It tried to scare me, imitating the growl of a wolf.
But I wasn't that stupid. The real wolf had blue eyes.
What stepped from the shadows was an injured wild boar, breath ragged as it tried to drink.
Believing I could win, I rushed at it.
My arms locked around its neck as it spun, thrashing to throw me off. Even when we fell, I didn't let go.
Its hide was slick with mud and blood. I clawed at its face and gouged out one eye.
The boar screamed, flinging me away, hooves tearing the dirt.
I staggered to my feet, dizzy. When it charged again, I slipped into its blind spot. My hand closed around a heavy stone.
I swung. Brains spilled. Blood drenched me. The smell alone fed my hunger.
I swung again and again until I realized it was already dead.
The silence that followed was broken only by my heartbeat. I struck it one last time, just to be sure.
"Thank you for the meal," I whispered, dragging the carcass home by its horns.
Knock. Knock.
Father opened the door, eyes widening at the sight of me bloody and shaking. Together we hauled the boar inside.
I washed the blood from my hands and face. When I came to the table, the smell of roasting meat filled the house.
Mother brought out soup thick with vegetables and meat. She smiled softly.
"Sam, it's truly amazing, you hunted such a big boar on your own."
Ina and Leon beamed at me. For once, we ate without worry. That night, we didn't worry about food.
After dinner, I tucked my siblings into bed. When I came downstairs, my parents were waiting.
"Sam," Father began, his voice tired, "we need you at the farm. If we can't pay the two-silver tax…"
I met his eyes. "Dad… I know it's hard, but I've already made my choice. I'm going to become a knight."
Mother gasped, covering her mouth. Father slammed the table. "A knight? No. Stay and help us!"
"Father, don't worry," I said calmly. "My sword and my will won't bow to anyone. My blade will always point toward home."
He hesitated, torn between pride and fear.
"One of us has to go to the military either way," I continued. "I won't send Leon. I'll go. If I become a knight, we won't have to worry about money."
Father's shoulders slumped. "...Fine. I'll allow it. But don't think I'm proud."
"Before I go, I need to know something," I said, tossing a small ball of mana toward Mother.
Instantly, she raised a barrier.
I grinned. "Just as I thought. General Sven, right hand of the previous king. And Grand Mage Natalie."
Both froze. Their silence told everything.
---
A few days passed. I trained in the forest with my sword, the sun bleeding through the trees.
At night, Father taught me swordsmanship when my siblings slept.
During the day, Mother taught me magic and cooking when no one else was home.
Being a peasant had its perks; no noble manners, no politics. Only work, sweat, and progress.
In time, I learned enough to begin real training.
*Growl… Growl.*
"Hmm… guess I should hunt for dinner."
The forest offered plenty of snakes, rabbits, boars, even wolves.
I used my makeshift bow.
After hours of tracking, I'd gathered ten snakes, eight rabbits, and five fish.
When I returned home, my siblings played in the yard, Mother cleaned, and Father split wood by the shed.
Peace.
A part of me wanted this moment to last forever.
But deep down, I knew better.
In six years, Ina would become a hero.
And chaos would follow.
There won't be a third time I lose my sister.
Never again.
I handed Mother all the fish and four of the rabbits.
Then, with the rest slung over my shoulder, I left for the village outskirts toward the old doctor.
He was a scammer. The kind of man who believed snake oil could cure anything from fevers to curses.
But I didn't care. What mattered was that he paid well for snake skin.
Behind his hut, I started separating the meat from the scales. At first, my hands were clumsy, the knife slipping on the slick flesh.
By the last one, I could strip a snake clean in seconds.
He happily gave me three silver coins for my trouble.
I built a small campfire near the main path and roasted the snake meat.
Most people here were farmers. They lived on thin soups and stale bread. Only soldiers or hunters ever tasted real meat.
So it wasn't long before a small crowd gathered.
"Hey, young man—how much for that meat?"
"Sell us a piece, kid!"
Their voices started curious, almost politely… until the smell overwhelmed them.
Hunger made them bold.
"Brat! Give us the damn meat!"
"You heard him! Hand it over!"
I stood, unfazed, holding the skewer above the fire.
"The roasted meat," I said, raising my voice, "is fifty copper coins per piece."
Outrage rippled through the crowd.
"Fifty? Are you crazy?"
"That's robbery!"
A few men stepped forward, eyes hungry enough to bite. One reached for the meat.
I moved first.
In a single leap, I grabbed his wrist and twisted. He cried out, stumbling back.
"Get permission, from whoever asked me to hunt for them."
The tension broke when an elderly woman pushed her way through the crowd. Her back was bent, her face carved with wrinkles.
"Thank you, young man," she said softly. "For helping an old granny like me."
She held out ten copper coins, hands shaking.
I nodded and handed her a portion. The crowd went silent. No one would dare challenge her, her son had died defending this village.
I turned back to the rest.
"I'm not giving away free meat," I said. "But if you need food, hire me. Ten copper coins a hunt."
Then, through the crowd, came a nun in white robes.
Six sick children followed behind her, their body lacking any nutrition, they almost looked like skeletons wearing flesh.