"Let's camp here for tonight!" Jason shouted to the group as he looked at the dark sky.
The hunters put down their storage bags and equipment after finding a suitable resting spot. Just as Mark was about to do the same, he suddenly heard Jason calling out his name.
"Wolf!"
Mark turned his head. "Sir Jason?"
"Wolf, you will keep watch for three hours. Someone will switch with you after that."
Mark was taken aback.
Jason had never asked him to be on night patrol since the hunt began.
Seeing his surprised face, Jason smiled. "Relax. This place is relatively safe and there are four more people who will join you. Stay here for now. I'll call them over. You guys can discuss which areas you'll individually watch over."
Mark felt a bit relieved upon hearing this. "Okay, Sir Jason."
Jason patted his shoulder and smiled before he left to call the others.
Mark stood there and waited for the other hunters who would be on night patrol. In truth, he was still a bit worried. After all, this would be his first time on night patrol duty. He was afraid that he would make a mistake that would cause trouble for the hunting team.
Soon, four hunters arrived. He knew one of them. It was Max, a newbie just like him. The other three were veteran hunters.
"It turns out that you are the last person, Wolf." Max said as he greeted him with a smile. The other three didn't say anything and just nodded at him to show courtesy.
Mark smiled at them politely.
"I believe we don't need to introduce ourselves anymore." A hunter in his forties spoke.
Everyone turned their gazes at him and nodded. All of them were already familiar with each other so there was no need for introductions.
"Let's keep this short. I have been in this place a couple of times before and I can say that it's safe. However, we still need to be vigilant at all times. If you discover something suspicious, you have to alert the hunting team immediately." The man said in a stern voice. He has quite the reputation in the hunting team as one of the most skilled veterans. Although he was only a First Level Body Strengthening cultivator like them, his ability was superior so no one disagreed with him taking the role of a patrol leader. The man was quite pleased. Although this was only an honorary position, their silent acknowledgment made him feel happy.
"Wolf, you will be responsible for watching over the eastern side of the camp. Max, you…"
After their discussion, Mark went to the eastern side of the camp, but before he could go there, a figure blocked his path. "Kevin?" He stared at Kevin in surprise.
Kevin grinned at him. "I promised to teach you how to use the stars as a guide." He said.
"Oh! I almost forgot about that. Unfortunately, I will be on night watch for the next three hours so I don't think…" Mark was initially excited, but he remembered that he still had a job to do.
"Night watch? This place is safe so there's no need to worry. Where is your assigned spot? Learning it won't take much of your time anyway. I think ten minutes is enough." Kevin insisted.
"Ten minutes? I'm assigned to watch the eastern side." Mark was surprised. He thought that learning it would require more time.
"Let's go. As long as we can see the stars, I can teach you the trick." Kevin chuckled.
"Really? That's great!" When he was young, Mark had never learned anything other than business-related matters. His father only taught him things that would be useful for him once he took over their company.
The two walked further from the camp.
"This spot should be good enough. Hurry and climb up here!" Kevin shouted while looking at Mark who was still beneath the tree.
Although Mark had no experience in climbing trees, he still managed to climb up because of his strength.
Kevin stared at him in disdain. "You need to learn a lot, kid. Anyway, let's begin. You see that star up there? The one that's emitting a faint green light." He pointed at a particular spot in the sky.
Mark looked up and after a few seconds, he found the star that Kevin was referring to. "What a unique star!" He exclaimed. There was no such star in the real world.
Kevin chuckled. "That star is called the Southern Green Star. That star marks the location of the sky's south pole. The Greenwood Village is…" He started explaining the nature of the star.
Mark listened attentively. 'So it's like the Polaris Star in the real world. That makes sense…' He thought to himself.
After a ten-minute explanation, Kevin grinned. "Did you understand it, kid?" He asked.
Mark nodded. "Thank you for your teachings, Sir Kevin. I will always remember your kindness." This man had taught him a lot even though they had just met several days ago.
Kevin smiled and looked up at the sky. "Do you plan to continue being a hunter?" His tone sounded different than usual.
Mark didn't know why he suddenly asked this, but he still answered truthfully. "I just want to explore this vast world. Being a hunter is just temporary."
Kevin laughed lightly. "That's quite a daring goal, kid. This world is inhabited by powerful beings and dangerous creatures so if you want to explore the whole planet, there is a high chance that you will encounter them. If you truly want to explore the world, you need to become stronger. That is the only way for you to realize your dreams."
Mark nodded his head seriously. "I will work hard."
Kevin stared at him and smiled. "Good luck, kid!" He then jumped down from the tree and went back to the camp.
Mark stared at Kevin's figure before he turned his head to the sky.
[Ding!]
[Ding!]
Suddenly, a series of notifications interrupted his moment.
Mark furrowed his eyebrows and stared at the bottom left corner of his eyes.
[Koko Nut Nut has added you as a friend!]
[Maasim na SioPao has added you as a friend!]
[Broken Melody has added you as a friend!]
[Chasing Dreams has added you as a friend!]
Seeing this, Mark revealed a smile. He then accepted their requests.
A new panel appeared underneath the leaderboards and forum.
[Friends]
Chasing Dreams: "Yo, Mark! This is me, John Dave. Where are you right now?"
Mark typed in his reply and sent it back. "I'm out on a mission outside of Greenwood Village." Telling his friends about his whereabouts didn't concern him.
Chasing Dreams: "Greenwood Village? Where is that?"
"It's a remote village in Western Capeland." Mark replied.
Chasing Dreams: "So you're also in Celova! That makes things convenient! All four of us are also in Celova, but your location is very far…"
Mark chatted with his friends. He didn't even notice the passing of time. However, he still kept a close watch over the surroundings.