Phew! Phew!
Inhale, exhale.
My breath was pouring out of my mouth at a steady pace. Now one lap to the finish line. The 'fast-footed deer' glanced back at me with a look of great confusion and heavy breathing.
The distance is only two steps.
'As expected, the rhythm is completely broken.'
The problem was that I pushed the pace too hard in the beginning. I squinted slightly at him as I ran alongside him and took my last sprint.
Phew!
"Sorry! I'll go first."
The heavy breathing of the 'swift deer' could be heard behind me.
"Oh my! Oh my! Che...onil! Cheonil!"
As they reached the finish line, the village elder struck their palms with the animal's thigh bone.
widely!
Tribal people around the finish line cheered and gathered to congratulate the winner.
Waaa ...
"The white person is the winner!"
"Wow! You caught up with that."
"That was the best game I've ever seen in my life!"
"Cheonil! Cheonil!"
"A very Great Cheonil!"
I was surrounded by tribal people and received warm congratulations. Of course, the only things I could understand from what they were saying were 'white person' and my name.
At the same time, a welcome notification sound came into my head that the quest had been completed.
[Tiring!]
[Linked Quest (1) has been completed.]
[80 experience points will be awarded as a reward.]
'Whew! Fortunately, we won.'
At that moment, my eyes met with 'The Moon Rises', who was full of joy and excitement. When I gave her a bright smile, 'The Moon Rises' still looked away as if she was embarrassed.
And just in time, the young people, including the 'fast deer' who had been running the race, arrived at the finish line one by one.
The 'fast-moving deer', who was catching his breath with his back bent and his chest out, approached me and gave me a thumbs up.
"Amazing! Two thousand days!"
I taught the meaning of giving a thumbs up to the 'fast-footed deer' who has become very close to me recently. When I saw him using it right away, I immediately gave him a thumbs up and responded.
"you also!"
I wanted to talk to him more, but this was the limit for now. A moment later, I was standing before the chieftain, the 'Forest Hunter', again.
"This year's winner is a very big one!"
"······."
I stood there blankly and accepted the award he handed me. The prize for the winner of the race is a sun-dried deer leg.
And there were not just one, but four. He walked out to the congratulations of the people, carrying a deer's hind legs tied to a rope on each shoulder.
"Congratulations! A very big two thousand days!"
"Invite me when you eat that meat."
It felt strange. It felt like when I was little and won first place in the race and received a prize during the sports day at elementary school.
'By the way, what should I do with this meat?'
I wish I had put this meat in my inventory right now. But I endured it because there were many eyes watching me.
* * *
After the game, the festival began in earnest. The villagers shared the food they had prepared and chatted in a pleasant atmosphere.
I also took a seat with the young people and ate some food. Charcoal grilled meats, cornbread, bean porridge, etc. Sometimes, children would come up to me with curious eyes and say hello.
"hello."
"Okay, hello!"
I could say simple greetings in their language. But the problem started after that. Did you get courage from seeing children?
People of all ages and genders came up to me, greeted me, and revealed their names.
"A very big two thousand days! I am the 'star of the night sky.'"
"It's my first time saying hello. I'm 'With the Swamp.'"
"Hello. Big two thousand days! I am 'Sharp Claws.'"
Although they don't know the exact meaning, they were so busy exchanging greetings and memorizing words that they didn't even know if the food was going into their nose or mouth.
'How can I remember all these people, over a hundred people? It's driving me crazy.'
After a while, late at night, I was able to enter the shack where I was staying. There was quite a lot of luggage. I started by taking care of the deer's hind legs first.
I looked around the hut and then walked towards the wooden pillar.
"This place seems okay."
As 'The Moon Rises' instructed, the ends of the hooves of the deer's hind legs were tied together. Then, the two hind legs of the deer were hung on a wooden pole so that they would not lean to one side.
"Okay."
Fortunately, the wooden pole was close to the fire pit, so it didn't seem to absorb moisture. And then he pondered for a moment over the remaining two deer hind legs.
"Let's say I ate because I was hungry."
I thought of an excuse and immediately shouted out the inventory. A spear, a club, and three food items took up slots in my inventory.
"custody!"
Two deer hind legs each took up an empty slot in your inventory. There are now three slots remaining. I used my inventory primarily for food just in case.
"It's sturdy."
I turned my head and looked down at the weapons lying on the floor. During the day, there were people around so I couldn't properly inspect the weapons.
First, I picked up the stone and examined it more carefully than before. The wooden window sill was decorated with ornate bird patterns.
"It looks exactly like an eagle."
Looking at the spearhead, the material was, as expected, stone. I nodded my head with eyes full of doubt. This time, a club.
As expected, the material is wood. But it was a little different from the clubs I had seen. The club was a bit bigger and heavier, perhaps because it was made with my body in mind.
The wood material was quite hard, and most of all, there was a sharp point like an awl sticking out from the part that was struck.
"If I get hit once, my head will be completely shattered."
I shook my head and compared it with the weapons stored in my inventory. At first glance, the weapons I received as a reward seemed sturdier.
I took out the weapons in my inventory and stored the spear and club I received as a reward in their slots. Next, we looked at the shield and bow.
The shield that covered almost my entire body was also made of wood. There's also a handle inside... It was just an ordinary shield, with nothing particularly special about it.
However, the outer surface of the shield seemed to have been elaborately covered with leather.
"···hmm!"
I hesitated for a moment whether to keep these weapons in my inventory or not. However, I had never shot a bow or handled a shield.
'I'm not used to it, so it might be a bit awkward to use in a hurry.'
For now, keep it in your inventory.
"By the way, it looks like there's no glue, so how did you stick it?"
My curiosity was fleeting, and as expected, what I was looking for was nowhere to be found. And no matter how much I looked at the almost primitive form of bow and arrow, I couldn't find what I was looking for.
Without realizing it, I frowned and let out a sigh.
Phew!
"Why are you so reckless?"
Although I didn't want to admit it to myself, my anxiety was gradually turning into confidence.
"You don't know how to make iron?"
In all the years I've lived in this town I've never seen anything made of iron.
"Leather clothes, huts, too. How can there be no alcohol at a festival? We're not stuck in the Neolithic Age. Damn it!"
No matter how much I thought about it, there were more than a few cases that I couldn't understand.
"Oh my god! My head hurts!"
As a headache began to creep up on me, I placed my weapons on one side of the hut and slowly lay down on the leather-covered floor.
"Yeah. We can't solve all the questions overnight. Let's find out step by step."
[Tiring!]
[Quest has been activated.]
[Linked Quest (2): Enjoy the Festival. Win the 'Far Throw Rock' competition.]
"Throw the rock far away···"
I felt a little unsure about the exact weight of the rock.
"We'll find out tomorrow."
* * *
A day passed and the second day of the festival arrived. I woke up at dawn, went for a light run, and safely finished today's daily life quest.
And just like yesterday, another game was held before the townspeople shared their food.
'Throw the rock far'
Although there was a bit of a communication problem, it wasn't too late for the 'Fast Deer' to sign me up for this game.
'It must be really heavy.'
He looked down at the rock as big as an adult's head in front of him and relaxed his hands, feet and body with a tense expression.
At that moment, a young man who seemed to be a strong contender for the championship and who seemed to have a lot of strength at first glance approached me and spoke to me in a slow tone.
"Ah… a very big one… hehe! I don't know! I'm not… an idiot! I'm strong… strong! I'll… win!"
"······."
I had seen his face a few times while walking around town, but this was my first time talking to this man.
'Huh! Why do you speak like that? Do you normally stutter?'
Moreover, unlike other men whose average height was only about 160-165cm, he was almost 175cm tall.
'Here, we are in the absolute giant category.'
And overall, the upper body muscles were developed, and the bones were solid at first glance.
"I am a... honest bear! I am a... honest bear!"
As he continued to call out his name, the game call was heard. After a while, there were five people, including me, participating in the 'rock throw' competition.
As I was the last in line, I waited on one side for my turn. Today, too, the game proceeded smoothly amidst the cheers and support of the townspeople.
The boulders were quite heavy, so the people who threw them made faces that made the tendons on their foreheads pop out.
Is that why? Despite their efforts, the rock did not fly very far. However, you only get two chances to throw the rock. They waited on one side, hoping to get revenge on the next opportunity.
At that moment, the 'Honest Bear', a strong candidate to win the game, stepped forward and roared.
Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!
'I see why his name is Bear.'
At that moment, the 'Honest Bear' lightly threw the rock he was holding as if he was playing with a toy. I was so startled that I stood up from my seat without realizing it when I saw the rock flying in the distance.
Waaa ...
The townspeople cheered at the 'Honest Bear's' incredible strength. The 'Honest Bear' seemed to enjoy the cheers and smiled foolishly.
"Hehehe! My... guardian spirit is a bear! I am a... honest bear! I... am a bear!"
"A very big two thousand days!"
When my name was called by the elders, I walked towards the line drawn. I took a deep breath and lifted the rock. As the impression came to me, a curse almost came out of my mouth.
'Damn! It's so fucking heavy.'
You must win this match to gain experience, rewards, and complete quests. I raised my head and looked at the status window that I had previously turned on.
[Lv 2. Lee Cheon-il]
[Affiliation: No.]
[Characteristic (1/8): Map.]
[Ability]
Strength: 22
Agility: 16
Stamina: 23
Wisdom: 15
[Remaining points: 4]
[Beginner combat skills]
– Martial Arts (7/20.)
I looked at the 'remaining points'.
'I saved up points for times like this.'
First, just one thing. I quickly invested one of my remaining points into strength.
[Tiring!]
[+1 invested into Strength.」
[Strength changed to 23.]
At that moment, I felt a surge of energy and strength flowing through my body.
'It definitely feels different.'
Just then, when the starting signal was heard, I threw the rock I was holding with all my might.