As a non-athletic person, I had never spent time truly exercising my body, but even if I never exercised, it is not as if I know nothing about it. As a person who went through basic education, I at least knew that biologically, exercising is a process where your cells are destroyed and rebuilt, giving you a stronger body. With that sort of idea, I simply did push-up until I cannot, did sip-ups until I cannot, jogged until I cannot, did a horse stance until I cannot, made jabs until I cannot, and sometimes I did stretches too.

A few days passed like that and the wolf meat finally ran out. The amount is not that different, but this time, I finished the wolf meat faster than before. Considering how much energy I spent everyday from the training, it is not surprising. Actually, the fact I even preserved is already unexpected to me. Somehow, each time I exercised, I was always filled with excitement and time seemed to pass without me realizing it, by the time I came back to my senses, I was always filled with exhaustion and covered with sweat, unable to move event a muscle.

Is this also an effect coming from the body enhancement? I wondered. But so what if it is? Compared to how I lived before, I prefer this much more. With that sort of feeling, I stretched my body and picked up my stone knives. They looked much better than the ones before, even looking like normal iron knives. Unfortunately, maybe because of its material, or maybe my skills is just bad, they still perform worse compared to the worn out knife I found before. But it is no problem, what I lack in quality, I try to cover with quantity.

Finished with my preparation, I walked out of the room and left the building. The sight outside is still the same and unchanging, but I am not here to admire the sights and soon chose a direction to go, the same one which I went to before. Of course, I had more reason to go towards the same direction than just because I went there before, it is also because I am hoping to meet wolves again. I am more familiar with their body structure and had even fought one before, even if it was a lone one. With better familiarity, I would have better chances of hunting them, and I could even directly compare with my old experience to see the result of my training.

Who knows which god, if one even exists in this damned world, heard my wishes. I soon found a pack of wolves. Unlike last time, they are not alone, so I am forced to tread carefully. I did my best to carefully hide, searching for a chance to attack.

Time passed like that as I continued to follow them and impatience had long bubbled in me. The wolves were all simply wandering around, which I guessed to be them searching for prey. Just as I was wondering whether I should retreat or just ambush them now, a roar sounded, followed by a crash, attracting my and the wolves' attention. 

Right where the crash sounded, I saw a giant bear wrestling against a tiger that appeared to have charged against it. As I stared in shock, I was reminded of my fight against the wolf, yet as that thought appeared, I shook my head. The sight before me is incomparable to that, like comparing fights between children with fights between adults. The bear punched and clawed at the tiger, and the tiger clawed and bit in retaliation. Each and every one of their actions caused destruction to the surroundings, should I even get close, I had no doubt I would die without even those monsters knowing. Overall, it is a fearsome sight that would send people running, even those wolves had long ran away.

Now that my hunting target have left, I have no more reason to stay, I should leave this hazard zone and search for safety and prey.

At least that is what I should be doing.

Instead, I stayed frozen in my hiding place, staring at the fight between the two giants. I felt adrenaline flowing through my body, my heart beat with excitement. How I wish I could hunt them both down, kill them and devour their flesh, yet the shred of clear sanity I had harshly told me the impossibility of it, at least for the current me, who could be said to be at the bottom of the food chain.

After several exchanges, the fight met its end. The tiger suddenly pounced, bursting with strength and causing the bear to fall. Without letting up, the tiger bit into the bear, tearing away a large piece of its flesh and letting out a barrage of attacks. I could hear the mad yet weak howl of the bear piercing through my eardrums, forcing me to cover my ears. I could see the battered yet proud tiger standing over the dead body of the bear and, without giving my ears any rest, it let out a roar, as if to indicate its victory, before finally dragging away its spoils of war, the giant corpse of the bear.

Seeing the fight has ended, I walked out of my hiding place. It is a good thing that they fought far away from where I am or I would not have to leisure to spectate. Just as I thought such, I caught sight of something through the corner of my eye. A giant lump of fresh, bleeding flesh. From its appearance, no one would be able to recognize what meat it is and where it came from, but it did not take me much thought to know that it is the meat the tiger tore out of the bear during its final attack. I was momentarily overcame with shock and looked around, but seeing that the giant tiger had long left and no other monster is near, I hurried towards the giant lump of flesh and carried it away. I ignored everything else and directly rushed back.

Looking out of the window, I saw nothing off and finally felt relieved. Turning to look at the meat reeking with blood, I could feel my stomach gurgle. Instinctively, I realized that the meat of the bear is far different compared to the wolf, even if I have no idea what makes the difference. No longer able to hold myself back, I cut out a fist-sized meat from the lump and ate it. The taste is as bad as the wolf meat, the raw taste of meat and blood filled my mouth, but the moment I finished eating it, I instantly felt full.

After the sense of satisfaction from eating, I felt disappointed that I did not manage to hunt anything today.

"In retrospect, I should have acted more proactively. Maybe create a distraction or do a hit and run..." And so I spent the rest of my time thinking of ideas to use for the next time I go out to hunt. I even opened up the old book I had abandoned, [How to Catch Beasts], for help. As I continued to squeeze my brains for ideas until I had a thought.

"So what if I turn my head over and make up so many ideas, I should just go ahead and they them out!"

And so I once again left the safety of my room and went around searching for prey. I did not go to the same direction as last time, fearing that a stronger beast would by attracted there after the battle. Even though I am more motivated to search for prey this time around, I still did my best to tread cautiously.

As I moved, I observed my surroundings. Although I could see that the scenery is changing, but it feels as if wherever I go, it is no different than anywhere else. Maybe it is because I am still in the same area? I thought to myself.

Suddenly, I saw a familiar sight, a pack of wolves roaming through the street, furthermore, they look familiar, just like the wolves I had been planning to hunt before the two giant monsters fought. Is it a coincidence? I thought to myself. But the more I look at them, the more familiar they look. But when I saw the leader of the pack, my guess is pretty much confirmed. The leader has the same large, prominent scar on its face as the one I saw before. I suppose this is fate, although it does not change anything.

Without further thoughts, I started preparing. I carefully examined the pack of wolves, looking for a starting point. I saw a wolf among the pack which seemed to be farther away from the pack compared to the rest. Setting my eyes on it, I carefully approached and hid in the distance. Once I confirmed that it could not detect me, I picked up a rock among the nearby rubbles and threw it in another direction. The wolves were instantly alerted and they all stood up growling, including my target. With them distracted, I dashed towards the wolf I targeted and clamped its jaw shut with an arm and stabbed deep into its neck with my free hand. Unexpectedly, I managed to easily hold down the wolf even with all its struggling, and I could clearly see my knife almost fully inserted into its neck which is almost halfway in.

Although shocked by my shocking increase in strength, I still focused at the task at hand. Once I managed to neutralize the wolf and made sure none of the other wolves noticed me, I dragged away the almost dead wolf quickly and silently. I did not bother stopping to rest and directly rushed back.

Once I arrived in the room, I went and checked on the state of the wolf. Unsurprisingly, it had long bled to death on the way back. The sight of my second successful hunt made me feel proud, but remembering the fight between the two giant monsters, I instead felt anticipation for the future.

"This is progress, one step at a time, one day I will hunt down those giant monsters." As I muttered, I felt motivation welling up inside me.

Time seemed to pass like water. Each day I would go out to hunt once. Usually, I would find wolves just like before, but occasionally, some other monsters would appear which I could and could not hunt. It was only thanks to the bestiary that I managed to properly evaluate those monsters.

Aside from hunting, I spent my time training. I could feel my muscle screaming in pain each time I finished. But I obviously could not, both physically and mentally, bear to spend my whole time training my body. Once I felt that I could not bear to train anymore, I would spend my time making more stone knives and reading.

But at some point, I realized I had read all the books in the pile.

It was a saddening realization.

Fortunately, I soon found new things to do.

At some point, I finally realized how ragged my clothes had become after being drenched with blood and sweat, and after facing the elements. They were no longer able to protect me and I could only attempt to make new clothes using all the monster hides I had gathered, it was fortunate that I left them to pile up in the corner from all the hunting I did. Although the result was not that good, at least they were wearable.

Another thing was that I found a new interest in carving out things after I made several other variety of stone weapons. It was sudden, but after some thought, not really unexpected, since there really is nothing much to do in this world. Sadly I did not have much talent in carving. I tried to carve simpler looking monsters I had seen, only to get nothing but a pile of broken stone, so I instead made random carvings of whatever appeared in my mind.

I had also realized that rain actually does exist in this world, as rain one day fell pattering down. That day, I did not bother going out to hunt, and I already had a pile of meat in stock. That day, seeing the rain, I jokingly thought that it is fortunate that the rain is not red like the sky, otherwise it would look as if the world is covered in blood.

I spent the rest of that day saving up rainwater in stone vases I made while watching the rain fall, thinking about many things. Why was I sent here? How should I proceed? What should I do in the future? I had also asked myself whether I would ever be able to return, but I soon forgot about that question. Even if I missed many things, particularly the convenience in my old life, in the end, I felt no desire to return.

And so I spent my days just like that. Everyday I hunted, trained, and made things. Maybe one day I would become strong enough to hunt down the strongest monsters in this world. But I found that this world would not allow me to continue my days leisurely.

While returning home from hunting, I noticed an abnormality at the edge of the crimson sky. There, I could seemingly see pieces of the sky falling. At first, I thought I saw wrong, but the longer I looked, the more sure I became, I could even see that when the pieces of the sky fell, a jet black darkness lied beyond.

"What the hell..." I could only mutter blankly at the sight.

Although I do not know for sure, I had no doubt that nothing good would would come if I get close to that area. I could not even ask why or how such a thing is happening. In the end, I could only move away, bringing nothing but a few stone weapons with me.

Looking at the base which I had stayed in since I first came here, I sighed in melancholy, before finally turning around, leaving.

And so, like a vagrant, I spent the rest of my days on the move. Each time I met with a beast I could beat, I would fight. If I cannot, I would escape. I did not bother training anymore since I hunt more frequently, taking the place of my everyday training. When I could not be bothered to move, I would hide in a nearby building, spending my time sleeping, carving, or deep in thought.

But looking at the distant sky, I realized even this sort of vagrant days would not last long. The collapse never slowed down, and it even sped up instead. Thinking that these days of getting stronger and hunting monsters is ending, I could not help but feel sad. But I soon roused myself. If I am going to die anyway, might as well go out happily. And so I continued to go forward, but this time with another goal in mind.

I continued to trudge ahead, spending my time as usual, but spending less time to rest. I went around hunting more and more monsters, and my wounds accumulated because of my lack of rest and my utter disregard to safety, yet I could feel myself only becoming more and more excited. That all continued until I met it.

It was a giant tiger, just like the one I saw that day, battling the giant bear. It is laying on an open land, seemingly asleep, no other monsters could be seen nearby. The moment I saw it, I instantly came to a decision.

I will fight it, even if it is the last thing I do.

Without second thoughts, I dashed right at the giant tiger. I could see the tiger opening its eyes at the same instant. It stood up roared loudly, even causing the the pebbles on the side to tremble. With its size that is three times bigger than me, the tiger truly looked majestic and fearsome, yet all I felt was excitement. The tiger then raised one of its forelegs, crashing down towards me.

Feeling the wind cutting at my face, I grinned and leaped, latching onto its paws! Without wasting a moment, I stabbed the stone dagger I have been holding right into its foreleg.

I twisted and pulled my dagger, wanting to dig out a piece of the tiger's flesh. I could hear the tiger roaring out, not knowing whether it is out of pain or anger. As it waved its leg as if to wave me off, I kept a tight grip onto its fur, slowly climbing up onto its body. Suddenly, the movement stopped and I noticed a shadow covering me. Without any hesitation, I let go of my hold and fell, missing the tiger's maw by a hair's breadth.

Not bothering to stop, I once again moved. I took out the stone spear, that looked like a stone stick with a sharpened end, and stopped underneath the tiger's belly, stabbing and twisting the stone spear right into it. Once more, I heard the tiger roar and was about to once again move away. But the tiger seemed to have noticed my plan and moved, its body turn and one of its legs kicked me away, sending me tumbling away!

Pain wrecked my body, and I only stopped after crashing onto a building. Yet my predicament did not stop there as I noticed a shadow looming. I hurriedly leaped away and heard another crash right where I was before. Looking back, I saw the tiger turning to look back at me, its face contorted menacingly as it growled. Without any warning, I saw the tiger once again leaping towards my direction. I could only roll my body to the side and hurriedly stood up, leaping up towards the tiger's side, once again holding onto it. Suddenly, I noticed that the tiger's body seemed to lower. I instantly had a bad feeling and stabbed a stone dagger into the tiger's side before jumping away. At that instant, the tiger rolled. Had I stayed hanging on its side, my body would have long turned into meat paste under the tiger's body.

Just as the tiger stood up, I once again arrived before it and put strength into my legs, leaping. At the same moment, the tiger lowered its head its eyes wandering, clearly searching for me. Seeing the chance, I took out another stone dagger and stabbed it right into the tiger's wandering eyes. 

The tiger once again roared out in pain. One of its claws waved to swat me away and I once again moved away, leaving my dagger lodged there before taking out another. But this time, the tiger's other claw waved. Stuck in midair, I had no way to dodge, and I was instantly struck down and pressed by its paw.

Under its hold, I felt as if my bones were breaking. Gritting my teeth, I struggled to move my hand to move and stabbed right into its leg. The tiger roared, its pain clear in its voice. The moment its hold relaxed from the pain, I forced my body to move. At that moment, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my stone spear laying nearby, its tip coated in blood. While the tiger is distracted by the pain, I ran and picked up the spear, before rushing back at the tiger. At the same time, the tiger had finally regained its composure, looking with its remaining eye, searching for me.

Not willing to waste this chance, I rushed in underneath the tiger's head. Putting all my strength into my arm, I stabbed the spear right into the tiger's neck, leaving half of the spear poking out. Dashing away, I dodged a swipe and saw the tiger opening its maw wide, as if to roar. Yet only blood came out as it glared at me with rage in its eyes. But in the end, its rage failed to hide the fact that the several wounds I inflicted had long worn down the tiger.

With its eyes blind, throat gaping, and belly torn, the giant tiger would easily die in a battle of attrition, but instead, I chose to rush in without a second though. I dodged its swipes and as it tried to bite me, I slid under its neck and took hold of the spear shaft sticking out of its neck. Then, with the veins on my arms bulging, I roared! I pulled the spear shaft side-ways, almost decapitating the tiger. I could see its body trembling, maybe it wanted to roar, yet with its head almost severed and its throat torn, it cannot.

Looking at its head barely connected to its neck, I could see the tiger glaring, maybe full of rage and unwillingness, until its eyes dimmed, indicating its death.

"Ha... Haha... HAHAHA!!" 

I won! I hunted it down! A monstrous tiger three times my size!

As I inwardly exclaimed, feeling excitement and pride, I could feel fatigue and pain kicking in. I could only groan and sat down right next to the tiger's corpse.

At the same time, I noticed a faint touch on my skin. Looking around, a drizzle seemed to be coming down, slowly becoming heavier. Looking up, I also noticed that the sky is crumbling faster and faster, possibly reaching where I am soon. But I could not be bothered to run any longer. Taking up the last weapon I have, the knife I had found the first time I arrived, I skinned the tiger and devoured its meat.

Munch munch

It tasted horrible.

Gulp

Yet at the same time, it felt like the best food I ever had.

I could feel strength slowly welling up, maybe I became stronger. It is a great feeling, but as I looked at the crumbling world, I calmed down.

"I guess this is the end..." I muttered.

Finally, the crumbling reached where I am. Everything around me started to break down. The buildings, the tiger corpse, even the rain seemed to disappear into thin air. Finally, only the darkness is left. Weirdly, I did not feel the fear I felt before, only peace. Accompanied by my accumulated fatigue, my eyelids felt heavy.

Maybe it would be better to die peacefully while asleep, I thought to myself. At that same moment, I seemed to see a faint light among the darkness, that was the last thing I saw before my eyes finally closed.