Chapter 10: If I am to be a hunter, I shall be the best

A bean-sized flame flickered.

In the dimly lit room, the Liu family was eating dinner.

Compared to other households, the Liu family’s dinner was quite sumptuous, featuring both meat and vegetables.

Although it was all leftovers that Liu Feng’s father had packed from the restaurant, poor families didn't have the luxury of being picky.

"Su Mu is a steady lad. I had hoped that if he went to serve as a bailiff with you, you two could look out for one another. I didn't expect him to be so overly cautious that he’d let such a golden opportunity slip through his fingers," Liu Hai said. "Since he’s unwilling to take the post, then so be it."

"It’s a pity. The young man is spirited and diligent. If he could have become a bailiff, he would have been a worthy match for our Hongyu," Liu Feng’s mother said with a hint of regret.

At the table sat a girl of sixteen or seventeen. She was quite pretty, with a touch of heroic spirit in her temperament.

"It’s a shame the South City Office doesn't recruit female bailiffs, otherwise I would have gone to try it myself," Liu Hongyu said. "A man of seven feet who lacks even the courage to try—he’s hardly a suitable match."

Liu Hongyu was literate and quite beautiful; even if she didn't marry into a powerful family, she at least wanted to marry a promising talent.

That Su Mu might have a handsome face, but he was content with mediocrity. He didn't even dare to seize an opportunity when it was placed right in front of him. A man like that? Forget it.

Liu Hai and his wife shook their heads. "Enough about outsiders, let's eat."

"Later, once Feng'er has settled into his post at the South City Office, we’ll keep an eye out for a suitable family. We can't let Hongyu be wronged," Liu Hai said.

…………

*Whoosh!*

A wood-chopping knife flew across a distance of several yards, accurately striking a running wild hare.

The sharpened blade split the hare’s head clean in two.

The hare continued to run forward for a few steps before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

Only then did Su Mu lower his arm from the throwing motion.

Hunting was best done with a bow and arrow, of course.

But Su Mu had no bow, no arrows, and no knowledge of archery.

That was why he had devised this method of throwing his wood-chopping knife.

Perhaps because he had a foundation in blade training, after more than half a month of practice, he could hit his mark almost every time within ten yards.

However, this little trick was only good for catching hares; it wouldn't work on larger beasts.

"Good luck today."

Su Mu untied the sack on his back and placed the hare’s carcass inside.

Including this one, he had caught five hares today.

"If I sell these hares, I should have enough to buy a standard mulberry wood bow," Su Mu calculated to himself.

These past few days, he had been studying the functions of his interface, and he had made an unexpected discovery.

The rate at which a profession generated points was not fixed.

Simply put, his current status was a commoner, and his profession was a hunter. He had originally assumed that points increased by one each day.

At first, that was indeed the case.

Later, as his hunting skills became more proficient, although no new martial arts appeared on the interface, he noticed that the rate of one point per day had changed to three points every two days!

His status hadn't changed, and his profession hadn't changed, but the rate of point accumulation had.

After much thought, Su Mu finally reached a conclusion.

Even among hunters, there was a difference between a good hunter and a mediocre one.

The better he performed in a profession, the faster his points would increase!

Having reached this conclusion, Su Mu secretly decided that even if he were to be a hunter, he would be the best hunter there was!

More than an hour later, Su Mu left the trading firm with a pained expression, holding a standard mulberry wood bow.

This bow had cost him a full six taels of silver!

Fortunately, the firm had gifted him ten feathered arrows, which made him feel slightly better.

Otherwise, having to spend more money on arrows would have truly felt like cutting flesh from his own heart.

"With a bow and arrows, I will surely be able to take my hunting profession to the next level."

Su Mu was full of confidence.

Upon returning home, he couldn't wait to start practicing archery.

*Swish!*

He nocked an arrow and drew the bow.

The sound of the arrow piercing the air rang out, followed immediately by a *thwack* as the arrow embedded itself into the wooden door of the woodshed, the fletching trembling slightly.

"Hmm."

Su Mu remained expressionless.

"The form is handsome, but the accuracy needs work. Not a big problem," he muttered to himself.

He had been aiming for the locust tree five paces away.

The woodshed door was about two paces to the left of the tree.

The sound of the bowstring vibrating and the arrow striking wood alternated, echoing through the dilapidated little courtyard.

Su Mu practiced archery all night long.

By the end, his arms were trembling every time he drew the bow.

His shots were becoming increasingly off-target.

He had to accept a fact: his talent for archery was average.

"Diligence can make up for clumsiness. Even if I am of mediocre talent, as long as I practice without ceasing, I will surely become the best hunter!" Su Mu muttered to himself.

Exhausted, he lay down on his bed and subconsciously summoned the interface for a glance.

This was something he did every night before going to sleep.

The next moment, Su Mu sat up abruptly, his face full of surprise.

【Name: Su Mu】

【Status: Hunter (Commoner)】

【Points: 57】

【Martial Arts: Fubo Blade Technique (Entry), Archery (Not yet entered/+)】

On the interface, a few small characters had actually appeared!

Archery!

He had practiced archery haphazardly all night, and to his surprise, the interface had recognized it as a martial art.

"Sharpening the knife doesn't delay the wood-chopping. To become the best hunter, how could I lack a skill like archery that never misses?" Su Mu thought to himself. With a flick of his mind, he tapped the '+' next to Archery.

*Hum!*

10 points were consumed instantly.

In their place, countless images flooded into Su Mu’s mind.

In those images, he held a hard bow, drawing and shooting repeatedly.

Training through the coldest winter days and the hottest summer days.

He didn't know how many thousands or tens of thousands of arrows he had shot; if converted into silver, it would likely be an astronomical figure.

Every image felt immersive, as if he had truly experienced it himself.

Yet, all these experiences were crammed into Su Mu’s mind in a single instant, allowing him to traverse in one step the path that would take others months, or even years.

Archery: Entry!

Su Mu sat on the bed, casually grabbed the mulberry wood bow, and pinched a feathered arrow between his fingers.

*Swish!*

His movements were as skilled as a veteran of many years. The moment the bowstring rang out, the arrow was already embedded in the door panel.

Archery at the Entry level: within twenty paces, every arrow hits its mark.

Suppressing his excitement, Su Mu tried shooting a few more arrows.

Sure enough, his accuracy had doubled.

Inside this room, he could hit whatever he aimed at—a perfect record!

At this level, he could definitely be considered one of the best among the hunters of Wuling City.

"Among the hunters in Wuling City, there probably aren't many who can surpass my archery skills. Even if I'm not the best hunter in Wuling City yet, I should be one of the best," Su Mu thought to himself. "I wonder how many points I can earn per day now."

Having a professional skill alone wouldn't change the rate of point accumulation.

This was an experience Su Mu had also figured out.

There were a few days when he had stayed home practicing his blade work without going out to hunt, and as a result, his points hadn't increased at all during those days.

Slacking off was not an option; only by truly going out to hunt would the interface recognize his profession as a hunter.

Otherwise, even if his archery reached the best in the world, the interface wouldn't consider him the best hunter.

"Tomorrow, I'll go out and hunt for a day to see how many points a top-tier hunter like me can earn daily."

Su Mu thought with anticipation, and gradually drifted off to sleep.

(End of chapter)