Arena

Our group shoves their faces in the stream and drink water. I’m thirsty too, of course, but I have to hold the rabbit until all the blood is drained. But how long do I have to hold it?

“Give it here. I can hold it.”

Lee Joon-ho has finished drinking his water and approaches.

“Thank you.”

Of everyone in the group, I like Lee Joon-ho the best.

I drink from the stream and by the time I’m done washing my face, the rabbit has been drained of all its blood.

Now I have to cut it but, of all of the people here, no one has a knife. Without another option, even that gets left to Sylph.

Sylph cuts the rabbit using the wind like a knife. Because I had done basic studying on the internet of how to butcher animals, I was able to properly give commands.

After cutting the lower belly and ankles, the hide comes off.

“Ook!” (like “UGH!”)

Lee Hye-su, who sees this, lets out a gag. I understand. I’m going crazy, how much worse must it be for a girl?

After cutting the head off and completely taking off the skin, a red body is what’s left.

Using Sylph again, she starts cutting from the rectum towards the belly; we had large intestine – small intestine- liver- heart. The liver and heart we can eat, so it was put aside and the rest was buried in the ground.

The group watches my dismantling project.

Killing one life and dismantling it is a first for me too and my hands shake.

‘Even so, it must become familiar.’

Using the stream water to rinse all the foreign matter off, the rabbit’s body is finished and looks good to eat.

“Wow, you knew how to do this stuff too?”

The on looking Lee Joon-ho is impressed and amazed. I shrug my shoulders.

“No, I watched from the internet and just studied it a bit. Thanks to Sylph, it did end up getting done though.”

“Your prep work is really good. That must be why hyung-nim* earned the most karma. Ah, is it okay that I call you hyung-nim?”

(TN: Hyung is what a male would call an older brother/male. Nim is an ending to show respect. So Hyung-nim is kind of calling him honorable older brother. It can also mean boss in some situations.)

“Just call me hyung.”

(TN: Up to here, they have been speaking formally to each other.)

“Really?” (said informally.)

It was easy getting closer to this friendlier, easy going Lee Joon-ho.

“If you’re all done, hurry up and grill it. I’m hungry.”

Park Go-chan leaned his back against a tree and slumped onto the floor. Man, that guy, seriously.

I ask Kang Chan-seong.

“Shall we rest here for the night? Or should we move a little more?”

“Do what you want”

Kang Chan-seong’s reply is without respect.

‘Geez, this is so frustrating.’

Kang Chan-seong is a character equally as annoying as Park Go-chan, but for different reasons.

He is the strongest of us and the only viable person to whom Park Go-chan can’t do anything to. If he would step up to the leader position, our teamwork would be lot better, but he consistently acts without interest.

‘Does he lack tact?’

I had asked Kang Chan-seong on purpose so he could say the opposite of Park Go-chan’s thoughtless opinion to rest here.

Stopping here to eat in broad daylight when there might be a hoard of red apes chasing is a bad idea.

‘There’s no other choice.’

I decide to step up myself.

“For now, let’s move a bit further and later in the evening we will set up camp.”

“Ok, I got it. Let’s eat first, you bastard.”

“Then we would need a fire.”

“Build one, asshole.”

“Do you know how to build one?”

“What?”

“I asked if you know how to build a fire. I think it will be difficult and you want to do one now and do it again later when we set up camp?”

“It’ll be fine if I just do it then, bastard.”

Park Go-chan’s voice becomes steadily louder. One more word and he’ll explode.

My heart thumps and thumps and shakes. Okay, I am not familiar with fighting. I am scared of a gangster.* If we were to fight I might win, but I am still scared. We aren’t in a position to fight and I don’t want to raise the face reddening tension.

(TN: The word he used is like someone that uses violence to solve problems.)

I turn my head and speak to Kang Chan-seong.

“I think first we should keep moving, sound good?”

“Let’s.”

“He said let’s?”

I ask Park Go-chan.

“You sh—.”

Park go-chan looks like he is going to explode. Kang Chan-seong says let’s, so he can’t go against it.

I take the rabbit and its hide and we start to move again. We move, following the flowing stream. It would be good if there was a safe location like a cave.

And then, Park Go-chan approaches me.

“Hey, Kim Hyun-ho”

“Yes?”

“Be careful”

“...”

“If you talk back to me like that one more time, I’ll rip your head off. Got it?”

“Like Sylph did?”

“...!”

This time, Park Go-chan flinches. No matter what evil reputation he had as a thug, Sylph is way better at the head ripping.

Honestly, I’m surprised myself. I had fantasized so much about ordering Sylph to cut his throat, that the reply came out as a reflex.

Park Go-chan looked at me with scared eyes for a while and we continued to walk.

‘Haaa.....’ (like a sigh)

I let out a sigh.

It’s now just the first day. It’s already so tiring and difficult even though we haven’t even gotten into a fight with the red apes. ƒ𝑟𝐞𝗲𝘄𝙚𝚋𝑛ｏ𝙫𝒆𝒍.𝒄𝘰𝓂

As we walked, every now and then, I summoned Sylph to scout the area and look for a cave where we might be able to set up camp.

After walking for a couple hours, Sylph discovered a cave. Only after crossing through a switchback trail were we able to arrive at the cave.

“I think it will be a good idea to set up camp here tonight, yes?”

Lee Joon-ho and Lee Hye-su nod their heads. Park Go-chan and Kang Chan-seong are still without comment.

Well, even so, I take it as a consensus and prepare to start a small fire.

“We have to build a fire, so everyone gather dry twigs and leaves and straw from around here please.”

I say such and I to head from the cave.

Lee Joon-ho and Lee Hye-su moved as soon as my words left my lips, Park Go-chan sat in the cave and didn’t move a muscle.

Kang Chan-seong walked off in a direction different from ours.

**

Joon-ho, Lee Hye-su, and I went together and gathered twigs and leaves and straw.

“Joon-ho,* you, and miss Hye-su also, will you be needing a weapon?” I ask.

(TN: He dropped the ‘Lee’ from Lee Joon-ho’s name because they are speaking informally now.)

“Yes...”

“I need one. Speaking of, I was looking around for something I could use as a weapon.”

“What do you think if we cut some wood into spears?”

“Wah (wow), then I would be grateful.”

“Thank you.”

It seemed that Lee Hye-su also wanted it, because she nodded her head deeply

It’s a forest that overshadows the Amazon and there are an abundance of disgustingly large trees. I grab just any tree and begin the project.

“Sylph.”

-Meow

Again, I summoned Sylph.

“Please cut me two branches longer than 2 meters. Ones that grew as straight as possible.”

-Meow.

Sylph fleets on by and cuts two branches and offers them to me.

I continue to use Sylph to cut off the smaller branches and cut the limb into an even thickness.

As the branch took shape as a spear, the tip was cut sharp. And so the two wooden spears were completed.

“It’s a little clumsy but for now, use these.”

I hand them to Joon-ho and Lee Hye-su.

“Thanks, hyung.”

“Thank you.”

For firewood, I use Sylph to cut a few more branches into logs.

When we return to the cave, Kang Chan-seong has returned also. At his feet were a stack of logs.

I wondered how he could have produced the logs without a weapon, but looking at the condition of his firewood I could hazard a guess.

‘Hul (geez), he broke them with his fists.’

It seems that using fists along with aura control are able to break thick branches like those.

“Hyung, do you know how to start a fire?”

“Yup.”

In anticipation for such situations, I had done some fire play as practice on Mount Taejo in the dead of night.

“I’ll help.”

“Then grab this wood and this and keep rubbing them together.”

“Ok.”

Joon-ho took a small branch and started to strongly rub it into the firewood.

He had to rub for a long time, but maybe thanks to the entry level 2 physical strength buff, Joon-ho was able to keep rubbing. Impressive. I want to quickly gain the physical strength buff.

The frictional heat starts to produce smoke and I summon Sylph and order.

“Sylph, concentrate the oxygen.”

-Meow

To think that the wind spirit Sylph even had a talent like this. Sylph gathers leaves and straw and raises the oxygen concentration.

Hwaluk-. (swoosh)

The fire blazed up.

“It’s done!”

Joon-ho was so happy he almost jumped.

The gathered leaves, straw, and dry twigs were put into the fire and then we threw in the firewood. The fire in front of the cave was a success.