Seriously, two arrows, and neither came close to that fuzzy creature? Now I'm mad. This rabbit should be thanking its lucky stars that I don't know any spells—because if I did, I'd fry that little fluffy beast with a fireball in an instant! Him and his damn bush that he keeps munching on.
Time to deal with this two-tailed fuzzy bastard! Nocking another arrow, I took aim, steadying myself as best as I could. I released the arrow… Miss! I refused to let this bunny win. I nocked and fired again... Miss, miss, miss... damn.
I checked my quiver. Six arrows down, and none had come within five feet of the rabbit. I did get a small victory: on the sixth arrow, the beast actually looked up at where it landed. It turned its head toward me, gave me a long look, then went right back to its meal, its tails twitching in the air above it.
I knew I hadn’t used a bow in years, but I’d never been this bad. And the target wasn’t even moving—something was off. I focused harder on the rabbit, and suddenly, its name popped up above its head.
Two-tailed Rabbit (lvl 2): HP 25
So it’s called a two-tailed rabbit. Not the most original name, but at least it’s descriptive. Its health was 25. Even though it was one level above me, I should still be able to take it down. That is, if I can hit it.
I took a deep breath, knocked another arrow, and aimed more carefully than before. I released the arrow and my breath in the same instant. This time, the shot flew true, making a straight line toward the rabbit and striking its left thigh.
You attack Two-Tailed Rabbit, dealing 13 damage.
The damage notification barely flashed before my eyes. The rabbit cried out in pain and started charging toward me. With the arrow lodged in its thigh, it was struggling. Its eyes turned red with fury.
I quickly nocked another arrow and fired! Miss! The rabbit was now only ten feet away. I quickly pulled and nocked again, holding my breath, lining up the shot. As it reached six yards from me, I released. The arrow struck true this time, landing square in the rabbit’s head.
You attack Two-Tailed Rabbit, dealing 26 critical damage.
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NOTIFICATION
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
You have slain a Two-Tailed Rabbit. 25 experience gained.
---
Wow. That was way harder than I thought. Nine arrows just to kill a level 2 rabbit. Granted, I missed seven times and only hit it twice. Thankfully, it wasn’t aggressive. If it had been, I would have been overwhelmed long before I managed to land any hits. Sure, I could have used my sword or daggers, but that would’ve guaranteed I’d take some damage. I got lucky with this being the creature I ran into.
I picked up the rabbit and stored it in my inventory, then spent the next 30 minutes retrieving my arrows. To my surprise, none were broken. Either my luck stat was working overtime, or someone was looking out for me.
Before moving on, I decided to check out the bush the rabbit had been so interested in. Bending down, I took a closer look. The leaves appeared normal enough, but then a notification appeared.
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CONGRATULATIONS
You have found: Leaves of the Illiel plant. These leaves hold an abundance of life essence. You sense the plant is beneficial if consumed.
15% increase to Herbalism
1% increase to Biology
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The Illiel plant, huh? Its leaves seem to hold some potent life essence. Looks like I found something that could help me heal. I began to harvest the leaves. But the moment I pulled them off, they withered away.
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NOTIFICATION
You have failed to harvest Illiel leaf.
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I tried pulling more gently, but again, they withered.
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NOTIFICATION
You have failed to harvest Illiel leaf.
---
Damn, what was I doing wrong? Studying the plant more closely, I noticed that the veins of the leaves glowed faintly, running down the stem and connecting to larger veins closer to the main plant. At one part of the stem, there were only two veins, reminding me of a human circulatory system. That seemed like the right place to pinch the stem and gently pull.
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NOTIFICATION
You have successfully harvested Illiel leaf x1.
5% increase to Herbalism.
---
Success! I spent the next 15 minutes carefully harvesting. Even after figuring out the trick, I only had about a 50% success rate. By the end of it, I hadn’t stripped the plant bare (I didn’t want to kill it), but I had gathered 16 leaves.
Once I was done hunting for the day, I planned to experiment with them. Maybe I could make a potion using the water from the pond. I thought about trying one immediately to see if it had healing properties, but I decided against it. I knew it wouldn’t hurt me, but if it was a healing herb, I didn’t want to waste it just yet.
Looking up at the sky, I guessed it was around noon. Or maybe it wasn’t? I had no idea if this planet had a 24-hour day/night cycle. It was strange how much I didn’t know about this new world. Without the internet to look things up, it threw me off more than I’d like to admit. Pushing those thoughts aside, I decided to get back to hunting. I chose not to check my notifications until I returned to the clearing.
---
The rest of my hunting trip went better. I downed two more two-tailed rabbits, one of which I had to finish off with my dagger because it got too close. Thankfully, they weren’t very strong, and I only took a few bruises and lost 10 health, which refilled over the next minute or so. I also spotted a black fox in the distance and took it down after five arrows, though I did break five in the process. At least I managed to save the arrowheads and most of the feathers. I’d need to craft new arrows eventually.
I also harvested another 20 Illiel leaves from around the forest. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any other useful plants. I stayed close to the clearing, careful not to wander too far. Oddly, I didn’t come across any other water sources, and no animals ventured near the clearing. There were no markings around the water either—definitely something I’d need to investigate later.
Before it got too late, I gathered sticks and branches, sometimes using my hatchet to chop them into manageable sizes for my inventory. I had to admit, having this inventory system was a lifesaver. I didn’t feel any weight change when adding things. Until I learned magic, this was my favorite feature of this world.
With my loot in tow, I made my way back to the clearing. This was my first real step on the road of adventure—and, eventually, revenge. Now, it was time to go through my loot and notifications!
