The next day, the sky was clear and cloudless.
Stepping out of the small tent he had squeezed into with Dilu all night, Li Fan stretched.
To avoid suspicion about his identity and to settle in the village temporarily, sufficient observation was indispensable.
So he began to wander around Kala Village.
The blacksmith shop, the Meow Meow Grilled Meat shop, the general store, the traveling merchant...
Looking at the situation on the street, it was similar to the world view of Monster Hunter, with various shops generated based on hunting.
"Young man! Can you tell me your name?"
Hearing someone call him from behind, Li Fan turned his head.
The person was an old man with a hunched back, leaning on a wooden cane.
"My name is Li Fan. Do you need something?"
"Hmm... I see you are no ordinary person."
The old man said, narrowing his eyes.
"Why do you say that?"
Li Fan asked curiously, wondering if there was a main quest.
"I'm very good at reading faces. You are the chosen one destined to save Kala Village from peril!"
"Grandpa, you have sharp eyes. I think so too."
Li Fan slapped his thigh. He certainly wouldn't let go of such a clear protagonist's development.
At this moment, the old man's brow furrowed slightly.
Uh oh, he had confused the old man. The protagonist shouldn't react like this.
Just as Li Fan was pondering how to salvage the situation, the old man took out a bronze medal.
"Li Fan, this is Kala Village's exclusive Chosen One bronze badge. Every five days, you can get a free venison rice at the village's Meow Meow Grilled Meat shop. I present it to you now, hoping you will lend a hand when Kala Village encounters danger in the future."
"Alright."
Li Fan said, reaching for the bronze badge, but the old man held it in his hand, and it wouldn't budge no matter how hard he tried.
"I am Bazel, the village chief. The Chosen One bronze badge is especially precious. Please remember your duty as the chosen one and defend the safety of Kala Village."
After the old man said this solemnly, he finally let go.
"No problem."
Just as Li Fan readily agreed, a stray dog ran past him, wearing a badge identical in style to the one in his hand on its collar.
"Li Fan! Li Fan! So you're here, meow!"
Dilo ran over in a hurry.
"Dilo, so you know this young man too."
Bazel said with a kind smile.
"Yes, Village Chief. Li Fan is a lone hunter, but when he was out hunting, his wilderness camp was destroyed, so I brought him to Kala Village! Can you help him, meow?"
Dilo asked expectantly.
"Yes, Dilo, the weather is indeed very good today."
"Is it 3000z, meow?"
"Yes, the recent appearance of the Great Jaggi has indeed caused a lot of trouble. No one in the village dares to go up the mountain to chop firewood anymore."
"Oh no, Chief Bazel's hearing problem is acting up again, meow."
Dilo said worriedly.
"I can fix this hearing problem. A good beating will do the trick."
Li Fan said, rolling up his sleeves.
"Young man! Can you tell me your name?"
Seeing a new young man approach, Bazel immediately went to hand out another Chosen One medal.
The fantasy of having the treatment of a game protagonist was shattered.
Li Fan began to ponder some very realistic problems.
For example, what to eat today, and where to find lodging tonight.
In the original game, at least he could get some starting equipment, one of each basic weapon type.
He also had a detached wooden cabin to live in, but all he got daily was a single Poké Ball and nothing else.
At this moment, the Hunter's Guild opened for business, and a hostess was posting a stack of thick quest notices on the bulletin board outside.
Dozens of hunters immediately crowded around, discussing the quests posted by the guild today in a hubbub.
Li Fan observed from the periphery for a moment and noticed that the quest areas were mostly limited to the Riverlands, and there were many quest types not found in the game, such as escort and search for missing persons.
Hunting quests, on the other hand, were relatively few.
In terms of rank assessment, it was similar to the game, with difficulty judged by stars.
However, the terminology here was called Beginner 1-star Hunter, and each subsequent star promotion required completing corresponding assessment quests, with a maximum of five stars.
To accept higher-star quests, one's own star rating had to meet the standard.
The bulletin board only displayed quests from zero to three stars. To accept more difficult quests, one had to enter the main hall of the Hunter's Guild branch and sign a formal contract.
Aptonoth, Basarios, Boar, Pack of Pack...
Why were the hunting quests all for small monsters? Defeating packs of Great Jaggi and Arzuros at two stars were considered relatively difficult hunting quests.
As Li Fan was wondering, a middle-aged man in scale mail, carrying a large bone-carving greatsword, stood beside him, looking at the bulletin board.
Li Fan noticed that this hunter brother had an empty sleeve; he was a one-armed man!
Looking at other hunters, although their armor covered them well, they generally bore various hard-to-conceal injuries.
Claw marks, missing parts, severed limbs... some even had severe hair loss and baldness.
So that's how it is. This is not a game. If an arm or leg is bitten off by a monster, it's truly gone.
There wouldn't be a situation where after drinking a Potion, striking a heroic pose, and continuing to jump around.
Li Fan instantly understood the painstaking efforts behind the Hunter's Guild's detailed hunter promotion system.
Otherwise, if a novice young hunter got carried away and participated in a hunt that was severely mismatched with their skill level.
They would likely suffer serious injuries or die directly.
Over time, the hunter community would inevitably face a shortage.
Before long, the number of quest notices was reduced to half.
Li Fan squeezed to the front and took down a zero-star quest to gather blue mushrooms.
To earn money to survive and adapt to this familiar yet strange world.
This kind of outdoor gathering, which didn't require a hunter's badge and had no burden, was perfect for him.
What surprised him was that the quest notices for gathering blue mushrooms were posted in stacks, like sticky notes.
Tear one off, and another appeared. It was more like an advertisement for buying blue mushrooms than a quest contract.
Even more surprising was that the quest issuer was Village Chief Bazel.
What did this old guy want with so many blue mushrooms?
Was he going to concoct a large amount of herbal medicine or life powder?
The notice stated they would buy them for 30z each. Li Fan stopped dwelling on it.
However, before he even reached the village entrance, his stomach rumbled.
A scent of grilled meat wafted over. He turned to see the village's Meow Meow Grilled Meat shop roasting meat.
A huge, unknown piece of meat was being grilled over the fire, emitting an enticing aroma.
Li Fan remembered that the Chosen One bronze badge seemed to grant free meals, so he walked into the shop.
"Welcome! Meow! Would you like to eat some..."
The Felyne wearing a chef's hat greeted him enthusiastically.
But upon seeing the Chosen One bronze badge in Li Fan's hand, its ears drooped instantly, and it said listlessly, "Please sit, meow!"
"The Chief said that with this badge, I can get a meal of venison rice every five days?"
Li Fan asked, sitting down at the counter.
"Yes, meow. Silver badges get one meal every three days, and gold badges get one meal a day. Please wait a moment."
The chef Felyne finished speaking and turned to busy himself at the stove.
No way, this free Chosen One badge, and I got the lowest level one.
Two minutes later, the chef Felyne brought over a tray.
On it was a bowl of white rice with a few strips of pickles and a clear soup as bland as plain water.
"Please enjoy, meow."
"Wait a minute, isn't this venison rice? Where's the venison?"
Li Fan poked at it with his chopsticks. Besides rice and pickles, there was nothing else in the bowl.
"My name is Venison, and I am the head chef of the grilled meat shop, meow."
The chef Felyne pointed to himself with a paw and introduced himself.
The air suddenly fell silent.
"What a name, hehe..."
Li Fan gave a dry laugh and began to eat.
Perhaps it was the environment, but the rice was exceptionally sweet and fragrant.
After finishing, Li Fan patted his stomach, feeling slightly full.
He looked at the price list for the various meals. The cheapest Bird Wyvern Egg Fried Rice was 120z.
It would take gathering four blue mushrooms to afford it, which was quite expensive for him.
"Excuse me, why isn't venison rice on the price list?"
Although it wasn't particularly delicious, Li Fan felt that for simply filling his stomach, venison rice was a good option.
"Venison rice is a meal benefit offered by Chief Bazel to attract hunters, meow. If you were to order it separately... it would be 30z!"
Venison informed him.
"What do you mean by attracting hunters?"
Li Fan asked curiously.
"Small villages like Kala Village, besides serving as forward bases for hunting, find it difficult to attract hunters to stay long-term, meow. So, they have to use village benefits to retain hunters."
Venison explained.
Li Fan hadn't expected there to be economic considerations involved.
But it made sense. If hunters hunted around Kala Village, the transportation and dismantling of monster carcasses, equipment crafting, and pre-expedition rest and supplies would definitely be done in the village.
In a world centered around hunting, this could greatly stimulate the village's economy.