My basement connects to another world.

Chapter 15 Equipment Update

The next day, when Jiang Yuan woke up, it was already bright outside the window.

He checked his phone and saw the time: 9:32.

I slept soundly; I fell asleep as soon as I got home last night and slept for almost nine hours.

He sat up in bed and stretched his shoulders.

The pain I felt in that other world yesterday is now only a faint soreness.

The recovery speed is much faster than expected... perhaps it's because my physique has improved.

He put on his shoes, stuffed his wallet and phone into his pocket, and pushed open the courtyard gate.

According to his plan, he was going to the Falcon Arrow Museum today to try and get some crossbow bolts with stronger penetrating power.

It was almost 10:30 when we arrived at the Falcon Archery Range.

Pushing open the glass door, a blast of cold air hits you.

The receptionist looked up when she heard the door open and sized him up.

"Sir, are you a member?"

"I'm looking for Coach Wang," Jiang Yuan said.

The receptionist paused for a moment, picked up the walkie-talkie and whispered a few words, then looked up and smiled at him: "Please wait a moment, Coach Wang will be out soon."

Jiang Yuan stood next to the front desk and waited.

After waiting for five or six minutes, footsteps finally came from the other end of the corridor.

Coach Wang came out, his buzz cut still damp with sweat, wearing a black coach shirt with the Falcon Archery Hall logo printed on the chest.

He walked quickly, a hint of impatience in his eyes at being interrupted. He glanced around at the front desk and frowned immediately when he saw that the person he was waiting for was Jiang Yuan.

"It's you. What's up?"

He was just inside giving a one-on-one lesson to another member.

The receptionist said a guest was looking for them, and assuming it was a long-time member who had come unexpectedly, they left their students behind and rushed out.

The result was that the college student who came last time.

Jiang Yuan ignored his expression and got straight to the point: "Coach Wang, I want to buy some crossbow bolts with stronger penetrating power."

Coach Wang frowned even more deeply, looking him up and down as if reassessing what the young man was up to.

"Wasn't that batch enough for you last time?" he asked, lowering his voice.

"That's already skirting the line. Anything beyond that—"

"I'd like to become a member first," Jiang Yuan said.

Coach Wang's words caught in his throat, and his expression visibly changed.

After a two-second silence, his tone softened: "The annual membership fee is 12,000."

Jiang Yuan nodded.

I paid directly at the front desk and it was all done in just a few minutes.

The receptionist handed over the membership card with both hands, smiling and saying, "Mr. Jiang, please keep this safe."

Coach Wang, watching from the side, had lost most of his impatience and led Jiang Yuan into the archery range, adopting a businesslike expression.

"Mr. Jiang, what are the specific requirements for the custom-made arrows you mentioned earlier?"

"You guys have the strongest penetrating power."

"Let's talk in the office." Wang Jiao nodded and pushed open the door to a small office.

He sat down behind his desk, opened a drawer, took out a price list, flipped to the last page, turned it around, and pushed it in front of Jiang Yuan.

"Take a look at this."

Jiang Yuan glanced down at the page. At the bottom were several lines of handwritten notes, the handwriting messy but legible.

"Custom-made armor-piercing arrows, tungsten steel triangular armor-piercing cone tip, high-density carbon fiber shaft, real feather fletching. Price: 320 yuan."

Coach Wang tapped the line of text with his finger:

"Tungsten steel arrowheads. These are not in the same league as the ordinary hunting arrowheads you bought last time. They have a triangular armor-piercing cone shape, with three sharpened edges. Tungsten steel is hard enough to pierce through ordinary steel plates. The shaft is made of high-density carbon fiber, which is half the weight of aluminum alloy and twice as rigid, so it doesn't drift when shot. The fletching is also real feathers, not plastic."

"Just like what I found..." Jiang Yuan countered, "Three hundred each, I want one hundred!"

One hundred? Coach Wang looked surprised.

One hundred cigarettes, three hundred each, that's thirty thousand. Adding to the twelve thousand he just spent on the membership, this college student in his early twenties didn't even blink.

"One hundred tungsten steel armor-piercing arrows." Coach Wang repeated slowly, as if to make sure he hadn't misheard:

"To be honest, I need to call the distributors to confirm the quantity first, as they may not have that much stock available."

"Can."

"And this requires a contract." Coach Wang pulled out another standard contract from the drawer and pushed it in front of Jiang Yuan:

"Register with your real name and specify the purpose. I can tell you're a legitimate college student, otherwise I wouldn't dare to sell."

Jiang Yuan took the contract, flipped through it, and confirmed that there were no problems.

Coach Wang looked down at the autograph, as if getting to know the young man in front of him all over again. He picked up his phone, walked to the window, and made a call.

After speaking for two or three minutes, he hung up, turned around, and said:

"We're lucky. Our supplier happens to have a batch of stock on hand. It should be ready to arrive as early as the day after tomorrow."

"Okay." Jiang Yuan stood up. "Where's the training area? I'd like to practice for a while."

"At the end of the corridor, turn right and you'll find Section B. You can train there first." Coach Wang also stood up.

"Please take the bow and arrow yourself. Oh, wait a minute, I have a student in class here, I'll be free in about half an hour. You were using a crossbow before, a bow isn't as simple as a crossbow, it's easy to get injured if no one is carrying it—"

"No need, I'll practice by myself." Jiang Yuan waved his hand.

Coach Wang watched Jiang Yuan leave, shook his head, and didn't insist any further.

Jiang Yuan walked along the corridor to the end, turned right, and pushed open a heavy, soundproof door.

The training area at the Falcon Archery Range was much larger than he had imagined.

The entire space is roughly the size of two or three basketball courts, with a ceiling that is seven or eight meters high, and fluorescent lights from above making the floor appear white.

Thirty standard archery lanes were laid out side by side, with targets thirty meters apart, and thick protective cloths hanging behind the targets.

There are very few people around at noon.

Two middle-aged men stood on the two archery lanes near the entrance, both wearing arm guards and finger guards, practicing at a leisurely pace, clearly veteran members.

Jiang Yuan walked along the arrow path until he reached the innermost part of the path.

This corner is far enough away from those two people that they won't disturb each other.

He took out his phone and wallet and placed them on the nearby bench before walking to the weapons rack.

Several recurve bows for practice were displayed on the shelf, ranging in weight from twenty to forty pounds. He was about to choose one when he caught a glimpse of a person standing in the archery path beside him.

a woman.

She looked to be in her thirties, with her hair tied in a high ponytail, wearing black leggings and light gray training shoes. She was aiming her bow.

She's alright looking, with light honey-colored skin and a sporty vibe.

Jiang Yuan withdrew his gaze.

He picked up a forty-pound recurve bow from the weapon rack and weighed it in his hand.

The wooden bow handle was polished to a shine, and there were a few shallow scratches on the lacquered surface of the bow limbs.

He tried pulling the string—the pulling force was much greater than that of a repeating crossbow, and the muscles in his right arm tightened noticeably after he pulled it back.

Both crossbows and bows have their own uses.

The crossbow is mechanically cocked, and ten arrows can be unleashed in a few seconds. It is excellent for close-range firepower suppression, but the draw weight is fixed, limiting its penetrating power.

While bows have a slower rate of fire, increasing the poundage can make a single arrow far more penetrating than a crossbow.

Since he can't enter the other world right now, and the gate to the realm still has several hours to cool down, he can take advantage of this time to practice.

Jiang Yuan stood sideways on the flank, mimicking the woman next to him as he nocked an arrow and raised his bow.

The first arrow flew out but missed the target. It landed on the shield below the target.

Second arrow, two rings; third arrow, four rings.

……

He put down the bow and shook his right arm. The muscles in his forearm and shoulder blade were a little sore from pulling forty pounds continuously.

It uses a completely different power generation logic than the crossbow.

……

Xiao Shuang lowered her bow, stretched her left shoulder, and noticed out of the corner of her eye that there was another person in the arrow path beside her.

A new member? He looks unfamiliar, probably just got his card... She glanced at Jiang Yuan's target and then looked away.

Missed target, two rings, four rings, three rings.

The arrows scattered haphazardly on the target paper, typical of a complete novice.

Every year, several new members join the Falcon Archery Range, but most of them lose interest after only three months.

There's nothing to worry about.

She nocked the arrow again, raised the bow, positioned herself, and released it.

Rings 10!

After practicing a few more sets, Xiao Shuang stopped, put the bow on the shelf next to her, walked to the rest chair against the wall, sat down, and took a few sips of mineral water.

She glanced instinctively at the young man in the room, her eyes widening in surprise.

Then I saw him pushing his bow and shooting an arrow.

The arrow flew out.

On the target paper, there is an extra small hole slightly above the center of the bullseye.

A perfect score? Luck? Xiao Shuang was somewhat surprised.

Then the young man drew another bow, and without pausing, raised it, positioned it, and released it in one smooth motion.

The arrow flew out and hit the bullseye.

To be precise, it pierced directly through the shaft of the previous arrow.

The tails of the two arrows were squeezed together in the small red circle in the bullseye, with the shafts touching.

A perfect 10-ring shot!

Xiao Shuang was completely shocked and stared at the two arrow holes next to each other for several seconds.

Chasing arrows, using a recurve bow to chase arrows at a range of thirty meters.

This kind of skill is not something that everyone in the provincial team can easily pull off, let alone amateur enthusiasts.

Recurve bows don't have the same sights as compound bows; they rely entirely on posture control and timing of release—a difference of half a millimeter can magnify into several rings at 30 meters.

A person who can fire a chasing arrow must have extremely stable control over their wrist and shoulder.

Then she saw the young man take a third ride.

Raise the bow, position yourself, and release.

Still a perfect 10!

The three arrows were squeezed into the bullseye, almost tearing the small red patch of the bullseye to shreds.

……

Jiang Yuan wiggled his fingers.

After getting used to the bow, he invoked the magic amplification.

The trickle of water rose slowly upwards, flowing down the spine, over the shoulder blades, down the right arm, and finally converging between the left hand holding the bow and the right hand drawing the string.

My fingertips felt slightly warm, and my sense of touch was much more sensitive than usual.

When I stood up again to nock the arrow, it felt completely different.

After the magic is poured into the fingertips, the muscles are still the same muscles, but the precision of control is on a completely different level.

The bow handle was firmly in place in my palm, perfectly positioned, and I could even clearly feel the lingering vibration of the bowstring as it was released.

He fired another shot.

Ten rings.

At the same time, I noticed something else: the magic was running low.

This magic power was something he had "cultivated" in another world, and most of it was used up in the battle with that giant scorpion.

He tried to cultivate in reality last night, but found that he could not sense the "magic power" as he did in the other world.

Jiang Yuan put down the bow.

Shooting at a stationary target was indeed not difficult for him.

After a comprehensive improvement in physical fitness, the precision of muscle control is much higher than that of ordinary people, and fixing the target is just a matter of coordinating breathing and the timing of release.

Forget about getting a perfect score; even tracking an arrow is just a matter of adjusting the accuracy by a second, nothing to get excited about.

Those otherworldly monsters won't just stand there waiting for you to aim.

Just like that giant scorpion, they can dodge and charge, and at a completely unscientific speed.

Hitting the bullseye and hitting a monster are two completely different things.

Jiang Yuan put the bow back on the weapon rack, went to the lounge chair, unscrewed the water bottle, and took a swig.

Just then, the woman with the high ponytail walked towards him from the arrow strait beside him and said:

Which club are you with?

"A club?" Jiang Yuan asked, somewhat puzzled. "Just a newbie, playing around."

Xiao Shuang frowned and looked him up and down again.

He is very handsome, and even though he is dressed casually, he looks quite young.

But she didn't believe that someone with that skill level could track an arrow at 30 meters with a recurve bow, let alone claim to be a beginner.

Then, as if she had suddenly realized something, her expression became somewhat enlightened, and the corners of her mouth turned down slightly.

She deliberately missed the target with the first few arrows, shooting randomly at the three and four rings. When she had almost finished practicing and noticed this side, she suddenly started hitting the ten rings in a row.

She had seen this kind of tactic countless times at the archery range.

Pretend you don't know how to adjust the sights, pretend you can't distinguish the tension, pretend it's your first time here and you're asking all sorts of questions.

Although this technique is a bit more advanced than the others, it's essentially the same thing.

Trying to hit on me? She crossed her arms and said calmly, "I'm a professional too."

"Xiao Shuang. She's been in the top three in the women's compound bow event at the National Championships and spent four years on the provincial team. I know almost everyone in this circle, but I've never met you before."

As she spoke, she looked at Jiang Yuan and, seeing his somewhat blank expression, raised an eyebrow: "You came from another city? You'll be participating in the competition in five days, right?"

"What competition?" Jiang Yuan asked.

Still pretending! Xiao Shuang frowned, stared at him for several seconds, and finally spoke:

"The Songhai City Archery Open. In five days, at the Songhai Gymnasium. You really don't know that, do you?"

A competition? Jiang Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "How much is the prize money?"

Xiao Shuang was taken aback for a moment, then her lips curved slightly into a smile, feeling that she had finally figured out the other party's true intentions:

"The champion will receive a prize of 200,000. How about we add each other's contact information?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head. "I might not participate."

Still pretending... Xiao Shuang was speechless.

This person is quite capable. Although she didn't like his way of flirting, not everyone can shoot a 30-meter arrow with a recurve bow.

However, she has always been more tolerant of men who are both talented and handsome.

She bent down to zip up the sack, slung it over her shoulder, and glanced back at him:

"See you on the field in four days."

……

Jiang Yuan sat down on a lounge chair and took out his phone to search.

"Songhai City Archery Competition".

The first result in the search was an official announcement.

The event was hosted by the Songhai Archery Association and co-organized by several local archery ranges, including the Falcon Archery Range.

The champion receives a prize of 200,000 yuan, the runner-up 80,000 yuan, and the third-place winner 50,000 yuan.

It's not a large-scale event, and it's somewhat well-known in the industry, but it's far from being at the level of a national championship.

The announcement states the registration method: individual athletes can register directly through the archery venue, without needing club qualifications.

In other words, he's a member of the falconry club, so all he has to do is ask the archery range for a spot.

He put his phone back in his pocket.

He was somewhat interested in the competition. After all, it wouldn't last long, just one day.

But he wasn't lying; it depends on the situation in the other world, and he might not have time to participate.

First, I need to get the 50 from the rich woman "Lan" to solve the problem of the old house... Jiang Yuan thought:

"However, this can be kept as a backup option."

He had no idea whether he could successfully leave this otherworldly cave and return to the Frostclaw tribe where Hilu lived.