Netori Harem: New life as a hunter and gatherer

Chapter 292: Exceptional hunter

Luke woke up early in the morning. Not only had he gone to bed quite early the previous night, but he also needed to remove the traps before Kirb or anyone else ended up getting hurt by them.

No alarm had gone off throughout the night, which meant no one had tried anything reckless. Then again, they could simply be recovering from the loss of one of their most valuable pawns.

A magician was, in every sense of the word, an invaluable asset to any organization.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Luke slowly sat up on the bed but didn’t get down right away.

Instead, he turned to the woman sleeping peacefully beside him.

He had caught fragments of the conversation she shared with Laila after they assumed he was asleep. In truth, he had only been half asleep, so he hadn’t heard everything. Even so, the bits and pieces he did hear were enough for him to understand what had been weighing on their minds.

The two women saw themselves as a burden to him.

Luke understood why they felt that way. Given everything they had been through, it was only natural.

But he had never believed that having a weakness made someone a burden.

Everyone had weaknesses. It was simply part of being human.

Having someone you wanted to protect didn’t make you weaker.

It gave you a reason to become stronger.

Still, Luke couldn’t simply explain that to them and expect those feelings to disappear overnight.

’System? Any suggestions?’

[Host, you can’t forcibly implant a Gamma Pod into them. Without one, not only will they remain limited by their physical capabilities, but they also won’t be able to absorb magical cores that could grant them skills powerful enough for self-defense.]

’Right...’

Luke let out a quiet sigh and slowly turned toward the wall, sitting at the edge of the bed.

’You mentioned a safe shelter before, didn’t you?’

[Yes, Host. You have nearly fulfilled all the requirements to obtain it. However, the shelter is fixed in one location. It cannot be moved.]

’Yeah...’

Luke fell silent.

A permanent shelter would certainly keep them safe as long as they remained there. He had no doubt they would be perfectly secure in the village.

The problem began the moment they stepped outside.

Just like this trip.

’Any other ideas?’ Luke asked as he walked over to the window and carefully removed the alarm he had placed there the previous night.

[For now, the host should continue exploring the dungeon and search for more treasures. Not every treasure has to be consumed to strengthen someone.]

Luke paused.

"Hmm... you’re right."

A weapon or an artifact capable of giving them even a brief opportunity to escape if they were attacked would be enough to put his mind at ease.

’Wait... there aren’t any magical items in the gifting section of the shop, are there?’

[No, Host. Not at the moment.]

Luke’s eyebrows rose.

’But is there a chance that changes in the future?’

[Yes. There is a high probability that the gifting section will be upgraded with more valuable items in the future. However, will the host have enough Gamma Points to purchase them?]

Luke narrowed his eyes.

’You don’t need to worry about that. Just tell me how I unlock that category.’

He would earn more Gamma Points by clearing the dungeon’s first floor and completing the System’s assigned quests.

If that wasn’t enough, he would deliberately throw himself into unfamiliar situations to trigger hidden quests.

Gamma Points were the least of his concerns.

[Host, you need to level up both your Gamma Pod and Player Rank.]

"..."

Right. Of course it would be something he couldn’t accomplish immediately.

In a village surrounded by countless dangers, there was no way he could afford to lose consciousness for half a day and simply hope everything would be fine.

He needed to do it somewhere truly safe, and only after making absolutely certain that his family would remain protected during that time.

Most likely, he would do it in his own house after setting up hundreds of traps around the property and lie every friend or acquaintance he wouldn’t be home for the entire day.

A few more preparations and a handful of adjustments should be enough.

Perhaps he was being overly cautious.

But after everything he had gone through so far, he would rather be overly prepared than regret letting his guard down.

’So... not now, huh?’

Luke let out a quiet sigh.

Well, that was only to be expected.

Not everything he wished for would be placed right in front of him the moment he wanted it.

Stretching his back, Luke decided to head outside and remove the traps first.

The morning light had already begun to brighten the horizon. Within another hour, the sun would rise above it.

As he stepped out of the room, he was greeted by a house wrapped in complete silence.

Making his way toward the front door, he began thinking about meeting the village chief as soon as possible. If he couldn’t speak to the man directly, he would have to bring Roxanne with him instead.

From what he had seen, Roxanne shared a good relationship with the chief. Her presence alone would likely be enough to earn them an audience.

The moment Luke reached the entrance, he paused in surprise.

"Mila?"

"Ah... it’s you."

Still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Mila let out a small yawn. It was obvious she had only just woken up herself.

"You wake up so early?" she asked.

"No. And judging by your face, neither do you." Luke raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. "So what are you doing here at this hour?"

"Ah, I just came to see Kirb off. He had some work early this morning."

Luke’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"He already left? But how?"

Without another word, he hurried past Mila and rushed outside, his eyes immediately scanning the traps to make sure Kirb hadn’t been injured.

If he had known Kirb was leaving so early, he wouldn’t have spent so much time lying in bed, lost in thought.

"Why are you so panicked?" Mila asked before a knowing smile spread across her face. "Ah, is this about the traps?"

Luke stopped and glanced back at her.

"Didn’t I tell you last night?" she continued, a hint of pride in her voice. "My mate is a well-known hunter. Everyone in the village respects his skills."

Luke let out a quiet hum and turned to face her fully.

"He slipped through every single trap without setting one off," Mila said with a soft giggle. "He even mentioned that you did an impressive job covering every possible spot."

Her smile widened.

"But he still managed to bypass them all. Fufu."

Luke couldn’t hide the surprise on his face.

"Your mate truly sounds like an exceptional hunter. Unfortunately, we missed each other again."

Mila let out a light chuckle.

"Don’t worry. You’ll meet him soon enough. He’ll be back by this evening."

Luke nodded before turning his attention to the traps, carefully dismantling the more dangerous ones first.

Once he had finished, he planned to freshen up and grab something to eat. After that, he would stop by the inn to collect their belongings before heading to meet the village chief.

’Hopefully... the Chief will be able to help us through this situation.’