Old Friend

Dan simply left.

She moved through the forest at incredible speed, swift and sure-footed, so fast it was astonishing.

In just a few breaths, she vanished without a trace beneath the cover of the snow-white forest, leaving only Linsey and Ju behind to face the corpse before them and the cold ground beneath their feet.

"Did she... really just leave?"

Linsey could hardly believe it.

The first thing that came to mind was whether Dan's departure was some kind of test for this Winter Hunt outing.

Otherwise, it made no sense for the veteran hunter leading a hunting lesson to leave two pitifully inexperienced children behind on their own.

Even if they were already close to the town.

Even if they were both Awakened.

They had only awakened this year, after all—beginners who had yet to master any skills.

Perhaps Linsey was different, but Dan did not know that he had secretly acquired a skill.

Linsey's feelings were a tangled mess. He could not understand the Female Hunter's actions at all.

After spending the day with her, he knew she was indeed lively and somewhat impulsive, but she was absolutely not the irresponsible sort.

At that moment, Linsey felt someone tug at his clothes.

Turning around, he saw Ju clutching the hem of his shirt, his face tense with worry.

"Brother Linsey?"

"Mom... Mom, she..."

"Don't worry. Dan must have a reason she absolutely has to leave right now. We just need to wait here obediently."

Linsey offered a few words of comfort, but the child was still clearly nervous.

To keep Ju from becoming too agitated, Linsey began chatting with him. They talked about their daily lives, Dan's personality and habits, and little stories about the Hunting Team. Only then did Ju gradually calm down.

He even told Linsey that his happiest memory was when he was seven. His father and mother had hunted a huge Wild Boar in the woods, and so many people had come to congratulate them. The atmosphere had been wonderfully cheerful.

Linsey casually asked:

"By the way, I didn't see your father last night?"

"My father, he..." A trace of sadness appeared in Ju's eyes, but he quickly answered, "He wanted to break through the obstacle of Black Mountain too, so he went somewhere very far away."

"..."

Linsey immediately realized he had said the wrong thing and hurriedly apologized.

"Sorry, I didn't know..."

But Ju shook his head. His eyes instead revealed longing and admiration.

"It's okay. I'm proud of him."

"Dad told me many stories. He and Mom went to many worlds and saw sights that ordinary people would never see. He also told me that we couldn't remain trapped in a distant borderland forever."

As they continued talking, Linsey came to understand the situation better.

Dan, the Female Hunter from this distant borderland, and her husband had once been young adventurers from Fortnix. They had heard of the Hidden Borderlands, as well as the story of the great explorer Polo Will opening up the World Border here.

Unable to contain their excitement, they had resolutely set out on an adventure.

That had happened exactly ten years ago.

As a result, they became the last group of people to enter the Hidden Borderlands.

Originally, Dan's husband had been studying a skill called Star—the same thing Ju was learning now—while Dan had intended to become an explorer.

But after the Hidden Borderlands abruptly became isolated and all kinds of Supplies suddenly became scarce, Dan changed her original plans after becoming a mother and became a hunter instead...

In the quiet forest, Linsey and Ju spoke softly.

Their relationship gradually grew closer through their conversation.

It was through this exchange that Linsey came to understand why the Female Hunter had acted as she did.

Dan had stayed in Border Town and become a hunter in order to care for her child.

Her husband, meanwhile, had not wanted his child to remain trapped in this remote corner for the rest of his life. So he had headed outward, attempting to break through Black Mountain. Unfortunately, like the others, he had disappeared without a trace. Whether he was alive or dead remained unknown.

And today, in the forest, she had seen another townsman who had died miserably for the very same reason.

The responsibility of protecting the town, combined with the emotions stirring in her heart—

How could she possibly let the magical beast responsible for this escape? "Sigh..."

Linsey let out a breath and began digging away the snow beside the corpse.

"We'll definitely need to carry this man's body back to town later. Let's clear it out first."

Ju nodded as well. The two worked together and quickly dug the body out from beneath the heavy snow, propping it against the birch tree behind it.

"Now, we just need to wait for Dan to come back..."

Linsey had been about to invite Ju to rest.

But at that moment, he heard faint rustling from the surrounding woods. The sound was drawing closer, and it was moving quickly.

There might be danger—and it was coming toward them!

Since there were sounds of something closing in from the direction of town, they did not even have the chance to run straight back there.

"What is it?"

Linsey's gaze sharpened as he looked around.

Distant bushes shook amid the all-white forest. Aside from the exposed tree trunks, there was almost nothing to distinguish one patch of snow from another, and he could make out no clues at all.

But the rustling grew more urgent, closer and closer!

Linsey realized something was wrong.

But before he could think about how to save himself, his body moved first. He shoved the frozen Ju into the space between the corpse and the birch tree, then quickly piled a few handfuls of snow over him for cover.

"Ju, hide back there and don't move, no matter what. Understand?"

Ju still looked completely bewildered.

But seeing Linsey's stern expression, he obediently nodded. "I understand."

After settling Ju, Linsey took the short bow from his back and touched the small knife at his waist, making sure he could draw it at any time.

These were all things the Female Hunter had prepared before they set out.

The knife was a small skinning knife, and he had only five arrows. He had not even expected to use them, but now they were truly coming in handy.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, an Ice Cone shot out from a distant bush, flying straight at Linsey.

Linsey dodged aside.

At the same time, he knew he had encountered an old friend—an Ice Badger again! But unlike when he had first arrived in the Hidden Borderlands, there was more than one this time. Three Ice Badgers were surrounding him from three different directions!

"Haa..."

Linsey drew a deep breath, his gaze hardening.

In an instant, he clarified his objectives.

First, draw the Ice Badgers' attention and keep them from noticing Ju hidden behind the corpse.

Second, survive.

Whether he held out until Dan returned to rescue them or found a way to kill these magical beasts himself—

He could only succeed. Failure was not an option! The next second, Linsey nocked an arrow and drew his bow.

The first arrow flew at the first Ice Badger to leap out from the bushes.

The arrowhead struck the ground directly beside the Ice Badger's feet, bounced twice, and fell still.

The shot had missed without any surprise.

After his crash course last night, his archery was only at the (Beginner) level. Getting close to the target was already impressive enough; hitting every shot was simply impossible.

But the arrow had achieved Linsey's goal.

The shot immediately provoked the magical beasts' feral instincts. The other two Ice Badgers leaped out from either side and immediately rushed after Linsey.

Good.

Those mindless beasts had indeed failed to notice Ju beneath the corpse.

Without hesitation, Linsey turned and ran, charging straight toward the frozen river!

I tested positive and have a fever, so I'm feeling awful. I'll do my best to keep updating over the next couple of days, though there may be more mistakes in the text. Please forgive me. Also, thank you all for your support and corrections.