CHAPTER 19: HUNTING BEASTS LIKE CUTTING WEED

Night waned away in silence.

Dawn came just as quietly.

From the distant horizon, the first threads of sunlight pierced the veil of night, dyeing the clouds with strokes of pale gold and rose-red. Moments later, the chirping of birds rang out, announcing to the world that a new day had begun.

Above, the sky stretched vast and pale, brushed with streaks of bright, radiant clouds that seemed thin as gauze. Below, mist lingered low on the ground.

It was the month of October; the temperature was neither too cold nor too hot, just perfect for the human body, but this will all change in a month as winter, the most dreaded time in this era, was not far away.

Whoosh!

A young man moved cautiously through the trees, avoiding the attention of predators, in search of prey.

When he saw one, his movements and breathing became even more hushed, his presence fading so much it was hard to spot him.

Slowly and steadily, he crept closer and closer to the little beast with grey fur, razor sharp teeth, and long ears that was unaware of his presence.

His steps didn’t stop until he crouched low to evade its sight to hide in a thicket close to it without alerting it.

***

In the forest, dew-beads adorned leaves and blades of grass, glistening like gems under the sun. The morning breeze was cold and refreshing. The cool fragrance of wet soil and moss wafted through the air, refreshing and sharp, carrying with it the faint bitterness of rotting leaves, the forest’s reminder of seasons passing.

By the crooked trunk of an old willow, where its roots jutted out from the earth like ribs of some beast or human, an Adult Horned Hare crouched low, working hard for its first meal of the day.

Its fur was mottled grey, blending with the shadow of the tree, and its sharp claws scraped against the dirt as it dug up a cluster of bitter roots, gnawing and crunching on them noisily, its breath steaming faintly in the chill morning air.

Rustle!

The wind stirred, setting the canopy above swaying, and leaves cascaded down in a dry, whispering flurry.

That fleeting sound was just enough to mask the sharp noise of a hand bursting forth from the thick thicket close to the Adult Horned Hare.

The hand was calloused, its skin was coarse, worn by years of labor in the mines, its fingers thickened with strength tempered by endless swings of the pickaxe against stone. Without hesitation, it clamped mercilessly around the Adult Horned Hare’s neck before it could even draw a startled breath.

The Adult Horned Hare froze, its crimson eyes widening to the size of saucers as it felt a noose had been tightened around its neck.

In the next instant, its body was hoisted off the ground.

With its legs dangling feet above the ground helplessly, its trembling gaze was forced to meet that of a young man whose eyes were inky black, like twin whirlpools that carried no warmth, seeing it as nothing more than dead meat.

"Kariki!"

The captured Adult Horned Hare screamed and frantically struggled in the air, attempting to free itself from the young man’s grasp.

Puchi!

A sickening squelch rang out as its struggles ceased in an instant. A dagger was driven straight into its head, ending its life without mercy.

Blood spurted as the young man drew the dagger out of its head. He moved it casually through the air to shake the blood staining its blade.

[You have killed an Adult Horned Hare. You have gained 50 Exp.]

The young man was none other than Ray, and reason the Adult Horned Hare gave him so much experince point was it was an advanced stage iron rank beast.

Also, the reason he managed to kill It was simple. It was a physical type demonic beast specializing in speed, since he caught it off guard, rendering it mobile, stripping it off of its greatest strength, he managed to kill it easy.

Otherwise, he would have to run away in shame. He had grown strong, but not strong enough to beat an Adult Horned Hare in a fair fight.

He dug out its demonic core before throwing it aside. That was the only valuable part of its body.

Now his stats were as follows.

Ray

Level: 3

EXP required to level up: 60/80

Rank: Awakened Beast Tamer

Beast Taming Seal: Eclipse Devouring Seal

Stats:

Strength: 3

Stamina: 1

Agility: 3

Soul Quality: 10

Magic Power: 100

Debuffs: None

SP: 2

Equipment: Deep Blue (Level 1 Enchanted Iron Rank Armour)

Items: 1× Level 1 Demonic Cores (Water Type), 1× Level 2 Demonic Core (Agility Type)

The Level 1 Demonic Cores was obtained from killing the Magic Type Water Slime yesterday. It could be infused into weapon and equipment to grant them special effects related to water magic, and as for the Level 2 Demonic Core, it was naturally obtained from the Adult Horned Hare he just killed. It could be used to create an excellent piece of weapon or boots with the effects to enhance attack and movement speeds respectively.

"20 more points to go." Ray lurked in the wilderness like a predator, searching for more beasts to kill to level up.

Soon, he came across an area thick with green slimes.

Ray let out a sharp whistle to attract their attention.

Their gelatinous heads bobbed, and with a chorus of plop, plop, plop, they began bouncing toward him in unison.

He lured them into an area dense with greenery.

Then—

BOOM!

A thunderous roar burst from his body. With him as the center, a shockwave exploded outward in a violent ring. The nearest slimes were ripped apart by the powerful shockwave instantly, failing to slow it down even a little. It slammed into the nearby trees, shattering them. The shattered trees were sent flying. They rained down on the startled slimes, but they were too slow to move out of harm’s way, getting crushed to death.

He did it again and again until all the slimes filling his vision were dead.

Squelch! Pop! Crack!

In mere minutes, hundreds of green slimes lost their lives to his cunning scheme.

[You have slain 200 Green Slimes. You have gained +400 EXP. Congratulations, Host. You have leveled up twice! You have reached level 5. You have gained +4 Stat Points]

[EXP required to level up: 220/320]

[Total Stat Points: 6]