Now, I'm hiding behind a bush, moving slowly and soundlessly.
My camouflage ability is active, blending my body into the surroundings. As long as I don't move too quickly, no dissonance will be made, and it'll be unlikely for anyone to notice me.
At a distance of about 15 to 20 meters away from me is a squirrel-like creature, with a large spikey bush of a tail, nibbling on some kind of nut. Other than the spikes, it really seems like the squirrels from back on earth.
But I remember that glossy nut. I tried eating one earlier, but it was hard for me to smash even with my titanium-based flesh piercing tongue. In other words, this spike tail squirrel's teeth might be able to break through my soft titanium shell.
I raise my bamboo blowgun. It can't camouflage but its color matches with the surrounding vegetation, so unless someone looks directly at it, they shouldn't be able to notice it.
I reach a tentacle into a pouch that I weaved out of leaves and grass and pull out a wooden dart. I lightly spit some poison ink onto the tip of the dart. Then, I stuff the dart into the bamboo.
"Fuu~" I puff my cheeks and blow into the bamboo.
The blackened dart shoots out and flies in a straight line.
Like a flash of light, not as bright nor as fast, but it whizzes fast and... passes right by the face of the spiky tail squirrel face, startling it into dropping its nut and scurrying away on all fours.
"Meow! (Damn it! It missed.)"
People do not become sharpshooters out of nowhere. Even people with very good eyes will first have to adjust to the act of shooting, before being able to hit their targets.
And I, Gosh, have only ordinary faux kat eyes, and no experience wielding guns in my past life. Like I said before, I led a very ordinary life. Therefore, shooting small targets from afar naturally is not easy for me.
The solution to this? Switch to bigger targets. That way, it'll be harder to miss.
I find something like a deer, big but not too big, with paws instead of hooves, and more muscular legs.
Camouflaged behind a tree, I puff my cheeks and blow into the bamboo. "Fuu~"
A blackened dart shoots out.
Stab.
The pointy tip of the blackened dark sunk into the hoofless deer's body, causing it to shake a little.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
In an instant, the hoofless deer's face contorted into a mean glare.
At that moment, I had a bad feeling, and my feeling was spot-on.
The hoofless deer turned and faced my direction. Even though not a single beast was reflected in its pupils, it lowers its antlers and charges at full speed.
And its speed is fast.
I leapt out of the way as fast as I could, narrowly avoiding a hit,
DOOM!
right before the hoofless deer's antlers stab into the trunk of the tree I was hiding behind.
The tree shakes violently as it slightly bends over.
"!" I let out a silent scream. What terrifying strength. Aren't deers supposed to be the symbol of herbivores?
But with a glance at the hoofless deer's now open, huffing, puffing mouth, I see 2 rows of sharp fangs that can only belong to natural born meat eaters.
Truly, bringing the common sense of another world into a new one can get you killed.
While the hoofless deer is still working to pull its antlers out of the tree, I hurriedly run away.
After that, I find a wild boar with a white and rocky coat. Instead of tusks, it looks like it has a helmet over its head.
Without even shooting at it, I know that my dart will not be able to penetrate its hide. It's obviously an evolved monster with strong defense.
I back away and search for new prey.
I'm gradually sensing a pattern here.
In this world, it is likely that, the bigger the monster, the more evolved and more powerful they are. It sounds like a simple truth, but it's actually not so instinctive for a transmigrator/reincarnator like me.
That's because even back on earth, there are many small animals that are more dangerous than big ones. Those small animals tend to be poisonous. And humans have always been known for hunting stronger and more muscular animals using their spears and guns.
If I want to survive in the wild, I need to change my mindset and be more careful.
Before the day started coming to an end, and it was reaching time for dinner, I spot a monster that's somewhere between a wolf and a badger, with the build of a wolf, but the plentiful fur coat and somewhat more docile eyes of a badger.
Its sense of smell does not seem as good as that of a wolf's. It does not react even when I get within shooting range.
Somehow, it looks kind of familiar...
"..."
Oh, that's right. This beast is the same as the carcass I saw those 6 eye red ants crawling all over and eating the day I was reborn in this world, Aberna. Only difference is that this one is alive, and that one was dead.
Well, that difference won't last for long.
I made the preparations. Then, still in camouflage, I raise my bamboo blowgun and shoot.
"Fuu~"
Stab.
"Mehhh~!"
The poisoned dart sinks into the badger wolf's neck, causing it to let out a pained cry, one that sounded like the bleating of a goat.
After that, it looked around with a fearful expression, saw nothing, and then ran off.
I watched quietly while realizing a problem. Killing monsters this way may be efficient, but I don't get any drops as rewards, since they always run away before they die to my poison.
"Meow...."
It looks like I'll be catching fish again tonight.
Gains of the day:
Killed stage 2 level 12 Mas Der. Gain 316 exp. Level +1
Killed stage 1 level 6 Codag. Gain 52 exp.
Excerpt from Aberna's Cyclopedia of Monster:
Spika Roda - a small but agile stage 1 rodent-type monster. It is herbivorous and not very strong. Its bushy tail is full of spikes, meant to deter predators chasing it from behind while it is running away. It may look cute, but if you corner it and stretch out your hand to pet it, it will misunderstand your movements to be a threat and bite you. With its teeth that are capable of crushing small rocks, it might easily break your fingerbones.