Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 35: First Hunt

CH35 First Hunt

***

Once Alex got the exhilaration of his first adventure in a fantasy world out of his system—the Leap of Fate—he shifted into a solemn, vigilant state.

His instincts as both a researcher and a survivor kicked in.

Carefully, he walked into the forest, senses sharpened.

Though he had the Spirit Sight granted by his Truth-Seeker Eyes, which allowed him to detect the presence of Mana sources, it wasn’t a guaranteed early warning system. He still had to pay attention and actively ’read’ his surroundings through the dense wash of magical energy.

For this first hunt, Alex sought something simple.

He remained on the forest’s outer edge, where smaller prey and mostly herbivorous creatures roamed.

Generally, herbivorous magic beasts didn’t attack unless provoked or threatened.

After about fifteen minutes of patient searching, Alex finally spotted his target.

A small Mana signature flickered within his Spirit Sight.

Following it cautiously, he arrived at a cluster of bushes—and there it was.

’An early Class 1 Burrow Hare,’ Alex noted mentally.

The Omnicore Rune AI immediately surfaced relevant data from a bestiary stored in the Enclave’s virtual library:

[Species: Burrow Hare]

[A weak but agile Class 1 magic beast. Known for its Earth Burrow ability, which allows it to tunnel into the ground almost instantly.]

[Historically over-hunted by non-professionals hoping to awaken their own latent talents by consuming its ’magic beast’ flesh. Now nearly extinct in some regions.]

Alex already knew the basics. He’d studied this one in preparation.

’This is my best chance. If I miss, it’ll dive into the ground.’

He slowly crept closer, reducing the gap to just ten metres. Any closer, and he risked startling it.

The hare, about three feet tall, was partially camouflaged in the underbrush, nibbling contentedly on a nut.

Alex steadied his breathing.

Magic Arrow.

He whispered the instant-cast spell under his breath.

A translucent arrow formed at his fingertips.

He didn’t just release it straight—he added a slight spin for increased penetration, just as he’d done many times before back at the Enclave.

Pucchi!

The arrow shot through the underbrush.

It veered slightly off-centre, piercing a hole through the hare’s lower body.

The creature had sensed the spell—or perhaps felt Alex’s uncontrolled killing intent—and had just started to leap away.

Unfortunately for the hare, the arrow was too fast.

Still cautious, Alex closed the distance, then fired a low-powered Magic Bullet to end the creature’s suffering.

He stopped three metres from the body and observed.

Only after confirming it was truly dead did he approach.

Even a weak beast can be dangerous when wounded and cornered.

He knelt down and scanned it with Spirit Sight.

’Nothing, huh...’

There was no Beast Core inside.

He hadn’t expected one—low-tier beasts like the Burrow Hare almost never developed cores. Still, the confirmation left a bitter tinge of disappointment.

Sighing, Alex stored the carcass in his satchel.

It wasn’t useful alchemically or magically, but it would make decent food.

He wasn’t about to waste the life he’d taken.

And just like that, the novice hunter completed his first kill.

Without fanfare or celebration, Alex faded silently back into the forest, eyes sharp, heart steady.

-

In the hours that followed, Alex tracked and hunted down three more small magic beasts.

It wasn’t that such creatures were rare in this forest—far from it. But Alex had no intention of mindlessly slaughtering the local fauna.

He wanted to respect the Will of the Realm, which, based on his observations, seemed to favour the natural balance and preservation of these magic beasts.

He would not kill without purpose.

The three beasts he targeted were all rare, weak Class 1 species—but unlike the Burrow Hare, each one had a Beast Core.

That alone made them valuable.

A Beast Core could act as a substitute for both Mana Stones and Elemental Crystals as a power source for magical devices and constructs. However, because of the chaotic, berserk nature of the energy stored within, Beast Cores were unsuitable for cultivation.

Still, they had a wide range of uses.

Runesmithing, Array Formation, and a host of magical crafts made extensive use of these cores. Which meant they were also extremely useful to Alex’s Rune-Tech development.

It was the perfect opportunity to stockpile resources.

Individually, each core only held a small amount of usable energy, but as the old saying went: ’Mosquito meat is still meat.’

As his hunt continued, Alex’s confidence grew.

More importantly, his proficiency with Spirit Sight evolved.

He grew better at interpreting the subtleties of the energy signatures he saw through his Truth-Seeker Eyes. Using this, he began to forage Mana-rich fruits and nuts, often hidden or gathered by low-level magic beasts like the Burrow Hare.

He didn’t kill the little creatures. But that didn’t mean he’d leave them unpaid.

He considered it extraction of tax—nature’s due.

By late afternoon, Alex’s Nullcore Orb was brimming with low-level Mana-rich materials: herbs, roots, fruits, nuts—and a few small beast carcasses and their precious cores.

He was no longer a rookie blindly flinging Magic Arrows.

His growth was tangible.

And the world seemed to respond to it.

As if in recognition of his progress, Alex’s Truth-Seeker Eyes awakened a new Ocular Ability.

Death Perception!

It came to him as a subtle change—an overlay on his Spirit Sight—tracing weakness, injury, and the boundary between life and death.

While Alex was still processing the implications of this new power, his passive Spirit Sight picked up a unique signature in the distance.

A dense, stable Mana Source—with a light-elemental sheen.

He moved towards it instinctively.

He reached one of the forest’s winding rivers—one of the many tributaries that crisscrossed through the forest—and followed its edge under the thick cover of foliage.

Eventually, he spotted the creature.

A Crystal Stag.

Late-stage Class 1.

It stood proud and majestic—nearly two metres tall and over two and a half metres long. Its crystalline antlers, each a metre wide and glowing faintly with refracted sunlight, glistened like weapons forged from divine glass.

Alex’s breath caught.

Not out of fear—but admiration.

The stag’s hide was prized. It was among the best beastskins for Rune inscription, owing to its mana conductivity and smooth energy flow.

Its light-element affinity also meant the mana it exuded was gentle. Using its skin for Rune Tattoos would significantly reduce the pain during the slotting process—just like that old proof-of-concept session years ago, where he inscribed a Strength Rune on a dying ox using a Scroll-based slot.

’It should weigh close to 400 kilograms. Enough meat to last a week—easy.’

Alex’s eyes lit up with silent conviction.

He didn’t want to kill the peaceful creature.

But now he had a justification.

A reason beyond hunger. Beyond curiosity.

A resource waiting to be harvested.

Alex didn’t rush in to attack the Crystal Stag.

There was an unwritten law in this world—bodies of water were neutral territory. For reasons unknown, even the magic beasts instinctively respected this rule. Hunting near rivers and lakes was avoided, as though enforced by some primordial contract and instinct.

Well, that’s what he’d read in a wandering bard’s journal, anyway.

Whether it was true or not, he didn’t plan to test it.

He didn’t need to hunt recklessly. Patience served him better.

He waited.

Death Perception!

Activating the newest function of his Truth-Seeker Eyes, Alex focused. The world dulled as his Spirit Sight layered itself beneath the new perception. Threads of mana within the Crystal Stag’s body lit up, mapping out vital flow, muscle tension, and spiritual resistance.

Death Perception highlighted the beast’s weak point—not the most exposed spot, but the one most vulnerable to fatal damage.

The longer he focused, the clearer the point became.

’Its neck...? That’s the weak spot?’ Alex frowned.

He hadn’t expected that.

The stag’s thick, muscular neck and reinforced hide were specifically evolved to support and protect its crystal antlers. That area was supposed to be heavily defended—both physically and magically.

Yet, the flow of energy told a different story.

’A regular Magic Arrow won’t cut it,’ he mused. ’So much for conserving Mana.’

It wasn’t as though Alex lacked stronger spells. He’d simply been relying on Magic Arrow because of its minimal Mana cost.

But now?

Precision and power were more important than efficiency.

He followed the Crystal Stag from a distance, tailing it as it wandered away from the river to graze. Only when the beast was fully distracted—its focus on a patch of glowing, Mana-rich grass—did Alex make his move.

Earth Spike!

He cast a variant of Magic Arrow infused with Earth-element Mana—renowned for its penetrative strength.

The OmniRune Core kicked in, altering the base spell formation on the fly. It added a spiral spin to the projectile, maximising its piercing potential.

Alex released the spell.

Pucchi!

The spike punched through the Stag’s neck like a hot knife through butter. The projectile even drilled into the earth beyond the beast’s body.

Bang!

The massive creature, weighing nearly half a tonne, collapsed instantly.

Dead.

Alex didn’t celebrate.

He focused his Spirit Sight on the body, checking for signs of lingering life. The energy within the beast flickered briefly—then faded into stillness.

Confirmed.

”One shot. Not bad.”

He exhaled.

Approaching the carcass, Alex quickly ran into a small problem: it was too large to store in his Nullcore Crystal.

With a grimace, he took out his skinning knife.

No choice but to butcher the body manually and collect the most valuable parts—crystal antlers, hide, meat, and core.

He had just finished removing the beast hide when—

Snap.

A twig broke behind him.

Grunt!

Alex spun on instinct.

Emerging from the underbrush was another Crystal Stag.

This one was even larger—half a foot taller, with a thicker chest and broader frame. Its Mana signature surged—unstable, potent.

It wasn’t just stronger.

It was at the threshold of evolution—a peak Class 1 beast, nearing advancement to Class 2.

The creature snorted, its breath shimmering with light-element Mana. Its eyes burned red, and it scraped the ground with its hooves.

”Shit—”

Alex’s pupils shrank.

He bolted.

Or, at least, he tried to.

Before his feet left the ground, a brilliant flash of light engulfed him.

***