Chapter 10: After One Year
(One year later)
I was running fast through the forest, with a pack of wolves chasing me.
'This reminds me of my first day'.
I grabbed the bow on my back while running and drew two arrows, shooting them directly.
Whoosh!
I continued running without looking back because I heard the arrows pierce two wolves.
"This is getting easy".
I was running so fast that I started to distance myself from the wolves, so I slowed down a bit.
I had a small bag on my waist with many useful items. I took out a ceramic flask and stopped running.
When the wolves got closer, I threw the flask and shot it with an arrow.
Whoosh!
The flask shattered in the air, spilling the oil inside.
I drew one of the special arrows on my back, took a match from the bag, and lit the arrowhead on fire.
"This will be fun".
I pulled the bowstring and shot the flaming arrow at the wolves covered in oil.
Whoosh!
Sizzle!
Howl!
The wolves caught fire and started howling in pain, trying to extinguish themselves, so I drew another arrow from my quiver and began shooting at them until they all fell.
"Hah, another hard day's work".
I spoke while retrieving my arrows from the wolves.
"But it's not over yet".
Grrr!
I heard the roar of an approaching bear and smiled as I looked in its direction.
"Hello, Mr. Bear, how are you?".
I joked as I started running away from the bear.
'Well, I'm close to the location'.
"Come on, bear, follow me".
I yelled at the bear behind me, and it seemed my words angered it as it increased its speed.
'Good, be a obedient bear'.
I ran at full speed until I reached the desired spot.
I quickly climbed a tree in front of me and grabbed a rope tied to it.
'Not yet'.
The bear got closer and closer.
"Now".
I pulled the rope and screamed as the bear reached the designated spot.
Boom!
The bear fell into a trap I had set up, and I only heard its fall.
I quickly climbed down the tree and headed to the pit, looking at the bear impaled by the spears I had prepared earlier.
"Another day, another catch, now the total is 23 bears".
I spoke with a smile and headed towards the city as the sun began to set.
I reached the gate, greeted by the new guard who had been assigned a month ago.
"Hello, Caden, did you finish hunting today? It seems your luck wasn't good; you didn't bring any prey".
"Yes, unfortunately, I couldn't catch anything good today".
'I can't tell him I couldn't carry all the animals I hunted, it's embarrassing'.
I scratched the back of my head and entered the city, which had become familiar to me.
Ignoring the crowds, I quickly headed to Garoun house. I opened the door and entered quickly.
"Garoun, the total is now 23 bears".
"Oh, okay".
Garoun was sitting on his bed, carving arrows we used for hunting.
"Let me do this too".
I grabbed a wooden stick near Garoun, took out my dagger, and started carving as well.
"Hey, boy".
"Yes, Garoun, what's up?".
Garoun spoke after a period of silence.
"You're doing well now; you can hunt and survive. It's impressive given your age and learning speed".
Garoun stopped carving arrows and looked at me seriously.
"You have a unique trait, your incredible speed. Even I can't match your speed unless I use mana, but you have a significant weakness".
"Yes, I know".
"Your body is weak, not even as strong as others your age".
Garoun stopped talking and returned to his task, while I pondered his words.
'Garoun is right. My body is weak; I have no advantage other than my speed. I don't know why, but my body is weaker than other children my age'.
"But you have another strength, Caden".
"Huh? What is it?".
"Your heightened senses, even I don't possess them".
'Yes, my senses. I've always been able to sense danger approaching me'.
"So, Caden, like any human, you have strengths and weaknesses. To hide your weaknesses from enemies, exploit your strengths. Always think with your mind, not your heart. Understand?".
"Yes, sir!".
"Good, now go outside and fetch some water and matches".
"Okay".
I took a bag from the corner and left the house.
'It's sunset'.
I looked at the sky and continued to the city center.
I headed to the market and searched for a familiar trader, eventually finding him.
"Hello, Caden, what do you need today?".
"Hello, Martin, I need matches and a jar of water".
Martin greeted me immediately upon seeing me, and I told him what I needed.
"Oh, I have exactly what you need. How about this, ten matches and a bucket of water for one kilo of meat?".
"Man, aren't you tired of trying to scam me? Give me thirty matches and two buckets of water for one kilo of meat".
I told him directly what I wanted, as this wasn't the first time he tried to cheat me.
"Okay, okay, don't be angry, take what you need and give me the meat".
I gave him a piece weighing about a kilo, took the matches, placed them in the bag, carried the two buckets of water, and headed back to Garoun house.
Unlike the first time I came here, people no longer looked at me strangely. On the contrary, most traders greeted me, and some people on the street did too.
"Hello, Caden, come and see here, I have new goods".
"Caden, how are you? I haven't seen you for a while; how about some cheese?".
"Thank you all, but I'm in a hurry".
I waved my hand and walked quickly to get away. These people didn't greet me out of familiarity or anything; it was because Garoun and I were hunters, and we had the meat and resources people needed.
In this place, even a small piece of meat can lead to fights among people. Despite that, no one dared to approach or try anything foolish with us. The reason?.
The gate guard who disappeared a month ago is the answer.
Anyone who tried anything foolish would end up either dead or so injured they couldn't do anything for the rest of their life.
I was on my way back to Garoun house when I heard a loud noise.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The ground started shaking from the sound's intensity. People were looking in one direction, fear filling their eyes. I turned to see what was happening.
What I saw made me drop everything I was carrying.
The wall surrounding and protecting the city had a massive hole, and hundreds of eyes were staring at us.
Hundreds, even more, of animals—no, they weren't animals, but monsters.
Monsters and creatures I had never seen in my life.
Some were human-sized, others the size of a house.
That day, I finally realized the type of world I was in.