"Right, let's drive Arin out of this part of the forest as quickly as possible," Teun said with visible frustration. He glanced toward the towering pines surrounding them and shook his head. Fighting Arin inside the Forest of Hell was the last thing he wanted to do today. Ever since the younger man unlocked his physique, dealing with him had become a nightmare.
The others quickly nodded in agreement. Their tracking abilities were roughly equal, and many of them possessed decades more experience than Arin. Unfortunately, experience could only compensate for so much. The gap created by his physique and class abilities was becoming increasingly noticeable.
According to Arin himself, the Son of the Forest physique granted him a vague feeling toward the direction he should be paying attention to. It was not true danger sense, but from their perspective it might as well have been. While they needed to constantly monitor three hundred and sixty degrees around them, Arin could focus on a much narrower area. Combined with his natural talent, that advantage was incredibly irritating.
Then there was Archer's Eye. Before the System arrived, Arin already possessed excellent eyesight thanks to years of practice. After obtaining the skill, however, his vision improved dramatically. Spotting movement, tracking targets, and identifying distant details had become far easier than before. More than once, members of the family had jokingly accused him of cheating.
"I agree," Rik said while checking the timer. His expression immediately became serious. "If we still haven't found him during the final five minutes, we need to split up and hide." Several heads nodded as everyone understood the reasoning behind the suggestion.
"If we stay grouped together after combat starts, he'll pick us apart," Dennis added. "The moment shooting becomes legal, this stops being a hunt." Nobody disagreed with that statement. Hunting Arin was one thing. Surviving Arin was something entirely different.
Teun sighed heavily. "You do realize we're supposed to hunt each other afterward, right?" he asked. Under normal circumstances, temporary alliances ended once the primary target was eliminated. Every participant became an enemy once the hunt entered its final stage.
"No need to worry," Rik replied with a grin.
Reaching into his pocket, he unfolded a sheet of paper. The document carried the signature of the patriarch and the seal of the elder council. It granted special permission for the older generation to remain allied throughout this particular match.
The group immediately gathered around him.
"How did you get that?"
"When was this approved?"
"That's completely unfair."
Rik's grin widened.
"The requirements are actually quite simple," he said proudly. "Have a grandchild."
The resulting complaints echoed throughout the forest.
Meanwhile, the person responsible for all this trouble was sitting near the top of a pine tree. The trunk swayed gently beneath him as the wind moved through the canopy. Twenty meters above the ground, Arin enjoyed a perfect view of the surrounding forest. More importantly, nobody had looked upward even once.
If there was one thing he had learned during years of hiding from family members, it was that people rarely searched above eye level. They checked bushes, shadows, and terrain features. They looked behind trees and under fallen logs. Almost nobody bothered looking into the canopy unless given a reason.
"Right," Arin muttered to himself. "If I'm going to fight those cheaters, I need every advantage I can get."
A translucent screen appeared before him.
Status Window
Race: Human
Stage: Mortal (0.5)
Class: Archer (0.6)
Profession: Bowyer (0.5)
HP: 150 / 150
MP: 227 / 230
Stamina: 166 / 180
Attributes
Strength:17 -> 24
Agility: 14-> 18
Endurance: 14-> 18
Vitality: 13-> 15
Toughness:13-> 15
Wisdom: 15-> 23
Intelligence: 15-> 23
Perception: 22-> 28
Willpower: 18-> 23
Free Points: 14
Techniques & Traits
Breathing Technique: Archer Breathing Technique (Inferior)
Physique: Son of the Forest
Skills
Class Skills
Focus of the Old Marksman (Epic)
Basic One-Handed Weapons (Inferior)
Archer's Eye (Common)
Echo of the Grove (Rare)
Professional Skills
Arboreal Lore (Common)
Stringcraft (Uncommon)
Limb Shaping (Uncommon)
Identify (Common)
Arin studied the screen for several moments. Looking at it now, the numbers appeared impressive, but only when compared to ordinary people. Government studies released through the System news channels painted a fairly clear picture of humanity's progress. Most people who meditated diligently every day only reached Stage 0.2, while the more talented individuals occasionally reached Stage 0.3.
That difference had made one thing obvious.
Environment mattered.
Cities attracted huge quantities of mana due to the concentration of people and cultural energy. Unfortunately, that same cultural energy also interfered with absorption. Simply living in a city did not guarantee rapid growth. Access to good environments, proper training, and suitable conditions mattered far more than many people realized.
Not that any of that helped Arin right now.
The men searching for him below were not average citizens. They were veterans with decades of experience hunting, tracking, and surviving in difficult terrain. Compared to them, his biggest advantage was time. If he could survive long enough, he could finally start fighting back.
His eyes drifted toward Perception.
The temptation was immediate.
Perception had become one of his favorite attributes ever since awakening his physique. It sharpened his awareness, improved his senses, and worked incredibly well alongside Archer's Eye. Every point invested into it produced noticeable results.
Still, he forced himself to look elsewhere.
A balanced foundation came first.
"Everything above twenty," he decided.
Vitality received five points.
Toughness received five points.
Agility gained two.
Endurance gained two.
That used all fourteen points.
The moment he confirmed the allocation, warmth spread throughout his body. The sensation flowed through his muscles, bones, and organs like a gentle current. It felt surprisingly pleasant, almost like sinking into warm water after a long day of work.
A few moments later, the feeling faded.
His new attributes appeared before him.Attributes
Strength: 24
Agility: 18
Endurance: 18
Vitality: 15
Toughness: 15
Wisdom: 23
Intelligence: 23
Perception: 28
Willpower: 23
Arin couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed.
Perception remained untouched.
Even now, he could vaguely sense the direction the search party was moving. The feeling was difficult to explain, but it was undeniably useful. Combined with the fact that he had traveled through the treetops for part of his escape, the hunters were having an extremely difficult time locating him.
Below, the frustration was becoming obvious.
"We have to admit it," Dennis said while examining a set of footprints near an exposed tree root. "Ever since the System arrived, he seems to have gotten smarter."
Teun grimaced.
"I hate agreeing with you, but you're right."
The trail before them was infuriating.
Arin had deliberately left obvious footprints for nearly fifty meters. The tracks were so clear that even a recruit could follow them. Naturally, that made the entire thing suspicious, which forced the trackers to investigate carefully instead of dismissing it outright.
Only later did they discover the truth.
The obvious trail had been a distraction.
The real clue lay hidden in subtle differences in weight distribution near the tree root. From there, the signs eventually led upward into the canopy. By the time they realized Arin had been moving through the trees, however, it was already too late.
Rik checked the timer and frowned.
"Forget finding him."
The others immediately understood.
"Combat starts now."
Without another word, the hunters scattered in every direction. If they couldn't find Arin first, they would force him to divide his attention across the entire forest.
High above them, Arin smiled.