In the middle of the forest, a figure shot forward at an incredible speed, running nimbly while avoiding every obstacle. Tree roots jutting out from the ground and scattered rocks did nothing to slow his steps.
The figure kept running for ten minutes before stopping in front of a small river. His breathing was steady, as if that sprint had only been a warm-up.
He was Evan. It had been two weeks since he caught the Acorn Squirrel and the Pebble Frog. Since that day, he had been deliberately hunting Acorn Squirrels as his prey.
Fortunately, the Acorn Squirrel wasn't a monster that was often hunted—It's small size means they have little meat, making them cheap and not worth the effort required to catch them. So the population is quite large and easy to find, so, Evan managed to catch and eat more than fifty of them this week.
And this morning, he ran deep into the forest to test himself. Sure enough, his running speed had increased to more twice than last week. But what he felt the most was his improved ability to adapt to the complex forest terrain, relying on his heightened flexibility and agility.
"It seems I can go deeper into the forest now. My strength grows every day, and it's time to find stronger prey for comparison," Evan thought as he picked a direction and continued his search.
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Half an hour later, while Evan was searching for monsters about ten kilometers from the forest's edge, he heard human voices. Relying on his sharp hearing, he slowly moved toward the sound.
Evan's steps made almost no noise as he approached. From a distance, he saw five adventurers sitting in a small clearing, seemingly having just defeated a monster.
The two women were distinct in style: one with blonde hair, wearing a leather chestplate with a bow slung across her back, her face full of focus; the other with shoulder-length black hair, dressed in a light blue robe, holding a magic staff in her hand.
The three men with them looked formidable—one tall and broad-shouldered with a double-headed axe, one lean with a pair of daggers at his waist, and another carrying a round shield and a broad sword.
Not far from where they sat lay a massive bear, easily over four meters tall. Its hide was pitch-black, and two short horns jutted from its head. This was a level four monster known as the "Mad Grizzly"
Evan stepped out from his hiding spot, deliberately making himself visible so they wouldn't mistake him for an enemy.
The five adventurers immediately turned. The axe-wielding man stepped forward, narrowing his eyes.
"Who are you?" he asked in a deep voice.
Evan raised both hands slightly in a peaceful gesture. "Just an adventurer out hunting. I heard voices here, so I came to check."
The bow-wielding woman eyed him sharply. "Hunting this deep in the forest alone? That's not normal… or you're just very confident."
Evan smiled. "I can run very fast, so I'm not too worried about meeting strong monsters."
The shield-bearer, who had been silent until now, chuckled. "Hahaha, at least you're honest. Not many adventurers dare to come this far relying only on their legs."
Evan didn't want to linger and make things awkward, so he went straight to his point. "This is my first time coming this deep into the forest, so I don't know where the monsters usually live. If you don't mind, could you tell me where I might find one? If I manage to hunt it, I'll treat you next time we meet." His tone was straightforward—this forest was far too vast for someone unfamiliar with its terrain and the monsters' habitats.
The blue-robed woman studied him with curiosity. "If you're looking for prey, there's a grassland about five kilometers south. Sometimes monsters appear there, but many of them show up in groups. You might want to think carefully before going." She pointed in the direction.
Evan nodded, his eyes lighting up. "Alright then, I'll head there. See you next time…" he said, then dashed off in the direction she indicated.
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Watching the strange man leave, the dagger-wielding man said, "He looks very confident. I wonder if he'll actually come back later."
The axe-wielding man added, "Not our problem. Anyway, let's head back. It's been three days since we left—I can't wait to see my little girl."
Hearing that, the mood among them relaxed. They packed up, took the "Mad Grizzly" with them, and began walking back to the city.
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Meanwhile, Evan had arrived at a vast grassland. Looking at the knee-high grass covering the area, he realized the hunt wouldn't be as easy as he had thought.
Right now, his greatest strengths were speed and agility, but the tall grass would slow him down to some extent. So, he returned to his earlier caution, climbing a tree to scout for prey.
From up high, he could see far across the grassland. Luckily, in one direction, there was a herd of bull-like monsters grazing. So Evan climbed down and moved toward the herd carefully, lowering his body to stay hidden among the grass.
When he got within two hundred meters, he could clearly see their forms. According to the guild's monster guide, this was a level three monster called the "Ironhide Bull". Even though an individual was only level three, in a group they could be more dangerous and harder to deal with than a level four monster.
Thinking about this, Evan felt a twinge of regret. If it were just one, he would have been able to kill it. But with over thirty of them here, he could only swallow his frustration and start looking for other prey.
After that, Evan climbed another tree to search again. This time, luck seemed to be on his side.
In the grass about two hundred meters away, a lone deer was feeding. Searching his memory, Evan quickly recalled the monster's name—it was the "Swift Deer"