Volume 1 Chapter 2 Quail Hunting
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I push through the tall wheat that rises to my waist, careful not to trample the golden stalks beneath my feet.
As I move, I activate my detection skill to sense the surroundings and my concealment skill to keep hidden. The pace is slow, but I don’t mind—every step helps level my abilities.
I ignore the strong presence of Ms. Nina trailing silently behind me.
A flicker—something brushes against the edge of my detection skill.
I raise my hand in a silent signal, and Ms. Nina halts immediately.
Reaching over my shoulder, I draw two arrows from the quiver on my back.
Today’s quest is to hunt the Wheat-Eating Quail.
It’s a monster similar to a quail, a bit bigger than a chicken, and it’s non-aggressive, meaning it won’t attack us first.
Its level is low, between 2 and 5, but it’s very cautious.
If it senses a human, it will fly away quickly, making it hard to catch.
I hold my bow in my left hand and an arrow in my right, ready to shoot as I quietly approach.
Of course, I’m using my concealment skill to the fullest.
Ms. Nina stands still like a scarecrow, and that’s not bad at all.
The quails focus their caution on Ms. Nina, making my concealment even better.
I get close to the target without being noticed, draw my bow, and jump out… but it’s not a quail.
It’s a little creature with a bright gray body, a round head the size of a volleyball, and it walks in a cute, wobbly way.
It’s a soil spirit.
According to Ms. Nina, spirits are also classified as monsters, but most of them are non-aggressive.
If we don’t do anything, they aren’t dangerous.
”Kill?”
It asks in a scared voice… or is it telepathy?
The spirit seems worried.
”No, sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you. I mistook you for a quail.”
When I lower my arrow, the spirit looks relieved.
”Over there.”
It strikes a pose as if pointing, then waddles away, disappearing into the gaps in the wheat.
It looks clumsy, but it’s surprisingly quick.
In the direction the soil spirit pointed, there’s a small thicket of trees.
The little forest left alone in the wheat field looks like a green island floating in a sea of gold.
I can see black dots moving around the edge of the forest.
Those are… a flock of quails.
”Thank you.”
I call out near where the earth spirit disappeared.
The wheat stalks rustle softly.
I can see a big quail running around the edge of the forest.
There are not just ten or 20 of them.
”I just need one, though.”
”Oh, there are so many!”
Ms. Nina still has a blank expression, but she seems a bit amused.
Using my detection skill, I sense over a hundred presences moving around.
”If they all attack at once, I think I could die instantly.”
”I’ve never heard of quails attacking people.”
”Okay, I’ll trust you. You stay here.”
I hand my backpack to Ms. Nina and feel lighter.
Alright, it’s hunting time.
I use my stealth skill to hide my presence and slowly sneak up on my prey.
I can feel my stealth skill wearing down from the countless gazes coming from the quails.
But I also feel my skill level rising quickly; this world’s skills are interesting.
I move into the blind spot of the quails and focus on my stealth skill.
It seems to vary by person, but to me, the stealth skill feels like a barrier covering my body.
That barrier gradually recovers; I don’t really understand how, but I’m getting the hang of using it.
While keeping track of the quails’ movements with my detection skill, I move to stay in their blind spots to reduce the drain on my stealth skill.
Ideally, I want to take down one quail before they notice me.
Ms. Nina said they won’t attack, but you never know.
Luckily, the quails don’t have much HP.
If I aim for a vital spot, I should be able to manage.
I hold my breath and patiently wait for the right moment.
Occasionally, one of them wanders away from the flock.
It’s still far, don’t rush it.
Just by waiting like this, I’m gaining a lot of experience in both detection and stealth skills.
In a way, this is a great situation; there’s no need to rush.
While I’m lying in wait, one quail comes closer.
It keeps glancing nervously towards Ms. Nina.
It doesn’t notice me pulling back my bow at all.
It’s less than ten meters away in a straight line, and it’s perfectly positioned in the blind spot from the flock.
If I aim for the head, I can kill it instantly.
At this distance, I definitely won’t miss.
Calm down, my heart is racing.
Should I aim for the back instead, to be safe?
But if I don’t kill it instantly, the whole group will notice.
Focus, focus.
I have sniping skills too.
I aim for the quail’s beady little eyes.
For a moment, I feel like I might hit it, so I release the arrow.
Thud!
A light sound, and the quail falls over.
I quickly grab the quail and retreat to where Ms. Nina is.
”Well, what a splendid quail~desuwa!”
Ms. Nina praises me, and I feel happy.
I’m simple like that.
Praise me more!
I’m the type that grows with compliments.
”You must bleed it right away, or it will smell bad.”
That’s right, I remember Chaa from the butcher warned me about that.
I carefully pull out the arrow.
The arrow went in through the right eye and out the left; it should be a clean kill.
Luckily, the arrow is mostly undamaged.
Arrows are quite expensive, and as I get used to them, I can feel each one has its own quirks.
I can repair them, so I collect and reuse them as much as possible, wiping the blood off the tip with a rag before putting it back in the quiver.
I take out my machete and chop off the quail’s head.
Thanks to my crafting skills, the blade goes through like butter.
I don’t have sword skills, but I have crafting skills.
The machete counts as a tool, so it boosts my crafting skill.
Blood sprays out from the quail’s neck.
I’ve gotten a bit used to it lately, but it’s still a sight that makes me feel sick.
Is Ms. Nina calm about the blood because she’s a doll?
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply