After walking for a while, Dustin reached the riverbank again. He stayed low and watched the water's edge from behind the thick brush. Many low-level beasts had gathered there. Some were lapping at the water, while others were just laying in the mud and resting under the morning heat.
He watched them for a moment while shifting his grip on his daggers. He did not really want to kill them, but it was for his survival. He needed the food to keep going. He took a breath and focused on the skill he had been practicing.
[ Silent Steps Activated ]
The moment the skill took hold, the world changed. It was as if he had vanished. Even he could not sense himself anymore. His footsteps made no sound and the rustle of his clothes was gone. But with that absolute silence came a trade-off. His perception bubble, the mental map he used to sense things around him, also vanished. He was a ghost, but he was a ghost that could only see what was right in front of him.
He began walking toward the edge of the water. He spotted a small, fox-like beast that was only Level 1. Right beside it were two more foxes, both Level 2. They were distracted and unaware of the predator moving through the tall grass toward them.
Dustin did not use the skill because the foxes were a threat. He used it because he was lazy. He did not like to do unnecessary labor if he could just avoid it. Chasing a fox through the woods was a lot of work, and walking up to it for an instant kill was much easier. He moved slowly, keeping his eyes on the Level 2 targets.
Slash.
Blood began to flow from one of the two Level 2 foxes as Dustin pierced its back with one of his daggers. It was a clean, deep strike that ended the creature before it could even realize he was there. Because he was using Silent Steps, none of the foxes had sensed a thing. It was not because the skill was incredibly powerful yet, but simply because these beasts were too weak to notice him.
He quickly pivoted and pierced the other Level 2 fox. The blade sank into its neck, and it collapsed in the mud. The Level 1 fox, however, had a burst of survival instinct. It did not wait to see what was happening. It bolted, its small legs churning through the dirt as it disappeared into the thicket.
"That one escaped," Dustin muttered to himself.
[ Silent Steps Deactivated ]
He stood over his kills and let out a long breath. He rested for a while to let his energy recover before he started the messy work. He skinned the foxes with steady hands and washed the meat in the flowing river water. The other low-level beasts had already run away the moment the first fox died, which left the bank empty and quiet.
Once the meat was clean, he did not stay by the river. He carried the two foxes slightly deeper into the forest because he wanted a spot where he would not be easily spotted. He found a place with some decent cover and sat down against a large tree.
He opened the system screen. He had found the shop section accidentally last night, and he decided to check his status.
[ SHOP ]
[ BASIC SECTION ]
[ Fire igniter (borrowed): 10 points (to be paid: 20) ]
[ Supplies carrier: 50 points ]
[ Food storage (borrowed): 10 points (to be paid: 20) ]
[ Pants (borrowed): 2 points (to be paid: 4) ]
[ Shirt: 3 points ]
The list continued below, but Dustin did not bother scrolling. He reached into the storage space and took out the items he had borrowed last night. He pulled out two black rocks from the fire igniter section and a black, vessel-like container from the food storage section.
"I thought they didn't even provide the basic stuffs, but they had them all along," Dustin muttered. "We just need to buy them or borrow them."
He gathered some dry twigs and struck the two black stones together. On his very first try, a hot spark jumped from the rocks and ignited the wood. He watched the small flame grow and thought about how easy it was compared to doing it the old-fashioned way.
He picked up one fox and put it into the black vessel. The meat vanished instantly, stored away for later. He was impressed by how light the vessel felt even with the weight of the meat inside. It was a useful tool for a hunter who did not want to be slowed down by his haul.
'I've borrowed them, but I don't know what these points mean or how to get them,' Dustin thought. He looked down and rubbed his hands on his new black pants. He had changed into them last night after realizing his old pajama bottoms were almost completely torn and useless. 'I have to pay back double the amount. This system is a loan shark.'
He ignored the debt for now and started cooking the other fox. The smell of the roasting meat was almost enough to make him forget the danger of the forest. He sat there and carefully rotated the meat over the fire to make sure it was cooked through. He watched the fat drip into the embers, listening to the crackle of the wood.
By noon, Dustin had filled his stomach. He felt heavy and satisfied. He put the rest of the cooked meat back into the black vessel and leaned his back against the tree. He sat there for a bit and let his meal settle while he stared into the dying embers of his fire. He felt the hunger meter in his mind reach a stable level, which brought a sense of clarity he had missed.
After a few minutes, he decided it was time to move. He bent forward to grab his daggers from the ground where he had placed them.
Suddenly.
Crack.
The tree he was leaning against broke apart with a loud, splintering sound. Dustin did not wait to see what happened. He lunged sideways on instinct and grabbed his daggers as he rolled across the dirt. He came up in a crouch and quickly moved his sight behind him.
A dog-like monster was standing right where he had been sitting. It was almost his size, and its body was lean and corded with muscle. It was sweating heavily, and the moisture glistened on its skin as it panted with wide, wild eyes. It looked desperate, like it had been tracking something for a long time.
'Why didn't I sense it with my perception bubble?' Dustin thought.
He stared at the monster with his eyes wide open. He had kept his awareness active, yet this creature had managed to get right behind him and break the tree without him hearing a single footstep. He gripped his daggers tighter while his heart hammered against his ribs. The monster did not growl. It just stood there with its chest heaving and watched him with a hungry, frantic intensity. Dustin realized then that he was not the only predator in this part of the woods who knew how to be silent.