>Player Arzhur has obtained the Trophy 'Adult Black Scruff Wolf Leader Head'<
Hunting certain kinds of unique beasts or variants could get the players extra reward if they brought it to the relevant authorities. These were usually creatures that caused problems for the people living nearby and often had bounties placed on them.
It was one of the types of subjugation and hunting quests. Of course, the advantage one had in these kinds of quest was that even if one didn't trigger the quest, they could still get the quest items beforehand and then trigger the quest.
This way they could finish the quest immediately while submitting the item needed to finish the quest.
These items were usually in the form of trophies.
The head of the Adult Black Scruff Wolf leader was also a trophy and could be exchanged for a reward. Arthur was fine carrying it around, since the weight of the head was less, and its value was higher compared to other items he had for selling.
In fact, if he felt like he was carrying too much weight, he'd rather give up on some items than leave the head behind. He also collected the Throwing Dire Claw knives that he had used on the wolves.
They were reusable and still had their full durability except one.
'Hmm… it's down by 1%. But then again, it's the worst among them.' Arthur thought after taking a look at them.
"Let's continue…"
Having obtained the head, Arthur started walking again.
He had to cross the hill, and the only way to do that was to go up. There were trees and rocks blocking a lot of the areas, forcing Arthur to find a way around them. What could have been a short straight path, ended up turning into a long winding path through the trees and rocks.
It took Arthur an hour to climb the hill and reach the top. And when he was there, he could see a view of the other side.
~WHISTLE~
"Now that's a view you don't get to see in the city," Arthur's eyes gleamed in the sunlight as he gazed at the beautiful scenery in front of him.
An expanse of trees that extended all the way to the horizon could be seen, along with hills that were scattered among them. A river could also be flowing through the forest, curving along a few of the hills. Birds of various kinds could be seen soaring across the sky, as they went about their way.
In the distance, Arthur could even see tall mountains that looked barren and rugged.
It was between these mountains and the curving river that a town could be seen. Of course, to Arthur the town looked like a small black blur in the distance. Many wouldn't even register it as a town and be lost just by looking at the appearance. But the smoke stacks rising from there were an easy indicator that a settlement was there.
The players could take this as a clue to finding their way to the town.
Of course, once they got down from the hill, observing the town wouldn't be that easy. Only when they got closer would they be able to spot the smokestacks again.
'Hmm… let's see… Need to go straight until I hit the River bend and the follow along until the third curve I encounter.' Arthur made a map in his mind.
This was an important skill that players needed to learn and would be essential to their survival. Doing it enough times would even result in a skill being generated. This skill was none other than the Cartography skill and allowed one to analyze the areas before making maps.
It was a decent skill that most players specializing in exploration would end up learning.
"Now that I think of it… There might be a traveling Cartographer present in the town too. I don't know what day they visit, but maybe I'll encounter him when I'm there." Arthur thought to himself.
A Cartographer was an important kind of NPC that sold maps to the players. While maps could be bought in other shops in the settlement too, traveling Cartographers often had different maps that couldn't be found in normal settlement.
Some of them even sold unique maps or maps that could lead to hidden locations.
Of course, Arthur didn't really need to buy maps from them, as he already knew of many locations that he needed to visit. His main reason for meeting the Cartographer was to obtain the Cartography skill.
'Learning it from the NPC would allow me to skip the time needed to learn it on my own. The passive effect from cartography is necessary for me if I am to explore things solo for now,' Arthur thought to himself.
Having taken a brief break, Arthur went down the mountain, following the rough map he had made in his mind.
In order to make sure that he walked straight he even cut down a vine and attached it to his waist. It was trick to know if one was walking straight, as players could easily get lost in the forest. With the vine attached, if one was drifting from their path, they would see that the vine behind them had curved, thus allowing them to correct their path.
Of course, it was a rough method but it worked in a pinch.
'Once I have the Cartography skill, directional navigation will become easier,' Arthur thought to himself while walking.
~SPLASH~
The sound of gushing water could be heard in the distance, stitching Arthur's attention after a while.
"Oh? Seems like I'm close now." Arthur followed the sound and soon saw the clear blue water that was rushing through the forest.
Arthur looked at the time and saw that it took him an hour to reach this river bend.
'If it took me an hour to get till here, it should take three to four hours to reach the town perhaps.' He estimated in his mind.
It was important for him to know how much time was left, as he didn't want to be stuck here for too long during the nighttime.
'Even if I have the passive Night Vision due to Dragon's Insight, there can always be an ambush from mobs.' Arthur wished to be cautious, as he knew he was close to entering a new territory.
~Kreeeee~
Just a couple of minutes after Arthur had reached the river bend, the sound of beasts could be heard.
"Here we go…" Arthur held the Key Spear Dietrich and got ready for a fight.
~Rustle~ rustle~
Arthur followed after the source of sound and quickly found the direction from where it seemed to be coming from. The bushes there shook, before two dog sized creatures came out.
"Huh… so it's these things." Arthur quickly recognized them. "Jagged Horn Shrews."
Still wanting to know more, Arthur used his skill.
"Dragon's Insight."
>Dragon's Insight Activated!<
>Skill has been successfully executed!<
——
Target: Jagged Horn Shrew x 2
Rank: Common
Level: 9
HP: 100%
MP: 100%
(Additional information can be viewed)
——
Arthur looked at the basic information and confirmed his thought. He didn't bother checking the additional information, as these were just some basic type of mobs that could be found here.
~KREEE~
Not to mention the creatures didn't give Arthur long enough to check them in detailed anyway. The two Jagged Horn Shrews charged at him, their horns pointed toward his chest.
Jagged Horn Shrews looked like oversized shrews but had horns on their head that they used to dig in tough ground. They could even use these horns to carve away rock.
They differed from the other shrews in that they primarily used their horns to dig instead of their claws and teeth.
~CLANG~
Arthur blocked the horn of the first Jagged Horn Shrew before dodging to the side. Then, in one swift motion, he swung Dietrich and stabbed it toward the shrew.
[Critical Hit!]
[-50% HP]
The spear stabbed clearly through the hind leg of the Jagged Horn Shrew, making it cry in pain. While it did this though, the other Jagged Horn Shrew was not swayed and charged towards Arthur without a care.
"Oh, no you don't!" Arthur said as he directly pulled the spear along with the injured Jagged Horn Shrew.
~THUD~
~SKWEE~
[-20% HP]
The injured Jagged Horn Shrew let out a cry again, this time getting a horn jabbed into its side.
>Player Arzhur has directed a foe to attack another foe!<
>Jagged Horn Shrew has been inflicted with bleed!<
Arthur smirked at the damage and pulled out the spear while kicking the Jagged Horn Shrew away. Its body was still stuck onto the horn of the other, causing the other to be pushed again.
And while the two were piled on, Arthur took the chance to strike.
"Time for a shrew skewer!" Arthur jumped before stabbing into the two Jagged Horn Shrew together.
[Critical Hit!]
[-30% HP]
[Critical Hit!]
[-70% HP]
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶