Dawn Architect

Chapter 11: Hunting

Arriving at the edge of the forest, I stopped to think about how to approach the hunt efficiently. This forest stretched a few kilometers away from the capital, and it took me only two hours to get here, as for how I broke through the walls of the capital is very simple with the teleportation skill.

The forest near the capital is known for its wealth of resources, which is why the empire allows its existence. The interesting thing about this place is that the deeper you go in, the more dangers are encountered. The outer areas are fairly quiet and are usually the perfect place for newbies to pick up some experience.

 However, if you're looking for challenges and more formidable creatures, you have to venture deeper. Right now, as a simple awakened, I need to accumulate experience to improve myself, and hunting beasts is the most direct way to do that.

Before venturing in, I properly equipped myself at the system store:

>>Stalker's Hood (200 SP) <<: Helps me conceal my presence, crucial for approaching prey undetected.

>>Guardian's breastplate (250 SP) <<: Provides light protection without compromising too much my mobility.

>>scent inhibition potion (50 SP) x3<<: To eliminate my scent and prevent creatures from tracking me by smell.

>>Druid boots (300 SP) <<<: Improve my vitality, thus increasing my stamina for long hunting days.

Although these gear cost me quite a bit of my system points, they are worth it for the advantage they give me in the field.

Already in the forest, it wasn't long before I found my first prey, a snake over 3 meters long. Thanks to my eyes of truth, I was able to quickly detect that it was a low-ranking creature, and I had no trouble taking it down. In this world, beasts are born with mana, which makes them naturally awakened, an advantage they have over humans, I continue to find more creatures and several plants that will be useful to me later.

After a few hours of hunting, I came across something more challenging: a red-furred Pyrobear drinking quietly in a river. I recognized that it was a one-star beast, and I knew that hunting it would give me a good amount of experience. 

Experience is an abstract concept; we know that we gain something by defeating creatures, but there is no counter that tells you how much you have accumulated or how much is left to level up, but it is well known that the more rank the beast possesses the more amount compared to one of your rank, likewise if you are many ranks higher than the beast the amount you receive is minimal and sometimes you get nothing.

I sneaked up on the Pyrobear, but just as I was about to attack it, the bear turned and saw me. My hood doesn't make me invisible, just less noticeable so the bear spotted me right away . "I miss Lili," I thought with a bitter smile, "with her by my side, this would have been easier." The bear launched a paw that I managed to narrowly dodge, but it left me in a bad position and took the opportunity to launch a fire breath. Fortunately, my armor can withstand attacks of up to two stars several times a day. I took advantage of the confusion created by his own attack and, from a blind angle, thrust my sword into his eye, finishing him off quickly.

All my equipment were things that would normally use awakened of two stars or more as they were all mid level elemental star rank that made the matchmaking more fluid and allows me to match beasts of higher rank than mine in fact the weapons have no restriction and anyone can use a weapon of higher rank than theirs as long as they are capable.

So the day passed quickly and at dusk after finding a safe place in a small cave to spend the night, I prepared everything for the next day.

I awoke the next day, determined to face greater challenges. After a few hours hunting more common beasts, I came across a creature that caught my attention: an impressive three-meter tall tree deer with antlers that branched like trees and a dark brown coat. Using my eyes of truth, I determined it was a two-star beast. I chose this target because herbivorous creatures are usually easier to tackle, although it was still a beast of considerable range.

I approached stealthily from behind, a method I had established as a pattern in my hunts, for if it worked, it avoided direct confrontations. However, when I tried to stab him from the side, my sword, though capable of cutting through almost any material, failed to make a deep cut. I quickly resorted to plan B: I imbued my sword with mana and activated the electric current ability.

 The electric shock shook the deer's body, but it wasn't enough to completely incapacitate it. With its antlers pointed at me, I had to let go of my sword, which got stuck in its thick hide. I took enough distance to analyze the situation.

Although the deer tried to hit me, the effect of the electricity had sapped its movements, leaving its muscles numb. Seizing the moment, I ran with all my speed and, using the momentum, struck the pommel of the sword, plunging it deeper. The deer let out a cry of pain. Showing no mercy, I pulled out the sword and, with a precise movement, thrust it back in.

Preparing for any eventuality, I continued to inflict wounds that slowly drained its life. This species of deer, known for its high vitality, could not compensate for the continuous damage. After a few minutes, the beast tried to flee, but every chance it got, I used the sword skill to inflict more damage and weaken its speed. 

Finally, the deer gave up on fleeing and, in a last desperate attempt, charged at me with all its might. It was an explosively fast move, leaving me with no room to dodge. I could only teleport to avoid the impact. Missing its attack, the deer let out one last scream before dropping dead. It was a desperate hit, but in its weakened state, it gave everything it had.

I kept the deer's body in my inventory and continued the hunt, reflecting on the challenges I would face and how each encounter brought me closer to my goal of becoming stronger and surviving in this merciless world. Each beast defeated not only provided me with resources and experience, but also strengthened my will.

The following days were a constant cycle of hunting and survival, and I became increasingly skilled in actual combat, becoming better adapted to this young body.

After two intense days of hunting, I felt the saturation of experience and decided it was time to find a safe place to level up. I chose a part of the forest where the trees were gigantic and found a tree with a hollow big enough for shelter. After securing the place, I carefully prepared to ascend to awaken from a star, anticipating the moment.