Starting Off Survival With A Small Treehouse-Chapter 50 The Viper

Xu Xin glanced at the bottom of the hill, where the herd of wild boars was previously resting.

Ahead, a hundred meters away, there was a herd of strong-looking cattle, with fierce bull horns and massive bodies that were even more intimidating than the tusks of wild boars.

From the forest, one could faintly see a few wild deer and foxes.

Xu Xin also spotted a large orange tiger suddenly pouncing out from the forest. In the distance, the howling of wolves could be heard intermittently.

"...Forget it." Xu Xin gave up. It was too dangerous. At least wait until he went back and made a crossbow, with a means of ranged attack, before considering entering this area.

Engaging in close combat with the beasts, one-on-one might still be possible, but with so many, if he accidentally attracted several at once, even wearing iron armor, Xu Xin couldn’t withstand it.

Although he didn’t intend to venture deep into this area, Xu Xin didn’t want to head back just yet.

He still wanted to hunt a few more beasts, to gather more tendons and hides. His current materials were still too few.

Wild boars were a relatively suitable target for hunting. If he could spot a lone wolf, even better. With the protection of iron armor, a single wolf posed virtually no harm to Xu Xin.

If luck was on his side, he might find a wolf to use as a mount. He always carried his mount contract with him.

Although wolves have slightly weaker individual combat strength, they have excellent endurance and primarily hunt by chasing after flocks of sheep or deer until their prey collapses or tires out, perfectly suited for long-distance running and ideal as mounts.

He observed the beasts below and the red dots on the map but didn’t find any solitary wolves, and the wild boars seemed to be gathered together, likely due to having just lost a companion, with none appearing isolated.

"This is a bit troublesome. If only I had a ranged weapon to lure a few out. With just this iron armor and spear, I can only force my way in," Xu Xin lamented.

After a mental struggle, Xu Xin gritted his teeth and decided to enter the peripheral area of this resource zone, but not delve deep, simply circling to see if any opportunities arose.

It was really frustrating to be one material short.

Xu Xin didn’t stealthily descend; instead, he picked a spot far from the boar herd and openly walked down from the hill, entering the resource zone. After all, being cautious wouldn’t help; his clothes would make noise regardless.

Inside the circular hill was also a forest, but unlike Xu Xin’s side, this forest was full of vitality, with various wildlife weaving through it.

This side seemed more like a true jungle.

Xu Xin saw many beasts he hadn’t encountered before.

A rabbit suddenly darted across in front of him, disappearing into the grass. The rabbit looked so plump that Xu Xin swallowed on the spot.

"Once I make the crossbow, I’ll use that rabbit for practice!"

"Squeak." Keke suddenly patted Xu Xin with its small paw, pointing to a spot to the left front.

Xu Xin looked over, squinting for a while before he finally saw what Keke was pointing at.

On the rock there lay a snake as thick as three fingers, its color blending with the rock so well that it seemed to merge with it. If not for Keke’s alert, Xu Xin might not have noticed it at all.

Due to the giant anaconda in the lake, Xu Xin was now quite sensitive to snakes and instinctively wanted to avoid it, but upon reconsideration, he was wearing iron armor, and this snake likely couldn’t break his defense.

"Keke, stay here. I’m going to deal with that snake," Xu Xin softly reminded Keke.

Snake meat, snake skin, snake venom, and Snake Gall, they’re all valuable resources.

"Squeak," Keke replied softly, then climbed up a nearby tree in a few swift moves, settling on a branch to watch him.

This little guy, previously unafraid of those big wild boars, was quite fearful of snakes.

Xu Xin was the exact opposite. While wild boars might pose a threat, snakes couldn’t really harm him.

He acted as if he hadn’t noticed the snake, strolling past the rock where it was lurking.

The iron armor made noise, and in Xu Xin’s peripheral vision, the rock-like snake moved slightly, then suddenly struck!

Here it comes!

Xu Xin didn’t raise his hand to block because he had no protection on his hands, but everything else was covered with iron armor.

The rock snake coiled around his leg and bit down hard on Xu Xin’s greave, producing a crisp sound.

Then followed a snapping noise as the snake hissed and fell to the ground, twisting in agony.

The snake’s teeth had broken off against the iron armor!

Xu Xin quickly lifted his iron boot-clad foot, stomping hard on the snake’s seven-inch spot.

The so-called seven-inch spot was actually the heart area. Xu Xin had heard that a snake’s heart lies just below the head.

He stomped one foot there and the other foot harshly onto the snake’s head!

The snake’s body twisted wildly underfoot, entangling Xu Xin’s leg, and within seconds, it stopped moving.

Xu Xin habitually stomped on the snake’s head and seven-inch spot twice more, then withdrew a stone spear to thrust it a few more times, ensuring it was dead.

"Dealing with these small beasts wearing iron armor is as easy as slaughtering chickens."

Once he confirmed the three-finger-thick snake was dead, Xu Xin took out the boning knife.

Though coiled, the snake hadn’t seemed long, yet when Xu Xin stretched it out, it measured nearly two and a half meters, its three-finger-thick body appearing somewhat intimidating.

Keke had already leapt down from the tree, curiously poking at the snake’s corpse with its little paw.

"Don’t mess with it. It might not be dead and could jump up to bite you!" Xu Xin teased.

"Squeak!" Frightened, Keke jumped onto Xu Xin’s shoulder, making him laugh.

With a few knife strokes, the snake’s body was disassembled.

[Gained Refined Snake Skin (Blue) *1, Venom Sac (Green) *1, Snake Meat *15kg, Snake Gall (Green) *1, Snake Tendon (Green) *1]

An excellent yield!

After the bear paw, another blue-grade resource appeared!

It’s a blue-grade beast skin!

Beast skin primarily serves two purposes now, making backpacks and leather armor. Previously glancing through the crafting table, he saw that leather armor requires beast skin and beast bones.

Having crafted blue-grade iron armor, Xu Xin believed he didn’t need leather armor, but today’s experience showed that iron armor is only suitable for direct confrontations.

If he wants to hunt the cautious, quick herbivores like deer, sheep, or rabbits, or infiltrate without alerting anything, iron armor might become a hindrance.

If possible, he’d like to make a set of blue-grade leather armor, too.

However, for now, this piece of blue-grade beast skin should be used to create a blue-grade backpack first.

Xu Xin turned his attention to the other materials.

[Venom Sac (Green): Contains all the venom of a poisonous snake, can be used to craft poison arrows or poison weapons.]

[Snake Gall (Green): The gall of a venomous snake, can be used in medicine, brewing, or eaten. It’s a precious material! Must be processed quickly or it will lose efficacy.]

The venom sac can be used to make poison arrows! Poison arrows are deadly weapons!

While a regular crossbow might not cause much harm to a beast without hitting a vital spot, a poison arrow would cause damage on breaking the skin, at least restricting the beast’s movement.

Xu Xin didn’t expect that even before making his crossbow, he’d already advanced in his capabilities.

As for the Snake Gall, it seems to be medicinal, but he wasn’t sure what it does, just heard it’s quite valuable. He doesn’t have any alcohol to brew it now, so he’ll dry it and store it when he gets back, having heard that it could be sun-dried and stored as dried Snake Gall.

Glancing at the depths of the jungle, Xu Xin decided not to proceed.

He had already gained three beast tendons and a blue-grade beast skin. This hunt had been quite rewarding, and he didn’t want to risk himself any further.