“How many hares have you caught today Arnold?”

“30 more.”

“You are pretty impressive at this! There will be no hares left in the forest soon if you keep it at this pace. Let us stop catching more and start focusing on breeding the ones in our farm.”

“Okay chief! With these we have a total of 120.”

“Great. Is the cottage ready, Michel?”

“Yes chief. It is ready for use. It has 10 single and 5 double rooms. We have extra space for possible future members of our tribe.”

“Everything sounds great. Do you know if Barca is back.”

“No he is still exploring the area.”

Barca appeared from a distance, carrying two wild boars on his shoulders. He looked bigger than two weeks before. He was holding a wooden spear with a shiny sharp end made of a strange type of stone.

“Barca you are back!”

“Yes chief. I found these animals. They look like wild boars but their skin is thicker and probably impossible to pierce through with our current tools. Maybe we can build a farm for them too.”

“That is a good idea. We should build stronger fences for them.”

“They are unconscious now but as soon as they wake up, they will probably try to hurt us. Should we try taming them boss?"

“Leave that to me.”

My taming skill probably would help in taming these animals. I waited with the boars as the others built stronger fences for the wild boars. I suddenly felt their breath on my neck. I turned my back to face with the bigger wild boar, just a few centimeters away in front of my face. I was appalled but had to survive. With my deepest instinct of survival, I wanted to use the taming skill. I touched the nose of the boar, trying to calm it down.

*Skill “Taming II” earned

It was a success! Relieved. I sat back down. Due to the shock, my hand was still on the snout of the wild boar. It was no longer angry, and I did not feel the same ferocious aura from it. It was safer now. When the other boar woke up, it was easier to calm it down with its friend being calmer.

Barca, Michel and Arno built the fences for the wild boars as I stayed with the boars and brought them into their new home. Our tribe was developing and as the tribe chief, I was proud of everyone. Being friendly and welcoming strangers proved smart for once. At least in a world I was unfamiliar with.

Arno was so agile. He was faster than the hares and easily caught small animals. He provided the necessary food for us over the two weeks. Michel was a real architect. The cottage he built was not only comfortable, but it also was good looking for a cottage constructed used with limited materials. He recognized even the smallest changes we made in the cottage. Barca’s physical endurance and strength was beyond my imagination. Not to mention, he was able to knock two of these huge wild boars unconscious. Yet, he was also strong willed enough to survive in the forest for two weeks exploring the area we settled down in.

“Chief. I was not able to find anything worth mentioning to the west of us. However I believe there is something up north. I would like to follow the path parallel to the river that runs down from those mountains.”

“Okay. I will give you two more weeks then. Rest today, you must be exhausted. You were alone in the forest for two weeks. You can go tomorrow.”

The first thing Barca did the next morning was to prepare for his departure. He was to turn back in two weeks, and he hoped to find something notable up north if he followed the river’s source.

While Barca was on leave, we have enlarged the hare farm and logged more for food. I wanted to build a plantation for long-term food need so I ordered Michel and Arno to find some herbs and plants in the forest that looks edible. Luckily, they were able to bring me some types of plants.

“Okay. We are going to plant these. Michel, I will assign you with the farming from now on. I think you have convenient skills for farming.”

Since he was detail-oriented, he was cut out for jobs that required full attention. He would probably be the best farmer out of four of us.

“I guess it’ time to take a quick look at the spirit shop.”

-------------Spirit-Shop------------- (Recommended Items)

Silk Clothing (5 Pieces) – 450 SP

Iron Chest Plate – 600 SP

Iron Leggings – 500 SP

Steel Sword – 900 SP

Steel Chest Plate – 1200 SP

Steel Leggings – 1000 SP

Magician’s Orb – 2500 SP

Mithril Sword – 2500 SP

Bow of the Martyrs – 2500 SP

Balance: 3125 SP

“I do not even need these! Why are these recommended? If only I could buy tribe members.”

*Bzzzt.

-------------Spirit-Shop------------- (Souls)

Altar of Gods – 50000 SP

Altar of Demons – 50000 SP

Altar of Beasts – 35000 SP

Altar of Dead – 35000 SP

Altar of Men – 30000 SP

Altar of Luck – 3125 SP, PROMO

Balance: 3125 SP

Okay, this is interesting. Especially that awkward sound the screen made. And what is this PROMO thing and why does the cost of this altar of luck thing match exactly with my current balance? I feel like someone wants me to buy it out of all these stuff in the spirit shop for souls. I guess I will give it a try .

As soon as I tried to imagine the shape of altar of luck, I felt a stingy discomfort in my soul. Huge stone gate with a small table in front of it appeared before my eyes. All of a sudden, it was built out of nowhere: An ancient looking arch, with a gate that opens to the other side of arch. It made no sense! Arno and I were trying to push the gate when Michel pointed out the small table.

“This looks like an offering table.”

“Offering table?”

“Yes, like the ones in the altars. You put the offering on it and wait for the response of the gods.”

“Do the offerings necessarily are for the gods?”

“Sometimes not.”

“What do you offer?”

“Depends… It can be a live human, dead animal, herbs… Really depends on what type of thing you want.”

“Okay let us try offering something then.”

I grabbed one of the hares and placed it gently on the offering table. We moved away from the altar, though we were still under its gigantic shadow that covered everything we built. It was about evenfall when the gate made a rumbling sound that shook the ground under our feet. The hare was lying dead on the offering table as if its soul was absorbed by the altar. The huge gates opened to a misty room that was only visible when looked inside the arch. I felt something moving in the mist.