Chapter 101

Suddenly, Aisia called Kurt and his group, but in fact, she had a plan all along.

It wasn’t just about testing their hunting skills—she wanted to compete with them.

To be honest, there was nothing to hide. Aisia’s job was that of a forest keeper.

For other races, it would be akin to combining the roles of a village guard and a hunter.

“Though my experience is only about 160 years, barely enough to shed the rookie label…”

Even that short experience was considered a very long time for other human races who live barely over 100 years.

No matter how much ordinary humans accumulate hunting experience, most don’t even have half of her experience.

And if the hunting competition was to take place in the Elf Village, a place so familiar she could navigate it with her eyes closed…

Unless they brought in a master-level hunter from somewhere, there was no way she would lose.

It was an unfair act, but it was all for Marisia.

So, Aisia ignored the pangs of her conscience and guided Kurt’s group to the hunting grounds.

—

Following Aisia’s guidance, our group stepped outside her house.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t properly observed the Elf Village earlier because I was too busy sizing up Aisia.

With that thought, I took a more relaxed look around the village, unlike when we first arrived.

Ironically, the Elf Village felt like looking at a cityscape filled with skyscrapers.

Though the village was far from modern architecture, each tree planted there seemed to be at least 20 meters tall, with houses built on them.

Some houses were constructed on the massive branches of living trees, while others were carved directly into the trunks, turning the interiors into living spaces.

Thus, the Elf Village itself had a highly three-dimensional structure.

The houses built on the branches looked to be over 10 meters high, and even the houses carved into the trees had entrances starting at ground level, with staircases leading up to second and third floors, creating multi-level structures.

Generally, having giant trees inside a village isn’t considered a plus.

Just think about why the term “slash-and-burn farmers” exists.

Even perfectly good mountains are often set on fire by humans to clear trees for villages, but the Elf Village defied that notion.

For elves, trees weren’t unnecessary obstacles for building villages—they were essential.

“What a beautiful sight.”

“Agreed~.”

“A village so harmoniously integrated with nature—the Elf Village has a unique charm you can’t find in other human villages.”

“So true~.”

As we admired the scenery, Aisia led us to what appeared to be the hunting grounds.

Since the Elf Village itself had almost no boundary between the village and the forest, it didn’t feel much different, but it was noticeably less populated, and the presence of various non-human creatures began to be felt.

What was peculiar was that while ordinary forests rarely had trees over 5 meters tall, the trees in the Elf Forest were several times taller.

Just as the Elf Village was highly three-dimensional, the wild animals and monsters living in this forest also used the forest in a highly three-dimensional way.

Not only could we sense creatures on the ground, but we could also feel the presence of beings cautiously watching us from branches over 10 meters above.

Even though we’ve passed through forests a few times during our journey, the feeling of traveling through one for leisure versus hunting is entirely different.

It’s like something more primal stirs within.

Hmm. The cool, heavy scent of phytoncides unique to this forest.

It’s been a year, hasn’t it? Time to return to being Hunter Kurt.

—

“You said you wanted to test our hunting skills, but the rules are simple. By sunset, the side that hunts more prey wins—your three versus me.”

The only problem was Marisia, who knew about Aisia’s forest keeper experience, might catch on.

If she suggested changing the competition, things could get tricky.

But contrary to her expectations, Marisia simply nodded with a blank expression, showing no reaction to Aisia’s words.

“…Marisia. You’re not saying anything?”

“Huh? Do I need to say something?”

“…No. If you have nothing to say, that’s fine.”

‘I thought she’d at least say something like, “What! Mom! That’s so unfair!”…’

Marisia’s lack of reaction was unexpected, but it was for the best.

If the hunting competition went as planned, the unfamiliar environment combined with her over 100 years of forest keeper experience would guarantee an easy victory.

Unless they brought in a master-level hunter, that is!

And the chances of that were as slim as finding a Lizardman who cooks better than a Dwarf.

“Then let’s start now. Mari, since you can relay information to your group, stay here and wait quietly.”

“Boring~.”

She decided to regroup at the starting point by sunset and split up from Kurt’s group to hunt.

‘Let’s see. This season, the Leaf-Patterned Flying Tiger should be active, along with the Shadow Vine Lizard… and maybe the Ancient Winged Owl. The Leaf-Patterned Flying Tiger is dangerous alone, so hunting two Ancient Winged Owls should secure the win.’

The monsters she thought of were all creatures that nested in trees and moved around the branches.

In fact, most creatures in this Elf Forest lived on branches rather than the ground.

This was a hidden secret she hadn’t told Kurt’s group.

It was another reason Aisia was confident.

The unique nature of the Elf Forest compared to ordinary forests.

Even if someone was confident in their hunting skills, without prior knowledge or master-level senses, there was no way to handle it.

Even if they realized it later, it would already be too late.

‘Lizardman, you won’t call me cowardly, right?’

With confident steps, Aisia moved to a spot where Kurt’s group couldn’t see her, planning to climb a tree.

—

By sunset, Aisia returned with her prey, confident of a perfect victory, only to exclaim in shock.

“…Th-This is impossible! What kind of sorcery did you use!?”

Her haul included two One-Horned Rabbits, two Ancient Winged Owls, and three Shadow Vine Lizards—a very encouraging result considering her relatively short 160-year experience as a forest keeper.

Considering the limited time frame—from after lunch to just before dinner—it meant she hunted one prey in less than an hour.

It was as if she had been blessed by the Spirit of the World Tree from legends.

But even Aisia’s impressive performance paled in comparison to what Kurt’s group had hunted.

Kurt’s haul included three green-furred tigers with membranes between their front and back legs, resembling flying squirrels.

Seven owls with wings so rough they resembled tree bark.

Nine black chameleons with the ability to blend into shadows by staying still.

And even five rabbits with unicorn-like horns on their foreheads.

But what truly shocked Aisia wasn’t any of that.

The fact was, among them, there was someone with hunting experience.

They must have obtained information about the Elf Forest from somewhere.

They got lucky.

Even though she was alone, they had three people, putting her at a disadvantage from the start.

If those were the reasons, she could somehow accept the other prey Kurt’s group had hunted.

But there was one prey that defied all logic.

It was the large snake Kurt had hunted.

The Sky Swimming Python, a monster that flies without wings.

It’s said that once it reaches adulthood, it only descends to the ground to leave offspring, making it a rare monster that’s hard to see even once in a lifetime.

While its combat ability isn’t remarkable, what was incomprehensible was how they caught it.

To her, the python was clearly an adult, and it wasn’t even its breeding season.

She had occasionally seen it from high tree branches, but she had never seen anyone successfully hunt it.

No, hunting it wasn’t just difficult—it was a concept that didn’t even apply.

Just as no one tries to hunt clouds floating in the sky, she had never imagined the Sky Swimming Python could be hunted in her 160 years as a forest keeper.

“Hmm. It seems this match is our victory.”

And with that, Kurt calmly compared the prey he and Aisia had hunted and spoke indifferently.