ama hunt, like bear grills.

As we entered the Whispering Woods, the environment shifted. The open plains behind us faded into dense foliage, and the light dimmed under the thick canopy.

Draff led the way, his movements were quiet as to not attract attention. As we walked, he continued giving small pieces of advice. how to step lightly, how to read the signs of passing animals, and how to listen for disturbances in the usual sounds of the forest. many of which I had experience and knowledge on, but it was all useful nevertheless. 

At the same time, I glanced at my character panel, now displaying:

[Hunter's Archery - LvL 1 (0/100)]

Looks like my understanding had finally passed the threshold, turning into an actual skill. That meant it was now upgradeable through EXP. Unfortunately, I only had 47 EXP. so I couldn't afford the upgrade yet. but still, this was a skill worth investing in. Compared to close-quarters combat, ranged attacks were safer. Less risk, higher efficiency, and more fun to watch.

I've always been the type to snipe from a distance. This was just another form of it. 

That said, my main priority was still my overall level. Increasing that would strengthen me across the board. But putting a few points into archery wouldn't hurt.

Draff suddenly raised a hand, signalling me to stop. I froze, following his gaze as he scanned the area.

"Tracks," he murmured, crouching down. "Fresh ones."

I stepped closer, peering at the faint impressions in the dirt. They weren't anything too big, maybe a boar or maybe a small deer? 

"Alright," Draff said, standing up. "Let's see if you can do more than hit a tree. These tracks belong to a wild boar, so keep your movements quiet. Even the smallest sound could startle it."

Draff turned and continued tracking. His movements were light and precise. his feet barely made a sound as he navigated through the underbrush. He kept low, using the natural cover of shrubs and trees to conceal himself. Whenever he brushed against a stray branch, he steadied it instead of letting it snap back. another detail that could alert our target.

Following along, while using my own experiences in stealth, my step was masked, quieter than his. as we got closer to the creator of these tracks.

Then, up ahead, movement.

Draff raised a hand again, this time pointing. I followed his gaze and spotted it, a wild boar, rooting around near the base of a tree.

He turned his head slightly toward me, voice barely above a whisper. "This one's yours. Take the shot."

observing the boar, I noted that it had the same brownish-red appearance, the exact same as its in-game model. The trauma of being slammed in the ass and thrown off a cliff haunted me. man, why the fuck were these fucks created.

"Got it," I whispered back, excitement bubbling inside me. You never miss a chance to absolutely ERASE these bastards.

Recalling Draff's insights on bow handling, I nocked an arrow and pulled back, the string stretching until fully extended. I took aim at the boar as it slammed its snout into the ground, sniffing for food. unaware that it was the food.

letting go, the arrow flew out from the string, with a small whistle from the wind being pushed aside.

I let go.

The arrow whistled through the air before slamming into the boar's side with a solid thunk. damn, I was aiming for the neck. 

A loud, pained squeal ripped through the forest as the beast staggered, trying to flee. Its legs wobbled, its movements sluggish. Blood seeped from the wound, darkening its fur. it couldn't escape, as it was barely able to keep upright. oh well, atleast it'll be an easy kill.

"Nice shot," Draff murmured, eyes locked onto the wounded animal. He didn't relax. "But it's not dead yet."

The boar stumbled a few more steps before collapsing onto its knees. I could see the pain in its eyes, the desperate struggle to keep moving. Hah, suffer more. I thought, satisfaction bubbling inside of me.

[...psychoooooo~]

If you had to experience even a TENTH of my fucking suffering caused by those fucks, then you'd be enthralled by its pain.

Draff handed me his hunting knife. "You landed the shot, so you end it. Quick and clean."

I took the blade, stepping closer. The boar's breaths were ragged, its body trembling. yet I felt not a shred of mercy for it.

I stepped over it and, after a moment of observation, found a weak point. then made a single, swift strike to its neck.

The boar collapsed almost instantly, blood splattering onto the ground. I took care not to let a drop get on me, even though I'd killed thousands by hand. I hated getting dirty, especially without a quick way to clean up.

[defeated a relatively weak enemy. You have obtained 20 EXP.]

Huh. Double what a slime would give... In retrospect, it made sense. I could punt a slime into the afterlife without breaking a sweat, but a boar would take more effort. Still, 20 EXP was nice.

Draff nodded in approval. "Efficient. That's good. You don't want an animal suffering more than necessary." He crouched down, inspecting the body. "Wild boars are too heavy to carry far. We'll leave it here and come back for it once we're done." He stood up, wiping his hands on his pants.

We quickly concealed the boar, covering it with leaves and branches to keep predators away. Draff showed me the right way to mask the scent and ensure it wouldn't be disturbed while we continued hunting.

"Alright," he said, turning away. "Let's keep moving. The day's still young, and there are more to hunt."

We trekked deeper into the woods, the rustling of the trees and the occasional snap of a twig underfoot keeping us alert. Draff kept up the low chatter, offering more tips and advice on how to move silently, track animals, and take down bigger games. the walk was boring, but atleast the murder wasn't.

---

"Phew~ it's dusk, so we should head out," Draff said, wiping the sweat from his brow and glancing at the setting sun. "We'll come back tomorrow, same time."

"Huh? Already?" I replied, realizing that only a few hours had passed, maybe around 4. Then again. When I thought about it a bit more, it actually felt like a decent amount of time. For normies, anyway. Guess my multiple-day, sleepless outings were pretty unusual now that I thought about it.

In the past, when I had to get things done, whether it was infiltrating a base, clearing a dungeon or taking control of a city through either legal or... not so legal means. it took days sometimes weeks to finish. I hardly took breaks to minimize time wasted. Some of those missions dragged on for far longer than I'd ever want to remember. especially the one involving that slave trading empire. Fucking Scumbags. only time bone's snapping and grinding was pleasing to the ears.

"very well then, let's get going," I said placing my bow over my shoulder again, as we started heading back. collecting our gains along the way.

The loot wasn't too bad, well, according to Draff at least. Aside from the first boar, we'd taken down three more, making a total of four (put here for those unable to math.) Draff had claimed that this was exceedingly rare luck. Other than that, we'd hunted a rabbit and three fowls.

The fowls granted 7 EXP each, while the rabbit gave 8. In total, that meant we had earned 109 EXP throughout the day, bringing me up to 156 extra EXP on hand.

Meanwhile, under Draff's guidance and the continued experience of firing, my Hunter's Archery skill was steadily rising without having to use additional EXP. It was a nice surprise, letting me know that experience was being earned passively with practice rather than just through combat.

[Hunter's Archery - LvL 1 (11/100)]

like before, even more so now that it could be passively gained. i'd rather stock up on the Exp rather than spend it now on Archery. maybe in a shity situation when needed I'll use it on archery, but at the moment. i was going to hold onto it for my level.

Because of the excessive prey we'd hunted, Draff and I couldn't carry it all back ourselves. cause you know... I mean, come on, have you seen how thick a boar is? Luckily, Springvale had its own transport team.

Return trips had carts collecting hunters' quarries for delivery to Mondstadt. Specialized merchants bought them, so we didn't need to worry about hauling it all back ourselves.

Thanks to the great harvest today, we earned 40,000 Mora in total. Draff split it with me 50/50, giving me a cool 20k. A nice little bonus, considering I expected to get less.

After collecting my earnings and returning the borrowed gear, I made my way back to rest, letting the long night slip away. When dawn arrived, it was finally time to check on my fish trap.

However.

Upon reaching the location where I'd set the net and wooden stick, I stopped.

Gone.

Only a small dent remained where the stick had been driven into the dirt.

I frowned, scanning the area. Did something take it? Maybe an animal? I crouched down, running my fingers through the disturbed soil. No claw marks. No signs of struggle. Just... gone.

A thief? Tsk. How annoying.

standing up I sighed "Who the fuck steals fucking fish? or a fucking net?" I ran a hand through my hair, cursing whoever took my catch. If I ever find out who stole my fucking net, I will be breaking their bones and permanently removing their chance to breed. Gender doesn't fucking matter.

After circling the area a few more times, I let out another sigh and turned to leave, before I felt something under my foot.

Pausing, I moved my foot aside and spotted a small object half-buried in the dirt. Bending down, I picked it up, brushing off the dust to get a better look.

A metallic insignia, engraved with the image of a bird, maybe a raven, curled around a primogem.

"Oh? Hah? Well, isn't this fucking convenient." I muttered, bending the metal slightly in my grip. "Fucking treasure hoarders? Must be karma for deceiving Amber with that excuse, huh?" My voice grew grim. "Well, at least I have my target now."

A smirk tugged at my lips as I pocketed the bronze insignia.

"Guess I have a new goal, finding the fucker who stole my shit. and give retribution."

A/N those treasure hunters in the future. "dumb ways to diiiiiie. so many dumb way's to die."

anyway, how you liking this. would you like to skip the slice of life shit, or do you enjoy it? i certainly do. but eh, feed back is fun.

also please comment, I love seeing comments that make me laugh. it's half the reason I write.

 also, fuck you. you are not getting a normal title. 

Byeeeeeeeee