Unfolding Some More

I rarely have been home for more than a week.

It has all been pretty darn clean, maybe besides a few large cobwebs here and there.

"Sigh."

This place has been pretty much a desolate box in the outer edges of the human populated grassy plains.

Living 3km from society really is calm and living next to the woods can be good for hunting.

However, the woods are usually closed off to people that don't have a permit.

A medium sized town has been built pretty much right in the middle of the plains.

The hunting lands are the plains outside of the perimeter.

However fresh game has been in a shortage because of financial problems with the emperor and the fact that the people had hunted the lands clean.

I get up from my chair and pick up one of my old books.

I know I will be forced into joining the military before service age.

Tests to see what abilities you have are usually between 14-17 years of age.

Having the ability SaW will put me into the legendary squad 1.

If you joined the army, you would start from the 100th corps, and make your way up.

Only SaW users can get to squad 1.

However, there are only 8 recorded users at one time in the army.

Already 13 generations of SaW users have gone by, and only the first were known well.

They were by far the strongest.

Fending off the ghouls from another dimension is no easy task.

The one that finally defeated the commander of the army and forced a retreat was one of the few people at that time to have 20 skill points.

Now it is a bit more common.

Ned also was not very surprised because his grandfather also had 20 skill points.

He was one of the first Soul And Weapon users but he had an ability that let him regenerate his body forever as long as his main body is intact.

But he was destroyed by the recent development almost 20 years ago: fire arrows.

A pile of random thoughts clogged up my brain.

Similar to a gossip conversation that derailed very quickly.

I closed the book.

The rice should be ready by now.

I walk outside to the crackling fire, with a pot hanging from a stick.

"I wonder how Reed is doing?" I ask myself, grabbing a bucket of dirt.

A puff of smoke and the fire was put out.

My food stores are depleting, so I decided to go out to hunt some game after I had lunch.

After that was over, I washed the dishes in a bucket of water fresh from the well in front of my house.

A conveniently placed reservoir if you ask me.

I grab my washed dish and walk through the small front door.

The creaky old wood on the floor had started to crack, but I rarely pay attention to those things.

I turn right and walk into the kitchen and stack the dish into the cabinet.

The water I emptied on a tree that I was growing near the back of the house.

It hopefully will become even taller than it is now.

←→

"I am nearly there." I whisper to myself.

The crunching of the dirt under my shoes and the sounds of the birds, bring some feelings of calmness into the atmosphere.

Spring in the woods is more chill than any place in the grasslands.

However, the deep woods are a different story.

I never get lost in the deep woods because I have memorized the entire area.

After 10 years, a place like this is easy to navigate.

Not only that, but I have also already bushwhacked a path through to the hunting grounds.

Going into the deep forest is illegal unless you are in the military, so if I were to be caught, I could face charges.

Well, it is not hunted clean like the plains.

I pause and look to the sky, the breeze pushing on the foliage above.

The bright sun peeking through the cracks in the tree branches.

"Heh" I know what my target today is.

"It is bear hunting season!"

"Hell Yeah!"

Usually during this time, bears come out of hibernation.

That means I can bait them out with berries and then they will become vulnerable when they are feeding.

Right now, I can trade bear skins for about 125 kels, if I can catch one.

Its cost grew nearly 31% since the game in the plains was hunted away.

One of those can easily pay for a mid-ranged sword, or at least a decent quality dagger.

I stop and swig some of my water.

I see the river that is supposedly the divide between the deep forest and the legal distance for the average person.

I see the nearest tree in front of me, a small pine tree.

I pull out a small hunting knife, and CRUNCH!

"Damn, that was loud." I whisper.

I pull my knife towards the left, the wood crunching and crackling as it is dragged across the trunk.

"Augh!" I snap the knife out of the wood.

This mark will help me find my way back to the original path.

I will be trying to find a different location that might have better chances for baiting in a bear.

I was about to take a step, when I heard a crunching sound.

"What the hell?" I thought.

Clattering sounds and footsteps were slowly getting louder.

Talking?

There was a sound of someone barking orders.

"I am pretty much screwed, unless I can avoid them."

The riverbank is an ideal spot to hide.

I ran across the openings between the trees and crouched down onto my hands and knees next to the riverbank.

Doing a sideways roll down to the bottom where the river is the shallowest would be good if I got piles of mud to cover me so that they cannot see me.

My fleece clothing picked up a big deal of mud.

With my knife in my right hand, I cut into the bank and pulled out a lot of soil.

I finished covering myself just on time.

Quickly I poked a whole just large enough to breathe and see with my right eye.

"HALT!"

"Damn he is loud…" I thought.

←→

The group of soldiers sat down, and each took some water.

The shade from the trees must be refreshing after marching in those thick armor plating.

There was also a mage that followed. Lastly, a scout.

Arrows and daggers, she must be an assassin scout.

The number ten was visible on the patches on their armor.

I suddenly realized.

"What the hell are the Ten Squad doing here?"

Most of the time the military sends only the lower ranks to this forest.

"Something is definitely off!"

They finally start rising to their feet, and dust themselves off.

If the big shot soldiers are here, then there has to be some important mission.

No doubt about it.

But from where I was, I couldn't hear their conversation.

I'd better not hear it; I would not like to be in any greater trouble.

My heartbeat was starting to rise.

They were getting closer.

Almost in range…

I started pulling energy up through my body, towards my head.

A searing powerful sensation welled up in my eyeballs.

->

Skills: Energy Transfer, Casting Acceleration, Swift Sword, Tank

Abilities: Sword–5, Ballistic Block, Dual Hit, Sword Summon, Block Shove

<-

What the heck is this dude's specification?

Mage-Sword guy?

Although, this person is definitely the leader, he is an 8 star.

An 8-star rank is very high, anything less than 3 is pretty much just different level soldiers, anything higher, it will start counting as an officer.

Damn, I am dealing with some pretty decently high-ranking officials.

"Even still, what the hell is he doing here?"

That guy still looks pretty powerful, he has a five hit sword combination, and he can summon swords.

The usual average person can pull off a 3 hit combo at best.

Most people only know a single hit.

Alright, I am going to take a look at the second person in line.

->

Skills: Swift Sword, Fast Regeneration, High Speed

Abilities: Sword-7, Boost, First Strike, Trailing Voltage

<-

Well, a first strike followed by a single duel hit combo, which multiplies the amount of hits 2x, followed by some large hit combos like the 7 hits, will be a devastating combo.

Not to mention Trailing Voltage, which can leave a lightning trail for a single sword strike, although it does have a large charge up time and also a pretty decently large amount of stamina usage.

Trailing Voltage does not use magic or soul power at all.

That dude needs some serious training to conduct the static electricity in the air and pull in large enough amounts to generate power.

The second person is apparently the superior, with 9 stars.

->

Skills: High Speed, Backstab, Soul and Weapon

Abilities: Knife-6, Knife-6, Piercing Arrow

<-

So, this shady looking lady apparently is also a SaW user.

Hell, I bet she wouldn't attack me if I came out.

Convincing them would be the problem.

I would not want to deal with all of these problems.

Lying low is my best option, I cannot counter their attacks with a hunting knife.

I also have 2 neurotoxin needles as a secondary if I need it.

She has 5 stars, still an officer.

Damn, I would be foolish to take them head on.

Heck any one of them could kill me.

All three officers are going to decimate me!

The only people I have a chance against are those soldiers in the back with 3 hit weapon skills.

"Crap!"

I am definitely going to prison for this.

Okay, I didn't wet my pants and I am still alive.

The 8-star is addressing his men, but he is out of my hearing range.

He and his group start moving away from my hiding spot.

I was lucky.

→←

I bet I am safe now… * * *

I uncovered the dirt.

"Pretty darn disgusting."

I start to stand up, as my hands sink into the dirt lump that was my hiding spot.

I need to wash everywhere after that.

"Huh?"

I heard a small creaking sound to my right.

I turn that direction.

"OH SHIT!"

A whistling sound, followed by an impact.

Blood everywhere.