This Isn't a Horse

"That's all for today. I'll go check out the Southern Forest again," Zheng Yichen said to Arno. Hearing this, Arno immediately put away his Beast Cards.

"It's getting late. If you plan to stay overnight there, you'd better prepare more things."

"Understood."

Zheng Yichen nodded. After learning the specific details of the commission, he no longer held much hope for this task. However, it wouldn't hurt to go and try his luck. He had already learned so much new knowledge; wouldn't it be a waste of his brain if he didn't go?

Returning to the Southern Forest, Zheng Yichen looked at the forest covered in dense fog and took out his tent to set it up. There was a temporary campsite here, a place voluntarily designated by hunters and research institute staff. Zheng Yichen benefited from this convenience.

Other hunters weren't very interested in him as a Novice Hunter. However, some people from the research institute were interested in Zheng Yichen. They weren't interested in his strength, but in his robust body.

They chatted with Zheng Yichen, making grand promises. They told him that it was not easy for a Novice Hunter like him to stand out unless he had extraordinary abilities and significant qualifications, such as completing a certain number of commission tasks.

They claimed they could help Zheng Yichen complete these commission tasks and even help him gain extraordinary abilities. Hearing this, Zheng Yichen felt something was wrong. He figured out their purpose in approaching him. They were interested in his strong body and wanted him to try some experimental enhancement potions at their research institute.

As long as Zheng Yichen agreed, the research institute would immediately arrange the follow-up matters, even arranging numerous practical combat commissions for Zheng Yichen to fight powerful Abnormal Creatures to adapt to his enhanced body.

It sounded good, but in reality, they were just looking for a strong guinea pig. Those commissions fighting Abnormal Creatures were likely arranged by the research institute to test two sets of data.

The research institute staff left disappointed. Zheng Yichen yawned, zipped up his tent, set an alarm on his phone, and prepared to sleep for a while. He planned to walk around the outskirts of the forest in the latter half of the night, perhaps to discover something.

Later that night.

Waking up, Zheng Yichen packed his things and left the temporary campsite. The temporary campsite was quite lively in the latter half of the night, with bonfires and lights. Some night owls were also active, and Zheng Yichen's departure was met with no surprise.

Zheng Yichen planned to check out places with fewer people. Those Abnormal Creatures weren't entirely brainless, except for those whose brains had become something else due to mutation.

With so many people here, those Abnormal Creatures would definitely not appear. According to the simple information provided by the commission from the Bartender, the victims were all picnickers. Thinking about that temporary campsite, it seemed like a pretty safe place for a picnic nearby, right?

It was just that the recent picnickers had bad luck and encountered a reckless Abnormal Creature. That thing ignored the nearby camp and directly attacked people a distance away from the camp. It then escaped under the pursuit of hunters.

Based on this information, its intelligence should not be low, and its defense or speed must be excellent.

Zheng Yichen didn't have much hope for this late-night excursion. He thought that even encountering some small Abnormal Creatures would be good, just to supplement his condition. After all, his skin had already begun to show subtle signs of 'withering.'

Although the marks were faint, if possible, he wanted his skin to always remain in the best condition. It wasn't vanity; once signs of withering appeared, it was like a countdown clock hanging around his neck.

That clock wasn't for telling time; it was for showing his remaining lifespan. This made him very uncomfortable. His body starting to wither meant the countdown on that clock had begun.

Moving silently in the dark, Zheng Yichen suddenly thrust out the Fishing Rod in his hand. A black shadow shot up and was impaled. Zheng Yichen glanced at the leaping black shadow and slightly curled his lips. It was a rabbit, a normal rabbit. The blood of an Abnormal Creature splashing onto him could be absorbed by his skin.

However, ordinary creatures were useless. Of course, if it was hit by the Black Gun derived from his abnormal ability, it could still 'bleed,' but it was of no use to him. It was better to roast and eat it than to drain it dry.

Thinking of eating made him a little hungry. He found a place, dug a pit, and started a fire. Although he had never prepared a rabbit before, the general method was probably to skin and gut it. As for seasonings, the hunter Arno had given them to Zheng Yichen when he left the Twilight Chapel.

Now they came in handy.

The aroma of roasted meat wafted through the night. Zheng Yichen's throat moved. When the meat was almost done, he immediately started eating. The taste was just ordinary, but food he made himself tasted delicious.

Midway through his meal, a faint sound reached Zheng Yichen's ears. At first, he was puzzled. When he looked towards the source of the sound, a gray horn entered his vision. The sound of tearing fabric followed.

Zheng Yichen dodged the attack just in time, looking at the torn clothes on his side. The gray horn had cut through his skin, leaving a shallow but not insignificant bloody gash. Blood flowed from the wound.

Zheng Yichen looked at this drab... horse? No, it should be a mule. He felt a bit disappointed. He had thought this creature might be a legendary Unicorn, but it wasn't even a donkey. He was sure it wasn't a horse either!

The Unicorn Mule opened its mouth slightly, revealing a sinister, snake-like tongue. The tongue, when extended, was over half a meter long. It licked the blood on its horn, then, without even glancing at the half-roasted rabbit on the ground, stared intently at Zheng Yichen.

"...Cooked is tastier." Stared at by the Unicorn Mule, Zheng Yichen cautiously took two steps back. The Unicorn Mule took several steps forward, conveying its desire for raw meat and incidentally blocking Zheng Yichen from his backpack on the ground.

The Shotgun was in the backpack.

This creature was unexpectedly intelligent. Zheng Yichen immediately dropped the Fishing Rod in his hand. The surface of the Fishing Rod was quickly covered with a layer of black material. When people were around, the Black Gun was stored inside the Fishing Rod, but due to the Fishing Rod's form, it was somewhat uncomfortable to use.

When no one was around, he could simply wrap the Fishing Rod around it, saving some ammunition.

Hiss--

A snake-like hiss came from the Unicorn Mule's mouth. The creature charged at Zheng Yichen with incredible speed. The hissing sound possessed a power that affected the mind.

Zheng Yichen's knowledge was limited, so he couldn't tell if this was a native Abnormal Creature, but the hissing didn't affect him much.

He took out the Hand Cannon that the Gun Store owner had recommended and aimed it at the Unicorn Mule's head, firing. The Shotgun was inconvenient to carry in a pocket, but this one was easy to carry!