"Ah! Don't be so sentimental. The guy just took pity on you, seeing how you're a young student about to throw his life away. Don't make any mistakes; the moment he gets a good enough sum to sacrifice you or even slaughter you, he won't hesitate. And even if he does, his conclusion, will be taking you down," the voice inside his head said nonchalantly.

Alexander wanted to retort, but would Ricky really, bet an eye if someone offered him enough money? Alexander didn't know the answer, or he just didn't want to admit the truth.

He shook his head to clear it from all these useless thoughts. He needed to kill some beasts not only to level up but also to fill his pockets.

Earlier, when he prepared extensively, he spent almost all his money. Now he didn't have even one-tenth left. In a way, it was intentional.

He intentionally, put himself in a situation where he needed to hunt for money.

Most parties would go toward the west, essentially going deeper into the forest. And finding monsters to kill that would potentially land them a profit or at least break even.

But Alexander opted to head north. It was along the side of the city wall, and by going this way, he would ensure not going deeper into the forest and stumbling in front of beasts he couldn't handle.

He was in full alert mode to the point he could even hear his own heartbeat. Suddenly, he heard something in the bushes. He didn't wait a second, almost like his body reacted on its own. He used almost all of his power to reach the top of the tree next to him.

He looked around, but he gulped. He had to admit he was afraid. At this distance, the trees weren't that high, but Alexander still didn't climb to the top as he feared he would encounter a snake or something else. what if a gint bird sfe him away somewhere.

But even at this height, his view was wide. His eyes were soon attracted to something in the distance. Around 100 or 150 meters from his location, there he saw an elk-like creature. Well, though it was mutated, it just grew bigger. The creature looked majestic, but judging by how far it was, there was no way it made the sound right now.

So he looked directly around his vicinity. His eyes were focused, and his brows were creased as he did his best to find what was wrong and also find something to kill.

But as soon as he saw what was making the sound, he wanted to facepalm himself hard. He saw not far away a hamster-like creature rolling around in the bough, well actually two of them. They looked quite happy, and it might be that they were a couple.

The creatures looked very cute. Alexander remembered their name; these were called Fluffnuts. They were practically harmless creatures. Alexander almost didn't want to kill them. But in the next moment, he shook his head. Could he really afford the luxury of mercy, or better yet, should he adopt it? The answer was simply no.

These two had to be fuel for his level up, and in any case, they would become food for some creature sooner or later. Logic like this popped up in Alexander’s mind to justify what he was about to do, though deep down, he knew what he was doing. It was really hard for him.

But he understood one thing: showing empathy to others, in this society, is cruelty to oneself. And besides, it's just two Fluffnuts, why the heck was he wishy-washy like a kid?

Alexander again shook his head, and like many times before, he jumped down right above them, with his axe for an overhead swing, before any unnecessary thought could form in his mind.

Both of the Fluffnuts looked up at the same time as a shadow was cast over them. They didn't get the chance to feel that terror as the axe landed on the ground with a thud, kicking up a small dust cloud.

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Alexander's axe sliced through flesh with brutal force, spattering blood in its wake. But his triumph turned to horror as the blade's momentum carried it beyond its mark. In a moment of miscalculation, it tore through not just one, but two Fluffnuts, and buried itself deep into the earth. The surrounding bushes were shredded in a half-meter radius, testament to the raw power of his swing. With a sinking heart, Alexander surveyed the unintended carnage; his excitement turned to remorse in the blink of an eye, his axe was stuck.

“fffffff, darn it.” Alexander cursed out in frustration. when he could not yank the axe out of the ground.

He calmed down and first checked how much exp he got.

[You have killed a Fluffnut - 7 exp.]

[You have killed a Fluffnut - 7 exp.]

Alexander was irritated. These things were a bit bigger than cats, so Alexander thought they would give him at least over 10 exp, but it seems it doesn't work that way.

Suddenly, he heard some strange noises, and what he saw broke his heart. These were not the only Fluffnuts around; there were also 6 cubs. He felt bad, but in the next moment, what he thought made him question his own sanity. He wanted to kill them as well for exp.

He pushed the thought down with disgust as he moved away. But he couldn't help but think if instead of getting 7 exp, he got 20 or 30, would he be able to not kill them? The answer was something he didn't want to accept.

It seems he wasn't that different from Ricky or the broker. Who knows, he might be even worse.

It didn't take long for the wandering Alexander to come across some other wildlife. Between his strength and anger, he dispatched them fairly quickly.

And this continued. Alexander didn't go toward the elk; first, he wasn't sure if it was there or not, and even if it was, he didn't want to mess with something bigger this early.

So he continued killing what he could find and what he thought he could handle.

........

Alexander slightly bent backward, narrowly avoiding the wild dog that jumped on him. But in the next moment, another came for his leg. He brought down his axe with gusto, which it easily avoided. As dust flew where the axe landed His appearance bore the marks of frequent battles, a testament to the constant fighting he endured.

The one from the back lunged at him again, unable to find anything; it stopped its bite, aimed at his head with his arms.

As the almost rotten teeth seeped into his flesh, Alexander screamed out, unable to hold the pain. In the next moment, Alexander’s eyes also flashed with bestial fury. As he let go of his axe and with his other hand grabbed its head roughly.

He drove his thumb right into the dog's eyes as blood flowed out. Just as the pain set in, the creature let go of his arm, and Alexander bashed it right into the other one coming for him in the head.

Both of the dogs' heads clashed with each other. As a cracking sound rang out. But Alexander didn't let go and bashed it a few times on the ground.

The dog was almost limp, but Alexander could still see the ferociousness in its eyes, which ignited his

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Alexander's now slightly dampened anger even more. With the hand that was bitten and now dripping with blood, Alexander picked up the axe embedded right beside him and brought it down on the dog. With Alexander’s fury, it had the full 12 points of strength behind it, which severed the wild dog in half, as the little blood it held in its feeble body splattered.

Alexander then looked at the other one with a menacing look. It still hadn't regained its senses after being hit on the head. Alexander wanted to finish this one before it could cause more problems.

But as he started moving toward it, it regained its clarity. What it did next shocked Alexander. It looked at him once and started running in the opposite direction.

Alexander, seeing this, increased his speed, but he was losing his strength fast. He could feel the strain on his body. His vision swam, but he knew he couldn't let the dog go.

He knew he couldn't catch up to the dog; even at his best condition and top speed, he couldn't. So he gritted his teeth and with a roar of his own, threw his axe, with all the strength he could muster, right at the dog. He chose the all-or-nothing route.

Alexander felt exhausted, as his muscles protested, but his face sank when he realized the axe wouldn't hit its mark. He sighed, thinking he was no marksman after all.

The axe landed right beside the dog, but fortunately for Alexander, it had enough pure raw force in it that as it landed, it created a small dust explosion, splitting the ground.

As it landed right beside the dog, the residual force threw the weak dog to the side where it collided with a tree with a whimper.

Though Alexander felt like he was going to lose consciousness at any moment, seeing this, he didn't hesitate for even a moment as he ran, squandering all his strength in his legs.

Running past the axe, he swiftly took it out and reached the dog. He kicked it right in the chest. It went backward, hitting the tree once again. But before it could bounce back from the tree bark, Alexander pinned it to the bark with his left hand, and with his right swung the axe right at its stomach.

Alexander didn't know if he was weak or the dog was strong, but his axe stopped halfway. He couldn't sever its body in two with just one strike.

He didn't think much about it, or rather he couldn't. Taking back his axe, he swung again. This time the swing landed a little below the first one, and it went halfway through. Alexander frowned.

But he knew he was at his limit. He ripped out the axe in a violent manner so that the wound worsened and blood flowed in droves from it as the dog whimpered.

If nothing else, it would bleed out to death soon. He didn't waste time as he ran away. This place reeked of blood. Soon there would be other animals in this area, and he was in no condition to fight.

He didn't want to let go of the wild dog because they roamed in groups, and these two were most likely scouts.