Around the outskirts of Ximu Town, there were always many fierce beasts roaming about, mostly wolves, but occasionally there'd be black bears, griffins, murder hornets, or... the Great Wild Boar King.
This was the name Ethan gave to the peculiar creature before him. It wasn't documented in "100 Dark Creatures You Need to Know". It had a pair of sharp tusks, its entire body was a reddish-brown, with most areas covered by a biological shell bristling with black spikes. Its size was much larger than any wild boar he had known, and when first seen, it stood proudly like a true King.
But in reality, it was quite a bluff. With just one ice arrow, it flopped to the ground, its short limbs fluttering a few times before becoming motionless.
However, this Great Wild Boar King had another hidden trait — it was particularly rich in experience points.
"Ice Arrow (Beginner): Proficiency: 1/75"
Seeing the proficiency level of Ice Arrow rise by a whole rank, Ethan fell into contemplation. This was his first encounter with the Great Wild Boar King outside of Ximu Town in two years, and it made him question whether the training strategy he'd adopted over the past two years had been wrong. The Great Wild Boar King possessed the negative traits of 'large size,' 'easy to aim at,' 'fragile,' and 'abundant experience', making it a natural treasure trove of experience points.
If he had been hunting one Great Wild Boar King daily for the past two years, perhaps he would've already mastered the spells from "Fireball and Ice Arrow Magic Studies."
Putting thoughts into action, Ethan meticulously examined the Great Wild Boar King's wounds.
The cause of death was a hole that pierced through its entire body. The ice arrow shattered its black biological shell in the front chest, passed through the Great Wild Boar King, and left holes of the same size on several trees behind it before disappearing into the darkness.
The power of this ice arrow was somewhat different from what Ethan had imagined.
He finally understood why "Fireball and Ice Arrow Magic Studies" said that ice magic is suitable for resolving conflicts between people. Learning the Ice Arrow as an Elemental Shaper was equivalent to carrying a heavy-duty rifle with you, and the penetration of this ice arrow far exceeded that of any known firearms of this era.
Plus, with Ice Arrow being the most basic spell and requiring very little energy, it essentially became a heavy-duty rifle with nearly unlimited ammo.
If you saw someone you weren't fond of, you could just snipe them, thought Ethan, perhaps this was the lifestyle of an ice elemental shaper.
Nevertheless, he's a kind-hearted person.
After collecting enough wood and with a pot in hand, Ethan returned to stand beside the Great Wild Boar King. He was not only kind-hearted but also very frugal—he wouldn't waste nature's gifts. Having been hustled by Jelol all day to measure Miss Keroy, yet hadn't had even a piece of bread to eat, maybe the Great Wild Boar King knew this and that's why it came before him.
Truly a merciful king who couldn't bear to see people go hungry!
Miss Keroy heard his footsteps, her body stiffened, and she stopped gnawing. After locking eyes with Ethan for a few seconds, she shook herself, flinging off the blood and flesh bits from her face, and then gracefully walked over to the pot, quietly sitting down like a patient and elegant lady.
Ethan's mind was conflicted.
Miss Keroy had changed; she not only had the air of a lady but was also no longer satisfied with just a handful of breadcrumbs—as she collected wood, one of the Great Wild Boar King's legs had disappeared without a trace, and Miss Keroy showed no signs of being full.
A flame sparked in his palm, igniting the piled-up wood, while pieces of ice fell into the pot he set up. According to Ethan's conclusions, the second stage proficiency unlocks the ability to convert elements, and the ice cubes generated by magic could serve as an important water resource in the wilderness.
With the advancement in ice arrow proficiency, he had transformed into a near-perpetual-motion wilderness survival master.
"Miss Keroy, help me cut the meat."
Keroy nodded and even bowed to him elegantly. She inserted her claw into the Great Wild Boar King's abdomen, and with a gentle pull, tore off a prime piece of pork belly. Then, much to Ethan's amazement, an incredible scene unfolded.
Miss Keroy, without any training, seemed to have mastered the art of peeling and plucking!
Before tossing the pork belly into the water, with a gentle swipe of her claw on its surface, the inedible parts were trimmed away, and without waiting for Ethan to speak, she threw the whole piece into the pot.
Ethan gazed long at the meat floating on the water, and said, "You might not believe it, but this is a wolf chicken that knows how to cook."
The curse of lycanthropy typically caused humans to gradually lose their intelligence, yet Miss Keroy was becoming increasingly clever.
Under the serene moonlight, man and chicken sat beside the pot, waiting for the water to boil, and Ethan's long-dormant sense of peace washed over him, allowing him to cast aside the world's dangers and many worries.
Strangely enough, every time he interacted with animals, fortune tended to come his way.
Miss Keroy seemed to see through his thoughts, tilting her head up, casting a curious glance his way, and even letting out a faint cluck. Ethan somehow read a gossipy atmosphere in the eyes of this chicken.
"Yes, I once had a cat."
Since coming into this world, he had suppressed many secrets in his heart. These secrets might invite danger, but keeping them bottled inside continuously also created intangible stress.
Back when he first arrived here, it was only when he interacted with small animals in town that he could briefly relax. "It was a white cat, with red eyes, her name was 'Zhaocai'... You ask why 'Zhaocai'? Well, she was excellent at rummaging things, always bringing home some treasure, but she was a rather aloof cat. Every time I'd call 'Zhaocai', she'd always look at me with disdain."
The treasures "Zhaocai" dug up from who knows where helped him get through the toughest of times. Ethan always felt that "Zhaocai" could understand what he was saying.
"Hmm? Where did 'Zhaocai' go? One morning, after she dug up a sheepskin book titled 'Fireball and Ice Arrow Magic Studies', she vanished, never to be seen in town again. I guess she still had something she needed to accomplish. She was a clever cat and could live well anywhere."
Ethan gently stroked Miss Keroy's head as she moved closer on her own accord.
Steam began to rise from the pot. He stood up and started preparing dinner for himself and Miss Keroy. This world's seasoning was quite scarce, limited to basic salt and sugar; he mixed these with small onions and carrots into the pot, skimming off the froth with a ladle.
A cry screeched overhead. Miss Keroy nervously lifted her head into the night sky.
The fear of predators lingered in her memory.
Ethan also saw a hawk streaking through the moonlight, its path toward the town not stopping for a moment before vanishing into the distance. "It's a messenger from the big city."
(The contract status has been corrected, and the reading data during the new book period is very important. I earnestly request your collections and readership support, thank you very much!)