Chương 562: The Relentless Hunter

Two days had passed since he'd found his cloak. A large brown fox barreled toward him through the undergrowth. Luke sprinted across the clearing, firing arrows as he ran. He leapt, grabbed a vine, and let the swing carry his momentum. His bow slid over his shoulder as he drew his knife midair. The fox snapped at him. Luke twisted around the tree trunk, dropped onto its neck, and drove the blade in deep. The creature thrashed like a wounded bull, but after a moment its strength gave out and it collapsed.

[You have slain a Cunning Hunter Fox – Lvl 43] 4, 871 IP earned"Damn fox," he muttered, rolling off its body before taking off again. He yanked the bow back into his hands, pulled an arrow from the quiver, and aimed upward. The shot arced high before dropping straight down onto another fox near a chest. [You have slain a Cunning Hunter Fox – Lvl 22] 1, 871 IP earned Luke reached the chest and pushed the lid open.

"Good. That's exactly what I needed." [Healing Potion (Common)]: A simple healing potion capable of restoring 500 HP. There were two inside. He downed both immediately.

Name: Luke Level: 50 Race: Half-Demon Rank: F Class: [Demonic Predator (Lvl 50)] 2nd Class: [Arcane Witch (Lvl 50)] Profession: [Guardian Botanist of Mother Freya (Lvl 50)] Titles: - Bloodline: [Bloodline of the Dark Demon] Health Points (HP): 2278/4240 Mana Points (MP): 4638/4950 Stamina: 2124/2650 Stats: Strength: 373 Lethality: 681 Agility: 489 Dexterity: 285 Endurance: 265 Vitality: 424 Toughness: 142 Perception: 448 Wisdom: 495 Intelligence: 227 Willpower: 535 Free Points: 0 Class Skills: [Advanced Blade Handling (Uncommon)], [Basic Archery (Common)] Second Class Skills: [Advanced Magic Conjuration (Uncommon)] Profession Skills: [Botanical Purification (Uncommon)] Race Skills: [Identify (Common)], [Demonic Perception (Uncommon)] Luke kept moving.

How are Charlie and Angie doing? The thought drifted in as he walked through the forest in the dead of night. He didn't see many signs of people anymore. Things had calmed down over time. Survivors had learned not to make noise for no reason, not to shout, not to talk loudly, and to move through the woods without drawing attention. I need to prepare for the second bracelet. He'd only managed to beat the Yellow Bracelet Guardian because of the snake venom he'd used.

And he was certain the Green Bracelet would be just as well guarded. Luke picked up his pace. By morning he spotted a herd of boars. He sprinted along their flank, letting arrows fly, striking necks and faces with sharp precision. The boars scattered. He had to be faster than their panic. He fired upward on the run, arrows arcing down to hit them as they bolted, dropping one after another. He finished the wounded with his knife.

[You have slain an Iron-Horn Boar – Lvl 37] 4, 871 IP earned [You have slain an Iron-Horn Boar – Lvl 37] 4, 828 IP earned [You have slain an Iron-Horn Boar – Lvl 36] 4, 104 IP earned [You have slain an Iron-Horn Boar – Lvl 41] 5, 194 IP earned [You have slain an Iron-Horn Boar – Lvl 37] 4, 871 IP earned [You have slain an Iron-Horn Boar – Lvl 37] 4, 871 IP earned Hostile beasts weren't worth as much experience, but they could be just as troublesome as the humans roaming the island.

Along the way he came across more dead boars, ones he hadn't killed. The punctures in their hide were from arrows. Whoever fired them had retrieved most of the shots… even the broken ones. By nightfall he crouched deep in the underbrush, hidden beneath layers of foliage. He never slept well. Even with the silence and his heightened senses, a single quick arrow could still end him. Huddled there, he ate a strip of roasted meat he'd saved. The bread he'd keep for emergencies.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. A distant flicker cut through the dark. Torchlight. His mind wouldn't let him rest after seeing that glow. Oh, great… He stood. Luke had two options: back away and pretend he hadn't seen anything, or get closer, find out what was out there, and decide whether it was something he needed to worry about. My damn curiosity… He crept toward the source, staying low, until he found a vantage point.

What he saw made him stop cold: a body tied to a tree, engulfed in flames. Luke backed away immediately. Psychopaths everywhere on this island. Not that he was much better. But what he really wanted to know was the criteria for ending up here. Knowing the System, it wasn't random. He'd asked two people in the past, right before killing them, who they were and where they came from. Both had given the same answer: some kind of special penitentiary for people who had systems.

Which meant there were people on this island who already knew each other, people taken from the same place. So what's the damn requirement for being brought here?

Three men were arguing loudly in the forest, not bothering to mask their voices. Luke crouched behind a fallen trunk, listening. Two corpses hung nearby. He had been tracking the group for hours. The bastards hoisted bodies onto branches and set them on fire.

"Idiot, be careful when you hang them," one snapped.

"And you need to be careful with your damn fire!" One of them had pyromancy skills. Judging by the scorch marks everywhere, he was the one starting the blazes.

"Let death bless us," another muttered. He lit the pyre, and the three ran back from the rising flames.

"Mountain has a bracelet," one said.

"Domínguez must be having fun over in that green zone." Domínguez? Gabriel Domínguez?

"Bet he's eating well. Mountain hasn't eaten since before solitary."

"Always listening to the Father, yeah, that lunatic," one of them laughed. They kept walking until they spotted a woman picking fruit off the ground.

"What do you think?"

"She'll burn nicely."

"Alive?"

"Alive." Luke drew an arrow and didn't hesitate. [You have slain a Human…] 113, 829 IP earned"What? How long have you been following us!" one shouted, flinging a fireball back toward him.

"You killed my cousin!" another screamed when he saw the corpse drop. Luke ducked the flames and braced himself against a tree. The woman had vanished. He sprinted across the clearing, weaving through bursts of fire, and loosed an arrow straight into the pyromancer's chest. The man choked out, "Son of a bi—" before collapsing. The third man charged at Luke with a hammer. Luke rolled aside, abandoning the bow and grabbing his knife.

He flung a handful of dirt into the man's face, then slashed across his throat with the other hand. The man dropped to his knees, clutching the wound. [You have slain a Human…] 108, 111 IP earned Luke rushed toward the fallen fire mage. Damn it. I wanted the other one alive, not this guy. He raised his bow.

"Move and—" The man hurled another fireball. Luke clicked his tongue and ducked behind a tree.

"You'll burn! Santa Muerte will claim your soul!" Luke sprinted out, dodged the attack, and fired. The arrow struck hard, pinning the mage as Luke kicked him back against the trunk.

"Tell me about Domínguez!" The man pressed a trembling hand to his chest where the arrow was embedded. Great. I killed him.

"Cannibal… giant… you'll be swallowed whole," he rasped with a laugh before toppling over. [You have slain a Human…] 138, 763 IP earned Luke retrieved his arrows from the bodies.

"Damn it. The woman messed up the timing," he muttered, scanning the area. She was long gone. He had hoped to catch one of the men alone, maybe while they stepped away to piss. But there was no telling how long they would have tortured and burned that woman, or what else they might have done. Better to end it quickly.

Night had settled in. He was getting close to the Green Bracelet zone. Luke dropped into the grass to rest. Whatever waited for him there, and whoever he might run into, he'd rather face it without exhaustion dragging him down. I'm going to sleep now, and hopefully no boar, fox, or psychopath decides to bother me. He shut his eyes. A rustle snapped through the brush. His eyes flew open as his hand tightened around the knife. A shape emerged. It was the woman from earlier, and she wasn't alone.

Several others stood with her, heavily armed, armored from head to toe.

"You're unlucky." Luke was in trouble.