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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 5
3.
True to its title of "another world", Eternal World boasted exceptional realism.
NPCs with advanced AI that were practically human.
Monsters with high intelligence that seemed like real creatures.
And even the process of butchering beast-type monsters to obtain items!
All of it contributed to the sense of realism.
While the need to butcher could be inconvenient, it was limited to beast-type monsters, and many people enjoyed it, finding it immersive.
Although they admitted it was inconvenient.
The hunting ground in the beginner village was one such place.
This hunting ground, teeming with rabbits, was home to the beast-type monster "rabbit" and an important place for beginner users to learn about hunting and butchering.
Even now, countless users were running around trying to catch rabbits.
"Holy crap! Aren't they too fast?!"
"N-No, and they're so small and low to the ground!"
"Ouch! My shin!!!"
"S-Sorry!"
Various skills were needed to catch the small rabbits.
It wasn't easy for beginner users to keep up with the swift rabbits' changes in direction and speed.
Moreover, their low height made them difficult to attack.
Swinging the sword recklessly would only result in hitting the ground.
It would be fine if it just hit the ground, but it also damaged the sword's durability.
It meant considerable loss just to catch one rabbit.
"Ugh! I'm going to be a mage!"
"Me too! If you're a mage, you don't need butchering!"
"...You still have to do it, though?"
"Ugh."
Occasionally, there were users who denied reality, but the butchering skill was essential even for mages, so they had no choice but to do it.
If you had a lot of money, you could skip it, but otherwise, it was the right thing to do.
While many beginner users were shedding tears of frustration, Seonghyun finally arrived at the hunting ground.
"Oh."
Seonghyun was first surprised by the sheer number of people.
He had heard that Hindel, the Hero's Village, was popular, but he hadn't expected it to be this crowded.
And the fact that more people than he expected were struggling was also surprising.
It looked difficult, but was it really that hard?
That's what he thought.
'Hmm, is it really that difficult?'
If it were before he had acquired some of the former instructor's talent, he might have thought it was difficult.
But now, that thought didn't cross his mind.
Why was that?
'I think I can do it...'
With that thought, Seonghyun took out the steel sword from his inventory.
Unlike at the tutorial training ground, it didn't emit any light.
There was no way a hidden piece effect would appear on an item that had already been drawn.
Having drawn his sword, Seonghyun lightly swung it a few times.
It moved lightly and according to his will.
This should be enough, shouldn't it?
As Seonghyun was thinking this, some of the nearby users couldn't help but smirk at him.
"Hey, hey, look, a new rookie."
"Pfft, he looks so confident, but why can't he do it? That's the expression he has."
"Ah, the newbie smell is so strong. We were like that too."
Look at them acting all high and mighty, as if they've been here for ages.
They haven't even caught a single rabbit yet, and they're laughing at someone else?
They must have found Seonghyun's sword-swinging amusing.
"Oh my, can he even catch a single rabbit like that?"
"Pfft, I know, right?"
"He needs to work steadily. He shouldn't just focus on looking cool."
"Exactly."
Unaware of the people laughing at him, Seonghyun simply gripped his sword again.
The steel sword was about the size of a longsword.
The users who had already tasted defeat knew.
Catching a rabbit that was practically glued to the ground with a longsword was no easy task.
Even if they managed to land a hit, it didn't mean instant death.
Rabbits had enough HP to withstand about three to four hits.
A monster too tricky for beginners to catch.
No one had managed to catch one easily today.
The users who were mocking Seonghyun knew this best since they had been camping here since morning.
So, with the intention of watching how well Seonghyun would do, they giggled from afar. Then, Seonghyun moved.
He kicked off the ground lightly and dashed forward, and the rabbit also started running at full speed.
With thump thump sounds, it changed directions, trying to confuse Seonghyun.
"Hmm."
Seonghyun hesitated slightly, as if in thought.
The observing users sneered.
"Haha! I knew it!"
"Exactly!"
"There's no way he could do it in one go!"
"We're stuck here too."
"...That's right."
In the gloomy atmosphere, they saw it.
The moment Seonghyun paused, the rabbit he was aiming for tried to escape by turning at a right angle.
If he left it alone, it would run away, but trying to attack it was the same.
It would just change direction again and dodge the sword.
Seonghyun also swung his sword, and the rabbit tried to dodge in response.
But his strength of 14 and agility of 13 made the sword's trajectory disappear for a split second.
The sword, swung too quickly, cleanly cut off the neck of the rabbit that was trying to change direction.
Swish!
The sword vibrated slightly as it cut the rabbit's neck, and the rabbit's body rolled limply on the ground.
"...Holy crap."
"Wh-what the...hell?!"
"D-Did he just catch it...in one go?"
"I-Is that even...possible?"
Their jaws dropped as they stared at Seonghyun, but he nonchalantly looked at the rabbit's carcass, pondered for a moment, put it in his inventory, looked around, and headed off to catch another rabbit.
The users who had been watching Seonghyun, seeing this, muttered with expressions of despair.
"...Those talented bastards."
"...I'm envious."
"...Me too."
"...Let's just focus on ourselves."
Unaware of the users who had been mocking him now feeling dejected and depressed after their reality check, Seonghyun was smiling with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, a subtle smile only noticeable if one looked closely.
'This is fun.'
It was a movement impossible for his original self.
But after acquiring some of the ghost's memories, it became possible.
Of course, he felt that he would still stumble if he tried to perform more complex movements, but for now, there was no problem in catching rabbits.
Seonghyun moved around, aiming for the rabbits' necks and swinging his sword.
And messages invisible to other users popped up.
[Critical Hit!]
[Effect of 『One Strike!』 activated!]
Thanks to the Instructor's Medal, which increased all stats, and the effect of One Strike!, he could deal with the rabbits so easily.
He aimed for their necks and cut them down in one go, and the rabbits died with a squeak.
Or did they die before they could even squeak?
Anyway, he was catching them effortlessly.
'Let's catch more.'
He wondered if the quest was unexpectedly easy, but that wasn't the case.
It wasn't a quest that could be cleared just by catching rabbits.
'Even if I catch them like this, I can't sell them if I don't butcher them properly.'
What was the point of catching rabbits well?
If the meat and hide were ruined, they wouldn't buy them, and he wouldn't be able to clear the quest.
That's why they said to practice butchering until he acquired the butchering skill before completing the quest, right?
The probability of acquiring the butchering skill increased while the butcher shop quest was active, didn't it?
That's why Seonghyun was going to gather rabbit meat and attempt it all at once, and when he had over twenty rabbits, he thought,
'Is this enough?'
If he butchered this many rabbits, wouldn't he acquire the butchering skill?
If it didn't work, he could just catch more.
Seonghyun sat down in a corner of the forest to butcher the rabbits.
Then, suddenly, it occurred to him.
'There should be other ghosts besides the former instructor ghost, right?'
For example, a ghost who was good at butchering.
It wasn't like he could see ghosts every time they passed by, but there should be some in a forest like this or near the rabbit hunting ground, but he couldn't see any.
Were there none?
This was a place where beginners gathered to practice butchering, so should he try to sense them?
'Hmm, I think I can feel something...'
He felt like there was a ghost, but he couldn't sense it clearly and was about to give up.
He could just practice butchering manually, couldn't he?
Since when did he become so reliant on ghosts?
Just as he was about to give up and do it himself, he heard a strange voice from afar.
-Tsk tsk tsk, that's not how you butcher.
A grumbling voice, clicking its tongue in disapproval.
Found one!
As soon as he heard the voice, Seonghyun ran towards it, and there, he finally found the ghost.
Wearing a hat and clothes made of tiger skin, with a longbow on its back and various axes at its waist. No doubt about it.
"A bandit?"
-Huh?! What?! I'm a hunter! W-wait, you can see me?
The bandit, no, the hunter ghost was startled as he looked at Seonghyun.
A human who could see him?
It was an unbelievable situation, a first in his life, no, afterlife.
Seonghyun boldly asked the hunter,
"Then, how do you butcher?"
-What? Uhahaha! This great hunter Apic will teach you, boy!
"Thank you."
As the friendly hunter ghost Apic spoke with a hearty laugh, Seonghyun expressed his gratitude.
But the hunter ghost Apic waved it off.
-No! I should be the one thanking you! For giving me a chance to be of help! Now then, have you caught any rabbits?
"Yes, quite a few."
-Oh ho, let's see them then.
At Apic's words, Seonghyun nodded and took out twenty rabbit carcasses from his inventory.
Apic's eyes widened at the sight of the rabbits, all with cleanly severed necks.
It had been a while since he had seen rabbits hunted with such clean cuts.
Some of the newcomers who appeared after his death were skilled, but were they this skilled?
-It looks like the level of skill you can only achieve after decades of wielding a sword...
"Excuse me?"
-No, it's nothing! I'm just saying you did well.
"Ah, thank you."
-Uhahaha! With rabbits killed so cleanly, I'm sure you'll get good meat and hides! Now, listen carefully to what I tell you.
As Seonghyun nodded, the hunter ghost Apic began to speak.
-Originally, butchering is done more cleanly the quicker the beast is killed. And the rabbits you caught, boy, are exactly like that.
"Ah."
-The quicker the kill, the better the quality. Also, the hunted animals wouldn't even feel any pain. You could say it's a very merciful way to kill.
Seonghyun was a little embarrassed by Apic's words and scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Chuckling at the sight of Seonghyun's embarrassment, Apic continued his explanation.
He explained how to butcher, and how to hunt.
And Apic's 'memories' and 'experiences' flowed into him.
So this phenomenon occurred whenever he received teachings.
Realizing this, Seonghyun felt the 'memories' and 'experiences' flowing in.
The memories of a hunter who had hunted for decades, and the experiences of butchering the hides and meat of hunted animals and beasts.
As all of this washed over him like a tsunami, Seonghyun unconsciously took out a butchering knife and began to butcher one of the rabbit carcasses in front of him.
He used the knife boldly, like someone who had butchered before.
Judging by his appearance, it seemed like he would make rough cuts, but the meat and hide were separated cleanly and precisely.
Apic couldn't help but laugh heartily at his impeccable butchering skill.
-Uhahahaha! That's right! That's the butchering method of this great hunter, Apic!
While Apic was laughing heartily,
The message he had seen before appeared.
['Unknown power' has allowed you to exhibit abilities beyond your current stats.]
[New stat 《Dexterity》 has been generated.]
[Agility +3, Dexterity +2 permanently increased.]
[You have successfully performed your first butchering attempt!]
[You have acquired the skill, 『Butchering』.]
[You have acquired the title, 『Excellent Butcher』.]
『Excellent Butcher』
→《Rare》
→A title given to users who successfully perform their first butchering attempt.
→Increases butchering quality by 15%.
『Butchering』
→《Normal》
→[Lv 1][Growth Type]
[Instant Effect][Passive]
→Allows for easier and lossless butchering.
Seeing these messages, Seonghyun thought,
It seemed like it would be easier to save money than he had expected.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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