Chapter 43 - 43 40 Hunting

43: Chapter 40 Hunting 43: Chapter 40 Hunting Xiao Jie stood at the village gate, staring out at the desolate wilderness, the distant hills and forests, and the small path leading to unknown places, a mix of excitement and nervousness stirring in his heart. He was finally going to leave the village and fight monsters to level up again. Unlike last time, when he went to rescue “I Want to Be Immortal,” this time he was prepared for a prolonged battle and was determined to fight a tough one. For this adventure, Xiao Jie had really invested heavily. Looking at the balance of copper coins in his backpack, Xiao Jie couldn’t help but feel a pang of pain; for this adventure, he had spent all his money. His backpack was filled with supplies. Steamed buns x 20 = 100 coins. Rough feathered arrows x 20 = 100 coins. The 20 arrows given by the Hunter were passable for hunting but clearly not enough for killing monsters and leveling up. Torches x 2 = 100. These items could be used for lighting at night or in caves and tombs, essential for exploring the underground city, with each lasting for one hour. Golden sore medicine (small) x 80 = 400. A low-grade medicinal item essential for restoring health during monster fights. Power Pills x 4 = 200. Used for quick energy recovery; despite energy being restorable through rest (though not as quickly), it was still good to carry a few for emergencies compared to golden sore medicine. Besides these, he had also purchased two pieces of equipment for himself; one leather armor cost him 300 coins, and one iron inlaid shield cost 150 coins. [Iron Inlaid Shield (Medium Shield) Defense +30 (when blocking successfully) Durability 200/200. Item Introduction: A shield inlaid with iron pieces, offering greater defense and higher durability than ordinary wooden shields.] [Leather Armor (Chestplate) Body Defense +10. Item Introduction: A protective gear made from leather. Although its defense is limited, it still provides some protection for the wearer and is the most commonly used basic armor by irregular soldiers such as Militia, mountain bandits, and bandits.] The attributes of the leather armor were lacking a bit, but at least it meant he was no longer bare-skinned. Xiao Jie’s painstakingly saved up over 1,400 coins were also spent in one go. “I Want to Be Immortal” walked up beside Xiao Jie, who was better prepared and fully equipped, adorned with an iron-inlaid leather armor, Snake Spine Longbow, Fine Steel Long Sword, shield, and battle axe, armed to the teeth. “Feng, I’m ready,” he said. “Hmm,” Xiao Jie responded, but didn’t hurry to leave. “Since the two of us are going to team up and go leveling, I must clarify some things in advance. I don’t need to mention the dangers of this game, as you are well aware. Even though we are going to fight monsters and level up, safety comes first. You have too little game experience, so you must follow my commands! Just do as I say, and I’ll surely boost you up, but let me put some ugly words forward—if you mess around outside and don’t follow commands, leading to danger, I won’t guarantee that I won’t abandon you. Understood?” Xiao Jie spoke with unusual seriousness. Though he used to give stern warnings to studio members when he was a guild leader and would curse during raids, at the end of the day, it was just playing a game, the seriousness was more of a formality. But this time, the gravity in his tone was unprecedented because this time, he was truly about to lead a life-threatening expedition. “I Want to Be Immortal” felt Xiao Jie’s gravity and solemnly responded, “Don’t worry, Feng. I know the stakes; I definitely won’t make things difficult for you.” “Good, that’s settled then. Let’s first roam around near the village, then gradually move deeper into the dangerous areas of the map. Before entering each new area, we must observe from a position with good visibility to ensure there are no formidable monsters or hordes of monsters present. If I shout to run, don’t hesitate, just run back to the village immediately. Alright, no more nonsense,—let’s go!” The two finally stepped out of the village gate. It was just past noon, the sun was at its peak, casting a soothing ambiance amid the otherwise gloomy wilderness. Thanks to the regular patrols by the Militia, there were no monster activities around the village. To hunt monsters, they needed to venture deeper, as different monsters spawned in different areas. Because it was a hunting trip, Xiao Jie chose a sparse woodland to the northeast. The sparsity provided better visibility, making it less likely for monsters to ambush them. The two entered the forest, weapons ready in hand, fully alert. Not long after, a deer appeared in their sight, leisurely nibbling on the grass. Xiao Jie used Beast Recognition to take a closer look. [Deer (Beast), Level 3, Life Value 40. Taming Difficulty: Hard. Skills: Deer Horn Charge LV2, Wilderness Dash LV1.] Trying to kill this thing in close combat is very difficult because it runs away the moment you get close, and with the Wilderness Dash skill, you simply can’t catch up on foot. But now, with bow and arrow, we can finally take it down. The two slowly approached, and since their Bow Skill level was too low and the hit rate was limited, they decided to get closer before taking action. However, before they could get close enough, the deer suddenly lifted its head, its nose twitched rapidly twice, then it turned and fled. “Damn, what’s going on?” I Want to Be Immortal said, exasperated. Xiao Jie observed the direction of the leaves and wild grass around them and said solemnly, “It’s the wind direction!” He found it hard to believe that the game even took wind direction into consideration, but it seemed that it really did. “We’re upwind, the prey can smell us, so let’s circle around from the right side and approach from downwind. The two made a large loop and soon saw the deer again, but this time, they were downwind. Both simultaneously pressed the stealth key, both crouched down, slowly approaching to avoid making noise, until they were some thirty meters away. Draw the bows together! “Release!” Xiao Jie whispered. Whoosh whoosh! Two arrows flew out one after the other. The deer was hit consecutively, one arrow in the flank and one in the neck. -21! -23! As the Hunting Bow enhanced the damage, and with the addition of the Bow Weapon Skill, the damage was quite significant. The deer cried out pitifully and collapsed. Killing the deer—Experience +3! Xiao Jie thought the experience was a bit too little, but they had earned something, nonetheless. The two rushed over and retrieved the arrows from the deer’s body; these things were five cents each, so reusing them as much as possible was best. Xiao Jie looted the body and acquired deer meat ×1, deer antlers ×1, but unfortunately, beast monsters didn’t drop coins. “Let’s continue.” The two cautiously searched through the woods, hunting more prey, quickly taking down four deer, three sheep, and four rabbits. The two took turns looting, and soon their bags were filled with some spoils. They had hunted quite a bit, but their Experience Points hadn’t increased much. A deer only gave 5 Experience Points, a sheep 3, and a rabbit only 1, and then the points had to be split between two people, which was pitifully low. The upside was that these creatures had no attack power; they would run at the sight of humans, posing no danger at all. I Want to Be Immortal complained, “This experience is too meager. At this rate, leveling up will take forever. Feng, let’s go farther out.” This time, Xiao Jie did not object. Although safety first and slow leveling were acceptable, this was just too slow. After all, deer, sheep, and rabbits probably weren’t even considered monsters, but merely prey, hardly suitable for leveling up. Rather than calling it monster hunting, it’s more like simple hunting. “Alright, let’s move on, but we must adhere to my previous requirement, ensure safety before taking action, and scout before we act,” Xiao Jie strategized. They first found a slightly higher mound, climbed up, and observed their surroundings. On the slope of a small hill to the west, they could faintly see several black dots, the Lost Soul Mountain Bandits, and Xiao Jie observed the spread of these bandits, which was wide. Alright, let’s start with them. Xiao Jie still had a bit of a psychological shadow over these monsters, as Han Luo had died at their hands originally. But back then, they had nothing, and could have killed one with a stick; now with complete equipment and skills, there was nothing to fear!