「Ten days later.」
「In Morse Forest.」
A swift figure darted through the trees. He wore coarse linen, with a silver Crossbow and ten sharp Crossbow Arrows slung over his back. A long spear, roughly a meter and a half long, hung from his waist as he consciously avoided the areas where giant beasts roamed.
It was Vili.
After gaining Lake’s approval, Vili received the hunting tools custom-made by Uncle Ubi. In the days that followed, he ventured deep into Morse Forest and brought back significant rewards, hunting enough small game to add a rich supply of meat to his family’s table. His success peaked the day before yesterday when he hunted down a lone stag. After skinning it and bringing a leg home, he not only satisfied Vilia’s cravings but also had Lake sell the hide in town for ten Silver Rums.
Before long, all the villagers had heard that Vili had become a Hunter. While some considered it a reckless choice, believing he would eventually face some unknown danger, most began to show him a newfound respect. In their eyes, anyone who could enter Morse Forest time and again, returning unharmed and laden with prey, was a powerful figure.
As a result, Mrs. Shaven, who had been quite opposed to Vili becoming a Hunter, gradually found she had no reason to object. Their family’s circumstances had genuinely improved, and they were becoming the envy of the other villagers.
Sometimes, when Mrs. Shaven thought of her two sons, she would swell with immense pride. One was an exceptional young man serving a nobleman, while the other was a respected and acknowledged Hunter. It was a great comfort to know that both of these fine boys were her own.
Today, Vili entered Morse Forest again, but with a different plan. This time, he intended to go deeper—not to hunt more valuable game, but to better familiarize himself with the terrain in the forest’s depths.
Vili moved with stealth and caution, using the trees and leaves for cover to avoid several direct confrontations with ferocious beasts.
As Vili ventured deeper, the number of small animals he saw dwindled. This meant he had entered the territory of large, territorial beasts.
ROAR!!
Suddenly, Vili, hidden amongst the branches and leaves of a tree, heard a furious roar.
’It must be two ferocious beasts clashing...’
Vili also heard the cry of another beast.
After a moment’s hesitation, Vili decided to investigate.
When Vili cautiously reached the scene, he found the battle was already over.
On the ravaged ground lay a tiger with half its neck torn away and a brown bear that had been disemboweled. The tiger was already dead, its body covered in wounds. The brown bear, however, still seemed to be breathing, but the crimson blood gushing from its wounds and its fading life force indicated that its end was near.
’Were they fighting over territory?’
A flicker of doubt crossed Vili’s eyes, but as he looked more closely at the massive brown bear, he had a realization.
Relying on his experience, he could tell that the brown bear had just given birth.
Vili now roughly understood the reason for the fight. The tiger must have tried to seize the bear’s territory, taking advantage of its weakness after giving birth. The mother bear, in turn, was forced to fight to protect her cubs, resulting in a battle where both sides were grievously wounded.
ROAR!
The brown bear let out a final roar. It glanced back toward a stone cave, then reluctantly closed its eyes for the last time.
Silence fell over the area, the air thick with the smell of blood.
Ordinarily, the scent of blood would have quickly attracted other beasts, but the fearsome reputation of the bear and tiger kept the other carnivores at bay.
Once he confirmed that both the brown bear and the tiger were dead, Vili jumped down from the tree.
’What a shame...’
Vili shook his head as he looked at the corpses of the bear and tiger.
Both bodies were too mangled. Even if he skinned them, the pelts would hardly fetch a good price.
’Perhaps there’s something else to be gained...’
Vili’s gaze shifted to the stone cave. That must be where the bear cubs were born.
Brown bears typically give birth to a litter of two to four, most often two. If he could capture two cubs, he could likely sell them for a decent price.
Vili entered the stone cave.
The rank stench of an animal’s den wafted out, and Vili instinctively covered his nose and mouth.
Inside, the cave was pitch-black, but the ground was dry.
Suddenly, a faint cry, like that of a cub, echoed from inside the cave.
Vili quickened his pace, heading deeper into the cave. Soon, he saw a small, fleshy ball curled up on the ground.
But the sight didn’t bring Vili the pleasant surprise he expected; instead, it astonished him.
There was only one cub on the ground, and it was pure white. It looked nothing like a brown bear.
’This is the brown bear’s cub?’
With an incredulous expression, Vili scooped up the plump little creature in his hands.
’It looks just like a polar bear from my past life. But there’s no way a species like that could exist in this environment.’
Just as Vili was puzzling over this, something flashed before his eyes.
The text of the Title Attribute Panel had appeared once more.
"Captured mutated white bear cub. Title acquired: [Junior Beast Tamer]. Reward: 0.3 attribute points."
"Upon acquiring the [Junior Beast Tamer] title, you will gain a deeper understanding of beasts’ habits and how to tame them. Furthermore, you will possess an exceptionally high natural affinity for the young of other creatures."
[Vili Ferren—Constitution: 1.3. Intelligence: 1.2. Remaining attribute points: 0.3]
Vili had never imagined he could trigger a title like [Junior Beast Tamer].
’What this title grants seems a little special...’
Vili astutely noticed that the Junior Beast Tamer title didn’t just bestow knowledge upon him; it also granted him an exceptionally high affinity for the young of all creatures. This was no longer something tangible, but a more abstract Ability.
This was a pleasant surprise.
’This cub...’
After calming himself, Vili looked at the little white bear in his hands with a complicated expression. According to the prompt from the Title Attribute Panel, it was a mutated variant.
’Going by the usual tropes in online games from my past life, mutated creatures are always a good thing.’
’In that case, I can’t just sell it...’
Vili had already made his decision. ’I’ll take it home and raise it. I can also test out the ability granted by the Junior Beast Tamer title.’
The white bear cub still couldn’t open its eyes, but upon sensing Vili’s presence, it instinctively snuggled closer into the crook of his arm, trying to curl up even tighter.
It liked the feeling of being close to Vili.