Chapter 102: The True Strong

Chapter 102

The True Strong

Whoosh!!

A large net that had a unique strength and durability was cast down like a traditional fishing net. At the bottom of the net, heavy stones were attached. These stones were not only heavy but also inscribed with a gravitational rune.

When the stones were close to the ground, they increased the gravitational pull between the stones and the ground until the net’s owner released them from above. It was understood that these wild boars couldn’t possibly do this like humans could.

This piece of equipment cost 3 silver coins, a high price compared to pork, which was 2 copper coins per kilogram. However, Ellie wasn’t concerned about the cost of the equipment. No matter how expensive it was, she had plenty of money to spend.

The first net performed its job well, capturing 2 wild boars that couldn’t escape easily. After the remaining 4 wild boars saw how their companions were handled, they immediately fled out of Ellie’s throwing range.

The girl was not worried. She continued to draw her bow, her dimensional ring making it easy to retrieve equipment. Ellie’s battle thus persisted seamlessly.

Arrows shot towards their targets, but naturally, all missed. The wild boars weren’t just standing around waiting for Ellie to take them down. However, Ellie’s accuracy improved with every shot. Eventually, she could anticipate the wild boars’ movements!

"Oink[PL1] !!" The boar squealed loudly after being hit in the same spot for the second time. No matter where it ran, Ellie had already figured out its movements.

She looked through the nearest spores while aiming her arrow. When a wild boar was about to run, its leg muscles would contract to generate thrust, and its direction could be determined by its front legs. Although all this happened in a fraction of a second, the clarity gained from looking through the spores made it easy for Ellie to analyze.

The first arrow hit the middle of its body, just a hand’s width from its neck. The second arrow struck near the same spot, just 1 centimeter higher. If the first arrow only caused pain, the second one signaled that it wouldn’t escape the clutches of death!

The boars never imagined that the small enemy hiding above could suddenly become so accurate in their attacks. Previously, Ellie could only watch her arrows miss their targets, but through training and keen observation, she could now predict their movements.

Woosh!!

The 3rd arrow was shot again, and this time it was easier than ever. The wild boar’s injuries and fear had significantly slowed it down. Finally, the wild boar was struck once more with greater force. It was this 3rd arrow that easily ended its life.

"Roar!!"

The other wild boars roared in terror. Previously, they felt superior and thought their enemy didn’t even dare to come down and fight. So, they tried to attack to make their foe fall. Who would have thought their enemy would suddenly improve so much?

One of the large wild boars became the next target. The sound of an arrow sliced through the air and struck the same spot as its fallen comrades. Ellie’s action had deepened their fear. The 3 remaining wild boars, still alive, didn’t waste a second thought.

Seeing such a formidable and unbeatable enemy, why would they stay any longer!?

"Hooom!!" The large beasts, confident in their own strength, scattered in panic, realizing they could be the next prey. Even the wild boar that had already been hit once ran for its life.

Ellie tried to use her bow to finish them off, but unfortunately, her strength wasn’t enough. This made her aware of another of her weaknesses: her lack of physical power. She knew she had to train harder from now on!

"Option three: Root for Decomposition."

Although it was a bit regrettable, she was determined not to let them survive. Initially, Ellie considered using the second option to decompose their internal organs, allowing her to harvest meat and other benefits. However, it would be suspicious if the 3 fleeing wild boars were found suddenly dead.

To avoid any trouble, Ellie decided not to be greedy. She let the purple mushrooms decompose the wild boars, turning them into energy. One day, her Purple Mushroom might even reach level 4.

The stronger it became, the more confident Ellie felt about her survival. Right now, the Purple Mushroom was her most reliable allies!

"Oink oink," the 2 captured wild boars cried out in fear, their bodies trembling. They looked pitiful, but thinking back to when they were attacking, they didn’t deserve any sympathy.

Especially when they were about to stomp on the defeated humans earlier. Ellie believed that the price of losing was simply to give up one’s life...

The girl, in the body of the young man named Luke, climbed down from the tree. After putting away her bow, she took out a sharp sword to ensure her enemies didn’t suffer a painful death. Once she finished off the 2 wild boars, she checked on the 7 hunters, who were starting to show signs of improvement.

They were hunters who had been making a living in the tower for a long time. Therefore, they carried essential equipment like low-level healing potions with them, even though they were very expensive. No one was willing to let their life slip away easily just to save a few coins.

"Th-Thank you very much for saving me, Sir Hunter," one young man said sincerely. He had nearly been trampled to death in the previous attack and felt immense gratitude towards the mysterious person who saved him. In his mind, this person was his benefactor, the owner of his life.

"It’s nothing," Ellie’s deep voice responded. She didn’t care much about them. Seeing they hadn’t suffered any losses; she proceeded to collect the boar meat and stored it in her dimensional ring.

Revealing the dimensional ring wasn’t exactly the right thing to do. However, showing that she possessed it would create 2 feelings among the hunters. First, it would make them respect her. Owning a dimensional ring typically meant one came from a powerful family or was incredibly strong, as accumulating enough money to buy a ring worth hundreds of millions of gold coins wasn’t easy otherwise.

Second, these hunters might become greedy enough to plan to take her down to steal the valuable treasure. But on the 1st floor of the tower, Ellie felt she had no need to fear anyone anymore.

With the increased skills of the purple mushrooms, as long as she commanded them to gather, they could eliminate enemies in a single strike. This meant her first partner’s abilities were much stronger than she initially thought.

And if anyone became too greedy, they would face dire consequences!

Ellie felt her mindset had changed somewhat. Previously, she was just an ordinary salaried employee in a peaceful era. In that world, killing someone would burden her with sin, and harming others would land her in prison. But in this world...death had appeared before Ellie numerous times, and her once pure heart was starting to be stained with blood.

She felt she had made the right decision by coming to hunt beasts alone. At the very least, it allowed her to experience real combat and survival. Previously, she had always traveled with the Setter family, who protected her like a princess. Their cooperation was perfect; even the smallest signals were understood completely.

Moreover, when hunting for the Setter family, they were highly self-sacrificing. This was different from the situation before her now. Ellie saw the hesitation in whether to help or not, and those small moments of indecision provided opportunities for the enemy to strike. Seeing this reality made her realize she was now witnessing the true picture. Ellie’s feelings and thoughts began to change significantly as well.

From all that had been said, she just wanted to say that her idealistic view of the world had been broadened. If it had been before, she would never have considered harming anyone to the point of death. But after witnessing death firsthand, even if it was the death of small beasts, it ultimately taught Ellie that the weak were the ones who suffered.

If she remained weak and couldn’t handle things decisively enough, those problems might come back to her even worse! Therefore...as long as someone wanted to cause trouble for her, Ellie would deal with them to the very end.

Even if it was her first time killing someone...

"Sir Hunter, thank you very much for helping us. My name is Meya. I use water magic to support attacks. My water magic can make it difficult for the beasts to move. It may seem like I’m not performing well now, but I’ve only graduated from the institute 2 years ago. I can definitely get stronger,"

The sweet voice of the only woman in the group of 7, the rest being men, greeted Ellie who was in the guise of Luke. The young woman had sustained only minor injuries, allowing her to recover faster than the others. Seeing Luke storing the meat in his dimensional ring made her eyes light up with a desire to follow him.

Comparatively, his strength must be far greater than the 6 men she had accompanied, or he must come from a wealthy family. If that were the case...she would be very fortunate.

These were merely the frivolous thoughts of a young woman who, having spent too much time with the 6 men, believed she was the most beautiful in the world. She didn’t consider that even if Ellie were a real man, someone with such wealth and ability would not be interested in an unremarkable girl like her!

However, the woman’s words, which Ellie paid little attention to, began to stir discontent among the men in the group. Despite Ellie saving their lives, troublemakers would always find a way to cause trouble.

They didn’t wait for Ellie to respond to the beautiful woman, one of the men interrupted in an unfriendly tone,

"Who are you? And where are your group members?" A man spoke from behind. Ellie didn’t even turn to look at him as she replied,

"I travel alone."

"Alone? In the Green Forest? Are you a high-level magician?" Her response made the man surprised. Few hunters traveled alone due to the various conditions and limitations that necessitated group hunting.

For example, if you want to hunt here for an extended period, you should have more than 3 members to take turns keeping watch. If you travel alone, how would you sleep? If you had to return to the city every time, the expenses would be so high that hunting here wouldn’t be worth it.

The young man who questioned Ellie had a flicker of anticipation in his eyes as he awaited her response. However, he didn’t expect Ellie to reply in such a curt and arrogant manner...

"That’s not something I need to tell anyone." His question was unanswered, and if one listened carefully, it seemed almost like reprimanding. Not only were her words unfriendly, but he also heard the giggling of the beautiful woman they had been pursuing!

It felt like his dignity was being trampled by her response, "That’s not something I need to tell anyone." The young man’s face gradually turned red with anger. He looked at the beautiful woman, who seemed to admire this newcomer, with displeasure. It was clear that he and this newcomer could never be allies!!