Chapter 7 Today I Finally Know Who I Am

Over the next few days, Zhou Jing followed the hunter team, searching for hunting targets in the forest.

Zhou Jing practiced while traveling, seemingly tireless. He sought advice from Griff at every opportunity, seeking various knowledge. When the other hunters had free time, they would occasionally offer pointers, just to relieve boredom.

In addition to the skills of using a dagger, Griff also gave simple guidance on hunter knife techniques, as well as some wilderness survival skills, which were displayed on the panel as [Weapon Mastery - Hunter Knife] and [Wilderness Survival].

Zhou Jing activated the accelerated learning function for both, costing 30 Star Realm Points and 20 Star Realm Points, respectively.

As for archery skills, the hunter had no intention of teaching him.

Zhou Jing didn't mind. Accelerated learning wasn't multitasking, and his energy was limited. He had crammed enough knowledge by learning three skills in just a few days.

The levels of these skills were lv0, representing that they had not yet been learned, and would not be included in the skill bar.

He squeezed out as much time as possible to practice the three abilities while traveling. On the fourth day, he finally shed his blank slate attributes—[Weapon Mastery - Dagger], [Weapon Mastery - Hunter Knife], and [Wilderness Survival] successively reached lv1, with the suffix "Beginner" displayed.

The accelerated learning effect ended accordingly, and Zhou Jing thought about it and did not choose to renew.

On the one hand, as he reached higher skill levels, the cost of accelerated learning increased. He only had 305 Star Realm Points left, so he had to save them. Another reason was that the panel estimated the stay would be five to seven days, and he had already been here for four days.

Speaking of which, he didn't know how the number of days of stay was calculated, or what the standard for "one day" was. Even the length of a day varies from planet to planet, let alone the main world and the current plane... He couldn't figure out what the formula was.

Perhaps it was based on the time spent by the main body. After the consciousness projection, the time spent by the main body in the main world was converted using the time flow difference, and finally the duration of stay in the Star Realm was obtained, and then converted into days.

Zhou Jing lacked information in this regard and could only guess randomly. However, he roughly estimated the length of a day in this world in the past few days, and it was similar to that of the planet where the main body lived.

In comparison, he was more curious about what form the return would take after the stay expired. Would his body suddenly disappear, or would something else happen... He had not received information in this regard.

He would know when the time came to return, so Zhou Jing didn't dwell on it too much.

After upgrading the three skills, he did not show them out of caution.

The level of a beginner was nothing to the hunters, but he felt that in their perception, it was impossible for a person to have such great progress in such a short period of time, so they would probably suspect that he had concealed something before, causing unnecessary suspicion.

Because he had to inquire about information in a roundabout way before, he was already quite suspicious, so it was better to avoid trouble.

Zhou Jing himself was used to keeping a low profile, which was similar to the "cautious" trait of this Star Realm Apostle.

On this journey, except when he had to talk, he mostly maintained a cautious attitude. The synchronization rate of this Star Realm Apostle gradually increased to 26%, but he did not feel any changes for the time being.

Zhou Jing's journey was still considered safe and fulfilling, and on the afternoon of the fourth day, the hunter team finally approached their hunting target.

...

"We're getting close. The White Spider Beast is not far ahead."

Baron squatted halfway, picked up a branch, stirred it in a pool of white traces on the ground, and picked up strands of mucus.

There was more white mucus on the forest floor ahead, intermittently forming a winding trail, extending into the forest.

Baron threw away the branch, stood up, and ordered in a deep voice:

"Everyone, check your weapons, prepare the bait. We will set up traps and ambushes ahead."

The other hunters looked serious, took off their quivers and checked the condition of each arrow inside, and then took out pieces of tightly wrapped animal viscera from their luggage.

These were all taken from the bodies of the dozen or so snake wolves four days ago. By this time, they had all rotted. The hunt at that time was to obtain these baits.

"The White Spider Beast is a carrion eater and loves animal organs the most. As long as we can use these baits to lead it into the trap, we can gain the upper hand and maybe easily solve this target."

Griff stood next to Zhou Jing and casually explained, while still fiddling with the soft, rotten animal viscera in his hand, his face as usual, as if the pungent stench did not exist.

Zhou Jing tried his best to resist the urge to cover his nose and asked in a muffled voice: "What does the White Spider Beast you are talking about look like?"

The goal of this hunter team was to kill this alien beast. He had been listening to the hunters say that alien beasts were very dangerous along the way, but he had never actually seen one, and he still didn't have a direct concept in his mind.

"All white, it secretes white mucus, and its weakness is in its abdomen... Okay, actually I haven't seen it either. This is also my first time hunting this type of alien beast. The information was all told to us by Captain Baron. Before he came to Frostwood Village, he was a freelance hunter, hunting alien beasts everywhere. He was knowledgeable and an experienced alien beast hunter."

Baron heard the conversation between the two, looked back, waved his hand and denied:

"I can't be considered experienced yet... I may have enough experience, but my strength is far from enough. I don't have the courage to take the second alien blood potion."

Alien blood potions can be taken multiple times for enhancement, but the more times you take them, the lower the chances of survival... Zhou Jing had already heard Griff say this on the road.

"As for you..." Baron looked at Zhou Jing and said, "You don't have to follow us to hunt. You can find a secret place nearby to hide, or you can climb up a tree and come back to find you after we finish hunting."

"I'll go with you to help set up traps. I'll hide in the tree when the fight starts."

Zhou Jing didn't plan to stay behind, as that would be too passive.

If this group of hunters failed, he would not be able to get out of the forest if he hid. Under these circumstances, it was better to follow the main force and not fall behind.

Moreover, he also wanted to collect information and see what alien beasts looked like, so that he could have a clear understanding of the dangers of this world and facilitate future actions.

Dean heard this and shook his head in opposition:

"I don't think it will work. It's okay to bring him along the way, but when we are officially hunting, we don't have the energy to take care of him."

"This is not a problem. You don't have to worry about me when you fight. I'll just hide on the side. And I might be able to help, such as being a sentry on the edge of the battlefield. If other beasts accidentally enter, I can notify you." Zhou Jing argued.

Dean still wanted to say something, but Baron raised his hand to signal him to stop.

Baron stroked his beard, considered for a few seconds, and nodded: "That's okay too. It's already dusk now. We will probably hunt late at night. Your observation skills are indeed good. Hide in a further tree at that time. When we fight, just pay attention to the surrounding situation for us and don't do anything else."

"Okay."

Zhou Jing immediately agreed.

During this period of time together, he had discovered that the values of these hunters were subtly different from those of people in the Interstellar Era, and they were at least more likely to trust others.

This was also the main reason why he, a guy of unknown origin, could be accepted.

If it were in modern times, it wouldn't be so easy.

Seeing this, the other hunters did not express any further opinions and silently started preparing.

Baron led the team forward for a while, found an area suitable for ambush, set it up as a trap, and then threw down rotten animal viscera to create a guiding route, with the end pointing here.

It wasn't until dark that everything was ready, and everyone climbed up the trees, quietly waiting for their prey to come.

...

The night was dark, and the forest became quiet, with only the rustling of leaves swaying in the breeze.

Everyone hid in different trees, no one spoke or chatted, trying not to move, and their breath almost disappeared.

If he didn't know where they were hiding, Zhou Jing would have found it difficult to distinguish their figures.

He was also hiding in a tree, hiding in the furthest position, paying attention to the surrounding movements from time to time, while silently estimating the time in his mind.

"It's been almost three hours of waiting. They don't plan to stay here all night, do they? Won't their bodies freeze stiff..."

After an unknown amount of time, a strange crawling sound rang out, gradually approaching.

Shasha sha—

A huge outline emerged in the night, quickly shuttling through the forest, moving towards this side, stopping and going along the way, seemingly devouring the bait set up by the hunters.

Before long, this creature stepped into this forest. Zhou Jing saw its appearance clearly, and his breathing suddenly stagnated.

The torso of this monster was divided into two parts, the lower body was like a spider's abdomen, with eight furry limbs extending out to support the body and walk. The upper body was a straight and slender torso, topped with a ferocious beast head with fangs. It was chewing on the rotten internal organs used as bait in its mouth. There were slender human-like arms on each side, but the ends were disproportionately large claws.

It was five or six meters long and about four and a half meters tall. The upper body was covered with pale white skin, like a thin film, and occasionally blue blood vessels could be seen bulging under the skin. The lower torso was covered with black carapace. While walking, the tail occasionally left white mucus. The overall look was very ferocious, belonging to the kind of art style that could scare children to tears with just one glance.

"Is this the White Spider Beast they want to hunt, the so-called alien beast?"

Zhou Jing was shocked.

Little darling, you look really exciting!

Only a little worse than my character creation in the game!

The White Spider Beast picked up animal organs along the way and stuffed them into its mouth, walked into the center of the trap, and picked up the last piece of bait. The ground suddenly collapsed.

Rumble!

The White Spider Beast lowered its body and fell straight into the pit trap.

Dense cracking sounds suddenly rang out, and the spikes hidden in the pit trap were crushed by the tough carapace of the White Spider Beast's lower body.

However, some of the spikes still pierced into the vital parts of the White Spider Beast's lower abdomen, which was its soft belly.

"Ziya—"

A shrill scream suddenly rose, instantly piercing the silence of the night forest.

This was like a signal, and the many hunters hiding in the trees immediately struck their flints and threw them into the pit.

They not only placed spikes in the pit trap, but also coated them with animal oil, which caught fire when lit.

Whoosh!

Inside the pit, a raging fire soared.

The flames engulfed the screaming White Spider Beast, making the dark forest bright all of a sudden. It was like a huge bonfire.

"Release the arrows!"

With a violent roar, a rain of arrows poured out, instantly turning the struggling figure in the pit into a hedgehog.

One arrow followed another, as if they wouldn't stop until they emptied their quivers... It was such a big target, it would be difficult to miss!

On the other side, Zhou Jing hid in the treetops, observing secretly.

He knew what kind of traps the hunters had prepared, so he wasn't surprised at this time. His eyes were fixed on the figure gradually stopping its struggles in the fire, and he muttered in his heart.

"This kind of formation would turn it into a hedgehog even if it wasn't burned to death... It should be dead."

Just as he was thinking this, Zhou Jing suddenly saw Baron jump down from the tree and walk towards the pit.

Baron had a small bottle filled with green liquid in his hand at some point. He bit off the cork, raised his head and gulped it down.

Blue veins quickly appeared on his bald forehead, and Baron's expression became ferocious, as if he was undergoing great pain, but the muscles all over his body seemed to swell up a circle.

The empty bottle rolled from his hand, Baron took off the giant axe on his back, held it in both hands, and dragged it obliquely on the ground. He gradually changed from walking to jogging, and finally to sprinting, causing the dirt on the ground to splash, just like a charging human bear!

Just then, the flames in the pit suddenly exploded!

Countless sparks scattered out, and the White Spider Beast bounced into the air and flew out of the pit.

It was covered in burn marks and emitted a pungent burnt smell. Dozens of arrows were still stuck in its upper body, also burning.

Baron was aiming for this opportunity. Before the White Spider Beast landed, he approached it.

The momentum of the sprint suddenly stopped, and the strong force and the kinetic energy accumulated by the charge drove the giant axe to draw a crescent moon.

The wind howled, and the force was heavy!

The White Spider Beast was still in mid-air, and its two slender arms fearlessly slapped against the axe blade.

Clang!

The iron axe collided with flesh and blood, but the sound was like metal colliding!

The White Spider Beast had nowhere to borrow strength, and its huge body flew out seven or eight meters, rolling on the ground and leaving a trail of burning.

But it got up in one roll. It looked terribly injured, but it showed no signs of dying. Instead, it roared angrily, its voice sharp and piercing, and the air vibrated.

At this time, Zhou Jing's pupils shrank slightly.

He found that the White Spider Beast's two seemingly slender and fragile arms actually withstood Baron's heavy slash, leaving only shallow wounds that did not affect its movements at all. It was extremely tough.

In contrast, Baron staggered back, bearing the same counter-shock force, and a large number of capillaries ruptured, causing him to spray nosebleeds.

"Hoo... Ha!"

Baron wiped away the nosebleeds indiscriminately, glared his eyes and roared angrily. He dragged the giant axe and charged up again, fighting the White Spider Beast head-on.

The other hunters still stayed in the trees, constantly drawing their bows and shooting arrows, covering Baron. They were all ordinary people who had not used alien blood potions. They would be seriously injured or die if they were hit by the White Spider Beast's terrifying power.

Only formal alien beast hunters can face alien beasts head-on.

The tonnage of the alien beast brought enormous power. Baron's physical strength was already strong enough, and he seemed to have drunk some kind of stimulant. However, he was still slapped to the ground by the White Spider Beast.

But his axe skills were superb. The giant axe was both a weapon and a shield. In addition to slashing and stabbing, there were also skillful blocks and dodges.

Baron kept rolling to relieve the force, spinning around the White Spider Beast like a whirlwind, seizing the opportunity to leave axe wounds on the opponent's body. His hunting experience as a veteran alien beast hunter was fully displayed. Some movements looked simple and unadorned, but they were extremely practical, temporarily restraining the White Spider Beast.

"Ziya—"

The White Spider Beast angrily screamed, but its body structure made it seem not flexible enough. Its pair of giant claws kept swinging in the air, like hitting groundhogs, digging out claw marks and dirt gullies on the ground.

Zhou Jing watched clearly in the tree. Baron had tried more than once to find an opportunity to get under the White Spider Beast's crotch and attack its abdomen, but the White Spider Beast paid great attention to protecting its already injured weakness.

—Its abdomen was injured when it fell into the pit. From time to time, it left pools of white mucus and blood on the ground, as well as some broken organ tissue.

At this moment, the rain of arrows suddenly stopped.

The quivers... were empty.

Nine hunters jumped down from the trees, drew out their hunting knives and walked around, rolling like Baron, transforming into nine skilled foot repairmen.

They kept attacking the eight limbs supporting the White Spider Beast's body, chopping out a trail of sparks.

They came up to share Baron's pressure and looked for opportunities to slide and cut the White Spider Beast.

However, the physical fitness of these ordinary hunters was limited. The opportunities were fleeting and difficult for them to grasp. The main thing was that they were afraid of being hit by the White Spider Beast's giant claws, so they were timid.

The White Spider Beast focused most of its attention on Baron. It obviously felt that Baron was the biggest threat. The other hunters couldn't even cut open the carapace of its lower limbs. To it, they were like annoying flies.

Not very harmful, but extremely insulting.

"Is this going smoothly or not..."

Zhou Jing watched the hunt intently.

It seemed that the crowd couldn't do anything to the White Spider Beast, but the White Spider Beast had fallen into the trap and accumulated a lot of injuries. As long as they kept delaying, it would eventually become weak.

After a stalemate for a while, the White Spider Beast's body suddenly swayed, and its movements finally showed a tendency to slow down.

A flaw was suddenly revealed.

A hunter seized the opportunity and decisively slid forward, swishing through the gap between the two limbs to the bottom of the White Spider Beast. The hunting knife stabbed into the soft abdomen, and he pulled the hilt of the knife forcefully, spraying blood all over his head and face in an instant.

"Siya—"

The White Spider Beast screamed.

Beautiful! Good slide!

The others were immediately overjoyed.

However, before they could finish being happy, the White Spider Beast suddenly retracted its eight legs and sat down.

Thump!

The White Spider Beast's amazing weight caused the ground to shake. The hunter who had drilled under it was instantly silenced and directly crushed to death.

This... this must be turned into a pancake!

Zhou Jing's heart skipped a beat.

In the next moment, the White Spider Beast's giant claws swung out suddenly. Because of the injury-stimulated madness, the speed was actually three points faster.

Even though the other hunters were not stunned by the death of their companions, they still couldn't avoid it.

Bang! Bang!

Two muffled sounds, and two ordinary hunters were hit head-on by the giant claws, flying out more than ten meters and falling heavily to the ground, gushing out large amounts of blood from their mouths.

Seeing the situation take a sharp turn for the worse, Zhou Jing cursed in his heart and couldn't sit still.

He hurriedly jumped down from the tree and ran quickly to the side of a seriously injured hunter, wanting to see if he could save him.

"Hey, can you hold on?"

Zhou Jing squatted down and supported the head of the seriously injured hunter. He looked carefully and found that it was Dean.

Blood foam kept overflowing from Dean's mouth, and he could hardly speak. His eyes stared fixedly at the White Spider Beast not far away that had stood up again and was dancing wildly.

He tremblingly picked up the hunting knife in his hand, used his last strength, and handed it to Zhou Jing.

Take the knife quickly and fill my position...

Dean didn't say it, but Zhou Jing understood what he meant.

Zhou Jing subconsciously grabbed the hunting knife Dean handed over.

Dean's palm immediately loosened and fell limply.

He couldn't feel his breath anymore...

Zhou Jing looked down at Dean, who had stopped breathing, and then turned his head to look at the mad White Spider Beast not far away. His heart was beating violently, and his memories flashed back like a revolving lantern.

In the past twenty years of his life, he had followed the life trajectory stipulated by society and lived step by step.

Reading, studying, taking exams, graduating, unemployed...

Never before had he faced life and death so closely, and personally experienced a life-and-death battle like today.

Rough, barbaric, and bloody... but also with some kind of vitality that could not be explained.

It seemed that only at this time did he feel that life was fresh, rather than a walking corpse trapped in life and gradually becoming numb.

The monster capable of taking his life was only a dozen meters away, so close that he was in danger at any time. It seemed that he should be afraid, timid, or retreat.

But he suddenly found that he did not have these kinds of emotions at all... Just like the night a few days ago, facing the Earth Bone Man.

—Not only was he not timid, he even felt faintly excited!

The most difficult thing in the world is to know yourself. Before experiencing all the affairs of the world, no one dares to say that they fully understand themselves.

Experiencing different things may lead to actions that even you can't believe, and discover the potential that is quietly sleeping in you in some aspect.

No fear, no timidity.

It's just the simplest... not afraid.

No reason, no consideration... Not afraid is just not afraid!

"So this is me..."

Zhou Jing murmured.

The hand holding the knife tightened suddenly.

The sense of excitement pumped out by adrenaline swept through every nerve!!