"Let's call it a day, I'll go check out the southern forest again," Zheng Yichen said to Arno. Hearing this, Arno immediately packed away his Combat Beast Card.
"It's getting late, if you're going to spend the night there, it's best to prepare a few more things."
"Understood."
Zheng Yichen nodded, having understood the specifics of the commissioned task, he wasn't holding out much hope for it, but it wouldn't hurt to try his luck, would it? After all, he had acquired so much new knowledge, wouldn't it be a shame not to put it to use?
Returning to the southern forest, Zheng Yichen looked at the forest swathed in dense fog. Taking out his tent, he began to set it up; there was a temporary camp here, established by Hunters and the research institute staff. Zheng Yichen was taking advantage of the convenience offered by this place.
Other Hunters weren't too interested in him, a novice hunter, but some of the research institute staff were curious about Zheng Yichen—not for his strength, but for his robust body.
They chatted with Zheng Yichen, promising him the world, explaining how it wasn't easy for a novice hunter to rise through the ranks unless one had extraordinary abilities and substantial credentials, such as completing many commissioned tasks.
They claimed they could help Zheng Yichen accumulate these tasks, and even help him acquire extraordinary abilities. Upon hearing this, Zheng Yichen sensed something amiss. He understood their intention—they were drawn to his strong physique and wanted him to try some enhancing drugs under development at their research institute...
If Zheng Yichen agreed, the institute would immediately arrange all the subsequent events, including numerous practical commissioned tasks, allowing Zheng Yichen to fight against powerful extraordinary creatures to adapt to his enhanced body.
It sounded lovely in theory, but, in reality, they were looking for a robust guinea pig. Those commissions to fight extraordinary creatures were probably arranged by the institutes for testing two sets of data.
The research institute staff left disappointed. Zheng Yichen yawned, zipped up his tent, and set an alarm on his phone before preparing to catch some sleep. He planned to walk around the outskirts of the forest in the latter half of the night, perhaps discovering something.
Late at night.
After waking up, Zheng Yichen gathered his belongings and left the temporary camp. The camp was quite lively even in the late night, with fires burning and lights shining. The night-owl Hunters, accustomed to such things, didn't find Zheng Yichen's departure odd.
Zheng Yichen intended to check out less crowded areas. These extraordinary creatures weren't entirely brainless, except for those whose brains had mutated into something else.
With so many people around, the extraordinary creatures surely wouldn't appear here. Considering the basic information provided by the commission from the bartender, those who were attacked were people on excursions. Thinking about the temporary camp, nearby excursions seemed relatively safe, didn't they?
Unfortunately, the excursionists lately had bad luck, encountering an extraordinary creature that was as reckless as a rash youth. It had ignored the nearby camp and directly attacked people a distance away from the camp, then managed to elude the Hunters pursuing it.
From this information, it seemed that the creature's intelligence couldn't be too low, and either its defense or its speed must be exceptionally outstanding.
For this late-night operation, Zheng Yichen didn't harbor much hope. He thought that even if he encountered some small extraordinary creatures, it would do for refreshing his condition. After all, his skin was starting to show signs of slight 'wilting'.
Although the marks were faint, he preferred to keep his skin in prime condition if possible. It wasn't vanity; once wilting marks appeared, it was like wearing a countdown timer around his neck.
The watch wasn't for telling time, it was for checking his remaining life, and that was quite unsettling. The beginning of his body's decay signaled that the countdown on the watch had begun.
Zheng Yichen, advancing silently through the night, suddenly thrust forward his fishing rod, impaling a darting shadow that he flipped into the air. Glancing at the shadowy figure, a slight smirk curled his lips—it was just a rabbit, an ordinary one at that, unlike Extraordinary creatures whose blood could be absorbed by his skin.
And for ordinary creatures, there was little to no use. Of course, being pierced by his Extraordinary abilities-derived black spear allowed for 'blood absorption,' but it was of no significance to him; he'd rather cook and eat it than drain the creature dry.
Thinking of eating made him feel hungry. He found a spot, dug a pit, and began to make a fire. Although he had never processed a rabbit before, he surmised that skinning and gutting it were probably the way to go. Then there were the spices—a gift from Hunter Arno when Zheng Yichen left the Dusk Cathedral.
They came in handy now.
The aroma of meat wafted through the night, making Zheng Yichen's throat move. He started to eat as soon as the meat was cooked well enough. The flavor was rather ordinary, but food he cooked himself always tasted delicious.
Halfway through his meal, faint noises reached Zheng Yichen's ears, prompting initial confusion. As he looked towards the source of the sound, a grey horn came into his view, followed by the sound of tearing cloth.
Dodging the attack just in time, Zheng Yichen looked at his side where his clothes were torn, the grey horn grazing his skin and leaving a not too deep, not too shallow wound. Blood flowed from the injury.
Looking at the creature, which was mostly grey... a horse? No, more like a mule, Zheng Yichen felt somewhat disappointed. He had hoped it would be the legendary unicorn, but it wasn't even a donkey, and he was certain it wasn't a horse either!
The one-horned mule slightly opened its mouth, revealing a serpentine tongue that flicked out, extending over half a meter. It licked the blood off its horn, ignoring the half-roasted rabbit on the ground and staring directly at Zheng Yichen.
"...Cooked tastes better," said Zheng Yichen cautiously, retreating two steps backward as the one-horned mule moved several steps forward, conveying its preference for raw meat while positioning itself between Zheng Yichen and his backpack on the ground.
The shotgun was in that backpack.
This creature was unexpectedly clever. With that, Zheng Yichen instantly let go of his fishing rod, its surface quickly covered with a layer of black material. When people were around, the black spear was stored inside the fishing rod, but constrained by the rod's shape, it was somewhat uncomfortable to use.
When alone, simply wrapping the fishing rod in it would suffice, saving some effort.
Hiss, hiss—
A serpent-like hissing emitted from the mouth of the one-horned mule. The creature charged swiftly at Zheng Yichen, its hisses harboring a mentally affecting power.
Zheng Yichen, inexperienced in such matters, couldn't determine if the creature was a native Extraordinary creature, but the hissing didn't affect him much.
He pulled out a handgun recommended to him by the pawnshop owner, aimed at the one-horned mule's head, and fired. A shotgun was not something you could pocket, but this weapon was perfect for it!