Chapter 96: Line of Direction!

On the other hand, just as Elena thought, the others were not in a much better situation, as against the instructors, the gap between them was just too much.

Fortunately, this wasn’t all bad, as that gap proved there was still a lot to learn.

An example of this was with Victoria. Just as Elena was struggling with Kenjiro, Lauren was teaching Victoria about accuracy.

Standing outside the shelter, their training session was about to begin.

"Alright then, Victoria girl. As I said before, my title is The World’s Greatest Sniper. However, did you know that before I became a sniper, I was a top-level Olympic archer?"

"Just from a hobby I started with my father when I used to follow him to hunt, it ended up being what allowed me to make my name in the world today."

Talking about her father, Lauren’s weathered face softened with a smile.

Although he had died long ago, those days of hunting with her father were among her most precious memories.

And Victoria, seeing her teacher lost in thought, did not interrupt her.

After all, although Victoria was an orphan, she felt the extreme love and care Lauren had for her father, a kind of feeling she herself would never experience.

...

For a while, both sides fell silent, neither saying anything to each other. It wasn’t until Lauren snapped out of it that she continued to explain.

"Because of that, during my years of experience, I have long since come to understand that aiming isn’t really hard."

"You just have to be able to see it, the Line of Direction!"

Taking a deep breath, Lauren began to explain.

According to her, in the world, every two points had a Point A and a Point B.

The Line of Direction was the invisible line that connected those points.

In terms of archery or shooting, the weapon in her hand would be Point A and the target would be Point B.

The Line of Direction was the path that, once lined up, unless deliberately obstructed, Point A would inevitably reach Point B.

"However, as simple as it sounds, apart from my father and me, I have never met anyone who was able to see the line."

"During our training, our goal will be for you to see the line, or at least the shadow of the line."

Saying this, Lauren, without waiting for Victoria to react, unslung her sniper rifle and cocked it.

Bang!

Without even wasting a second to aim, she instantly shot an apple off a tree about a hundred meters away from them.

"Do you see? Once you can line up with the Line of Direction, then even aiming becomes a breeze for you."

"Especially you, with your ice abilities! Just imagine the scene of you summoning countless ice shards, impaling all your enemies directly in the head!"

"With enough accuracy, you, little girl, would be invincible."

"Now think about it: are you willing to learn? It won’t be easy, but I promise you’ll be much stronger than before you started training."

Stretching out her wrinkled old arms, Lauren’s eyes shone as she looked at Victoria.

In fact, she and the other veterans had made a bet before this on whose student would rank the highest.

Because of that, every veteran was sparing no expense, teaching all their special skills and passing down everything they knew.

’Plus, us old bones have been looking for successors for so many years now. Unfortunately, most of our skills could not be replicated.’

’Perhaps mana is our chance for that to change.’

Just thinking about her apprentice beating the others’ apprentices, Lauren’s lips unknowingly curved upward into a grin.

However, Victoria didn’t notice this subtle expression; instead, her mind was entirely consumed by the picture Lauren had painted for her.

Imagining the scene where she floated in the air, hundreds of ice shards raining down on her enemies, if she learned this so-called Line of Direction, didn’t that mean she would become a one-woman army?

Thinking of this, her face slightly flushed with excitement.

"Granny Lauren, I agree to learn! Please teach me everything!"

Bowing deeply to Lauren, Victoria was determined not to let go of this opportunity.

And Lauren, seeing her like this, smiled warmly.

"Haha, Granny Lauren... that doesn’t have a bad ring to it! Though I wouldn’t mind Sister either, haha!"

Laughing shamelessly, Lauren was thoroughly satisfied.

"Alright then! You are now Granny Lauren’s apprentice."

"First order of business: I am going to teach you how to breathe!"

Pausing, Lauren placed one arm on her chest and the other on her stomach.

"To detect the Line of Direction, you have to be able to enter a state of extreme concentration at a moment’s notice."

"A feat that cannot be accomplished without proper breathing methods. You have to know when to breathe with your stomach and when to breathe with your chest."

"Only by learning this can you move on to the next step."

"Now, this old woman doesn’t want to get her clothes dirty, so create a mat for us to sit on out of the ice. After that, I’ll teach you the breathing method."

Realizing she had forgotten to bring any mat or supplies, Lauren scratched her head sheepishly.

Fortunately, this apprentice of hers had a very useful ability.

Victoria, hearing the request, simply nodded.

Hss~

Freezing the ground beneath them into a smooth, thin layer of ice, they both sat down, ready for the first breathing lesson to start.

"Alright, follow my command. First, start by breathing with your chest; don’t let your abdomen move at all."

"If it does, then you’ve already failed. At the same time, I want you to focus on the surroundings: every fly, every gust of wind, the feeling of your very being."

"You must be so entranced that you even begin to forget yourself."

"Blend into the surroundings. Become one with it."

As Lauren spoke these words, her voice took on a rhythmic, almost hypnotic quality, causing Victoria to drift into a deeper and deeper state of concentration.

And just like this, sitting atop a thin sheet of ice, the future Ice Queen took another massive step forward toward her glorious future.