【Eagle Eye Gaze: Mastered (2/30)
Type: Auxiliary Archery Combat Technique
Effect: Temporarily enhances vision and arm strength when focusing on a target.
Allows for clearer capture of the target's subtle movements, enhancing the ability to predict the movements of fast-moving or complex-trajectory targets. Under normal circumstances, eyesight is also enhanced.
Description: This is an eye of insight naturally born from countless practices of "the eye follows the arrow, and the mind unifies with the vision." In the world of archers, a clear field of vision is often far more precious than powerful arm strength.】
【Eagle Eye Gaze】 was the second combat technique Matthew had comprehended. Looking at the panel description alone, its auxiliary effect was already excellent, meaning he would receive a tangible boost in archery precision.
For an archer, accuracy and speed were everything!
As for the shortcomings of this combat technique, Matthew had also summarized them after several days of exploration:
【Eagle Eye Gaze】's effect intensity was directly and positively correlated with his mental focus, target distance, and total amount of life energy.
More importantly, maintaining this state for a long time would accelerate the consumption of life energy in his body.
This meant that in a prolonged battle, he would need to carefully weigh the benefits of activating the buff against conserving his energy.
But this minor flaw did not overshadow its brilliance. Overall, mastering 【Eagle Eye Gaze】 was undoubtedly a significant enhancement to his combat capability.
It added a sharper pair of "eyes" to Matthew's already improving archery skills.
At the same time.
“Everyone is here. Enter the forest according to the pre-arranged positions.”
With Porter's command, the group set off toward the forest.
Although the wind and snow had calmed down in the early morning, the thick snow accumulated from the past few days still blanketed the ground.
The group stepped through knee-deep snow, entering the edge of the Shadow Forest under Porter's lead.
Upon entering the forest, the light suddenly grew sparse.
The air was cold, with a thin mist floating about.
The forest was quiet, save for the crunching sound of boots sinking into and pulling out of the snow, and the distant cries of beasts.
Matthew and Chase walked together at the rear of the group, maintaining a distance that allowed them to look out for each other without getting in each other's way.
Adjusting his breathing, he firmly gripped the 【Forest Shadow Hunting Bow】 with his left hand, alertly scanning the snow-covered forest path ahead.
Matthew did not let his guard down. He knew that as the group ventured deeper, this superficial tranquility could be shattered at any moment.
As he walked, he silently recalled the feeling of activating 【Eagle Eye Gaze】 and the precautions Porter and Calm had repeatedly emphasized before they set off regarding the habits and attack patterns of the mountain giant bear, as well as the basic coping strategies for emergencies in the forest.
Chase turned his head slightly, looking at Matthew's tense profile, a relaxed smile playing at the corners of his lips.
“Don't be nervous, brother.”
His voice was low, carrying a hint of reassurance. “With three Brass Rank experts backing us up and Lord Porter leading the way, the risk is actually quite low as long as we stick to the plan.”
“After all, before winter set in, a Class holder squad from Grey Rock Town successfully killed a Steel-Maned Boar King, and their squad's composition wasn't even as good as ours.”
Without waiting for Matthew's response, Chase continued talking to himself, his tone laced with a hint of indefinable sighing or emotion:
“If you say they were lucky, they did succeed in the hunt. But if you say they were unlucky... the person in their squad who risked his life to get the core and prepare to break through to the Silver Rank still ended up failing.”
Matthew turned to look at Chase beside him.
He saw that Chase's blonde hair gleamed softly in the morning light, his features handsome, and his brow still carrying the unique vitality of youth.
‘He really has a good face. His looks are decent, but why is he such a chatterbox?’
Matthew muttered to himself.
Unaware of Matthew's thoughts, Chase continued to mutter quietly:
“Actually, the hardest part is finding the mountain giant bear's tracks... Even though this magical beast is massive, standing over three meters tall, searching for it in the vast expanse of the Shadow Forest is still like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
Speaking of this, Chase turned to Matthew and smiled. “We have to thank you for providing the claw print information. Otherwise, narrowing down the general area would have been a real pain.”
Hearing this, Matthew knew the other party was referring to the huge claw print he had previously found by the stream.
Thinking of this, Matthew also gained a preliminary understanding of the chamber of commerce's style. Before the operation, when he reported the claw print information, Porter had only nodded simply without saying much.
Yet the very next day, Porter had approached Matthew in private. After confirming the footprint was genuine, he directly handed him a gold coin.
This gesture gave Matthew a direct taste of the chamber of commerce's way of doing things.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Matthew smiled, not taking all the credit. “It was just a coincidence. I'm glad I could help.”
The two chatted idly as they continued to follow the group forward.
After an unknown amount of time, they reached the pre-determined area.
This place was located near a sheltered slope in the forest, with some faint claw prints remaining on the snow-covered ground.
Porter was delighted. He raised his hand to signal the team to stop, whispered a few words to Calm, then scanned the surrounding terrain and said in a deep voice:
“It's right around here. Finch, go set up the traps.”
“The rest of you, look for tracks.”
Matthew looked around and found that the mist was much thicker than when they first entered the forest, but it hadn't reached a qualitative change.
He relaxed slightly, but did not let down his guard completely.
Having experienced the previous expedition with Brody, he had realized that in the wilderness, one needed to maintain a basic level of vigilance toward everyone, though there was no need to be overly paranoid.
‘However, it seems I don't need to specifically observe the thickness of the mist to judge our progress into the forest...’
Matthew slightly released some of his Spirit, carefully sensing the free energy particles around him, feeling increasingly certain. ‘It seems I can judge how deep we are in the forest based on the density and activity of the "energy particles"...’
Thinking of this, he felt a surge of joy.
This was much more precise and reliable than relying solely on visual observation of the mist.
After all, the thickness of the mist was easily affected by various factors such as weather and terrain. If they encountered special circumstances, such as strong winds, relying solely on the naked eye would make them lose their reference point, inevitably leaving them utterly lost.
Being lost was not scary; what was scary was that this was a matter of life and death!
But energy particles were different. They were spread throughout the forest and were unaffected by the weather. For Matthew, who could extend his Spirit outward, they were like road signs.
Just then, Zachary's voice came from not far away, carrying a hint of excitement:
“Everyone, come over here! There's a cave here!”
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