First Hunt

Dean started his exploration of the forest, trying to set a decent pace while being cautious and aware of his surroundings. But there wasn't anything that looked big enough to be a threat, only some birds and bugs. If he could get close enough to reach them, birds would have been a good meal. But Dean didn't even try, since there was no way he could achieve that with his spear. He just kept going deeper into the forest.

After an hour of exploration, he didn't find any prey at all. It was just too empty. Other than the different plants and trees, it almost looked like a normal forest he saw in his past life. Maybe he was just that bad at tracking. He was already thinking he wasted his time by making the spear.

'Maybe I should just go back.' as he was thinking of going back, there was rustling to his left. When he faced that direction, he saw a cute looking rabbit staring at him. Then he saw the straight horn coming out of its forehead. 'That horn looks dangerous...' But at that moment, without giving him any time to adjust to the situation, the rabbit started running straight at him. When it was closer, with a powerful kick the rabbit jumped, aiming its horn to his chest. Thankfully it wasn't something he couldn't dodge. After he dodged, the rabbit kept heading straight without a stop. Once it opened enough distance for it to gather enough speed to ram him, it turned around, starting its second charge. This time Dean was prepared, waiting for the rabbit to jump at him. After it made the jump, Dean brought the tip of the spear closer to his chest and made a thrust toward the rabbit. The horn and spear just bypassed each other before the spear stabbed into the rabbit. It was stabbed just under its head. It wasn't long before the impaled rabbit stopped moving.

'Well, thankfully I had the spear. It was a good choice after all. As a beginner having a weapon with a bigger range is really important. If I didn't have the spear... Just thinking of that horn stabbing into me, gives me goosebumps.'

He removed the spear from it to let the blood flow.

' It's important to clear the blood from the prey. ' while holding the rabbit from its hind legs, he carried it next to the river. He's been following the river this whole time so he wouldn't get lost in the forest. With the vine he found, he hangs the rabbit on a branch. While waiting for it to drain, he started collecting some wood to start a fire.

When the preparation for the fire was ready, he started skinning the rabbit. He didn't really know how to properly skin it. He tried his best not to damage the skin any further, while using the tip of the spear to cut it off. When he was done, there was one horn, one slightly damaged rabbit skin and the meat that was ready to be cooked.

When looking at the skin and the horn he is holding in his hand, he thought 'I hope this will worth something in the town.' Then he put it away for now to lit the fire, so he could start cooking as soon as possible. When the fire was ready, he put the meat on it to cook. With time, the meat started to cook and its smell was wonderful. Especially for the very hungry Dean. He couldn't really wait any longer, so, he reached out and cut off a piece to get a taste. Closing his eyes, he savored the taste of the meat and it was amazing.

'Even though there are no seasonings, it just tastes absolutely perfect.' With each piece of meat he ate, his appetite seems to grow more and more. Before he could even realize, he already finished more than half of the meat.

'Wow, did I just eat around 1kg of meat? I'd better save the rest for later.' He was truly satisfied. Not just because of the delicious meat, but also from the successful first hunt.

'The satisfaction of seeing your hard work paying off is truly an incredible feeling.' nodded his had with delight.

Putting out the fire, he started packing his things. He put the horn and the remaining meat inside the rabbit skin and tied it with some vine. With everything in order, he continued his exploration. But this time, instead of following the river deeper into the forest, he decided to explore further away from the river.

The reason was simple. He didn't think it would be a good idea at all. He was even afraid of what else he would be forced to face. If he went even deeper into the forest then he already is, it might be far more dangerous than just facing a rabbit. Maybe a rabbit couldn't be considered as a monster, just a slightly different one than his previous world. But, it didn't change the fact that the rabbit had a dangerously sharp horn and pretty aggressive behavior. These 2 points were enough for him to be cautious of this forest.

Thankfully, his spear was still holding out. What he was afraid didn't come to be. With the confidence he got from having a weapon he can use, he started searching for more prey he could hunt.

He eventually found what he was looking for. In the next few hours, he did come across 2 more rabbits. Which he easily defeated. It wasn't hard, because they only had one type of attack they could perform. With 2 more rabbits in his collection, he started making his way out of the forest. It was already getting late and he still had to head to the town before it gets dark.

While he was walking, he munched on the remaining roasted meat he had. He was also trying to create a background for himself. When he arrives at the gates, the guards will probably ask a few questions about him. He couldn't just say he just reincarnated in the forest, right? So, he was brainstorming to not sound suspicious.

'I can just say I'm coming from a village. But I don't even know what to say if they ask me the name of the village. Well, what about that I just lost my only living relative while on the road towards a city and then got lost until I passed the forest before arriving at the gates. That sounds like it might just do the job.'

When he got closer to the gates, guards attention gathered on him. He raised his hands and said "Hello" hoping there wouldn't be any language barrier. Guards stayed silent for a moment while watching him like some kind of animal in the zoo. 'Well, am I already in trouble?' Dean started to get nervous. After a while the guard on the left finally replied.

"Ah... Sorry about that. We were just a bit surprised. We don't see every day a kid at your age coming to the town all alone, especially from the east gate where it's facing the forest. On top of that, you are only equipped with a flint spear with no armor. It's just out of the ordinary. So, what brings you here?" Said the guard, trying to diffuse the awkward atmosphere.

"It's okay. Actually, my uncle and I were traveling, but he died on the way trying to protect me. After his death, since I didn't know the way, I got lost. Once I traveled through the forest, with some luck, I found myself here." Dean went on with the story he prepared on the way. It wasn't a foolproof story, but should be enough.

"You are indeed pretty lucky. If it was a week ago, you probably wouldn't be able to reach the town." The guard replied while nodding his head.

"Why is that?" Dean asked curiously.

"There is always a routine cleaning done at this time of year to reduce the monsters living in the forest. If not, you would have encountered wolves instead of weak horned rabbits." Said the guard, pointing at the dead rabbit on his shoulder.

"Then I am really lucky, aren't I? So, is it possible for me to enter the town?"

"Of course, you can enter the town. Do you have any identification on you?"

"Not really. Will it be a problem?"

"Don't worry about it. I will not make it difficult for a kid. I can just take you to the adventurers guild to get registered there if you want. Did you registered there before?"

"No, I didn't. If you can take me there to register it would be great. But, will it be okay? I don't wanna be a bother."

"It's okay, really. It wouldn't even take that long. So just follow me."

"Thanks." Dean flashed a smile. He was really happy that there wasn't any problem so far. He just followed after him.