"Six days? I can't stay that long…"
[The user shouldn't be worried. This dimension is different from earth, the flow of time here is suspended in relative to Earth's time.]
The system cleared his worries before he could finish his words. Since it was like this, then Noah needed to do his best to clear the challenge. Since it was the first trace, it wasn't that difficult. Noah has also read about hunting during his preparations.
'The first issue is my lack of hunting equipment. Judging by the surrounding, I doubt I can find any rocks to make weapon1s.' Noah scanned the forest he was in and found it very strange. Aside from the trees, he couldn't see anything but green. The soil couldn't be seen because of the tall grass covering it. The sky couldn't be seen because of the tall trees obstructing his views. Even if he looked straight up, he could not see the sky. Yet oddly enough, the forest was as bright as it could be.
'It seems I have no chance but to use the lottery…' Noah sighed and bought a ticket from the lottery. He was left with 50 TP for now. He didn't want to spend it all on the lottery and getting a lot of useless stuff. Maybe he'll get a weapon on the first try… or not.
[Congratulations! You got a Water Pouch.]
[Water: hydrates the body for 12 hours per pouch.]
It was a leather water pouch. It was kind of useful for now, but he doubted that this forest didn't have a river. Noah took a sip and let out a satisfied expression as the water was too good. It had a cold yet not so cold temperature and tasted sweet. Most people say that all water should taste the same but that was not what real water drinkers thought.
[Congratulations! You got 11 TPs!]
The second lottery tickets earned him one TP, and Noah was speechless about it. He wondered why he never got a legendary item or something. Maybe it had something to do with his level? Maybe he could do some upgrades later.
'Weapon… Weapon… Weapon…' Noah did his prayers as he used another lottery tickets. The heavens were merciful as they gave him what he wanted this time. Or maybe it was just the system, who knows.
[Congratulations! You got a Level 1 Hidden Dagger.]
[Hidden Dagger: A dagger that would stick to the forearm and slid to the palm when needed. Level 1.]
Noah tried to place the dagger under his sleeve and it stuck to his forearm. With a simple tug, the dagger slide to his palm. It was very convenient for surprise attacks. Since he got his weapon, Noah tied the water pouch to his trousers and started walking around the forest.
Not long afterward, Noah saw a white rabbit. At first, he felt hesitant about taking a life. However, he steeled his heart shortly after and started sneaking toward the rabbit. As he drew closer, the rabbit's ears perked up and it turned around.
Noah was dumbfounded as he noticed that the rabbit had three red eyes instead of two. However, he didn't have the time to dwell on it as he jumped toward the rabbit and stretched his right hand toward it. As the rabbit panicked and was about to jump away, the hidden dagger appeared striking the rabbits thigh and pinning it down.
The reason the hunt was easy was his improved body stats. Although he wasn't at the level of a superhuman yet, he was already athletic by normal standards.
The rabbit started struggling to get free but Noah strangled it before stabbing it again with the dagger ending its life. The only thing remaining was the heavy breathing of Noah.
[Challenge progress: 1/100]
[5 TP rewarded for hunting. Trace Points: 46]
'Is this what the system meant by leaving a Trace? So taking lives is also changing the world. That means saving lives can also earn me more TPs…'
Noah tried to distract himself from his shaky and numb palms. He breathed slowly until he calmed down and resumed his hunt.
After a while, Noah found a snake. He hunted it down as well after almost being bitten by it. The next hour was not as fruitful as he didn't find any other preys. He starting harvesting fruits to eat before he resumed his hunt.
Living in the forest was burdensome yet peaceful. He had nothing to worry about as there were no real predators.
Noah also found the edge of the forest. It was surrounded by tall trees that prevented anyone from going further acting as a wall. Noah's hunt was smooth until the third day, after his 59th hunt. He decided to take a bath in the river so he headed toward the only stream in the jungle.
Noah was surprised to see someone swimming in the river from afar. He also saw leather clothes by the riverside. As he got closer, Noah saw that it was a young boy with white hair and green eyes. The boy's senses were astonishing as he heard Noah's stepping on a branch dozens of meters away.
Startled, the boy took his clothes and started running toward the other side of the forest.
"Hey! Wait!" Noah chased after the boy but the latter soon disappeared into the forest leaving Noah frustrated.
'What is this? I thought only one person can do the challenge! Is he another user of the system? But such a young boy… Can he even hunt?'
A sigh escaped Noah's mouth as he scratched his head. He didn't know if the boy was a user or just someone living in this forest, but he needed to find him to find out. But for now, Noah decided to take a bath and search the forest later.
Noah resumed his hunt while also searching for the boy. The third day was over, followed by the fourth, and then the fifth. Noah couldn't find any more prey by the noon of the fifth day. He looked at the progress of the mission and his status.
[Challenge progress: 99/100]
[Trace Points: 536]
[Level 4 – Trace Points: 536/100]
He had one hunt left before completing the mission. However, he couldn't find any creature in the forest. It was like the forest had exactly 100 creatures, with the last one being hidden.
Unless… the last creature was the boy from before. Noah wouldn't kill him even if it meant failing the challenge. However, he didn't think it would be that way. In any case, he decided to level up for now to improve his overall stats.
[100 TP spent! You leveled up! All stats are increased by 2!]
[Level 6 – Trace Points: 436/400]
'Oh? It seems Level 5 was a milestone. After reaching it, Leveling up gave more one more stats point. This way, leveling up would still be worth it. Anyway, I can level up again.'
[400 TP spent! You leveled up! All stats are increased by 2!]
[Level 7 – Trace Points: 36/800]
'System, User Data.'
[Name: Noah Ezra]
[Trace Points: 36]
[Level 7 – Trace Points: 36/800]
[Physics: None]
[Class: None]
[Title: None]
[Strength: 23]
[Agility: 21]
[Stamina: 22]
[Intelligence: 22]
[Defense: 19]
[Active Skills: Mild-Focus. Level 1]
[Passive Skills: None]
It seems his strength, agility, and stamina were strengthened during the hunt. Furthermore, he gained 6 points in the overall stats by leveling up from Level 4 to Level 7. As Noah smiled in satisfaction while the warm stream strengthened his body, he heard a beastly roar from the forest.