Chapter 13: Return to the Den
'It seems all my Attributes increased by ten points, except for Mana Control. All my Skills have also ranked up.
I was hoping the Mana bar would move this time, but unfortunately, it's still stable at zero.'
Sigh!
'What's the point of Mana anyway? Will it let me use magic, like I read in fantasy novels, or is it different here? Well, that's not really important right now. I still know very little about this world—or rather, I don't know anything at all.'
He shook his head in disappointment, thinking how narrow his perspective was, like a frog at the bottom of a well that cannot see the vast sky.
He realized that his weakness prevented him from moving freely, which trapped him in this forest. To explore the larger world outside, he would first have to overcome it and face all the dangers within.
Without giving the matter further thought, he activated "Enhanced Senses," which had grown noticeably stronger, and carefully scanned his surroundings to ensure they were safe.
After that, he took out the shredded, bloody snake corpse and devoured it entirely, feeling an intense hunger from the Rank-Up.
[+9 XP]
When he finished and filled his stomach, he let out a satisfied burp and muttered to himself,
"This snake tastes like victory."
He licked the remaining blood from his lips and gazed at the dark forest with slight annoyance.
Unfortunately, because of his reckless behavior the previous night, he had gotten lost and no longer knew the location of his den.
"Even though my memory had improved after ranking up, I still couldn't recall the path I had taken.
Tsk, no matter—I could rely on my other senses. If I tracked my own scent, I should be able to find my way back to my territory."
Sniff!
He took a deep breath through his nose, analyzing every scent in the area.
He found his own scent clear and strong, which gave him some relief.
'This is perfect. The scent is strong and won't fade anytime soon, so I'll leave the task of returning to my den until tomorrow. It's not wise to wander in the dark, especially since this part of the forest is full of monsters, and I'm really not in the mood to fight for my life again.'
He mocked his own caution—and a bit of laziness—and went back to hiding inside the bushes, waiting for morning.
As soon as the first light of dawn broke, he unleashed the power of his keen nose and followed his trail.
He moved with extreme caution and alertness. As he expected, it didn't take long before he encountered some powerful beasts: a pair of E-Rank Armored Boars with their young.
Not wanting to provoke them, he slipped around them and continued on his way.
But half an hour later, he accidentally entered a wasp hive and came under attack.
At first, he fought fiercely and managed to kill a few, but due to their overwhelming numbers, he suffered numerous stings and was eventually forced to flee with his tail between his legs.
And it didn't stop there. He faced countless obstacles on his way back—he fell into a foul-smelling swamp, got nipped by a small F-Rank spider, and was chased by a herd of raging bulls.
Despite all this, some good things happened too: he managed to hunt a F-Rank Burrow Squirrel and an E-Rank Bull, and discovered many new areas filled with prey.
He spent most of the day running around and didn't reach his warm, cozy den until midnight.
Like an expatriate returning home after a long time, he felt happiness and relief.
He quickly entered his simple den, blocked the entrance with bushes as usual, and immediately collapsed onto his straw bed from sheer exhaustion.
'Damn, I'm so tired I can't even feel my body.'
Sigh!
'I don't know if the distance got longer on the way back, or if the Full Moon Frenzy made me fly, because I really don't understand how I traveled so far in just one night.'
Despite his complaints, Arthur didn't really think about it. The reason was clear:
The Full Moon Frenzy had made him reckless and careless. He hadn't moved slowly and cautiously as usual, but ran like a madman through the forest.
Plus, the night forced many monsters to hide, which cleared much of the path of obstacles—like the wasp nest, for example.
He curled up comfortably, yawned until tears welled in his eyes, and due to exhaustion, his consciousness drifted toward sleep.
His thoughts dimmed like a candle about to go out, leaving only a beautiful sense of peace.
But suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and his expression hardened.
"Wait… if I followed my own scent back to my den, doesn't that mean other predatory beasts can do the same?"
He swallowed hard, realizing how dangerous that could be. After his senses had grown stronger, he had started to feel a vague sense of unease.
He remembered that this feeling had only appeared a few hours ago, when he returned to his territory.
The more he focused on it, the clearer it became—some kind of danger was lurking nearby.
He didn't know its cause or source, but he wasn't about to ignore it so easily.
'This is strange. I've lived here for a long time and never encountered any powerful beasts.
Maybe the source of danger has always been here, and I was simply too weak to sense it before.
That could explain why there are no E-Rank or higher beasts in this area.'
His mind filled with possibilities and speculation, yet none of them offered a solid answer to ease his confusion.
In the end, he decided to do something slightly risky.
"There's only one solution. Tomorrow morning, I'll rely on my senses and search for the source of this danger.
I can't stay ignorant of what surrounds me. Besides, I doubt my safe territory would suddenly turn into a hell full of danger overnight."
His body relaxed again, he let out a long sigh, and soon drifted into sleep.
Outside, the cold night wind blew fiercely, carrying with it a strange, distant howl.
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