In the middle of the forest lay a wide meadow, filled with grass ranging from ankle height to as tall as half an adult's body.
Evan was crouching among the tall grass, slowly moving toward his prey. Two hundred meters away, a Swift Deer, nearly two meters tall, was peacefully grazing. The creature looked like a deer, with a tall, slender, and agile body, along with short, small antlers.
Slowly but surely, he managed to close the distance to fifty meters. However, when he tried to get closer, even his slightest movement made the Swift Deer sense danger. It lifted its head, looking around cautiously, seemingly ready to bolt at any moment.
Seeing that there was no way to approach further, Evan stopped sneaking and bent his knees, sprinting as fast as he could. His speed was incredible—he closed the gap to thirty meters in the blink of an eye. But the Swift Deer wasn't named at random; it was a monster known for its exceptional speed and agility. The moment it saw the threat approaching, it instantly took off running.
The chase was intense—one hunting, one fleeing. Yet, despite the Swift Deer's incredible speed, Evan was still slightly faster and more agile. He caught up and struck.
With his sword in his right hand, Evan thrust the blade into the Swift Deer's hind leg, causing it to stumble from the sudden loss of balance. Wasting no opportunity, Evan slashed at the creature's neck several times as it tried to stand back up.
"This monster is incredibly fast and agile. If I hadn't eaten so many acorn squirrels and drastically boosted my speed and agility, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to catch it," Evan thought to himself.
After killing the Swift Deer, Evan drained its blood first before dragging it back to the city.
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On the streets of the city, townsfolk busy with their daily routines suddenly turned their heads toward the road. A young man was pulling a cart with ease—but what caught everyone's attention was the dead Swift Deer lying on top of it.
An older adventurer exclaimed to those nearby, "That's definitely a Swift Deer, no mistake about it!"
"It's been a long time since one last showed up in this city, hasn't it? Must be over a year…" replied another middle-aged adventurer.
Others adventurer also began gossiping as they pointed at the Swift Deer.
And just like that, a few adventurer along the road kept talking about it, and by the time Evan reached the guild, he had become the center of attention the entire way.
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When he arrived at the guild's purchasing area, a one-legged middle-aged clerk hurried over. He examined the Swift Deer closely, especially the wounds on its neck and hind leg, before saying with amazement, "You actually hunted a Swift Deer? Looks like I've underestimated you, kid…"
Another purchasing clerk, this one with a long scar on his face, joined in and said, "That's right, it's been over a year since a Swift Deer last appeared in this city."
Evan was a bit puzzled by their looks—and by the people's reactions earlier on the street. From the commotion, it seemed this monster was somewhat special. So, still confused, he asked the one-legged man, "Is there something special about this monster? Why is everyone so surprised?"
Seeing that the one who had caught the Swift Deer knew nothing, the scar-faced clerk explained with awe, "It seems you really don't know. Alright, let me tell you. Although the Swift Deer is classified as a level 3 monster, because of its speed, catching it usually requires a group of at least dozens level 4 adventurers to surround it from all sides. According to adventurers, its speed is comparable to that of a level 6 adventurer. And with its agility and ability to run through rough terrain, even a level 6 adventurer would have trouble hunting it alone."
He continued, "And most importantly, the Swift Deer is a solitary, wandering monster. It rarely stays in one place and will flee at the slightest sign of danger. That makes it extremely hard to track down. So skill—and a lot of luck—are needed to catch one." He laughed at the cowardice of the monster.
After hearing this explanation, Evan finally understood that the main issue lay in the rarity of the Swift Deer and its tendency to run away quickly when threatened.
He then asked, "Is it worth a lot?"
The one-legged man replied, "There's nothing particularly special about its meat or materials. But because it's rare, its price per kilo is about three times higher than other level 3 monsters. Of course, since it's lightweight, the total value ends up about the same as most other level 3 monsters. Hahaha." He laughed when he saw Evan's disappointed face.
Naturally, Evan was annoyed. At first, he thought he'd make a lot of money from this monster, but in the end, it was no better than the others.
Thinking about this, he decided not to sell part of the monster's body. Better to eat it himself—maybe his speed would increase further after consuming all of its meat.
So he told the two middle-aged clerks, "Forget it. Just help me skin it and separate the meat."
The scar-faced clerk was surprised and warned him, "Are you sure, kid? That's still worth around thirty gold coins, you know."
But Evan didn't really need money right now. Even though he still owed five gold coins to the housing bureau, a rare monster like this was better used as an investment. So, with a calm expression, he said, "I'll eat it myself. It's not every day I run into a monster like this."
Seeing his determination, the two men didn't say much more and quickly processed the monster.
After waiting for nearly half an hour, several bags of meat and bones were handed over to Evan. He paid five silver coins for the dismantling fee and loaded all the bags onto the cart he had rented earlier.