Chapter 31: Chapter 031: Demon Hunter Cultivation Manual
The information in his hands was too scarce, and Roger had no clear lead for the moment. The sky was already darkening, and Adeline would soon be off work and heading home.
Roger didn’t want to worry the kind-hearted female sheriff, so he had to make it back to town before nightfall.
He stopped studying the information on the display board and headed towards the study. After the assimilation of the Hunter’s Cabin was complete, he had received a hint.
“Basic training is essentially complete, initiating new methods of training.”
The layout in the study was similar to the previous seaside cabin, with simple bookshelves and tables and chairs, and all the books were neatly arranged on top. The Soul Transference Book acquired from the lighthouse also looked no different than usual.
His gaze swept across lightly and finally rested on a book with a grey-black cover.
Roger gently pulled the book out.
The ethereal book in his hands had a real texture; the surface was made of leather from an unidentified animal, and it felt slightly cool to the touch.
Even though it was just a piece of leather, Roger seemed to be able to sense the power of the animal from when it was alive.
There were no words on the cover, only a familiar insignia carved in the center.
The insignia of the Demon Hunter.
It was a fierce yet vivid wolf’s head, with an underlying madness lurking within its red pupils.
Roger ran his fingers gently over the insignia, and in a trance, the wolf’s mark seemed to change.
It was a wolf, but it also seemed like a cat, and then Roger thought he heard the hissing of a snake and the roar of a bear.
It was as if he was experiencing hallucinations, with various totems appearing in succession. Finally, all the animals merged into one, and his vision cleared to reveal the initial insignia once more.
Only this time, Roger could no longer distinguish the form of the animal on the insignia.
Upon opening the cover, a line of bold text caught his eye.
The Preparatory Hunter Cultivation Manual.
Continuing to read, Roger began to understand the purpose of this Cultivation Manual.
Before becoming a true Demon Hunter, each candidate must go through multiple selections and then undergo lengthy training. With the aid of Potions, both their physical and spiritual strength must be elevated to the limits that the human body can withstand.
And after such a complex process, everything done is merely preparation. Only by successfully crossing that threshold can one become a true Demon Hunter.
The Green Grass Trial.
This is the trial with the highest death rate among those for the Demon Hunters. Even with thorough preparation, there is at most a thirty percent chance of survival to the end.
But survival does not mean success in the trial.
Many, although enduring the physical transformation, have their spirits completely shattered by the tremendous torment over the long process.
Even if they survive in the end, they are almost indistinguishable from wild beasts, and such Demon Hunters can no longer be called human; their only fate is to be eliminated.
Physical transformation is indeed very important, but a resilient spirit is the key to passing the Green Grass Trial.
After passing the Green Grass Trial, the bodies of the Demon Hunters have been completely transformed into a non-human state, surpassing human limits and advancing towards a higher state of being.
Afterward, they still face two more trials, the Mountain and the Dream, to forge their skills and toughness, becoming even more powerful.
The book in Roger’s hands did not contain any information about the Green Grass Trial; he was simply getting a basic understanding for now. More extensive information would likely become available to him after he completed the current phase of his cultivation.
Time was limited, so Roger skimmed through the book. Even the training content for a preparatory hunter was quite extensive.
He summarized that there were mainly three areas of cultivation he needed to complete at this stage.
Physique, spirit, and perception!
In terms of physique, the methods of cultivation finally included swordsmanship, which greatly moved Roger, and there were two kinds right from the start.
Temerian Common Swordsmanship: A basic cultivation method created by the commander of the Rose of Fire Knights, combining many techniques of swordplay.
It is well-balanced in offense and defense and can train the main muscle groups of the body, enhancing physical fitness. It is said that upon reaching its pinnacle, one can grasp the essence of swordsmanship and master some extremely powerful moves!
Elven dagger technique: A basic cultivation method from the elf race, characterized by sharp and aggressive attacks that can greatly enhance the practitioner’s agility and dexterity.
Neither set of techniques included any particularly advanced skills; one aspect was to get the practitioner initially accustomed to the weapon in use, and more importantly, to improve physical conditioning.
The corresponding weapons for the training were the longsword and dagger.
The longsword mainly trained muscles in the waist, legs, torso, and arms, whereas the dagger focused on agility, improving the quickness and flexibility of the muscles.
Only one kind of cultivation was dedicated to the spirit.
Meditation technique: A basic mind control method that has spread from the Sorcerer’s Association, which focuses on perceiving and gathering spiritual power. Although it does not generate magic power during this process, it can significantly enhance concentration and sharpness of the spirit.
The spirit is the foundation of all magic.
The last aspect, perception, was quite unique.
In some sense, it should be seen as an extension of the spiritual aspect, but in reality, it is limited by the human body. Even if a person has a very strong spirit, they cannot possess a dog’s sense of smell or a cat’s night vision.
This has nothing to do with effort; it is purely a natural limitation of the species. The cultivation of perception is about trying to reach and break through the body’s limits before becoming a Demon Hunter, using pharmacological stimulation and the improvement of spiritual power.
More importantly, it allows one to observe and perceive special substances that are invisible to the naked eye of ordinary people.
Like ghosts, for example.
For each of these methods of cultivation, there were corresponding Alchemy Potions. With limited time, Roger flipped through the Alchemy Notes in a hurry. Some of the plants he had seen in his day-to-day life, while others were completely unfamiliar to him.
Beyond herbs, some potions also involved animal body tissues, which added to the complexity of Roger’s concoction challenges.
As the light in the valley grew dimmer, Roger hastily put the books away and turned to walk out of the mountains.
His new Hunter’s Cabin was good in all aspects, but the only thing that bothered him was its distance from his usual place of residence—it was a bit too far, taking more than an hour each day on the road.
“Hey, when will I be able to move out of these log cabins into a big house, even if it’s not a castle, a manor would do,”
“Even if it’s not a manor, moving into a small villa would be barely acceptable.”
Roger muttered helplessly to himself, glancing at the sun on the horizon, and quickened his pace once again.
He found his hidden bicycle and raced all the way home, not even reaching his house before seeing Adeline standing at the corner from a distance.
“If you don’t come back soon, I’m going to have to send the deputies out looking for you again,”
There wasn’t much reprimand on Adeline’s face. She gave Roger a look and hesitated for a long while before suddenly saying,
“Let’s go back; I have something I want to talk to you about.”