Junior Hunter

Mors Forest.

In just over ten minutes,Vili and the four others had reached the outskirts of the Mors Forest.

By now,Vili had already learned about the identities of Vitente and his team.

They were a mercenary squad,and their current mission—to venture deep into the Mors Forest—was commissioned to find something specific.

Vitente was the leader of the group,and under his command were Vélin,Caril,and Lani.Vélin was the young woman who had invited Vili to share her horse.She had a lively personality and was quite intrigued by Vili's uniqueness.

Caril was a burly man in his thirties who wasn't much of a talker.He remained mostly silent throughout the journey and didn't engage much with the rest of the team.

The last member,Lani,was the youngest of the group,appearing to be around sixteen or seventeen years old.

"That fruit looks really delicious,"Vélin commented curiously as they passed by a cluster of sweet berry trees,glancing at the fruits on the branches.

"It's a sweet berry,a very nice fruit that can quench your thirst and cool you down in the heat,"Vili explained to her.

Vélin's eyes brightened at the words.She pulled on the reins,turning to Vitente."I think we should pick some.They could serve as supplies for our journey deeper into the forest.Besides,we could use a break.We've been traveling non-stop and haven't eaten yet."

The four had set off from the town inn before dawn,and the journey had been long and tiring.

"Alright,"Vitente agreed after a moment of thought."But don't overdo it.We need to keep our movements efficient."

Once they reached the deeper parts of the Mors Forest,opportunities for gathering supplies so casually would be few and far between.They would need to be vigilant against the many dangers that lurked within.

The horses came to a halt,and the five dismounted.Vélin took out a cloth bag from her backpack,eyeing the sweet berry trees with eager anticipation.

"Let me do the picking.I can tell which ones are the tastiest,"Vili said,taking the bag from her.

Vélin nodded,pleased that she could use the time to grab something to eat and fill her empty stomach.

After a careful inspection,Vili chose a sweet berry tree with lush foliage.He climbed up easily and began to pick the sweet berries with focus.

"He's different from any other country folk I've met,"Lani remarked,pulling a piece of compressed white bread from her backpack and breaking off a chunk to hand to Vélin.

Vélin took it and,without any concern for appearances,began to stuff it into her mouth.She mumbled through a mouthful of bread,"I felt the same way.He seems more like the children of merchants—composed and cultured."

Vitente overheard the conversation between the two women and smiled subtly without drawing attention to himself.Caril,on the other hand,remained stern and silent.

Vili worked quickly,and soon the cloth bag was almost filled with sweet berries.

"Would you like some bread?"Lani shook the white bread in her hand towards Vili.

"Yes,please,"Vili replied without any affectation.

He had only eaten a small amount of the dark bread for breakfast because it was so sour and unappealing, and now he was truly hungry.

Lani chuckled behind her hand.There was no trace of the shyness one would expect from a young boy in Vili.

"I need to taste one of these sweet berries,"Vélin said,taking the bag from Vili and tossing a berry to each of the other three companions.

Without bothering to wipe the surface of the berry,she took a big bite.

Instantly,cool and sweet juice seeped from the flesh,flowing across Vélin's lips and teeth.Her eyes brightened in pleasant surprise."These are actually delicious,"she exclaimed.

It wasn't just Vélin who was impressed;Lani and Vitente also voiced their admiration.Only Caril remained expressionless.

At that moment,Vili felt the same way.Even the white bread in his hand tasted incredibly delicious.

Compared to the meals at home,this was a real delicacy.

After finishing the white bread in his hand,Vili felt satisfied.Seeing that Vélin and the others were still resting,he got up and wandered around.

When he approached Vitente's horse,a flicker of curiosity crossed Vili's eyes.

Hanging by the saddle was a crossbow made of fine steel.The surface of the crossbow was slightly worn,indicating that it had seen many years of use.

"This crossbow has been with me for over a decade,"Vitente said,having approached Vili from behind."If you like,you can give it a try."

Vitente took the crossbow and two bolts from the saddle and handed them to Vili.The cool texture of the crossbow spread across Vili's fingertips.The tips of the bolts were slightly reddish and carried a faint,lingering scent of blood.

As a modern-day Earthling who had been transported to this world,Vili had a unique fascination with such cool-looking cold weapons.

"Alright,I'll give it a shot,"Vili said.

With Vitente's help,Vili loaded a bolt onto the crossbow.He scanned the surroundings and spotted a sparrow perched on a branch.

The sparrow glanced in Vili's direction,then nonchalantly looked away.

"You're my target,"Vili thought.The sparrow was close enough that he felt confident about hitting it.

Vili held his breath,rested the crossbow on his arm,and slowly raised it,aiming at the sparrow.

Whoosh!

Vili pulled the trigger,and the bolt shot forward like a dark shadow,heading straight for the sparrow.

Thud!

The bolt pierced straight through the sparrow's body.The bird let out a pitiful cry and fell to the ground,flapping desperately as blood stained the earth.Within a few breaths,it lay still.

"Not bad at all!"Vitente patted Vili on the shoulder with a smile.

However,at that moment,Vili froze.To Vitente,it seemed like Vili was surprised at hitting his target on the first try.

But the reality was different.

In Vili's vision,several lines of text slowly appeared:

"First successful hunt,granted title—[Beginner Hunter],awarded attribute points 0.3."

"After obtaining the[Beginner Hunter]title,you will understand the habits of various wild beasts and identify their weaknesses and threat points.In addition,you will master various hunting skills and gain hunting experience,making you a qualified hunter."

[Vili Fellen—Strength:1.0;Intelligence:1.2;Remaining Attribute Points:0.3]

The title and attribute panel had reappeared.Vili hadn't expected that a simple attempt with the crossbow would unlock a new title.

Moreover,the[Beginner Hunter]title seemed more valuable than the previous[Beginner Gatherer].

After all,the last reward was only 0.2 attribute points,while this time it was 0.3!