After four days of work and struggles, I finished building traps in my territory to fend off any unwanted guests. I acted generous about using my resources when making them and even surprised myself with the amount I set. But since I will be using trees to travel, I do not care if all the ground turns into one massive trigger for a death trap, they do not work against me, but I cannot say the same thing against my foes. But foes can wait a little longer for me or die by one of the traps I prepared with love and care just for them. I must cook and defeat the enemy I call hunger first.

 

One benefit of my traps is that not only creatures like goblins are getting harmed and kept away from me, but sometimes even the small hunt stumbles into them and dies. I even hold an example in my hands today, a rabbit that triggered one of my traps and turned into a perfect surprise for me. I found him while checking the surrounding area. I was moving around, controlling if any monster group attacked my land until I heard a painful whimper, and when I looked to see the source, I found him. A spear I used in a trap pierced the rabbit's leg but got stuck there too, so the rabbit, unable to move, was waiting to die there. The second I saw him suffering, I killed him and ended his pain.

 

And back to now, that rabbit is already processed into fur, meat, bones, and fat. I wasted nothing. Now, comparing the ones back on earth to him, this rabbit was a bit bigger, had two little horns on its head, and had lots of fat, meat, and small inner organs, which is perfect for a hunt if you ask me.

 

So, I will cook it with a simple recipe for simple me. Skin the game and separate inner organs from the meat. I already did this part, so pass. Back to organs, they are perfectly edible but wouldn't be my first preference when it comes to taste, so put them aside for later use. Now, the recipe changes based on what you have in your kitchen. I only have this hunt and some wild herbs and plants I foraged, so I make something fitting that, a stew.

 

This rabbit has lots of fat, so I will melt it in a dutch oven to make a nonsticky and tasteful layer, then add the boneless meat I cut into big cubes into the pot. We will cook the rabbit's meat until all surfaces turn brown, then I will add water and top it with herbs and wild plants. You may add other things you have, like salt or spices.

 

While those cook, I recommend using the bones you got from the animal for extra nutrients and flavor. "Hah, doing my little cook show. Being alone isn't good for one's sanity, but let's keep it going, at least for now. It helps me, even though I don't want to admit it." The marrow inside the bones is edible and filled with insane amounts of nutrients. Split the bones into half, sear them over the flames, and when marrow softens, put it inside your dutch oven, or eat it right from the bone if you want to, but I prefer the other way. After everything is in the dutch oven, stir our stew a little, then close the lid. When it's ready, enjoy it by yourself or with the company.

 

"And while waiting for food to be ready," I made a gun gesture with my left hand and aimed it towards a rock on the ground. "Let's practice shooting."

 

Mana flows through your body and concentrates at your fingertips. That is the first step of using a spell, not mixing it up with magic. My research over that beginner book to magicka made me understand one thing. A man with no ability to magic can learn to use pre-created magic called spells through some means, by it an item, or a scroll, which in my situation is thanks to this weird thing inside my head. So, while I am not even a beginner in art magicka, I can use a spell since I got it as a reward for killing the shaman. But, just because you know a spell doesn't mean you mastered it. You must train with it as if it was your only weapon for maximum efficiency.

 

Well. If boring my lecture is over, it is time for the second step of using a spell, aiming it toward your target. In this case, it is this stone I forgot to remove while working with the interior. "Eyes on target, hands-on trigger." A small ice piece appeared in front of my finger. It is floating in the air, ready to be shot. "Fire." I closed my hand, and ice launched itself forward, and after half a second of flying, it landed on its target. The shattered pieces of ice and rock got scattered to the different parts of the cave.

 

I looked at my hand. "Still have that gun mastery, huh? I suppose you can never forget some skill when you get a good enough grip on them." I got up from the ground. "There are still hours before this thing cooks. I better move out and check around meanwhile."

 

                                         

                                       *****

 

And just as I took my first step outside, a lone wolf emerged from the forest surrounding my cave. I am glad I have a space that doesn't have any trees or similar covers in front of my home, so I can spot any threats approaching, but take that aside for a second because I wonder what this animal is doing here. *Sniff* it isn't even smelling meat outside. Well, this is one of the things I must deal with while living in this world.

 

I reached to my back and grabbed my sword's handle with my left hand. "I don't have any food for you, doggy. You might want to go somewhere else to find something to eat. Hey, I heard wolves like to eat goblin meat, and there could be one or two dead goblins in my traps waiting to be eaten by someone. What about you going for a scavenge and leaving me alone? Isn't it a good enough deal?"

 

I got my answer from the beast, an angry growl and four threateningly sharp fangs. Now, I don't want to fight with a wolf mad enough to attack the first living thing it sees. I am not scared of getting hurt, but I prefer keeping my energy and time for future fights, ones that are much more important than, let's say, this.

 

But I suppose this guy doesn't care about how I feel. Wolf began approaching me. His mouth is open and ready to strike. I can see all of the teeth inside his mouth. There is even some saliva dripping from there. I wonder how hungry this guy is.

 

The distance between us is slowly shortening, but I have something other than using my sword in my head. "Direct the limb you want to activate the spell towards the target." I released my grip on my sword's handle and made a gun with my left hand.

 

"Focus, and collect the energy on the exit point." That is my index finger. "Now, slowly and carefully aim toward your target." The wolf's head. I don't want to miss my shot, so I am ready to wait a little more.

 

A shot to the chest wasn't enough to kill a goblin, but why not try your luck again in a wolf? Maybe a clean hit to the head will end it. If not, then use the sword on your back. It is not like this slow-moving creature will speed up anytime soon.

 

 

Ah, my big mouth. I suppose this wolfie is smart enough to understand something weird is happening. I wonder if it's because of the blue light or the ice shard, but it changed its pace and began running towards me at top speed, with his mouth open to bite.

 

Let's end this. "The last step, stop focusing, and release your spell, like a sniper shooting its shot." I closed my hand and fired the spell toward the wolf. The shot flew to its target with a whistle made by ripping through the air.

 

I nodded approvingly to my shot, as it was impressively fast compared to last time. The crystal projectile is much faster this time. I wonder the reason. Maybe practice is really that important.

 

Ice hit the wolf, even though I missed where it did, but the beast gave a painful howl and collapsed. His body slid on the ground thanks to the acceleration and stopped right in front of my boot. I crouched to see how effective the ice shard was.

 

Wolf was still trying to breathe, despite a river of blood flowing out of his mouth. I raised my sword, stabbed it from the hearth, and killed the beast. The suffering ended. Now I can do my inspection. You cannot let an animal suffer, even if it tried to kill you. Unlike humans, they do it because they need to.

 

I grabbed the wolf's head to find the point of impact. "Nothing deadly on the forehead." I pulled the wolf's corpse toward myself and turned it around to inspect its neck. "And that's why you collapsed." Ice projectile penetrated through the wolf's throat and cut vital veins there.

 

I moved back to the cave and grabbed something to skin the wolf. "It will be a waste if I left all this meat and fur to root."

 

                                          

                                        *****

 

After a bloody process of cutting, tearing, and slicing, I got myself lots of protein-rich meat to eat and silver-colored fur to make a pillow. But as I was getting up, something hit me.

 

The ground shook as a howl loud enough to force me to close my ears echoed through the forest. Suddenly, thousands of birds began leaving their nests and flying away from a point, and fuck me because I will go there and check it.

 

I dashed back to the cave, dropped everything I got from that wolf in a corner, and immediately began running towards the forest. "Go where birds are not. The thing that caused this is probably there." I jumped to the first tree and grabbed its trunk. And a short climb after I reached my place, right over the branches. Hopping from one to another, I began moving toward the target location.

 

I stopped after a short trip. I feel terrified, and the cause is near. I can feel a presence. Someone is knocking on my chest. My rib cage can barely hold my hearth in its place. What is the beast that can cause this?

 

I found my answer as an enormous beast got into my sight. A wolf, larger than an adult African elephant, well, at least from the ones I saw in a zoo. But, even from afar, I can see its giant fangs sticking out of his mouth. Mine only be a guess, but I say each fang is half the size of my greatsword, including the handle. When I look away from that dangerous mouth, its body isn't any better. Scars cover his body. Cuts, burned fur, and even some broken arrows stuck on his flesh. This beast undoubtedly saw a lot of battles and survived all of them.

 

But this is not all. Its mouth is massive. Its head's proportion to its body is weird compared to other wolves. With a jaw that big, I bet it can even eat a lamb in one go.

 

I am ashamed to call myself the wolf looking at this beast. Wait. It suddenly changed its movements. Did it sense me? Hopefully not.

 

 A single, unlucky draugr appeared from afar and decided to challenge the massive beast. Maybe because he has no other choice or undead monsters are just plain stupid, but he stood his ground. I want to watch the fight. The draugr will most certainly lose, but how hard it will be, that's what I care.

 

Draugr made the first move and threw his spear towards the beast. Point little toy hit the monster's head and fell right off. It wasn't that impressive, and I think wolf also thinks the same. It just shook his head, then leaped forward. Wolf threw the draugr to the air using its head, caught it with its mouth, and snapped him into half with a single bite. Dried flesh, bones, and even metal armor were nothing more than paper against this bite.

 

"I saw enough." I turned away from the monster. I must escape from here, silently and quickly. There is no way I am going after that thing. But as I stretched my body for the first jump, a blue screen appeared in front of me.

 

[Hunt and kill the Great Alpha Graywolf.]

 

"You gotta be fucking kidding me."