[Name: Bai Yuan]
[Class: Hunter]
[Skills: None]
[Strengthening Points: 0]
[Acquire a Skill!]
[Archery] [Trapping] [Tracking]
"Tracking!"
Bai Yuan didn't hesitate in the slightest.
He was all too familiar with these options.
He had pulled an all-nighter, trying almost every possible choice to figure out the optimal path to clear the game.
The Swordsman and Boxer classes seemed powerful, but their early-game survival ability was just too poor. They would be killed by low-level monsters before they even had a chance to obtain a Cultivation Technique.
Only by choosing the Hunter class could he get enough time to develop.
The first rule of a speedrun is to survive.
After choosing a class came choosing a skill.
If he had chosen Archery or Trapping, the result would have been the same.
Their damage was high, but they offered almost no ability to develop. The unassuming Tracking skill was the correct choice.
More importantly, he had neither a bow and arrows nor any Beast Traps.
As he selected the word "Tracking," the panel changed again.
[Name: Bai Yuan]
[Class: Hunter]
[Skills: Tracking (Beginner)]
[Strengthening Points: 0]
Strengthening Points, as the name implied, were points that could be used to upgrade skills and unlock new classes.
The method for obtaining Strengthening Points was also very direct: killing monsters, of course.
A surge of unfamiliar memories rushed into Bai Yuan's mind.
[First year of hunting: You chose to first learn the Tracking Technique. You observed animal tracks and tasted animal droppings, finally achieving a breakthrough.]
A host of strange knowledge filled Bai Yuan's mind, making him feel as if he had truly been a Hunter for a year.
His gaze grew as sharp as a falcon's.
Soon, his eyes settled on a pine tree ten meters away—or more precisely, on a small, black, round pellet on the snow beneath it.
Bai Yuan picked up the small pellet with two fingers.
It was warm to the touch and smelled of grass and wood.
He scanned the surroundings again and spotted a faint, plum-blossom-shaped footprint not far away. Although it was almost completely hidden by the heavy snow, his keen eyes still found it.
Lines of information appeared in his mind.
Wild rabbit. Three inches. Within three hundred meters.
As if he had truly become a seasoned Hunter, Bai Yuan quickly made a judgment based on the rabbit droppings.
He casually tossed the droppings aside, not feeling the least bit disgusted, and ran off in the direction of the tracks.
His luck was good.
Before long, he found the corpse of a wild rabbit behind a tree, still not frozen solid. Based on the bite marks on its abdomen, the attacker was likely a wolf.
It seemed the rabbit had been bitten by a wolf. Though it had escaped, it eventually died from blood loss, which ended up being a windfall for Bai Yuan.
A look of delight appeared on Bai Yuan's face.
But it wasn't because of the rabbit...
[Name: Bai Yuan]
[Class: Hunter]
[Skills: Tracking (Beginner)]
[Strengthening Points: 1]
The number for Strengthening Points on the panel had changed to "1"!
Besides killing monsters, the Hunter class could also gain Strengthening Points by acquiring prey.
Bai Yuan was overjoyed.
With his current physique, he couldn't hope to catch a wild rabbit, let alone a tiger or leopard. Finding the rabbit today was already a pleasant surprise, but he hadn't expected to also gain a Strengthening Point.
"Spend the point!"
[Acquire a Skill!]
[Archery] [Trapping]
This time, he chose Archery.
[Name: Bai Yuan]
[Class: Hunter]
[Skills: Tracking (Beginner), Archery (Beginner)]
[Strengthening Points: 0]
[Second year of hunting: You chose to learn Archery. You practiced drawing your bow a hundred times a day, finally becoming able to hit targets within ten zhang.]
Bai Yuan didn't continue upgrading his Tracking skill, choosing instead to acquire a new one.
Skills were divided into five levels: Beginner, Proficient, Expert, Master, and Legendary. One Strengthening Point wasn't enough to raise Tracking to the Proficient level, so acquiring a new skill was more cost-effective.
The Hunter had three initial skills; to obtain more and stronger skills, he would have to find other methods.
The Swordsman's initial skills were [Chop], [Hack], and [Upward Slash]. At the Beginner level, they provided almost no combat power, far less practical than the Hunter's skills.
Bai Yuan's right hand began to itch, and thick calluses formed on the knuckles of his index and middle fingers, as if he had truly drawn a bow thirty thousand times.
Unfortunately, he didn't have a bow and arrows, so he couldn't convert his new skill into actual combat power.
He certainly couldn't afford a standard-issue bow, but making a bamboo bow himself was still feasible.
He picked up the rabbit by its hind legs and didn't linger.
Judging by the rabbit's injuries, the wolf had to be nearby. He didn't have the guts to try and slide-tackle it, so leaving first was the wise choice.
...
"You're truly skilled."
Xiao Qiaoniang stared at the wild rabbit hanging from Bai Yuan's waist, her mouth agape in surprise.
Though a simple woman, she knew how difficult it was to hunt in the winter. Even experienced old Hunters often came back empty-handed, let alone someone like Bai Yuan who had never hunted before.
Bai Yuan took down the rabbit and handed it to Xiao Qiaoniang.
"There are still some wild vegetables at home. Let's stew them together."
Xiao Qiaoniang shook her head repeatedly.
A poor family like theirs couldn't bear to eat meat. Of course, it should be taken to the market to be sold; it could be exchanged for a good amount of sorghum flour.
Bai Yuan's expression hardened.
"Do as I say."
Unable to win against Bai Yuan, Xiao Qiaoniang had no choice but to accept the rabbit, which was already frozen stiff.
She didn't actually stew the whole rabbit. After carefully removing one of its legs, she hung up the rest of the carcass.
The small wooden cabin wasn't well-insulated, but that made it a natural freezer. The meat could be preserved until spring of the next year.
Women from farming families knew how to be meticulous and frugal, and Xiao Qiaoniang was no exception.
She planned to cut off a small piece every few days to cook in a soup. That way, it would be enough to last them for two months.
Xiao Qiaoniang busied herself for a long time at the simple stove, which was built from piled stones.
Since the Bai Family's parents passed away, she hadn't eaten meat in a long time, so she prepared the meal with extreme care.
Before long, a pot of steaming hot vegetable soup was served.
In the large pot, the single small rabbit leg had sunk to the bottom, almost completely hidden by the vegetables.
Xiao Qiaoniang ladled a bowl of the vegetable soup and served it to Bai Yuan.
Bai Yuan took the earthenware bowl. The entire rabbit leg was in it.
Looking at Xiao Qiaoniang's bowl, there was no sign of meat at all, aside from a few specks of shimmering oil floating on the broth.
Bai Yuan tore off most of the rabbit meat and put it in Xiao Qiaoniang's bowl.
"But this..."
Xiao Qiaoniang stared at the rabbit meat that had suddenly appeared in her bowl, about to refuse.
Bai Yuan said with a cold face, "I'm telling you to eat it, so just eat."
Then his tone softened. "There will be more in the future."
Xiao Qiaoniang felt a warmth spread through her heart.
'He's really come into his own, and he knows how to care for someone now.'
Beaming with delight, she picked up the rabbit meat, took a small bite, and chewed it slowly, unable to remember the last time she had eaten something so good.
Outside, the cold wind howled louder and louder, while inside, the warm yellow lamplight flickered, casting their two shadows long against the wall.
Bai Yuan raised the back of his hand to wipe the grease from the corner of his mouth, then glanced at the window, which was missing its frame.
"One day, we're going to move into a house with a proper kang bed!"