Hunting: The Dawning

Chapter 1: The Wild Boar or the Rathalos

The thick black humus soil is fertile and hardly unnatural-looking, shaded by foliage, crisscrossed by numerous streams.

Rotting tree trunks, overgrown with moss, lay haphazardly on the ground......

This is the depths of the dense forests of the Schreiter region, which is difficult to penetrate even in the sun.

There's no better place to grow mushrooms than here.

On the moss, which had absorbed last night's rain like a sponge, large swaths of specialty mushrooms grew in layers. Their fleshy pink caps are soft and plump, and their delicacy is unmistakable.

"Oops......"

There was a low grunt, and a figure squeezed out of the bushes in the woods.

It was a stout wild boar with a ridge more than a meter high. Its brownish-black fur was covered with half-dried dirt, almost as if it had been worn with a layer of armor.

The boar grunted and came to the stump covered with mushrooms. Its long, pointed nose sniffed left and right twice, then began to gnaw at it wantonly.

In the blink of an eye, the big mushroom that had just sprouted on the stump was completely messed up.

"Tsk."

In the shadows of the dense forest, there was a soft tongue click, but the big boar, busy enjoying its meal, did not notice.

"I wondered if I could collect some specialty mushrooms to take back along the way. Now they are all ruined.

Behind a large tree entwined with vines, a young hunter in light leather armor muttered to himself.

"Forget it. Once I have completed this assessment task, I will become a full-fledged hunter. There's no need to get angry about a few mushrooms. Gordon comforted himself inwardly.

He took a slow, deep breath to calm his emotions and breathing completely.

"First, check if your surroundings are safe."

In the stream, in the shade of the canopy, in the depths of the vines, there is the chirping of insects and the scent of the wind......

His eyes, ears, nose, and even his skin are carefully and efficiently collecting every trace of the environment.

After a few seconds, Gordon confirmed that there were no other large creatures within at least a few tens of meters.

It's time to start hunting.

He tightened the strap on the small shield on his right arm, and also pulled out the bone dagger called "Hunter's Dagger" from the scabbard at his waist, and held it tightly in the palm of his hand.

All the muscles in his body tensed like a fully pulled bowstring. In the next second, he rushed forward like a leopard.

"Oops?"

The big boar, whose mouth was stained with mushroom dregs, raised its head vigilantly. Its massive head hadn't had time to turn in the direction of the sound.

The attackers had already crossed a distance of almost ten meters and rushed to its side.

He didn't stop, and he didn't draw his sword directly. Instead, he used the round shield that barely covered the vital parts of his chest and abdomen as a battering ram and pounced on the side of the great boar.

"Growling Gollum!"

Even the big boar, which had a low and stable center of gravity, couldn't help but stumble under the impact of this full force, unable to fight back immediately.

Gordon had already raised his shield and swung his sword, striking the relatively soft hindquarters of the big boar.

The blade of the hunter's dagger, with its delicate and sharp teeth, managed to break through the defenses of mud and fur.

Blood splattered, and fat, muscle, and tendons were cut. The boar's hind legs went limp, and it fell to the ground wailing.

The pig relies on the strength of its hind legs to charge, which is the only way for the large wild boar to attack. Such a blow may not be directly fatal, but it paralyzes its hind legs, completely cutting off the possibility of its resistance.

What happened next was quite brutal.

"Roar-oh-oh!"

With a series of shrill howls, life completely disappeared from the boar's eyes, leaving only its strong body still twitching reflexively.

Gordon shook off the blood from his blade and tucked his sword into its sheath.

He stood up, first looking around warily. After confirming that there was no danger, he crouched down again, drew his chisel, and began to harvest the carcass of the large wild boar.

Dozens of seconds later, he selectively cut a large piece of raw meat of good quality and pulled out a half-meter-long fang.

As for the most valuable fur, since it had several knife marks, it could not be sold for a good price, and it would stand in the way before the task was completed, so he had to give up.

Packing raw meat and ivory into his backpack, Gordon walked to the stream, quickly washed his bloodstained hands and tools, and hurried away.

The smell of blood and carcasses quickly attract predators like Velociprey. To stay here is to ask for trouble.

Hurrying all the way away, after more than half an hour, Gordon returned to the hunter's camp built between the boulders.

It wasn't until he crouched down and walked through the narrow passage like a dog's hole to see the simple, sturdy yellow animal skin tent that the young man finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

Back at camp, he was completely safe.

He pulled ivory and raw meat out of his backpack. The former is a settlement item that confirms the results of the hunt and is stored in a red storage box inside the camp.

The latter, marinated in seasonings and ready to be roasted for a while before eating, can also be a small treat.

After all, the portable rations provided by the Hunters' Guild can fill the stomach quickly, but the taste is really hard to praise.

This on-the-go food, made by mixing wheat flour with salted jerky and baking it, tastes almost like wood soaked in salt water......

In contrast, a roast cooked until golden brown with an oil sizzling is much tastier.

Remembering the deliciousness of the barbecue, Gordon swallowed hard, quickly set up the barbecue, and patiently grilled this piece of fresh raw meat that still had some warmth.

If you want to grill delicious meat that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, impatience will not work. Controlling heat is even more important.

The young man pulled out his thin hunter's notebook and slowly turned the handle of the barbecue.

He turned to the latest page.

—

Assessment Task: Annoying herd of wild boars

Content: Hunt 5 large wild boars

Gold Reward: 300z

****:Strider Forest Hills

Time limit: 3 days

The wild boar population in Schreiter Forest Hills has been breeding abnormally and is increasing too quickly. Be sure to reduce their number so as not to damage the ecology of the Strider Forest Hills area and have an impact on the surrounding human settlements!

—

He took out a charcoal pen and took some notes.

Including the one just now, he has hunted four large wild boars in the past two days. Hunt one more and he'll be able to complete the mission and return to the village.

And most importantly!

At that time, after passing the assessment task, he can finally get rid of the prefix "apprentice" and officially become a monster hunter!

It's been two full years since he officially started his hunter training at the age of fifteen.

It's time to graduate.

Thinking of this, the corners of Gordon's mouth couldn't help but curl.

Wild boars, Velociprey, Popo (mammoths) - these miscellaneous monsters that he has hunted in the last two years, if not a hundred, then at least seventy or eighty. They don't deserve to be recorded in his hunter's notebook.

Only Rathalos, a true wyvern!

It is the glory that hunters crave!

A burning smell woke him from his beautiful reverie.

At this time, Gordon, who realized that the meat was overcooked, quickly took the barbecue off the grill.

Fortunately, only a little bit was burned.

Such a small matter does not affect his good mood.

The young man looked up at the sun still hanging high in the sky as he chewed the hot roast meat, with a slight smell of burning.

It's too early now. There are at least three hours left until sunset.

He picked up speed, gobbling up his food, and after a few minutes, tossed aside the gnawed bones. Gordon patted his bulging belly and stood up.

"I was full and satisfied. Catch time by the forelock! Complete the hunt before it gets dark!