Strange Birds and Even Stranger Mushrooms
Alex decides to carefully skim through the catalog before doing anything else. The "facilities" this village of monsters has to offer mean nothing to him. He's already prepared, having packed enough food along with a small tent and sleeping bag in his generic inventory. As long as the village itself is secure, with no threat of monster or beast attacks, he's perfectly fine sleeping outside. The other players don't worry him at all, either. The only thing he truly needs is the 100 tokens required for the ticket. He feels lucky that he "only" needs 100 instead of the 150 tokens that level-4 players have to gather.
Unlike the other players, who are already crowding around the small stall selling tickets and other items, Alex has a different approach. He intends to study the catalog first and then scout the area surrounding the village immediately. This way, he can be among the first to grab materials before anyone else depletes the supply. He suspects that the farther he ventures from the village, the greater the danger will be, but also the better the resources.
The catalog lists many strange materials, all seemingly rare and clearly valued by these monsters. There are entries for bark from unusual trees, unique tree sap, special honey, dozens of medicinal herbs, mushrooms, fruits, berries, leaves, insects, birds, eggs, gems, peculiar stones, ores, and monster parts. All of it looks like a list from a fantasy book, which doesn't surprise Alex one bit. The catalog is packed with peculiar entries and a wide range of requested materials.
Thanks to his high INT stat and Basic Concentration lvl 3, Alex manages to memorize most of the catalog entries in under 30 minutes. He also finds a very tattered, old map tucked within the catalog's pages, which helps him roughly determine his location within the Mimbo Republic. From it, he gathers that the village is situated deep within a vast forest, with no human settlements nearby. Given that they only have until January 4th to complete this quest and the Hunter Exam starts on January 7th, Alex deduces they'll need several days to reach the exam site after finishing the task here.
Judging by the light, he guesses it's midday right now. With less than four days to gather the necessary tokens, he knows he has to hurry. He'll only feel comfortable once he's collected a decent amount of tokens, enough to secure his spot. He's unsure if the Hunter x Hunter world operates on the same 24-hour cycle as Earth but assumes it does for simplicity's sake. He isn't even sure if this world is on a planet at all or if some other bizarre structure is at work here. Deciding not to dwell on the complex lore of this place, he shifts his focus to what matters most, his own survival.
With that mindset, Alex darts outside the village, carrying his trusty 13 grenades in his inventory. He knows they won't last long, as they'll disappear after a day, and making new ones isn't always feasible. He decides to hunt one of the listed monsters, figuring that using grenades might diminish its value but will be the quickest and safest way to secure a kill without wasting time.
He's fully aware of the risks in this unfamiliar forest. Rushing straight in would be reckless, especially with trees five times larger than normal towering around him, it's an unsettling thought, making him wonder what else could be five times larger than he's used to.
To balance safety with risk, Alex moves quickly away from the village, assuming that resources close by will have already been picked clean by other players. At the same time, he stays away from the thick, dense areas of the forest. He decides to explore the northern part of the village first, noticing that the forest in that direction is much thinner than the other three areas. A thinner forest, he reasons, will mean better visibility of any monsters and fewer surprises lurking in the shadows.
He silently prays for his LUK stat to work its magic and bring him some surprises. Even after walking for a solid 20 minutes, he still sees nothing, and he can feel his heart pounding in his chest. Alex stops for a moment, muttering to himself, "Calm down. Charging headfirst into this strange forest would be suicidal. You've got some time. Remember the training you did with the others. Assess the situation calmly, envision your goal clearly, and then work on fulfilling it—slowly."
Taking a deep breath, Alex slows his pace, his steps becoming more calculated. Moving on with renewed determination, he finally spots a strange bird flying overhead a few minutes later. Alex tenses, watching as the bird circles back, bringing along a few companions this time. With his high SNS stat and Long-Range Combat Prowess lvl 3, enhancing his vision, he notices these birds are surprisingly large, almost eagle-sized. He also notes their razor-sharp claws and a nasty, spear-like beak. Seeing them fly lower, Alex decides to duck behind a nearby tree, observing as the birds start descending, apparently searching for him.
He thinks these birds might just make decent prey. They aren't listed in the catalog, but the navigator did mention "meat" and "monsters," didn't he? "Surely these birds are worth something," he thinks.
Drawing his trusty [Mr. 5's .44 Caliber 6-Shot Revolver] from his inventory, Alex carefully aims at one of the birds flying dangerously close to the ground. He focuses intently, channeling all his concentration, and pulls the trigger.
[Mr. 5's .44 Caliber 6-Shot Revolver] effect activates: Explosive Ammunition!
You have dealt 24 damage to Sinerva Bird
You have dealt 33 damage to Sinerva Bird
You have killed Sinerva Bird
The loud explosion instantly draws the attention of the other birds. To Alex's surprise, they don't retaliate but actually flee. He had expected them to attack since they seemed to have him in their sights. "Guess they're just scared and not all that aggressive after all, huh?" he thinks, grinning with relief.
Without wasting any time, Alex rushes toward his downed prey, quickly stashing the bleeding corpse in his inventory. Worried about what the loud gunshot might attract, he decides to move swiftly and put some distance between himself and the scene. Unfortunately, the system doesn't recognize the bird as an item of high value because it isn't ranked, hinting at its limited worth. However, Alex notices that, unlike his generic items, the bird is taking up a slot in his inventory, and the system does at least provide a few basic details. This gives him a bit of hope.
[Sinerva Bird Corpse]
World: Hunter x Hunter
Quality: Unranked
Note: Corpse of a Sinerva Bird that inhabits the great Sinerva Forest.
A few minutes later, he reaches an area where the forest is a bit denser, and he begins scanning the ground. His eyes catch sight of a mushroom that stands out against the foliage. The mushroom looks bizarre, its surface pulsing like a frog's throat, with yellow circles dotting its green cap. Alex gets an unsettling feeling, almost as if the mushroom were alive. He remembers this one from the catalog—it's described as highly toxic, with a potent poison that's not only deadly but also extremely acidic. Even with his [Gauntlets of Pluto] equipped, Alex is hesitant to touch it. The damn catalog had simply noted "handle with care." What's that even supposed to mean? he thinks, annoyed.
Determined, Alex finds a long, sturdy wooden twig and uses it to carefully jab the base of the mushroom, severing it from the ground.
As soon as he severs the mushroom, it starts to bloat and sprays poisonous spores into the air! Alex instantly reacts, diving into a dodge roll to the side, narrowly avoiding inhaling any of the spores. After a few seconds, he rummages through his generic inventory and pulls out a mask, a relic from the Corona era: an FFP2 mask. He and Rishi had packed a lot of generic items in preparation for this mission, including medical supplies, common drugs, salves, sprays, and various medicines. They even packed some poisons, sleeping pills, and a bottle of chloroform. Alex had also stashed a collection of forbidden firearms in his inventory, hoping to use them if things got dire.
Unfortunately, the system responded as expected, and now Alex can't access many of his items. The poisons, firearms, and chloroform are all disabled, unavailable for use during this mission. Thankfully, the mask, along with most of the basic drugs, medical supplies, food, and other essentials, still works! Alex cheers silently. "They might not be as effective as system-recognized items, but they're helpful anyway." In this strange forest, Alex feels relieved to have some medicines and ointments with him in case he gets stung or bitten by some unknown creature.
Once he's confident the air is clear, Alex approaches the now "dead" looking mushroom. There's no acid on top of it, but where he cut it from the ground, he spots a dangerous-looking green liquid oozing from the stem. He grabs a bunch of leaves from the forest floor, using them to "bandage" the leaking part of the mushroom, then secures them with several rubber bands from his inventory. Carefully, he picks up the mushroom, adding it to his haul.
[Bloating Square Mushroom (Damaged)]
World: Hunter x Hunter
Quality: White (Damaged)
Effect: Produces a toxin that deals potent poison and acid damage if ingested or touched. The mushroom's natural poisonous and acidic properties make it useful in its raw form or as a refined ingredient in various medicines. Caution: When handled, it may release spores with the same lethal effects; inhaling these spores can lead to a slow and excruciating death.
Note: Eat it, and you might as well spend your last minutes writing a very short will!
Note 2: Damaged; will gradually lose its effectiveness.
"Damn, this mushroom is pure evil!" Alex thinks, frowning. "A poison that's also acidic? What the fuck? This thing's even more dangerous than the Claymore Mushroom from the first exam in the original story, located in the Milsy Wetlands."
"Still White Quality, even though I obviously damaged it… I'll need to change my harvesting method next time. This poison could be useful. I'd rather keep this for myself than turn it over. It might come in handy." With renewed energy, he continues moving through the forest. "No time to waste. I loved gathering mushrooms with my grandfather as a kid." He recalls his grandfather's old saying: "Once you find the first mushroom, regardless of its quality, you're bound to find more of the same type nearby."
Alex searches the nearby area, and to his absolute delight, he spots another mushroom. This time, he takes a different approach. Digging carefully around the mushroom—mask securely in place—he loosens the surrounding soil, then pulls it out with its mycelium intact, avoiding any "bleeding." As expected, the mushroom releases a burst of spores into the air, which Alex evades by rolling to the side and staying close to the ground. Confident his mask protected him from inhaling anything, he waits for the spores to clear. Once the air is safe, he picks up the mushroom, grinning in satisfaction.
[Bloating Square Mushroom]
World: Hunter x Hunter
Quality: Green
Effect: Produces a toxin that deals potent poison and acid damage if ingested or touched. The mushroom's natural poisonous and acidic properties make it useful in its raw form or as a refined ingredient in various medicines. Caution: When handled, it may release spores with the same lethal effects; inhaling these spores can lead to a slow and excruciating death.
Note: Eat it, and you might as well spend your last minutes writing a very short will!
"YES! This time it's not damaged, and the quality is Green!" Alex feels as if he's struck gold. He scans the area for any signs of danger, then starts methodically combing the vicinity for more of these mushrooms, hoping to build his stockpile.
He spends a good six hours at the same spot, meticulously searching every inch. His rewards? Two more [Bloating Square Mushrooms] and six [Small Bloating Square Mushrooms].
[Small Bloating Square Mushroom]
World: Hunter x Hunter
Quality: Light Green
Effect: Produces a mild toxin that deals medium poison and acid damage if ingested or touched. The mushroom's natural poisonous and acidic properties make it useful in its raw form or as a refined ingredient in various medicines. Caution: When handled, it may release spores with the same lethal effects; inhaling these spores can lead to a slow and excruciating death.
Note: Eat it, and you might as well use the remaining hours of your life to write a not-so-short will!
The small variant has a similar description with a few tweaks, and Alex can't help but mentally critique the system for its laziness in simply changing "minutes" to "hours" and "strong" to "medium." "But hey," he thinks, "as long as I get rewards, I'm not complaining."
Feeling the daylight dimming, Alex finally decides to head back. The idea of being caught in an unfamiliar forest at night does not sit well with him. "In the middle of an unknown forest… at night? That sounds like a terrible situation."
Fortunately, Alex had marked his path by placing subtle markers on particularly unique trees as he ventured north. This straight-line route should make the return to the village straightforward. As he leaves the densely forested area and steps back into the more open space where he killed the Sinerva bird earlier, he notices a large shadow flickering on the ground.
"What is this?" he mutters, looking up. To his horror, he sees hundreds of Sinerva birds descending rapidly—and their target is clear. Him.
"OH SHIT!" Alex yells, turning and sprinting for his life.
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