Located in the Kingdom of Temeria, in a territory named Badov, governed by Baron Raymond.
"A new day, good morning! Night City... uh, Temeria!"
A black-haired, blue-eyed youth with a slightly immature face shouted with vigor.
He then stretched towards the sun before returning inside.
When the youth stepped out again, he now had a crossbow on his back and a gleaming dagger in his hand.
He twirled the dagger by its hilt between his fingers several times before sheathing it in the dagger sheath at his thigh.
"Jack, I'm going to check the traps I set yesterday to see if any prey has been caught."
"Hmm, Karl, be careful. There have been a lot more monsters roaming the wilderness lately."
"Don't worry, if I encounter a monster I can't beat, can't I just run away?"
Meanwhile, the white-haired old man inside chuckled and nodded, not saying much.
He watched Karl leave, his reflection in his eyes, and a hint of worry suddenly appeared between his brows.
It wasn't until Karl's figure completely disappeared into the bushes that Jack retracted his gaze and continued to wipe his iron sword with an oilcloth.
Karl walked quickly through the bushes; the morning sun continuously shone on him, but he didn't feel a trace of heat.
In fact, he had a clear look of pleasure on his face because the sunlight not only didn't make him hot but made him feel incredibly comfortable all over.
At this moment, on his retina, there was a translucent light screen, with many pieces of information continuously flickering.
[Absorbing solar rays, Energy +0.1]
[Absorbing solar rays, Energy +0.1]
Indeed, he possessed a golden finger.
But after many years, the system, apart from frequently prompting him about gaining energy, had not yet shown any other functions.
Additionally, he also discovered many peculiarities about himself, such as his stamina recovering faster in the sun and his physique being stronger than ordinary people.
For a period initially, his appetite was so great that his family could not afford it, forcing him to pretend to be full.
Moreover, he had never suffered from any illness; his body was extremely healthy, not even a small cold... As Karl gradually delved deeper into the bushes, he heard the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects, as well as the gurgling sound of a nearby river.
Karl's eyes narrowed, and his vigilance gradually increased as he scanned the surrounding bushes with his peripheral vision for any movement.
He took the crossbow from his back, held it in his hand, and slowly advanced, following the marks he had left on the tree trunks.
After another twenty meters of walking, the surrounding trees gradually thinned out.
He finally reached the location where he had set traps and placed snares yesterday.
However, after clearly seeing the scene not far away, Karl's expression first brightened with joy, then quickly darkened.
He saw a medium-sized wild wolf, weighing about twenty kilograms, with its right leg caught in a snare, blood flowing from the wound.
If only considering this, then this trip would certainly be considered a fruitful harvest.
After all, a good-quality and relatively intact wolf pelt is worth 1 to 2 oren, equivalent to nearly two months' income for an ordinary person.
But now, four blue-skinned humanoids were devouring the wild wolf.
Their bodies appeared similar to humans, but a closer look would reveal scales and fins on them.
Their feet were webbed like a frog's, their eyeballs almost protruded from their sockets, and their entire bodies emitted a putrid, sour odor.
This nauseating smell, which relentlessly assailed one's nostrils, could even be detected from several meters away.
Seeing such obvious characteristics, how could Karl not know what kind of monster it was?
His face was incredibly grim, his eyes filled with disgust, and he cursed inwardly.
"Damn it, those wretched Drowners! This is at least twenty meters from the river; how could they smell the blood?"
"My money... I have to pay tithes in a few days. When will this damn life end?!"
...Just as Karl glared at the Drowners, intending to quietly leave and check other traps.
Suddenly, under the sunlight, an object beside the Drowners reflected light, stinging his eyes.
"Huh? What's reflecting light?" He frowned and then looked towards the corner.
Upon seeing the object clearly, he gasped in astonishment, his eyes unable to hide his delight.
On the ground, a necklace lay quietly, stained with blood and covered in dust.
He looked at it, and the necklace had dozens of pure white pearls strung together by an unknown thread.
The pendant below it was entirely dark and profound, almost not reflecting light unless intensely illuminated by the sun; it appeared to be obsidian.
From time to time, a brilliant blue light flashed within the obsidian pendant, clearly indicating it was not a simple piece of jewelry.
However, due to the distance and the bloodstains and dust covering its surface, Karl could not see it clearly.
"Hiss... Jewelry, definitely valuable jewelry! I must get this."
"Even if the necklace is slightly damaged, its value would be at least several dozen oren. I didn't expect such a pleasant surprise."
After realizing the necklace's considerable value, he stared intently at it, fearing it might grow wings and fly away.
Karl's breathing quickened unconsciously, his chest heaving violently.
But soon, he took a few deep breaths to compose himself, forcing himself to calm down.
Especially at times like these, one must remain calm. He was only slightly stronger than an ordinary person, but far from a Witcher.
Therefore, he must not let greed blind him, or capsizing in a ditch would be the end of him.
Karl rested his chin on his fist, lowering his head slightly, and began to ponder a countermeasure.
If he remembered correctly, Drowners, like Ghouls, were communal monsters.
Since there were four Drowners here, it could be inferred that there was at least one Drowner nest in the nearby river.
Although Drowners have low intelligence, even to the point of being foolish, they still use conventional methods like calling for help from companions.
Drowners often gather in groups of several, and even Witchers are reluctant to provoke them unless necessary.
Once he made a move, he had to ensure he didn't give the other Drowners any chance to shout or call for help.
Otherwise, if the nearby Drowner nest detected the commotion, it would definitely be like stirring up a hornet's nest.
At this thought, his brows furrowed, and a look of difficulty involuntarily appeared on his face.
After several seconds of contemplation, a flash of inspiration struck Karl, and he suddenly looked up.
"That's right, if there's no opportunity, I'll create one."
"Since I'm not confident in killing them all at once, why not find a way to separate these four Drowners and kill them one by one?"
Immediately, Karl's eyes darted around, looking at the Drowners still heartily sharing the wild wolf.
He reached into his pants pocket, pulled out a thumb-sized, whistle-like object, and placed it to his mouth.
Just as he was about to blow the whistle, Karl paused, a hint of apprehension welling up in his heart.
"What if the Drowners don't act as expected, but instead move as a group...?"
"However, although there's a risk, it's not unacceptable... At worst, I can still run away."
At this thought, Karl's wavering gaze became completely firm.