Zen walked in silence, amazed by the story Iris had shared. The history of the Forest of Beginning echoed in his mind.
"Five hundred years ago..." he muttered, trying to grasp the sheer age of it all. Questions buzzed inside his head, but his thoughts were cut short as they reached the spot where he'd left the giant boar.
He saw the carcass and felt a spark of hope.
Food!
But the hope died instantly. Scavengers had found it first. Only scraps of meat clung to the large bones, and the hide was torn and ragged. Flies buzzed around the remains. The smell was sour and rotten.
"Ugh, just my luck," Zen groaned, his stomach twisting painfully. It growled loudly, a constant reminder of his empty belly.
Frustration burned in his chest, but hunger drove him forward. He couldn't give up. He needed food.
His eyes fell on the boar's massive tusks. They were long, curved, and sharp. A weapon. With a grunt, he snapped one off at the base. It was heavy and uneven, but the point looked deadly.
He found a rough stone and began scraping the tusk, shaping the tip into a crude but sharper knife blade. The bone felt cold and hard in his hands.
His stomach growled again, sharper this time. He had to find food.
Determined, Zen climbed the nearest tall tree. He moved carefully through the branches, his eyes scanning the forest floor below. Sunlight dappled the ferns and moss. He held his breath, listening.
Movement! Below him, near a patch of bright mushrooms, hopped a strange rabbit-like creature. It was mostly brown fur, but it had a single, short, twisted horn sticking out from the middle of its forehead!
A meal! His mouth watered.
"Jackpot!" he whispered excitedly.
Gripping the boar-tusk knife tightly, he focused. Empower flowed into his legs. Muscles buzzed with power. He took aim, then launched himself from the branch like an arrow, knife pointing down.
WHOOSH!
The horned rabbit exploded into motion. It zipped sideways with impossible speed.
THUD!
Zen slammed into the soft earth where it had been, the impact knocking the wind out of him. Dirt filled his mouth.
"Damn it!" he spat, pushing himself up. "How can a rabbit be this fast?" He kicked the ground in pure irritation. The rabbit watched him from a safe distance, twitching its nose.
Undeterred, Zen climbed back into the trees. He hunted for hours. And every time, without fail, he spotted the same horned rabbit.
Each attempt ended the same way: a desperate leap, a miss, and the rabbit watching him with what looked like amusement from just out of reach.
Zen's frustration boiled over. His stomach felt like a hollow pit. "Are you serious?" he grumbled, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white. "This rabbit's trolling me!"
As the afternoon sun began to sink, painting the sky orange, Zen felt weak. He drank deeply from the cool lake water, but it only filled his stomach temporarily.
He found more of the mango-apple fruits, and with Iris confirming they were safe, he ate them. The sweet juice helped a little, but it wasn't enough. He needed real meat. Protein. Strength.
Then, an idea sparked. "What if..." he muttered. "What if I use Empower... but on my brain? And my eyes? Could I see faster? Think faster? Predict where that little monster hops?"
Hope flickered. He climbed back into the canopy, scanning the dimming forest. And there it was. The horned rabbit. Sitting calmly in a small clearing, nibbling a large leaf. It looked up at him.
Zen swore it grinned.
"Oh, you are dead meat," Zen growled.
He focused hard. Empower surged, not just into his legs, but upwards. He pushed the strange energy into his head, behind his eyes. The world... changed. Sounds sharpened.
The rustling leaves seemed slower. The light looked clearer. And the rabbit's movements… they became less blurry. He could see the slight tensing of its muscles before it jumped.
He launched himself again. This time, he watched the rabbit like a hawk. As it bunched its powerful back legs to leap left, Zen shifted his weight in mid-air.
Instead of aiming where it was, he aimed where it was going to be. He stretched out his left arm.
THUMP!
They hit the ground together in a tangle of limbs and fur. Zen groaned as his shoulder took the impact, but his fingers were clamped tightly around the rabbit's long, soft ear. It kicked and squealed wildly.
"Gotcha, you little bastard!" Zen laughed, a sound of pure triumph mixed with pain. He held the struggling creature firmly. "Looks like you're gonna be grilled today."
Following Iris's quiet instructions, he used the sharp boar-tusk knife for a quick, clean kill, draining the blood carefully.
He quickly placed a hand on the still-warm body.
Absorb.
+0.5 Speed
A subtle feeling of lightness flowed into his legs. Good.
He tied the rabbit securely to his belt with a tough vine. Then, he gathered dry branches, leaves, and twigs.
Finding a flat piece of dry wood and a straight stick, he began the tedious work of making fire the old way. He spun the stick between his palms, pressing it hard into the wood. His arms ached.
Sweat dripped into his eyes. Minutes felt like hours. Finally, a thin wisp of smoke appeared, then a tiny ember. He blew gently, feeding it dry leaves. A small flame sparked, then grew.
He built the fire carefully. Once it was crackling steadily, he skinned the rabbit by the light of the flames, washed the pink meat in the cold lake water, and skewered the pieces on green sticks.
He propped them over the fire. The smell of roasting meat soon filled the small clearing – rich, savory, and utterly delicious. His stomach rumbled loudly in anticipation.
"Now you're starting to smell good," Zen sighed, sitting back on a log. The sun was gone now, leaving only the deep blues and blacks of night.
The forest was alive with night sounds – insects chirping, leaves rustling. The firelight pushed back the darkness, creating a small circle of warm, flickering safety.
Fat dripped from the rabbit meat, sizzling in the flames. He was almost ready to eat.
Then, a low, guttural growl cut through the peaceful night sounds. It came from the darkness beyond the firelight.
Zen froze. His head snapped towards the sound. Pairs of glowing yellow eyes appeared at the edge of the firelight's reach. Shadows moved. Wolves. At least four of them.
They slunk closer, their forms becoming clearer. Lean, muscular bodies, thick grey fur. Sharp teeth gleamed in the firelight. One wolf was larger than the others, its fur a darker ash-grey.
It led the pack, its eyes fixed on Zen... and the cooking rabbit.
"Oh, come ON!" Zen yelled, jumping to his feet and grabbing the boar-tusk knife.
The blade felt cold and reassuring in his grip. "Can't I just eat in peace for once? What did I do to Erza for her to torture me like this?"
Iris's voice, dry and sharp, cut into his mind. "Perhaps you shouldn't mock Miss Erza for your situation."
Zen groaned. "Oh, give me a break! Maybe she could've given me better skills, or, I don't know, dropped me somewhere safer? Like a bakery?"
"This forest is the only stable point near the rift used to transport a physical body," Iris answered flatly.
The wolves fanned out, surrounding his small camp. Their growls deepened, a hungry rumble vibrating in the air. The smell of wet fur and aggression mixed with the tempting aroma of roasting rabbit.
Zen quickly focused on the wolves, activating Appraise.
[ASHFUR WOLF]
- Strength: 5
- Speed: 6
- Stamina: 7
- Defense: 4
[ASHFUR WOLF]
- Strength: 5
- Speed: 7
- Stamina: 6
- Defense: 4
[ASHFUR WOLF]
- Strength: 4
- Speed: 6
- Stamina: 6
- Defense: 6
[ASHFUR (ALPHA)]
- Strength: 8
- Speed: 10
- Stamina: 9
- Defense: 6
Zen gritted his teeth, his eyes locking onto the large alpha. Its stats were better than his own. "Great. Just great. An alpha wolf faster and stronger than me."
He glanced longingly at the rabbit meat sizzling over the fire. The smell was torture. "Guess dinner will have to wait... again."
He crouched slightly, holding the bone knife like a dagger, ready to fight. The firelight danced on his face, showing a mix of exhaustion and fierce determination.
The wolves' growls rose to a crescendo as they closed the circle, muscles coiling to spring. Zen braced himself. Survival wasn't over yet.