Tree shade, abundant Streams, and incredibly fertile, dark humic soil.
Rotten tree trunks covered in Moss, lying haphazardly on the ground.
This was deep within the dense forest of the Shuretsusen Hill area, where even sunlight struggled to penetrate.
There was no place more suitable for Mushroomgrowth than this.
On the Moss, which had absorbed last night's rainwater like a sponge, large patches of specialty Mushrooms grew in layers, their fleshy red caps soft and plump, their delicious taste beyond doubt.
"Hmph hmph."
A muffled grunting sound came, and a figure squeezed out from the bushes in the forest.
This was a stout wild boar with a back height exceeding one meter, its brownish-black fur covered in semi-dry mud, almost as if it were wearing a layer of armor.
The Great Wild Boar grunted and snorted as it approached the Mushroom-covered stump, sniffed left and right with its long, pointed snout, and then began to chew indiscriminately.
In a short while, the large patch of Mushrooms that had just grown on the stump was completely ruined.
"Tsk."
In the shadows of the dense forest, a slight clicking sound was heard, but the Great Wild Boar, busy enjoying its meal, did not notice.
"I was still thinking if I could collect some specialty Mushrooms to take back, but now they're all ruined."
Behind a large tree covered in vines, a young Hunter in light leather armor muttered silently.
"Forget it, once I complete this assessment mission, I'll be a formal Hunter, no need to get angry over a few Mushrooms," Gordon comforted himself in his heart.
He slowly took a breath, allowing his emotions and breath to completely calm down.
"First, check if the surroundings are safe."
In the Stream, tree canopy shadows, deep within the vines, the chirping of insects, the scent carried by the wind.
His eyes, ears, nose, and even skin were meticulously and efficiently collecting every clue from the environment.
After several seconds, Gordon confirmed that, at least within a few tens of meters, there were no other large creatures present.
He could begin the hunt.
Tightening the strap on the small shield on his right arm, the bone Dunjian (Shield Sword/Sword and Shield) named "Hunter's Knife" was also drawn from the sheath at his waist and held tightly in his palm.
His muscles tensed like a fully drawn bowstring, and the next second, he charged out like a leopard.
"Hmph ga?"
The Great Wild Boar, with Mushroom debris hanging from its mouth, vigilantly raised its head, its massive head not yet having time to turn towards the direction of the sound.
The attacker had already crossed the nearly ten-meter distance and rushed to its side.
He did not stop his steps, nor did he directly draw his blade; instead, he used the round shield, which barely covered his vital chest and abdomen, as a ram, and crashed into the Great Wild Boar's side with his whole body.
"Ga ao!"
Even the Great Wild Boar, with its low and stable center of gravity, couldn't help but stumble under this full-force impact, unable to counterattack immediately.
But Gordon had already raised his shield and swung his blade, firmly striking the relatively soft flesh of the Great Wild Boar's hindquarters.
The blade of the Hunter's Knife, covered with fine, sharp teeth, successfully broke through the defense of mud and fur.
Amidst splashing blood, fat, muscle, and tendons were cut open, and the Great Wild Boar's hind legs buckled, causing it to tumble to the ground with a miserable howl.
The boar's charge, powered by its hind legs, was the Great Wild Boar's only Attack Up method; such a strike might not be directly fatal, but it crippled its hind legs and completely cut off any possibility of resistance.
The following scene was relatively brutal.
"Ga ao ao ao!"
With a series of shrill wails, the Great Wild Boar's eyes completely lost their vitality, leaving only its strong body still twitching slightly from nerve reflexes.
Shaking the blood from the blade, Gordon sheathed his Dunjian (Shield Sword/Sword and Shield).
He stood up, first vigilantly glancing around a few times to confirm there was no danger, then he squatted down again, pulled out his carving knife, and began to collect from the Great Wild Boar's carcass.
Tens of seconds later, he selectively cut off a large piece of good quality raw meat and pulled out a tusk about half a meter long.
As for the most valuable fur, since it had several knife marks, it wouldn't fetch a good price, and it would be inconvenient to carry while the mission was still ongoing, so he had to give it up.
Putting the raw meat and tusk into his satchel, Gordon went to the Stream and quickly washed his blood-stained hands and tools, then hurried away.
The smell of blood and the carcass would soon attract predators like Blue Velocidrome, and lingering here would only invite trouble.
Traveling quickly, after more than half an hour, Gordon returned to the Hunting Camp built amidst surrounding boulders.
It wasn't until he ducked through the narrow, dog-hole-like passage and saw the simple but sturdy yellow beast hide tent that the young man finally let out a long sigh of relief.
He was completely safe once he returned to the Hunting Camp.
Taking the tusk and raw meat out of his satchel, the former was the settlement item to confirm the subjugation result and was stored in the red storage box inside the Hunting Camp.
The latter was marinated with seasonings, ready to be roasted and eaten later, which was also a treat.
After all, although the portable food provided by the Hunter's Guild could quickly fill one's stomach, the taste was truly hard to compliment.
This portable food, made from a mixture of flour and dried cured meat, tasted almost like wood soaked in salt water.
In contrast, roasted meat, cooked until golden brown and sizzling with oil, was much more delicious.
Recalling the deliciousness of roasted meat, Gordon swallowed hard, skillfully set up the roasting rack, and patiently roasted this piece of fresh raw meat that still carried residual warmth.
To roast delicious meat that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, impatience won't do; controlling the heat is even more important.
As the young man slowly turned the handle of the roasting rack, he took out his thin Hunter's Notebook.
He turned to the newest page.
——
Assessment Mission: Annoying Boar Herd
Mission Content: Subjugate 5 Great Wild Boars
Reward: 300z
Designated Location: Shuretsusen Hill
Time Limit: 3 Days
The boar population in Shuretsusen Hill has been breeding abnormally, and its numbers are increasing too quickly. Please reduce their numbers to prevent damage to the ecosystem of the Shuretsusen Hill area and impact the surrounding human settlements!
——
He took out a charcoal pencil and made a few notes.
Including the one just now, he had already hunted four Great Wild Boars in the past two days. Hunting one more would allow him to complete the mission and return to the village.
Most importantly!
At that time, having passed the assessment mission, he would finally be able to shed the "apprentice" prefix and officially become a Monster Hunter!
Two full years had passed since he formally began Hunter training at the age of fifteen.
It was time to graduate.
Thinking of this, Gordon couldn't help but smile.
Great Wild Boars, Blue Velocidrome, Popo(Mammoth) — these trash monsters, which he had hunted not a hundred, but seventy or eighty of over the past two years, were not worth recording in his Hunter's Notebook.
Only true Flying Wyverns like Rathalos!
Were the glory Hunters yearned for!
A burnt smell startled him from his pleasant fantasy.
Gordon, realizing the meat was overcooked, frantically took the roasted meat off the roasting rack.
Fortunately, only a little was burnt.
This small matter couldn't affect his good mood.
While vigorously tearing at the scalding roasted meat with a slight burnt smell, the young man looked up at the sun, which was still high in the sky.
It was still early; there were at least three hours until sunset.
Speeding up, he wolfed down his meal. A few minutes later, he tossed the clean Gu Tou aside, patted his bulging stomach, and stood up.
"Full and satisfied, strike while the iron is hot! Finish the hunt before dark!"
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