The last seconds of the first challenge were pure adrenaline. With his bow, Klaus moved with incredible proficiency, reloading the bow almost automatically. His heart was pounding, keeping him focused.
The crowd around the stand was silent now, watching everyone's every move with anticipation. The sound of multiple shots and arrows hitting targets echoed through the gym, creating an intense atmosphere.
30 seconds... Klaus aimed and fired, hitting another target. 23 seconds... He cocked another arrow and fired again, hitting the target. 17 seconds... The bow moved fluidly, and Klaus maintained his relentless concentration. 10 seconds... Another arrow flew towards the target, exploding it in the center.
There were only a few precious seconds left. The audience was holding their breath, hoping Klaus could hit the last targets in time. 5 seconds... The bow was ready, and Klaus took his last shot, releasing the arrow with millimeter precision. The arrow sliced through the air and, with a solitary buzz, hit the last target exactly in the center, causing it to explode in a shower of luminous particles.
Time ran out.
The crowd erupted in a mixture of applause, euphoric shouts and tears of emotion. Klaus had managed to hit all 30 targets in 2 minutes and 59 seconds, the only one of all those on that stage to achieve this feat.
He was panting, but the feeling of relief was indescribable. Klaus' eyes were shining with the joy of having achieved his first goal. He had earned the points bonus and put his name at the top of the leaderboard.
The spectators applauded, recognizing Klaus' feat. They knew they were looking at an exceptional talent, and the competition gained even more prestige when it began to be widely talked about on the webnet.
After the last shot, Klaus paused for a second, catching his breath, and looked up, searching for his position on the leaderboard. He was confident that he was in first place, as his performance had bordered on perfection. The crowd waited anxiously for the result, as did the other competitors, curious to see how they did.
When the leaderboard was finally displayed on the giant screens in the gym, a momentary surprise came over Klaus and most people. He was not at the top of the table, as he had imagined. Instead, he appeared in second place, behind only Ethan Williams, the boy with whom he had exchanged a few provocative words in the waiting hallway.
Disbelief mixed with a twinge of frustration in Klaus. He was so sure that he had hit all 30 targets in impressive time that he forgot for a few moments that it was not only speed that mattered, but also the region of the target he hit.
However, he was not out for second, not even close to it to tell the truth. After all, being second among the fifty archers still qualified him for the next challenge, because the top twenty in the first challenge qualified.
As Klaus processed the information, he noticed Ethan approaching, a teasing smile plastered on his face.
Before Ethan could say anything, Klaus pulled himself together and returned a determined stare.
"Congratulations, Park. You shot like a real pro in there." Ethan said, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Klaus swallowed his pride and replied calmly:
"Thank you. You did very well too."
Ethan's smile widened even more, as if he was having fun with the situation. "I expected you to be harder to beat. I thought it would be a close competition between the two of us, but it seems I was the only one who stood out, wasn't it? However, I'm not surprised by my sublime performance, after all my older brother and mentor is Marco Willians, internationally famous archer and champion multiple times."
Klaus listened to Ethan's words, feeling a twinge of irritation. He didn't like the other competitor's arrogance, only he chose to keep his composure and replied firmly:
"That's impressive, but don't underestimate the others. The competition isn't over yet."
Ethan gave a mocking laugh. "I look forward to seeing what you have to offer. But from the looks of it, it will be hard to top me. After all, my performance was so good that you couldn't even catch up with my score."
Klaus took a deep breath, holding back the urge to respond with a taunt. He knew the rivalry with Ethan would only hinder his focus and concentration. Instead, he remembered Isabella Nairn's advice and decided to let his actions speak for themselves.
"We'll see how it goes in the next challenge." said Klaus confidently. "Good luck to you too."
Ethan smiled with superiority, turning his back on Klaus and walking away to make room for the organizers to move the stage. Now came a brief pause for them to move the stands, exclude some and make more room for the next challenge.
Before going backstage, Klaus looked at the leaderboard again, remembering his main goal: to go to the grand final on the last day.
With the short break, Klaus decided to go to the bathroom to freshen up and gather his thoughts before the next challenge. As he washed his face, he recalled every shot, every arrow he could have aimed more carefully, thus analyzing where he could have improved his score. His desire to win was stronger than ever, and he was determined to do his best in the next challenge.
When he came out of the bathroom, Klaus was calmer and, after a sigh, smiled with animation.
"You look excited..." Someone next to the bathroom door said and the voice was extremely familiar.
Klaus turned to see who spoke to him and the moment he saw the glorious red hair and skin as white as the face of the moon, his heart fluttered.
"Emma?" Klaus murmured, surprised to see her there.
...
Edited by: DrHitsuji
If you want to see original illustrations of Rise Online characters, consider helping me on pa treon: /NandoFalske
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https://discord.gg/bpqq9u4gS8
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