Teacher

The Expedition Team officially set out.

They had barely left Hobbiton, and the first day's journey was only halfway over.

The once-clear sky suddenly filled with dark clouds.

Then, in the blink of an eye, a downpour came crashing down.

The group had just left the woods and was now making its way along a broad trail through the open wilderness. With nowhere to take shelter, they were all instantly drenched.

"Pitter-patter, pitter-patter."

The heavy rain poured down in sheets, fat drops pelting them from above.

The enthusiasm Bilbo had felt for adventure after leaving Hobbiton was already cut in half.

"Are we really going to keep going like this? Can't we find somewhere to shelter from the rain?"

Unable to keep his eyes open against the downpour, Bilbo shouted to the others, who carried on as if nothing had happened.

"Mr. Baggins, this is just a summer shower. It won't last long."

"There's nowhere around here to shelter, either. Just hang in there."

"A little rain will make you stronger, Mr. Baggins. You should get soaked more often."

One of the Dwarves immediately chimed in.

"Rain makes you stronger? That's a thing?"

As if he thought he'd misheard, Bilbo asked Morgan in surprise.

"Maybe. We'll have plenty more chances to get rained on before this is over."

Morgan shook his head.

Fortunately, before meeting Gandalf, Morgan had spent half a month wandering and surviving alone in the wilderness.

That had made him far more accustomed to dealing with harsh weather outdoors.

"All right. I guess adventure really is a little different from ordinary life."

Hearing Morgan's answer, Bilbo muttered to himself, apparently convinced, more or less.

"Hey, Mr. Gandalf, can't you do something about this rain?" Dori suddenly called out.

"Rain like this won't stop until it's finished."

"If you want to change the weather, you'll have to find yourself another wizard."

Gandalf wiped the rain from his long beard and replied.

"Are there any others?"

Bilbo urged his horse forward until he caught up with Gandalf, who was ahead of Morgan.

"What?" Gandalf asked.

"Are there any other wizards?"

Gandalf turned to look at Bilbo. "Of course. There are five of us in all."

"The most powerful among us is Saruman, the White Wizard."

"There are also two Blue Wizards, but I've more or less forgotten their names."

Bilbo kept asking. "And the last one?"

"Radagast, the Brown Wizard."

"What does he do? Is he like you?"

Like a curious child, Bilbo continued asking Gandalf all sorts of questions about wizards.

Gandalf was good-natured and answered them one after another.

Following behind the two, Morgan took the opportunity to learn plenty of things that weren't part of the story he remembered.

Just as the Dwarves had said, it was a summer shower.

Half an hour later, the rain stopped.

The clouds began to clear along the horizon, and golden sunlight spilled through the gaps, bathing the land in dazzling light.

Washed clean by the rain, the sky looked clearer than ever.

As the downpour passed, the somber mood among the Expedition Team lifted with it.

With the Dwarves around, the group's spirits soon picked up again.

A dozen or more of them were traveling together.

There was no need to worry about running into wild beasts.

And if they did, the beasts would only make the group's meal more substantial.

Just like that, time flew by.

A month later.

In a lush forest, Morgan held his longbow and carefully hid behind a large tree.

Not far away, Kili was crouching behind a dense, thorny bush, bow in hand.

A little farther ahead, seven or eight sturdy, spotted deer were grazing.

The wariness that came naturally to herbivores made the deer look up and survey their surroundings every few bites.

Morgan raised a hand and signaled to Kili.

The two had developed a good understanding by now. Kili nodded and carefully circled off to one side.

Morgan stayed where he was. Once Kili reached a suitable position, Morgan signaled again.

Kili nodded, picked a well-concealed spot, nocked an arrow, and waited quietly.

Once Kili was in place, Morgan drew an arrow from his quiver, then drew another.

He held two arrows against the longbow in his hand.

That was right. After a month of practice and getting used to it, Morgan could now draw and loose two arrows at once.

Only now had he truly realized how powerful his Level 2 Archery was. He could finally say he'd mastered it—more or less.

Morgan nocked the arrows and cautiously leaned out from behind the tree. The spotted deer in the distance looked up, so he immediately ducked back.

He waited a few seconds, counting silently, then leaned out again. The deer had lowered their heads and returned to grazing.

"Now!"

Morgan's gaze sharpened with intense focus. He aimed at the herd and drew the bowstring taut.

"Whoosh!"

The two arrows flew from the bow with a sharp whistle.

The deer were startled by the twang of the bowstring and bolted at once.

But they were a fraction too slow against the arrows speeding toward them.

Two spotted deer nearest Morgan fell with plaintive cries.

The rest fled for their lives, running straight toward the spot Kili was guarding.

"Whoosh!"

A deer charging head-on fell with a cry.

The others immediately turned in panic.

Then another clear twang rang out.

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

Two deadly arrows arrived in an instant.

One deer toppled to the ground.

The other arrow flew just wide, grazing the neck of another deer.

The remaining deer seemed terrified out of their wits. They scattered in all directions and vanished into the forest in the blink of an eye.

The hunt had been a great success. Morgan had killed three spotted deer on his own, and Kili had brought down one.

Over the past month, Kili had become thoroughly impressed by Morgan's Archery.

Even as they carried the deer back, Kili kept asking Morgan for advice.

Thanks to the system's direct infusion of knowledge, along with everything he had learned about Archery along the way, Morgan was now leagues ahead of where he'd started.

He knew more than enough to teach Kili.

Morgan held nothing back while teaching him.

He wanted to build good relations with the Dwarves, which would help with his plans in the future.

The benefit of teaching Kili freely was that he now respected Morgan more and more, and seemed to regard him almost as a teacher.

The other Dwarves in the Expedition Team also showed Morgan greater respect.

When the two of them carried the four spotted deer back to the group's temporary camp, they received a warm welcome.

It made sense. Hunting wasn't just a matter of knowing swordsmanship or how to swing an axe. You had to be able to hit your prey, too.

By now, Morgan and Kili were almost entirely responsible for supplying the group with meat through hunting.

Aside from hunting, however, the two of them no longer had to do any other chores.

Cooking, for example. Or feeding the horses, gathering wild vegetables, or keeping watch at night.

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