Superfluous Guilt

Du Pont, after speaking, realized his slip of the tongue and inwardly blamed himself for his lack of composure. However, the Barbarian Butcher didn't seem to mind at all. He glanced at Du Pont's hand, tightly gripping the hammer handle, and then, understandingly, revealed a cruel smile.

"It's a bit different. If you successfully launch a sneak attack and land a blow like that, very few novice adventurers below level 3 could withstand it. Even Barbarians and Fighters, Classed individuals with strong physiques, would be severely injured even if they didn't die instantly, rendering them unable to retaliate. Conversely, a drawn-out battle would be much more difficult. If you both have weapons, it would take at least a few dozen seconds to fight, but not many fools would willingly offer their foreheads to be hammered."

The nearby farmers quickly moved away upon hearing this.

"I see," Du Pont said, remaining silent for several seconds, seemingly lost in thought. He then asked, "I see you're a Barbarian. At what age do children in your tribe usually start practicing butchering livestock and going out hunting?"

Hearing this question, the Butcher took out a bottle of ale from his waist again, pulled out the cork, took a swig, and his eyes showed a hint of reminiscence. "It's not fixed, five or six, seven or eight? It mainly depends on whether the tribe is short of manpower. If there's a lot of game and we have to hurry to migrate, the adults will take the children to practice skinning small animals with daggers, after all, they don't have the strength to dismember large prey. As for hunting on their own, those with better talent who awaken Classed individual abilities do so around the age of 12, after all, their bodies haven't fully developed and their bones are weak. Ordinary people do so after 16, when they hunt a Stag or a carnivore like a wolf, they can declare themselves adults."

A hint of indescribable emotion flickered in Du Pont's eyes. "At what age do they participate in tribal warfare and fight with people?"

"That's not fixed. It mainly depends on whether the chieftain is preparing to annex another tribe, or whether another tribe is preparing to attack us. In an emergency, even if they're not Classed individuals, as long as they're adults, they have to participate in the war. Age doesn't matter." After saying that, the Butcher looked at Du Pont with interest. "What, feeling uneasy about killing an animal for the first time?"

Du Pont honestly nodded. "I can't explain it, it feels a bit strange."

"Looks like you're probably a rich young master, actually getting hung up on this little thing." The Butcher's tone wasn't great, but he still offered an explanation. "Guilt is mostly a superfluous emotion for people who are full and have nothing better to do. You feel strange now because you haven't killed much, but after killing a few more times, you'll become indifferent."

Du Pont's expression became somewhat intriguing after hearing this. "Are you saying that cold-blooded killers think the same way?"

"Of course. What's killing people? Kobolds, Goblins, and Gnolls may have lower intelligence, but they're also intelligent creatures that can speak. Which famous adventurer hasn't stained their hands with the blood of hundreds of intelligent creatures? They've even come up with the term 'humanoid'."

As he spoke, the Butcher looked into Du Pont's eyes. "Killing is killing. Wolves, to fill their stomachs, won't have any pity even if they kill a newborn fawn that can't run yet. And these livestock have been taken care of by people since birth. They never need to worry about food or disease. When they're needed, they need to repay with their lives. Even those annoying Druids won't say anything about it, because it's their fate."

Du Pont nodded after listening. Although his mood was still somewhat complicated, he no longer felt the sadness he had at the beginning.

Unlike swatting mosquitoes and flies, so easily taking the life of a large animal made him feel a little overwhelmed.

It was said to be a calf, but in fact, this cow must have weighed three or four hundred pounds, but it died so easily, with just one hammer blow.

So that's how fragile life is.

In his spare time, he glanced at the System panel, which also gave the information about this hunt.

[You accurately hit the calf's (Creature Level 1/8) weak point, the critical hit dealt 16 points of damage, the calf lost all life and died]
[You gained 10 Experience Points]

After taking a few deep breaths, Du Pont's hands finally stopped trembling. He returned the hammer to the Butcher and picked up the slender pig-slaughtering knife next to him, his eyes widening in surprise after holding it.

This was actually a magic weapon.

+1 Butcher's Blade
Type: Dagger
Material: Steel
Damage: 1D4+1
Damage Type: Piercing, Slashing
Critical Damage: X3
Enchantment: Beast Bane, deals an additional 1D4 bleed damage when attacking beasts
Value: 300 Gold Coins
Description: This simply and roughly shaped dagger is exceptionally sharp, and has obviously been carefully cared for. The deliberately lengthened handle is obviously to fit the owner's hand shape, making it more effective when hunting animals.

The Butcher saw Du Pont's surprise and felt a little smug in his heart. "Didn't expect you little brat to be quite discerning, not a waste of my time waiting here."

Du Pont nodded in agreement. "But with your physique and strength, you don't need such a powerful dagger to kill pigs, do you?"

Butchering is a technical job, but how much money can the stingy academy give for this kind of work that ordinary people can do?

This Barbarian's arms were almost as thick as his thighs. When he smiled, he looked a bit like Zhang Fei, who he used to see on TV. Let alone killing pigs, wrestling with bears would probably be easy for him.

"I'm a retired adventurer after all, of course I have this kind of wealth. What's wrong with spending some money for what I like?" Saying that, the Butcher put down the wine bottle. "Not to mention that the materials needed for the enchantment are my own and don't cost money, and the Mage who enchanted it was my former teammate and doesn't charge a processing fee. It would cost about 5 Gold Coins to get a good blacksmith to forge this dagger. Adding and subtracting, it's basically free."

"." Du Pont was about to take the knife and step forward when the Butcher suddenly said, "Wait, do you want to play something interesting?"

"Something interesting?" Du Pont was a little puzzled. The Butcher took a step forward, using his arms to lift the big fat pig directly onto his shoulders. "It's not very interesting to slaughter the weak. I'll put this pig in the pigpen and untie it, then you can kill it."

"Huh?" Before Du Pont could speak, the Butcher had already arrived at the place and easily untied the ropes on the pig's feet. "Alright, try again. Remember to be clean and quick, and don't get the meat dirty."

Du Pont glanced at the Butcher, then at the pig, and quietly opened the System to use Detect, immediately cursing in his heart.

Domestic Pig (Fat)
Creature Level: 1/4
Attributes: Strength 16, Dexterity 10, Constitution 15, Intelligence 2, Perception 8, Charisma 4
Attack Method: Melee Ram (1D6+2) Bite (1D4)
Weakness: Timid
Treasure: 150+ Pounds of Raw Meat
Description: Domestic pigs are cowardly animals, but if they go crazy, even a level 1 non-combatant adventurer with a weapon will have to put in some effort. Barehanded, it can be said that there is absolutely no chance of winning.

".Can I beat this thing without using magic?" Du Pont gestured at his biceps. "Without tools, three or four farmers can't hold this big pig down, right?"

"Don't you have a knife?" The Butcher didn't care, and had already returned to his position and picked up his wine. "Not to mention that domestic pigs aren't wild boars, they don't have that much hostility and are naturally cowardly. After you go in, you'll have plenty of time to approach it and stab a fatal blow. It can be said that it's a fool who won't fight back."

Du Pont keenly noticed that the other party's words had a hidden meaning. "What if I don't kill it with one blow?"

"Then it might bite you." The Butcher looked at Du Pont's troubled face and comforted him. "If you're really afraid, you can cast Mage Armor. With this protection, it's basically impossible for it to bite through your robe, at most it'll just knock you over a few times. Of course, if you really can't beat it, you can shamelessly use Magic Missile to hit it. Anyway, this pig is going to be made into dishes today, would anyone blame you for having less pork?"

Du Pont thought, You're the one who said only shameless people use Magic Missile, so how can I bring myself to use it? Besides, what the hell do I know about Magic Missile?

However, he couldn't say such things out loud. He looked at the domestic pig in the pen, which was stealthily surveying its surroundings. Du Pont took a deep breath to steel his courage and walked inside with his dagger.

Compared to the calf he had killed before, which was tied up and unable to resist, he felt much better about killing prey that could fight back.

This big pig was sturdier and stronger than him. For him, without any offensive magic, it was definitely a formidable opponent.

Wait, is this a bit masochistic? It's better if they're easier to kill, right?

But before Du Pont could come up with a strategy, the pigpen gate was closed, and the Barbarian Butcher's voice came from behind, "Don't let its fat fool you, and don't think it's stupid. It's actually quite muscular and clever. If it bites you, you might lose a chunk of meat."

"Thanks for the warning," Du Pont replied, but he just stood there, observing. Sweat trickled down his palms as he looked at the robust pig in front of him.

His Strength was only fourteen, and he was still feeling weak. He definitely couldn't beat it in a contest of strength.

Perhaps, as the Barbarian said, he only had one good opportunity. If he didn't kill it then, he might be in trouble.

But could the stat panel determine everything?

Not necessarily. Humans on Earth, even when they were still primitive, could hunt saber-toothed tigers and mammoths, and their physical fitness wasn't necessarily stronger than modern people.

So, what was the difference?

Humans have intelligence and use tools to create weapons. The Butcher's teachings and the dagger in his hand gave him plenty of courage.

Although he was just a little apprentice, he knew that the Butcher was a Classed individual that even ordinary people could become. There was no reason he couldn't be better than those ordinary people.

Du Pont walked forward.