The Wildheart Berry was no longer just a quest item; it was a strategic objective. With the clue from the Forest Rabbit's data block, Lucas Thorne now had a tangible trail to follow. The hunt began not with weapons, but with observation. For the rest of the day, he and Kael became shadows, tailing a small warren of rabbits with a patience born of pure, analytical focus.
He wasn't a hunter by nature. In his old life, the only tracking he'd done was of data packets and market trends. But the logic was the same. He observed the rabbits' patterns, their preferred routes, the subtle signs they left behind. He learned to read the landscape not as a series of obstacles, but as a living map of information. Kael was an invaluable asset, his keen nose picking up scents and trails that were invisible to Lucas, his low growls a constant, reliable proximity alert.
They moved slowly, deliberately, deeper into the untamed woods, far from the chaotic starting zone. The System, in its brutal efficiency, had made the early levels a filter. Only the most tenacious or the most powerful players would push this far, this fast. Here, the monsters were a higher level, the resources rarer, and the silence more profound.
By the second day, they had a clear direction. The rabbits were consistently moving southeast, toward a line of rocky, overgrown hills. But their path was blocked. A new, more dangerous creature had claimed the area as its territory. It was a [Crimson Quillboar], a Level 6 beast built like a furry battering ram, its back a thicket of sharp, blood-red quills.
Lucas and Kael watched from a safe distance, concealed in a dense thicket. The Quillboar was a walking fortress. It patrolled a small clearing, occasionally stopping to dig at the ground with its tusks. Every few minutes, it would shake its body, and a volley of quills would shoot out in a wide arc, embedding themselves in the surrounding trees with a series of sharp thwacks. It was both a melee and a ranged threat, a significant step up from any mob he had encountered.
A direct assault was suicide. His staff would break against its hide, and Kael would be turned into a pincushion before he got within ten feet. He needed more data. He focused his will, activating [System Insight].
[Crimson Quillboar | Level 6]
[Trait: Quill Volley - Shoots quills in a wide, damaging arc. 30-second cooldown.]
[Hidden Weakness: Soft Underbelly - Armor plating does not cover its stomach. Vulnerable to piercing attacks from below.]
[Hidden Behavior: Gorges on 'Ironwood Nuts' before sleeping. Enters a state of deep, food-induced torpor for approximately one hour after consumption.]
Two potential paths to victory. The first, combat. A high-risk, low-probability maneuver that would require him to somehow get underneath a charging, quill-shooting monster. The second, a non-combat, strategic solution. The food-induced torpor. His mind, the ever-present calculator, weighed the variables. The choice was obvious. He would use the creature's own biology against it.
The problem was acquiring the bait. The only Ironwood tree in the area stood in the middle of the Quillboar's clearing. This wasn't a fight; it was a heist.
He waited, observing. He timed the [Quill Volley] cooldown. He mapped the beast's patrol route. He formulated a plan, a quiet, high-stakes ballet of timing and stealth.
"When it fires its next volley," he whispered to Kael, his voice a low hum. "It will turn to the east to begin its patrol. That's our window. You draw its attention to the south. Just a sound. I will go for the nuts. We have less than thirty seconds."
Kael looked at him, his intelligent eyes showing a complete, unwavering trust.
The Quillboar shook, and a hail of red quills ripped through the air. It turned east.
"Now," Lucas commanded.
Kael let out a single, sharp bark from the southern edge of the clearing. The Quillboar grunted, its head snapping toward the sound, its tiny, stupid eyes trying to find the source of the challenge.
While it was distracted, Lucas moved. He was a ghost, a blur of motion, sprinting across the clearing to the Ironwood tree. The nuts were scattered on the ground. He didn't waste time selecting the best ones. He scooped up a handful and was gone, melting back into the shadows of the forest seconds before the Quillboar gave up on the sound and resumed its patrol.
He laid the trap in a small, secluded area just off the beast's main path. He placed the Ironwood Nuts in a pile and retreated, his heart a steady, even drum. Now, all he could do was wait.
An hour later, the Quillboar, following its instincts, found the pile of nuts. It snorted with pleasure and began to eat, its powerful jaws cracking the hard shells with ease. After it had finished, it yawned, a massive, cavernous display of tusks, and lumbered into a nearby thicket. A few minutes later, a deep, rumbling snore echoed through the woods.
Phase two. Lucas and Kael moved with an almost unbearable slowness, their steps perfectly silent as they crept past the sleeping, high-level monster. They could feel the vibrations of its snores through the soles of their boots. A single snapped twig, a single misplaced step, would mean an instant, violent death. They cleared the Quillboar's territory, the tension only breaking when they were a safe hundred yards away.
A short while later, they found it. A hidden grove, nestled between two large, moss-covered boulders. Small bushes, covered in glowing, crimson berries, grew in the dappled sunlight.
[Item Discovered: Wildheart Berries]
He had done it. He had the first catalyst. He moved toward the bushes, a rare, triumphant smile on his face.
As he reached out to pick one, a voice, sharp and laced with pain, cut through the air.
"Don't move."
He froze. At the far side of the grove, leaning heavily against a tree, was Evelyn Reed. Her high-end armor was dented and scratched, and she was clutching a nasty-looking wound on her arm. Her Blademaster's sword was in her other hand, its point aimed directly at his chest. Her face was pale, her breathing ragged, but her eyes were as fierce and determined as ever.
His secret, solo quest had just collided with his most powerful, and most unpredictable, rival.