With my tail brushed, food eaten, and my mind was no longer in the haze that it was because of my survival instincts that were definitely the issue.
I started to think of where I wanted to place my last tech point as I went to brush my ears out at the same time.
If my memory serves correctly, I can buy materials refining next, but after that, I would need all primitive tools and weapons unlocked to make the next tier. So, without opening the menu, I allocate the tech point to primitive melee weapons and feel the knowledge enter my mind as it goes blank once more from the sensation combing my ears gave me.
When this happened, I focused on combing my ears and waiting for the fog in my mind to clear afterward before continuing on that train of thought.
A couple of minutes later, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were a few weapons that crossed between melee and ranged and required both to be unlocked before I would be given the blueprints. It was a nice reminder that there were some things which required multiple techs to be unlocked before I would be given the knowledge for them.
Filing that note away and with everything that I needed to get done this morning finished, I cleaned up my dishes and put out the fire in the stove before walking out the door.
As I was walking out the door, I noticed the last traces of smoke leaving through the opening in the roof. It was a very old style of construction that was used a long time ago, and it would not fly in the modern era, so I will be looking for the opportunity to upgrade it in the future.
With a new plan in mind, I grab my backpack with my tools and my quiver strapped to it. Slinging it on my back, I lift my bow and test the string to test and make sure it is not damaged.
The first time I pulled the string, I noticed that due to my sudden increase in strength from yesterday, even though I could tell that the draw weight had not changed, it felt lighter than before.
Pulling out an arrow, I fire at one of the trees.
The arrow flew out of the bow at the same speed as yesterday, striking true and hitting just to the side of where I was aiming.
The strength difference allowed me to draw and fire faster than before, but it also came with the downside that I could draw the bow passed its limits easier, so I would have to keep that in mind.
Finally finished with my preparations, I left the meadow and headed for a deeper part of the forest opposite of where I entered.
Walking through the undergrowth, I scanned the surroundings just outside my little home area for some of the things that I would need later.
A couple of the things that I came out here to find are, first, a source of metal, as well as any medicinal herbs or materials needed for treating ailments and injuries. The final and least important thing on my list is any resources needed for advancement after the Iron Age or basic resources that would take a long time to collect.
After searching for a few minutes, I did not find any of the things that I was looking for around this area, but my right ear twitched as I heard something in the undergrowth approaching my location.
It was not approaching me very quickly, but the images of yesterday started flowing through my mind, making me more cautious and causing me to hunker down and wait until the creature showed itself. Then, a complex scent reaches my nose that I cannot place. Once it did, though, I felt something inside me begin to tell me to kill and eat it.
Following the direction of the scent and sound, I soon found a rabbit that was on the larger side with a horn sticking out of its head.
When I saw what I was hunting, I began to understand that feeling; it was my natural instinct as a predator, however minor of one a fox might be, that was apparently part of a kitsune's survival instincts as well.
I saw nothing wrong with this feeling, as I am technically now part fox, and it was both helping me while still being small enough to ignore. However, with dinner now in front of me, I pulled out an arrow and lined up a shot anyway.
Letting go of the string, I felt the fletching of the arrow brush past my hand as it left the bow. The rabbit turned its head at the slight sound the bow made when it fired but could not turn its head fast enough as the arrow impacted.
With a small amount of blood at the impact site, the arrow went in just below the ear and buried itself in the head of the small creature, killing it instantly. Walking over, I pulled out the arrow from the fletching as it had surprisingly not gone all the way through, and stored the body in my inventory as I headed farther into the forest.
The farther I went in, the less light there was coming through the trees until the sky was mostly covered with small spots of sunlight peeking through now and then.
Along the way, I encountered a few more small critters alongside a few small birds that made the forest feel fairly lively. I even hunted a couple of them as a small food supply. What brought me a fairly big surprise from all of this, though, was how little they were running from me.
I mean, I understand that there has not been any human activity around here, but it felt more like they did not even know I was there over the alternative of them not knowing what I was.
Regardless, outside of hunting, I was also able to forge a few vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, and onions. However, I could not find many medicinal plants along the way. But that was not much of an issue, as I had already anticipated this.
At this point, I was a few hours away from home, though if it were considered in more of a straight line then it would be about an hour and a half, when I spotted a field of boulders and exposed rock ahead. With my reason for coming out today still fresh and at the forefront of my mind, I walked to the edge of the boulder field to get a better view.
The lesson from the meadow was still in my mind at this, though less prevalent now after all my hunting, so I sniffed the air to see if I could smell anything with my enhanced senses.
My nose nearly instantly picks up the scent of something musty with faint hints of fish and blackberries.
This scent reminded me of a specific creature, but I did not want to make any guesses at the moment; however, just in case, I pulled three arrows from my quiver so they would be in my hand and at the ready.
Taking careful steps into the field, I followed the scent until I heard the sound of rumbling and slow breathing.
Continuing forward and cresting over a small rock outcropping, I caught a glimpse of a large bear sleeping on top of a bolder not far away.
Placing one of the arrows onto the string of my bow, I pulled it back, lining up the shot with the bear's head, and released.
The bear's head snapped up when the arrow left the bow, and the shot went low, missing completely. The bear then looked up in my direction before getting up and charging at me.
My instincts screamed at me to run, and I could feel the primal part of my brain trying to take over and have me prioritize survival, but I pushed it down and raised my bow towards the bear again.
Rapidly firing the two arrows left in my hand at the charging bear they sprinted across the shortening distance between us before making contact.
The first arrow missed its mark and instead struck the bear's shoulder, causing it to stumble, but the arrow's head did not even break the skin, as the shaft broke on impact. When the second arrow was in my hands and my hand was letting go of the string, I felt something strange appear in the world around me; however, I did not sense anything abnormal with any of my five senses.
After the fletching glides across my hand and the arrow begins its sprint between the bear and me, I catch a slight shimmer in the air, and the strange feeling disappears. Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind blows, and my arrow veers slightly off its path as it strikes the bear in the right eye, dropping the creature and killing it instantly.
This scene reminded me of when I killed the cougar, and the same thing happened.
Not believing this to be a coincidence, I opened my status screen to see if it contained anything useful. Then I found this.
[Enhanced Elemental Compatibility: Since your race is already one of the beloved children of the elements and you have an even greater compatibility than your kin, the elements may randomly decide to help you out in whatever way they decide.]
With that mystery mostly solved, as I do not have any concrete proof yet, I decided to ignore the pile of notifications and close the screen.
Taking a step over to the bear that nearly slid to my feet, I attempted to pull my arrow out, but it seemed to be lodged in their good, and not wanting to mess with it in the field, I put the bear in the inventory for butchering later.
Looking around the bear where the bear charged, I searched for the arrowhead and shaft of the broken arrow, only to find them not far away.
Taking my luck where I could get it, I sniffed the air to see if I smelled anything else in the area.
With nothing new being found through my nose, I began searching around the stones for any exposed metal ore.
After about an hour of searching, I find a rock outcropping filled with green striations and markings.
Assuming that to be copper, I unslung my pick to break off a piece and store it in my inventory so I can check it there. When checking, I saw that my guess was correct, but instead of taking my pick to mine more out, I got the wild hair to try something else.
I place my hand on the ore outcropping and will it to be placed in my inventory. To my surprise, it worked, and the entire thing disappeared from the world and was placed in the inventory.
Crawling out of the relatively large hole in the ground that I fell into after the copper ore disappeared, I am treated by a message from the system.
[Congratulations, you have completed the hidden quest [First Steps Beyond the Primitive] by obtaining your first significant amount of metal ore. You have been rewarded +1 free stat point of your choosing.]
Now that I was out of the hole I had made, I began the walk home since my search for the day was done.
On the way home, I started to ponder on where I should spend my stat point since I was not able to place the last free one I had while my mind was clear. Before I do that, however, I make it to the tree line, so I place my bow over my shoulder and holster my pick on my backpack before pulling out my axe.
This is so I can cut down a few trees and get wood I will most likely need for tomorrow.
Once I had cut down enough trees to where I felt like I had enough wood for tomorrow, I decided to place my new stat point in (AGI) and holster my axe on the backpack.
Taking off the backpack, I put it in my inventory and began to run back home.
While running, I felt the same way I did yesterday and could not help but smile because of it.
I do not know if this is what my father called a runner's high, but I am loving it as I run back home.