The next day arrived. After brushing his teeth and taking a bath, Tiger left his rented home and started walking toward school.
As he walked, he kept thinking about yesterday's mission. That was my first mission as an Assassin. I wonder when the next one will happen.
After a moment, Tiger sighed and quietly said, "When the next mission will come… even I don't know."
Soon, Tiger reached school. As he entered the training area, his trainer approached him.
"Your practice is going well, Tiger?" his trainer asked.
"Yes, sir. You didn't get time to see my training properly, so…" Tiger began.
Before Tiger could finish, his trainer interrupted him. "Ah, yes. I didn't get time to properly see your aim before. But now I do."
His trainer glanced toward the training field and then added, "I still don't know where that teddy came from."
He shook his head. "Well, forget about it. Come on, I'll test you."
His trainer handed Tiger a bow and an arrow and pointed toward the target.
"From the red line, you have to hit the target, no matter how far it is," his trainer explained.
Tiger stood at the red line and began preparing his aim. He carefully looked at the target, judging the angle and distance before slowly drawing the bow.
He released the arrow.
But suddenly, the same teddy appeared directly in the arrow's path.
The teddy stopped the arrow when it was extremely close to the target. The arrow fell toward the ground before reaching the target, but it struck the teddy instead.
Tiger's trainer, however, didn't seem to notice the teddy at all.
Tiger lowered his bow and said, "My aim didn't work."
Then he looked toward the teddy. "Sir, that teddy came again."
His trainer looked at Tiger with concern. "What? Where did that teddy come from again? Are you okay, Tiger?"
"I'm fine, sir. Look over there. The teddy got stabbed by my arrow, and the arrow fell down."
His trainer glanced toward the target and casually replied, "I can already see that your aim was terrible."
Tiger froze.
"What? Sir… you can't see the teddy?"
His trainer looked confused. "Maybe something is wrong with you, Tiger. Come on, I'll take a look. Perhaps the teddy you're talking about just isn't visible from here."
Both of them walked toward the target where the arrow had fallen.
As soon as Tiger reached the spot, he pointed toward the teddy. "Sir, look! The teddy is here again."
His trainer stared at the same area. "Where? You can see a teddy here? I can't see anything."
Tiger was stunned. "Sir, why can't you see the teddy—"
Before Tiger could finish, his trainer interrupted him.
"You should probably take some rest, Tiger. Come on, pick up the arrow and try your aim again."
His trainer started walking away and called back, "Until you can aim properly again, we're not moving to the next level."
Tiger remained there for a moment, staring at the teddy.
Why can't Sir see it? Why can I see it when he can't?
Tiger picked up the arrow and pulled it out of the teddy. Then he carried the teddy to the side and placed it on the ground.
From a distance, his trainer called, "What are you lost in? Hurry up! I want to see whether you're actually training or just using training as an excuse."
Tiger left the teddy on the ground and returned to the red line.
This time, he completely focused on the target.
He ignored everything around him. The wind, the surroundings, even the strange teddy—none of it mattered.
Tiger drew the bow.
Then he released the arrow.
Once again, the teddy suddenly appeared.
But this time, the arrow pierced straight through it.
The arrow continued forward and struck the target exactly in the center.
Tiger's trainer stared at the target for a moment before beginning to clap.
"You did well this time," his trainer said, still clapping. "That was a proper shot."
He began walking toward the target while continuing, "Tiger, what happened to you earlier? How did you suddenly become unable to aim?"
Then he shrugged. "Anyway, forget it. What happened has happened."
His trainer reached the target and pulled the arrow out.
But he still couldn't see the teddy.
As soon as the arrow was removed, the teddy fell from it and landed on the ground.
Tiger watched from the red line.
Sir still can't see it.
Why can I see that teddy when Sir can't? He even pulled the arrow out this time, but he didn't feel anything strange. How is this possible?
His trainer returned to Tiger and asked, "What are you thinking about, Tiger? Did you get shocked by your own aim?"
He placed a hand on Tiger's shoulder and laughed.
Tiger quickly replied, "No, sir. I was just… anyway, are we moving to the next level?"
"Yes," his trainer replied. "There's still some time left. Come on."
Tiger relaxed slightly.
"Now you won't be aiming from 72 meters anymore."
Tiger's expression immediately brightened with relief.
He took a breath.
But before he could fully relax, his trainer continued, "You'll be aiming from 100 meters."
Tiger froze.
"That's insane," he said.
His trainer smiled. "What happened, Tiger? Is that all the courage you have?"
"Not at all," Tiger replied confidently. "I have much more than that."
"Then prove it."
His trainer pointed toward the targets. "But this time, the targets will be moving."
Tiger looked confused. "But, sir… how are we going to make the targets move?"
His trainer answered casually, "Of course. With my power."
He moved his hand.
Two more targets suddenly emerged from the ground, exactly 100 meters away. In an instant, there were three targets standing in the distance.
Then his trainer moved his hand again.
All three targets began moving on their own.
They shifted rapidly across the field, changing direction and speed.
From a distance, his trainer called out, "So, pick up your bow and arrow properly and aim."
He continued, "I know they're moving pretty fast, and there are three targets now. But I trust you, Tiger. I know you can do it."
Tiger tightened his grip around the bow.
His eyes remained completely focused.
He knew that no matter how fast the targets moved, he would not miss.
Tiger pulled the arrow back.
The wind began blowing harder, but Tiger didn't move his focus away from the target.
He released the first arrow.
It flew across the 100-meter distance and struck the moving target exactly in the center.
The target immediately disappeared into a strange fog before vanishing completely.
The remaining two targets began moving even faster.
Tiger calmly picked up another arrow.
Even if they move faster, I won't miss.
He aimed again.
This time, the wind became even stronger. Everything around him seemed chaotic, but Tiger remained completely still.
He released the second arrow.
Once again, the arrow struck the second moving target directly in the center.
Just like the first one, the target vanished into fog.
Only one target remained.
And it was moving even faster than the other two.
Tiger watched it carefully.
It was 100 meters away, moving rapidly from one side to another.
But Tiger didn't hesitate.
He picked up his third arrow, pulled the bowstring back, and aimed.
Then he fired.
The arrow flew through the air and struck the final target directly in the center.
But this time, the target didn't disappear.
Instead, it began falling.
Tiger's trainer smiled.
The first two targets had only been copies created by his power.
The third one was the real target.
His trainer looked toward Tiger with clear pride.
"You've mastered everything in archery," he said. "That's why I'm saying it."
He continued, "How can someone hit a target from this distance on their first attempt—and not just hit it, but strike the exact center?"
He looked at the sky and noticed that it was already getting dark.
"Anyway, it's getting late. You should go home now. You did very well today, Tiger."
Tiger smiled happily.
"Thank you, sir."
Tiger left the school and began walking home as night slowly settled over the city.
He walked for a while, thinking about everything that had happened during training.
The streetlights flicker weakly. The air feels colder than before.
After walking for a while, he suddenly hears a voice behind him.
He stops.
Someone is sitting on the low wall ahead.
A girl.
She's holding a teddy in her lap.
The wind blows softly, lifting strands of her hair across her face. She doesn't move.
Tiger notices something strange.
One of the teddy's button eyes is missing.
His heartbeat slows.
The girl tilts her head slightly looking at him.
"You're late, Tiger."
Tiger freezes.