Youth and the Wolf Chicken

The outskirts of Brookwood Town were always prowled by many ferocious beasts, mostly wolf packs. Occasionally there were black bears, griffins, killer bees, or even... the Great Wild Boar King.

That was the name Ethan had given the strange creature before him. Understanding 100 Dark Creatures contained no record of this species. It had a pair of sharp tusks, a reddish-brown body mostly covered in biological armor studded with black barbs, and was far larger than any wild boar he knew. When he first saw it, it held its head high and chest out like a king.

In reality, though, it was a complete fraud. One Ice Arrow sent it sprawling to the ground, and after its short limbs twitched twice, it stopped moving.

Still, the Great Wild Boar King had another hidden trait—an especially high experience yield.

Ice Arrow (Beginner): Proficiency: 1/75

Looking at Ice Arrow, which had risen by an entire proficiency tier, Ethan fell into thought. This was his first encounter with a Great Wild Boar King outside Brookwood Town in two years, and it made him wonder whether his training plan over the past two years had been wrong. The Great Wild Boar King possessed four negative traits: "large body," "easy to hit," "fragile," and "high experience." It was practically born to be an experience farm.

If he had started two years ago and hunted one Great Wild Boar King every day, he might already have learned all the spells in Fireball Ice Arrow Magic Mechanics.

Thoughts were one thing, but Ethan still carefully examined the Great Wild Boar King's wounds.

The cause of death was a hole that pierced straight through its body. The Ice Arrow had punched through the black biological armor on its chest, passed through the Great Wild Boar King, and left holes of the same size in several trees behind it before vanishing into the darkness.

The power of the Ice Arrow was somewhat different from what Ethan had imagined.

He finally understood why Fireball Ice Arrow Magic Mechanics said ice magic was suited for resolving disputes between people. An Elemental Shaper who had learned Ice Arrow was equivalent to carrying a heavy sniper rifle at all times. This Ice Arrow's penetrating power far surpassed any firearm he knew of in this era.

And as the most basic spell, Ice Arrow consumed very little mana. By that calculation, it was practically a heavy sniper rifle with infinite ammunition.

If someone annoyed you, you just sniped them. Ethan guessed that was the lifestyle of an ice-element Elemental Shaper.

Still, he was someone who got along with others.

After gathering enough firewood and bringing along a pot, he returned to the Great Wild Boar King. Not only did he get along with others, he was also thrifty. He would never waste nature's gifts. Jerol had dragged him around to test Miss Chloe all day, and he had not even had a bite of bread yet. Perhaps the Great Wild Boar King had known that and graciously come before him.

What a merciful king, unable to bear seeing people go hungry!

Miss Chloe heard his footsteps and stiffened, stopping her tearing. After staring at Ethan for several seconds, she suddenly shook herself hard, flinging the blood and scraps of meat from her face. Then she walked slowly to the pot with elegant steps and sat quietly like a patient, graceful lady.

Ethan's feelings were complicated.

Miss Chloe had changed. Not only had she developed a lady's airs, but she was no longer the little girl who could be satisfied with a handful of breadcrumbs. While he had been gathering wood, one of the Great Wild Boar King's legs had already vanished, yet Miss Chloe did not look remotely full.

A flame ignited in his palm, setting the piled firewood ablaze. Then several chunks of ice fell into the pot set over the fire. According to Ethan's conclusions, the second stage of skill proficiency unlocked elemental conversion. These ice cubes created from mana could serve as an important source of water in the wild.

As his Ice Arrow proficiency rose, he had transformed into a wilderness survival expert comparable to a perpetual-motion machine.

"Miss Chloe, help me cut the meat."

Chloe nodded and even gave him an elegant bow. Her raised claws sank into the Great Wild Boar King's abdomen, and with only a slight pull, she tore off a fine slab of pork belly. Then, something that left Ethan dumbfounded happened.

Miss Chloe had somehow taught herself how to remove shells and pluck feathers!

Before tossing the pork belly into the water, she lightly scraped the surface with her claw tips, shaving away the inedible parts. Before Ethan could say anything, she threw the entire piece of meat into the pot.

Ethan stared for a long time at the meat floating on the water's surface. You might not believe it, but this was a Wolf Chicken that could cook.

The werewolf curse caused humans to gradually lose their intelligence, yet Miss Chloe was becoming smarter and smarter.

Under the bright moonlight, one man and one chicken sat beside the pot, waiting for the water to boil. For the first time in a long while, Ethan felt at peace, able to cast aside the dangers and countless worries of this world.

It was rather strange. Whenever he dealt with small animals, he always seemed to have good luck.

Miss Chloe seemed to see through his Inner Heart. She raised her neck and gave him a curious look, letting out a low "cluck." Ethan could actually see gossip in a chicken's eyes.

"Yes, I used to have a cat."

Ever since coming to this world, he had buried many secrets in his heart. Those secrets might bring danger, but keeping them bottled up would also become an invisible burden.

That was when he had first arrived here. Only when he spent time with the small animals in town could he briefly relax. "She was a white cat with red eyes. Her name was Zhao Cai... You're asking why she was called Zhao Cai? Because she was good at digging through things and could always find treasures to bring home. But she was a very aloof cat. Every time I called her Zhao Cai, she would look at me with disdain."

The treasures Zhao Cai dug up from who knew where had helped him through his hardest days. Ethan had always felt that Zhao Cai could understand what he said.

"Cluck Cluck Cluck?"

"Hm? Where did Zhao Cai go? One morning, she dug up a Parchment Book called Fireball Ice Arrow Magic Mechanics from somewhere, then disappeared without a trace. I never saw her in town again after that. I guessed she had something she absolutely needed to do. She was a clever cat. No matter where she went, she would be able to live well."

"Cluck cluck."

"I know."

Ethan gently stroked the head Miss Chloe had voluntarily nudged toward him.

Steam rose from the pot. He stood and began preparing dinner for himself and Miss Chloe. Seasonings in this world were extremely scarce, with only basic salt and sugar. He added the seasonings, small onions, and carrots to the pot, then skimmed off the foam with a ladle.

"Chirp—!"

A piercing cry swept over their heads, and Chloe nervously looked up into the night sky.

Her fear of predators still lingered in her memories.

"Don't be nervous."

Ethan also saw the falcon streaking through the moonlight. It flew toward the town without stopping, disappearing at the end of his Line of Sight in the blink of an eye. "It's a messenger from a big city."

(The contract status has been corrected. During the new book period, follow-up reading data is very important. Please bookmark and keep reading. Thank you very much!)