Ascension from Dual Professions

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Hunting, Level Up

After a morning of gathering, Jon stopped and began to search for a suitable hunting ground.

It wasn’t because he had picked the area clean, but because his stomach had started to grumble.

While the Chu Blood Grass soup warmed his body and got his blood flowing, it wasn’t very filling. It was time to hunt some prey to fill his belly.

Along the way, he checked the bundles of herbs tied with grass stems at his waist, then glanced at his remaining Experience Points on the panel.

[Combat Experience Points: 300, General Experience Points: 460]

’Just 40 more points to level up...’

In a single morning, he had gathered 46 herbs and gained 460 General Experience Points. It seemed like a lot, but he was a seasoned veteran who had once maxed out the Alchemist class!

And no one else ever came to this patch of herbs.

His expertise, combined with exclusive access to resources, was the only reason he could manage such a haul. It just went to show how difficult it was for life-class players to level up.

He could spend more time gathering the last 40 Experience Points, but there was no need. Hunting prey was the same as killing monsters; it awarded Experience Points all the same.

He couldn’t wait until his stomach was rumbling like thunder to act. The noise would just scare off his prey while he was lying in wait.

As Jon moved through the snowy forest, he scanned his surroundings for any telltale signs.

Unlike the body’s previous owner, who had no hunting experience, he was a veteran player who had scraped by for years on the Yino Continent. He had plenty of ways to hunt, which was why he wasn’t the least bit worried, even with his food stores completely empty.

’How could an able-bodied man with a knife possibly starve while living at the edge of a forest?’

’Not a chance!’

Soon, he found several exposed rocks in the forest, covered by only a thin layer of snow.

Upon closer inspection, he saw they were interspersed with cloudy white and pale yellow crystals.

At that, he knew what he was looking at.

This was a salt lick, one of the few sources of salt for wild animals.

The fact that there was so little snow on the salt lick meant that animals had been here licking it as recently as last night.

’A perfect spot for an ambush!’

With this, he could skip the trouble of making the traps he had originally planned.

’Little herbs, little herbs, I’m glad I saved you all...’

Jon mused to himself as he used his slashing knife to scrape some rock salt from the stone. He sprinkled it over small bundles of tender shoots and kneaded them a few times.

A peculiar scent of grass juice, mixed with a faint, briny odor, began to spread.

Salted winter shoots... Forget herbivores, even he was tempted to take a bite. A pity they were inedible for him.

He wanted meat, not grass.

The young hunter placed these bite-sized bundles of grass around the salt lick, creating a trail that led to the base of two adjacent cedar trees.

Then he climbed one of the trees and hid within the thick canopy, using the scent of the pine needles to mask his own.

It was a simple hunting trap, but a very effective one.

Once an herbivore got a taste of the salted grass, it would be unable to resist the temptation. It would follow the trail, step by step, right to the base of these two cedars.

’And when that happens, heh heh...’

Jon gripped the slashing knife in his hand, his gaze fixed on the exposed rock through the gaps in the needles as he silently schemed.

’According to an old Hunter I knew back in the game, most animals have regular patterns of activity.’

’It’s noon now. Most herbivores have finished their morning foraging. They should be relatively full and looking to supplement their diet with other nutrients...’

’Which means I won’t have to wait too long.’

The minutes ticked by.

Ten minutes, then twenty. Just as the sun began to pass its zenith, there was finally movement in the forest below!

A doe leading two fawns cautiously approached the salt lick!

The doe had clearly caught the lingering, unfamiliar scent in the forest and seemed wary.

Her two fawns, however, were another story. Still young, they had yet to learn the skills necessary for survival.

As soon as they arrived, the two fawns eagerly began to lick the cold rock. Their delicate tongues scraped against the rough stone surface, leaving behind warm saliva that melted the salt crystals.

The doe, however, stood at a distance, still clearly hesitant.

And it was this hesitation that led to an oversight.

The smaller of the two fawns was jostled aside by its sibling, nearly stumbling.

It petulantly pawed at the snow with its hooves.

This very movement kicked up the snow, revealing a peculiar scent—it was as fresh as the tender shoots its mother had shown it, yet it also carried a fragrance similar to the rock before it!

The fawn was clearly intrigued.

It gave up on vying with its sibling, lowered its head, and began sniffing around in the snow. Soon, it found one of the grass bundles Jon had left behind.

The greedy little thing barely hesitated before gobbling it down in a single gulp!

Instantly, its ears perked up, twitching with delight.

It was a heavenly taste, unlike anything it had ever experienced!

Instinct drove the fawn to seek out more of that flavor.

Sniffing intently, it quickly found a second bundle, then a third...

Finally, without realizing it, it arrived at the base of the cedar where Jon was hiding.

There were an exceptional number of grass bundles here, some even hidden in the thick snowdrifts!

The insatiable fawn thrust its head into a snowdrift, trying to find even more!

And at that very moment, a dark figure dropped from the sky!

Expressionless, Jon descended like a pouncing Night Owl from the cedar branches, pinning the fawn firmly to the ground.

Then, before the fawn could struggle, he raised the Arm Shield high and brought it crashing down on the creature’s slender neck!

Used 4 Magic Power. Empowered Shield Bash!

CRACK—

The sharp crack of breaking bone was piercing in the silent forest.

[-162 (Fatal Blow!) -20 (Magic Bonus Damage)]

A clean, painless kill.

A pleasant notification chimed in his ear.

[Monster killed. Gained 50 Combat Experience Points.]

’Success!’

Jon felt a wave of relief.

The General Experience Points he had, combined with the Combat Experience Points, were now enough to level up either Warrior Apprentice or Mage Apprentice to Level 2.

As for the successful hunt, he didn’t feel particularly excited.

He was a thinking man preying on a simple beast. It would have been more surprising if he had failed.

After such a commotion, the other two deer were long gone, of course.

But Jon didn’t mind. A fawn less than a year old weighed nearly 30 kilograms. Even after gutting and deboning it, the meat alone would be enough to feed him for several meals.

Besides, if prepared properly, the organs were edible too.

But those were things to worry about after he got back. Now, it was time to level up!

The young outlander focused his gaze on the panel, interacting with it through his will.

’Select Warrior Apprentice. Allocate 800 Experience Points!’

[Warrior Apprentice LV.1 (800/800) → Warrior Apprentice LV.2 (0/1600)]

[You have leveled up. Power +1, Constitution +1.25 (25% Constitution Growth Modifier)]

[Free Attribute Points +1, Skill Points +1]