The chirping of birds echoed through the forest trees as they flew gracefully among the foliage, like a beautiful dance.
Fluid movements, elegant spins ending with a graceful spread of wings, they flew deeper into the forest, undisturbed by their surroundings.
Watching the birds' dance was a handsome young man lying atop a tree branch.
He looked young, appearing to be only fourteen years old, with short black hair and a lazy expression in his strange heterochromatic eyes.
Eyes so unusual, yet so captivating in their peculiarity. The left one held a sky-blue hue, capable of capturing a soul with a single glance. The right was a deep violet, giving the impression that it could pierce through anything it looked at.
Such singular eyes, yet both belonging to the same individual.
"Beautiful…"
Murmured the boy, tilting his head, mesmerized by the birds' movements.
Sitting up on the branch, he ran his right hand over his clothes, brushing off any dust that might have gathered on his blue garments.
"Well, I've been out here for hours and still haven't managed to hunt anything. I have to find a fierce beast to bring back some meat for the kids. They can't go without fierce beast meat or it'll delay their training."
"And that old man's gonna make fun of me again if I come back empty-handed."
Resting his hand on his chin, the young man spoke to himself as he looked around. Finding nothing, he jumped from the branch, landing softly on the ground.
Had anyone been watching, they would have been surprised to see him leap from nearly seven meters high and land without a scratch.
"Right… Sometimes I'm still surprised by the things I can do now. I'd probably be dead if I tried that in my past life," he thought, glancing up at the branch where he had just been.
Yes, this was his secret.
His name in this life was Chun Feng, and he was a transmigrant.
He still remembered fragments of his past life, his name, though it no longer mattered, as he was Chun Feng now. But most of all, he remembered his death. It was something that would remain burned into anyone's mind, no matter who they were.
He often dreamed about that moment, replaying every detail of the car crash. He still tried to understand how he ended up off the road. After all, he was driving slowly, afraid of damaging the items he had just bought at na auction, especially since one of them was something he had long been searching for.
He had bought many things at that auction, but the ones that captivated him most were three stones. Two of them were perfect marble spheres, seemingly masterfully crafted, simply beautiful. No matter the angle, he couldn't take his eyes off them, as if they were drawing him in.
Two spheres: one sky blue, the other deep violet.
However, other bidders didn't seem to care much. Since the stones were clearly shaped and polished, no one believed they were naturally formed, and they didn't fetch a high price.
So, he managed to buy them cheaply.
The other item he was interested in was a beautiful ruby necklace shaped like a heart. He had to have it, no matter what. It was a long-lost family heirloom missing for nearly two centuries.
Now known as Chun Feng, he came from a family of artisans. They had started as blacksmiths but evolved into jewelers, gaining considerable wealth through their craftsmanship, though they never forgot their roots.
And Chun Feng had always loved creating things.
So he admired that necklace, not only for the techniques used to make it but also for the richness of detail in such a small object. Even if something like it could be easily made today, back then, it would have been a masterpiece.
After spending a considerable amount, he finally acquired the necklace.
On the way back to the hotel, he had to descend the mountain where the auction pavilion was located. He didn't even have time to react, he just heard the acceleration of a truck and then...
He was thrown off the road.
He remembered still being conscious after tumbling down the slope. At the bottom, the car caught fire and was about to explode.
Even while bleeding heavily, he managed to move his right arm, groaning in pain as he grabbed the necklace and the spheres he had purchased, staining them with his blood.
*"In the end, I couldn't return the pendant to the family…"*
That was his last thought as he looked at his bloody hand, then turned his gaze to the flames reaching the fuel tank.
And then everything exploded.
He reincarnated into this world two years ago, as na orphan.
"Hm… I guess I should thank Truck-kun for giving me the chance to reincarnate. Imagine if it had been just a regular truck, I'd be screwed…"
Chun Feng murmured, frowning and making a pouty face at the memory of his death.
"But enough of that. I have to hunt something or the old man will give me hell for coming back empty-handed. Especially since the kids have already reached the Bone Forging Stage of the Body Tempering Realm. They'll need a lot of energy." Shaking his head, Chun Feng focused on the reason he was in the forest in the first place, remembering how, when he started hunting, the old man who adopted them would mock him every time he came back without catching even a small animal.
'I won't let that old man mock me again,' Chun Feng thought, puffing out his cheeks.
'But come to think of it, why haven't I seen any fierce beasts around here?' he wondered, stretching before dashing through the forest.
His steps were precise and light, indicating training in a movement technique.
"Old Gu's Gale Steps isn't half bad. Even if I still can't use spiritual energy, I can already run pretty fast." Chun Feng noted with a smile, pleased with the performance of the Gale Steps.
After all, he had begged old Gu to teach him that technique. Gale Steps was a low-level phantom-grade movement technique, already equivalent to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Even without spiritual energy, its physical aspects alone were superior to most mortal-grade techniques.
Running swiftly, he drew his bow, alert to every movement around him. Looking up, he spotted something that brought a mischievous smile to his face.
"Hey there!"
Dashing between the trees, he jumped and greeted a bird in its nest, startling it so badly its soul nearly left its body.
Satisfied with scaring the bird, Chun Feng smiled and scanned the surroundings for prey.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, he landed and crouched down, placing his hand on the ground, eyes narrowed as he analyzed the tracks.
They indicated that a beast had recently passed through, and judging by the aura, it was likely a mid-tier fierce beast.
'Judging by the shape of the prints, it's definitely a reptile. Probably about three meters long. Not very tall, based on the tail movement… likely a large crawling lizard. Alright then, you're my target!' Chun Feng analyzed the tracks, estimating the beast's size, height, and type.
He stood up and took off in the direction of the tracks.
He hadn't always had this tracking ability. But once he realized how crucial it was for hunting, he dedicated himself to mastering it.
Now, he could track prey over long distances with ease.
After about fifteen minutes, he reached a clearing and crouched behind a bush, watching the beast from afar.
At the center of the clearing lay a massive lizard over three meters long, its body covered in black scales that provided heavy defense.
It also had large dark bony spikes along its back, looking just as deadly as its claws, which were now buried deep in the body of a deer, one Chun Feng recognized as a Crystal Horned Stag, a known fierce beast.
Studying the lizard more closely, Chun Feng remembered it from one of the books he had read.
'Black as night, claws sharp enough to cut metal, and bone spikes that whistle in the wind with a shrill sound… That's a Black Wind Crawler.'
Narrowing his eyes, Chun Feng began to steady his breath, preparing for the hunt ahead.
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