Around 3 weeks had passed since the start of winter, but the group had only walked a bit more distance than what they used to walk in a single week. Their new hunting method was starting to become less and less effective too, to the point that it was barely worth it at this point.

This was because when they used the method they alerted all the beasts in the vicinity, and now that the days were getting colder, the squirrels were using the chance to burrow into bigger trees that retain warmth better, and the birds were also moving to denser areas, and chopping thick and/or clustered trees was much more laborious and thus, more energy and time consuming.

And time and energy were the most valuable resources right now.

At one point, the stream divided into two. Even though it had merged with several tributaries before as it flowed and had thus gotten much wider, after the split there probably wouldn't be any metal fishes anymore, as they needed wide areas of water. The group unconsciously followed the divergent stream with the most amount of water, but after almost a week of travelling they realised that the merchant path wasn't in their vicinity anymore.

They had lost track of it a while ago as they went deeper into the forest to hunt more efficiently, but it always seemed to stay more or less beside the stream, so they would be able to find it if they searched for it.

That's why they didn't worry when they hadn't seen it for over a week, but when Al went to look for it just to be sure, he couldn't find it. 'Fuck, it must've followed the other stream when it bifurcated.' Al wasn't too worried about this when he found this out, but then he realised something.

'Wait, now we won't know if we missed any towns, where we might've gotten asylum!' This could very well lead to the doom of the group.

It was too late to turn back however, since their food would probably run out long before they managed to make much distance in the other path after retracing their steps Bach to the bifurcation.

So, the group just gritted their teeth and kept pushing forward. Their feet were full of callouses, and the only reason they weren't full of wounds too was Yuly. 'Honestly, I complain about her a lot, but without her we probably would've died long ago. Hell, Koro would have probably been a goner just from that super poisonous berry he ate back then.'

Al stopped musing, since there was a very urgent problem in his hands. They had stopped hunting by felling trees, and very few edible herbs could survive the winter, so they were relying on the preserved meat they had. It would only be enough to last them for about week, and that was if they ate sparingly.

As the days went by, they started to ration their food more and more. At the beginning they drank water to fill the pit in their stomachs, but when Al realised that they were just adding more weight onto themselves, they had to stop. Al started boiling leafs and eating them, but their caloric value seemed to be almost nonexistent, and almost all of the trees were mutated by mana so that their leafs were hard and had slightly serrated ends.

They only caused some rashes on Yuly's skin and did nothing to Al and Koro due to their Toughness when they walked through them, but when they put them inside their systems it scraped their throats, even after being slightly softened by the boiling water.

This could be mitigated if they were thoroughly chewed, Koro seemed mostly fine and Yuly could heal the wounds, but it was extremely ineffective, since mana usage also makes the user require more sustenance. It was better than an empty stomach though, so once their meat ran out a week later, they solely relied on leaf paste. It didn't have nearly enough protein however, and the muscles of the group were slowly atrophying.

So much so, that after a week of this diet the System even informed Al of his condition.

You are starving. Due to lack of food or a specific nutrient, effective Strength is Reduced to D- Grade and effective Dexterity is reduced to D+ Grade.

'We need to find...something. This cursed forest is making me go crazy. My body is screaming for food, and my wounds are piling up, despite my Toughness. Poor Yuly can't even afford to heal us anymore, she's pale as a corpse. Hell, she can barely even walk anymore, Koro has to carry her.'

Because of Yuly using her magic without enough nutrients to replenish her energy, her malnutrition was much worse than that of Al or Koro. Of course, she couldn't do guard duty anymore, so Al, Koro and Misty has to sacrifice some of their sleep. They used their guard duty time to pick up leafs, boil them and turn them into paste, but their stomachs filled up too quickly and it barely gave them enough energy to continue walking.

Al's effective stats had kept decreasing throughout the days because of this, foreshadowing his impending doom in a cynical and calculating manner. Al felt that if they didn't find something today, they would meet their maker.

They didn't give up though, and kept pushing forward. After walking for hours and with no food, Koro ended up giving in. Misty was forced to drag him along by grabbing his chest piece with her teeth, and Al had to put the unconcious Yuly on her back. She seemed to be handling the absence of food better than the trio, but carrying two people while keeping up with Al was straining her to the max.

Al himself didn't know how he was still on his feet. 'It must be that cursed Will stat. Or...blessed, I guess? Ah... my feet feel like they're being both burned and frozen, and at the same time dissolved inside a pool of acid...my stomach feels like it's eating itself...every muscle aches...Fuck, I should just lie down for a while... No!'

As Al struggled to stay awake, he saw light peeking from inbetween the trees. 'The forest...is ending?' "Misty! we're ou-" But she wasn't next to him. When Al looked back, he saw her collapsed some 100 meters back, probably from overwork.

Al tried to run out of the forest for help, but his sight was getting blurry. He seemed to make out a human figure that appeared from between the trees, but as he tried to reach it, his feet betrayed him. As he was losing consciousness, he saw the figure stand over him, and with his last strength, he muttered "Save...my...friends...plea-"

Then he passed out.

Baolao was a simple man.

His father had been a hunter, as had been the father of his father, and the one before him, for generations. He was destined to become one too, so he learned all he could from him. When his father died, Baolao took his place. He had never questioned his decision, nor dreamed of a different future, since he was happy with continuing on with the family's tradition.

He didn't like or hate the job, but he performed it well, and that was enough for him, since Baolao was a simple man.

He proposed to Caexiu, his childhood friend and the love of his life, when he was barely past his teens. Although she rejected him at first, after a year of courting she finally turned around. Their marriage was exemplary. They both loved each other, he earnestly worked for his money, and she took care of him and the house. After some time they realised that they couldn't have children, but they never blamed each other for it, choosing to just accept that their family would forever consist of just two. They were a simple couple, after all.

They both secretly wanted children, but with age those worries were eventually washed away. After more than 30 years of marriage, Baolao still raised his money earnestly as a hunter. One day, as he was reminiscing about the past and his desire for children, a figure limped in his direction from between the trees.

It was small.

'An imp?... wait, no! It's a toddler!?' It saw him and tried to reach him, but midway it collapsed on the ground, clearly malnourished and beat up.

'It's just a small boy...' Baolao though as he approached the poor soul.His boots were battered to oblivion, and the soles were barely hanging on, with the underside of his feet visible in several places, red with blood. His body was beat and battered, his silvery golden hair coated with mud and grime.

Daobao approached the child, and it seemed to struggle before saying "Save...my...family...I beg of y-"

Baolao looked back, and could barely make out some figures in the distance, clearly slumped on the ground. He smiled warmly at the child as he propped him against a tree, and went to get the transport cart he had bought to bring back prey, since he had left it just outside the forest.

It seemed there would be new additions to his family from now on. It was like a gift from god, the children he could never have fathered. And he was not one to refuse such a gift.

After all, Baolao was a simple man