The following day, as dawn broke, I realized it was time to embark on my journey to Coastal City. Having completed my preparations the night before, I simply grabbed a ring from my desk and stepped out of my room.
This ring is a space ring—a common tool in many cultivation novels. While such items can be costly in this world, they are not a burden for my family, thanks to the legacy left by Ray's father, a hunter in the alliance, who bequeathed ample assets.
Hunters are individuals registered with the Hunter Guild, a division of the alliance. They operate independently, akin to bounty hunters, rather than under government authority.
Before I set off, I stopped by to say goodbye to my mother, letting her know of my departure. I then made my way to the nearest city, a mere five kilometers from home.
To reach Coastal City, I would have to navigate through the forest, which would take me two days on foot. Although I had the time, my strength was lacking. Therefore, I needed to seek out some hunters to see if they would be willing to take on a bounty to escort me.
After a fair bit of walking, I finally reached the entrance of the Hunter Guild. This is the place where you can post your bounty, and if any hunters are interested in tackling your task, the guild will notify you.
There's an alternative route as well: you can negotiate directly with a hunter. However, if this arrangement goes awry—say the hunter cheats you or engages in any misconduct—just know that the guild won't lift a finger to help you out.
I haven't come here to post a bounty or seek out a hunter; my mission is to find a merchant heading to the Coastal City—and, as luck would have it, I stumbled upon one!
Merchants need to transport their supplies and goods to various cities, and they often require hunters to provide protection during their journeys. To offset their costs, many merchants welcome passengers traveling the same route for a fee.
The merchant I found was willing to take me along with his crew for just 1,000 bronze coins. His name is Clinton, and he has hired around 25 hunters, so this trip should be pretty smooth sailing.
This merchant group is set to depart tomorrow morning, and if everything goes smoothly, they should be able to traverse the forest in about a day and a half, followed by an additional four days to arrive at Coastal City.
Once I confirmed the meeting location, I headed straight to the nearest hotel to book a room. I found myself spending the entire time in my room since there wasn't much else to occupy my time.
The next day, I arrived at the meeting spot and scanned the crowd, which totaled around 45 people. Among them were 25 hunters, six accompanying the merchants, and the remainder were individuals like me hoping to cross the forest.
I began striking up conversations to gather insights about the group. I learned that within those 25 hunters, two were skilled Golden Core realm cultivators, six were Silver Core, and the remainder fell into the Bronze Core category.
With this formidable lineup, our safety seems assured unless, of course, we encounter a Tier 4 monster or several Tier 3 monsters accompanied by their subordinates. Monsters are categorized into tiers based on their cultivation levels and strength.
The strength of Tier 0 monsters aligns with those cultivators who haven't yet reached the Bronze Core Realm. Meanwhile, Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 are ranked according to the Bronze Core, Silver Core, and Golden Core Realms, respectively. Each tier or cultivation realm is further split into three distinct stages: early, middle, and peak.
As for my own capabilities, I find myself on par with a middle stage Tier 0 monster. However, it's important to remember that numerous factors influence strength; thus, it isn't guaranteed that a Golden Core Realm cultivator can easily overcome a Tier 3 monster. In fact, there are individuals at the Golden Core level who can take down ten Tier 3 monsters by themselves!
Our group soon set off on our journey, making our way toward the forest. No more than half an hour passed before we crossed the forest's boundary, and an unmistakable tension filled the air. It was as if a switch flipped, and everyone instantly became alert as we entered this wild expanse.
The forest is infamous for harboring bloodthirsty, dangerous beasts, so their heightened awareness is entirely warranted. I must admit, I'm not much different—if anything, I'm even more on edge than they are!
The forest looms ahead, a treacherous realm shrouded in danger, which is precisely why I chose to keep my adventures hidden from my mother—she would undoubtedly try to dissuade me. A daunting two-day journey awaits, meandering through these infamous woods, feared for the perils it conceals, particularly for someone like me, not even in the "Bronze Core realm." Here, lurking within the shadows, are fearsome creatures and lurking threats straight out of the wildest cultivation tales.
Accompanied by a band of seasoned merchants, I find myself caught between excitement and unease as I absorb the sights and sounds around me. Their familiarity with this enigmatic landscape provides a comforting sense of security, while their thrilling recounts of evasions from monstrous foes and hair-raising paths only intensify the exhilaration coursing through our expedition.
Before long, we cross paths with a pack of beasts—specifically, a tribe of wolves numbering around thirty. However, the seasoned hunters in our group swiftly handle the situation; these creatures are mere tier 0 and tier 1, with the mightiest among them being merely a tier 2 wolf, making our confrontation a straightforward affair.
Once the final howl of the wolves faded into the echoes of the forest, the seasoned hunters began the meticulous task of collecting the prized beast cores. These cores, the very essence of a beast's essence and power, are not simply trophies; they hold a wealth of potential and utility that can be harnessed in myriad ways.
In the arcane art of alchemy, these cores serve as crucial ingredients for crafting potions that can enhance physical abilities, heal wounds, or even grant temporary boons to the user. Furthermore, in the intricate world of weapon refining, these cores are indispensable, imbuing blades and armaments with unique attributes and enhancements.
Cultivators particularly cherish cores that bear elemental affinities, such as the raging essence of fire or the soothing flow of water, as these can significantly augment one's cultivation, allowing them to draw upon these powerful forces during their training.
With the collection complete, the group resumed their arduous journey, and after a grueling one and a half days, they finally emerged from the dense thicket of the forest. The moment they stepped into the open air, a collective sigh of relief washed over the weary hunters, many of whom were eager to shake off the lingering tension of their surroundings.
During their trek through the woodland, they had encountered not one, but five separate groups of beasts, yet each time their experience and skill led them to resolve these encounters without any significant harm.
Reflecting on their experience, it became evident just how fortunate they had been. Despite the lurking threat that the forest posed, they had avoided the wrath of any powerful beasts or massive groups.
The largest gathering of foes they faced consisted of merely forty creatures, which in comparison to the numerous swarms that could inhabit such areas, was a manageable challenge.
The most formidable adversary they crossed paths with resided at the peak of tier 2, a level that, while still significant, was nothing compared to the more terrifying and lethal tier 3 and tier 4 beasts that are known to roam the densest and most dangerous parts of the forest.
Indeed, even though this forest was not deemed overly hazardous, there was still a notable population of tier 3 beasts lurking in its shadowy depths, with whispers of even fiercer tier 4 entities known to inhabit the darkest corners.
So as the weary travelers recounted their adventures around the campfire, they couldn't help but feel a profound sense of gratitude for their good fortune on this particular expedition. Yes, it was true; they were undeniably lucky on this trip, and such thoughts filled their hearts with a mix of relief and appreciation for the hunters.
_____End
Thank you for reading this book I hope you are enjoying it. Please support my work with some powerstones and reviews and give me your opinion in comments on how I can improve my work or if I have make any errors.
Thank you