Tracking

Having emerged from the Gray Rock Stone Forest again, Evan saw from Data Vision that it was already 9:00 a.m. He could not delay any longer. He still had not replenished the Raw Materials for the "Live Fish Potion" Sangi had asked for.

The "Live Fish Potion" was White Stone Apothecary's bestseller.

However, it was not used to treat people. It was a potion that increased the survival rate of delicate Silver Scale Fish after they were brought to port. After catching Silver Scale Fish, fishermen could add the potion to their tanks and greatly improve the survival rate of these valuable but extremely fragile fish.

Many nobles and Great Merchants came specifically to purchase this precious specialty unique to the Leopold Sea.

Naturally, the "Live Fish Potion," which brought greater profits to fishermen, became increasingly expensive and scarce.

This was also Grandpa Leo's original invention after studying local demand. For a small coastal city with fewer than twenty thousand residents, it had some value, but not enough to provoke envy and invite trouble.

Looking at it now through the eyes of a transmigrator, Evan could not help admiring the old butler's shrewd vision and brilliant methods. Without that respectable old man, who knew whether the spoiled young noble master from back then, only ten years old, would have survived to this day.

Suppressing his thoughts once more, Evan got down to business.

By noon, thanks to his predecessor's familiarity with the mountains and forests, Evan had completed all his gathering work and was sitting on a large rock, leisurely enjoying lunch.

A large chunk of Barley Bread, some dried fish, and a smoked sausage, washed down with spring water from his waterskin. It would have been nothing in his previous life, but for people of This era, it was already an exceedingly rare indulgence.

During this period, Evan made another discovery about his "Golden Fingernail." Data Vision's identification ability was incredibly powerful. Even medicinal herbs caught in the corner of his eye could be instantly marked, greatly improving his herb-gathering efficiency.

After lunch, seeing that it was still early, Evan decided to venture deeper into the forest to see whether he could catch some prey and, by the way, enrich his diet.

While gathering herbs earlier, Evan had spotted a mark left by another hunter on a tree. It meant someone had found prey beyond their ability to handle and needed to summon companions for a joint hunt.

The hunters around here were basically all acquaintances, so there was no need to worry about attracting people with ill intentions.

Since he had nothing else to do, Evan patted the longsword at his waist and decided to follow the trail and see whether he could help.

He was still confident in his combat ability. After all, his predecessor had been one of the Noble Children, and the swordsmanship training he had begun at eight was no decoration. In one-on-one fights, none of the hunters near Leopold City were his match anymore.

If he could reach the level of his swordsmanship instructor, Grandpa Leo, become a Formal Knight, and step into the ranks of Extraordinary people, Evan believed there would no longer be anything in the forest before him that could threaten him.

Following the tracks left by the hunters ahead, Evan darted through the forest like an agile ape. He did not think anything unexpected would happen on this trip. Rather, it would be more frustrating if he arrived too late and found no spoils left.

Though only thirteen, years of swordsmanship training had given Evan broad shoulders and a sturdy build. Combined with his nimble movements, the tangled forest terrain posed no challenge to him. At least, this stretch of forest near the city had no apex predators capable of threatening him.

Perhaps because lunch had delayed him too long, Evan tracked through the forest for two full hours without catching sight of the hunters ahead.

If the tracks had not kept circling the forest's outskirts, and if another set of footprints had not joined them, Evan would have given up the hunt and headed back.

"This mark belongs to Grem and his hunting dog. That guy came hunting today too?"

From the later marks, Evan recognized his friend Grem. That meant he could not simply leave. Grem was also one of the best hunters nearby, yet the marks still called for companions. Evan guessed they had encountered something huge, something even two experienced hunters could not handle.

In sudden hunts like this, experienced hunters could judge the balance of strength between themselves and their prey. At first, they called companions like a pack of wolves, only launching the hunt after enough hunters had gathered.

If too few companions gathered in the end, they would abandon the hunt outright. No matter how valuable the prey, the hunters here had enough wisdom to restrain their greed.

Experienced old hunters all knew that a hunter's way of survival lay not in sharp claws and fangs, but restraint.

Grumbling about this unknown prey's absurd mobility, Evan set off again and continued tracking. By the time the forest had grown dim and Data Vision showed 4:00 p.m., he finally caught up to their trail.

But Evan knew something had gone wrong at first glance!

There was a pool of blood on the ground, still very fresh. Even though Evan was not a professional hunter, he could distinguish human blood from animal blood. He just did not know whether Grem or the other hunter had left it behind. Judging from the amount of bleeding, though, whoever it was could not have survived.

Evan's expression darkened. For a coastal city, game from the mountains was far more valuable than seafood. And in this somewhat fantastical world, forests were not places ordinary people could enter. Every hunter who had been active in the mountains for years had a few tricks up their sleeve.

Anything that could kill an experienced hunter on the spot without giving him much chance to resist was definitely no ordinary beast.

Without hesitation, Evan activated Data Vision again. Its powerful identification ability swiftly labeled everything within sight. Removing the useless information, two sets of messy human footprints appeared on the ground, while a blood trail stretching into the distance also became conspicuous under Data Vision's guidance.

Strangely, aside from an additional set of hunting dog tracks, there was no trace at all of the attacker.

Things had become troublesome.

Narrowing his eyes, Evan waged an inner battle. Having watched countless mystery dramas, he knew full well that the most terrifying thing in the world was not savage beasts or floods, but... the unknown!

Yet judging from the tracks, the surviving hunter had already followed after it. Based on the hunting dog's movements, that person was most likely its owner, Grem. Even after losing one man, he had still chosen to continue tracking. The only possibility was that he believed the danger was still manageable and wanted to retrieve his companion's body.

Gritting his teeth, Evan stepped forward and followed in the direction where the blood trail vanished.

"Damn beast, stop! Leave Hank behind!"

A hunter in his twenties ran at full speed through the tangled woodland with a bow in hand. Even in his fury, his agile movements were not affected in the slightest. Twisted roots exposed above ground, slick moss, and winding streams could not hinder him At All.

Yet even with such skill, he could not stop the figure darting across the treetops ahead from pulling farther and farther away.

Whoosh! An arrow embedded itself in a trunk, while the enormous black feline creature with a gaunt man clenched in its jaws had already nimbly leaped onto another giant tree that would take several people to encircle.

Paying no attention to the human below, the black feline sped through the treetops with its trophy and vanished into the forest, now completely dark, in the blink of an eye.

"Ahh—!!! Damn it!"

After venting his rage, the hunter who had lost his companion gradually calmed down. He knew there was no hope of reclaiming his companion by himself.

Now he could only pray that the leopard-like great cat still had enough food stored away, so that when he returned with a large group, there would still be something left.

Kicking the hunting dog that was still barking wildly overhead, Grem turned back, hoping to leave the forest before the sun set.

Whoosh!

At the instant he turned around, a foul wind descended from overhead. This cunning predator had never left!

After hiding its food, it had circled back and launched a ferocious attack the instant Grem let down his guard.