New Function Unlocked

The first exchange appeared to be a draw.

But Evan knew that whether in speed, strength, or endurance, he was no match for the Mountain Cat.

Even if it was only a young cat, it was a young cat that had already become a Ferocious Beast. The gap in level was already difficult to make up for with skill.

Their lightning-fast clash left Grem, who had kept his bow drawn and arrow nocked, dazzled. Though sweat streamed down his face in anxiety, he did not dare fire rashly for fear of hitting Evan, who was tangled up with the Mountain Cat.

Evan was now facing Grem. He signaled with his eyes for him to stay calm. He decided to use a more aggressive style while his stamina was still at its peak. Otherwise, if this dragged on, the consequences would be hard to predict.

"Hah—!"

Evan took the initiative to attack. This time, he used Sail Raising Stance.

He gripped the sword with both hands and raised its tip, every muscle in his body tightening. Like a sea vessel gathering momentum before raising its sails and setting off, it was the most attack-oriented opening stance in White Sail Swordsmanship.

His center of gravity tilted forward, and his breathing through his nose and mouth shifted subtly. Suddenly, dead leaves and mud burst beneath Evan's feet as his entire body accelerated from stillness into a forward charge.

"Thrust!"

The momentum of this sword strike was astonishing. It felt as if even a wall ahead of him could be pierced straight through.

Seeing Evan charge at it like a reckless wild boar, the Mountain Cat revealed a trace of humanlike disdain in its eyes. A high-speed charge was difficult to redirect. This kind of attack was suited for enormous, clumsy opponents, but such a predictable trajectory could not even touch the tip of its tail.

Sure enough.

The instant the blade neared its body, the Mountain Cat leaped high into the air, nimbly avoiding Evan's sword edge as its gleaming white fangs lunged for the back of his neck.

In fact, even a beast could tell by instinct that Evan's tactics were wrong. How could Evan, who had received formal knight training from childhood, not know that?

The instant the Mountain Cat took off, Evan lowered his body and forcefully dove to the side, sending himself flying almost parallel to the ground. At the same time, he shouted:

"Shoot!"

A feathered arrow tore through the air.

Evan knew full well that an ordinary arrow could hardly threaten a Ferocious Mountain Cat, but all he needed was an opportunity like this.

As the Mountain Cat twisted in midair to avoid the arrow, Evan used the momentum to twist and swing his sword. The longsword suddenly flipped like the triangular sail of a boat, drawing a brilliant Sword Light as it swept over the Mountain Cat's hind leg.

Blood flashed.

Evan's back slammed heavily into the ground, but he seized the last chance as he and the Mountain Cat passed each other. He kicked hard, driving his foot into its soft belly.

"Awooo—!!"

Throughout his White Sail Swordsmanship training, Leo had always emphasized one thing: "Balance! Balance! Balance!"

It was precisely this mastery of balance, forged through long training into bodily instinct, that allowed Evan to deliver that exquisite strike under circumstances where he had nearly lost his center of gravity. It also increased their chances of survival by thirty percent.

That was right, only thirty percent!

Though the previous strike had landed, Evan was certain that the feline's agility meant the Mountain Cat was not seriously injured. Whether they could escape its jaws was still uncertain.

But when Evan sprang up from the ground, ready to press his advantage, he saw only a somewhat limping figure flash past and disappear beneath the impenetrable canopy.

Evan froze slightly, unable to understand why the big cat, whose injury was not serious, had suddenly fled.

From what he knew about Ferocious Beasts, a smooth sword wound like that would heal on its own in less than a night. At most, it could only be considered a minor injury.

It was precisely because he feared that abnormal Physical fitness that Evan had not dared clash head-on with the big cat even once. Though it was not especially large, it could still crush a mere Apprentice Knight like Evan in strength.

Grem, however, seemed to have expected this. Carrying his longbow, he walked to Evan's side and explained:

"Wild predators never fight to the death against enemies evenly matched with them. An evenly matched battle means a greater chance of injury. Injury means reduced hunting ability, and a lack of food brings a series of consequences that can eventually weaken or even kill the fiercest predator.

"The Mountain Cat probably thought it was not worth getting injured over the two hundred-odd pounds of meat we represent. It does not lack food in these mountains, so it retreated."

Evan nodded gently, accepting the explanation.

"Let's get going. If any adult Ferocious Mountain Cats come looking for revenge later, we really won't be able to leave."

Evan looked at Grem, who had just been determined to avenge his companion. Now his eyes darted about, and he was almost like a frightened bird.

He did not remind him that even ordinary predators possessed territorial instincts, much less Ferocious Beasts. The chance that another Mountain Cat of the same kind existed in this forest was extremely low.

Still, this was not a place to linger. The two quickly packed up and left with their hunting dog, Jim.

Their luck was fairly good. Nothing unexpected happened on the way back.

Treading through moonlight quietly scattered across the earth, the two emerged from the forest looking somewhat bedraggled. Even in familiar mountains, walking through the woods at night was not a pleasant experience.

They returned home safely.

Over the next few days, aside from his unwavering swordsmanship training, Evan also made time to turn the gathered herbs into finished potions and handed them to Sangi.

Thanks to the efficiency of this herb-gathering trip, White Stone Apothecary was now well stocked. Evan had nearly a month of free time, enough for him to thoroughly understand this world and plan his future path of development.

And now, Evan was...

Sitting idly behind the apothecary counter, staring out the window at the endless flow of people with lifeless eyes.

"Ah... where was that easy life I was promised?!"

His chin rested on the counter, looking like a salted fish that could not possibly get any saltier.

Evan knew he could not blame Sangi.

These days marked the migration season of a precious fish called the Red-Bellied Sturgeon. Sangi had been called onto the fishing boat by his old man to help out. If they were lucky, the Fish Catch during the migration season alone could equal several months of normal income. Few fishermen could resist such temptation.

There was no helping it. With Sangi gone, Evan could only fill in at the shop. The good news was that during the peak fishing season, sales of Live Fish Potion had risen sharply, and the apothecary was earning quite a bit as well.

After seeing off the last customer in the evening, Evan sat behind the counter checking the day's accounts. Once he finished reconciling them, he decided to head to the nearby Old Man York Tavern and order a serving of its signature cheese steak as a reward.

"Beep. Physical Fitness Detection System activated!"

The electronic prompt that suddenly sounded in his ear jolted Evan awake. Only then did he realize that after constantly coming into contact with all sorts of people these past few days, Data Vision had finished collecting this world's human physical data!

"Display!"

Name: Evan Garratt

Attributes: Constitution 0.6 (1)

Strength 0.58 (1)

Agility 0.62 (1)

Intelligence 0.8 (1)

Skills: White Sail Swordsmanship (Beginner, includes corresponding breathing techniques, swordsmanship, and potions), Archery (Beginner), Grammar (Mastery), Navigation Knowledge (Beginner), Apothecary Arts (Beginner)

Evan noticed that this notation differed from the measurements of physical fitness in his previous life. He guessed it had been modified by magic as well, giving it the feel of game data.

Constitution included bodily strength, stamina, and recovery ability. Strength was based on constitution and represented the Burst of Power and output of the entire body system. Agility was likewise based on physical fitness and included mobility and reaction ability. Intelligence was similar to that of his previous life, encompassing memory, observation, imagination, thought, judgment, reasoning, and many other forms of evaluation.

As for what exactly these values were calculated from, Evan had no idea. However, Data Vision also provided a notice:

There was no horizontal comparability between the marked attributes.

Through innate talent and acquired effort, the theoretical upper limit ordinary humans in this world could reach was (1). Therefore, a value of (1) did not represent the physical fitness of an adult human. For most ordinary adult men, having around (0.4) could already be considered very healthy.

Although his physical fitness was still in a period of rapid growth due to his age, Evan was still rather satisfied with his bodily data, which generally surpassed that of adults.

Especially his Intelligence attribute of (0.8), which gave him an unprompted sense of intellectual superiority.

"Right, I fought that big cat before. Its physical data should have been collected too, right? List the physical data for the Ferocious Mountain Cat!"

Name: Ferocious Mountain Cat

Attributes: Constitution 1.3 (1)

Strength 1.1 (1)

Agility 1.4 (1)

Intelligence 0.3 (1)

Skills: Hunting Skill (Mastery)

Looking at the Ferocious Mountain Cat's data, Evan broke out in a fresh cold sweat and silently praised his own luck.

The Mountain Cat truly possessed supernatural attributes. Even though its Main Body was merely an ordinary Mountain Cat, after turning into a Ferocious Beast, its stats had become so terrifying. Other than intelligence, it had already surpassed the limits of ordinary humans in every respect.

An ordinary person would never survive an encounter with it!