The bow felt solid in his grip, the string taut and eager. Hiroshi steadied his breathing, letting his eyes narrow on the open field ahead.
A small herd of wild boars lounged lazily in the sun. The three females rolled happily in the grass, snorting and bumping against each other, while the largest male rooted close by, occasionally rubbing himself against one of the others with shameless vigor.
Hiroshi's eyebrow twitched. "...Seriously? Even in another world, I have to watch this kind of nonsense?"
His lips curled into a thin line. Somewhere deep in his chest, pride as a single man stirred, mixing with the strange predatory calm granted by his Hawkeye skill. The wind tugged lightly at his hair and at the bowstring, yet his mind whispered the solution: angle here, release there, and the arrow would find its mark.
He raised the bow, an arrow nocked in one smooth motion.
"They flaunt their lust so freely… while I, a hardworking man, have tasted nothing. Boars or not… this is blasphemy."
He drew the string back, mana flowing instinctively into the arrowhead as it shimmered faintly with light. His first hunt, his first strike in this new world, and his first step as a true Freelancer.
"…Your sin," he whispered with deadly seriousness, "is unforgivable."
The string released with a sharp thwip!
The arrow tore through the wind, straight toward the herd.
The first arrow struck the boar's hind leg.
The beast squealed like—well, like a pig being butchered. Which, technically, it was. The other boars scattered in alarm, but the wounded male whipped its head around, eyes wild with rage and pain.
Hiroshi felt a rush of panic—but instinct and skill overlapped, and his hands moved on their own. He drew again, this time channeling mana into the arrowhead. The glow sharpened, a piercing light humming along the shaft as Focus Shot activated.
He let go of the string.
The arrow whistled, a streak of energy cutting through the air. By sheer fortune—or perhaps the system's subtle guidance—it drove straight into the boar's eye, piercing the skull and lodging deep into the brain. The creature collapsed instantly, its body kicking once before falling still.
Hiroshi froze, bow still raised. His chest heaved once, then twice. "...This is really great..."
Only then did he glance at the weapon in his hands, and the system's details flickered into view with a slight grin:
[Long Bow]
High Critical Damage
High Stealth Shot
Mid Penetration Boost
High Mana Amplification Damage
He swallowed hard. "This… this definitely isn't some beginner's toy?"
High Critical Damage: Every strike to a weak point counts as a critical. Guaranteed.
Minimum damage boost x5, maximum boost x10 if conditions align.
So, basically with this, Hiroshi was a walking headshot machine. Although with this kind of boost, his quest difficulty did change a lot. Still, he couldn't deny the thrill buzzing in his veins. The first kill, his first success in this strange new world. Freelancer or not, this felt like the start of something real.
And with that, he darted to target the other running pigs.
The fight dragged on longer than he expected. The wounded male's companions didn't flee immediately; instead, they charged with reckless fury. Hiroshi's heart pounded as he danced across the field, relying on Agility Boost to slip past tusks and snapping jaws by using tree cover and all.
Arrows flew, some clean, some messy, until one by one the beasts fell. By the time the last boar collapsed, Hiroshi was breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his brow.
"...Hahh… damn. Freelancing in this world is way more exhausting than editing a client's eighty-page manuscript." He laughed out loud, though it looked like he was complaining, but his body liked this kind of activity a lot; it was like he was playing a game, and with his hunting experience, there was no danger he felt while hunting.
Still, victory was victory. He collected the tusks and hides, and while searching the area, he noticed clusters of strange herbs sprouting near the treeline. His eyes flickered with faint blue light—the Identification skill triggering automatically.
[Quest Item: Healing Herb]
Requested by: Riverside Settlement – Guild Board
He blinked. "...So I can complete quests even before turning them in?" With a shrug, he gathered as many herbs as he could, stuffing them into storage. Better safe than sorry.
As he wiped his hands, another notification flickered in his vision.
[Adventurer Registration Confirmed]
Adventurer Card Issued – Rank: E
A glowing card materialized in his palm, the surface etched with his name, age, and the faint emblem of the guild.
"...Wait, I didn't even sign up yet." He flipped the card over, frowning. The system's explanation followed: Identification provided by divine contract. Status synchronized with local adventurer networks.
"...So the gods basically set up my paperwork in advance. Handy." He thought.
But his grin faded when he checked his status again. Despite the hunt, his levels had barely moved.
Freelancer Lv. 1 – Exp: 40/300
Hunter Lv. 1 – Exp: 40/100
He slumped. "I killed four giant tusk boars and this is all I get?!"
The system chimed, almost smugly: "Freelancer requires triple the normal experience to level up." "EXP is also divided between tagged classes."
"Triple tax and revenue split… I'm literally being scammed by divine contract." Hiroshi rubbed his temples, groaning.
Still, he couldn't deny the spark of satisfaction in his chest. Supplies in hand, monster parts collected, herbs secured, and an adventurer card already in his pocket.
His first real day in this world hadn't been a complete disaster.
With the boars dealt with and his pack heavy with spoils, Hiroshi picked up his pace along the dirt path toward the settlement. His steps felt lighter, the Agility Boost subtly working its magic as the trees thinned into a wide meadow.
That was when he spotted them.
At first, his heart melted a little—soft-furred creatures hopping along the grass, with long ears and twitching noses. "Oh, finally. Something wholesome. Cute bunnies." It almost makes him go and pet them up. After all, what kind of guy would not like cute little things like that?
His relief lasted about two seconds.
The moment a group of caravan wagons rolled into view, the bunnies' eyes gleamed red. In perfect unison, they lowered their bodies and charged, fangs bared like miniature wolves. The air filled with bloodthirsty squeals.
Hiroshi's jaw dropped. "...Killer rabbits. Of course. Why not..." Before he could decide whether to laugh or panic, the system window popped into view with its familiar ping.
[Emergency Freelance Request Available]
Quest: Protect the Merchant Caravan from Killer Rabbits
Reward: 2 Gacha Tickets + 5 Gold Coins
He blinked, rereading the last line twice. "Five gold coins? That… that sounds like a lot."
The rabbits crashed against the caravan's wooden wheels, gnawing with frenzied squeaks as the merchants shouted in panic.
Hiroshi winced, gripping his bow. Cute or not, they were still monsters—and this was work. Work with decent pay.
He squared his stance, eyes sharpening as Hawkeye activated automatically.
"Alright… job accepted."
The caravan wasn't undefended. A ring of guards surrounded the wagons, steel flashing in the sun as they hacked at the swarm. But even with fifteen, maybe twenty fighters, the numbers weren't in their favor.
Several men already lay on the ground, clutching bloody bites on their arms and legs. The remaining line wavered as more rabbits lunged at them, teeth gnashing against steel like rabid beasts.
Hiroshi narrowed his eyes, bowstring already drawn. Hawkeye kicked in, slowing the frenzy into something manageable. The rabbits were quick—faster than the boars—but their defense was paper-thin. Thin hide. Small skulls. Weak points glowing in his vision like neon signs.
He released.
Thwip!
The first arrow punched cleanly through a rabbit's head, the body collapsing mid-leap. The second followed a heartbeat later, then a third. Each shot landed true, arrows pinning monsters to the dirt before they even reached the guards.
Yet the swarm didn't break. The creatures were locked in a frenzy, utterly focused on the humans in front of them. Not one pair of red eyes turned toward Hiroshi.
Perfect.
He drew again and again, his movements quick, almost mechanical. The bow hummed in his hands, every release clean and steady, his body flowing like he'd been hunting all his life.
"Next… and next… and next—"
By the time the caravan guards even realized arrows were flying past them, nearly ten rabbits already lay motionless on the ground, each shot with a perfect headshot.
One of the guards glanced around in shock, blade dripping red. "W-what…? Where did those arrows come from?"
But Hiroshi didn't stop to answer. He was already nocking another arrow, eyes coldly locked on the next target.
The guard's shout carried across the field, and the bearded man leading them snapped his head toward the strange arrows now pinning rabbit corpses to the dirt. Recognition flickered in his eyes—someone else was supporting them.
The shift was immediate. The killer rabbits, momentarily unsettled, lost their momentum. Seizing the chance, the mercenaries surged forward with renewed strength. Steel flashed, boots stomped, and in the span of heartbeats the meadow was littered with twitching bodies.
Silence fell, broken only by the merchants' nervous sighs.
From the low ridge above, Hiroshi descended the slope at a steady pace, bow slung casually across his shoulder. His face was calm, though he winced slightly at the grisly scene.
"Thank you, sir," one of the mercenaries called, wiping blood from his blade. His tone carried genuine respect. Those shots hadn't come from a novice. Whoever this stranger was, he had saved them from heavy losses.
Hiroshi offered a small smile, raising a hand in greeting.
"Hello. My name's Hiroshi, a low-rank adventurer."
The bearded captain stepped forward, sheathing his sword with a heavy clink. His eyes were sharp but not unkind. "Mr. Hiroshi, is it? You've done us a great service today." A low, stout voice spoke.
Then a man extended a gauntleted hand. "I am Caston, leader of this company. We take guarding contracts across these roads. If not for your arrows, we'd have driven the beasts off eventually—but at a steep cost."
Hiroshi shook his hand firmly. "Don't worry about it. Anyone in my position would've done the same." Hiroshi smiled.
Caston chuckled, shaking his head. "You're modest, but those shots weren't something just 'anyone' could manage." Caston thought about those sharp shots that took the life of almost half of the monster in that attack.
Hiroshi just smiled faintly, keeping quiet about the system's generous aim assist and the absurdly overpowered bow hanging from his shoulder. "It is alright..." Hiroshi chuckled; after all, he did all that for quest, so getting thanked like that really embarrass him. while looking at Hiroshi embarrased expression Caston laughed, thinking Hiroshi was a really kindhearted type of adventurer he rarely saw.
Caston led Hiroshi to the front wagon, where a well-dressed man sat, his hands tight around the reins. His eyes darted nervously toward the bloodstains on the road, then back to Caston.
"Is there something I can do to help you out, Mister Caston?" the man asked quickly. His voice betrayed his unease. He knew full well this road was considered unsafe, but urgent business had forced him to take the risk.
Caston folded his arms, his tone heavy. "It is alright, Mister Welf. But you understand… we'll be charging extra. Several of my brothers were injured in that assault."
Welf nodded, already expecting it. "Of course. We agreed on this possibility when I asked you to take this route. I'll honor it."
Then Welf's sharp gaze flicked toward Hiroshi. He had noticed those clean shots, the arrows that had turned the tide. "Also… I must thank Mister Archer for his timely aid. How about I pay you for your assistance?"
Hiroshi blinked at the sudden offer, then shook his head with a small smile. "No need. I already got what I needed."
He didn't bother explaining that the system had rewarded him with gold and gacha tickets. The truth was, the money Welf offered wouldn't have been much anyway—and more importantly, he had no intention of tagging along with the caravan.
Welf looked faintly surprised, then thoughtful. Caston, too, studied him quietly, as though reevaluating this seemingly young adventurer.
"Very well," Welf said at last, bowing his head slightly. "Then allow me to remember this kindness."
Hiroshi waved it off casually, turning back toward the road that led toward the city. "Take care on your journey. I'll be heading ahead alone."
And with that, he departed, leaving behind a caravan that watched him go in silence.
What Hiroshi didn't realize was that his refusal had left a deep impression. To Caston, he wasn't just another adventurer—he was a rare kind of man, skilled but humble, willing to act without demanding pay. And to Welf, a merchant with influence in multiple cities, Hiroshi's name would be remembered.
The reputation of a kind-hearted adventurer with a steady bow had begun to take root.