The Primal Hunter's
Just a Little Hunting
Arrows whistled in the air towards the unconscious wild boar. It penetrated deep into the beast's chest as it whimpered and walked for only a few meters before collapsing. The second beast was no luckier because the first arrow hit its muzzle, followed by the other into the eye shortly after, ending its life almost instantly.
The last pig that was harvested only managed to get hit by one arrow before finally seeing its attacker. A rather unimpressive man stood on a small hill overlooking the open. Brown hair and eyes, a mediocre face, wearing a robe with a mixed color palette between chocolate and dried blood.
It attacked the man, and with its head kept low, managed to dodge the fatal attack. However, it helped a little as the archer avoided the boar right before ramming it and proceeded to stab his dagger into the side of the beast.
Screaming in pain, he tried to hit her with his fangs, only to once again be avoided and another dagger fall down her throat. It barely managed to let out a few sounds before it also collapsed.
Jake smiled at himself as he pulled the knife from the beast, cleaned it in his robe, and put it back in the two sheaths he had on his belt. He began to enjoy possessing two melee weapons, after saving the ones he took from one of Richard's archers.
He had even considered obtaining a dual-wielding skill at some point, but that was for when he obtained the next skill selection. And speaking of levels, he caught a glimpse of his notification, realizing nothing had been gained yet. Then again, it was only the first group of beasts he had killed since burning Nicholas.
*You have killed [Forest Rabbi – lvl 5] – Experience bonuses gained for killing enemies above your level. 16 TP obtained*
*You have killed [Forest Rabbi – lvl 6] – Experience bonuses gained for killing enemies above your level. 32 TP obtained*
*You have killed [Forest Rabbi – lvl 8] – Experience bonuses gained for killing enemies above your level. 128 TP obtained*
One thing he got from it was to confirm his temporary theory that each level of beast doubled the amount of TP obtained. He still strongly doubted that it would work that way along the way, because multiplication would be ridiculous at some point.
He also paid attention to the section on bonus experience. His current level in his class was 7, yet he was counted as a lower level. The only explanation he could find was that the level was based on his Race Level and not his class level.
It does seem a little unbalanced working that way. For him to kill a savage beast on his own level was very easy. Even if one disregarded his bloodline, he believed that even someone as untalented in battle as Jacob could manage a savage beast of the same level of race as his. Are humans only liked by the system?
He also noticed that the level of the enemy had indeed increased as he moved further and further into the forest. The place is huge, and he's looking forward to knowing what's at the center of this entire tutorial area. At first, the announcement of the tutorial mentioned about the beast lord or something, so maybe it was there.
Not that it matters at this point. What matters now is the level. He felt free for the first time since entering the tutorial. It was as if the entire world was open for him to explore. Well, the whole world is currently the area of this tutorial.
However, Jake quickly realizes there is a problem. The number of animals in this area is very less. So, to find more, he kept running inside towards the center of the tutorial area. After only half an hour, where all he had encountered was a bunch of low-level badgers, he finally arrived at a large open with a water hole in the middle.
Around the water, he counted five deer and what looked like a stag. It had a huge crown of horns and seemed to be brimming with power. The horn itself was unnatural, to say the least, completely glowing with the dim light he saw reflected on the surface of the water.
Jake quickly used his identity and was shocked.
[? – lvl 13]
Higher than the wild boar. Even before using Identifying, he could sense that it was stronger. And the horn also led him to believe that the beast had some sort of magical ability. Jake himself was only level 7, and he was a bit unsure whether trying to face this group was a wise move.
The other five deer around the stag are also all level 8 or 9. He was sure he could kill some of them before they managed to reach him if he used a good position, but if they managed to catch up to him. Four feet better than two and so on.
The boar had also just reached level 10, and he took all of his arrows, and it didn't even kill him. While he doubted that the stag was as strong as a wild boar despite its higher level, the fact that it might have magic was enough to prevent.
He thus decided to ignore them for now. After another level in his class, his race would also level up, giving him a little more strength. At that moment, he could consider trying it out. While waiting for his level 10 skill would probably be wiser.
He quickly retreated from the open and continued on his way to look for other prey. It didn't take long for him to find another group of beasts.
The group consists of what looks like a mix of giant chickens and ostriches. A type of bird that cannot fly, based on the fact that its wings are too small and its body is too big. From their long legs, he also assumed they could run at a fairly high speed.
They have long necks extending to small heads. What made them remind him of chickens was the fact that he could hear them squawking. They, however, do not peck at plants or insects, but rather dead ferrets.
Is there really only carnivores in this damn place? he thinks. It feels like some sort of chaotic, unoptimized ecosystem that, frankly, makes no sense. There were plants and trees everywhere, yet not a single animal ate them. Or maybe the birds did it. Damn those weird birds.
He had tried to shoot down one on several occasions, but every time he tried, they simply dodged the arrow as if it was nothing. He could not identify them, so he did not know if they were secretly overpowered by super beasts. But whatever they were, they seemed to have no worries other than improving the atmosphere in the forest with their chirps.
But back to the ostrich, which he decided to call only. He used Identifications on them one by one, finding the three to be level 8.
They are good victims. Their necks are very open if the target is hard as they move constantly while eating.
Without hesitation, he lifted his bow and shot an arrow, already drawing another one before the first one hit. It hit one of the ostriches and pierced its neck, hitting a tree behind it. The animals that had not been hit raised their heads from the badgers they had hit and saw Jake when another arrow came. One of the affected ones only made a gurgling sound while convulsing on the ground.
Disappointing the next arrow missed as the giant birds managed to dodge it. Not really on purpose, because they just shift their legs to get better posture to attack.
Like all other animals, ostriches swarmed towards Jake as soon as they saw him. He managed to shoot another arrow, hitting one of them in the chest, only doing insignificant damage based on it barely reacting. They reached it in just a split second, as he threw a bow to the side and pulled both of his daggers.
The ostrich's fighting style revolves around a quick kiss with its beak, reminiscent of a snake trying to bite, and a powerful kick. Without his sense of danger, he would be chipped to death in a split second.
The collision made him fly several meters in the air as he felt his shoulders dislocate. He barely managed to get up and roll to the side when the beast was once again on top of him.
He had lost both of his daggers this time, as he had dropped a dagger that was currently not stuck on the ostrich's neck when he was kicked. He knew where it was because of the ball, but the beast didn't seem to want to give him the time to pick it up. It doesn't help that it pretty much stands on it either.
The beast attacked again, and Jake dodged it once more, enduring the pain from his shoulder as his arm hung uselessly beside him. Avoiding is easy enough with only one enemy left and his bloodline abilities are always there. The ostrich finally managed to slip while trying to peck at it but instead crashed its head into a tree.
Jake is once again reminded of the force of the pat when he sees it piercing his beak into a tree. The force that worked against him this time as it was unable to pull him out of the hard bark anymore, leaving him stuck. Jake quickly pulled the arrow from his tube and thrust it into the open, motionless neck.
The beast struggled for a while before finally dying from blood loss. He quickly checked his notifications but was quickly disappointed by the lack of any level.
*You have killed [Ostrich – lvl 8] – Experience bonus earned for killing enemies above your level. 128 TP obtained*
*You have killed [Ostrich – lvl 8] – Experience bonus earned for killing enemies above your level. 128 TP obtained*
*You have killed [Ostrich – lvl 8] – Experience bonus earned for killing enemies above your level. 128 TP obtained*
He was still completely unsure of how the system decided on the names of these ferocious beasts. Most of them appear to be just 'general animals' although they are not entirely on par with the animal. Then there is also the big pig who, for some reason, is called the Irontusk wild boar. The tusks are not even made of iron!
Shaking his head, he once again questioned why he wasted so much time pondering meaningless questions, which in itself were meaningless questions.
Looking next to him, he examined his clearly sprained shoulder, and while he knew that you could 'put it' in place, it was not something he had ever done or tried. He has seen some videos on the internet about it, and it seems quite easy ...
What followed was Jake spending more than half an hour to position his arm in a strange way, slamming his shoulder into a tree, and making strange gestures trying to put it back in place. The pain was excruciating as he cursed himself for not just drinking a healing potion or anything like that.
Deciding to take a break from the self-inflicted torture, she sat on a rock as her shoulders sent waves of pain all over her body. As he was wondering how to fix it, he suddenly felt his arm shift slightly as it locked in place.
It turned out that his body would heal something like a dislocated shoulder by itself if he gave him a little time. The miracle of vitality, it seems. So, spending thirty minutes turned out to be just an incredible act of masochism for no reason. He was even pretty sure he saw one of the damn birds glancing at him with a condescending look.
Jake once again curses himself while collecting his belongings. He picked up the bow he dropped earlier as well as the two daggers. He had to let out his annoyance at something and quickly found another group of ostriches, only two of them this time: one level 8 and one level 9.
This battle, however, went easier as he took level 9 immediately and managed to injure level 8 with two arrows before even reaching him.
Instead of trying to dance away from him, he lured him to peck at a tree, followed by a quick beheading in one quick sweep of his knife.
*You have killed [Ostrich – lvl 9] – Experience bonus earned for killing enemies above your level. 256 TP obtained*
*You have killed [Ostrich – lvl 8] – Experience bonus earned for killing enemies above your level. 128 TP obtained*
*'DING!' Class: [Archer] has reached level 8 - Allotted stat points, +1 free points*
*'DING!' Race: [Human (G)] has reached level 4 - Allotted stat points, +1 free points*
This battle earned him the level he wanted. He briefly reconsidered for the deer now but decided not to. The ostrich has reminded him that a wild beast can easily surprise you, and it would be foolish to be suddenly killed by some mega-horn-magic horn.
He instead went on to hunt more beasts in the area. He especially found low-level deer and badgers, but any killing was worth it. He got a few scratches here and there, the worst was when he fought a group of four low-level badgers, all of them not above level 4.
However, it quickly turned out that there were not only four badgers. Instead, the other seven were hidden in the nearby bushes, and they all ran towards him simultaneously. The next fight turned out to be very exhausting. He managed to kill three of them before they reached him but had to pull out a dagger for the remaining eight.
None of them were above level 5, but he received a lot of damage as he slashed at them one by one. His scope of perception along with his instinct and perception of danger allowed him to minimize the damage he received, but avoiding all those attacks was impossible.
He ended the fight with only 56 health left. His robe was once again covered in blood, now also filled with holes and tears. The worst part is that everything doesn't even give him a fucking level.
And to make the situation even worse, then the entire horde only gave him a measly 62 TP. Most of them had been level 2 and 3, with only one at level 5, making the points awarded very bad. He quickly told himself that he would not waste time on beasts that were too far below his level anymore.
He quickly drank the healing potion, replenishing his health pool completely — potions recovered almost 300 HP.
Add another question to the list: How much does a low-ranking healing potion cure?
He sighed as he woke up, looking at the slaughter around him. Only a few hours had passed since the last time he cleaned himself up, and he was now once again covered in blood from head to toe.
Although she had to admit that she was really enjoying herself in the forest, she had somewhat lost the ability to take a pleasant warm bath. He should talk about it with the tutorial manager at the right time.