24 Hearts

19====================

To live in this world.

Gentia really loves her sleep in the morning. Some people can’t wake up even if someone wakes them up. For them, it’s normal to keep on sleeping even after the sun has risen. Gentia was like this. She also severely drooled as she slept, cuddling up to anything next to her as she kept on slumbering.

However, if she has anything to do in the day, her eyes immediately flick open. If this was not the case, she would never have been able to work as a mercenary. She only lazed and kept on sleeping if the day’s schedule was relaxed.

Yesterday, she had taught the kid, Judah, the art of throwing daggers. From today onwards, they would begin their activities in the woods and only return by evening. They would be under the sky and in the wilds, and Gentia figured the training would go slow because Judah was still young. So this morning, she had woken up, rubbed her sleepy eyes, yawned, changed her clothes, and washed her face.

Then she woke Judah up, just as the sun started peeking over the mountains.

It seemed that Judah did not expect that he would get up so early. Still, he silently arose from bed, had breakfast with her, and then both of them set out for the forest. The eastern gate was already open. They passed through it, and on the road, they met drowsy herbalists and hunters who were slowly walking to the forest as well.

If one leaves by the southern or western gate, one enters dangerous areas filled with monsters. So unless you are an adventurer or knight, you are not allowed to exit via those gates. Around Serenia itself, the only possible danger was the black wolves that came up from the southern forest on occasion.

* * *

I followed Gentia into the forest, and she soon started her class.

What she taught me was simple yet difficult. First off, she informed me of of the medicinal herbs that commonly grew in the area. She also taught me which of them I should use in an emergency.

By opening my notepad function, I managed to input everything that she taught me.

I didn’t have time to remember so much stuff all at once, so I rather kept my eyes peeled and observed everything that she showed me. I nodded to myself. I could learn all the skills at once, due to my status as a player.

Through the notepad, I could enter everything without the risk of later forgetting it. My brain had not changed since I’ve entered this reality. Although I would say that my memory had improved a little, it is difficult to remember what I have just seen and heard.

After teaching me about herbs, Gentia taught me how to hunt. There wasn’t anything special to the act of hunting.

All I had to do was to apply dagger throwing techniques from a distance to get an insta-kill. I could also slow the animal down by crippling one of its legs and then chase it down and kill it. It helped that Gentia told me how to slit the beast’s throat, and how to mask my scent when stalking it. There was also a lot of theory regarding the tracking down of beasts, how to see how recent their spoor was, and so on.

As Gentia had said, hunting was fun. It was what happened afterward that was problematic. Butchering the carcass was a grim labor: Having to skin and quarter it, throwing the offal aside. It was a hard day, but I was able to return home in the evening with the meat of my prey.

I hadn’t figured that I would be doing all of this for two whole years. I had to gather herbs, learned about their efficacy, and regularly explained all the treatment methods in cases of emergency. I eventually mastered being proficient in Mercenary Left-Handed Dagger and had reached a point where I could hit moving prey from a distance. The skinning and butchering remained a pain, though.

I had also gained some proficiency in erasing my tracks and signs, as Gentia’s method of training these skills was to either stalk me, or have me stalk her. So I naturally developed these skills, up to a point where I could almost completely erase any sign of my presence from the forest.

Anyway, many busy days passed by in such a manner, yet the terrible fact was that my stats had barely risen.

Even though most of these activities had not been done before, they had become repetitive actions, which meant that my stats had risen a bit, and not by much after that.

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[—] You have traveled east of Serenia, across the mountain, and into the Eastern Forest to hunt wild animals. You have certainly gained experience. Strength increased by 3, Agility increased by 3, Stamina increased by 4[—]

[—]You have learned a variety of essential knowledge from Tracker Gentia, such as medicinal herbal lore, first aid, and which fruit and mushrooms are edible. Knowledge increased by 4[—]

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「Status Window」

[Name: Judah Arche]

[Title: None]

[Level: 9]

[Job: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman (Hidden_A)]

[Number of resurrections: 1]

[Strength: 35(D) / Potential A]

[Health: 35(D) / Potential S]

[Agility: 30(D) / Potential SS]

[Magic: 37(D) / Potential B]

[Magic Resistance: 51(C) / Potential S]

[Knowledge: 17(F) / Potential B] ◀ Special

[Luck: 79(B) / Potential A] ◀ Special

[Remaining points: 8]

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Still, I was truly proud of myself. While hunting beasts, my level had risen a little. I had accumulated points, but decided not to use them yet.

Nowadays, Gentia didn’t wake up early in the mornings anymore as she thought that she had nothing more to teach me.

She always overslept and lived like a jobless bum. Thanks to this, I had started to head into the forest on my own. It soon became a routine.

I hunted at least every two to three days, but strangely, the number of animals never seemed to decrease. I assumed that many other civilians also hunted here – so the animals might be respawning over time.

Still, there were not so many hunters in Serenia. Compared to the total population, the amount of hunters was ridiculously small. Feral beasts, wild boars, and other animals are hunted and eaten, but the smell of their flesh was rank, and in some species, the meat was quite tough. It was difficult for a hunter to get proper payment after all their effort of going through forests and over hills to net their game.

Rather, killing black and white wolves in the southern forest and then selling their hides and gems was where the real money is at. Compared to monsters and predators, wild game animals did not give any gems even if they died. And there were decisively fewer monsters and meat-eaters in the northern forest, which was why herders and ranchers grazed their sheep and cattle there.

Foods such as rice, wheat, and chicken also regularly came via traders to Serenia, so the city had no shortage of food. So naturally, the job of the hunter had become a niche profession. The hunters that remained enjoyed hunting, and it was their only hobby.

I opened my minimap. It appeared in one corner of my field-of-view and showed great detail from a top-down angle. The red circle was the player’s position, my position. Even if I lost my way in the forest, I could always find my bearings by opening the minimap and so head home.

‘Hmm, this is… Am I near the southern forest?’

It seemed further off than I had thought. I didn’t normally come here. The area before me was dark on the minimap, which meant that it was a region that I have never been to.

I raised my head as I looked into the distance. I didn’t see anything that could be said to be a distinct border. But on my minimap, lines were drawn, and the titles clearly stated that the southern forest lay beyond.

A closer look at the forest before me showed that darkness reigned within, even if the sun still rode high in the sky.

The other name for the southern forest is the Black Forest, and it is where the fierce black wolves fight with the white wolves over territory. If I entered the forest hastily and encountered a wolf, I might suffer injury or death.

‘I have to go back.’

I really wanted to kill a wolf, but I decided to walk the safe road rather than the highly risky one. I had no proper weapons and no armor. When I stretched my legs and started to lift my feet to head back, a creeping sensation ran from my toes to my scalp. My hairs stood upright as I got goosebumps.

‘Crawooo!’

A terrifying cry, like a loud and hoarse whisper, slammed into my ears.

A wolf!

I reflexively drew the longsword at my waist and pulled a dagger from my belt. The dagger flashed sharply in the sunlight as it left its leather sheath. I slowly crouched down as I looked around, but nothing was visible. The lush forest was hiding the wolf.

‘Saawhoooo!’

Wow! It had filled its lungs with fresh air and howled again. I took a tentative step and started moving. Moments ago, only the pleasant sound of the wind rustling through leaves was heard. Now, the atmosphere in the once-quiet forest has changed. Once the wolf had made its presence known, the peace of the forest had changed into the eeriness of a haunted house.

This was so different from the hunts that I had grown used to. Before, I had been the hunter. Now it felt as if I was truly in the position of the hunted. A new power has emerged, a predator that ate predators. I trembled in fear when I considered I would soon have to risk my life, but this fear quickly turned into excitement. And at that very moment, when I knew I was excited, the corners of my mouth started to rise.

‘Hah, I’m mad as well,’ I muttered.

The palpable excitement I felt had become a weird thing. In my original reality, I was no coward, but neither did I possess such cold bravery. I tried to resolve conflict through words if possible and avoided it if I could. I never crossed the line if the other person backed off.

Here, it was different. Whether it was because my survival was at stake, or because of -Player- and -Determination-, my personality seemed to have become completely reversed.

‘Harooowoo!’

Just in case I hadn’t heard it the first two times, the wolf cried again.

‘Saabsaak, stuk, sabsak,’ came the sound of something prowling in the distance. The wolf must be circling me, checking me out.

If I ran to it, it would probably kill me, so I stood firm, sword in hand, and remembered my training.

I confidently waited for it to come out first. However, I could only seldom see signs of its presence. I took small steps, and the wolf would only briefly reveal its proximity with a cry.

Even after ten whole minutes, the wolf did not appear. It was a prudent beast. My excitement subsided and my fear arose once more. The tensions made my body feel heavier, taught, for I did not know when the wolf would be behind me, and when it would leap.

The sword in my grasp felt heavier, and I haven’t even swung it. The dense forest remained unchanged. The cold wind blew in, and the branches started to sway as if in a dance. The shimmering sunlight pierced through the leaves and onto the ground. Being so excessively tense increases your fatigue and makes the body wear out in an instant. I only now realized something, so once more, I changed my mind.

‘If I die here, I come back to life.’

Just like when Jacques the mercenary had killed me. I had nothing to worry about.

I would simply return to the start. Wouldn’t death be painful, though? Okay, granted, I had not felt pain the last time that I had died.

I muttered inside of my mind, brainwashing myself to be brave. As I thought about all these things, the tension flowed from me.

Tensing my body slightly, I decided to give my best when the enemy appeared. I looked around, and my body felt lighter, only for a moment.

It wasn’t easy to bear. The rustle of leaves, the sound of my heart pounding in my ears, the slight sounds of the approaching wolf- It was all so different from hunting beasts in the western forest. I was reminded that I had become the prey.

‘Experience…’

Yes, this was definitely an experience. An experience that Kaseun and Gentia had said was important.

Still, I knew that I would someday have to fight a wolf in the South Forest. These types of events were things that I would have to go through in the future. The time for it has just arrived earlier than expected. I had hunted in the forest for two years. I had used the ground as my bed and tree-roots as my pillows. The leaves had been my blanket. There had been nothing else, and I had learned that the forest is not my enemy. It’s just a battlefield.

As my mind pondered such things, it felt as if my vision had sharpened. My body was no longer so heavy. The wolf was still wandering around. At that moment I saw the red eyes through gaps in the bushes,

I grasped my sword tightly. It was drenched in sweat, but the cloth around the hilt prevented it from slipping.

There is nothing to worry about.

There was no need for fear to exist.

If I die, I start over from the beginning, and that’s it.

‘From the beginning…’

It would be terrible to have to repeat the harsh boredom of all those days. Yet, it was a solid assurance – that I could be revived even if I died. That certainty lent me courage.

And just for a day like this had I sparred with Kain, and hit straw-dummies with wooden swords. For this very moment had I developed my physique and learned how to hunt with Gentia.

And I knew that to survive in this world, I had no choice but to triumph over the strong and so become stronger.

I slowed my breathing, and then I activated Shadow Justice.