Hunting Records

With a gunshot, the two of them dove in opposite directions to avoid the bullet!

But an explosion suddenly rang out in midair. The hunter's bullet burst into shrapnel, and both Ash and Sonia were inevitably grazed by it!

Ash expected it to hurt, but when the bullet passed through his body, he only felt as though he had lost something. He felt as exhausted as if he had just run 400 meters.

He suddenly remembered that he was currently in a state of consciousness. He did not count as a real **, and being hit by bullets merely cost him Soul Energy.

Unlike Ash, who had only just realized this, Sonia had expected it all along after taking advanced Void Realm classes.

After using Iai Slash Evasion, she immediately charged at the hunter. At the same time, she raised her Wooden Sword and slashed down from afar. Hazy white light gathered along the blade, transforming into a crescent wave that flew toward the hunter with her swing!

"Ripple Sword!"

This was the Vosrodar Family's secret Spell Spirit: the Ripple Sword! A relatively rare long-range offensive Spell Spirit among the Sword Art Faction, it could branch into powerful attack Miracles such as "Wave Cleaving Slash" and "Silver Wheel Burst"!

"Of three thousand arts, with a gun in hand, only speed could not be broken, and nothing could not be destroyed!"

The hunter chanted as he dodged. A faint glow appeared along the barrel of his Long Musket, and he actually fired another bullet! Even though it looked like an ancient flintlock!

But Ash and Sonia had been prepared, so they naturally did not panic again. Ash dodged with an awkward roll, while Sonia directly sheathed her blade, drew it in an iaijutsu strike, stepped forward, and unleashed a Spinning Wave Slash!

Clang!

Not only was the bullet knocked flying, but the hunter several steps away was also viciously slashed by the Spinning Wave Slash. Even the barrel of his Long Musket was severed!

Without another word, Ash rushed forward and bear-hugged the hunter to restrain him. Sonia, having recovered from the stiffness of her iaijutsu strike, crossed the distance in two strides, raised her Wooden Sword, and brought it down viciously!

There was no sound. Under the Wooden Sword's critical blow, the hunter turned directly into a cloud of thick mist and dispersed, leaving a leather-bound Notebook on the rocky ground.

"Hey, hey, hey! You nearly blew my head off!"

Ash looked at the Wooden Sword embedded in the rock and touched his head with lingering fear.

"Nearly is still not actually." Sonia's tone was full of regret. She bent down to pick up the leather Notebook, flipped through two pages, shook her head, and handed it to Ash.

Ash took it and looked through it. It was a... how should he put it? A hunting record?

The first page contained information on a rat: its weight, size, fur color, cause of death, and even a photo of the rat nailed to a wall by an arrow.

The second page was a spider, the third a rabbit, the fourth a roe deer... By the tenth page, there was finally a slight change. Not only was this prey a vicious carnivorous wolf, but the Notebook's owner had also learned a new skill: he had killed the wolf with a trap.

By page twenty-three, the entry in the Notebook was an Orc soldier clad head to toe in iron armor and wielding a Long Musket.

The following twenty pages were all Orc soldiers shot to death. Yet what caught Ash's attention more was that the Notebook's owner seemed to have abandoned his former archery skills. He had taken up the Long Muskets brought by the Orc soldiers and, with traps in the jungle, fought an entire Orc force alone.

The Notebook did not record any details about its owner, but Ash could vaguely make out a story: a boy born into a hunter family who lived in a jungle village and inherited his father's hunting skills. But an Orc army suddenly appeared and destroyed everything they had. Their prized archery could not pierce Orc armor, while the Orcs' firearms could easily shatter their bodies.

The boy abandoned the bow and learned Gun Art at astonishing speed. Then, in this jungle where he would not lose his way even with his eyes closed, he hunted Orc soldiers like the God of Death, avenging the villagers.

The expressions on the Orcs' faces before death revealed just how terrifying the boy was. The first few Orcs to die looked calm; they were probably shot in the head while urinating or defecating. The later Orcs looked increasingly terrified, clearly fleeing for their lives. The final Orc to die had even thrown away his weapon and hidden in a bush, his face filled with piety, as though praying that the God of Death would not notice him.

After all the Orc soldiers had died, the Notebook's owner seemed to go through a period of confusion. The targets in the hunting records included animals, humans, Orcs, Goblins, wealthy men, bandits, prostitutes, and ordinary people.

After page one hundred, the Notebook owner's hunting targets suddenly became fixed: Orcs.

There were a full three hundred pages of records, all documenting different Orcs hunted by the Notebook's owner.

Although it was never mentioned outright, Ash could infer a few things from the Orcs' causes of death:

First, all the Orcs had been killed by the Notebook owner using an "Admirer Type 5 Service Rifle";

Second, the Orcs had more than one bullet hole on their bodies.

Therefore, Ash concluded that the Notebook owner had likely joined the army and killed Orcs in war.

Those he killed were not just soldiers, but also children, women, elders, and even his own comrades... No matter who they were, he never changed weapons. He always ended their lives with a single bullet.

Further on, the Notebook owner seemed to have risen through the ranks and settled down. This was not only because his hunting targets had become herbivores such as Rabbits and deer, but also because those dying at his hands were no longer soldiers or bandits, but maids, servants, and slaves.

It was worth mentioning that the servants did not die infrequently.

He probably had an estate with numerous servants attending him. But because of the aftereffects of war, he carried a gun every moment of every day. Once he grew suspicious, he would shoot a servant without hesitation...

Suddenly, an old woman appeared in the Hunting Notes.

Ash guessed that she was probably the Notebook owner's wife, because what showed in her eyes was neither shock, fear, nor confusion, but pity.

Pity for the Notebook owner.

When Ash turned to the final page, he was certain that the deceased in the record was the Notebook owner himself:

"Carbin Stoli"

"Human Race · Male · 56 years old"

"Weight: 72 kilograms"

"Height: 1.76 meters"

"Characteristics: brown skin, thick body hair, body odor."

"Cause of death: killed by an arrow."

The photo showed a weathered old man in respectable clothes. He had already raised a handgun toward his enemy, but he would forever be too late to pull the trigger, because an arrow had passed through his eye and pierced his skull.

Ash did not know who had killed him with a bow. It might have been an old enemy, the old woman's son, or perhaps a burglar who had broken into his home. Ash also did not know why a battle-hardened man like him had somehow been slower than an arrow this time. Was his body sluggish, or had he simply looked down on bows?

In any case, Carbin Stoli's hunting records ended here. Perhaps his name would appear in someone else's hunting records.

At the end, Ash discovered an iron Medal tucked inside. He could not read the writing on it, but since it was made of iron, it certainly was not worth much. It was probably the first Medal Carbin had received in his life.

Perhaps this Medal represented the golden moment of Carbin's life.

Ash picked up the Medal and felt a warm current flow into his hand. Immediately afterward, a message popped up on the Light Screen:

"Rapid Fire"

"One-Winged Art Spirit"

"Restriction: Must possess a long-range shooting tool."

"Basic Effect: After making one shot, a second shot may be made immediately."

"Passive Effect: Increases the accuracy of long-range shooting."

"Sometimes, the seconds you lose can never be recovered in a lifetime."

At the same time, a message automatically popped up in the game:

"Rechargeable currency detected. Exchange it for points?"