Forton Town...
This is one of the remote towns that lies close to the endless Vile Forest. With a population of ten thousand. Even though the place was called a town, if one looked at it from a different perspective, it was just a bit better than a village.
Silver raced towards the town while keeping an eye out for those three bullies.
It would definitely be bad luck if he were to meet them. He treaded with caution till he entered the market square.
He walked around a bit before finding the butcher shop he was most familiar with.
Silver swept his gaze around the shop when he entered; there weren't any customers.
Hearing someone enter, the butcher, who was busy doing something with his back faced to the entrance, turned to see who it was.
"Uncle Felin, I've brought something," Silver said, tossing the sack onto the ground.
"Oh, little Sil, what did you bring? You haven't brought anything here for a while now," Uncle Felin said, smiling as he walked towards Silver.
He had a good impression of this kid. Back when Silver's mother was still alive, they both used to come here to sell their hunts.
His mother was a very good archer; if she missed the arrow the first time, she wouldn't miss the second time. But most of the time, she never actually missed a single shot; all her shots were fatal and would take down the animal in one go.
Uncle Felin had also heard of the death of Silver's mother. So, he understood the reason why Silver hadn't been to his shop to sell anything.
Even though they were quite poor, many knew about the woman and her son who lived in an abandoned house on the hills. All of Silver's archery skills were learned from his mother.
"Well, see for yourself," Silver pulled out the Red Eared Rabbit from the sack.
"Eh, a Red Eared Rabbit. You were able to hunt this," Uncle Felin was surprised, seeing Silver pull out a Red Eared Rabbit. They were quite hard to find, not to mention how quick and sensitive they were to their surroundings.
"Just my luck," Silver replied.
"Not bad," Uncle Felin took the rabbit from Silver. He saw the hole the arrow had made through the rabbit's head. 'This should have been done by a single arrow. Seems like the kid's archery skills are almost the same as his mother's.'
"Not bad," Uncle Felin repeated. "The Red Eared Rabbit's meat was rare on the market."
"Seeing how the body has been preserved with no damage to the fur, how much do you want for it?" Uncle Felin asked.
"How much do you think it's worth, Uncle?" Silver trusted Uncle Felin; that's why he redirected the question. He was sure Uncle Felin wouldn't cheat him.
Uncle Felin turned to look at Silver's face with a bit of surprise. He wasn't expecting him to say that.
"Em, how about I give you one silver coin for the meat and thirty copper coins for the fur?" Uncle Felin said.
Wait, one silver coin for the meat and thirty copper coins for the fur? Red Eared Rabbits actually cost that. He knew it was mostly rare, but it actually cost that much. Seeing Silver's surprised face, Uncle Felin couldn't help but smile.
"Seeing your reaction, I'm sure you're satisfied with the price."
"Yes, very much."
"Okay then, let me get it for you."
A minute later...
"Here it is." Uncle Felin handed a pocket of coins over. Opening it, Silver saw the glittering coins 1 silver coin and 30 copper coins, a small fortune to him.
"Oh right, little Sil, have you planned to attend the Academy recruitment?" Uncle Felin said to the overjoyed Silver, who was still staring at the coins.
"The Academy recruitment?" he replied. He had also heard of the Academy recruitment, but even if he wanted to go, he didn't know how.
The Academy recruitment was no joke; thousands of people his age would be heading there to have the chance to enter the Academy and learn magic. That's right; this was a world where magic existed. The only magic users known to Silver was the Town Head and a few he had heard about.
"I can tell that you had no plans, but I think you should consider going. Besides, it's everyone's dream to be able to learn magic," Uncle Felin said. "As for me, when I went there at your age, my attitude towards magic was very poor, so I couldn't attend any Academy."
Uncle Felin finished and kept his gaze on Silver.
Silver had heard of people who could use magic and had also seen firsthand when the Town Head used magic to fend off some Savage Beast. His mother had also told him a lot of things regarding these magic users. Back then, he was quite intrigued by it; she had even made plans to send him to attend the Academy recruitment when he was of age. But unfortunately she died, and Silver himself had forgotten about it.
Silver didn't even have any hope for his life forward. "Well, Uncle Felin, you see, even if I wanted to go for the Academy recruitment, there's possibly no way I could." he elaborated. "I don't even know where it's taking place, and besides, even if I knew, how would I get there?"
"So, if you had the opportunity, would you?" Uncle Felin asked.
"Of course, like you said, it's everyone's dream to be able to learn magic." Silver replied.
"Okay then, it's decided." Uncle Felin said with a hint of delight. "In half a month's time, there will be a carriage organized by the Town Head. This carriage will send promising individuals to Cran City to be tested."
"But you just said promising individuals, doesn't that mean they would be handpicked by the Town Head himself?" Silver replied, a bit puzzled.
"Yes, that's right. The journey from here to Cran City will take at most two weeks. And considering that you would have to pass through a portion of the Vile Forest, the chances of danger are eminent." Uncle Felin paused before continuing. "I have no way of helping you join the group picked by the Town Head to consider your safety."
"But I have a way. During the time of the Town Head's group's departure, one of my trusted friends will also be heading there to trade."
"So, basically, you won't be joining the Town Head's group. Are you content with it?" Uncle Felin finished.
Silver thought for a while. If he didn't grab this chance, then that would be it, whether danger or not, this might be the only way to change his current situation. Even though he was content with it at the moment, what about the future? At the moment, he had found a way to earn money, but that wasn't a permanent solution.
He wouldn't be living the rest of his life hunting Red Eared Rabbits to make a living, would he? And his mother had also promised to send him to participate in the Academy recruitment before her unfortunate death. So, for his mother's sake, he had to go.
He bowed to thank Uncle Felin.
Uncle Felin waved his hand, noticing Silver's reaction. "No need to thank me."
"If you really want to thank me, then make sure you pass the recruitment."
"Alright." Silver replied with a beaming smile.
"Now get going." Uncle Felin waved his hands at Silver. "Oh, and if you're able to get another one of these," he pointed at the Red Eared Rabbit, "make sure to bring it; I'm ready to trade."
"Sure. See you, Uncle Felin." Silver said before leaving.
"But remember, kid, don't go deep into the forest to hunt. Just a while ago, some group of hunters were attacked by a Savage Beast."
"Make sure to remember what I said."
"Okay, I'll make sure to remember." Silver replied on his way out.
Uncle Felin stood there watching Silver leave. He stood there for a while, still lost in thought. Remembering there was something on the floor, "Oh yeah, gotta deal with this."
Silver didn't go home directly; he decided to do a bit of shopping. By the time he got back home, the sun was starting to set. He dropped the things he bought, then rushed to create a fire.
In the pitch darkness up the hill, a small burning flame could be seen from afar. Silver sat in front of the burning wood, slowly enjoying the meat of the Red Eared Rabbit.
After he was done, he lay on the ground, looking into the night sky. After lying there for a while, he turned off the fire and went inside.
The next day...
The sun was high in the sky. Silver had already been in the forest for hours now. He had followed upon the marks he left behind but, upon searching past the place where he killed the two rabbits, he could still not locate where the smell from the Violet Flowers was coming from.
He decided to head a little deeper, even with the knowledge of how dangerous the forest could be. Of course, his chances of meeting a Savage Beast weren't high, but it didn't mean he wouldn't meet any.
Even though they usually stayed deep in the forest, some of them occasionally came out to the edges.
But right now, Silver was a little bit far from the edge of the forest. He was just warned earlier not to go deep into the forest, but here he was; Silver chuckled.
After strolling around for a while, he came upon a small cliff. What came to his view made him astonished.
A field of Violet Flowers with a lot of Red Eared Rabbits happily feeding and mating in it. There was also a small pond in the middle of the Violet Flowers.
The smile on his face couldn't be hidden as he exclaimed in his head, 'Damn, I have hit the jackpot.'
Silver held his excitement before starting to plan. He realized the moment he killed one, the rest would flee into the surrounding woods. So, he had to target the ones farthest from the crowd. He had to ensure that by the time he was discovered, he would have taken out a few of them.
It seemed his decision to enter deep into the forest wasn't bad.
Before heading to the city, he needed money; that was the decision he came to last night. Without money, he wouldn't be able to survive on his way. They would pass through some places before reaching Cran City.
Uncle Felin had promised him a way to join the Academy recruitment but didn't mention food or shelter and had made it clear he couldn't ensure his safety. So, if he had to fend for himself on the way to the city, he needed resources.
Right now, he had the perfect vantage point. He could see most of the field and had already spotted a few rabbits far from the others.
Silver removed an arrow and inspected it. These arrows were different from the ones he used the other day. They were coated with poison, harmless to humans but fatal to Red Eared Rabbits. The poison came from a Yellow Toad.
He had stumbled upon it when refilling his barrel. The Yellow Toad's poison could paralyze, and it was commonly used by hunters. Although the effect lasted only 10 minutes, depending on the animal, it was enough time for a hunter. Silver had added the poison to the arrows in case they didn't land a fatal hit, and the rabbit could make noise, attracting the others.
Since the poison took effect immediately, it would silence and immobilize them before he delivered the fatal shot. He didn't count on missing.
Silver took his position, drawing the arrow and aiming. Near the far end of the field, one of the rabbits dug into the flowers.
-Swish-;An arrow flew through the air, piercing its back before it could enjoy its meal.