Chapter 40: The Hunting Trial
The two of them walked back toward the village center until they reached the majestic Altar of the Red Bear. Mila stopped before the carved wooden structure and bowed with respect. Kellar simply mimicked her without a word; he didn’t even remember the exact hunter’s ritual.
As they approached the main wooden gate of the palisade, a guard on duty watched them. Recognizing them, he nodded respectfully.
"Return safely," said the guard. "May the Bear God keep you."
"May it be so," replied both with a brief bow before passing through the gateway.
Kellar didn’t even need to show any hunter’s identification or token. His new gloves and ceremonial dagger were distinct within the tribe.
The two broke into a steady run through the snow-covered woods. During this time of year, barely any hunters dared to venture out to hunt. The tribe hadn’t developed advanced leather-tanning techniques, making their winter coats bulky and awkward, which prevented them from moving freely or surviving long stretches in the extreme cold.
A bright blue notification chimed in Kellar’s vision.
[New Quest: Winter Hunt]
[Objective: Capture prey weighing at least 100 kg]
[Reward: 1 Tech Point]
Kellar smirked as he maintained his pace beside Mila.
"Well... looks like I’ll be finishing off all the available technologies today," thought Kellar. "I wonder if spending this point will unlock new options."
The white cat reappeared among the trees, making a nimble leap to settle back onto Kellar’s shoulder.
"Let’s cheat a little," whispered Kellar. "Find us some big prey to hunt."
Freyja nodded and dropped to the ground, taking off ahead of them at top speed. Kellar and Mila pushed themselves to the limit, picking up their pace through the deep snow so as not to lose her trail. After a stretch of hard running, they caught up to the feline.
Freyja was perched on a rock, glaring down at a massive boar that was staring right back at her. The beast didn’t even dare to move; the overwhelming pressure the white cat exerted was terrifying it, making the creature feel like it was on the verge of death at any second.
"Let me take advantage of this," said Kellar.
Without hesitation, Kellar lunged forward with his ceremonial dagger in hand. The strike to the neck was clean and precise, cutting through the animal’s thick hide with ease.
But as it felt death approaching, the boar fell into a wild frenzy. Its brown fur changed to a pitch-black hue, its dark eyes flushed a glowing bright red, and its tusked jaws expanded as its tusks grew several inches in a second. Letting out a deafening roar, the monster charged at Kellar.
The impact happened at such close range that there was no way to dodge it. Kellar let out a muffled scream, spitting out a huge spray of blood as he launched through the air and slammed against the trunk of a tree.
After the brutal impact, the boar collapsed onto the snow, stone dead. That final explosion of wild rage had cost the beast every last drop of its vitality.
Mila sprinted over to Kellar at full speed, her face pale and her eyes wide with terror.
"Kellar!" screamed Mila.
Kellar lay slumped at the base of the tree, barely able to breathe. The pain was raw, his entire sternum was shattered and caved inward, and one of his arms hung useless at an unnatural angle. His vision was already starting to blur from the shock.
Suddenly, a bright System notification flashed before his eyes.
[Fatal injury detected]
[Health Potion effect activated]
In an instant, the latent energy from the vitality potion—that shriveled fruit he had consumed earlier—surged through his body. A burning heat rushed through his veins, making his bones pop and crack as his sternum snapped back into place and his torn tissues sealed at an impossible speed, saving his life at the last second.
Kellar let out a gasp, pushing himself up against the frozen ground.
"Shit..." thought Kellar, clutching his chest as he caught his breath. "That fruit wasn’t just a Viagra... it was a lifesaver."
Kellar slowly pushed himself up, dusting the snow off his clothes.
Freyja leaped down from the branch and landed beside him, gazing at the carcass of the beast.
"You need to be more careful, Master," said Freyja in his mind, her tone serious. "The strike must be a clean hit to the heart. If you don’t kill it instantly, the mountain boar’s Berserker skill triggers, and it will murder you."
"I get it... I lowered my guard," thought Kellar in response, running a hand over his face, still slightly shaken by how close he had come to dying.
Mila rushed over and grabbed him by the shoulders scanning his body while her hands trembled.
"Kellar! Are you okay...?" asked Mila, her voice cracking. "I saw you slam into that tree... it broke your chest! How can you be fine after a blow like that...?"
"I’m fine, really," said Kellar, keeping his voice as calm and steady as possible. "The boar didn’t manage to connect properly. It tore through my clothes, but the force of the impact hit the tree trunk, not me. Everything is fine."
Mila stared at him, still breathing heavily, but she eventually nodded upon seeing him standing on his feet without any trouble.
Kellar adjusted his leather furs to cover up as best he could. Even though his body was restored thanks to the potion, the boar’s tusk had ripped a hole right through the front of his tunic.
Kellar took a couple of steps toward the boar’s carcass to examine their prey, but he stopped dead in his tracks. The beast looked completely wrong; its bulging muscles seemed to deflate at a visible speed, and a truly nauseating stench began oozing from its skin, making his stomach turn.
Mila stepped up beside him, pulling the collar of her fur coat up over her nose and mouth.
"It’s no good anymore, Kellar," said Mila, shaking her head with regret. "The mountain boar has a toxin sac inside its body. Once its Berserker skill triggers and it dies, the sac ruptures on the inside, rotting all the meat in a matter of seconds."