Leylin followed Emily into the storage room. Hanging from hooks in the ceiling was a large assortment of animals, some he had never seen before.

There were larger versions of bears and felines, but they seemed to be more fierce, more deadly. Their claws were sharper, and their hides were armor-esque. Aside from the animals he recognized, there were different monster-like creatures.

They reminded him of descriptions he read in of long-extinct creatures. In the past, creatures like Chimeras, dragons, and orcs roamed the Earth. They were hostile in every way towards humans as if it was instinct.

"Wow, I've never seen anything like this before!" he exclaimed.

A small chimera was hanging at the back of the storage room. It had two heads, one of a jackal and the other of a lion. The body had wings as well. The chimera was smaller than described in books, so Leylin assumed it was a child.

"Really? Have you been living under a rock? These things terrorize villages all over Petram." Emily said.

Leylin noted the name. Any information could be helpful in the future.

"Where I'm from, we don't have any of these," he said.

"Lucky you. Mind if I move there? Sounds like heaven," said Emily, sarcastically.

Leylin didn't mind her snarky comment. To her, it probably was unbelievable to have a world without monsters.

Changing the topic, he asked, "How do I butcher all of these?"

"I'll show you."

Emily rolled up her sleeves and walked to a toolbox. Opening it, she grabbed a large knife and approached a table in the middle of the room. On it lay what looked like a dead cow

"Normally, the first step would be to drain the blood, but I have already done that. Next, you need to flay the hide. It can be very tough to cut through the first few times, but you will get used to it."

With surprisingly high expertise, Emily cut along the abdomen of the cow, revealing its entrails.

"Discard the guts and organs over there. As for separating the meat, cut along the bone in the direction of the muscle fibers. This separation will be good enough."

After demonstrating, Emily pointed to a monster resembling an octopus while shivering.

"That thing is considered a delicacy here. Just cut off the tentacles and discard the rest. As for the chimera, there's no point in butchering it because predators are too tough to eat. Just check if it has a mana stone and get rid of it as well."

Mana stone? Leylin had read about them as well. Supposedly, they were found within the monsters. Ones with these stones were much stronger and had special abilities compared to those without.

Wondering why the stones increased monsters strength, humans researched them. Eventually, humans discovered that the stones were concentrated mana. The mana within the stones was also very easy to use, making it possible to easily modify the structure of objects.

With this knowledge, they were able to create fortresses in days and even alter their own bodies. Most humans chose simply to strengthen themselves, but some chose to completely change how their body functioned.

They became hard to discern as human. By adding wings, fangs, claws, and many other modifications, they became stronger and faster. This was the reason humans managed to fight against the monsters.

"I realize this is a lot of work, so you can stay here until you finish. After, you can stay the three days I promised to you," Emily said.

Leylin was touched by her kindness. He was a complete stranger to her, yet she was willing to help him. Although she seemed off-putting, she was soft on the inside.

"I'll do my best!"