The unforgiving sun cast its harsh, crimson glow over the desolate wasteland. The parched earth crackled under the relentless heat.

Even with the searing heat bearing down on Leo as he stood directly under the sun, he remained still behind the massive rock, occasionally peeking out to observe his prey.

It was a Class 0 soldier-level abyss monster, the horned rabbit.

Despite belonging to one of the weakest species in its class, the horned rabbit still possessed more strength than the regular, unmutated wild animals.

Leo slowly aimed his makeshift crossbow at the horned rabbit while attempting to remain undetected.

He had never expected that the bait he'd set out for the wild rats that roamed the desolate wasteland would actually attract an abyss monster, and a weak one at that.

Hunting horned rabbits was relatively safe as long as one was ready and adequately prepared. However, since it was an abyss monster, even if it was the weakest of its kind, hunting them came with its own set of risks.

Leo aimed his crossbow carefully, ensuring he remained out of the horned rabbit's line of sight.

Suddenly, the rabbit ceased its jerky feast, raising its head to lock eyes with Leo.

Behind his ragged makeshift nose mask, Leo gritted his teeth. He knew he had been spotted.

The horned rabbit's red eyes bore into Leo for a few tense seconds, but he maintained his aim, fully aware of what was about to unfold.

With the size of a wild cat, the horned rabbit abruptly charged toward Leo. Its muscular hind legs kicked up dust in the already hazy atmosphere.

Known for its swiftness, the rabbit lived up to its reputation, covering half the twenty-meter distance to Leo in a single powerful pounce.

Leo's grip on his makeshift crossbow tightened as he loosed an arrow in the horned rabbit's direction. Missing the shot was not an option; he knew it could cost him dearly.

The horn on the monster's head served a purpose beyond mere decoration.

Leo lacked the physical strength to engage in close combat with the horned rabbit, even with his rusty dagger.

Despite being a relatively weak abyss monster, the rabbit's terrifying speed posed a significant threat. Ordinary human hunters, given the right circumstances and enough sustenance, could manage to kill them in close combat. But Leo's recent lack of food had left him weakened.

In recent days, Leo had barely managed to eat once a day due to his dwindling credits. The shelter's sudden increase in weekly taxes had nearly depleted his finances when he paid the last installment four days ago.

The prospect of profiting from the horned rabbit motivated Leo to consider hunting it on the spot. A successful kill would allow him to sell the creature to the people residing in the inner circle of the settlement, providing him with much-needed credits and the ability to finally have regular meals again.

Twang!

Watching as the arrow flew towards the horned rabbit, Leo's heart raced.

If he missed, he knew he would have to engage the horned rabbit in close combat. Outrunning the rabbit was not an option, so his only chance was to fight it. Given the amount of strength he had left, he doubted he would be able to put up a fight before facing his demise.

Squish!

The arrow met the horned rabbit in midair, abruptly halting its charge. The creature fell to the ground with a resounding thud and twitched for a moment before falling still.

Leo had his rusted dagger at the ready, watching the scene unfold before him.

Even after the horned rabbit had ceased moving, Leo hesitated to approach it. Abyss monsters were notorious for their resilience, even among the weakest of their kind.

Three minutes passed without a sign of movement from the horned rabbit. Only then did Leo dare to draw closer.

With caution, he made his way to the still body of the horned rabbit, dagger in his right hand and a crossbow with another arrow nocked in his left. His heart raced as he noticed blood on the ground beneath the monster's head.

When Leo finally reached the horned rabbit's body, he positioned his crossbow and used his right leg to deliver a light kick to the one-meter-long creature.

Nothing happened.

He kicked it again.

Still, nothing.

With a harder kick, he waited for a reaction.

Yet, the horned rabbit remained motionless.

A small smile graced Leo's lips beneath his ragged nose mask as he gently dropped his makeshift arrow to the ground. His right hand moved to the horned rabbit's neck.

Leo's grip on his dagger tightened as he suddenly rushed to grab the creature's neck. He was poised to strike, but when the horned rabbit didn't react, his guard visibly relaxed, and his shoulder dropped.

"Haha," a joyful yet faint laughter escaped Leo's mouth from beneath the nose mask.

With some effort, he retrieved a dirty, stitched-up brown sack from his leather crossbar, another of his makeshift items.

After a bit of struggle, Leo managed to retrieve the arrow, which had struck true in the horned rabbit's eye, killing it. He used his dagger to dig a shallow hole in the ground, allowing the creature's blood to drain from its eye before placing it in the sack. 

Leo then used the earth to clean the blood from his self-made arrow and secured it in the quiver on his back, another of his handcrafted items.

With his game and weapon retrieved and ensuring he hadn't forgotten anything in the area, Leo hastily made his way in the direction of the shelter.

With his dirty sack slung over his shoulder and his rusted dagger in the same hand he used to hold the sack, Leo's grip on his crossbow remained tight as he made his way back to the settlement.

As his feet touched the hard ground, Leo surveyed his surroundings like a hawk, paying particular attention to places that appeared to offer cover.

As scavengers, there were generally two concerns in the wasteland: humans and monsters, as both were the most likely threats to a man out here. 

No one ventured into these lands without adequate protection, and scavengers knew it best.

While Leo continued forward, he noticed an additional shadow emerging from beside a dead tree.

Leo frowned and came to a halt.

A monster?

No. The shadow is rather elongated.

A robber?

Leo's frown deepened as this thought crossed his mind.

Apart from encountering a monster in the wasteland, what Leo feared most was running into a robber. These individuals preferred to prey on those who hunted for their own food, and often the hunters themselves became the hunted.

Cannibalism?

In the wasteland, for the desperate residents of the slums, such a word held no significance in the face of starvation.

While Leo never judged people for the choices they had to make to survive another day, it didn't mean he didn't harbor resentment toward some individuals who engaged in certain actions.

He certainly wasn't a saint. Those with a hero complex often met an early demise. 

Leo had done his fair share of unsavory things, and although he regretted some, if circumstances demanded, he would do them again to ensure he lived another day.

After observing the shadow's shape for a few more seconds, Leo confirmed it was a human. 

There was only one reason someone would hide quietly near the settlement – they were lying in ambush, waiting for unsuspecting prey. 

Leo, naturally cautious and observant, had he recklessly rushed back to the settlement without being aware of his surroundings due to the game on his back, he might have fallen victim to this robber's trap.

Quietly positioning his crossbow in his left hand toward the shadow's hiding spot, Leo waited in silence. 

The robber was likely to reveal themselves soon, especially if they realized their prey hadn't passed by yet, and that's when he would strike.

Leo could only hope the robber didn't have a more rapid crossbow that could fire arrows more swiftly.

In these parts, the number one weapon for ordinary humans was crossbows, followed by regular bows and arrows. 

Guns were a rarity, typically owned by gang members and well-connected scavengers with substantial credits in the outer circle of the settlement.

Regardless of whether his ambusher had a gun or not, Leo didn't waver. 

Leo confidently aimed his crossbow at the shadow's location.

Gun or not, it all came down to whose attack hit first and dealt more damage.

Leo didn't have much confidence when it came to facing monsters, but it was a different story with his fellow humans. If he were to die at the hands of another human, it would only be because he was weaker. 

Dying at the hands of a monster, however, was seen a natural outcome, indicating one's inferiority to these creatures, a fact of life in this day and age.

As Leo had anticipated, the owner of the shadow finally revealed themselves after a long wait, and that's when he took his shot.

Without a moment's hesitation, Leo released the arrow from his crossbow, watching it pierce the stomach of the robber who had emerged from behind the dead tree, caught off guard and slow to react.

The robber had likely not expected his prey to be a skilled archer.

It was a male as well.

However, Leo's pupils shrank when he saw what was in the robber's hands.

A gun.

Since his arrow had struck the robber in the stomach, the man didn't die immediately and, trembling, aimed his gun at Leo and fired.

The moment Leo spotted the gun, his body had already sprung into action. 

Leo rushed toward a nearby dead tree after dropping the sack from his shoulder, but Leo's body was a fraction too slow, and the bullet from the gun grazed his right thigh. His weak could only do so much.

"Ahh!" Leo groaned in pain.

Before his trembling opponent could take aim with his gun once more, Leo roughly aimed at his attacker and hurled his rusted dagger. The blade flew straight into the robber's head, piercing his right eye.

The robber abruptly ceased all movement and stood frozen, head tilted back, gazing at the clear sky.

A moment later, the robber fell backward and remained motionless.

Seated on the ground, his breath heavy, Leo tried to calm himself.

As Leo watched the robber fall, he hastily reached for his crossbag and retrieved a small wooden bottle, which contained alcohol.

With hurried movements, Leo unscrewed the cap of the bottle and poured a little of its contents onto the area where the bullet had grazed him.

The moment the alcohol touched his open wound, Leo couldn't help but groan in pain as beads of sweat fell from his forehead.

After disinfecting the wound, Leo pulled out a clean, washed-out rag from his crossbag and tightly bound it around his injury. 

He couldn't afford an infection out here.

Suppressing the groans of pain that threatened to escape his lips, Leo gingerly stood up, his legs shaking from the ordeal, his right leg causing him more pain.

After retrieving his sack and the game, Leo made his way to the spot where his ambusher had been and retrieved his dagger from the robber's eye.

Even with the blood that came with retrieving the dagger, Leo remained unfazed. He had witnessed far worse.

After recovering his dagger, Leo didn't bother cleaning it and simply returned it to its sheath, which was tied to his waist.

He then removed the crossbag from the robber's lifeless body and placed it inside his sack, unconcerned if it got stained in the process.

He also took the robber's gun and placed it in his own crossbag.

After completing these tasks, Leo hurriedly limped back toward the settlement.

The area was no longer safe.

The sound of the gunshot might attract a monster or another human, and in his current condition, both posed significant dangers.