Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Further on, the dirt road gradually widened and became a relatively smooth official road. On both sides of the official road, there was no longer just grass, but low shrubs.

In the shadows of those bushes, pairs of eerie green, ferocious eyes gleamed like will-o'-the-wisps! Accompanied by suppressed growls, several burly, fanged, and scraggly wild dogs slowly emerged from the shadows, growling threateningly, their scarlet tongues licking their sharp teeth, staring aggressively at Wei Chen, the intruder.

"A pack of wild dogs..." Wei Chen gripped his hunting bow tighter, his eyes sharpening. These guys looked far more dangerous than the "monsters" in the starting village.

At the end of the official road lay a wide river. The water was clear, shimmering in the sunlight, and the current was gentle. An ancient stone arch bridge spanned the river, connecting the two banks. Wei Chen strode to the bridgehead, about to step onto the stone steps.

hum!

A gentle yet irresistible force suddenly appeared, as if he had hit an invisible rubber wall, firmly blocking his feet from the stone steps at the bridgehead.

[Ding! The area ahead is too low-level to proceed.]

The cold, impersonal notification sounded again.

"Level restrictions again..." Wei Chen scoffed, not surprised at all. He stood by the river, his gaze fixed on the clear water. Drifting water plants could be vaguely seen swaying beneath the surface, and occasionally a silvery-white shadow would flash by.

"Fish!" Wei Chen's spirits lifted. He immediately took out the newly bought bamboo fishing rod from his backpack, skillfully hooked it, pinched a small ball of bait and put it on the hook, flicked his wrist, and the fishing line drew a beautiful arc. With a soft "plop," the sinker and the hook fell precisely into the edge of a patch of water plants in the river.

The float stood steadily on the water.

Wei Chen's mind instantly calmed down. The [Fishing] skill knowledge that had just been injected into his mind surfaced as if by instinct.

His eyes were fixed intently on the small float, his body leaning slightly forward, maintaining the most energy-efficient and easiest-to-strength posture. He seemed to have become one with the fishing rod in his hand, the riverbank beneath his feet, and the flowing river in front of him.

Time ticked by. About five minutes later, the float suddenly plunged downwards with a powerful jolt!

"It's here!" Wei Chen's eyes narrowed, and he instantly exerted force in his wrist, flicking it to bend the fishing rod into a powerful arc! The rod tip trembled violently, transmitting the immense force of the underwater prey's struggle.

He skillfully controlled the rod, sometimes tightening the line, sometimes letting it out, as if plucking an invisible string, engaging in a silent struggle with the unknown opponent underwater.

A few minutes later, amidst the splashing water, Wei Chen steadily lifted a large carp, weighing seven or eight pounds and with shimmering silver scales, out of the water, where it thrashed about on the grassy bank!

[Ding! Successfully caught a carp (5.3 jin), fishing skill experience points +15.]

"Just as I expected!" Wei Chen was overjoyed. Although his personal experience points remained unchanged, his skill experience for [Fishing Technique] had indeed increased! Moreover, the size and vitality of this fish were far beyond what ordinary river fish in the real world could compare to.

He walked upstream along the riverbank, wanting to see the source of the river. After walking for about a mile, at the end of the river, stood a majestic, verdant mountain shrouded in mist.

At the foot of the mountain lay a relatively open, gently sloping woodland. A group of brownish-yellow roe deer with short, branch-like horns on their heads were bewilderedly nibbling at moss and tender leaves in a clearing. They looked much more docile than wild dogs, and like the others, they had red markings on their heads indicating they were safe to attack.

Wei Chen tried to walk towards the foot of the mountain, but as expected, he was once again blocked by an invisible barrier.

"There are herds of roe deer at the foot of the mountain, you can fish by the river, there are wild dogs and pheasants along the official road, there are yellow cattle on the grassland, and the fields are sealed off..." Wei Chen looked around this newly unlocked area, and a clear outline had already formed in his mind. "The boundary is the upper reaches of this mountain and that river."

Having completed his exploration, Wei Chen no longer hesitated. He retrieved his hunting bow, and his arrows, like the Grim Reaper's call, began to reap the rewards in this new world!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The sound of arrows piercing the air echoed across the new map.

The plump, strong old ox collapsed with a mournful cry, turning into experience points and beef; the alert pheasant, just about to flap its wings, was pierced through; the ferocious wild dog bared its teeth and pounced, only to be pinned down halfway by an even faster arrow; the bewildered roe deer didn't even realize what was happening before its brief spatial life ended...

The killing efficiency was extremely high. When the last roe deer turned into a white light and disappeared, Wei Chen's experience bar jumped forward a little, reaching level 5 (378/6000).

His backpack now had several more slots: 10 beef, 20 pheasant meat, 10 dog meat, and 10 roe deer meat. He also summoned his puppy "Big Yellow" from his pet space to help it gain experience and level up.

As soon as the little guy landed, it excitedly circled around Wei Chen, its little tail wagging like a windmill. While Wei Chen was hunting, it watched curiously from the side, occasionally barking twice in a babyish voice at the fallen carcass of its prey, as if cheering him on.

As Wei Chen continued to kill monsters, extremely faint, almost imperceptible white light spots emanated from the fallen monster corpses, and as if attracted, they seeped into the young Da Huang's body.

When all the monsters in the new area were cleared out, a faint white light suddenly rose from Big Yellow's body! Its body grew larger at a visible speed, its originally fluffy fur became smoother and shinier, its eyes became much more agile and sharp, and its originally weak "woof woof" became clear and loud.

[Ding! Pet 'Big Yellow' has leveled up to Lv.2! Strength +1, Agility +1, Loyalty +5.]

On the attribute panel, Da Huang's information had been updated. Wei Chen could clearly feel that the little guy's strength and speed had significantly improved, and his gaze towards him was more affectionate.

"Good lad! You leveled up pretty fast!" Wei Chen smiled and ruffled the big yellow furry head. The little guy immediately stuck out his warm tongue and affectionately licked his palm.

Wei Chen returned to the riverbank. The golden rays of the setting sun shone on the water, creating shimmering specks. He cast his line, savoring the tranquility and his catch.

His fishing skills have indeed reached a minor level; he can catch a fish every five minutes on average, and they are all quite large, including grass carp, common carp, and crucian carp. The smallest weighs five or six pounds, and the largest even exceeds ten pounds!

More than twenty lively fish were put into the backpack slots, and the experience points for [Fishing Skill] also steadily increased by a little.

As dusk approached (time in the game flows ten times faster than in reality, but the "Hunter's Hut" is synchronized with reality), Wei Chen packed up his fishing rod and, with his satisfied Big Yellow, returned to the starting village.

Pushing open the gate to the hunter's cabin, Wei Chen's gaze habitually swept across the familiar courtyard. Suddenly, his eyes fixed on the corner of the courtyard wall—there, seemingly out of nowhere, stood a low but sturdy wooden cabin! A simple wooden sign hung at the door of the cabin, with an abstract dog paw print carved on it.

"Pet room?" Wei Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he led Da Huang over. Pushing open the small wooden door, the space inside was not large, but it was very clean, with a dry and soft hay mat. In the corner, there were two rough wooden bowls, one filled with water and the other empty.

"Looks like this was prepared for you." Wei Chen smiled and patted Da Huang's head. The little guy seemed to like his own little nest, immediately crawling inside, sniffing around on the hay mat, and finally lying down contentedly.

As Wei Chen watched Da Huang settle into its private cabin, a bold idea flashed through his mind like lightning!

He took a deep breath, his mind focused: "Exit this space!"

The light and shadow shifted before his eyes, and in the next moment, he was back in his dark earthen house in Baoyuquan Village, filled with the earthy smell and the scent of straw. Beneath him was a hard earthen bed, and outside the window was the deep darkness of night and the occasional barking of dogs.

Wei Chen's heart pounded faster involuntarily. He held his breath, concentrated all his energy, and tried to visualize Big Yellow's furry figure in his mind, while simultaneously calling out in his mind, "Big Yellow...come out!"

Silently.

Just when Wei Chen thought he had failed and was slightly disappointed—

call!

The light in the air in front of him distorted eerily! It was as if a pebble had been thrown into a calm lake, creating a barely perceptible ripple.

Immediately afterwards, a small, furry, warm body with a familiar scent appeared out of thin air without warning and landed on the coarse cloth blanket covering him with a "plop"!

It was Big Yellow, who had just been dozing in the pet room!

The little guy seemed bewildered by the sudden spatial shift. It raised its head blankly, its dark eyes struggling to adjust to the dim light, its little nose sniffing the unfamiliar earthy smell and Wei Chen's familiar scent in the air.

When it finally confirmed that the person in front of it was its owner, it immediately let out a "whimpering" sound that was both surprised and a little aggrieved. Its four little short legs kicked the blanket and it clumsily and eagerly burrowed into Wei Chen's arms.

Wei Chen pulled the little creature, as warm as a heater, into his arms, feeling its real heartbeat and warm breath. An indescribable excitement and joy instantly overwhelmed him! The soft, downy touch on his fingertips was so real, and the warmth and wetness of the little creature licking his palm was unmistakable!

"It worked! It really did!" Wei Chen's voice trembled slightly. What did this mean? It meant that the pets in the spatial dimension were truly living beings that could materialize in the real world!

This is not just about having another partner... The possibilities behind it made Wei Chen's thoughts run wild like a runaway horse, surging in countless directions in an instant!

He suppressed his turbulent emotions and gently stroked Big Yellow's soft back to soothe its anxiety about being in an unfamiliar environment. The little guy quickly calmed down, curled up in his arms, and let out a soft, contented purr.

Wei Chen's gaze fell upon the deep night outside the window, his profound eyes gleaming with an unprecedented light. The secrets of the game space were like a vast treasure trove, only one corner of which had just been unveiled, and Da Huang's appearance was undoubtedly the most dazzling and precious treasure.