The sun was already down, and it was dark in the forest. If this continued, I wouldn't be able to find a safe place. Actually, could any safe place really exist there? If it did, I wanted it.
I just wandered aimlessly for a while, but it turns out there's nothing so convenient as a designated safety zone. It's a harsh reality for me. I had no choice but to think about spending the night in a big tree, but I'd never climbed a tree. The branches might be thick, but there was a possibility of falling off while I was asleep. There'd be no point in having survived the cat monster if I break my neck and die from falling out of a tree.
Ideally there would be something like strong vines I could use, but there isn't anything of the sort. My surroundings were already pitch black. Nothing I can do now, might as well give up.
I climbed a tree. I'd never done it before, but somehow I was able to do it anyway. It's probably because of my increased strength. I rested on a thick branch about four meters above the ground. The one I chose was particularly thick, so it should have been the most comfortable one possible. I wanted to think I could keep this up until morning.
Now I feel like having a drink. I activated [Spring Water] and just poured water directly into my mouth. Because there was no glass or dish or anything, that was just how I drank, I felt very distant from the civilized world.
I took out a chunk of meat from [Material Storage], about 3 kilograms. For some reason, there was no sand or soil on it anymore. Could it be that impurities would be removed when I put them in [Material Storage]? Let's test that tomorrow.
Rib meat of large civet cat ⇒ the fat is slightly reddish and the meat is slightly tough.
The material name was displayed in [Material Storage], but I checked the explanation with [Detailed Appraisal] just in case. I cooked a meal to cure injuries with [Recovery Meal] earlier, but this time I'd try to use [Cooking].
However, if I used it with just the materials I had on hand, I could easily end up with a bunch of hot meat landing right in my hands. I wonder if there's something I could…
When I looked around, I noticed some fairly big leaves hanging off the tree branches. I stripped several sheets worth of the leaves and washed them with [Spring Water].
Kayo leaf ⇒ Naturally antibacterial, it's ideal for wrapping meat that rots easily.
This leaf is perfect! I placed the rib meat on the kayo leaf and activated [Cooking]. A fire rose up a jiffy, and a delicious odour started tickling my nose.
I swallowed my saliva with a gulp. It was just a chunk of meat, but it had been cut into bite-size pieces like last time, so it would be easy to eat. However, just because I can grab it with my bare hands, that doesn't mean these are ideal eating conditions.
Grilled rib meat of large civet cat ⇒ Do you want to learn the skill [Night Vision]?
"Huh?"
I almost dropped the meat, but I managed to recover without losing it. Like before, there was a question mark in the description, but the description itself was amazing. Perhaps [Chef] is an occupation that allows you to learn skills with cooking? Wait, but if I had such a great ability, why did I end up like this? What's happening right now?
I couldn't understand the reason for it no matter how much I thought about it, so I moved on to the food! I grabbed it with my fingers. It's been a few minutes, but it's still hot. I blew on it and threw it into my mouth.
"Hmh!"
Wh-why does it taste so good!? Even for red meat, it was incredibly juicy and sweet. Moreover, there were flavors of salt and pepper for some reason, and even a bit of something like soy sauce. It's too delicious!
You have learned the skill [Night Vision].
A sentence appeared in my vision!
"…What the hell is that?"
I'm in a critical battle with a monster right now.
Race : Hyena Wolf, Level 150
Skill : [Sense of Smell Enhancement] [Claw Strike] [Wild Intuition] [Coordination]
Ability : HP [C] | MP [E] | STR [C] | INT [D] | AGI [B] | DEX [E] | LUK [E]
I was about to sleep for the night, but this hyena wolf showed up from somewhere. I watched from the top of the branches as it approached the big tree I planned to use as my bed. Fortunately, my view was clear even at night thanks to the [Night Vision] skill I just gained from the civet cat meat.
Then the hyena wolf, which basically has brown fur with a black stripe on its back, began to huff through its snout and locked its gaze onto me. In an instant, it was in battle mode, and leaped at me, even as I was still in the tree. The hyena wolf was about twice the size of a German Shepherd, and actually came close enough to scratch me.
I was so surprised I almost fell off the branch; the hyena wolf's claws had scratched and injured my leg. With haste, I took out a cut of meat and baked it with [Recovery Meal]. After I threw the baked meat into my mouth, the wound disappeared, so I threw in another piece and stored the rest in [Material Storage].
All that only took a few seconds. I was becoming an amazingly fast eater. Humans can seem capable of anything when they're in danger.
Before my eyes, the hyena wolf was staring me down and baring its fierce fangs. I didn't know if it would be useful, but I took out the copper sword from [Material Storage] and held it in my right hand. For some reason I could handle this sword like I'd been using it for years, even though it was my first time wielding it.
The hyena wolf leaped up again while I was thinking about that. My body moved instinctively, and the sword cut through the hyena wolf's front leg. I wasn't even conscious of my actions; it felt like my body was moving on its own.
The hyena wolf yipped in pain as blood gushed from its front leg. Serves you right!
"Awoooooooo!"
"Wha-what the, don't start howling all of a sudden!"
After the howl, it just loitered around the tree. Are you waiting for me to go to sleep? This could be troublesome, should I try using [Ignition] from here?
"[Ignition]."