In Ambros, towering trees as tall as buildings stretched overhead, casting patches of sunlight and shadow across the ground.
Someone's frantic run echoed through the tranquil forest, the air filled with the scent of damp soil and plants.
It was noon, the sun beaming through the leaves and bathing everything in a warm glow.
And that person was Ethan.
Ethan ran desperately, gasping for breath in panic.
Why?
Because four ram-like monsters were chasing him relentlessly, their hooves pounding the ground behind him.
"Sir!" Ethan yelled, his voice full of desperation.
While I was relaxing under a tree, enjoying a moment of peace and shade from the midday sun, Ethan's urgent cry shattered the tranquility.
Immediately, I jumped to my feet and glanced toward him. Recognizing the danger, I prepared myself and dashed toward him.
In moments, I reached Ethan and halted in front of him. He too stopped, breathing heavily from the exertion.
"Good job!"
The, without wasting any more time, I sidestepped him and positioned myself between him and the approaching monsters.
As the first ram charged at us, I focused my energy and threw a powerful punch aimed directly at its body.
My fist connected with a resounding impact, and the ram exploded into pieces, its body disintegrating under the force of the blow.
Undeterred, the remaining three rams continued their assault.
I faced them head-on, my fists clenched and ready.
The second ram lunged at me, but I swiftly sidestepped again its attack and delivered a crushing blow to its side, causing it to burst apart in a shower of debris.
The third ram hesitated for a moment, then charged with renewed fury.
I met it head-on, my punch connecting squarely with its chest.
The force of the impact caused it to explode into fragments, scattering pieces of its body across the ground.
The final ram seemed to realize its impending doom and tried to retreat, but I was faster.
I leaped forward, closing the distance in an instant, and struck it with a powerful punch.
The ram exploded into pieces, just like its companions.
I stood amidst the remains of the fallen monsters, my breathing steady and my body relaxed once again.
Even though my body was covered in their blood, I somehow managed to ignore the discomfort.
After a minute, the blood on the floor and on my body, along with the bodies of the rams, vanished into thin air.
I turned to Ethan, who was still catching his breath, and gave him a reassuring nod.
"You're safe now," I said, my voice calm and steady. "Let's move on."
Unexpectedly, Ethan's face twisted with desperation. "Noooooo, sir, please sir not anymore!" he cried out.
I furrowed my brow, surprised by his sudden plea. "Why? What's the matter now?" I asked, sounding concerned.
"Sir, you've been using me to lure monsters here and there so you could hunt them for your test," Ethan said, frustration evident in his voice. "That's not fair."
I paused, shocked by his accusation. Inside, I questioned myself,
'Was I that obvious?'
Ethan and I have been hunting for an hour now.
During this time, thanks to Ethan's efforts in luring monsters towards me, I've managed to hunt down about 20 to 25 bronze-rank monsters.
I also discovered that I could kill bronze-rank monsters just by punching them anywhere on their body.
However, this doesn't work on monsters with strong defenses; they won't explode from my punches and can only be killed with my daggers.
It has made my hunting much easier and more efficient, although Ethan has had to run more and more.
But that doesn't clarify why he's resisting.
I've already given him two to three Gold-rank potions, so what's he worried about?
In addition, I've personally assisted him in hunting down five monsters.
I incapacitated them by targeting their vulnerable spots, which allowed Ethan to finish them off.
I believe it's a fair exchange.
I asked, "Why do you think it's unfair? Sure, I've used you to lure monsters, but I've also helped you hunt and given you healing potions to avoid getting hurt. Isn't that fair?"
Ethan muttered, "Sir, th-that—"
Interrupting him, I said firmly, "Enough with the excuses. Let's go."
Ethan sighed, "Sir, okay, okay, we'll go. But can you let me rest for a bit? I've been running for an hour, unlike you."
'Ahh, shit.'
Then it hit me—I finally understood why he was resisting.
He was exhausted from all the running around.
I forgot to consider that he's only fifteen and his rank is just normal.
Of course, he'd get tired quickly, unlike a Bronze or Iron rank hunter.
'Damn, letting him rest would slow my hunting progress, but if he doesn't rest, there's a high chance he might get caught by other monsters while running.'
After a brief moment of silence, I sighed and said, "Okay, go rest for half an hour."
Ethan nodded gratefully before heading to the tree where I had been sitting.
He collapsed under its shade, breathing heavily and closing his eyes in exhaustion.
As soon as he settled down, I immediately called up my system panel.
A virtual window appeared in front of me, filled with my progress stats and other functions.
Name: Michael Frostburne
Race: Human
Current rank: Iron.
Progression to Gold rank: 26% (650/2500 essences).
Satisfied, I closed my system panel and wondered what to do next.
I glanced at Ethan, who was now sound asleep under the tree.
What should I do next?
First, let's check the time and then decide...
Checking my watch, I saw that it was 2:00 PM and that there were still 28 minutes left before we needed to move on.
Hmm? Should I run around? No, that would just tire me out. Maybe I should practice with my dagger? But with what? I don't have any dummies or anything to practice with like in the training room. So, what should I do?
After thinking for a few seconds, I had an idea.
Why not use my appraisal skill on random things to pass the time?
Hmm, that's a good idea. Scanning my surroundings will take more than 30 minutes, so that will help pass the time easily.
Yeah, that's it, then.
To pass the time, I randomly used my appraisal skill on various things: trees, bushes, even the sky.
Each time, a virtual window popped up with new information, then closed.
But I never expected to find it that boring after just a few minutes.
I checked my watch again and felt disappointed—it had only been 2 minutes since I started.
No, no, no, I can't just stop here.
Focus, Michael, focus.
You can appraise everything.
Just appraise—no, not just appraise, but read their info.
Don't just sit around.
Determined to use my time better, I decided to study all the information I had gathered instead of just appraising things at random.
However, this plan also failed as my backbencher's mindset kicked in and I quickly became bored.
Still, I forced myself to concentrate and kept appraising for another 10 minutes.
Suddenly, something caught my attention on my virtual screen.
A monster's information appeared:
**Invisible FlyTrap**
Height: 2 meters
Weight: 20 kg
Strength: Can blend perfectly with its surroundings, powerful jaws that snap shut quickly, and releases a paralyzing toxin.
Weakness: Fire, cold temperatures, and it can be tricked into closing its jaws prematurely.
Critical Body Parts: The base of its stem and its sensory hairs.
Rank: Common-Rank Monster
Probability: There's a 70% chance of winning against these monsters.
I muttered, "Wait! What? A monster here?" I carefully examined its information again. "So, it's invisible? Basically, it's waiting for me to get close, and then 'Bam', it would eat me up."
From its name, I guessed it was a Venus flytrap.
I looked around more closely and spotted another Invisible FlyTrap near the first one.
Shit, there are two of them, but the good thing is they can't move. After all, a plant will always be a plant...
I pondered my options.
Should I finish them off or just leave?
At first, I thought I could kill them easily since they're just immovable plants, but I quickly dropped that idea when I realized they were invisible.
If I can't see them, I can't attack their weaknesses.
Seeing the 70% chance of winning, I knew the fight would be tougher than I expected, especially since there are two of them.
I closed my virtual screen and went into deep thought.
Considering all the disadvantages, I realized there was a high chance I could get paralyzed by their attacks.
In the worst-case scenario, I might lose both of my hands and get paralyzed if they attacked from both directions.
I needed to think more carefully and plan perfectly to avoid getting injured by them.
---
I started by taking a few steps back, putting some distance between me and the invisible traps.
I needed a strategy.
First, I considered using fire.
If fire was their weakness, then setting them ablaze would make them visible and easier to defeat.
But I had no fire with me.
I thought of another approach.
'What if I trick them into closing their jaws prematurely, just like it said in the weakness section?'
That could work, but then the main problem is how? How could I trick them? I can't just go and talk to them... They're not actual monsters in the first place.
So, what can I do?
Anything that could trick them, anything, anything, any—wait!
What if I throw something at them?
Yeah, If I could throw something to trigger their snapping reflex, I might be able to expose them.
And, they don't have brains, so they would instinctively close their traps, giving me enough time to finish them off.
But for that, I have to make sure I don't make any mistakes or I'm done for.
I picked up a few stones from the ground and threw them in the direction of the first FlyTrap.
To my relief, the jaws snapped shut with a loud click, becoming momentarily visible.
It's not visible to the naked eye, but I somehow figured out its location.
I saw the second FlyTrap react similarly. Now, I had a short window to act.
I dashed towards the first FlyTrap and slashed at its base with my dagger.
Okay, first down.
My aim was true, and the FlyTrap's stem severed, causing the plant to collapse.
Encouraged by my success, I repeated the process with the second FlyTrap.
This time, I used a larger stone, ensuring it would snap its jaws shut.
Once the FlyTrap reacted, I lunged and struck its base, cutting it down.
Ohh, work done...
Breathing a sigh of relief, I surveyed the area to make sure there were no more hidden threats.
Now that I think about it, it was actually quite simple.
Satisfied, I turned my attention back to Ethan, who was still sound asleep under the tree. I checked my watch again.
Only 10 more minutes had passed.
So, there's only another 10 minutes to go.
"Well, that was a productive way to pass the time," I muttered to myself, feeling a mix of pride and relief.
Now, I just had to wait for Ethan to finish resting so we could continue our hunt.
***