After gathering some rolls of spider webs, we continued our journey. Along the way, I occasionally spotted Horned Rabbits. I ignored the small ones—but the big ones...
"Renya, wait a minute," I said, eyes locked on a large Horned Rabbit ahead.
"What is it?" Renya asked, following my gaze.
"Practice," I replied, dropping into a crouch. I adjusted my stance, found a solid position, and raised my weapon, ready to aim.
This one's bigger than the last... fast too. But if I hit it clean, I'll know I'm improving.
I held my breath for a second, tuning out everything else. My heartbeat slowed. My fingers tightened around the grip.
Once I was certain of the shot, I muttered, "Good…" and released the arrow.
Let's see if my instincts are still sharp.
As I picked up the Horned Rabbit, something about it caught my eye. Its horns shimmered faintly—different from the others I'd seen.
Kruger stepped closer, eyes narrowing with recognition. "Rainbow Horn… you're quite talented, Prince," he said, a hint of approval in his voice. The other guards around us nodded in agreement, their expressions a mix of surprise and admiration.
Still puzzled, I looked at Greta, who adjusted her gloves, then explained, "That type of rabbit is very agile. Even among B-rank adventure archer, there are few who can catch it. And those horns?" She pointed at the shimmering curves. "Highly sought after by alchemists. Used in potions and rare enchantments."
So I just bagged a rare target without even realizing it… I thought, blinking at the rabbit in my hand. Not bad for practice.
After saying that, Greta added, "And the meat is said to be different from the others," eyeing the rabbit with barely contained excitement, her mouth practically watering.
I chuckled, lifting the rabbit slightly. "Alright then, we'll eat this tonight," I said, storing it neatly in my spatial bag.
Just as I was about to turn and look for more prey, Greta suddenly spoke up.
"Prince, I want to hunt too," she said, eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
Oh? Didn't think she'd be the type to get fired up over a rabbit hunt, I thought, a bit amused.
When she said that, I could only sigh in surrender and mutter, "Okay, okay…"
I pulled out a pack of ordinary bow arrows from my bag and tossed it over to Greta.
She caught it easily, then calmly closed the special arrow pack she had been carrying and slung the regular one over her shoulder.
And just like that, the two of us began moving through the forest together—searching for prey, keeping our eyes open, and watching each other's backs.
When the wolf pack—five of them—emerged from the thicket, I stepped forward and said, "Let me handle this."
Renya, sounding bored, asked, "What for?"
"Practice," I replied as I secured a round wooden shield with an iron coating tightly to my left arm. My right hand rested on the hilt of a one-handed sword still sheathed at my waist.
Once everything was ready, I took a step forward, then broke into a sprint—charging straight at the wolves.
Behind me, I heard Renya sigh and mutter, "Prince… you're reckless," as she rubbed her forehead with a tired groan.
After the wolf leader closed the distance, he leapt forward—just as expected. Two others flanked me, trying to surround me.
I smirked. Got you…
As the leader descended, I lunged forward and slammed my round shield upward, catching him under the chin and knocking his head back.
In the same fluid motion, I drew my sword and slashed across his exposed stomach—clean and fast.
While his claws scraped uselessly against my armor, I didn't stop. I kept running—straight toward the wolf on the right, who was still in shock from watching its leader fall.
I rammed into it with my shield in a full-body charge—bam!—and without hesitation, drove my sword into its chest.
Pulling the blade free, I looked up.
The remaining three wolves were no longer charging. No longer underestimating me.
They had stopped, eyes locked on me—low stances, teeth bared, completely on guard.
Tch… figures.
I sighed.
"...I guess I have no choice but to… give up."
I raised my hand and signaled toward Greta without even turning around.
"Greta—now."
In an instant, three arrows whistled through the air.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
All three wolves dropped, each with an arrow cleanly lodged in its skull or throat.
I stood still for a moment, then exhaled.
"…Good aim."
Once everything settled, I walked over and started collecting the five dead wolves one by one, stuffing them into my spatial bag like groceries after a shopping trip.
As we walked back into the forest, Renya glanced at me and asked, "Why did you give up?"
"I was afraid the wolves would run, learn from it, and become smarter," I replied, thinking about the possibility as I walked.
Hearing that, Renya let out a sigh and said in her usual lazy tone, "If that's what you're worried about, it's unnecessary. Happens all the time, everywhere."
"…Is that so," I mumbled, nodding quietly.
As the sun drifted toward the afternoon sky, the rest post finally came into view.
Renya let out a tired sigh, her coat covered in dust and dirt. "Looks like we'll be staying here tonight," she said wearily.
The others nodded in silent agreement, their coats just as dirty, faces showing the same exhaustion.
Looking at all of them, still wrapped in their filthy gear, I couldn't help but feel… awkward.
I glanced at them, then at myself… Yep. Definitely the cleanest one here.
All because I'd been the genius who said, "Let's dig for metal materials in the wettest part of the forest." Every time a shovel hit the mud, it sent dirty water flying everywhere—mostly onto them.
Note to self, I thought, sighing, I need a better method for collecting metal in the field. Definitely not an excavator… but maybe something magical?
I kept walking toward the rest post, already planning my next ridiculous invention.
As we approached the rest post, walking slowly, Greta's voice came through the earpiece in my ear.
"It seems like we're being watched," she said quietly.
Her words made my steps a little heavier.
Ah… looks like this is going to be a tiring trip, I muttered in my mind.
Greta must've picked up on my mood, because she nodded without a word, crouching beside me. Calmly, she began cleaning and cutting the Horned Rabbit she'd caught earlier—careful, precise. She placed the meat behind her bag, using it as camouflage to hide my spatial bag.
Efficient as always… but her fingers moved a bit faster now.