Chapter 16. Hunt (1)
The northern part of the continent was broadly divided into three regions.
The tundra at the edge of the treeline.
The snowfields where lichens and mosses grew.
And the alpine region beyond the limits of survival.
The White Wolf County was located at the boundary between the snowfields and the alpine region.
Beyond the alpine mountains stretched an environment so harsh that not just humans, but almost no life could survive.
All because of the extreme cold.
“Brrr…!”
I instinctively hunched my shoulders.
My breath, exhaled while curling up, scattered into the air and froze white.
My hands felt numb, as though they had turned into blocks of ice.
The cold pierced into my skin.
My body stiffened more and more, unwilling to move.
Every breath I took drew icy air into my lungs, making them feel frozen.
◆ Your skill [Toughened Skin][D] resists the freezing cold! ◆
Thanks to the temperature regulation ability I got from Dermexus, I barely managed to hold on. Without it, I’d probably have frozen to death.
“Ugh…!”
Of course, that didn’t mean I wasn’t cold.
“I… I think this should be about right…!”
Judging from how my teeth were chattering, it seemed I had reached just the right point.
I pulled out a piece of Dermexus flesh from my inventory and placed it in a visible spot as bait.
Then, I hid my body and waited for my prey to take the bait.
How long did I wait like that?
The sun, once high in the sky, was now setting into dusk.
At least five or six hours must have passed when suddenly—
Krrrk?
At last, after hours of waiting, my prey appeared.
A beast about 1.5 times the size of an adult man.
It moved on all fours, with a long, serpentine, flexible body.
Each of its four limbs had sharp claws, and its thick, pale hide blended into the snow with perfect camouflage.
Its head featured a mane-like crest and sharp, protruding jaws.
A long tail swished through the snow, helping it sense prey buried beneath and allowing for rapid movement.
Its yellow eyes glowed as it cautiously scanned its surroundings.
Its name—Alacron.
A monster found only in the alpine mountains.
I buried myself deeper in the snow.
Fortunately, there was no need to mask my scent.
Monsters of the alpine mountains weren’t sensitive to smell. The intense cold froze even the faintest odors.
I held my breath, waiting for it to become fully absorbed by the bait.
Kerrrk…
The Alacron stayed on alert.
But perhaps it thought there was no threat.
Its gaze fixed on the Dermexus meat I had laid out.
As it opened its massive jaws wide—
I launched myself from the snow.
The ground of the alpine slope sank underfoot as my body shot forth like an arrow.
The Alacron turned to look at me.
But by then, my hand had already drawn my sword from my waist.
Sching! A sharp metallic sound.
Only then did the Alacron realize my presence.
By the time it fully recognized me, the tip of my sword was already piercing through its hide.
Thud-!
Unlike Dermexus, the Alacron’s hide wasn’t especially tough.
Even without aura-infused weapons, it was vulnerable to damage.
The Alacron screamed in agony. I quickly retreated, adjusting my stance.
It didn’t recklessly charge at me.
Even a mindless monster felt fear.
Especially because, being driven by instinct, it knew when to act and when to submit.
Its glowing yellow eyes scanned me.
I didn’t avoid its gaze.
Our eyes met.
And the one to look away first… was the Alacron.
It began to back away.
Predator and prey.
Our roles had become clear.
I gripped my sword tightly.
Then—
Whoosh!
The Alacron suddenly fled?
“Huh…?”
I stood dumbfounded for a second.
This was a relatively high-tier monster.
Even a cornered rat would bite back.
And yet…
It disappeared from sight in a flash.
“….”
Now this was troublesome.
My strength and stamina had improved from training.
But my agility stat was still quite low.
Current Agility: 3.
I had invested +2 points from leveling up after hunting Dermexus.
It was about as agile as three adult men combined, but still far too low to chase the Alacron at that speed.
“I should have killed it in one strike.”
Unfortunately, because the Alacron had reacted at the last moment, I missed the chance for a clean kill.
It felt like letting a mosquito escape in a room. Irritating.
But catching it wasn’t impossible.
Though I hadn’t killed it, I had definitely wounded it.
Sure enough, bright red blood stained the snowy trail where the Alacron had fled.
By following this trail, I could hunt it down.
“Huff…!”
Exhaling deeply, I sheathed my sword.
“Looks like I’ll be running again.”
Despite racing with Kai for two days straight recently.
At least, thanks to my Special Task Force days, I’d experienced sprinting at full speed for six days straight.
“Let’s see how far you think you can run.”
It was time to show why humans were superior to all species when it came to stamina.
The Alacron truly ran as if its life depended on it.
With pure desperation, it sprinted again and again.
Its speed and stamina were impressive.
It showed no signs of exhaustion.
But even so, it couldn’t outlast human stamina.
I chased after it relentlessly.
And just as the sun, which had set in the west, rose again in the east—
Huff- Huff- Huff-
The Alacron finally collapsed from exhaustion.
It had given up on everything.
Its heaving eyes seemed to scream, “Kill me! Just end it already, you bastard!”
Of course.
A monster had no such human thoughts.
◆ You have slain Alacron!
◆ You gained 100 Combat Experience!
As I ended the Alacron’s life quickly and without pain, translucent text appeared before my eyes.
My level didn’t increase.
The experience points were much lower than what Dermexus had given.
And as my level increased, the required experience had also risen.
Considering the grueling effort I had put in all day, it felt a little disappointing.
“But still…”
It was just disappointment, nothing more.
Besides, hunting monsters wasn’t just about leveling up.
When I looked down, I could see the Alacron’s life force fading fast.
Given how completely exhausted it was, it wasn’t surprising.
If the life force completely vanished, I wouldn’t be able to gain its ability.
I quickly cut out the Alacron’s heart with my sword.
“Not as useful as keratin enhancement…”
But that didn’t mean the Alacron’s ability was bad.
In fact, it could definitely be classified as a ‘rare ability.’
Monsters surviving in the alpine mountains had each evolved special skills to adapt to the harsh environment.
Naturally, this Alacron had its own unique ability.
In a land where food was incredibly scarce due to the brutal cold…
The Alacron had dramatically evolved a ‘nutrient storage system.’
◆ You have devoured the Alacron!
◆ Skill acquired: Nutrient Synthesis [C-]!
◆ Nutrient Synthesis [C-]
→ When used, the player consumes calories (Kcal) to synthesize desired nutrients.
→ Depending on the calories burned, the player can freely create compounds [Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, Water].
<Absorbing additional genetic factors will enhance this ability.>
As I swallowed every piece of the Alacron’s heart, detailed information about my new skill popped up.
I collapsed on the spot, all strength draining from my body.
“Haa…!!”
Running all day long was exhausting.
Even though humans far surpassed all other races in stamina, that didn’t mean we were tireless.
After running with Kai for two straight days, I was severely drained.
And now, I was extremely thirsty.
“Feels like I could drink 10 liters of water right now.”
But in the North, water was an incredibly precious resource.
To be precise, ‘drinkable water’ was scarce.
Any water would freeze solid within seconds, making it impossible to carry in a canteen.
Putting it in my inventory would’ve worked… but I hadn’t thought of that.
“Should I just eat snow…?”
…Just as that thought crossed my mind—
◆ You can consume calories to synthesize [Water].
◆ Surplus Calories: 3,200 Kcal
◆ Would you like to use the skill ‘Nutrient Synthesis [C-]’?
Suddenly, system messages appeared.
The moment I willed it to activate, a surge of heat rose inside me and my thirst vanished instantly.
Had I lost weight from burning calories?
My body felt noticeably lighter.
Just like the skill description said: I had burned calories to synthesize water.
“Amazing.”
I knew about it conceptually, but experiencing it firsthand was something else. I had never obtained this ability in my previous life.
In fact, it wasn’t just Ice Trolls that I failed to consume back then.
Most of the monsters living in the alpine regions… I had never devoured them.
It wasn’t the Emperor’s fault.
Sure, the Emperor had a huge influence, but it wasn’t the main reason.
The Emperor hadn’t truly started acting until later.
The biggest reason had been Serapia.
The ‘Lord of Frost.’
The northern continent was her territory.
The North was nearly impossible to approach.
Meaning, I couldn’t hunt or devour most of the monsters in the alpine mountains.
This was the first time I had devoured an Alacron.
And the first time I gained a skill like Nutrient Synthesis [C-].
“With this…”
I no longer had to worry about nutritional deficiencies.
Food was still necessary, but as long as I had enough calories, I could synthesize whatever nutrients I needed.
If I just ate high-calorie food, I could synthesize necessary nutrients as I wanted.
From now on, I could endlessly regenerate any desired body part using my Regeneration [C+] skill.
For now, I could only synthesize [Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, and Water].
But with further evolution, I’d probably be able to synthesize all organic compounds the human body required, like Vitamins, Calcium, Phosphorus, Chlorine, Potassium, and so on.
“Maybe even inorganic-to-organic synthesis…”
Meaning, I could chew rocks and still extract the nutrients I needed.
The synergy with my Regeneration [C+] skill, which demanded high nutrient consumption, would be incredible.
And this was just the ability from Alacron.
There were still countless alpine monsters I had yet to devour.
Their abilities weren’t just useful—they were borderline broken.
So many skills I needed to evolve.
And now, having returned to the past…
Before the Emperor made his full move.
And most importantly, before Serapia awakened as the Lord of Frost—
“It’s time to go again.”
The northern alpine mountains were, for now, completely my domain.
