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"Eh? President? What are you doing here?"
Ethan looked in the direction of the voice and saw a little old man, reeking of alcohol, swaying as he approached. It was indeed the head of the Yukumo Village Gathering Hall, the man who was never without his gourd of sake.
The old man cheerfully greeted Konoha, then walked up to the counter, braced himself with a hand, and hoisted himself up onto the counter itself, no longer having to crane his neck to look at the young man opposite him.
"The third way?"
Ethan asked, confused.
The drunken President took another swig from his gourd, wiped his mouth, and spoke nonchalantly:
"The Guild limits the acceptance of certification quests to protect rookie Hunters, but many remote villages don't even have a Gathering Hall stationed there. Many people can't meet the first two conditions and rely entirely on passion and self-exploration to grow and protect their village."
"So, for these 'unofficial' Hunters, Guild regulations state that as long as they are capable of completing the certification quest, they can be granted a one-star Hunter rating."
"If you are confident you can keep your own skin intact, and believe you have the ability to complete the assessment, I can issue a certification quest to you~"
Ethan was silent for a moment, then nodded forcefully. "I have it!"
Based on the books Kayne left behind, Ethan was certain that at least in Low Rank quests, the star rating's difficulty corresponded closely to the game. A one-star quest only involved small monsters like Velociprey, Jaggi, or Bullfango. Before, without a decent weapon and without any armor, he was still able to solo a Bullfango. There was no reason to be afraid now that he had a complete set of gear.
"The young man has spirit, hmm, let me see…"
The drunken President snatched a thick book from Konoha's hands, quickly flipped to a page, and displayed it to Ethan.
"How about this as your certification quest?"
—
Slaying Quest: Take Down the Annoying Jaggi! (★)
Quest Objective: Slay 5 Jaggi
Reward: 300z
Quest Location: Stream
Time Limit: 5 Days
Client: Worried Shop Owner
The arrival of the breeding season has increased the number of these lawless bandits. They are running rampant and are seriously affecting the stability of the trade routes. Hunter, please quickly go and reduce their numbers!
—
Hmm… Only 300z as a reward? That's so little… Just the Bone Glaive I'm carrying is worth the reward of eleven such quests, and that's not counting the cost of items I might use during the mission.
But a sparrow is still meat, no matter how small, and besides, I don't have the luxury of picking and choosing. At least this is better than my current zero-income situation.
Seeing Ethan nod, the drunken President tossed the book back to Konoha, who then pulled a different booklet from under the counter. After much busy work, she handed that booklet to Ethan.
"This is your Hunter's Notebook. It records your identity and the quests you have accepted. When you return after completing the mission, you can have your first star imprinted on the cover of the notebook."
Ethan opened it. Apart from the identity information on the first page and the quest receipt on the second, the rest was blank.
It is worth mentioning that, thanks to his diligent study of the Hunter language during this time, the name in the identity column was ultimately not Kirin, but the direct translation of Ethan… Although it looked indistinguishable from Kirin at a glance, only adding a "forest" prefix, at least it proved Ethan had made the effort.
…
At the Iwata family farm.
"What?! You've already gone and accepted a certification quest?!"
Iwata looked at the person in front of him with disbelief. He had been focusing on physical training at the Training School for the entire past week! How was this guy already on his way to becoming a Hunter?
And, more importantly, without this guy helping him cover up, how was he going to hide the fact that he was secretly going to the Training School?!
Ethan thought for a moment, then sighed lightly and patted his shoulder. Good luck, buddy.
Checking the straps on his armor and the rail mechanism on his weapon, and inspecting the supply items provided by the Guild, Ethan stepped out of Yukumo Village, walking under the midday sun.
Following the well-maintained trade road, the crimson mountain peaks of Yukumo soon disappeared behind layers of mountains. The sound of rushing water, accompanied by the pleasant chirping of birds and the fragmented buzzing of insects, reached his ears. Ethan took a deep breath of the damp air, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.
"Heh, it seems I truly am not a settled person. When I was in the wilderness, I yearned for the stable village, but now that I'm in the village, I miss the dangerous wilderness…"
Ethan took out a rolled parchment from his backpack and unfurled it. After repeatedly checking and confirming his location, Ethan traced lines back and forth on it with his finger. He then confirmed his direction, left the smooth trade road, and plunged into the flourishing dense forest.
"I should reach the Hunter's Camp set up by the Guild in about an hour. After a brief reorganization and replenishing my stamina there, I still have plenty of time. I'll adapt to the environment first; no need to rush."
…
The Hunter's Camp was located halfway up a mountain, inside a rock cave half-embedded in the mountainside. Outside was a cliff face constantly washed by a waterfall. The location was quite hidden, and entry and exit were only possible through a relatively narrow mountain path. There was no need to worry about large monsters intruding. The site selection was indeed safe.
He started a bonfire to disperse the dampness brought by the waterfall. Ethan took an oil-paper package from his backpack, gently peeled back the wrapping, and finally saw the true appearance of the "Ration" item, which had previously only been an icon.
It was a piece of dried meat, from an unknown monster, probably a domesticated Herbivore or Kulu-Ya-Ku. Its surface was coated with a thick layer of starch, which prolonged its shelf life while also providing more calories to the Hunter.
Ethan tentatively took a bite, then rubbed his cheeks. Since it was essentially the Monster Hunter equivalent of a compressed biscuit, it was fine for filling his stomach, but if he was looking for flavor… it was merely edible.
Fortunately, the heat from the bonfire had softened the hardness of the ration, so it wasn't so tough that it hurt his teeth to chew. Gulping it down quickly, Ethan did not rush to set off to search for the Jaggi. Instead, he took off the Sword and Shield on his back and checked it again.
When the Smithy owner handed over the gear, he repeatedly instructed Ethan that the Charge Blade, as a newly developed morphing weapon, had internal components that were delicate compared to weapons like the Great Sword or Long Sword, despite their best efforts to make them impact-resistant. He stressed that Ethan must frequently check and maintain it to ensure it wouldn't fail during combat.
Just imagine a scenario: in the middle of a fight, the blade accumulates a large amount of energy from repeated attacks, and the escaping heat even softens the edge a little. Right then, he discovers that the internal charging mechanism of the Charge Blade, the so-called "phials," has failed, and the energy on the sword cannot be charged into the shield...
Ethan shivered and quickly pulled his thoughts back from the fantasy. Although the Smithy owner had said the probability of such a thing happening was negligible, he still felt it was better to completely eliminate that possibility.
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