Chapter 4

“It’s the market that makes the side dishes,” as the saying goes…

He began to seriously eat the grilled rat skewers he wouldn’t normally touch. Just like before, light enveloped his body, and another message was delivered to his phone.

“Did I level up?”

Congratulations! You’ve leveled up! Reward: Random Card -> Would you like to claim your reward now? (Y/n) _(Note) Unclaimed rewards will be automatically deleted after 7 days.

As expected, the message was about leveling up.

“Hmm…”

The man thought it would be nice if this time he got a proper, decent skill instead of something weird like “Biting,” and he pressed Y.

Then, just like before, a card spun on the screen, and a different card from earlier appeared.

Congratulations! You have acquired the skill card ‘Bloodbath.’ : Skill cards can be equipped in card slots to use their abilities.

• Would you like to equip the skill card in a card slot? (Y/n) _ [Click here for detailed card information.]

“…”

He had hoped for a more normal card, but… This time, a skill card with a name that sounded awful just by hearing it appeared.

“Bloodbath…”

The man, who somehow no longer even had the energy to be angry, checked the card’s detailed information.

Card Information Name: Bloodbath Level: 1Lv Experience: 0 Grade: Common Category: Skill Growth: Late Bloomer (Medium) Attribute: None Effect: 2% chance to cause fear to the enemy on successful attack Cost: 10 Slot: 2 slots

“Damn it…”

The man unknowingly swore.

No wonder; a 2% chance on a successful attack means it would cause fear only once in fifty attacks.

Of course, probability isn’t always exact, but this was ridiculous. This skill perfectly deserved the word “trash.”

“Sigh… well, that’s just my luck.”

Even when he bought a lottery ticket, he rarely even won the last place prize once or twice a year, so how could his luck be any different in this situation? Being in this situation itself probably meant he was already unlucky.

Even if it was trash, he figured it was better than nothing, so he registered it in a slot, then dragged another monster rat carcass over and began to tear off and eat the remaining pieces of meat. As he filled his stomach a little, the man began to feel drowsy.

He had wondered what he would do while floundering at the bottom of the cliff earlier… But with a warm bonfire and his stomach reasonably full, even though there was a strong musky smell, he slowly began to relax.

However… Just as the man began to nod off towards the bonfire, a sound effect announcing another message echoed through the already dark sky.

“This is driving me crazy…”

He had just been roused from the verge of sleep, but the man still clutched his throbbing head and checked the new message.

Tutorial starts. 4. Protect the bonfire.

• As darkness falls, the beasts of the forest begin to target you. The bonfire will be your only shield to protect you. Guard the bonfire until morning so it doesn’t go out. (Time remaining 07:28)

“…”

For a moment, the man looked blank, wondering what this meant. But only for a moment. Soon, the sound of red and blue eyes steadily approaching from the forest jolted him awake.

“Th-this damn it…”

At first, he thought it might just be will-o’-the-wisps… But as they got closer to the bonfire, their true forms gradually revealed themselves. On one side, three or four red-furred wolves were approaching, and beside them, a saber-toothed tiger the size of a calf was drawing near.

These were beasts on a different level than the monster rat he had faced earlier. The man instinctively tried to step back but stopped dead in his tracks. After all, behind him was a cliff… And he realized that if he left the bonfire, he would be attacked immediately.

The man frantically checked the remaining firewood. And despaired.

“I-I’m screwed.”

With only three or four dry branches, even if he used them sparingly, he couldn’t possibly last until morning. Whether they knew his feelings or not… The wolf pack and the saber-toothed tiger began to confront him, surrounding the bonfire and the man, as if not giving an inch.

There was no time to wonder why a creature like a saber-toothed tiger existed in such a place. The man’s head felt like it would explode just thinking about how to survive until morning.

• Grrrroooowl.

He was already scared to death, but now the wolf pack and the saber-toothed tiger began to growl and raise their intimidating aura as if claiming ownership of the man. Enveloped by the thick killing intent emanating from their gleaming eyes, the man found it difficult to even keep his wits about him.

The man resented. If this was going to happen, shouldn’t they have at least told him to gather a lot of firewood beforehand, or given him a hint so he could come up with other countermeasures? What kind of ridiculous situation was this, throwing two absurd skills that he doubted even had any effect?

But whether they knew of the man’s resentment or not, the blowing wind was burning up the already insufficient firewood even faster.

A way… He had to find a way. At this rate, he would become prey for either the wolves or the saber-toothed tiger before morning.

As the man frantically racked his brain, his eyes caught sight of the monster rat carcass, now almost unrecognizable. Perhaps… Could he use this?

The man pondered. There was still a little firewood left. If he used it sparingly, he could last at least three or four hours. The problem was after that. If he played his cards right… Could he avert the crisis with this monster rat carcass?

“Hoo…”

The man took a deep breath and collected himself. Using the monster rat carcass as bait right now was not a wise idea. To make the most of the given opportunity… He had to wait until they were hungrier. If he threw the monster rat carcass now… It would only serve as a tasty appetizer for them. If they got even a little full, His plan to sow discord between them when it mattered most could fall apart.

The man nervously watched the bonfire and waited. An hour passed, And another hour passed. They should have retreated by now, but they didn’t. The wolf pack and the saber-toothed tiger kept their glowing, fierce eyes fixed on him, unwilling to give an inch. The only fortunate thing was that no other beasts approached besides the wolf pack and the saber-toothed tiger in front of him.

The man waited anxiously. Another hour passed. Now the bonfire’s heat had noticeably weakened, and there was only one dry branch left. The man broke off the branch and put it into the bonfire. Perhaps it was due to the blowing wind. The firewood was consumed much faster than expected.

“Hoo…”

The man took a deep breath and collected himself. And waited again. He waited for about thirty minutes. Now, only a faint flame remained, looking like it could go out at any moment. The wolves and the saber-toothed tiger seemed to know the bonfire would soon die out, and their breathing was growing heavier.

Now. It was now. The man stabbed the cold, dead monster rat’s belly with his knife, forcing it open, then threw it between the wolf pack and the saber-toothed tiger. Instantly, the beasts flinched and reacted. But they looked at each other and didn’t move.

“Damn it…”

The man rummaged through the monster rat’s carcass, which had turned into a messy pulp, with his knife. It had been dead for quite some time and was stiff with cold, but as he rummaged through the carcass with his knife, uncoagulated blood and bodily fluids flowed out. The man threw that into the middle of the wolves and the saber-toothed tiger again. This time, there was a clear reaction. The intense scent of blood and bodily fluids captivated the hungry beasts’ sense of smell.

As one of the wolves moved a step towards the monster rat’s carcass, the saber-toothed tiger bared its teeth and threatened. As if… Warning them not to touch its prey. But the wolf pack, in response to the saber-toothed tiger’s threatening movement, also bared their teeth and began to growl. Another wolf stepped towards the monster rat’s carcass. Then the saber-toothed tiger lowered its body and took an even more aggressive threatening stance.

The man quietly watched all of this… And decided to pull the final trigger. He threw another monster rat carcass between them. The moment the monster rat carcass flew through the air and hit the ground. The wolf pack and the saber-toothed tiger sprang up like coiled springs and charged at each other.

• Thump!

A lead wolf was struck by the saber-toothed tiger’s front paw and sent flying sideways. But the wolf pack instead howled loudly and then burrowed into both sides of the saber-toothed tiger, attacking it from all directions.

• Roar!

The saber-toothed tiger bared its huge fangs and parried the wolves’ attacks. But an attack from a wolf that charged from behind bit into its hindquarters.

• Yelp!

The wolf that had sunk its teeth into the saber-toothed tiger’s hindquarters leaped into the air and spun its body like a top. With that unbelievable attack, chunks of flesh tore away from the saber-toothed tiger’s hindquarters, and blood spurted out. However, even amidst this, the saber-toothed tiger succeeded in sinking its sharp fangs into the neck of a wolf that had lunged for its throat.

• Crack!

The sound of a neck bone breaking instantly reached the man, who was a considerable distance away, and the wolf’s body went limp. The saber-toothed tiger, having instantly dispatched one wolf, then struck the head of another wolf that was approaching from the side with its front paw. The wolf, hit by that powerful blow, yelped and tumbled on the ground, and perhaps suffering a concussion, struggled to get back on its feet.

One wolf had died instantly from a broken neck, another, which had been hit by the saber-toothed tiger’s front paw first, was limping on its foreleg, seemingly with a broken leg, keeping its distance from the saber-toothed tiger, and the one hit later was staggering and disoriented. Now, there was only one wolf left that could fight properly. The saber-toothed tiger, whose anger was boiling over because its hindquarters had been torn, no longer hesitated as the other wolves struggled and charged at the remaining wolf. But this wolf was quite agile. It seemed to dodge the saber-toothed tiger’s lightning-fast paw, then burrowed underneath and sank its teeth into the saber-toothed tiger’s throat.

The saber-toothed tiger thrashed and frantically clawed at the wolf’s body with its front paws. But the wolf, despite staggering from being hit by the huge saber-toothed tiger’s paws, stubbornly held on to the saber-toothed tiger’s throat with its teeth. Then, the wolf that had been hit late and was staggering came charging at the saber-toothed tiger again. The saber-toothed tiger fought desperately, but eventually, not long after, it was bitten in the spine by the second wolf. Immediately, the three beasts thrashed and tumbled on the ground.

The man watched them, then quickly got up and grabbed all the firewood he could from the edge of the forest. The limping wolf that had disengaged from the fight bared its teeth and made threatening gestures, but the man didn’t care and gathered as much as he could carry back to the bonfire. With this much… He would now be able to last until morning.

But just then. The man realized that the red-furred wolf, limping on its front paw, was right in front of him.

“Oh no!”

It was good that he quickly put the firewood on the flickering flame, but… For a moment, the flame was obscured, and the surroundings darkened, allowing the wolf to approach! And by the time he realized all of this, it was already too late. The wolf’s massive body was lunging at the man.