Tracking (Thanks to readers "Ye Zou Youbi Nie" and "He Sitifen" for their monthly tickets)

Tracking (Thanks to readers "Ye Zou Nie" and "He Sitifen" for their monthly tickets)

Vesemir's smile immediately froze at those words.

He narrowed his eyes and studied Ailin's harmless-looking face.

The apprentice's little face was stained with filthy blood, yet his clear blue eyes were so clean and pure that they instinctively inspired affection.

"He must have been influenced by Leto. How could a thirteen-year-old apprentice possibly understand this stuff?"

Vesemir thought.

He glanced at the silver sword, which shone as if it were brand-new, and sighed.

Even after killing eight drowners, Elsa's blade remained spotless.

Then,

Vesemir handed Ailin a dagger and said,

"Process the materials. You remember what I taught you yesterday, right?"

Ailin nodded, took the dagger, and crouched down to process the materials.

The only useful materials from drowners were Drowner Tongues and Drowner Brains.

After Ailin had processed two, the remaining ones were all behind a Big Stone.

The rock happened to block Vesemir and Leto's line of sight.

After crouching down, Ailin hesitated for a moment before using his dagger to cut open a drowner's chest.

Did Drowner Heart Essence Fluid come from drowner hearts?

Ailin had wanted to know the answer yesterday, but Vesemir had been watching him the entire time.

"Pfft."

The sharp dagger sliced from the drowner's lower jaw, down its centerline, all the way to its groin.

The instant he pried open the bloody ribs, a powerful stench of rot struck him in the face.

Ailin's pupils instantly widened.

Inside the blackish-red chest cavity, there was nothing at the center of the thick blood vessels. The cut surfaces were exceptionally clean, as though the entire space around the heart had been removed in one piece.

"Drowner Heart Essence Fluid really does come from the hearts of slain drowners," Ailin thought.

Though he had been prepared for it, seeing it with his own eyes still left him with an indescribable sense of shock.

When had the heart been taken away?

When he killed it, or when the quest was settled?

And what method did the Witcher's Handbook use to take these hearts?

Magic?

"No!" Ailin shook his head.

Vesemir and Leto had both been nearby whenever he killed drowners over the past two days. At yesterday's apprentice training grounds, he had even been surrounded by a ring of witchers.

They all wore School of the Wolf medallions capable of warning them about magic and monsters.

If the Witcher's Handbook used magic, there was no way it could have escaped their notice.

Or was it some method more advanced than magic?

Divine Power?

Ailin sighed. There was too little information, so he could only remember this clue for now.

There were not many materials to process, and Ailin quickly removed the tongues and brains from all the drowners.

But there were not eight complete sets.

The tongues and brains of three drowners had been cut in half by Elsa.

Materials like that were useless.

Vesemir roughly inspected Ailin's spoils, then nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, not bad... Processing drowner materials is simple, but it tests patience the most. Being able to process them this well while maintaining speed is very rare."

Vesemir did not mention the damaged materials.

In battle, killing the enemy came first. Fighting while obsessing over preserving intact materials was irresponsible toward one's own life.

Materials could be exchanged for money.

But no matter how much money one had, what was the point if one was dead and unable to spend it?

After the inspection, Vesemir handed Ailin a specially made Material Bag.

After Ailin sorted and packed everything away, the three set off again.

Unlike in the game, the mountain path leading to Kaer Morhen could not be traveled on horseback.

Witchers usually left their horses in the village at the foot of the mountain, then climbed on foot.

Ailin's group had no horses either. They trudged through the rugged forest, following the flow of the water in search of the next group of drowners.

Ever since Leto had spoken without restraint at noon, Vesemir seemed to have subconsciously avoided talking to Ailin as well.

Ailin did not mind.

It gave him the perfect chance to open his chests.

Looking at the ten chests neatly lined up in his inventory, Ailin smacked his lips in satisfaction and quickly opened half of them.

Ding! Drowner's Chest x5 opened.

Obtained: Lesser Experience Orbs x3, Rotten Flesh x2

The Lesser Experience Orbs were fine, but what was the use of this Rotten Flesh?

Was it only there to pad out the chest loot pool?

Ailin shook his head, somewhat hesitant about whether he should open the remaining five chests today.

He raised his head and checked the sun's position.

It was still early, around three in the afternoon.

"Open them!" Ailin made up his mind.

They were only Drowner's Chests. If he even had to pinch pennies over these, that would be far too stingy.

Ding! Drowner's Chest x5 opened.

Among the four flashes of white light was a single flash of blue.

Just how many colors of chest loot were there?

Ailin could not help complaining.

White was the worst, and gold was probably the best. What about blue?

Somewhere in between?

What kind of treasure chest did not list its drop rates?

It really was a trash game.

Ailin continued reading.

Obtained: Drowner Whistle x1, Lesser Experience Orbs x4

He switched the panel to the item menu and checked the Drowner Whistle's information.

Name: Drowner Whistle

Type: Lure Whistle

Function: Blowing the Drowner Whistle produces a sound that attracts drowners.

Note: Witcher + Drowner Whistle = ?

Ailin vaguely felt that this whistle had plenty of possible uses.

But he could not use it yet.

Vesemir and Leto were still beside him. If he suddenly took out a whistle and said he could summon drowners,

they would probably think he was an idiot.

Still, the Drowner Whistle was a very useful item.

At the very least, opening those ten chests had not been a loss.

After opening the chests, Ailin checked his character panel while he was at it.

Name: Ailin

Age: 13

Title: Child of Miracle

Level: 3

Health: 100% Stamina: 80/80

Attributes: Strength 6.1, Agility 6.2, Constitution 8, Perception 8.9, Mystery 4.3

Special Skills: Witcher LV1, Appraisal LV1, Tracking LV1

Skills: School of the Wolf Two-Handed Sword LV2 (0/500), Quen LV1 (0/100)

Formula: Killer Whale (Unavailable)

Items: Drowner Heart Essence Fluid x16, Rotten Flesh x5, Lesser Experience Orbs x58, Drowner Whistle x1, "Twenty-Three Ways to Cook Drowners"

Evaluation: Trash!!

The panel now had a Tracking skill, and his character level had risen to Level 3.

After the quest was completed, knowledge of the Tracking skill had automatically appeared in Ailin's mind.

Just as he was about to try out his newly acquired skill,

"Ailin, come over here. Try to find this group of drowners." Vesemir crouched in the grass beside the stream and nudged the turf with his right foot.

Ailin put away the panel, walked over to Vesemir, and carefully observed the area.

This patch of grass was close to the water source and covered in glistening water droplets.

Clearly, the method of searching for traces by observing reflected light on mucus could not be used here.

Vesemir had deliberately chosen a place like this.

"But this came at just the right time," Ailin thought.

Tracking.

The instant he activated the skill, the world Ailin saw with his naked eyes immediately darkened somewhat.

The once fresh and natural streamside grassland was now covered with chaotic red claw marks, all extending into the distance along the direction of the water flow.

Out of curiosity, he walked over to one deep-red trace, wanting to see how the Witcher's Handbook determined these marks.

Ailin crouched down, and the instant he focused his attention on the claw mark, the scene before his eyes changed.

Hmm?

It could do that too?

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