"There...that should do it...", I muttered under my weary breath as retracted my hands before looking up.
UUU...UU...
The wounded Lycan let out a low whimper, after I finished binding its leg.
It stared at me with what seemed to be solemn eyes, as its broken body slowly inflated and contracted.
I was no beast whisperer but I could tell from its gaze...it was grateful.
I let out a small smile, "You're...welcome..."
My voice was dry and hoarse, thanks to my growing thirst. My stomach yearned for food but I had to bear it.
There was no way to get food or water, anyway.
"..."
Silence stretched on between us as the day seemed to get darker.
I remained still, simply staring at the beast before a voice latched my attention.
[You are in critical condition.]
TSS!!
Suddenly, the pain of my injured arm slammed into me, nearly knocking me out cold.
"Shit...", I gripped my arm, trying to stem the blood flow, "Ugh..."
[Skill: Blood Factor is active.]
Immediately the system spoke, the pain subsided and the blood flow slowed before coming to a halt.
HA...
I let out a sharp exhale before crashing to the ground.
Ugh...it hurts so much...
I thought before looking up at the sky.
Night is coming...
And if there was anything I knew about these godforsaken Woods, is that it never came with anything good.
SHIFF!
I forced myself to my feet, my legs shaking violently. The previously ghastly wound on my arm was slowly healing, but it wasn't gone yet.
I have...to find shelter...
GROWL!!
My stomach let out a loud sound.
And food...I need food...
I looked down at the wounded Lycan, my thoughts going on a dark train before I suddenly pulled myself out.
No! No!
I shook my head and hissed, my head spinning.
I've already lost too much...I... I don't want to lose the little bit of myself left...
My expression was one of pain, as my hand gripped my hair. I remained silent, simply staring at a tree before turning to the wounded beast.
SHIFF!
I bent down and stared deep into its eyes; my gaze desperate.
"Hey...I know this is stupid...b-but...do you know a place where we can stay, eat, drink water and sleep?"
I let out a shaky grin, my eyes pleading yet doubtful.
Ugh...is my situation so hopeless...that... I have to ask a wounded animal for help?
Well, it actually was.
I stared at the beast for a couple of minutes before sighing, it seemed to be in too much pain.
Shit...am screwed...
"Drat!", I ruffled my hair in frustration.
W-what do I do?! What do I do?!
I began to crash out, nearly proceeding to pull out my hair before...
HOWL....
The Lycan let out a low howl, forcing me to snap my head in its direction.
"W-what?"
The beast remained still for a few moments before forcing itself to its feet.
W-wait!
I was startled.
The Lycan was too injured to move and thus, needed rest. If it forcefully pushed itself, it may end up in a more perilous state.
And being the one who put it in such a state, I was indebted to help it.
"W-wai-", I tried to stop the beast, stretching out my hand to reach it before stopping.
The beast simply turned from me and began to walk away, not even sparing me a glance.
I paused for a moment, slightly puzzled.
W-what? It's leaving...or is it beckoning me to follow...
SHIFF!
The beast continued to walk, its frame stumbling a couple of times but surely advancing. I lingered for a few moments, slightly wary.
I took a good look around; it was already evening.
GULP!
"H-hey! Wait up!"
I sprinted up to the beast.
...
MUNCH! MUNCH!
My teeth chomped down, chewing on a stripped piece of bone.
AH...
That hit the spot...
I slumped back on the wall behind me and patted my stomach.
My gaze was serene for a moment before turning to another side of the room.
"Thank you.", I said, my voice filled with heartfelt gratitude.
HMPH!
The resting Lycan snorted in response, its back was turned to me as it laid on a scattering of grass.
It had led me back to its den–a small cave – where it laid down to rest and recuperate. The beast had also been hospitable enough to share its stock of meat with me, an action which made me deeply grateful.
But also raised a question.
If the beast had such a stock of meat, how was it injured then?
I had originally presumed that it was a hunt gone wrong but now I wasn't so sure.
The thought brought unease to my heart and because of it...
I couldn't sleep that night.
...
HA! HA!
THWACK! THWACK!
The sound of wood striking against wood reverberated through the space as I moved.
In my hands was the stray stick that had accompanied me since I rose from the dead and before me was a tree meant to serve as a training dummy.
HA! HA!
THWACK! THWACK!
I struck the tree with all my might, causing shards of wood to splinter off my crude weapon.
More! More!
THWACK! THWACK!
I landed two consecutive strikes with my stick, before finally backing up to take a break.
HA...! HA...!
Puffs of air escaped my mouth as I panted heavily, my face and body doused with sweat.
"I guess...that's it for today's training...", I muttered before dismissing the stick.
Inventory Close.
[Unequipped Item: Stray Stick.]
In response to my command, the stick shattered into several shards before vanishing.
HA...
I let out a sigh and thought.
20 pushups...20 situps...20 squats and 20 strikes...I think am much better than before!
Back in the real world, I could only do ten pushups but now, I could do 20. To me, it was a big improvement. It meant the more I leveled up, the more pushups I'll be able to do.
I let out a grin before turning away from the tree, heading back for the cave.
Stats.
[Name:] Dave
[Epithet:]???
[Level:] 2
[EXP:] 23/100
[Skills:] Saturation, Appraisal, Ease of Learning, Persuasion, Seduction, Artistic Sense, Ice Affinity, Blood Factor
[Aliases:] Davy Frosty, Master of the Arts
[Debuffs:] Dysfunctional Right Hand, Weakness, Ease of Learning, Gayshit
[Achievements:] Valor of the Frail
Two weeks had passed since my first meet with the Red Lycan and since then, we had hit it off pretty well.
In the first week, the Red Lycan and I had spent most of our time recovering. It'd occasionally rise to drink water from the nearby stream or eat meat but mainly rested.
It was warranted though, our first meeting had been a rather brutal one, one that took a great toll on the both of us.
Unlike the Red Lycan though, I had mainly suffered mentally. Blood Factor had worked tirelessly to bring my body into suitable condition. In fact, it wouldn't even be an overstatement to say that the only reason I had survived was because of Blood Factor.
It wasn't until the second week, that we both became active and frequently left the cave to go hunting.
So once again...
I cupped my hands and bowed my head.
Arigato, Shemzu.
I gave my thanks to the god, whoever he was.
It felt strange though...to give thanks to a god outside the one I originally served – I was Christian by the way.
"Who gives a shit...it's not like he saved me anyway..."
Immediately, I uttered that I froze, clasping my hands over my mouth.
Heresy!
"Oh...shit!"
I immediately dropped to my knees and bowed to the heavens.
I take back what I said! Please don't turn me into a King Herod!
I grew up in a rather overly-religious Christian family where I was deeply indoctrinated against any form or manner of heresy. I'd been frequently told that if I committed an act of blasphemy, thunder would smite me from the heavens.
As a child, it worked like a charm but as I grew older, I began to realize otherwise but still...it wasn't very easy to break free from one's mindset, especially if it had been cultivated from a rather early stage.
Ugh...all these shit about religion really makes my head spin...
I thought as I grabbed my head.
Inadvertently, I recalled a certain conversation I had with a classmate of mine on this topic.
'Hey Alex what do you think about God? I heard some people say you're atheist...is that true?'
This was during our first year of senior high.
'What...? I never said that shit!'
He said with a pissed expression before adding, his expression turning calm, 'I said that I serve all gods.'
A question mark flew on my head, 'What?'
'Hehe...oh come on, Dave...look at things from this perspective...'
He said, beckoning me closer, 'Christianity says that God is the Almighty, Islam says its Allah, Buddhism says Buddha, now tell me which is correct?'
I frowned, 'Obviously, Christianity. All others are wrong.'
'Haha...you see! Exactly that!'
I was deeply confused, 'What?'
'If I asked the Islam man the same question then he would give me the same answer as yours, 'Islam! Obviously!' and the same goes for the Buddhist or any other member of any religion. So then...which is truly correct?'
I scratched my head, puzzled, 'Uhhhh...I-I don't know...'
'Exactly! No one knows! So, the only safest path is all of them!'
I raised an eyebrow, my head seeming like it would burst.
Alex let out a wide grin, 'If the final day comes, I could simply side with the right religion and survive.'
'Wait...but wouldn't the...uhh...heralds know you committed blasphemy...they'll know you're lying.'
'Hehe...then I'll just lie to myself.'
'This dawg is fucking crazy!' were my thoughts that day.
"Ha...", I let out an amused sigh.
He might have been one helluva bastard but...with him...everything...felt...I don't know...much more interesting? I don't know...
Suddenly, a warm feeling began to rise in my heart and the system spoke.
[Debuff: Gayshit is active.]
Instantly, my face paled.
"What da fuck?!"
...
Soon, I arrived at the stream where the Red Lycan had previously been swimming before I left to train.
Now it was simply resting by the shore, it's restored crimson fur was rustling gently in the wind.
FWIP!
Its ears perked up, at the sound of my approaching and it rose its head to meet mine.
HUMPH!
It snorted, turning its head away from me and resting its gaze on the stream.
I chuckled in a low tone before squatting next to it and patting its head.
WHINE...
It let out a low sound as it submitted to my merciless patting, despite its cold snort from earlier, the Lycan was actually friendly.
It's behavior usually alternated from cold indifference to warm affection.
Much like a tsundere!
SCRUFF! SCRUFF!
I continued to pat the Lycan, frequently scratching its fur which made it release whines that indicated its comfort.
I smiled.
The Red Lycan wasn't particularly cute or adorable, in fact, it looked rather fierce if one where to describe its appearance. With sharp predator-like eyes, several battle scars and palpable bloodlust, the Red Lycan constantly radiated an aura of dread.
It was quite miraculous that I had survived my first encounter with it actually, if not for the numerous wounds it had beforehand and the fact that it was pregnant, I would have ended up like the many creatures I had seen it ruthlessly slaughter this week.
Oh did...I say that the Red Lycan was pregnant...yes, I did...I only found out two days ago though when I realized her bulging stomach...
It was quite a sight really.
I suddenly woke up that morning and...
BOOM!
I saw an inflated belly. I had thought maybe a late-night gourmet but soon, connected the dots when I began to notice her much calmer movements.
The Red Lycan which usually hunted every day since the start of last week, had not left the cave in the past two days.
This fact also explained the existence of the large food stock which I had met when I first came, she was preparing for the arrival of her cub.
HMM...
I patted the Red Lycan a little bit more before deciding to take a dip into the stream and wash up.
HOO...FWOO...
I stripped off my clothing and approached the shore of the stream.
Frankly, I was still traumatized by that lake. I had been able to overcome my fear of smaller bodies of water but still shuddered at the sight of larger ones.
The thought of my classmates rising up from their deep depths always sent a chill down my spine. The thought of meeting that enthralled Kansola always shook me to my core.
I frequently told myself that I'd overcome it one day, but I knew I was just deluding myself. If I couldn't even face this harmless stream of water, then how could I hope to save my friends from that horror.
HOO...FWOO...
I breathed again and approached the stream, taking a step forward off the shore, summoning all my willpower to dive into the lake before I stopped...
You know what...maybe I should tr-
But before I could finish my thoughts, I was suddenly thrown into the stream.
SPLASH!
Who?! Wha-?!
My head broke the surface and I screamed, "Why did you push me?!"
The Red Lycan didn't respond, simply staring at me smugly.
My mouth was hanging agape, my gaze utterly bewildered.
O-oh! We doing this, huh?!
Suddenly, I disappeared into the stream for a few moments before rising with a handful of water and immediately dousing the Red Lycan with it!
SPLISH!
"HAHA! How'd you like that?!"
The Red Lycan remained still for several seconds, her inaction made the air thick and tense, the silence uncomfortable.
GULP!
"Uhh...w-wait look am sorry...let's be mod-"
HOWL!!
My sentence was cut off by a fierce eye glint and a spine-tingling howl before the Lycan dove off the shore and into the stream.
EEK!!
My fearful cries were drowned out by the rushing stream and the Lycan's assault.
Oddly enough, I hadn't even realized my fear of water or how chillingly cold the stream was...