Night at Forest

Tyler had previously believed that, given Priscilla Nissen's intellect, it was truly difficult to associate her with the concept of a deity, even as the Right Eye of Deity. She should not have been this foolish.

Now, Tyler was even more convinced of this.

Ignoring the foolish loli's inquiry, Tyler slipped out of Ira Village under the cover of night.

Ira Forest was located just beside Ira Village, and when Tyler had entered this Prison Star world during the day, he had landed in this Ira Forest.

Tyler's primary reason for sneaking into the forest late at night was to personally observe how Village Chief Woodall hunted. During the evening barbecue party, Tyler had gleaned much information from Chief Woodall. First, it was about geography and administrative divisions. Ira Village was subordinate to Gudetown, which was in turn subordinate to Emerald City. Emerald City belonged to Lord Azure Lizard, and all the people in Ira Village, including Tyler, were his subjects.

Lord Azure Lizard was loyal to King Darmodar Das III, who led five lords in governing a country known as Wildforest, or the Wester Kingdom. The Wester Kingdom was relatively peaceful among the many Alliance of Light nations because the warfront between the Alliance of Light and the Abyssal Empire was far from the kingdom, and evilkinds and demons rarely appeared.

Secondly, it was about "occupations." In Ira Village, everyone had some means of making a living, such as Village Chief Woodall being adept at hunting, and Avril excelling in managing orchards and sewing. When Tyler asked about "Production Occupations" and "Manufacturing Occupations," Woodall told him that "occupations" were gifts bestowed by The Benevolent Deity upon their followers. If one devoted themselves to practicing a single occupation, they would be able to see the "Holy Luminescence" once their skills matured - which served as proof of their "occupation."

However, to determine one's specific occupation, an appraisal was necessary. In Lord Azure Lizard's territory, both "Production Occupations" and "Manufacturing Occupations" could only be appraised in Emerald City. Unless there were special circumstances, people wouldn't make a special trip to the city, as even by horse, it took half a month to get there one way.

The villagers of Ira Village had never appraised their "Production Occupations" or "Manufacturing Occupations," but this did not hinder their performance; the presence of "Holy Luminescence" was the best proof. Woodall mentioned that he had been acknowledged as a hunter by The Benevolent Deity more than twenty years ago, and now, during his hunts, he would occasionally see "Holy Luminescence" emanating from his body.

During his conversation with the village chief, Tyler skillfully employed verbal guidance and mind-reading techniques to gather information, and Chief Woodall did not become suspicious of Tyler's ignorance of common knowledge. There were many aspects of Woodall's words that were worth pondering for Tyler, but since Woodall mentioned that he would be hunting in Ira Forest that night to replenish the village's supply of fresh meat, Tyler made observing Woodall his top priority.

According to Woodall's explanation, both "Production Occupations" and "Manufacturing Occupations" could be acquired through continuous accumulation of experience without the need for obtaining qualifications from a guild or baptism from a church. This was good news for Tyler.

In the current situation where information on "Combat Occupations" was unclear, it was crucial for Tyler to quickly master a "Production Occupation" or "Manufacturing Occupation" with combat capabilities. The "Production Occupation: Hunter" that the village chief had cultivated was precisely what Tyler needed.

As for why Tyler did not directly ask the village chief to teach him, it was because Tyler had seen the village chief's hidden intentions through his mental activity. Woodall was somewhat discerning and believed that although Tyler was a good young man, he did not seem like someone who would stay in a small place like Ira Village for long. In order to attract Tyler to reside in Ira Village for an extended period, if he wanted to learn about "occupations," Woodall planned to teach him at the slowest possible pace, not allowing him to acquire genuine skills all at once. Regarding this matter, Woodall intended to secretly inform the other villagers as well.

Since the village chief was playing such a game, Tyler had no choice but to remain calm on the surface and secretly seek opportunities to observe the chief's hunting posture and uncover any "secrets."

After entering the Ira Forest, Tyler lowered his posture, knowing he had to be extremely cautious; otherwise, he would easily be discovered by an experienced hunter like Woodall. While stealthily tracking and searching for Woodall's traces, Tyler's Divine Eye of Transcendence unexpectedly played a significant role.

With Tyler's wilderness exploration skills alone, it would have been difficult for him to spot footprints in the forest at night. However, with the help of his Divine Eye of Transcendence, he could not only see the identified footprints on the ground but also their "information." On a human footprint, Tyler saw a floating description that read "Woodall's footprint."

Relying on his identification ability, Tyler gradually followed Woodall's trail. As a hunter, Woodall occasionally covered his tracks to prevent carnivorous animals from tracking him, which provided Tyler with an opportunity to follow him. About half an hour later, Tyler spotted Woodall crouching in the distance, having just set up a trap before moving on to the next location.

Tyler dared not follow too closely, depending solely on the information from his Divine Eye of Transcendence for long-distance tracking. After some time, a sharp animal cry could be heard nearby, as if a carnivore was chasing its prey. Tyler noticed that Woodall had climbed up a tree, so he quickly hid in the bushes to avoid being discovered.

Under the moonlight, Woodall raised his hunting bow, drew the bowstring fully, and aimed while holding his breath. So focused was he that it seemed as if only he and his prey existed in the world. At that moment, Tyler saw a silvery flash emanating from Woodall's fingers as he pulled the bow.

(So that's the so-called Holy Luminescence.)

Then, Woodall shot an arrow that flew swiftly and steadily, its trajectory barely affected by gravity and crosswinds. Immediately afterward, a dull thud and an animal's wail could be heard—the sound of the arrow hitting its target.

It was clear that the "Holy Luminescence" had enhanced the power of the arrow, and this was precisely what Tyler wanted to learn.

Afterward, Tyler continued to follow Woodall for two more hours without being discovered, picking up quite a bit of hunting knowledge along the way. However, when it came to the matter of "occupations," he was still full of questions.

Woodall eventually managed to catch a fox, a rabbit, and three large guinea pigs before returning to the village with his bountiful haul. Tyler followed Woodall at a distance, but suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Tyler discovered a new set of footprints with the identification label "Fuchs' Footprints."

Tyler had met all 50 villagers in Ira Village, but he had no impression of the name "Fuchs."

So, Tyler bent down to touch the footprint, which felt quite fresh. For safety's sake, he began to track the footprint's owner. However, the person moved incredibly fast, and Tyler couldn't catch up even after chasing for nearly an hour through the forest. In the end, he only managed to catch a glimpse of a figure leaving through the other exit of the Ira Forest.

Fortunately, that was enough.

Tyler's Divine Eye of Transcendence had identified the figure's information:

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Fuchs, male, 37 years old, deputy leader of the Crimson Cloud Bandits

Production Occupation: None

Manufacturing Occupation: Alchemist - Lv1

Combat Occupation: Scout - Lv6

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