Loran woke up in his shelter, groggy but no longer feeling light-headed. It had been almost a week since they had returned from fighting The Wise One and the Iron Ant, and today was when he, Alexx, and Zed would be going on the hunt for the Iron Ant's nest.

'At least there's no rush today,' he thought, stretching as he began walking toward the river.

The three of them had been meeting up for the last few days to decide how they would begin searching for the nest, and currently, the best course of action seemed to be making their way back to Yang and Loran's temporary camp.

"The only clue we have about where the nest could be is that it's probably to the north." Loran had said explained. "We already know that it isn't between the camp and the village so staying out there for a few days for the search will save us a lot of time."

The camp was almost five hours away from the village; turning it into a forward base would practically double the amount of time they would have to search for the nest. It could also serve as a future rest stop for hunters, allowing them to hunt in a wider area to reduce the damage to the ecosystem.

Unfortunately, this meant having people living in the most dangerous area the players had discovered thus far. Currently, the camp was just something Loran had thrown together in a few hours, so before they could start searching for the nest they would need to reinforce the camp's defenses. It wouldn't be too big of a project, since the Iron Ants could easily crawl over or maybe even destroy any wooden barrier they could create, but it would need to be at least a little bigger to accommodate more people and not leave them completely exposed.

Kneeling next to the river, Loran splashed some water on his face before sitting down and looking around. It would be a while before he needed to get ready, so he chose to relax until his mind was less hazy from sleep.

The air was warm and ever so slightly humid, making Loran wonder if there would be rain in the coming days. It was still quite early, the sun was still hidden behind the eastern mountains. The sky above was thick with clouds, reflecting the sunlight downwards and bathing the village in the twilight. Behind him, Loran could hear the sounds of other players waking up, mostly quiet aside from a few shouts.

As the sun finally managed to peek out from behind the mountains, Loran stood up to go looking for someone to teach him [CRITICAL STRIKE]. Fortunately, it did not take very long since many players had accidentally mastered their starter Skills before anyone understood what it meant and that it was a waste for so many to do it.

Once he learned the Skill, Loran proceeded to max it out and then level up three times, reaching level 17. Loran thought for a moment before deciding to put four Ability Points into DEX and AGI, raising both to 24, and putting five more into END, raising it to 20.

'If I'm going to start using Critical Strike a lot I'll need the extra SP.' he looked over his menu before chuckling to himself. 'And hey, I'm back up to 100 HP, maybe I can take a few hits from now on,' he jokingly thought, knowing that most things could still rip him in half.

Done preparing his Skills and stats, Loran headed to the Kitchen for breakfast. When he arrived the area was mostly empty, save for the cooks and a few hunters, but Loran knew that the place would quickly become crowded as the morning wore on.

He was about to grab a few deer meat skewers when suddenly someone shoved a wooden bowl of...something into his hands. In the bowl was some bizarre-looking stew, with chunks of meat and wild vegetables slathered in a dark red sauce, along with a stick for a fork. Loran turned to look at whoever gave it to him, taking a quick breath as he realized it was Aman.

"...what the hell did you just give me?"

"Relax," Aman said, not even looking at Loran as he continued passing out food, "I tested that recipe myself last night, it's fine. I know that you and the others are going on that expedition today, so I figured that you could use something a little more hearty than meat skewers."

Loran stared at him for a moment, trying to decide if Aman would lie to get a test subject, before shrugging and popping one of the meat chunks into his mouth.

The chunk of deer meat was expertly cooked, as always. The sauce had some mashed berries for sweetness, some wild onions to give it a little more bite, and some other flavors that Loran recognized as being animal blood.

'What is with him and blood?' Loran wondered as he continued eating.

It was decent. He probably wasn't going to ask for more in the future but for now, there was no reason to let good food go to waste. Once he was finished, he handed the bowl back so that it could be washed later.

"Thanks, it wasn't too bad."

"Heh, from you I'll take that as a compliment."

"Whatever, anyway, are there any updates on the preparations?"

"Yeah, Calix finished packing a few minutes ago, and I saw the others eating earlier."

Zed, Alexx, and Loran were not the only ones to be heading out to the camp. Because of how dangerous the area is and how big of a project the camp could be, it was decided that a team of people would be sent. While Loran and the others would primarily be responsible for scouting, three builders would refurbish the camp, a crafter would be sent to repair or create any necessary tools, a cook would bring a few days worth of provisions and handle food processing, and a team of fifteen hunters would protect the camp while the others were away and hunt when necessary. A call for volunteers was made five days ago, and after much arguing the team was decided on last night.

Loran quirked an eyebrow. "She's already packed? I don't think we're leaving for a few hours though?"

"She hasn't left the village since she arrived, poor kid's anxious as hell."

"But she still volunteered for this? Why?"

"If you're so curious why don't you just-"

"Nope!" Loran said quickly. "Nevermind! I've had enough people dumping their baggage on me, she can keep her secrets."

"Hahaha, alright then. How long do you guys plan on staying out there?"

"Personally, I'd say as long as it takes to find the nest. These ants are dangerous and we need to figure out how to deal with them as soon as possible. If we can't figure out where they're coming from, who knows when they'll stumble across the village."

Aman didn't say anything, but his expression hardened, understanding how bad it would be if the Iron Ants expanded their territory enough to reach the village.

"Anyway, it's getting busy," Loran said, standing up, "I'll stop distracting you."

"I'll see you later then. When you get back, I'll make sure to have something new for you to try out."

"Would you just be merciful and kill me already?" Loran asked with a grimace.

Loran left the Kitchen, not paying attention as he just continued walking. After a few minutes, he decided to head back to his shelter to prepare his equipment.

'Not like I have anything better to do.'

Once he got back to his shelter, he pulled out a leather pack he had been given yesterday. Since this wasn't going to be a normal hunting trip, the crafters had gone all out and prepped a handful of new items just for the occasion. Not all of it was that complex, but they would need all the help they could to find the nest.

The pack itself was a new addition since most hunters only carried their weapons or enough to fit in a small pouch. It was fairly basic for the most part, a standard backpack size with straps for his arms and a loose flap on the top, but there were also a bunch of little leather loops around the outside for him to tie or hang things from. With that in mind, the pack also included some string made from animal tendons.

Next were three rolled-up pieces of leather, cut into squares and with a series of lines sliced into them to create gridded canvases for maps, along with a piece of charcoal to write with.

Last was a forty-foot-long length of rope made from plant fibers since there was a high likelihood that the Iron Ants made their nest in either the mountains or a cave network.

Also in the bag were his Bone Picks and water skin which he always brought when leaving the village, along with his old knife and bow.

Although the Iron Ants were the main threat, there was no telling what else would be out there. Additionally, since they were heading out with a limited team for an extended period of time. Just like when this whole game started they needed to think about the more mundane aspects of survival.

While his Bone Picks were good for large threats, his bow would be needed for general hunting and his knife would help with any impromptu crafting he needed to do.

'Maybe it's a bit much, but we can't exactly call for help if something goes wrong out there.'

Normally his armor would also be here, but it was completely shredded during the fight with The Wise One.

'Rika said my armor would be finished by today, guess I'll go see if they're done.'