You Want Me to Be a Hunter?

"Call me teacher and let me hear it," Nathas laughed, slipping back into his drunken, bleary-eyed state.

Andy curled his lip. You're Nathas, for heaven's sake! How can you be like this?

When he first heard the old man's name, Andy had nearly jumped out of his skin. It was actually Nathas! Another legendary figure, a famous Ranger of the Elves—but wasn't he a High Elf?

After the Well of Eternity exploded, a portion of the High Elves followed their queen, Azshara, and were transformed by demons into Naga, sinking to the bottom of the sea. A small group of High Elves had traveled to a place called Quel'Thalas to establish a kingdom. Why hadn't this Nathas followed them to Quel'Thalas? Word was his old flame was still over there!

"Hmm? Why haven't you called out yet?" Nathas muttered. "Do you think this seat isn't qualified to be your teacher?"

"Ah!" Andy snapped back to reality. "No, that's not it!" If an old man like him wasn't qualified, then practically no one was.

"Teacher," Andy whispered.

"Why does that sound so reluctant? Forget it, do whatever you want; I don't care anyway," Nathas said, taking a swig of wine.

"Teacher, why do you live in a place like this?" Andy looked around the cramped space, clicking his tongue.

"What's wrong with where I live? I like it!" Nathas rolled his eyes.

Andy finally saw the true nature of this old man: unreasonable and a total lunatic.

Andy slung his bow back over his shoulder, glanced at the sun dipping toward the horizon, and asked, "Teacher, what are you eating for dinner?"

Nathas stared at Andy, surprised. "You know how to cook?"

"A little, but there aren't any ingredients," Andy said. "Teacher, do you have any money? I'll go buy some food."

"Money? Gone," Nathas shook his wine flask. "I traded all my money for wine."

"This... what do I do now?" Andy looked at Nathas with pleading eyes. This old drunkard isn't going to leave me to starve, is he?

"No worries, come here!" Nathas beckoned. "Teacher will show you a couple of tricks so you can go outside the city and catch some small beasts."

Andy looked at this unreliable teacher, not even sure if the man would teach him the wrong skills in his drunken state.

Andy watched as Nathas pulled a small booklet from somewhere behind his back and tossed it to him. Andy caught the booklet and saw the title on the cover: Hunter Crash Course.

This... what is this? "Teacher, didn't you say you were going to teach me a couple of tricks? What is this thing?" Andy asked, confused. Why did Nathas throw this at him?

"This is what I'm teaching you. Go learn it quickly, and once you've mastered it, go get some food," Nathas urged.

Just this? A Hunter Crash Course? Andy frowned and flipped through the booklet: Hunter trap crafting, Hunter bow and crossbow crafting, Hunter archery practice, and finally, a Skinning skill. "This... Teacher, are you asking me to be a hunter?" Andy asked quietly.

"Obviously. If you don't become a hunter, how are you going to get food?" Nathas replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Andy rolled his eyes and nearly fainted on the spot. Was this old man playing a prank on him? Asking him to be a hunter just to fetch him food! Just as Nathas looked ready to fly into a rage, Andy scrambled up and bolted out of the foul-smelling thatched hut.

"Received one copy of Hunter Crash Course! One Eaglehorn Bow!" As soon as Andy ran out, the long-absent voice of the Monster Spirit echoed in his mind.

"What's the use of this!" Andy thought. Hunter Crash Course, who knows what that garbage is! So what if I have a bow? I don't have any arrows!

"The Hunter Crash Course is a guide to help you quickly familiarize yourself with a hunter's work. All the hunter skills are inside; it's a five-cent bargain-bin item," the Monster Spirit explained. "By the way, a reminder to the host: arrow crafting is in the Hunter Crash Course. You need to learn how to craft arrows first, then learn how to shoot them. Before that, you need to learn how to improve your accuracy, and before that, you need to improve your arm strength, and before that, you need to improve your physical strength, and before that, you need to improve your agility, and before that..."

"Stop!" Andy's head was spinning. "Then what on earth should I do first?"

"You obviously need to improve your stamina and strength first!" Nathas stood in the doorway, though Andy hadn't noticed when he got there. "Here is a copper coin. If you're hungry, go buy something to eat. Before I return, you need to improve your stamina and strength!"

"Where are you going?" Andy finally couldn't help but ask.

"Me? I'm going to get a drink, of course!" Nathas walked away, swaying unsteadily.

"When will you be back, Teacher?" Andy shouted.

Nathas didn't answer. Whether he didn't hear or just didn't want to answer, he kept walking with a drunken stagger, nearly falling over several times.

"Improve my stamina and strength?" Andy muttered. "How?"

"I don't know!" the Monster Spirit's voice rang out.

"Aren't you supposed to know everything?" Andy rolled his eyes.

Andy went through every method he could remember from his past life for improving stamina and strength, finally settling on one: running! Yes, running! Why? Because it was the simplest thing to do!

He started immediately. Andy didn't want that drunken old man to come back and mock him for being unqualified. He didn't stop until the sun had set, panting heavily.

"Gurgle, gurgle." His stomach was protesting. Andy fished the copper coin from his pocket, tears welling up in his eyes. A copper coin? What am I supposed to do with one copper coin? According to his memories of World of Warcraft, you couldn't do a damn thing with a single copper coin! And the old man actually told him to go buy food with it!

With no other choice, and his stomach continuing its protest, Andy clutched the coin and headed toward the nearest stall in the city.

"Boss, I want to buy some food," Andy said, feeling completely defeated.

"Oh, what would you like to buy?" the boss asked cheerfully.

"I don't know, I only have one copper coin!" Andy thought his face must be as red as a monkey's backside.

"Oh, wait a moment!" The boss finished speaking, pulled some food from a basket, handed it to Andy, and took the copper coin.

Andy looked at the food in his hands, feeling like it wasn't real. One copper coin, and he really bought food? And this much of it? Andy glanced at the boss, only to find the man wasn't even looking at him, busy with his own work.

Andy was starving, so he didn't care anymore; he just wanted to fill his stomach. He ate as he walked, his bow still slung over his back. After Andy left, the stall owner finally looked up at him once, then went back to his business.