After spending a few minutes talking, Chen He and Zaid decided to head outside to find some targets for the bow practice. Shangguan Bing Xue followed them as well, seemingly somewhat interested in the experiment.
Unfortunately, due to everyone constantly heading outside to hunt for Soul Power, the number of enemies in the general vicinity of the gymnasium had become practically nonexistent. As a result, it took them a good fifteen to twenty minutes of walking before they finally found a suitable target.
Eventually, they spotted a lone zombie wandering in the distance.
Chen He handed Zaid his bow along with one of the arrows he had prepared. Zaid then passed both items to a skeleton he had already summoned.
"Okay, aim for that zombie and fire when you're ready," Zaid commanded.
The skeleton proceeded to hold the bow backward, nearly cutting the bowstring with the arrow as it awkwardly attempted to draw it.
Zaid stared at it for a moment.
'...Well, that's not quite what I had in mind.'
Chen He smirked at the sight.
"Not the smartest, are they?"
He stepped forward and corrected the skeleton's posture, showing it how to hold the bow properly and explaining how to position the arrow before drawing the string.
Once he was done, Zaid gave the command again.
This time, the skeleton looked considerably more professional. It raised the bow, positioned the arrow, and pulled the string back before releasing it.
The arrow flew through the air, striking the zombie square in the chest with enough force to knock it off its feet. The impact was surprisingly powerful, and the zombie died shortly afterward.
Zaid ignored the notification announcing the kill and immediately checked his advancement requirement.
[Kill Unranked enemies from a distance using only the Skeleton Summon skill. 1/50.]
"YES! Let's fucking go!"
Zaid practically jumped in place, doing a little celebratory dance before realizing that the other two were staring at him.
He coughed awkwardly and quickly composed himself.
"Ahem. So, it looks like they can use bows, but they need to be taught how."
Shangguan Bing Xue nodded slightly.
"This means your skeletons are now a viable option for ranged combat. That makes your army considerably more dangerous."
"Yeah, but I don't think they'll be able to hit anything too far away or anything moving too fast," Chen He commented.
"It's fine. This was mostly a proof of concept. I'm not really planning on having them use bows consistently," Zaid replied somewhat flippantly.
And he was being honest. After all, he didn't have the means to acquire a hundred bows and enough arrows for all his skeletons, much less the time to micromanage every little movement required to shoot them. At least, not at the moment.
For now, borrowing a single bow and a few arrows was enough to help him fulfill his advancement requirements.
"Hey, Chen He, do you think I could borrow your bow a few more times? I want to continue testing this later."
"No problem."
After their brief conversation, the group set out to find a few more zombies for Zaid to experiment on. Once they were satisfied with the results, they headed back to the gymnasium.
By the time they returned, evening had already settled in.
After entering the gym, everyone gathered to discuss their plans for the following day. Once the discussion was over, they split up to take care of their own affairs and help get the survivors settled in for the night.
'Don't think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight... Fuck it. It's not like this is the first time I've pulled an all-nighter.'
With that thought, Zaid quietly slipped out of the building.
As he left, he noticed Bai Zemin moving in a different direction, looking rather sneaky. Shangguan Bing Xue was following him.
'Hmm, I wonder what those two are up to. Meh, none of my business.'
Zaid briefly considered following them, but ultimately decided against it. He had his own plans for the night.
His goal was simple: find enough enemies to make significant progress toward his solo skeleton hunting requirement.
Summoning around fifty skeletons, he ordered them to spread out and scout the surrounding area while he headed in the opposite direction from Zemin and Bing Xue.
He was moving toward the library and the girls' dormitory. If he could clear out some of the enemies along the way, tomorrow's expedition would become considerably easier.
After several minutes, one of his skeletons came running back toward him. It gestured urgently, signaling that it had found something.
Zaid followed it and soon discovered a group of more than twenty zombies surrounding a large beetle-like creature. The monster was already covered in wounds, and judging by its movements, it wouldn't last much longer.
"Alright, you. You're going to be the main combatant here. Once the zombies finish off that beetle, you can begin your attack. Remember, your survival is the priority. Focus on killing the zombies one at a time. They're easy prey compared to most of the things we've encountered."
The skeleton stood motionless, waiting for its master's command.
Zaid watched as the zombies continued attacking the beetle. Eventually, the creature stopped moving, and the zombies began turning their attention toward their next potential meal.
"Go!"
The skeleton immediately sprinted toward the horde.
It covered the distance in a matter of seconds before swinging its blade from right to left. Its first strike decapitated a zombie, while the second cut through another's shoulder.
However, several more zombies quickly surrounded it.
Zaid narrowed his eyes.
"Quick! Pull out your sword, take two steps backward, and dodge to your left. Once their attacks miss, counter with a wide horizontal slash!"
The skeleton obeyed perfectly.
It moved backward just as two zombies lunged toward it, causing their attacks to miss. It then shifted to the left and unleashed a powerful horizontal swing.
Three zombies were struck by the blade. Two fell with deep wounds across their torsos, while the third had its head nearly severed.
'Not bad!'
Zaid didn't waste time admiring the results.
"Take three steps forward. Target the zombie on your right and strike diagonally from its left shoulder toward its waist. Don't stop after the first strike. Pivot immediately, turn toward the two approaching from behind, and keep your blade between yourself and them!"
The skeleton followed every instruction.
It stepped forward and delivered the diagonal strike, dropping its target before pivoting toward the approaching zombies. Its blade met the first attacker, then swung around to intercept the second.
Zaid continued watching closely, issuing commands whenever the skeleton's position or the surrounding enemies changed.
"Back away! Don't let them surround you. Move toward the open space on your left!"
The skeleton retreated, keeping its weapon raised.
"Now, target the one closest to you. One strike to the neck, then immediately turn toward the next!"
The skeleton carried out the order without hesitation.
One by one, the zombies fell.
Unlike his earlier experiments, Zaid wasn't simply telling the skeleton to attack. His commands were much more detailed and specific for the situation the skeleton found itself in.
The skeleton wasn't particularly intelligent, but with Zaid directing it, its lack of independent judgment hardly mattered.
The way Zaid commanded the skeleton was like a warrior wielding a weapon.
After several minutes, the final zombie collapsed.
Zaid looked over the battlefield and checked the advancement notification.
[Kill Unranked enemies using 1 Skeleton Summon without interfering. 53/100.]
Dismissing the notification, Zaid glanced at the skeleton among the horde of zombie corpses.
"Good work. Pick up any drops and come back."
The skeleton obeyed, searching the corpses for any orbs before heading back.
Zaid looked toward the distant moon.
'I've got a long night ahead of me. Let's see how much progress I can make before sunrise.'