“Woohoo!”
Sliding down the makeshift chute, Lin Ke let out a loud shout as he hurtled down from the twenty-meter-high rocky platform.
Experiencing a rapid descent, he landed safely, cushioned by the deep snow.
Lin Ke struggled to stand.
His legs were buried completely below the knees in the soft, powdery snow.
Brushing off the snow that had splattered onto his clothes, he tried taking a couple of steps.
But whether he lifted his knees high or tried to walk normally, his legs had to plow through the obstructing snowdrift.
On top of that, he was wearing far too many layers.
Moving forward was not only exhausting but incredibly slow.
*Well, then!
This environment is incredibly unfriendly to hunters.*
He wondered if hunting large monsters in the future would yield a Mire Jewel, or if he’d strike it rich and stumble upon a Mire Charm.
The skill [Aquatic/Polar Mobility] would be an absolute godsend in this environment.
Lifting his legs and stretching his stride as much as possible, Lin Ke pushed forward toward the forest dozens of meters away, adhering to the principle of taking long, deliberate strides.
Walking with long strides on snow shortened the transit time and saved a significant amount of stamina.
Entering the white forest sea, Lin Ke realized that the snow had brought this forest more than just a change of color and scenery—it had also brought devastation.
Low shrubs, bushes, and flora were buried deep beneath the white snow, and many trees, unable to cope with the sudden freezing climate, had already withered and collapsed.
Massive trees, tens or hundreds of meters tall, had also suffered; their branches, unable to bear the weight of the accumulated snow, had snapped, leaving the canopy incredibly sparse.
Sunlight streamed unobstructed through the broken canopy, reflecting off the snow in a dazzling, shimmering glare.
Even in a high-energy environment like the Ancient Forest, the ecosystem itself had been severely disrupted by the snowfall.
“Survival of the fittest—the eternal law of nature,” Lin Ke murmured, looking at the scene before him.
“It really is a case of ‘adapt or perish.'”
But now was not the time for sentimentality.
He still had to complete his hunt before the sun dipped below the horizon.
Pulling down his black goggles, Lin Ke stepped over a fallen trunk half-buried in the snow and strode toward the area where the wingdrakes were circling.
It took him nearly a full hour to cover a single kilometer, but the journey wasn’t entirely fruitless.
Along the way, Lin Ke packed over a dozen snowballs and knocked down seven lingering fruits from the branches.
Aside from gaining 70 proficiency points for his Throw skill, he also acquired several edible fruits.
[Scatternut] Ingredient Quality: Common Description: A favorite food of Barnos and some Bird Wyverns.
The inner kernel is rich in fats and vitamins.
Note: External impact will shatter the shell, causing the inner seeds to scatter violently in all directions.
Fortunately, he had targeted the branches, and the thick snow cushioned the fruits’ fall, or he would have ended up with nothing.
[Throw (Novice)] [Proficiency: 280/300] [Effect: Throwing objects within 10 meters has a 100% hit rate.] His previous 210 proficiency points had been gained from spearing fish in the pool.
During his two days in the cave, he had figured out that mindlessly throwing things around wouldn’t yield any proficiency.
The system’s criteria for gaining Throw proficiency required hitting a valid hunting or gathering target with a thrown object.
Now, his Throw skill was only 20 proficiency points away from leveling up—just two more successful hits.
However, he didn’t have time to search for more lingering fruits on the branches.
Lin Ke was very close to where the wingdrakes had been circling.
Although he couldn’t see them in the sky anymore, their sharp screeches were clearly audible.
Using the massive trees as cover, Lin Ke slowed his pace and crept carefully toward the source of the noise.
Finally, in a clearing where all the surrounding trees had collapsed, Lin Ke spotted the wingdrakes.
There were three wingdrakes in total, barely thirty meters away from the large tree Lin Ke was hiding behind.
The wingdrakes were currently crowding around a dead, brown-furred beast, gorging themselves.
With their wings folded, they used their sharp hind talons to tear flesh from the carcass.
Their python-like heads clamped onto the meat, and they stretched their long necks to swallow the chunks whole.
These wingdrakes resembled large snakes, but with a pair of membranous wings and sharp talons.
[Cortos] Wingdrake Quality: Common Description: A wingdrake species that thrives in frozen environments.
A small flying wyvern capable of spitting icy breath.
Note: The meat is non-toxic.
“Aren’t Cortos native to the Hoarfrost Reach?
And that brown beast on the ground…
is that a Popo?
Those huge, horn-like tusks are unmistakable.”
Lin Ke was utterly perplexed.
It was one thing for Velkhana to fly over, but why did these small creatures follow?
Had something happened in the Hoarfrost Reach?
And how did they get from the Hoarfrost Reach to the Ancient Forest?
Flying made sense for the Cortos, but a Popo couldn’t possibly have paddled its way across the ocean on four hooves!
Since he couldn’t figure it out, Lin Ke decided to push the questions aside.
Once he was strong enough, he could just go to the ice fields and see for himself.
For now, his priority was to deal with the three Cortos.
Pulling out the Nova Revolver from his backpack, he aimed the sights at the head of one of the beasts.
At a distance of thirty meters, the revolver was still reasonably accurate.
He pulled the trigger.
With a loud *bang*, the gunshot echoed.
A Cortos that had been throwing its head back to swallow meat collapsed instantly, a bloody hole blown through its skull near the eye.
*Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!* Another four gunshots rang out through the snowy forest.
One of the Cortos, which had just taken flight, had its chest cavity blown open and crashed back down.
Only the last Cortos remained, circling in the air.
Instead of fleeing, it shrieked and squawked aggressively.
*Bang!*
The final bullet in the cylinder pierced its wing membrane, but a single small hole didn’t hinder its flight.
Having spotted Lin Ke, the remaining Cortos dove straight toward him, frosty air visible in its agape beak.
Lin Ke pocketed the revolver and pulled a hard chunk of concrete from his inventory, winding up to throw.
When the diving Cortos was about ten meters away, he hurled the stone with all his might.
*Whoosh!*
The stone smashed directly into the gaping, frost-breathing maw of the Cortos.
The sheer force of the impact knocked it clean out of the sky.
[Throw Proficiency +10]
Lin Ke walked over to the struggling Cortos.
Drawing the blade from his Sword and Shield, he brought it down hard on the creature’s slender neck.
The razor-sharp edge severed the head instantly.
A faint silver light seemed to flash in his eyes.
No blood sprayed from the severed neck.
Instead, two crystals the size of pinky fingernails rolled out from the stump.
His hunter talent had triggered.
Storing the Cortos’s head and body in his backpack, Lin Ke picked up the two crystals.
Rather than using them immediately, he walked over to inspect the other two wingdrakes he had shot.
Crimson blood stained the snow beneath them.
Lin Ke found neither Bloodstones nor Soul Crystals on the two dead Cortos.
*As expected, damage dealt by the revolver doesn’t trigger my hunter talent, Slaughter.*
After killing the two Cortos with his gun, Lin Ke realized that his class talent had not been activated.
*Are weapons from another world not recognized by the system rules?*
It seemed he would have to seriously consider getting proper equipment from the hunter’s world.