Chapter 40: The Hunt
Chapter 40: The Hunt
Early the next morning, the hunting team of the frontier town gathered south of the settlement.
Besides Dan and her children, there were five other ordinary townsfolk who worked as hunters, taking turns according to their assigned duties. Today, three of them were present, while the other two remained in town to attend to other matters.
As the sun rose, the dawn's light illuminated the land.
Dan and Ju stood at the edge of town, while the three hunters inspected their hunting gear.
The leading female hunter gazed towards the town, her voice carrying a hint of concern:
"Ju, are you sure you told Linsey about today's plan yesterday?"
Ju confidently replied:
"I'm sure. I told Linsey face-to-face yesterday evening!"
"...So, where is he?"
Mother and son exchanged glances, their emotions unspoken.
It wasn't just Dan and Ju; the other hunters also had questions in their minds.
In their minds, Linsey was a punctual person, always rising early in the morning. When there was a hunt, Linsey was usually among the first to arrive.
But today, for some reason, he was nowhere to be seen.
It was almost time to depart, and they still hadn't spotted Linsey.
Dan waited a little longer, even considering sending someone to check at the church.
Was something wrong with Linsey?
"Mom! Look, Linsey's here!" Ju suddenly shouted.
He pointed towards an earthen path on the east side of town, where Linsey was slowly approaching.
But he looked different from the young man they knew.
Although Linsey was fully geared up and ready, there was no trace of a smile on his face. His eyebrows were almost knitted together, and his gloomy expression resembled a dark cloud about to unleash a rainstorm.
Dan immediately asked her son:
"What's wrong with him?"
Ju quickly shook his head:
"I don't know! When I met Linsey yesterday, he was all smiles!"
Linsey approached the hunting team, and the mother and son exchanged glances.
Amidst this subtle atmosphere, Linsey apologized to the waiting hunters:
"Sorry, I'm late. I'll catch up with you all."
As the team leader, Dan immediately responded:
"You're not late. We're just about to set off."
She then gestured for Linsey to join the team. Before their departure, she gave final instructions to the group:
"Is everyone ready?"
"Let's do a final check of our knives, bows, food, water, and spare trap materials!"
"Sister Dan, all set!" "I'm good to go too!"
The hunters' responses were satisfactory, and Dan gave the order:
"Alright, let's go!"
The six of them headed into the forest.
They split into two groups of three, with each person responsible for tracking, shooting, lookout, and guard duties. The groups maintained a distance that allowed for quick mutual support.
The hunting team began their hunt, following the route they had set for trapping.
Under normal circumstances, this hunting combination ensured decent efficiency and a certain level of safety.
But today was slightly different.
As they ventured further into the wilderness for their hunt:
Linsey's two hunter companions took on the roles of tracker and lookout, while he focused on shooting.
However, Linsey was in a foul mood today.
After walking several hundred meters with his companions, they still hadn't encountered their first prey.
Irritation and discontent had brewed within Linsey throughout the night.
At this moment, he remained silent, switching to his game module:
【RPG】→【Hunting Simulation】
Linsey's vision instantly changed.
After three years of training, without experiencing life-or-death battles, his 【RPG】 abilities had yet to be upgraded. But with each hunting activity, new capabilities were unlocked in the hunting module!
【Habit Inquiry】
【Trace Manifestation】
The seemingly ordinary forest now revealed traces of wild beasts' movements to Linsey.
According to different species and individuals, the footprints were distinguishable by color.
The depth of the color indicated the freshness of the tracks.
Linsey's gaze swept the surroundings.
A tiny yellow footprint, deep in color, was clearly left not long ago, and its disappearance was several dozen meters away on the side of a birch tree.
【Hunting Simulation】→【RPG】
Linsey's pupils constricted, and with a speed far beyond that of a normal person, he nocked an arrow onto the bowstring.
Whoosh—
Before anyone could react, an arrow had already been shot out.
"Oh!" "Eh?"
Two fellow hunters were startled by Linsey's action.
Just as they were about to ask what was going on, they saw Linsey leap forward, moving through the forest and arriving at the spot where the arrow had fallen.
He then bent down and scooped something from the ground.
A pine grouse with an arrow stuck in its head was now held in Linsey's hand.
"..."
The two hunters were momentarily speechless at this sight.
They were stunned by Linsey's performance.
Usually, to protect himself, Linsey kept a low profile and did not display his special abilities.
The hunters had never seen his true skills in action!
At this moment, Linsey took the initiative to speak to the two hunters:
"Sorry, I'm having some issues with my condition today. Can I go on my own today?"
The two hunters naturally had no objections and nodded hurriedly.
At this moment, in their hearts, they even felt that Linsey might have chosen the path of a hunter as his craft, and as they parted ways, they said:
"No problem."
"Be careful and don't go too far from the team!"
"..."
Separating from the two hunters.
Linsey no longer suppressed the negative emotions in his heart.
He frequently switched between his game modules, using the 【Hunting Simulation】 ability to search for prey, and then using the 【RPG】 ability to hunt them down. His figure weaved through the forest like a ghost, and wherever he went, no prey could escape the arrow he shot.
In just half a day's time.
His 【Portable Bag】 had gained six pine grouse, three wild rabbits, and three squirrels.
And at this moment, in front of Linsey, was a robust wild boar.
Linsey did not hesitate and charged forward.
Before the wild boar could react, he took the initiative and kicked it hard on the head.
Bang!
With an exaggerated strength of 11 points.
This wild boar, weighing at least 100 kilograms, was instantly kicked. Linsey took another quick step forward, and the dagger in his hand, with precise speed and strength, pierced the wild boar's throat.
"Hmm—!"
The wild boar on the ground let out a mournful cry, its body twitching as it struggled.
But Linsey stomped on its head again.
Bang!
This prey, which was quite dangerous for ordinary hunters, soon became silent.
"Phew—"
Linsey exhaled and collected the dead wild boar.
At this moment, his 【Portable Bag】, with a carrying capacity of 250 kilograms, was already near its limit with the addition of the dead wild boar.
"Let's stop here."
According to the pre-arranged location, Linsey hurried to a hunter's cabin on the east side of the forest.
"Son, you're amazing!"
"Well done."
Before even reaching the place, Linsey heard the hunters' cheers.
Pushing through the bushes, he looked forward.
In front of the hunter's cabin door, Jucai was surrounded by others, his face lit up with a smile, a clear light hovering and turning around his face, reflecting the faint light in the forest, showing all kinds of beautiful postures.
Dan's smile was particularly happy.
She was delighted that her child could inherit the family's craft.
At this moment, Jucai saw Linsey walking over.
He jumped up, waved to Linsey, and shouted with a big smile:
"Brother Lin, come and take a look!"
"I finally succeeded, this is my first sublimated skill!"
Looking at Jucai, who was smiling and waving at him.
For some unknown reason.
Since yesterday, a certain hard-as-iron thing in Linsey's heart began to melt.
He showed a fragile but gentle smile, then quickly walked over.
"Yes, congratulations."
(End of Chapter)
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