The cave was still quite dark, but with my night vision skill, it felt almost like daylight, so I could manage.
Dragging the deer's corpse into the cave, I placed it off to the side and began to think.
"Now, how am I gonna cook this?"
There was no way I was going to eat it raw. Unlike the other red apes, who ate their food as it was, I needed to cook mine. I was a modern person, not a barbarian. But there was a problem—I needed fire, and I didn't have any fire skills. From what I had gathered, learning a skill needed a catalyst. For example, when I wanted to see in the dark, I concentrated my senses on my eyes and, eventually, learned the night vision skill.
"Okay, time to go primitive," I muttered, resigned. I had to start a fire somehow. The thought of eating raw meat was too unpleasant.
Taking two stones from the cave floor, I glanced around at the rocky walls, wondering if I could use something dry like wood or grass to catch a spark.
"Let's do it like the ancients did."
I left the cave and looked around, eventually finding some scattered pieces of wood. Gathering them up, I returned and sat down, arranging the wood and some dry grass in a small pile. Then, I began striking the two stones together over the grass, hoping for a spark. Just one would be enough.
TINK. TINK. TINK.
But no matter how hard I tried, not even a hint of a spark showed.
"Fuuuck, how do I do this?" I muttered in frustration. But giving up would mean raw meat, and I wasn't willing to settle for that.
"Please… just once."
CRACK!
The stones shattered to pieces from overuse, leaving me empty-handed. I would have to find more stones, but there weren't any left in the cave that I could use.
"I have to look for some," I sighed, dragging myself out of the cave to search.
---
Thirty minutes later, I hadn't found a single suitable stone. Each one I tried had crumbled with little effort.
"Guess I'll have to go back."
Just as I turned to head back, a sudden tightness gripped my chest. Cold sweat began to drip, and my tail tucked instinctively between my legs. My heart pounded, and my instincts screamed a warning—something was behind me.
[Magic Sense]
Expanding my senses to grasp the area around me, I tried to identify what was there.
"That's it!"
I couldn't move. If I did, I would die; I felt it. I saw it—a massive black sabertooth leopard. It was enormous, at least four meters tall and six meters in length. Its huge, curved teeth were each the size of my torso, capable of devouring me in a single bite. This creature was at least two ranks higher than me, maybe more. It was an apex predator, the undisputed king of this area.
The leopard lay atop a massive tree branch, staring directly at me with an intensity that made my back go cold. Every instinct within me screamed to hide my presence.
[Stealth learned]
In my desperation, I even learned a new skill. But I knew that if I didn't get out of here, I would be dead within seconds. Slowly, I took a few steps backward, then turned and ran at full speed.
[Strengthen]
Activating Strengthen in my legs, I boosted my speed as much as possible while maintaining Stealth to keep from drawing attention. I also kept Magic Sense active, scanning my surroundings as I ran.
Even from a distance, I could feel its gaze fixed on me. The pressure of that predator's stare didn't fade until I was back at the small cave. Only then did I feel its eyes finally turn away.
"That was dangerous… who knew a Rank 4 black leopard was in this forest?"
That creature could easily destroy entire cities, yet it was here, in this forest of all places. I knew I couldn't stay here any longer. I needed to move and find a new hiding spot, somewhere far enough away that I could feel at least a little safe.