Wild Chicken

Penny had been right.

Two days later, the family had successfully acquired three sharper short knives, an equally fine axe, a weeding hoe, a shovel, and three sharp iron spearheads. Mounted on wooden shafts, those things would become genuine weapons of mass destruction.

Penny had even forged Li Wei five triangular iron arrowheads.

Including the shovel, she hadn't taken the easy way out and cast them in clay molds. Instead, she'd heated the iron ingots until they glowed red and hammered them over and over, even carburizing the surface to improve its hardness. Penny had clearly put a lot of care into her work.

So, whatever her intentions had been before, the family's overall ability to withstand nature had now improved significantly. That would also be a great help to Li Wei's upcoming hunts.

Unfortunately, one batch of molten iron had only been enough to make all that, and the Blacksmith Shop soon went cold again.

Next, they would need to find more iron ore and make more charcoal, but those were Penny's concerns.

So on the fourth day—the twenty-fifth day since Li Wei had become head of the household—Penny set out early in the morning with an iron spear, a short knife, and some dry rations. She was going to look for more iron ore.

This was her Career Development Path.

At the same time, it meant that Li Wei's brief partnership with her had come to an end.

Whoever became head of the household next month would be crucial.

Phila was doing the same, heading out early and returning late, gathering supplies like crazy to prepare for her bid to become head of the household next month.

Li Wei, on the other hand, wasn't very fixated on it. Next month, the Wheat Field would be ready for harvest, and whoever became head of the household, part of his Main Quest would have to involve harvesting it.

He couldn't just watch the wheat ripen and then go hunting instead. That would violate the logic of reality.

So next month's competition would still be between Penny and Phila. But Phila now had a huge advantage.

Thinking this, Li Wei leisurely finished breakfast. He was learning to take care of his stomach and spleen; he couldn't keep relying on the 100 Health Points from his Level 1 Awakening to exploit the system. No matter how vigorous someone's life force was, it still had its limits.

He could see that clearly from Penny.

Penny had been injured twice in a row. Even though she had recovered this time, the vigorous vitality about her had clearly weakened quite a bit.

All the work she'd been doing lately had left her looking somewhat exhausted. She no longer had that Little Steel Cannon feeling she'd had before.

So avoiding injuries and taking care of one's health were important.

After that, Li Wei didn't hurry to set out. Instead, he went to the Wheat Field and made a few simple scarecrows to frighten off birds and beasts. He also took a hoe and cleared the weeds once more. It was already late morning by the time he picked up his iron spear, short knife, and bow and arrow and headed straight for the forest. He was about to begin hunting in earnest.

There were only five days left, and he had to obtain two units of prey.

So Li Wei planned to hunt some large animals, like deer or wild boars. No, he wouldn't dare go after wild boars yet.

Though the season was nearing autumn, the temperature was still swelteringly hot. The vegetation was so thick it was almost frightening, not only inside the forest but even along its edge.

At first, Li Wei tried beating the plants aside with his wooden spear, but eventually he gave up. In waist-high weeds like these, he wouldn't become a hunter. He'd just become an idiot.

Besides, there were too many poisonous insects in the grass. Various mosquitoes had covered him in itchy welts in no time.

Hunting wasn't easy.

In the end, with no other choice, Li Wei broke off a lot of twigs and tried to weave himself a rain cape. But halfway through, his eyes suddenly lit up as an idea struck him: he could weave a fish basket and catch fish!

Fishing seemed easier.

But first, he needed to find some flexible branches suitable for weaving. The branches of large trees wouldn't do; he needed vines.

Luckily, neither Phila nor Penny had thought of that...

Wait, perhaps they had. Penny's main profession was crafting, and all her attention was focused on that. As for Phila, she was clearly an expert at wilderness survival. How could she not have thought of it? Maybe it was the trump card she'd reveal at some point.

As he thought, Li Wei slowly and laboriously made his way around the edge of the forest.

"Flap, flap!"

A flock of Wild Chickens burst out of the grass and startled him. But by the time he recovered, they had already flown far away, well beyond pursuit.

But wait. Why was he chasing them? He had a bow and arrow!

Li Wei thought he was being a bit of an idiot. He took out his Hunting Bow and pulled out a Fletchingless Wooden Arrow. At a distance of ten paces, he had a very good chance of hitting.

Besides, Fletchingless Wooden Arrows were easy to make, so he wouldn't feel bad if he missed.

He'd treat it as practice. At worst, he could go fishing.

After preparing himself mentally, Li Wei adjusted his stance, bent forward, and moved slowly through the grass. The flock of Wild Chickens was no longer in sight, but they had to be somewhere nearby.

He moved forward another dozen meters or so, and sure enough, another flock burst out of the grass ahead. It really was a flock—more than a dozen birds. This time, Li Wei reacted in time. Or rather, the daily training he'd done over the past twenty days was paying off, letting him make full use of his Professional Hunter talent.

In an instant, he drew and fired. He hadn't even aimed deliberately. The Fletchingless Wooden Arrow shot straight and cleanly through the air, hitting a Wild Chicken and bringing it down.

Even then, Li Wei felt as if he were dreaming. This was different from the day he'd killed the gray wolf. Back then, the distance between them had been short, and everything had happened so suddenly that he hadn't had time to think. Luck had played too big a part. When he thought back on it afterward, he couldn't describe what he'd learned; his mind had been a blank.

But this time, the distance had been more than ten meters, and he'd been fully focused the entire time. From drawing the bow and nocking the arrow to firing and hitting the target, everything had flowed smoothly. This was experience. This was skill. This was something that truly belonged to him.

Well, at least he'd come to that realization.

So he didn't hesitate or go pick up the Wild Chicken he'd brought down. Instead, he quickly drew the only fletched Wolf Fang Arrow he had, pulled the Hunting Bow to its full draw, and fired into the sky!

Even though the flock of chickens was already more than twenty-five meters away, he still felt certain he would hit one, just as he had during the past twenty days of training.

Maybe ordinary people couldn't do it, but he had a 40% Accuracy Buff.

All he had to do was make the most of that accuracy buff. That was enough.

They were only chickens!

The bowstring twanged, and another chicken fell in the distance.

It was that simple.

So this was what it felt like to be a hunter.

Li Wei felt lightheaded, but he wasn't losing control. It was as if his whole body had entered a state of Adrenaline Rush. His coordination, hearing, and eyesight had all improved dramatically, and even his thoughts were crystal clear.

Maybe this was the legendary peak state.

He quickly retrieved his prey. At the same time, information appeared: 10 Hunting Experience gained. Killing a chicken with a shot gave him 5 experience points. Not bad at all. His Hunting Experience had now reached 75 points.

Unfortunately, the flock of Wild Chickens had been so startled that they flew several hundred meters away and disappeared completely.

Otherwise, he might have added more to his record today.

Li Wei hurried back to camp with the two chickens. The weather was scorching, so the prey needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.

But when he returned to camp, he saw Phila walking steadily toward him from a distance, a Bamboo Basket on her back.

At that moment, he suddenly had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, how could Phila, an expert at wilderness survival, have forgotten to use a fish basket to catch fish?

She had already completed her family Main Quest, and all the fish she caught belonged to her.

In other words, she could donate more supplies to the family and earn more Family Contribution Points. Next month's head of the household was probably hers for the taking.