Chapter 4

I observed the ruins from a considerable distance and had to reconsider all the options I had. I could try giving them a dead animal poisoned with toxic herbs, but it would be very cumbersome to hunt an animal and waste some of the herbs I gathered. Moreover, even though they ignore my presence, small animals have a strong sense of survival and are always alert, which will nullify the [Low Presence] effect when I approach them.

In the game, I always brought an archer so that all the characters could climb a tree, and the archer would take care of killing the wolves from a distance.

I could only sigh and make a risky decision, the only one that occurred to me to reach this place.

I opened the bag with herbs and plants. I took out the mitycua herb, which is a very common herb with a slightly unpleasant smell, but it would suppress my odor and not alert the wolves too much.

I cast <cleaning magic> to reduce my odor a bit and then rubbed the herb on my face, arms, backpack, and clothes.

When I was ready, I left the bag of herbs on a tree and took out the blanket from my backpack. Then, I added more mitycua herb and, after doing so, began to recall the information I knew about them.

Ruinisekus wolves are a large wolf race, and depending on their diet, they can measure the same height as a normal adult. They are very aggressive towards any species, regardless of whether they are a threat. They are very energetic at night and spend their days sleeping.

I started walking towards the ruins, trying to stay as quiet and far away from them as possible as I approached.

They didn't notice me, but I saw one of them move a bit, and I got a little nervous. In case any of them wake up, I'll throw a stone I keep in my pocket to get their attention, enough to distract them a bit, but they will become much more alert, so I must use it as a last resort.

Fortunately, it only moved its legs a little. I counted how many there were, and there were twelve, but it was only the quantity I saw; there must be some more, so I tried to stay as alert as possible.

When I finally reached the ruins, which only had a few intact walls, while the rest were collapsed. I examined them to see which one was next to a small pillar with a small bowl on top. I found it, I entered through one of the collapsed walls and searched for the trapdoor.

The trapdoor only appeared if the hero or a companion with a keen intuition came to this place. But since I know that information, there should be no problem.

I observed everything and saw how some parts of the wooden floor had already been replaced by debris. I looked at the corners several times and examined them carefully. I think I spent about three minutes examining them, and I was starting to get alarmed. Until, finally, I could see a trapdoor.

I approached and opened it as carefully as possible. When I did, I saw a metal staircase attached to the wall. I went down the stairs a bit and left the trapdoor half-open.

When I went down the stairs, which were only about six meters high. I could finally relax.

It was very tense to have to walk near those wolves that could bite a piece of my body off.

Also, I almost died of fright when I didn't see the trapdoor. It was a trapdoor enchanted with high-level magic that has a function similar to my ability [Presence Reduction].

Once I calmed down, I observed the room illuminated with ancient magical lamps of very long duration. The place was filled with dust to the point that I felt I would catch a cold just by breathing in this place. I saw the skeleton and approached. Next to the corpse, I saw a glass jar with a purple liquid.

I grabbed it and sat on the floor. This potion appeared as 'High-Quality Stamina Potion' on the label attached to the jar. But that's not its real name. It's just a label that must have come with the jar. 'High-Quality Stamina Potion' would never have such miraculous effects. In fact, this potion never had a name. The one who created them only made three. Due to his greed, he took one and, seeing its effects, tried to take another. But he became the skeleton next to me.

I removed the cork and drank it. When I took the last sip, I felt the pain and heat flooding my body.

I felt my body getting excited, and my excitement increased. Memories of the girls I've been with and the time we spent in bed started coming to me. I tried to empty my mind and calm down.

I couldn't try to satisfy myself because it would diminish the effects of the potion. At least that's how it worked in the game, and I didn't want to risk that happening.

I had to go through this hell of holding myself back for an eternity until, finally, the effects began to wear off.

When the burning and pain in my body finally calmed down, I noticed how all my clothes were soaked in sweat and smelled horrible.

I cast <cleaning magic>, and finally, I could feel a bit more at ease. I felt much better than before and noticed how my vision was much sharper than before.

After resting for a bit, I observed what else was in this place. I found 7 gold coins and 19 silver ones. These coins would be very useful. I stored them in my backpack and also saw several bottles with liquids inside.

I remembered their effects, but I don't think I can use them. Their consumption time has passed, and they have become a waste. If someone drinks those potions, not only will they suffer food poisoning, but they will end up poisoned.

Which could be useful to me. So, I stored all the options in my backpack. I continued examining the place and saw some books on a shelf that was filled with many books.

They had torn and dusty pages. They were completely unreadable, but I continued examining each book one by one until I found one that looked somewhat intact. Maybe it has <preservation magic>. But why did this book never appear before?

Maybe this book required a special condition for the selected group to be able to take it, or maybe because I never came with someone who liked books or with a mage with a lot of magical sensitivity.

Most likely, the protagonist and the selected companions examined a few books and, seeing how most of them were, ignored this book.

I cast <cleaning magic>, and I saw the cover, 'Basic and Intermediate Alchemy Guide.' Seeing the title made me very happy and angry at the same time. Why did they never find these books? This would have been very useful in the early years of the game. But it doesn't matter now. I continued examining the books until I found another one, 'Advanced Potion Making.' This time, I had nothing to be surprised about and continued searching.

I found three more. When I cast magic on them, I examined the first one. It was 'Guide to Manifestation of a Mana Core and Magic for Beginners.' Seeing it, my excitement was through the roof. I read the next one, and it was 'Guide to Manifestation of an Aura Heart and Sword Techniques for Beginners.' I could feel my heart racing. And, looking at the cover of the last book, which was much smaller than the others, there was only disappointment on my face. The title said '80 Ways to Charm Inexperienced Women.' Maybe the content is different from what the cover says.

I looked at what was inside, and it was exactly what the title said. There were phrases like 'Be kind, buy weak aphrodisiacs, and put them in her drink. It will make her think it's love.' I looked at the skeleton and felt contempt.

I rearranged and stored all the books in my backpack. I can use them, and in case I no longer need them, they could be sold for many gold coins, but for now, it's better not to let anyone know that I have these books. After all, they must be worth many gold coins each.

When I finished packing everything, I rubbed the mitycua herb on myself and exited through the trapdoor. The wolves were still asleep, and I walked as quietly as I could. However, as I took a small step out of the ruins, I saw something that terrified me.

It was just a wolf pup, and it was so small, a third of my arm. But it was staring at me. I tried to pretend to be a statue because if that wolf starts barking, I'll be wolf food. A minute passed, and it didn't seem to want to bark, so I continued walking softly, and I saw it still staring at me.

I stopped and gently opened my backpack, took out a piece of jerky, showed it to him, and saw how he approached slowly. First, he smelled the jerky, and then he snatched it from my hand and began chewing it peacefully. I took out another small piece and gave it to him again, this time trying to touch him, and he didn't resist. So, I took out the last piece I had and showed it to him before grabbing it.

When I grabbed him, I cradled him slowly, while I put half of the jerky in his mouth. I saw him start to yawn in my arms before falling asleep.

Is this really happening? I could feel the corners of my mouth lifting, and I started walking and being as alert as possible so that it wouldn't happen again.

When I got far enough away, I could feel more at ease and reached the tree where I put the blanket and the bag of herbs.

I put the little wolf on the ground, then climbed the tree, picked up the bag of herbs and the blanket, threw the bag and the blanket to the ground, and when I climbed down, I wrapped the little wolf with the blanket and used [Presence Reduction] again so that it would also affect the little wolf.

I picked up everything and walked away from the place. It was super uncomfortable to carry the little wolf, the herb bag, and my backpack, which was quite heavy because of the books.

I walked for an hour, and suddenly.

Howl! Howl!

I could hear the wolves' howls echoing through much of the forest. Why are they howling if it's not a full moon? That's what I thought mockingly, and I looked at the little wolf who was still sleeping. He doesn't seem affected by the howls at all.

After many hours, I finally reached the road. It annoys me that I had to explore a large part of the forest, but it couldn't be avoided because I didn't know the exact location of the ruins.

I looked at the road and kept my distance. I don't plan to travel it because I don't want anyone to see me carrying a wolf in its infancy until I reach the village.

I sighed as my hands hurt, and I'm already very tired, but I have no choice but to walk until I reach the village, and it will be very difficult to feed the wolf or collect food for myself.

I hope he grows enough to become a perfect mount for all the suffering I've had to endure because of his pack blocking my path. The good thing is that I feel stronger, so I think I can walk to the village, and the water from the canteen will be enough.