Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 124 (Part 1):
The winner, Bruce, had caught a clean, white fox. The fur was almost undamaged, and it died with a single blow to the nape. Asuka protested loudly.
“Why is he the winner! I brought back a bear! How can that tiny fox compare!”
Instructor Patricia raised her eyebrows.
“Didn’t you hear the criteria for ranking earlier? A white fox is a very rare animal. I didn’t expect anyone to catch such a thing. It’s certainly worthy of winning.”
Instructor Alan added.
“Finding such a prey indicates good luck. But remember, luck is also a skill.”
With that said, there was no room for further argument. Bruce, pleased with his first place, smirked. Watching him, Asuka kicked a stone on the ground. Thud!
“Come on! This is ridiculous! It’s like winning a prize by sheer luck rather than skill. It’s unfair!”
But he wasn’t in a position to complain about luck. In truth, Asuka’s hunting skills were mediocre. Left to his own tools, it’s questionable if he would have caught anything at all.
Or could he? Even if he had to chase it down and stick an arrow in it with his hands, a successful hunt is a successful hunt.
Instead of pointing this out, Helmut said something different.
“Still, you’ll be able to use the personal training ground from now on. Second place gets access to one. That’s what you wanted, right?”
“…That’s true.”
Asuka’s face brightened.
“Come to think of it, didn’t you win something too? What place did you get?”
“Fifth.”
The ranking was lower than expected, but receiving a prize was something. There were those who brought back impressive boars or beautiful stags, pushing him down the ranks.
“What was the fifth place prize?”
“Ten meal vouchers.”
“Practical.”
Asuka seemed completely cheered up now.
“A personal training ground, huh? That’s great. Maybe my skills will improve faster there?”
“Perhaps.”
That evening, a barbecue party was held with the hunted animals, continuing from the previous day.
With a considerable number of animals caught, a few members from each group who were skilled in cooking were selected.
Following the campsite manager’s lead, they skinned the animals and prepared the meat. The by-products would be taken care of and returned on the last day.
Today was about tasting the meat.
Here, the disparity between the rich and the poor was evident. Groups with relatively better hunting skills could enjoy a lavish party. In contrast, groups with almost no catch had to settle for roasted sweet potatoes or potatoes distributed to everyone.
Helmut’s group had plenty of meat. More than enough.
“We’ve got a bear, a deer, rabbits, and even a bird. Four types of meat. But we’re five people. Who didn’t bring back anything?”
As Asuka asked with disdain, James scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“Well, there wasn’t much time.”
“The two guys you went with brought back something. You could have at least caught a fish by the water.”
“I didn’t think of that.”
“Do something useful.”
Asuka glared at James, then began to cook the prepared meat. Fatty parts were grilled, small animals like birds and rabbits were roasted whole, and tougher parts were boiled for soup.
Although the cool weather meant the food wouldn’t spoil quickly, this was still food for several days.
During group activities, they were allowed to bring the food they gathered here. There was no guarantee they would be as lucky in hunting next time. It was necessary to save any leftovers.
With that logic, Asuka flatly refused a barter offer from a neighboring group that hadn’t caught a single animal.
“If you didn’t hunt, you should starve!”
Excluding the three who had left, the remaining five members of Group 9 enjoyed a rich meal late into the night.
They needed to eat well tonight since they would leave for group activities early the next morning.
The mood was quite good. Even Asuka, despite his grumbling, seemed pleased with his second-place win and was somewhat receptive to his teammates’ words.
Although there had been unpleasant incidents in the morning, the barbecue party was enjoyable, and everything seemed fine for them.
However, the two who had left with Basil, Mitchell and Wesley, did not return in the end.