Nearly ten minutes and half a mile later, Ember stumbled into a wide clearing, his chest burning and his legs shaking. Running wasn’t working. He was going to exhaust himself before the boar even got tired.
"Fine," he muttered, pulling an arrow and forcing his breathing down. "Let’s do this."
The boar slid to a turn at the edge of the trees and lowered its head, kicking up dirt before charging again. Ember stood his ground and triggered Weak Point Detection.
The two-second wait felt like an eternity with a three-hundred-pound wall of muscle hurtling right at him.
Right as the boar hit top speed, a yellow mark lit up on its front leg joint—a gap where the tough hide flexed with its stride. Ember let fly. The arrow hit the joint clean, and the boar’s front leg buckled, sending it into a heavy, awkward stumble.
That stumble gave the skill just enough time to lock onto a second spot: a small gap behind the shoulder exposed by the boar’s uneven stride. He nocked and shot again. The second shaft went deep. The beast let out a harsh, furious squeal, but kept pushing forward on sheer momentum.
A third marker popped up right at the base of its throat as it closed the last ten feet. Ember didn’t bother aiming with the reticle this time; he just drew back and released at point-blank range, throwing his body to the right an instant later. The boar’s shoulder slammed into his hip as it passed, spinning him into the dirt.
Behind him, the noise stopped.
Ember lay on his back, staring up at the leaves, gasping for air. When he finally pushed himself up, he saw the boar lying still in the grass a few yards away.
[Monster Defeated] Thorn Boar defeated.
[Experience Gained] Thorn Boar defeated. Experience Gained: +94 EXP
[Bonus Experience] You have defeated an opponent of a higher level. Bonus EXP: +28 EXP (+30%)
Ember sat down hard in the dirt and stayed there until his hands stopped shaking.
"Never again," he said to the dead boar. "I’m buying a horse. First town I find, I’m buying a horse."
When his legs finally felt solid enough to hold his weight, he stood up, rubbing his bruised hip, and looked around to see where his mad dash had brought him.
The clearing was dominated by a massive, dark-barked tree—at least three times thicker than anything else around it. Deep yellow veins ran through the dark wood, catching the faint sunlight. Great, thick roots pushed out of the soil around the base, churned up in spots just like the slime burrows he’d been looking for earlier.
A snapped branch lay in the grass nearby. Ember picked it up to throw it aside, but stopped when he tried to snap it. The branch didn’t break—it flexed into a curve and snapped right back into shape when he let go. He bent it harder, amazed. Dead wood wasn’t supposed to act like spring steel.
He placed a hand against the dark trunk and checked it with Appraisal.
[Appraisal] Plant
Name: Loamheart Timber Rank: Uncommon Type: Reinforced Hardwood Harvest Difficulty: Moderate
Description: A dense, dark-brown wood grown from trees that have absorbed the mineral-rich loam produced by Elevated Loam Slimes. The wood develops a naturally reinforced grain, giving it an unusual balance of strength and flexibility. Despite its density, Loamheart Timber bends smoothly without easily cracking, making it an excellent material for crafting bows. Its earthy mana affinity also gives weapons made from it exceptional durability.
Bows.
He stared at the wood, feeling a quiet sense of victory. Then he looked at the massive trunk, looked down at his small hunting knife, and sighed. He wasn’t felling an ancient tree with a pocket knife and a bruised hip.
He settled for working a loose chunk of bark off a low branch, taking his time to peel it clean along the grain.
[Skill Proficiency Increased] Basic Gathering — A careful harvest has improved your proficiency. (+1.1%)
[Item Obtained] Obtained: • Loamheart Bark Sample ×1
He saved the location on his map. This place was worth coming back to once he had proper tools.
A soft rustle near the root pile pulled his attention back to business. A muddy, greenish-brown blob was slowly crawling out of the dark dirt.
[Appraisal] Monster
Name: Loam Slime Level: 2 Rank: Common HP: 100% Behavior: Reclusive / Burrowing Special Attack: Root Snare Description: A brown-green slime that hides beneath soft soil and riverbank vegetation. It spends most of its time buried underground, emerging only to feed on decaying plants and organic matter.
Compared to the boar, this felt almost absurdly simple. The slime barely registered him as he walked up. He drew his string, aimed for the weak spot near its center, and loosed.
Four more were buried around the same root structure. He cleared them out in less than half an hour without taking a single hit.
[Gathering Complete] Loam Slime Fluid ×5 collected. Gathering EXP: +28
[Quest Updated] Kael’s Reagents Progress: Loam Slime Fluid — 5 / 5 Collected
He capped the last glass vial and sat back on his heels, shaking his head. Ten minutes of running for his life from an angry pig, followed by twenty minutes of picking off slow-moving mud blobs.
Kael’s cabin smelled like boiled bitter-root and old copper when Ember walked back in. He set all twenty vials down on the cluttered workbench in four neat rows.
Kael picked up the bottles one by one, holding them up to the candlelight to inspect the liquid.
[Appraisal] Item
Name: River Slime Fluid Rank: Common Type: Alchemical Reagent Description: A thick, water-dense fluid drawn from a River Slime’s core. Retains a faint current of raw aquatic mana.
[Appraisal] Item
Name: Gale Slime Fluid Rank: Common Type: Alchemical Reagent Description: A restless, faintly turbulent fluid that resists sitting still in its vial. Carries residual wind mana.
[Appraisal] Item
Name: Ironsilt Slime Fluid Rank: Common Type: Alchemical Reagent Description: A dense, mineral-heavy fluid with a faint metallic sheen. Carries residual earth mana.
[Appraisal] Item
Name: Loam Slime Fluid Rank: Common Type: Alchemical Reagent Description: A dark, loamy fluid rich with organic residue. Carries a mild, grounding mana signature.
"All four types, no sediment," Kael grunted, packing the vials into a padded wooden box. "Took you long enough."
"I got run over by a level ten boar."
"Your problem," Kael replied without looking up. "Should’ve brought back its tusk. Good bone pays better than slime fluid."
[Quest Completed] Kael’s Reagents Rewards: +25 EXP Beast Taming (Guided Training) Unlocked
Ember dropped onto the wooden stool near the door, letting his sore hip rest at last. Kael pushed his work aside and pulled out a worn leather ledger.
"Right then," the old man said, turning to a clean page. "Let’s see if you’re actually worth teaching."
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