The Tragic Hunter's Trap

Andy finished his food in three or five minutes and entered Nathas's hut, where a pungent odor immediately assaulted his senses. The mere thought of living here indefinitely filled Andy with a sense of sorrow. This Nathas really had no concept of personal hygiene; after training ended today, Andy simply couldn't take it anymore and finally made up his mind to clean up the place for him.

Andy got straight to work. He leaned his bow against the wall, rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a broom that looked like a bald-tailed chicken, and began to sweep the floor in earnest. He had no idea how long it had been since the floor was last swept; the clouds of dust that rose up nearly suffocated him to death.

Andy waited outside until the dust had settled before heading back in to tackle the rest of the room. On a small, rickety table, several wine bottles were scattered in a chaotic mess. Could it be that the daily work of this world-famous figure, Nathas, was just to drink? Andy couldn't help but feel a sliver of doubt about the Nathas before him; he was so far removed from the legendary Nathas who had once dominated the world that Andy's worldview was on the verge of collapse.

On that broken bed—if one could even call it a bed, given that the legs were propped up by stone slabs—lay a pile of unrecognizable items. "What is this?" Andy held up a piece of filthy, tattered cloth, though it was barely identifiable as cloth at all. He brought the rag closer to his face, and a foul stench surged straight into his brain.

"Oh my god, what is this? It reeks!" Andy instantly threw the rag to the ground, where it landed perfectly flat. "Are you kidding me? Is this a pair of damn underwear?"

Andy despised Nathas a thousand and eight hundred times over in his heart; the image of Nathas was completely ruined.

"Friendly reminder: this Nathas is still that same Nathas, just currently experiencing a slight deviation in his living conditions!" the Monster Spirit said, diligently performing its duties. "This Nathas is ranked at the Red Skull level within the system."

Exhausted, Andy plopped down onto a low stool and thought, "Red Skull level? Is that forced? Or is he just an NPC in your system?"

"Nonsense! He is a genuine Red Skull. A little brat like you could be wiped out by him with a flick of his little finger!" the Monster Spirit replied, its tone dripping with genuine disdain.

Andy had no time to bicker with the Monster Spirit; he had to seize the time to rest, then wake up early the next day to continue his training.

Before dawn the next day, Andy was already carrying his bow and running along the base of the walls of Darnassus. He didn't know if this kind of running would actually increase his stamina or other stats, but it was the simplest method he could think of.

By the time the sun was high in the sky and Andy's stomach began to protest, he remembered that the copper coin Nathas had given him was gone, and he would have to rely on himself for food today.

"Spirit, how can I get something to eat?" Andy asked in his mind.

"Are you saying I'm supposed to solve this kind of problem for you?" the Monster Spirit said impatiently.

"You're the only one I can communicate with here; if I don't ask you, who do I ask?" Andy curled his lip and said.

"You—you're just being unreasonable!" The Monster Spirit was utterly helpless. "You could go beg for food from Hilar, if your skin is thick enough! Or you could go outside the city and catch a rabbit or some beast yourself, provided you have the guts!"

Andy nearly cursed the Monster Spirit out. What kind of advice was that? Begging for food? Andy really couldn't bring himself to do it. Even though he was currently in the body of a child, his soul was that of an adult, and begging for food—especially from that young elf girl—was something Andy would rather die than do. As for catching a beast outside the city, that was worth considering. However, there were many high-level beasts outside the city, so he would have to come up with a plan.

While he was deep in thought, Andy's hand accidentally brushed against the Hunter's Crash Course Guide. That's right, this was a Hunter's Crash Course; he could try that! Andy opened the small booklet, and the first chapter was on the construction of hunter traps.

Andy had assumed these hunter traps would be like those in games—things like explosive traps or frost traps—but to his surprise, the traps taught in this booklet were truly just the kind used by ordinary hunters, with nothing special about them.

Could it be that the unreliable Nathas had really given him a Hunter's Crash Course? Andy let out a mournful cry. Forget it! He had to find a way to fill his stomach first. The construction of the trap was simple: a leg-hold trap plus bait.

Bait wasn't too difficult to find; small animals were everywhere in the wild, and if all else failed, he could just sneak into the city and steal a chicken. But how was he supposed to get a leg-hold trap? He wasn't a blacksmith, and he had no materials; how could he make one?

After thinking it over, Andy tossed the Hunter's Crash Course aside and adopted a method he had used in his previous life: using a basket to trap prey. Of course, a basket could only catch small things like rabbits, and even then, only if the rabbit wasn't too robust or fat.

Andy ran all over the city, even using Hilar's name to trick someone into giving him a bamboo basket, and swiped a radish from someone's vegetable garden. With everything prepared, Andy headed toward the outskirts of the city.

By now, after all the running around, it was well past lunchtime, and Andy's stomach had long since caved in. Consequently, by the time he reached the outskirts, only the top of the radish remained in his hand.

Andy glanced at the radish top, plucked a handful of wild grass from the roadside—he didn't know if the rabbits of Azeroth ate this kind of grass—and walked into the woods. He used a small stick to prop up the basket and stuffed the radish top and the grass underneath it. A thin string was tied to the small stick, with the other end held firmly in Andy's hand.

Andy didn't dare go too deep into the woods; if he ran into a large beast, he'd be in real trouble. He set his trap at the edge of the forest and waited for a hapless rabbit.

Andy was nearly falling asleep in a patch of grass nearby when he was startled awake by a hopping rabbit. This might actually work! Andy thought to himself. However, the rabbit was a bit on the large side. Andy looked at his basket and calculated whether he could actually pin the rabbit underneath it.

It was the rabbit's unlucky day; having eaten its fill at noon, it was wandering around the streets when it ran into Andy, who was waiting for it like a farmer waiting for a hare. The rabbit hopped into the basket, its plump bottom wiggling as it munched happily on the radish top inside.

Andy pulled hard on the string, the small stick flew away, and the basket landed with a thud. The fat rabbit began to struggle violently inside. Seeing that the basket didn't have enough weight to hold it down, Andy rushed forward, ready to deliver a finishing blow to the unlucky rabbit; he couldn't let his meal get away!

"Take this, kick!" Andy unleashed his ultimate move. Just then, the rabbit's strength surged, and it jumped up, pushing against the basket. But with the basket covering its head, it couldn't see, and it hopped right into Andy's foot. Andy was delighted, thinking, You rabbit, you really are a fool!

With a crash, the rabbit was kicked out from under the basket by Andy and landed in the grass. Andy stepped forward quickly, grabbed the rabbit by its ears, and tied its legs tightly with the thin string.

Andy laughed at the rabbit, "Run! Go on, run!" He laughed as he carried the rabbit, going back to retrieve his basket, but his jaw dropped the moment he looked down! The basket had already shattered into pieces from his kick.

"This... what do I do now!" A wave of sorrow washed over Andy. This was his means of survival, and now it was completely ruined. And he hadn't even used that much force!

The rabbit, having regained its senses, squeaked as if mocking Andy. Andy raised his hand and roared, "Shut up, you rabbit!" With that, he slapped the rabbit directly on the head, and the unlucky creature slumped over to the side once more.