4. First Kill

"What am I supposed to do? Is this my end?"

"What are you talking about? You have me."

"What can you do? You are as weak as your name."

"Only for now, but you are here to make me stronger, right?" Hearing this, Ethan stopped speaking. "It doesn't matter what's going to happen. I have to become stronger and faster," Ethan thought.

Just as he was about to enter the forest, he caught sight of a beast.

"Isn't that the beast that almost killed me today? I will not let you go," he said to himself.

"Good, good, that's the spirit. Just go, my lion, and bring me its core." Ethan completely ignored him.

After looking around, Ethan found a long stick. He sharpened it with his kitchen knife, which he had brought with him.

After sharpening it, Ethan took it in his hand and waved it a couple of times to make sure it fit him perfectly.

Seeing that it was usable, Ethan stepped forward towards the monster, but very carefully. Just as he was 5 meters away from the monster, he ran like a madman, making loud sounds to give himself some courage.

Though the monster became alert, Ethan's sharp stick struck first and went through its neck before it could react. Alas, the monster died an unjust death at the hands of its escaping prey.

After making sure the monster was dead, Ethan knelt down and started taking deep breaths. His whole body was trembling with fear or excitement; only Ethan knew.

"Good, good, now you've done it. Quickly remove the core, otherwise, it will disappear."

Hearing this, Ethan hurriedly cut open the monster's chest and found an organ that looked round and squishy. According to the system, this was the monster core that was born after the monster underwent mutation.

It was light pink in color. After looking at it for a while, Ethan asked the system, "What's so special about it? It's no different from normal organs."

"Hoho, it looks normal, but its uses are many. It can be used in potions, weapons, and for me, it's like a tonic. If I can get enough of it, I can upgrade myself without limits. So, do you think it's normal?"

After hearing the system, Ethan focused on one thing: potions. He asked about it, "What is a potion? I've never heard of it before."

"Oh, I forgot. It's only been 10 years since your world started mutating, so it's normal that nobody knows about it. A potion is a kind of special liquid made from combining 2 or 3 ingredients together. After you burn off the extra waste in it, at the end, only the essence remains, which is called a potion. That's the easiest way I can explain it."

"What does it do?"

"It's very helpful in every possible way. If you're injured, you can heal yourself with it. If you're out of energy, you can use the potion, and you're back to full health. Just like that, there are different kinds of potions."

"Can I also make potions?" Ethan asked. He was starting to like this profession.

"Of course, but you have to do it your way because I have no idea. I only know some basic knowledge," the system replied. Hearing this, Ethan thought about it and decided to try it after he became a little stronger.

After that, Ethan started walking forward and went inside the forest. As he went inside, the light became a little dimmer. After going forward a bit, Ethan found another monster, which was actually a rabbit, but its eyes were red and it had a small horn on its head.

Just as he wanted to get a little closer, the rabbit noticed him. Seeing that, the rabbit didn't run away but jumped towards him like a hungry beast.

For a moment, Ethan got scared and took a step back, but the rabbit was fast. He didn't even notice when it came within 10 inches of him.

Scared out of his wits, Ethan fell down on his butt on the ground. But he heard a clattering sound, and his stick became a little heavy.

Looking up, Ethan realized, he didn't know when, but the rabbit had been pierced by the stick and died with wide-open eyes.

"Wow, Ethan, you're really a genius! How did you time that attack so well? Even the fighting champions can't get the timing right."

Ethan, who looked at the corpse of the rabbit, was really speechless. "Bastard, if you wanted to commit suicide, why did you scare me?"

But hearing the system's praise, Ethan acted like it was nothing and started removing the core from its body, keeping it in his leather bag.

By 4 o'clock in the evening, Ethan came out of the forest looking a little haggard, with clothes tattered. If nobody knew him, they might have mistaken him for a beggar.

But his earnings were quite good. Through wit or accident, Ethan had managed to kill as many as 18 monsters. Some were rabbit-like before, and sometimes they were rats, so he didn't face too much difficulty. When he saw a boar-like monster, though, he would run away. Even though he had killed one, he knew it had been just a lucky shot, so he never tried it again.

"Ethan, I really misunderstood you. You're a born fighter. You killed so many monsters without getting too many injuries. I'm really glad I met you."

"Okay, okay, stop your ass-kissing or I'll vomit. I know you're after the cores, right? Let's just go home, and you'll get your things. I just hope they can help me become stronger because I'm not going into the forest like a scared chicken again."