Valuable Lesson

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The Abury Mountain behind Enqi Town was an ancient forest. Massive trees, dense weeds, thorns, and shrubs are everywhere, making the forest nearly impassable.

Even seasoned hunters are reluctant to venture deep into the mountains.

It is said that people lived in the Abury Mountains long ago. You can still find road signs covered by wild roses, wooden bridges that are no longer passable, and stone pillars on sharp peaks.

Occasionally, deserted houses overgrown with weeds might be encountered. Some people have even seen a collapsed church in the lower reaches of Silver Snake Creek.

In Seth's memory, he has never entered Mount Abury. The closest he's been is his father's lumberyard.

Now, he was walking on a winding, dusty path with hunters led by Leon in front of him.

The hunters were heading into the mountains to hunt.

Despite accepting the baron's commission, Leon intended to avoid going deep into the mountains. It was too dangerous, and even though wild wolves might be in the deep forest, they rarely ventured outside the mountains.

That is only possible if there is prey for them to hunt within the mountains.

The hunters stopped and went, and Seth observed along the way, wanting to get all the details. Soon, he noticed the hunters were familiar with the mountain animals and beasts.

They could determine what animals or beasts had recently passed by based on marks left on trees, excrement covered by grass blades, and fur caught in thorns.

After nearly three hours of walking in the forest, even Leon was panting and sweating. Seth was only breathing heavily, with the back of his hand slightly wet.

"We rest here," Leon said, finding a spot with a wide view and instructing two hunters to scout the area for hidden dangers.

With some surprise, he handed Seth a water bottle and said, "Your physical fitness is much better than I imagined."

Seth smiled but said nothing. After becoming a 'hunter,' his physique had surpassed that of ordinary people, an improvement that was quite evident.

After taking a sip of water, Seth asked casually, "Mr. Leon, what qualities do you think an excellent hunter should have?"

Leon glanced at him and said, "Why, Mr. Seth, do you want to be a hunter?"

Without waiting for Seth's answer, Leon continued, "I don't know about being an excellent hunter, but as a qualified hunter, I think he must be familiar with his prey. He should know what he wants to hunt, their habits, preferences, and frequent haunts."

"A good hunter should also be patient. He must analyze the prey, formulate a plan, wait for the prey to take the bait, and finally deliver the fatal blow. These tasks require patience."

"Additionally, don't attack your prey casually. Once you miss, the prey will flee, making it difficult to catch it again. Therefore, hunters must be fully prepared, using bait, traps, and all available means to maximize their advantages. When the prey has nowhere to go, deliver the final shot to complete the hunt."

As expected of the best hunter in town, he spoke in great detail. Suddenly, Seth sniffed the air, "What's that smell?" A gust of forest wind blew in, bringing a particular odor to his nostrils.

It was a slightly fishy smell, not pleasant at all.

With a rustle, a clump of grass blades shook slightly not far away, and then the bearded hunter emerged.

He looked nervous and excited, lowering his voice, "I found a den, a wolf den!"

Not far from the hunters' resting place, there was a cave. At the entrance, an adult gray wolf lay on the rocks, lazily licking its paws. Occasionally, a fishy smell wafted from the cave when the mountain wind blew past.

Seth, hiding behind a bush, almost wanted to pinch his nose. As a 'hunter,' his senses were too acute, making the smell overwhelmingly strong.

Leon gestured, pulled Seth away, and retreated into the forest.

"It is indeed a wolf den," he said quietly.

"If there's only one guard, there should be about five or six wolves in the den. We'll trap the guard first, then take care of the den."

The bearded man immediately pulled a piece of fresh meat wrapped in oiled paper from his backpack, still bleeding. Using a dagger, he made several cuts on the meat, then put on leather gloves and took out a small bottle wrapped in cotton cloth. He unscrewed it, pouring some dark purple liquid over the beef.

Leon explained, "It's a mix of juices from poisonous weeds we collected on the mountain. It will paralyze and kill quickly."

After adding the venom, the bearded man casually pulled a vine from a nearby tree, wrapped it around the meat, and threw it out forcefully. The beef landed in the grass some distance away.

Seth looked at Leon in puzzlement.

Leon signaled everyone to disperse and hid in the grass with Seth. "Although wolves aren't as suspicious as foxes, they aren't reckless either. The fresh meat will bleed and attract the guard. It will find the meat but won't eat it if it smells of a human scent. That's why we used the vine to throw it. Now, we wait patiently for the guard to take the bait."

Seth hid in the grass for the next twenty minutes, enduring mosquito bites until the gray wolf's low cry signaled its death. Finally, they left their hiding spots.

"The guard is dead," Leon said.

The hunters gathered dry grass and sticks, ignited them, and threw them into the cave. Soon, thick smoke poured out, accompanied by the sound of howling wolves. One by one, the disoriented gray wolves stumbled out and were swiftly shot by the hunters. Leon and his team killed five wolves with little effort.

Once the smoke stopped, the hunters entered the cave. It wasn't large, and the floor was littered with wolf excrement. In the depths, two unconscious wolf pups lay.

Leon walked over and killed them with a dagger.

"A hunter cannot be merciful to their prey, smart beasts like wolves. If we let these cubs live, they might come back to bite you throat one day."

Seth nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Leon. You've given me a valuable lesson today."

The hunters began processing their trophies, planning to return the wolf carcasses. Seth sat aside, carefully recalling Leon's advice. As a 'hunter,' these experiences were crucial.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew through, and Seth caught a fishy smell. This time, it was a hundred times stronger than before.