=========================

XX, XX/XX/XXXX | maybe noon |

=========================

Ivan hastily followed the track left by the Duram, evident from the way the grass got flattened from extreme weight and elephant-like footprints. They couldn't be that far since he was running after them like a debt collector pursuing his target.

The forest once again made him uncomfortable. The fog descended upon him and reduced his vision. Thankfully he was still able to tell which was which through it by squinting, though he'd definitely could tell the Duram's blazing fur.

And speaking of the devil, he spotted them. Happily smiling and waving the plants he had collected, Ivan ran after them. However, a scene stopped him in his track.

Another carnage.

This time three two-horned wolves and one baby Duram were the casualties in battle. It happened so fast he couldn't believe it. The flocks of Duram mourned their loss and slowly disappeared from the forest, leaving Ivan alone.

He quickly wore his makeshift mask. The smell of blood invading his nostrils was putrid and disgusting.

Slowly, like a big cat stalking its prey, Ivan crept towards the scene. There was no signs of other predator, only carcasses. His eyes widened in terror as soon as he could see the remains of the battle between life and death better.

Oh, God...

A baby Duram without head, a burned two-horned wolf, and one wolf stomped to death by the head weren't a sight someone like him should see. This turned his stomach so much that he puked on the spot, body shivering from fear and disgust.

Why are there so much savageries in this world? Normally wolves just bite their prey's throat and that's it, but this...

Then he noticed something fascinating. Blue flame burned the soil underneath where the baby Duram was. Then ever so slowly, the glowing, fiery shade of the blue fur turned black, signaling the end of whatever organ that made it burn. With it no longer functioning, the ground where the baby Duram slumber for eternity no longer on fire. The ember could no longer sustain itself and disappeared.

How could the ground catch on fire in the first place? Ivan wondered. There was no forest fire when the herd of Duram came into contact with trees and other vegetation.

Could it be that there was something in its brain that was controlling the fire?

Yes, that made sense. Now that the baby Duram had lost its head, its flame fur was uncontrollable and burned the ground.

He jotted that down.

But what now?

A sigh escaped his lips as he took a quick glance at the carcasses. Considering his situation, he had no luxury to make choices. Either he quickly conditioned himself to survival of the fittest or perish.

His trembling hands could not hide his true feelings as he crouched to bag them. His stomach once again protested in earnest at the grotesque view, but he carried on despite his dwindling will.

Ivan let out a big sigh once he managed to fit the Duram's corpse in his inventory, but his work was not done. There were still two more carcasses to take care of.

=========================

XX, XX/XX/XXXX | maybe noon |

=========================

Two-horned wolf corpse x2

Juvenile flame ox corpse x1

Finally he finished the ordeal. He felt somewhat satisfied with his work and himself for tackling such a wall. Three new additions to his inventory made his day less depressing. At least now he didn't have to worry about food for a while.

And speaking about food, what exactly happened earlier? A notice about him acquiring a skill suddenly popped up, along with his status window telling him that he somehow gained extra numbers. That happened exactly after he ate a two-horned wolf.

But the window did not appear again after that, even after he chomped another piece of meat.

His speculation about the skill > was wrong, it seemed. There must be some kind of restrictions that this window, or someone or something behind it, did not want him to know.

Now that he thought about it, why windows? The way this world worked eerily similar to that of a RPG game, with the status window and its contents. It even had a touch screen function. Was it purely coincidence to have this world felt similar to a game or was it shaped to "accommodate" otherworlders like him and the others?

=========================

The questions still lingered in Ivan's mind as he fashioned himself some makeshift ropes from vines. Due to glowing mushrooms, sleeping on the ground was a very risky move and he didn't want to explore the meadow too much. His guts said he shouldn't be there too long. Besides the meadow held too many unknown factors, one of which was predators.

All factors considered, Ivan decided that it was best to sleep on a tree. It might sound dumb for some, but he believed it was the best choice of all options he had. The height offered him significant advantages (he resisted the urge to yell "I have the high ground!"). It allowed him to spy on his surrounding and he believed neither the Duram nor two-horned wolves could climb.

After walking for so long, he finally found the perfect tree to sleep on and measured the distance to the thickest bough. It was wide enough to support his stature and surrounded by other branches, too. Extra protection!

The distance was almost four meters and the lack of sunlight made it more daunting. Fortunately for him, the trunk was quite gnarly for a tree with lush crown.

It was 17.12 by the time he arrived on his target bough. Climbing trees was no joke for a beginner like him, but strangely enough it was not as hard as he thought. It took him one hour to climb carefully. He'd spend more time if it wasn't for his added STR.

He tied a rope to both the trunk and bough for ease of mind, and then casually threw one end to the ground. Now he could go up and down with ease.

Time to craft a makeshift bed...

He said makeshift bed, but in reality it was just a pile of leaves with burlap sack as a duvet. At least it was acceptable since he didn't have to sleep on the thick bough. He might hurt his back.

Now it was time for him to plan his next action.