One-Star Hunter Card

[You have saved a member of your family. You gained five Family Contribution Points, bringing your total to 23. But because the Wolf Menace Task is not yet complete, you cannot become the head of the family.]

[You killed a strong adult gray wolf. You gained 45 Hunting Experience, and the Wolf Menace Task progress is now 1/4. Warning: Task progress is not fixed; it will change as time passes or circumstances develop.]

[Friendly reminder: During the Wolf Menace Task, gray wolf carcasses belong to the family as a whole, but whoever kills a gray wolf will receive double the experience reward.]

... Two notifications flashed by quickly, but Li Wei paid them little mind. He dropped the Wooden Spear in his hand. It was already covered in blood and no longer fit to hold.

He casually wiped his hands on his clothes, then turned and picked up the Wooden Spear Phila had thrown to the ground. Without a moment's pause, he charged after them into the forest. At the very least, he had to finish off the wounded gray wolf.

As for Phila, after being knocked down again, she seemed so terrified that she had lost her nerve.

Penny had at least a dozen wounds. None were vital, but after fleeing for her life and then delivering a timely assist, she was now utterly exhausted.

"George, don't be reckless! Get back here—we can think of another way!"

Phila finally shouted, but Li Wei paid her no heed. Instead, he picked up the pace. He had only one chance. The wounded gray wolf was sure to die, but he couldn't let it die in the jaws of another beast or bleed out somewhere else.

Li Wei needed the experience it would give him.

At that moment, he wasn't being reckless. He was being perfectly rational.

In fact, the harder he chased, the faster the two gray wolves ran. They charged ahead, even driving away the snakes in their path.

After crossing the stream and reaching the forest's outskirts, the wounded gray wolf finally collapsed. The other gray wolf let out a mournful howl, glanced back at Li Wei, then shot into the forest like a gust of wind, not daring to face him alone.

A dozen seconds later, Li Wei rushed up and killed the wounded wolf with a thrust of his spear. Then he decisively dragged its corpse back.

Almost at the same time, several lines of information flashed by.

[You killed an ordinary adult gray wolf. You gained 30 Hunting Experience, and the Wolf Menace Task progress is now 2/4.]

[This is the third gray wolf you have killed. Your courage, strength, and skill have all been proven. Would you like to advance further?]

[You will receive a One-Star Hunter Card and unlock a second profession, but the conditions for your Clearance Mission will change.]

... Huh?

A Hunter Card!

This was a most welcome surprise.

Of course Li Wei wouldn't refuse. He'd been hoping for this.

The next moment, time seemed to stop again. Gray mist rolled in from all around, then quickly dissipated. A gray card now floated before his eyes, exactly like the Farmer Card he'd received before.

But the instant he picked up the Hunter Card, it vanished. In its place, a strange warmth flowed into his heart. A power began to gather and awaken within him, and it felt as though something else had appeared as well.

At the same time, lines of information came into view.

[One-Star Hunter Card bound. Automatically gained 5 Free Attribute Points.]

[You have changed professions to Trainee Hunter.]

[Professional Talent acquired: Ranged Weapon Accuracy passively increased by 30%.]

[You have entered the corresponding world. World difficulty: One Star.]

[World background: Unknown.]

[Mission requirements: Survive for at least 36 months and accumulate at least five units of Standard World Resource.]

[Mission success reward: Unknown.]

[Mission failure penalty: Farmer Card and Hunter Card will be stripped away, related memories erased, and you will be sent back to your original world. However, in consideration of your well-being, 50% of the life attributes gained after awakening will be retained.] ... This was wonderful.

For a moment, Li Wei wanted to charge straight into the forest and kill the two gray wolves without stopping. A Trainee Hunter—his second profession! And he'd gained five Free Attribute Points, too.

He, Li Wei, was visibly growing stronger.

But in the end, Li Wei quickly regained his composure. The forest was nothing like the more open valley. Once he entered it, he would have to face more than just two gray wolves.

Besides, after that fight, his Stamina had fallen to 10. His calves were trembling, and he'd need at least an hour or two of rest to recover.

That was right: Stamina didn't recover immediately once it was depleted.

So he really did need to think things through.

Li Wei hoisted the wolf carcass onto his shoulder and headed back. Meanwhile, Phila and Penny had worked together to drag the other carcass back to camp.

None of them said a word. After Phila finished treating Penny's wounds, she hurried out to handle the two wolf carcasses. In such hot weather, they would spoil quickly.

Li Wei washed up by the stream and retrieved the Wooden Spear he'd dropped. After resting for a little over an hour, his Stamina had fully recovered. Only then did he drive Old Ox to graze near the camp and take the sickle to cut grass.

The wolf menace hadn't been completely dealt with, but that didn't mean they couldn't do anything else. They could still tend to the ox and cut grass; they just had to stay alert and avoid letting their guard down.

The valley fell quiet after that. The only sounds were occasional howls from deep in the forest to the east. They were especially mournful. Surely the wolves weren't calling their friends to join them?

The thought occasionally crossed Li Wei's mind, and he cut grass even faster.

Thanks to the abundant rain, the wild grass in the valley grew well. Li Wei cut furiously around the camp, clearing a wide area by the end of the day. The grass he'd cut was enough to feed the ox for several days.

Li Wei had, of course, done this for a reason.

Old Ox needed to eat grass, and someone had to take it out to graze every day. It would be a real shame if it got attacked by gray wolves while out grazing!

Besides, cutting the grass cleared a wide area, making it harder for wolves to approach unnoticed.

As the sun set, Li Wei drove Old Ox back to camp. He was hurrying to carry a bundle of grass inside when howls rose again from the eastern forest, this time much closer.

"George, hurry back! The wolves are coming again!"

From behind the camp's palisade, Penny—her face pale—shouted hoarsely. She was injured and couldn't do much, but even so, she'd insisted on standing atop the Ox Cart that afternoon, surveying the area and keeping watch for Li Wei.

The Wolf Menace Task had forced them to band together, at least for now.

Almost at the same moment, a line of information silently appeared.

[Warning: Because you failed to eliminate the threat completely and kill the Wolf King, the Wolf Menace Task will change over time. Current Wolf Menace Task progress: 2/6.]

Well, where had two more wolves come from?

Li Wei broke into a run, abandoning the grass he'd cut.

When he rushed into the camp and climbed onto the Ox Cart to look outside, he saw four gray wolves charging toward them at full speed, brazen as could be. One of them stood out in particular: a powerful Black Wolf with a sinister gaze. As it raised its head and stared at him, Li Wei even had the eerie feeling that there was a person hidden inside its body.

That was hatred, hostility, and a declaration of a fight to the death.

The Black Wolf's gaze made Li Wei's heart skip a beat.