CHAPTER 177: CHAPTER 177: THE HUNT BEGINS

The next morning

The sky was just lightening, the sun had yet to reveal itself, but many residents and explorers in the small town were already preparing to start their day.

Kane was already outside the town’s main gate.

After taking on Uncle Ge Mu’s commission last night, he returned to his house to rest well.

That’s why he got up early this day, ready to visit his cherished ’territory’ to see which clueless magical beasts might have dared to appear since he last left.

Not far from the stone road outside the town, Kane dove into the adjacent forest.

A few leaps brought him up to a large tree, where he deftly pulled out a White Honey Fruit from a hidden tree hollow.

He also took some nuts from his Space Equipment and tossed them inside.

Then he crouched on a sturdy branch nearby and started eating, that tree hollow was a Honey Fruit Raccoon’s nest.

It often stored a few White Honey Fruits there, and ever since Kane discovered the nest, a couple of its fruits would inexplicably go missing.

However, other foods would mysteriously appear in the nest, so it never minded and didn’t move its home.

While munching on the White Honey Fruit in his hand, Kane’s eyes turned eagle-like, surveying the forest.

After scanning around and finding no magical power reactions, he finished the fruit in a few bites and tossed the Bone Core back into the tree hollow, clapped his hands, leaped a few times, and disappeared.

Wandering around the forest’s outskirts, he found traces of various beasts and some clues hinting at magical beasts, but never found the creatures themselves.

Standing on a branch, Kane thought for a moment, then installed [Forest’s Son] into his Skill Grid.

As soon as the skill was equipped, Kane closed his eyes, feeling as if the entire forest was his home.

His spirit relaxed completely.

The range of his Martial Intuition expanded almost a circle wider in the forest, becoming more sensitive.

The flowers and trees around him seemed to be speaking with him, expressing their goodwill.

Kane focused his thoughts, spreading his desire to locate magical beasts, hoping that the surrounding flora would assist in tracking them down.

In response to Kane’s request, these plants were more than willing to help, sending back messages of goodwill, seeming to reply to Kane.

Magical beasts, in terms of the forest’s natural ecosystem, brought little benefit, like intruders in a complete food chain.

They might drive away nearby beasts and disrupt the environment.

Severely, they could wreck the whole ecosystem, taking ages to recover.

Thus, they were somewhat irritating to nature.

Leaves and flowers swayed in a certain direction.

They guided Kane, indicating a direction that might hold clues.

Following where the grass bent, Kane swiftly moved.

Soon, Kane discovered traces on the ground that were beyond what ordinary beasts could make.

On a nearby rock were deep scratch marks, not made by a regular beast; the magical beast seemed to be sharpening its claws.

Kane began advancing in the direction of the marks, maintaining his Eagle Eye skill the entire time.

Soon, not far ahead, he saw a copper-colored magical power reaction among the bushes.

Kane was leaping between tree trunks and branches.

His agility, enhanced by nature’s aid, made no sound.

A few leaps avoided all sight-obstructing obstacles, revealing the magical reaction’s origin.

It was a wolf-like creature with sharp hooked claws on its paws, sharpening its claws on a stone.

A resilient short bow appeared in Kane’s hand, with a few strands of tough Spider Silk as the bowstring on both sides of the bow.

Then he took out the regular Feathered Arrows he had prepared when he first became an explorer from his Space Equipment.

He drew the bow and nocked an arrow, his Eagle Eye trained on the magical beast’s weak point.

All Kane needed was to draw the bow and release the arrow.

As Kane’s fingers released the string.

"Whoosh!"

A sharp sound broke through the air, and when Kane looked again at the magical beast on the ground, a gleaming Feathered Arrow embedded in its eye socket, the feather tail still quivering.

Kane’s ordinary strike, without any magical power, easily claimed the magical beast’s life with that single arrow.

Jumping to the magical beast’s corpse, he put the prepared Blank Magic Stone on it; even a magical beast’s energy equates to valuable material, so it can’t be wasted.

A mosquito, however small, is still meat.

After absorbing the magical power, Kane left the magical beast’s body untouched, letting its essence enhance forest life or enrich the soil.

This was a natural giveback.

With [Forest’s Son]’s aid, Kane, an expert in hunting magical beasts in the forest, found his tracking skills immensely enhanced.

Nearly all magical beasts ended up being killed by Kane, unable to escape his clutches.

By now, the sun hung brightly in the sky, its warmth penetrating the forest’s leaves and slightly increasing the surrounding brightness.

Within just a few hours, Kane had already hunted close to 10 magical beasts.

Experiencing his past profession again in the forest brought Kane great comfort and nostalgia.

His mind wandered to when he first arrived, how terrified he felt of the unfamiliar world, only finding relief by training and exploring the forest.

Otherwise, Kane felt he might have broken down back then.

This behavior, combined with his Eagle Eye, made him the best hunter in the town within less than a year, as he began hunting magical beasts to activate systems and extract skills.

Walking through the forest, Kane unconsciously headed toward his former hunter’s cabin.

That once served as Kane’s temporary refuge, escaping his inner anxiety.

Not far ahead, he spotted a shabby little wooden cabin in the forest, its construction somewhat rough, overgrown with green plants.

Approaching the cabin’s entrance, Kane lightly pushed the outdated wooden door, which creaked open.