Alex thought of his solitary five-ring score, the bullet hole sitting forlornly at the outermost edge. He silently compared the distance between five rings and ten rings on the target, feeling it was as distant as the gap between him and the nobility.
He couldn't suppress a feeling of slight disappointment, lowering his head to look at the gun in his hand.
This was just a stationary target, standing still waiting for him to shoot. If there truly came a day when he needed to use a gun in combat, the targets then would be things that knew how to move, even monsters with terrifying speed.
Wood noticed Alex's change in mood. He turned around, patted Alex gently on the shoulder, and said: "Hughes has been practicing a full year longer than I have; his family has a private shooting range. And I have one more year than you. These gaps can all be narrowed through ceaseless practice; it is your first time holding a gun, doing this well is already good."
