Winter Hunt

Early the next morning.

No familiar sunlight woke Linsey.

But he had already begun cultivating a healthy routine. Reminded by the faint Life Source Material circulating within him, he climbed out of bed early.

"Ah—"

Linsey stretched on the unfamiliar bedboards.

With the Female Hunter's guidance last night, he had successfully added Basic Archery to his Attribute Panel.

But now...

When he looked to the side, he realized things were different from the church.

The Female Hunter was still sleeping soundly with her head down, and her son had clearly inherited this fine trait from his mother.

"..."

Linsey blinked silently.

He knew waking someone who liked to sleep in could bring unpredictable consequences, so he chose to leave them alone.

After getting up,

Linsey's gaze drifted unconsciously toward the pile of firewood in the front room.

After burning through the night, the wood on the surface of the fire pit had gone out, but embers were still buried beneath it.

Not wanting to disturb the sleeping mother and son,

he quietly walked over, took two wheat cakes from beside the pile, rekindled the embers, and began roasting his own breakfast.

The process was not worth mentioning. As for the result...

Though it might have been a waste of food, it was at least edible enough to fill his stomach. And the normal circulation of Life Source Material told Linsey that it was not poison that would kill him.

"Shouldn't transmigrators have incredible cooking talent...?"

After filling his stomach, Linsey walked out of the wooden house in dejection.

Remembering Red Moon and Finn's teachings, he spent over an hour writing on the ground with a twig. Only after seeing slight progress in several language skills did he nod in satisfaction.

"Little by little. Take it slow."

After murmuring that, Linsey went into the yard to begin training.

He reviewed the combat techniques he had learned over the past few days. Everything his teachers had taught him was practical.

The War School's basic combat techniques, the shooting skills taught by the hunter, and the fitness methods Linsey had learned online in his previous life.

When these things were combined,

they could not only advance the Experience Bar of his skills, but also improve his basic attributes.

Nearly two hours passed. Strength, the weakest of all Linsey's physical attributes, was two-thirds full. It looked like it would soon rise again.

But it was also at this moment

that the Data Panel displayed a fatigue warning.

"Overtraining might be counterproductive. That's enough."

With the reminder of his attribute status, Linsey decisively stopped training and began to rest.

Just then, movement came from inside the wooden house.

Dan, the Female Hunter, crawled out of her bedding. Seeing the lit firewood, she naturally assumed it was Linsey's doing and came out to check.

"Kid, you really got up early!"

"Nun said that cultivating Life Source Material requires maintaining good habits."

Dan curled her lip as she stepped out of the wooden house.

As she inspected the leather in the yard, she also grumbled at Linsey.

"That sounds like a lot of trouble."

"Sleeping in like me feels much better."

After spending a night together, Linsey had already understood Dan's personality. So he bluntly teased her, "I always thought hunters got up very early."

"That's true enough." Dan had just woken up, and her eyes were still a little unfocused. She flicked the drying fur, decided it was about ready, then took a Wild Rabbit pelt from the rack and draped it over her shoulder. "Normally, the other hunters in the village would go out with me too."

Linsey asked curiously, "So today isn't normal?"

Dan yawned.

"Who can stand going hunting every day? Especially in winter, when prey is scarce."

"Today was supposed to be a rest day. Taking you two out counts as special duty."

"If you know how to be grateful, then think about how to combine your Essence with a hunter's skills. I'd be thanking the heavens then!"

Linsey ignored her completely.

He simply sat in the yard, squinting in the sunlight.

"Brat!" Dan cursed without hesitation. Then she carried the hides she had selected back into the house. Linsey could hear her voice through the door. "A'Ju, get up! I'm taking you out today!"

Soon, Dan returned to the yard and continued checking the leather around her.

Linsey asked curiously, "Ju is coming too?"

Dan nodded. "Even if this child won't inherit a hunter's skills, with an awakened one's strength, he'll still have to join the Hunting Team on hunts in the future. Teaching one is teaching, and teaching two is teaching. So you two might as well come together today."

Once Dan had dealt with the pelts, the three prepared to set off.

The Female Hunter brought along the leftover strips of roasted meat from yesterday and gave each of them a water flask made from ramie, enough drinking water for the day.

And so, traveling light, the three began today's lesson.

According to the Female Hunter's plan,

they would leave from the south side of town and head straight away from it.

After reaching a certain distance, they would travel east counterclockwise, then circle around to the north side of town.

By the time they finally returned to town,

one full circuit would bring them back around evening.

Three days ago, a massive snowstorm had just ended.

Thick snow still lay unmelted in the wilderness forest, and some fragile branches had even been snapped beneath its weight.

Walking here meant sinking deep with every step. Just moving forward took considerable effort.

But the Female Hunter was completely unaffected.

Her steps were light in the white forest, and she moved as swiftly as the wind, like an elf weaving through the trees.

When she saw Linsey and Ju panting behind her,

the Female Hunter covered her mouth and snickered softly. Then she broke off several branches and handed them to the two children as walking sticks.

"Take these. Watch your footing, and don't step into empty space."

"In winter, there aren't many dangerous things like snakes and insects. But you still need to watch out for buried dead branches. Wild animals are extremely sensitive. If you accidentally make a little noise, they might bolt like they've gone mad."

"Oh, and watch the bushes around you too!"

"It's not just because wild beasts can hide in them. The thorns growing on some bushes may contain toxins. If you accidentally fall into one, you'll be in serious trouble."

"..."

It had to be admitted that Dan was extremely attentive when teaching.

From last night's archery lesson to now, after entering the forest, she offered a reminder every few steps.

All of it showed her professionalism as a hunter.

Around noon, the three reached the southernmost point of their destination.

When they arrived, Dan looked very confident.

As she walked toward a trap she had set a few days ago, she explained to Linsey and Ju, "You might think drawing a bow and shooting arrows is a hunter's main source of food. But I'm telling you, traps are the most important—"

As she spoke, Dan's expression suddenly darkened.

She bent down and grabbed something from the ground. When she straightened again, she held a Hook-and-Rope Trap whose rope had been chewed through, with only a few traces of blood left on it.

The trap was completely empty! "***"

"That one doesn't count. Let's go to the next one!"

Please bookmark and vote!