Kaya packed up his sleeping bag, slung his backpack over his shoulders, and headed down the mountain.
"Nice, no training today. Having the old man away has its perks. I'm king of the mountain."
Running fifty kilometers, doing a thousand push-ups, and rock climbing with a forty-kilogram load were all mandatory parts of his daily training.
They weren't exactly difficult for him anymore, but they ate up far too much of his free time.
On top of that, he was required to read, mostly about the new creatures Kite had discovered.
But none of it particularly interested Kaya.
Only the strange plants caught his attention. He spent all day poring over an encyclopedia of plants.
Once, he had picked an unidentified plant, ground it into juice, and dried it into powder.
Then he had secretly slipped it into Kite's food to see what medicinal effects it had.
That meal's explosive aftermath had left a lasting impression on Kaya and nearly dehydrated his dear master.
Although he had taken a savage beating, something good had come of it.
It had given Kaya the good habit of taking notes. Whenever he discovered a new plant, he would record it.
As for researching their medicinal properties, though, he could only catch small animals to experiment on.
By the time noon approached, his stomach was already completely empty.
He spat out the wild grass he had been chewing.
Kaya lightly leaped into a tree and began searching for lunch.
After moving through the trees for a while, he heard a few soft coos.
He parted the leaves and looked down. A Jungle Pheasant was strolling leisurely through the grass, looking for food.
Jungle Pheasants were small but extremely agile birds unique to the Hunter world. They looked somewhat like wild pheasants back on Blue Star.
These birds usually came out at dawn and dusk, spending most of the day resting among trees or bushes.
"Looks like this poor little guy's starving, coming out to forage at noon. Sorry about this."
Kaya took a small knife from his backpack and was just taking aim.
With a sudden whoosh, an arrow pierced the Jungle Pheasant's head before it could react.
He turned to look. Some fifty meters away, a figure was slowly approaching the Flying Pheasant's body through the grass.
"Tch, someone beat me to it."
Kaya cursed inwardly, his guard rising at the same time.
Anyone who could fire such an accurate shot without him noticing was not to be underestimated.
Now this could be fun.
Kaya immediately jumped down from the tree and blocked the archer's path.
The person before him was young, with delicate features. He wore a loose pink cap, with vivid pink-orange hair spilling from beneath its brim and covering his ears. A dark red vest covered his light-colored, close-fitting clothes. He held a bow, and a quiver hung from his back.
"Hey! That pheasant was my target." Appearing out of nowhere, Kaya jerked his thumb behind him with an air of pure arrogance.
The boy jumped at his sudden appearance. Utterly confused by his demand, he could only give a blank, "Huh?"
"Didn't you hear me?" Kaya sounded a little impatient.
The boy finally recovered and argued, "I shot it, so how is it yours?"
Over the years since coming to this world, Kaya had noticed a few patterns. People in the Hunter world generally liked to listen to reason.
Take this boy, for instance. He had clearly shot the prey himself, yet he was actually arguing with Kaya, trying to persuade him with logic.
Kaya casually picked at his ear. "I spotted it from the tree first. I was about to make my move when you beat me to it. Now you owe me compensation."
"What makes you say you saw it first?" The boy's face flushed with frustration.
Kaya smiled. "The fact that I was closer to this Flying Pheasant than you."
The boy frowned and countered, "But that doesn't prove anything, does it? I shot it, so of course it's mine."
Kaya abruptly changed tack. "Are you a Hunter?"
"No. Why do you ask?" the boy replied.
Kaya blinked and was about to speak.
Suddenly, his eyes filled with sheer terror, and he backed up two steps, trembling all over.
Seeing this, the boy asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"
Kaya dropped onto his backside, his face pale as he pointed behind the boy. "Because... there's... there's a Shadowfang Beast behind you!"
The boy was startled too. He hurriedly turned around and drew his bow, ready to respond.
But everything behind him was quiet. There wasn't a Shadowfang Beast in sight, or even a rabbit.
The instant the boy turned, Kaya darted over to the Jungle Pheasant's body like lightning, snatched it up, and waved it smugly from a safe distance.
"Such a generous gift on our first meeting! You're too kind. Thanks for the pheasant, bro."
Kaya knew that within five paces, a fist might be faster, but beyond ten, a bow definitely had the advantage.
There had been nearly ten meters between him and the boy. If they fought, he would definitely be at a disadvantage.
So he had chosen the simplest approach: tricking and robbing this thirteen-year-old kid.
Realizing that a little brat had played him for a fool, the orange-haired boy grew annoyed. He quickly nocked an arrow and drew his bow, aiming at Kaya as he fled through the grass.
But he didn't want to hurt Kaya, so he held back the power of his shot.
That allowed Kaya to react in time and twist aside to dodge the attack, though the arrow tore a long slit in the clothes Kite had just mended for him.
Looking at the Flying Pheasant in his hand, Kaya felt hunger instantly douse most of his anger. Filling his stomach came first, after all.
"I'm off! Take your time playing around. Cheer up!"
With that final taunt, Kaya vanished in a flash.
"Ah... I'm stuffed."
Birdsong and the chirping of insects filled the air. Warm sunlight bathed Kaya as he lay comfortably on his back in the grass, eyes narrowed, with nothing but feathers and bones scattered beside him.
After a brief nap, Kaya sat up, his gaze falling on the tear in his clothes.
"Time to head down the mountain."
Kite wouldn't be back for another three months. Left unmended, the tear would only get bigger.
He couldn't sew, so he really needed to find a tailor to patch it up.
As soon as Kaya left the forest, he felt as though he had stepped out of a primitive wilderness and into modern civilization.
Ergado Town was still a short distance away, but the paths leading in and out of the forest, passing horse-drawn carriages, and hunters returning with their catches filled the place with the bustle of human life.
Chewing on a wild fruit, Kaya wandered leisurely through the lively market, looking for a tailor.
As he turned his head, a familiar yet unfamiliar figure caught his attention from behind.
It was the orange-haired boy in the soft pink cap.
Tch, just my luck to run into him here, Kaya muttered inwardly.
The boy hadn't noticed Kaya, however. With his back to him, he was intently picking out fruit at a stall.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kaya noticed the tear in his clothes again. Sure, he had tricked the boy and stolen his prey, but the boy had ruined the clothes Kite had just mended, and that still rankled.
Tossing his fruit core onto the ground, Kaya quietly approached the boy.
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