He looked at his hands, calloused and thick-knuckled, rougher yet much stronger than those of his peers.
His injured right hand still trembled slightly, seeming to reflect the deep-seated fear within him that he was unwilling to confront.
Was he afraid of being pierced by those tusks?
Was he afraid of being crushed by those giant hooves?
He was just a seventeen-year-old Trainee Hunter who hadn't even been officially promoted yet; it was normal that he couldn't defeat the Great Wild Boar King. Wouldn't it be fine if he just got stronger and then came back for revenge?
Gordon tried to console himself, but such thoughts only made the knot in his heart heavier.
It was even more uncomfortable than the clotted blood that had been stuck in his throat earlier.
He pulled out his Hunter's Notebook and gazed at the Hunter's Guild emblem branded on its leather cover.
Before the profession of Hunter appeared on this land, with what mindset did those predecessors face monsters that human strength could not resist?
They had no sturdy armor or sharp weapons.
They had no diverse tools or intelligence to support them.
And they certainly had no fallback of "getting stronger and coming back for revenge."
There were only the clansmen and homeland they had to protect behind them, and the Courage that was forced out of them.
What about himself?
Had his Courage been completely shattered by the Great Wild Boar King's charge? Even if he later switched to sharper weapons and sturdier armor, would his hands still tremble?
After retreating this time, would he truly have the guts to stand before that guy again, or even initiate a charge?
Walking out of the tent, Gordon again examined the Hunter's Knife that had accompanied him for a whole year, illuminated by the bright starlight.
The blade wasn't sharp enough, but it could still leave scars on the Great Wild Boar King.
The shield had cracks, but it stubbornly remained intact.
He closed his eyes.
The figures of the pioneers, dressed in thin armor, wielding crude knives, yet still shouting and charging one after another towards the monsters, surfaced in his mind.
A subtle yet bright emotion, like a spark, burst forth from the depths of his soul.
It wasn't fear, not impulsiveness, nor hysterical recklessness, but something much hotter.
Gordon opened his eyes, looking at his still aching and numb right hand, which no longer trembled, and murmured to himself unconsciously:
"Is this Courage?"
He slapped his cheeks hard until two ridiculous red handprints appeared on his face.
He put away the notebook, which symbolized his identity as a "Hunter," sheathed his blade, and re-tied the round shield to his right arm, tightening the straps.
"Then, let's start again!"
Two hours later, Gordon returned to the Hunting Camp.
The effect of the paint ball allowed him to roughly gauge the Great Wild Boar King's position and distance. He chose not to approach rashly; he still needed to make some preparations before the official battle began.
During the time he was away from the Hunting Camp, he searched the nearby mountain forest, diligently collecting all usable materials. These seemingly insignificant items might become important weights in the upcoming battle.
He was now sitting cross-legged on the ground inside the tent, organizing the messy items in front of him.
"Seven herbs, a few pieces of honey, one Seed of Endurance, four Blue Mushrooms, three Poison Mushrooms, two Paralysis Mushrooms..."
Some of these materials he had just gathered, while others had been collected two days prior and stored in his storage box.
"First, the recovery medicine."
Gordon used a mortar and pestle to crush and mix all the herbs and Blue Mushrooms. After adding a small amount of clear water, stirring thoroughly, and filtering, the resulting green liquid was the most basic recovery medicine.
Although the material proportions weren't quite right, and it hadn't undergone proper extraction and blending, the potion couldn't achieve optimal effect. However, time was pressing, and there was no time to dwell on such details.
Moreover, he had luckily found a beehive and harvested a good amount of honey.
According to his instructor's "secret recipe," he added a large amount of honey to the recovery medicine. Doing so could greatly enhance the recovery medicine's effect and make the bitter potion taste better.
The unextracted and unconcentrated recovery medicine was a bit too much. Looking at the potion filling the iron pot used for soup, Gordon felt a bit numb.
After forcing himself to tilt his head back and drink half a pot, Gordon let out a loud burp.
These crude recovery medicines were indeed not as effective or fast-acting as those carefully blended and stored in small glass bottles, but they made up for it in quantity.
About half an hour after drinking the potion, he felt that the pain in his right arm had almost completely disappeared, and the dull pain from the impact on his internal organs was also gone.
With a little more rest, he should be able to recover to full strength.
He poured all the remaining potion into his water skin for later consumption.
The large pile of various Mushrooms, a local specialty, was also put to use.
He used to be a combat-oriented individual who disdained using too many items, but now, his mindset had changed—any method that could increase the success rate of a hunt was a good method!
Many Hunters liked to use doctored raw meat to attract monsters, inducing them to eat it to weaken them.
For example, Paralysis raw meat, highly Poisonous raw meat, and so on. It sounded despicable, but it was a very effective hunting method.
The Great Wild Boar King is an omnivorous monster; they eat meat, but what these guys like most are the Mushrooms found everywhere in the forest after rain.
Gordon decided to set a trap for the Great Wild Boar King using this.
It was best if it succeeded, and there was no loss if it didn't.
However, it wouldn't be easy to fool these creatures that had lived in the jungle for generations, fed on Mushrooms, and had a sense of smell more acute than a dog's.
Paralysis Mushrooms, Poison Mushrooms, and the like, though also Mushrooms, if placed in front of it, it would absolutely not even glance at them.
Some degree of disguise was necessary.
For this, Gordon specifically dug out the most expensive settlement item he had collected these past few days from his storage box—the Giant Matsutake.
This peculiar fungus, growing deep within Shuretsusen Hill, possessed an extremely rich and fragrant nutty aroma. Not only for humans, but for the Great Wild Boar King, it was also a rare and exquisite delicacy.
A single one could sell for several times the reward of this mission; finding one was like winning the lottery.
Gordon, enduring the heartache, chopped all the Giant Matsutake into pieces. He mixed these intensely fragrant Mushroom pulp with thick honey, then smeared a thick layer of it onto the pile of Poison Mushrooms, Paralysis Mushrooms, and Sleep Mushrooms.
He hoped to deceive the Great Wild Boar King's sense of smell.
As for the appearance, it didn't matter. Everyone knew that Great Wild Boars forage by rooting around with their noses, and if they smell something to their liking, they just eat it directly without looking with their eyes.
After making the sinister bait, Gordon carefully crushed a Poison Mushroom he had intentionally saved, evenly spreading its purplish-black juice onto his Hunter's Knife.
This type of Poison Mushroom contained a potent, deadly poison, which was true for humans and also had some effect on monsters.
His instructor mentioned that some Hunter weapons use special monster materials rich in potent poison, giving them a "poison" attribute when attacking, to weaken the target's stamina.
His crude method, which didn't even count as proper poisoning, certainly couldn't compare to those advanced weapons, but as long as it could cause even a tiny bit more trouble for the Great Wild Boar King, it was worth it.
He glanced at the sky; there were about four or five hours left until dawn.
Gordon lay down on the bed.
Even though his mind was racing and he found it difficult to fall asleep, he still forced his eyes shut, trying to make himself sleep.
For the upcoming hunt, he had to conserve his strength and recover from his injuries.
"One Airou, two Airou, three Airou..."
A few minutes later, only faint snores gently echoed within the small tent.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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