for a while, but recently strange movements had been detected from within their ranks. As Kiaran read the letter from the royal palace, her brow furrowed deeply.

“Why are they sending this letter to me when there are six legions in the kingdom?”

“It seems they’re counting on your recent experience fighting the Empire. Plus, we’ve stationed our forces up north…”

“I get that, but if I’ve been working hard, they should reward me, not pile more work on me. What are they thinking?”

“…Perhaps the palace will offer some kind of reward after this is all over?”

“I’ve been deceived by promises like that dozens of times already. Do they think I’ll fall for it again?”

Edmund fell silent. It was true that recently the palace seemed to be overworking the 6th Legion without any form of compensation. Despite repeated mentions of rewards, nothing had materialized.

Kiaran clicked her tongue and stood up from her chair.

“Where are you going?” Edmund asked.

“I’m going to the palace. I need to meet with Lord Mateurus and settle this once and for all.”

At this rate, it looked like only her innocent soldiers would continue dying on the battlefield. She had to confront Mateurus and resolve the issue, one way or another.

Edmund nodded. “Shall I make preparations right away?”

“We’d better hurry. This can’t keep happening.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And how’s the Caion Unit’s recruitment going?”

“The testing is nearly complete. They’re even planning to form a special unit. I’ll get the full details in a few days.”

“A special unit? What are they up to now?”

“I’m not sure.”

Kiaran frowned at Edmund’s response, but then her lips curled into a faint smile.

Thinking about those soldiers… it almost felt like something interesting was about to happen. The frustration that had been building up eased just a little.

Kiaran turned to Edmund again. “I’ll drop by after we’ve finished dealing with this. But first…”

Her expression turned cold once more.

“I need to settle this matter.”

With that, Kiaran quickly left the room.

* * *

Jurgen Tenmillier.

He was the candidate Damian had been keeping an eye on throughout the special unit tests. But when the third group of applicants stepped forward, the atmosphere shifted.

“Hey, hey! Isn’t that Sir Sren?”

“Sren? Sir Sren is here to apply for the Caion Unit?”

The murmuring in the crowd caught Kyle’s attention, along with the rest of the Caion Unit members who were helping to facilitate the test.

In the center of attention stood a middle-aged man holding a bow.

“That’s Sren Gaian, isn’t it?” asked one of the facilitators.

“Sren Gaian?” Damian echoed.

“Yes, he’s quite a famous archer from the 6th Legion support unit.”

“Is that so?”

Damian studied the man. He looked to be about forty, with tightly pursed lips that gave off a sense of stubbornness.

“Hmm… so he’s something of a master, huh?”

Damian glanced over at Jurgen, who was also in the third group.

Jurgen wasn’t paying attention to the commotion around him.

Instead, he calmly plucked at his bowstring, adjusting it to suit his needs, much like Paul had done earlier.

Then, the signal came.

Flap!

Kyle waved the flag and shouted, “Third group, take your positions!”

The applicants stood in place, swallowing their nerves as they lined up.

“Fire!” Kyle’s command echoed across the training ground.

Whoosh!

Arrows shot into the sky all at once.

Sren frowned as he released his arrow. He had shot in time with the signal, but a strong gust of wind had blown through the valley between the hills just as he fired.

Thunk!

Thanks to his calculations, the arrow hit the target, but it was far from the center.

“Damn!” Sren clicked his tongue in frustration, staring at the misplaced shot.

But just then…

Whoosh!

A single delayed arrow cut through the wind and soared toward the target.

Thwack!

The arrow struck dead center with a loud thud.

“…Oh, wow!”

“Bullseye!”

The nearby facilitator waved a flag to indicate a central hit, and the crowd erupted in admiration.

Even Sren, a renowned archer, had missed the center, yet some unknown candidate had hit it perfectly.

But then…

“Excuse me! This is unfair!” Sren stormed over to Kyle, shouting angrily.

Kyle tilted his head in confusion, waiting for an explanation.

Sren pointed an accusatory finger. “Everyone is supposed to fire as soon as the signal is given, but that person waited and fired late! They observed how the wind affected our arrows before shooting!”

The crowd began murmuring in agreement. Sren’s argument seemed valid to many.

“Now that you mention it, that does seem unfair.”

“Isn’t it cheating to shoot after everyone else?”

“Yeah, that’s against the rules!”

As the murmurs grew louder, Damian, who had been watching from the sidelines, clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“There’s always one in every crowd,” he muttered.

Sren’s complaint wasn’t entirely wrong, but there were certain things better left unsaid in front of a large group.

Dianal turned to Damian. “Shall I handle this?”

“No, I’ll take care of it.”

Damian walked toward the now restless test grounds.

As soon as he appeared, the Caion Unit soldiers saluted him.

“Glory to the kingdom!”

“Glory to the kingdom!”

Damian acknowledged them with a nod and then stepped into the center of the crowd.

He looked at the applicants and spoke firmly.

“I am Damian, commander of the Caion Unit. The test isn’t over yet, so why the commotion?”

At the mention of Damian’s name, the applicants’ eyes widened in surprise.

Everyone knew the name of the commander of the Caion Unit, Damian. However, they had not expected someone so young to step forward.

Sren, staring at Damian, spoke up.
“Well, about that…”

But before he could continue, Damian interrupted him.
“Sren Gaian. I know your reputation well. Let me ask you one thing.”

Damian cut him off and posed a question.
“During the first test, when the signal to shoot is given, how soon should you fire your arrow?”

“Obviously, you should shoot immediately, shouldn’t you?” Sren responded firmly.

At that moment, Paul, who had been standing nearby, spoke up.
“You have up to 10 seconds to fire.”

“…?”

Sren, along with the other applicants, turned to look at the man who had spoken—a figure with long hair covering the left side of his face. It was the same man who had hit the bullseye in the previous round.

Damian nodded in agreement.
“That’s correct. You have 10 seconds. And how long did it take that person to shoot after the signal?”

“Roughly 7 to 8 seconds,” Paul replied confidently, having watched carefully.

Damian nodded again.
“I saw the same. About 7 or 8 seconds.”

He then turned his gaze toward Sren and the other applicants who had been voicing their complaints.
“Is there a problem?”

“Well, even so, isn’t it unfair that he fired after seeing how others’ arrows flew?”

“And where’s your proof that he did that?”

“…”

Sren’s brow furrowed slightly. He didn’t need to answer to know the truth—there was no proof. He was simply suspicious because his own arrow had missed the mark while some unknown person had hit the center.

Damian spoke again.
“First of all, in those 10 seconds, it’s practically impossible to watch other arrows and adjust your aim accordingly. Even if it were possible, that would be a skill in itself.”

At Damian’s firm gaze, the surrounding applicants flinched.

“Let me be clear,” Damian said sternly, “I will not tolerate any more disruptions. Keep quiet and allow the test to proceed.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Understood.”

The Caion Unit soldiers responded sharply to Damian’s orders, and the tension in the air dissipated immediately.

The applicants who had been causing the commotion gulped nervously, now worried that they might be penalized for their actions.

As for Sren, his hands balled into fists, his complaint dismissed.

* * *

The odds were 5 to 1.

With only 30 slots available for the special unit and 150 applicants, the competition was fierce.

After the first test ended, the atmosphere among the applicants shifted noticeably.

The reason was simple.

Everyone knew how well they had performed.

Those who hadn’t done well in the first test were sharpening their resolve to perform better in the second test, while those who had done well were determined to maintain their advantage.

“The ones who scored high in the first test are going to fight tooth and nail to hold on to their lead,” said Dianal, standing next to Damian.

“Watching them struggle is kind of entertaining, don’t you think? Haha!” added Kyle with a laugh.

Damian spoke up.
“The second test is the stamina trial, right?”

“Yes.”

“Anyone who doesn’t pass the stamina test after falling short in the first test should just be sent home. There’s no point in dragging them through the third test.”

“Understood. After this stamina test, more than half will probably be eliminated.”

“Haha, I’d say more than half.”

In the first test, nearly half of the applicants had missed the target entirely, and of those who did hit it, many failed to land their arrows within the scoring rings.

Granted, the wind between the hills had made the task particularly challenging.

But…

“The battlefield doesn’t always provide ideal conditions.”

The applicants might brush it off as bad luck, but the reality was that everyone faced the same conditions. How well they adapted and used their wit in those moments was also a test of their ability.

Damian glanced at his pocket watch.

It had been 50 minutes since the applicants had set off with their gear up the mountain.

By now, the fastest among them should be nearing the finish line…

“They’re coming.”

Four figures appeared at the front of the group, their faces contorted in pain as they raced to the finish, neck and neck. It looked like they were about to collapse from exhaustion.

“They only need to finish within an hour,” Damian remarked.

But it was clear these men were pushing themselves to the limit to claim first place. Among them was a surprising face.

“…I didn’t expect him to be in the lead,” Dianal said, surprised.

“Neither did I,” Kyle agreed. “I knew he was in good shape, but I didn’t think he’d make it in under 50 minutes.”

Paul’s performance clearly impressed both of them.

Damian chuckled softly.
“I told him to win if he wanted to be the captain.”

“Captain?” Kyle asked, eyes wide. “Are you planning to make Paul the leader of the archer unit?”

Damian wasn’t known for giving titles based on favoritism, so Kyle was understandably surprised.

Damian shook his head.
“He has to prove he’s worthy. I just told him to show that he is.”

“…It seems that you’re a special figure to him as well,” Dianal murmured.

He could relate. Damian’s words had pushed him to fight through the toughest trials.

Watching Paul now, Dianal felt a sense of kinship. Paul had ranked highest in the first test, and if he finished first in the second test as well…

“He stands a good chance of becoming the captain of the archer unit,” Dianal thought to himself, hoping for Paul’s success.

As the frontrunners neared the finish line, Paul let out a loud shout, summoning the last of his strength.

“Pass!” the facilitator called out as Paul crossed the finish line first.

Watching him conquer the grueling stamina test, Damian couldn’t help but smile, the corners of his lips curling up.