In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 132

The subtext is clear: Newbie, let's see how you handle this!

Looking at the arrows on the ten bullseyes in the distance, Dongye clicked his tongue and said, "Wow, amazing! As expected of the commander, he hits the bullseye every time."

His tone of praise sounded incredibly sincere, but coupled with his still clumsy bow-holding posture, it was hardly convincing.

He also noticed that the other party was using her ability, but he didn't interfere. Since she was going to use her ability anyway, he decided to let her see what a true cheat code was.

He slowly walked to his firing position and stood still, mimicking the motion of an arrow hitting a deer.

Then, he made a movement that caused the deer's pupils to contract sharply when the arrow hit it.

Instead of taking the arrows from the quiver, he grabbed ten arrows directly from the spare quiver for practice!

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

The sound of the arrow hitting the deer suddenly rose, filled with astonishment and absurdity.

"Higashino Yu! Archery is not a circus act! You can only shoot one arrow at a time! Don't you even understand the most basic rules?!"

She was almost laughing in anger. Did this guy think he had no chance of winning after seeing her performance just now, so he decided to give up and act recklessly to the end?

Or have you been watching too many TV dramas and think that those cool archery techniques can be done in real life?

That's a full ten arrows!

If you nock all the arrows onto the bowstring, it's difficult to even fire them properly, let alone hit the target.

Higashino turned his head, his face showing an innocent, confused expression: "Huh? Didn't the rules say 'shoot ten fixed targets'? It didn't say you can't shoot ten at once, right? Besides..."

He shook the ten heavy arrows in his hand.

"This is faster and saves time. Didn't Iruka-kun say that in a tie, speed is the deciding factor? This is my way of preparing in advance."

He hadn't initially planned to show off like that, but the speed of his arrow hitting the deer was indeed fast. For a novice like him, even if he used his abilities to hit the target every time, it wouldn't matter; his speed would definitely be slower.

While his current abilities can indeed be used on himself, such as enhancing himself or altering his physical structure, they don't allow him to immediately become a master of a particular skill.

Even recalling those hazy or forgotten memories about A Certain Magical Index from before her transmigration is impossible.

Higashino felt that this was probably due to the limitations of his current abilities, and that he would be able to do it once his abilities improved further.

If a demon god can achieve something like 1+1=3, then surely they can also make someone who doesn't know a certain skill reach its peak, right?

Higashino wasn't sure, but he felt that reaching that level shouldn't be too far off.

"Solicitation of reason! Absurd!"

Gong Jianrulu was so angry she almost stomped her feet. She had never seen such an unpredictable and shameless opponent!

"You have no chance of hitting the target like that! The arrows will interfere with each other, the force will be dispersed, and the trajectory will be uncontrollable! You won't even be able to hit the target!"

Even though he was her opponent, Higashino's attitude of completely disrespecting the competition and the sport of shooting still made her quite angry.

Even after defeating Higashino, she couldn't feel happy.

"How will you know if you don't try?"

Higashino grinned, a smile that was filled with a despicable cunning in the eyes of the archer who had just passed through the deer.

He ignored the arrows' protests and began to try to nock all ten arrows at the same time in an extremely awkward, even comical, manner.

The bowstring creaked under the pressure, the arrow fletching against each other, and some arrows were at an absurdly off-center angle, about to fall.

The sight of an arrow piercing a deer was almost unbearable to watch.

She even began to wonder if challenging such a guy who completely disrespected archery and only knew how to fool around was a huge mistake. Was it worth it for Junko Hokaze?

Just as Bow and Arrow were having an internal struggle, considering whether to declare the match invalid, Higashino seemed to have finally "adjusted" his chaotic ten-arrow volley.

He took a deep breath, and then...

His finger, which was nocking the arrow, paused slightly. In his deep black eyes, a faint, almost imperceptible silver light flashed by, as fast as an illusion.

'Surely hitting the bullseye.'

A silent command, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, created imperceptible ripples on the surface of reality, precisely applied to the ten teetering arrows in his hand.

In that instant, the rules of the world quietly opened a small "backdoor" for the arrow in his hand.

"Go away!"

Higashino let out a weak and uninspired shout, and at the same time loosened his grip.

The bowstring rang out with a dull thud! Ten arrows shot out haphazardly and without any beauty, like sparrows startled into flight!

Their flight paths were erratic, colliding with each other, some even spinning, looking as if they were about to crash or collide with each other at any moment.

The arrow had already closed its left eye in despair, bracing itself for a comical defeat.

However, something unexpected happened.

"Duh! Duh! Duh! Duh! Duh! Duh! Duh! Duh! Duh! Duh!"

Ten dull, powerful impacts rang out almost simultaneously!

Bow and Arrow suddenly opened its eyes and stared incredulously at the target in the distance.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

Ten targets, with the bullseye.

In the very center of each target, an arrow is firmly embedded! The fletching of the arrow is still trembling, announcing that it has just reached its destination.

Ten arrows, ten arrows launched from the same direction in the most unlikely way, are now like ten dazzling stars, precisely imprinted on the ten bullseye!

Ten arrows, ten rings! Also perfect... a hundred rings?!

The entire archery range was deathly silent. Only the humming of the arrow fletching could be heard, like a silent mockery.

It was as if her earlier questioning was a joke.

The bow and arrow struck the deer, who stood rooted to the spot as if struck by an invisible giant hammer.

Her mind went blank, her left eye wide open, her cherry lips slightly parted, but no sound came out. Her perfect skill, which she was so proud of, the rules of archery she considered sacred, the incredible feat of achieving a hundred rings with all her might…

Faced with this man's casual, even nonsensical, "ten arrows fired simultaneously," they seemed so... pale and powerless?

How is this possible?! This violates all the common sense of physics! It violates all her understanding of archery! Even if he used his power... how did he do it?! Did he distort the "concept" of arrows themselves? Forcibly modify the "result" of their flight?

With this kind of power, isn't 'reality alteration' just a title...? Can the power of cognition achieve this level?

"Ah?"

Higashino put down the poor, battered bow, rubbed his sore wrist, looked at his "masterpiece" in the distance, and gave a satisfied smile.

"Looks like you're lucky, you've won all of them."

He turned to look at the deer, who was frozen in place by the bow and arrow, and his smile was dazzlingly bright.

"Iruka-kun, you're being lenient? One to zero? Or... does a draw mean we'll have to play extra time? But look, I finished the shot in one go, so I guess I won in terms of speed, right?"

As the arrow pierced the deer, he felt his cheeks burning and his body trembling slightly.

She lost. And she lost in a way that she could not understand, could not accept, and even felt a little scared about.

Chapter 167, "The Orange Girl," is under revision.

The archery range was completely silent.

The arrow struck the deer, which stood frozen in place, as if it had forgotten to breathe.

The ten arrows embedded in the bullseye in the distance were like a silent mockery, leaving her speechless.

She lost, utterly and completely. Even though she cheated by using her abilities first, her opponent won in a strange and predictable way.

Higashino's seemingly clumsy, even comical, "ten arrows fired simultaneously," and his unbelievable hundred-ring result, completely overturned her understanding.

It wasn't skill, nor hard work, but rather a power she couldn't comprehend, an ability that surpassed her imagination.

Not reconciled.

Feeling of humiliation.

There was also a trace of... fear of that unknown power that she herself was unwilling to admit.

That was an ability that differed somewhat from what she had investigated, and its development was completely different from what she had anticipated.

"How's it going, Irika-kun?"

Higashino's relaxed voice broke the silence. He walked up to the bow and arrow, still wearing that gentle smile that both annoyed and annoyed her.

"It seems I've won by sheer luck? Then, according to the agreement..."

"and many more!"

Bow and Arrow suddenly raised her head, her eyes burning with a complex light—a mixture of frustration, stubbornness, and a flicker of defiant determination. She bit her lower lip, her voice trembling slightly.

"What...what was that?! That's not archery at all! Are you kidding me?!"

"Huh? The rule is that the one who hits the bullseye and scores the most points wins."

Higashino Yu spread his hands innocently.

"Look, ten arrows, ten bullseyes, one hundred points. Perfectly in accordance with the rules, where is the trickery?"

"But……"

Bow and Arrow Strikes the Deer, speechless for a moment. The other party had indeed exploited a loophole in the rules, and she had actually used a loophole in the rules before, secretly using her abilities.

She couldn't find a reason to refute it, but the resentment in her heart grew wildly like weeds; she didn't want to lose like this.

Seeing the deer with its tightly pursed lips, flushed cheeks, and glistening eyes, yet stubbornly refusing to admit defeat, Higashino was even happier. Teasing cute girls was one of his greatest hobbies.

That pitiful, tearful expression is just too adorable. It'll be so much fun to tease her later!

Although he could declare his victory, under the influence of his abilities, he would not refuse to shoot an arrow into a deer.

But seeing the girl's unwilling expression, Higashino felt it would be a real shame to end it like this.

He seemed to have thought of something interesting, tilted his head slightly, and said in a tone that was both seductive and provocative:

"It seems you're a little unconvinced. As the number one in Academy City, having your strength questioned is quite troubling..."

He paused, a hint of amusement creeping into his smile.

"How about I give you another chance? A more 'fair' chance?"

"what chance?"

Bow and Arrow Enters the Deer's Head, a question escaping his lips, a mixture of wariness and a faint glimmer of hope.

She knew she could no longer surpass her opponent's abilities in pure archery; after all, she couldn't determine how her opponent cheated, and the skill level was vastly different from what she had investigated. But if…

"It's very simple."

Higashino took a step back, his feet firmly planted apart. He opened his arms, his smile still gentle, but now it exuded an air of absolute confidence and arrogance.

"I will stand right here. I will not move an inch."

He pointed to the arrow hitting the deer.

"You have three minutes."

"You are allowed to use any means necessary, including your ability to 'fluctuate' and that 'eye'."

"A bow, an arrow, light, sound, or anything else... anything that can make me move one step."

Higashino smiled confidently and spoke calmly.

Even if you win.

Like a drowning man grasping at a straw, the arrow pierced the deer's dim left eye, which suddenly burst forth with astonishing light!

The ecstasy dispelled the frustration and humiliation of the previous moment!

Standing still? Taking three minutes of her full-force attack? Even if you're number one, that's incredibly arrogant! She's a Level 4 power user, possessing a trump card that can threaten Level 5! Three minutes? She even thinks one minute would be enough!

"A word is settled!"

"The arrow has entered the deer!" he shouted almost immediately, fearing the other party might change their mind.

"You said it! You can't go back on your word!"

She was confident she could make this arrogant guy pay the price and regret his arrogance!