The Divine Hunter Chapter 2

Upon opening his character sheet, a cascade of peculiar messages flooded Roy's mind.

‘Character Sheet:

Roy

Age: Thirteen years and seven months old

Gender: Male (This detail will not be displayed in the future)

Status: Civilian

(You are the offspring of a farmer. To this point, you have not undergone any formal training nor pursued studies in any discipline. You have yet to master any skills, and your inherent talent remains undiscovered.)

HP: 40 (Healthy)

Strength: 4 (5). Strength determines the attack power of certain physical assaults. It enhances your carrying capacity, allowing the use of heavier but more robust protective gear, alongside the wielding of weightier weapons. It also contributes to your stamina to a degree.

Dexterity: 5 (5). Dexterity governs your movement velocity, the speed of your attacks, your reaction times, and your equilibrium. A high Dexterity facilitates evading, intercepting, and parrying attacks, as well as executing intricate maneuvers.

Constitution: 4 (5). Serving as the bedrock for your endurance, Constitution dictates your resilience to damage, your sprinting speed, and your overall combat effectiveness. It influences life regeneration to a certain extent.

Perception: 5 (5). Perception encompasses your five primary senses. It grants the possibility of anticipating impending danger, while also improving your effectiveness in analyzing your immediate environment. Enhanced Perception increases the likelihood of discovering hidden treasures. Individuals with superior Perception also possess a greater capacity to sense approaching threats and can discern the secrets concealed within the void.

Will: 4 (5). Will determines your fortitude against psychic assaults and your recuperation rate from psychological afflictions, such as sorrow and distress. A higher Will allows for greater composure in peril, leading to flawless execution of actions. With sufficient Will, one may even influence physical matter.

Charisma: 5 (5). Your physical appearance, bearing, and communication abilities contribute to your Charisma. Charisma plays a part in interactions with others of your kind. High Charisma can readily capture someone's affection, and individuals of your species will find themselves naturally inclined towards you.

Spirit: 6 (5). Spirit affects your level of concentration, enabling you to focus intently on your current objective. It can also augment your assimilation rate, your capacity for comprehension, and your command over the four elements, also recognized as chaos energy. It impacts the potency of spells and quasi-spells.

PR/N: Based on our understanding, (5) signifies a healthy adult. Therefore, 4 (5) indicates slightly below a healthy adult, 5 (5) denotes the same level as a healthy adult, and 6 (5) implies a level superior to a healthy adult.

Skill: None

Inventory space: 1 cubic meter

Misc.: Unknown

EXP: 1/100 (Upon the fulfillment of the EXP bar, you shall attain a new level. Each level bestowed will grant one attribute point and one skill point.)’

This character sheet served as Roy's unparalleled advantage in this realm. It was thanks to this system that he endured three days under the sun, believing its energy would help dispel his mental fog. Concurrently, he accrued one EXP point from this prolonged exposure.

“So, the sun grants me 0.33 EXP daily. Under that calculation, spending 333 days basking in it would complete my EXP bar and allow me to level up.” Roy felt a sense of calm. While the notion of absorbing sunlight for level progression was unconventional, it presented the most secure method available.

Hmm, if the sun can provide EXP, could the sustenance available here do the same? It was an interesting hypothesis, but impractical in the current circumstances. Roy possessed only enough provisions to ward off hunger and maintain his health. The nutritional energy within was insufficient for conversion into EXP. “Thus, if I wish to enhance my attributes, I must devise a method to acquire crowns and satisfy my hunger.”

A/N: Crowns represent the currency within this world. The sole coinage in the northern kingdoms consists of Temerian orens, also referred to as orens, whereas Aedirn’s monetary system utilizes ducats and marks. To circumvent the complexity of exchange rates, from this point forward, we shall employ crowns and orens, maintaining a one-to-one exchange ratio.

Were he to amass sufficient crowns, Roy could even afford to enlist mercenaries or esteemed witchers to escort his parents on their journey to the veritable city of freedom, Novigrad, situated in Redania. This region lay to the northwest of their village. Though Redania was embroiled in the Northern Wars, the nation itself remained relatively unscathed. At the very least, its populace could continue their lives in relative tranquility.

“Monetary concerns aside, I must explore alternative avenues for gaining EXP.”

Considering the game's mechanics and Roy's familiarity with it, eliminating monsters seemed the most probable path to acquiring EXP. The world of “The Witcher” teemed with a diverse array of monstrous beings. Venturing into the wilds beyond the village borders or exploring the adjacent rivers might, with misfortune, lead to an encounter with a drowner.

Roy was merely a frail, weak boy, entirely lacking in combat prowess. Should he venture out to hunt, he would likely be eviscerated by the very dogs and wolves encountered along the way. His demise would then be utterly futile.

Evidently, the possibility of respawning in this existence was non-existent, unlike in the game. “Caution is paramount. True legends often emerge from the most improbable beginnings. I ought to commence my endeavors with lesser creatures.”

He entered the yard and cast his gaze upon a large, white goat that stood out amongst the other animals. Deciding against it, as that goat could provide milk and was too hefty for his current capabilities, he abandoned the idea of hunting it. A few roosters then hopped about gleefully before him. Gritting his teeth, Roy retreated indoors to retrieve a knife. "Dad's going to slaughter one tonight for my sake anyway. Why don't I just do it myself?"

Roy fixed his kill-intent upon a plump, grey rooster. Sensing the immediate peril, the rooster let out a shrill crow and darted frantically around the coop, attempting to evade its demise.

Should anyone have chanced upon the scene, they would have witnessed a comical sight: a lanky young man in pursuit of a magnificent grey rooster. The bird continued its squawking and desperate flight while the boy relentlessly pursued.

Roy stumbled and rose repeatedly, his resolve unwavering. As sweat poured down his brow and his legs felt like jelly, he finally managed to grasp the rooster's wings. With a knife positioned beneath its neck, Roy hesitated to deliver the final blow.

"I haven't even taken a life up to this point. Not even a mere chicken. I never expected my first kill to be this large, foolish rooster."

This brought to mind the legendary witcher, Geralt of Rivia. Geralt bore numerous epithets, including "The White Wolf", "The Butcher of Blaviken", and "The Giant Slayer." Roy found these titles to be both awesome and intimidating.

"No soul must ever learn of this. What if I were to ascend to legendary status one day, and some bard dubbed me 'The Rooster Slayer'? That would be rather ridiculous."

This very thought spurred Roy to quicken his actions. With an ungraceful sweep of the knife across the rooster's throat, blood erupted skyward, with some droplets even spattering his face.

Concurrently, the rooster extended its talons and emitted its final, dying crow. Moments later, it lay twitching on the ground, taking its last breath while Roy smirked.

"2 out of 100! It worked! I knew it! This is effective!"

He was relieved that no witnesses were present for the rooster's demise, but then a panicked cry pierced the air, "By the heavens! R-Roy the simpleton has been possessed by a fiend! He's slaughtered his own family's chicken!" An insufferable, eight-year-old brat, his face contorted in horror, shrieked about the rooster's "murder." Roy was certain the entire village must have overheard his outburst. He was akin to the screaming groundhog meme he'd seen in his prior existence.

The appearance of this boy ignited a spark in Roy's eyes, and it was evident he paid no mind to the boy's accusation. This child was Brandon, the son of the village butcher.

As the appointed butcher for a remote village such as Kaer, every inhabitant was compelled to seek his assistance for livestock slaughter. "If I can manage to become the butcher's apprentice, I'll have a plethora of EXP to accumulate."

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