Chapter Thirty-Six: The Hunter's Duty

[Bow Weapon Mastery (Novice)
Passive Effect: When using bow-type weapons, crosshair tightening speed is increased by 10%, crosshair spread range is reduced by 10%, and bow-and-arrow lethality is increased by 10%.
Skill Description: Through an expert's guidance, you have gained some proficiency in using bow-type weapons, making you adept at wielding them in combat. This skill is also a necessary prerequisite for learning bow-and-arrow combat techniques.]

As expected of a high-tier errand with a hundred-thousand apprenticeship fee, it grants a weapon skill right at the novice level.

Xiao Jie equipped the bow and arrows, pulled the bowstring toward a distant target, and a crosshair that gradually shrank immediately appeared in the center of the screen. It took nearly two seconds to shrink from the full circle to the minimum circle. In other words, to ensure a hit rate, one had to aim for two seconds before loosing an arrow. Combined with the actions of drawing and nocking an arrow, it took about three to four seconds to fire a single shot.

If he did not shoot when the crosshair reached its minimum size, it would expand again after about two seconds. Therefore, mastering the timing of the shot became the key.

Xiao Jie was quite accustomed to the archery mechanics in this game, which reminded him of the archery in Mount & Blade. The effect of this bow weapon mastery was roughly similar to the [Power Draw] skill in Mount & Blade.

Familiarizing himself with the feel, Xiao Jie loosed an arrow at the target.
Whoosh—Thud!
The arrow struck the target.

"Not bad, hitting the target on the very first try is quite acceptable," Yang Baichuan praised from the side.

I Wanna Be Immortal also loosed an arrow. He had never played Mount & Blade, but having spent a day wandering in the wilderness and previously shooting arrows, hitting a stationary target was not a problem for him.
He also hit the target on the first shot.

The two of them took turns shooting, and before long, the target was bristling with arrows.
After all, it was a game, and shooting arrows was certainly much simpler than in reality. As long as one mastered the rhythm of the crosshair tightening, shooting such fixed targets was very easy.

Yang Baichuan sighed in repeated praise, "I have indeed taken in two good disciples today. Good, good, good. Your archery skills are sufficient for hunting.
As a hunter, one's duty is to provide game for the village while simultaneously eliminating the fierce beasts that threaten the villagers.
Since your archery has reached the novice level, go forth and begin hunting.
Hunt the beasts outside the village, and I will provide rewards based on the game you harvest. Here are two sets of bows and arrows; you may use them for now."

[System Prompt: Acquired temporary class [Hunter Apprentice], acquired weapon [Hunting Bow], [Rough Feather Arrows × 20].]

Xiao Jie thought to himself that he had finally obtained an errand. True to its reputation, this hunter was indeed the hardest to unlock, a top-tier errand worth ten taels of silver.
However, the perks were truly wonderful, even coming with free weapons.

He checked the attributes of the bow and arrows.
[Hunting Bow (Bow and Arrow)
Attack Power: 15 piercing.
Weapon Effect: Beast Bane. Deals 30% enhanced damage to beast-type enemies.
Item Description: Bows and arrows used by hunters, suitable for shooting beasts from a distance. It is said that the original purpose of humans inventing the bow and arrow was for hunting, making them the bane of beasts. This is the truest form of the bow and arrow as a weapon.]

[Rough Feather Arrows (Ammunition)
Attack Power: +1 piercing.
Item Description: Crude arrows made of bamboo, pig iron, and goose feathers. Barely usable for hunting, but likely inadequate for dealing with large beasts.]

Well, as expected, you get what you pay for with free items.
He could always buy a better bow and arrow later with money.

This hunter errand was not only difficult to acquire, but executing it was also much more dangerous. Unlike other errands that could be completed within the village, a hunter had to venture into the wilderness to obtain game, which meant—combat.

Yet, Xiao Jie was not nearly as nervous as before. Although he was still only level 2, through his accumulation and progression in the village over the past few days, his current strength was completely different from before.
He could shoot arrows from afar, draw his blade up close, and use exorcism spells when encountering ghosts. It was time to slay monsters and level up!

Wait, there was also the Dog Training skill.
"Master, a hunter should be able to learn Dog Training, right? When will this be taught?" Xiao Jie asked.
I Wanna Be Immortal also instantly perked up.

Yang Baichuan, however, shook his head and said, "Dog training is not taught; it must be comprehended. To train a dog, you must first learn to feed it. Once you have fed the dog until it is familiar with you, it will naturally obey you.
The game you hunt back can be sold to me for money, or used to feed the dog. Feed it a few times, and you will naturally master the Dog Training skill."

[System Prompt: Unlocked special errand [Dog Feeder]. This errand does not yield direct rewards, but it can increase your [Dog Feeding] skill experience.]

Xiao Jie was speechless, thinking to himself when feeding a dog had even become a skill.
And it required increasing skill experience...
However, he understood now. Feeding a dog should be just like herding sheep; herding sheep allowed one to comprehend Beast Lore, while feeding a dog probably led to comprehending Dog Training.

Very well, it was reasonable enough. Lesson learned...

Yang Baichuan continued, "Oh right, Hidden Moon Following Wind, I mentioned earlier that I have a treasure to gift you. Follow me."

Yang Baichuan clearly distinguished between the subjects of the quest. Business was business; although the ghost was slain by Yeluo and the exorcism quest was accepted by Xiao Jie and only shared with I Wanna Be Immortal, the quest rewards were limited to the two of them.
As for the special reward, it belonged solely to Xiao Jie.

Xiao Jie followed Yang Baichuan into a cellar, where the walls were covered with animal pelts.
On a table, three fur-crafted items were placed side by side.

Yang Baichuan looked at these three pieces of equipment with a face full of pride, "I have hunted countless prey in my lifetime, but among them, I am most proud of only three: a brown giant bear, a phantom lynx, and a silver-maned white wolf.
I crafted three pieces of equipment using the pelts of these three beasts, which I have always regarded as treasures. Now that you have helped me immensely, I will gift you one today. Go and choose one."

It turned out to be a blue-tier equipment reward. Although inferior to a Dharma artifact, it was quite good for a beginner.

The first piece was a breastplate made of bear skin, exceptionally thick and sturdy.
[Resilient Bear Hide Breastplate (Chest Armor)
Physical Defense +18.
Weight: 8
Equipment Effect: Bear's Resilience. Tenacity value increased by 10 points.
Item Description: A breastplate crafted from giant bear hide, sturdy and heavy. It can reduce damage while resisting the impact force of weapons, making it harder for you to be knocked into a stagger state.]

The second piece:
[Agile Lynx Hide Boots (Boots)
Leg Defense +4.
Weight: 1.
Equipment Effect: Cat's Agility. Agility +3, slightly increases your running speed.
Item Description: Leather boots crafted from the pelt of a phantom lynx, exceptionally lightweight. They can reduce the recoil force generated when running, thereby increasing running speed.]

The third piece was a white cloak.
[Cold-Resistant White Wolf Cloak (Cloak)
Physical Defense +6.
Equipment Effect: Cold Resistance. Frost resistance +20.
Item Description: A cloak crafted from the pelt of a silver-maned white wolf, possessing excellent warmth and cold-resistant effects. It not only allows you to be immune to environmental damage in freezing environments but also provides a certain degree of resistance to frost spells.]

After a moment of thought, Xiao Jie decisively chose the lynx hide boots.
He was planning to follow an agility-build route in the early stages, so equipment that added agility was exceptionally precious. Moreover, movement speed was something one could never have too much of; it was convenient for running away and saving one's life.

"Ah, you chose this one. Good, you have an eye for this. That phantom lynx is a cunning prey; I've only ever killed one in my entire life, truly a matter of encountering it by chance rather than seeking it. Let's go, let's head back up."

Xiao Jie put on the leather boots, quite satisfied.

When the two walked out of the cellar, Yeluo and I Wanna Be Immortal were chatting about something outside.
"Brother Following Wind, Sister Yeluo is telling me about game classes. Come listen too, Sister Yeluo, you don't mind an extra listener, do you?"
"Whatever," Yeluo replied in her usual cold tone, continuing her explanation.

Xiao Jie immediately listened in. Such game intelligence was extremely precious.
Understanding more would be immensely helpful for his future class planning.