"The hunting trail?"
His mom nodded, spreading open a small map over the dinner table. "Yes. It's a small path west from here. Many boars and wolves live there, though the occasional goblin comes here and there." She explained, dragging her finger over a small black line on the map. "Young hunters used to hunt their game there as a ritual, but it's been a while since then."
Evel looked at the map again, eyes trailing across the hunting trail, and he smiled.
Just minutes ago, he'd asked his mom if she knew anywhere he could hunt. She'd looked worried, and it took every calming word in his dictionary to finally calm her down. She then went over to a small cabinet at the corner of the cabin, pulled the map out, and rolled it out for him to see.
It was a simple road. The hunting trail had boars and wolves; two monsters he'd never fought before. The occasional goblin appearance wasn't much of a risk either.
It was a fairly straight path, and it was quite wide as well. It still had trees surrounding it of course, but it was wide enough that anything would take a while before they reached him, and that time was enough for him to send a knife straight to their heads.
It was perfect.
His mom said that he should be fine, but she still worried. He'd reassured her as much as he could, but there wasn't much he could do really. He could try and bring her along to placate her worries, but bringing his mom with him would just expose her to the dangers, and he would never dare do that!
So he accepted her conditions. He would come back after an hour, he'd run if he was in trouble, and if his stock of knives ran out, then he'd return. It meant that he couldn't bring back the corpses of the monsters he hunted, but he was fine with that. He could do that next time.
His trip would begin tomorrow, with today spent preparing.
Now then, what should he do first?
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Deliah had agreed to let her son go down the hunting trail and fight on his own.
It didn't mean she couldn't watch over him from a distance.
In truth, she knew he was capable. Her son was strong now, he could slay goblins with a single throw of his wooden knife, and he could survive a bash with his [Bulwark]. He should be fine. He should be.
But she still worried. This was the first time her son would be going out on an adventure. It was a short one, and a close one, and perhaps one that was a tad too simple, but an adventure nonetheless.
And there were two ways an adventure could end.
One could survive, and one could die.
She was keen on having her son be the former.
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The boar stumbled around, blood dripping down from its head as it wobbled. It then cried out before it fell over, the wooden knife in its head finally taking its toll.
You have killed [Boar Lv - 1]! Gained 5 Exp!
Evel finally let go of the breath he'd been holding, brushing away leaves and dirt as he rose from the bush he'd been hiding in. Despite their size, boars were speedy, and they'd bolt away the moment they noticed something approaching.
He learnt that the hard way.
The first boar he'd seen had immediately fled, the second had dodged his knife, instead letting it graze its back as it ran away. It was only until his third try did he succeed in hunting a boar.
At least they fell with a single knife. It would've been much harder had they survived the first.
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Walking over to the dead boar, he crouched down and yanked the wooden knife out of its head, giving the bloody thing a good wipe before he placed it back on his belt. The knife's edge was still sharp, though there were chips here and there from the times he'd sent it crashing into the earth.
Which wasn't so bad; he still had another 9 wooden knives on his belt and an iron one for further insurance. He just needed to make sure he didn't break them all before the hour ended.
So, first target killed, he moved on, following the small dirt path that was created hundreds of years ago. He didn't know who made them, he couldn't find anything from the books he had back home, but the trail was definitely old.
His book also told that this hunting trail used to be much more dangerous, with large birds and drakes living in the trees' shade. They were gone now, having migrated somewhere else due to the changing-
Evel stopped and leapt to the side, hiding behind one of the trees as he watched another boar slowly make its way along the path. It was heading his way, very much unaware of the human watching and the wooden knife carefully held in his hands. With bated breath, he raised his arm, and threw.
A gust of wind followed as the knife dug right through the boar's head and out the other side, killing it in seconds. The corpse stilled before it wobbled and fell with a soft thump.
You have killed [Boar Lv - 1]! Gained 5 Exp!
Letting his breath out, he walked out from the tree's shadows, bending down and picking up the wooden knife he'd thrown. There wasn't as much blood this time, most of it having splashed onto the surrounding soil. He still gave it a wipe with a piece of cloth before placing it-
Suddenly, he heard something rustle behind him, and Evel leapt to the side, just fast enough to avoid the wolf that'd charged his way.
The wolf snarled at him, fangs bared to the world as they dripped with saliva. He narrowed his eyes at it, raising his arm as he prepared a throw.
Then, he threw the wooden knife, sending it flying with a small wave of wind.
And it dodged.
"...!" The wolf's speed surprised it, and the monster leapt at him, jaw ready to bite. Taking a deep breath, he snatched another wooden knife from his belt and threw it, and again, the wolf weaved to the side. The knife made impact against the dirt, and the wolf had come far too close for another throw.
He brought his arm forward to defend, and the wolf gladly snapped its jaw shut.
Then, surprise flickered over it as its teeth met not against soft flesh, Evel having applied [Bulwark] just in time to increase his defense.
Its surprise quickly ended when a sharp metal knife was stuck right between its eyes. He grit his teeth, taking hold of the stabbed knife, and with all his might, he twisted it.
Blood exploded from the wolf's head, coating his arm before the monster finally lost its strength and fell from his arm. Evel just stared at it for a moment, not quite sure if he'd killed it before he sighed, his shoulders sagging as the adrenaline fled from his system.
You have killed [Wolf Lv - 1]! Gained 20 Exp!
That'd been a close one, far too close. Had his [Bulwark] not gone up in time his arm would've been bitten right off, and who knew what would've happened after that?
And yet his dad used to boast about how easy wolves are to kill, how all he needed to do was swing his arms down and let his sword do the rest of the work. How did his dad become so confident in doing this? How does anyone become so adept at fighting monsters like that? How does anyone do this so frequently?
Thankfully, he was just a farm boy, so he didn't quite need to worry about that.
Still, that was another monster killed, and 20 Exp added to his status. He needed 40 Exp more, either 8 boars or 2 wolves or somewhere between the two, and he'd reach his second level.
What does that entail?
Who knows. He'd been stuck on his first level for most of his life.
With a newly found sense of caution, Evel ventured forth, a wooden knife in one hand and a metal one in the other.
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The tree bark creaked as Deliah's fingers dug into it, the woman's strength breaking past the wood's natural endurance.
The wolf had gotten far too close to her son. If she hadn't noticed him activating [Bulwark], she would've sent her threads to sever the monster's head right off.
But her son was fine, Evel was fine. He was alive.
She took a deep breath, doing her best to calm herself. She couldn't act too rashly; she'd be found out if she did, and she didn't know how her son would react.
She eventually managed, relaxing the grip she had on the poor tree she was crushing. The tree was badly damaged, but it'd survive, maybe.
Then, her son began moving once again, and Deliah gave the tree a quick silent apology before she followed him from afar, careful to keep her movements silent and invisible.
The dozens of dead boars and wolves just behind her were left forgotten.