Chapter 8. Experiments

About an hour later, only two Skeletons were still standing, each with less than 25% HP.

It was a total bloodbath, and the corpses of wolves were strewn about on the sleds, in front of them, and even in the inner circle.

Michael was covered in gashes, and his hide clothes were shredded. The two hunters were even worse off, with Orla losing his right eye and Bonny a massive chuck of flesh from his back. And that was on top of the countless claw and bite wounds.

Less than twenty were left from the pack, with most of the older generation dead and the younger not spared either. The alpha was strangely calm, though, eying the trio evenly as if they hadn't just massacred its pack.

A deep howl followed, and the tide began to recede.

[I can't fucking believe it. They're actually giving up!?](Orla)

[Shit!](Bonny)

"What?"

[I just realized what happened...](Bonny)

[We got chewed up and spat right out, that's what just happened.](Orla)

[No... *sigh* Population control. The alpha noticed that his pack was getting too crowded, so instead of forcing some of the younger members to leave, he initiated a 'war' of sorts. They usually do that against other packs, but this one is the only one around...](Bonny)

"So they chose us to war against? Talk about being at the wrong place at the wrong time..."

[The weak get culled, and the pack gets strengthened. The survivors move on, being able to hunt more manageably and more successfully after such an experience. Fewer pack members also mean fewer mouths to feed, even though the ones we killed are the usual hunters.](Bonny)

"Will they fight us for the carcasses?"

[No. Unless desperate and starved, they wouldn't eat their own.](Orla)

"Good! Here. Drink up! Both of you."

They accepted the vials, and Michael made a small mental note of it.

While the Weak Healing Potions wouldn't regrow flesh or organs, from what he experienced, they would close the wounds fast enough and help the user get back on their feet. But he didn't know if it worked or not on the natives.

So, by handing it to the hunters, he could check on that and simultaneously confirm that he could share his HP potions with others. However, he wasn't exactly sure where and whether he could restock or if the system could help with that...

The two looked conflicted at first, mentioning how expensive these things are, but Michael wouldn't have any of it and almost force-fed the liquids down their throats. After all, he needed to see how it would affect the natives.

And it was amazing, to say the least, with the flesh showing signs of growing back on Bonny, and Orla mentioned that his right eye was itchy.

'It's the same potion, yet it was much more effective on them than on me. My only conclusion is that their HP is lower than mine. That's why using the Weak Healing Potion on them, the instantly recouping 17 points would perform miracles.'

It seemed like a good theory when considering the actual numbers. For example, when previously injured in the first attacks by the wolves and both his thigh and wrist were mangled, he barely lost about 20 points of his total Life, though it kept decreasing because of the bleeding.

So when he drank the HP potion, it brought him back to 37 and closed the wounds, while the passive effect completed the rest of the job in the following minutes, topping him up.

On the other hand, if these two only had 30 Life points instead and dropped to 20 or 15 with their injuries, then the potion overhealed them. Whatever went above their natural capacity helped regrow the missing parts...

'More testing needs to be done, but it sounds possible. But there must be drawbacks for sure.'

"How are you feeling?"

[Tired...](Orla)

[...but alive.](Bonny)

Nodding to show his understanding, Michael realized that overhealing might be a reason for that. However, the intense fighting and the mental strain might've also helped.

Maybe something along the lines of overdrawing their life force with the help of the potion?

'I mean, the human body naturally heals itself over time. A forced accelerated process would result in high levels of fatigue, at the very least, since the potion is not magic in nature. It's the body that absorbs and uses whatever is inside it. Still, I need to ask more questions on this topic later.'

[Stop looking around. They won't come back.](Bonny)

"Hmm? Whom? The wolves?"

[Yeah. Though, we're in a bit of a shitty situation...](Orla)

[What?](Bonny)

[The carcasses... there's so many of them, yet we can't haul them back. If we grab what we can and return tomorrow, other critters will surely get their claws on them. Not to mention that the blood could attract other dangerous predators like bears and Heaven know what else...](Orla)

Bonny grunted in agreement, and Michael looked pensively at the duo. He decided to perform another experiment.

Since the carcasses were part of his Quest, then he should be able to use the Quest inventory page to store them.

As for the duo... if their reactions were adverse to the point where it would threaten his life... they were weakened enough to have died at the wolves' claws and fangs. The villagers would certainly believe him.

'But I'm honestly hoping it won't get there. I'm still not mentally prepared to kill a person...'

"*Sigh* I can take care of that."

[What? No, there's too many of them strewn about, Wanderer. I've counted at least fifty. Even with the sleds, we can barely fit ten, and I'm not sure I can pull that many even split them among us...](Orla)

"No. What I mean is this."

Touching the carcass under the confused eyes of the duo, Michael willed it to go into his inventory. Then, it simply vanished.

Seeing the initially baffled faces of the hunters turn ecstatic a moment later; it was his turn to show confusion and relief.

[Dear Heavens! Are you a certified Wanderer? With an inventory space and all that?](Orla)

[Orla! Don't pry!](Bonny)

[What prying? He's the one showing off...](Orla)

"As you probably noticed, my common sense isn't exactly... up to date. Is having an 'inventory space' that big of a deal?"

[Fuck yeah!](Orla)

[Orla... Yes, Wanderer. How should I put this... *sigh* Old Man Al is better at explaining it. Still, the short version is that we usually call those who venture into the wilderness 'wanderers,' it's somewhat of a tradition throughout the continent to offer them food and accommodation when needed, even if we're complete strangers.

However, a proper Wanderer is someone with a Class while also recognized by the High Heavens. It seems like you gain certain valuable perks alongside that useless recognition. I'm not exactly sure what those advantages are, but most people know about the inventory space being one.](Bonny)

"I see. So it's not too big of a deal after all."

[Well...not really, but you might still want to keep the inventory space hidden. Same with your Wanderer identity.](Orla)

"What? Why?"

[Convenience. If merchants find that you are a Wanderer, they will instantly bug you with helping them move products between towns for them, while people will drown you in requests to the point where you don't have enough time to breathe. I know it isn't very good of me to say that after we had, you risked your life to help our camp, but it's true. I hope you'll lend a helping hand when needed, but I guess I'm trying to say that you also need to know when to say 'no.'](Bonny)

Seeing Orla nod in agreement, he wanted to ask about Quests and if the duo knew what they were, but he knew better than to push it.

This was only his second day in the Sanctuary (awake, conscious, and not disembodied), and he wasn't in a hurry.

All things require proper planning and thinking through.

'Mistakes can be deadly. The name of the game is Brain Usage.'

The next ten minutes were him running around and collecting their spoils of war while the two still caught their breath.

Unfortunately, even after he was done, the hunters weren't in good enough shape to return to the camp on their own two feet.

"We'll leave your sleds here, and I'll drag you on mine. We should make it back by nightfall."

[Mhm. Sorry to be such a burden, Wanderer.](Bonny)

[Eh... It's pretty embarrassing not being able to walk, but I don't want to spend the night here.](Orla)

"Don't worry about it. Hop on, and let's get back to the camp."

The return was filled with chatter, though all three were as battle-ready as possible. Orla and Bonny recovered enough to defend themselves for a couple of minutes if needed so they could walk on their own already.

Still, Michael insisted on having them stay put on the sled. The better their conditions in case of an attack, the better the overall chances of survival.

Fortunately, no other events took place, and with the sunset as a background, they finally made their way to the camp.

Surprisingly, the old man was already there waiting.

[Old Man... how often did we tell you to stop doing this? Take care of your health properly. Why are you out here in the harsh winds?](Bonny)

[Quiet, child! I'm not made out of straws. It's good that you made it back... It really is.](Al)

Seeing the old man walking away without another word, Michael threw a questioning gaze at Orla, who shrugged.

[Ever since our first hunt after relocating to this camp, the old man comes to the gates and waits for our return. Initially, we used to hunt and stay in the forest overnight, but an instance where the old man fell sick after waiting two full days for the hunting group put a stop to that practice. It's silly, I know. But we're all the family he has left in this place. And every loss hurts deeply in this village... It didn't happen just once in the past to lose hunters during night hunts.](Orla)

"I see."

The fact that he didn't even bother to ask about the wolves or bat an eyelid at the empty sled further increased Michael's evaluation of this old man.

In his eyes, he could see only relief at the returning trio, even as he was chastizing Bonny.

'Good people. Thankfully, I had the system to goad me into taking the Quest. If the wolf population had gotten too high and the alpha lost control of it, they would've attacked this camp in a similar attempt at culling the numbers.

And the results of that... I don't want to imagine it.'

A couple of hours later, the village was more active than an anthill on fire. Aunties were cleaning up the entrails; uncles were preparing and salting the meat, with the youngsters salivating on the sides.

The old man said that even the pelts would be a great addition to the camp, as they would make good clothes, bedding, and rugs - things that they usually would buy through his son. Overall, it seemed like a decent haul for his first Quest.

It was decided that a small party would be thrown that night, and the villagers even brought over their few saved-up spices as grills were set up all around. It was a festive atmosphere, and there was even some mead to drink.

'If I am, to be honest, the meat, even with the condiments, tastes like shit. The mead is also horrifyingly bland. Tastes worse than water for some reason. But the people are good company.'

Looking towards the gates, he was currently performing another experiment. Using four fresh carcasses before leaving the action scene, he resummoned all four Skeletons after dismissing the remaining two. They were now patrolling around the camp's walls but on the outside.

Firstly, he planned to check the distance they could move away from him without repercussions and discover their scouting capabilities through his connection to them. For the second reason... he was paranoid.

Whenever the atmosphere gets pleasant and calming like this, bad shit tends to happen in movies.

'I would very much prefer not to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of villagers' screams, with the smell of smoke and blood in my nostrils. I do not need such an everlasting trauma that would haunt me to my deathbed.'

Shaking his head, he returned to the meat at hand.

The party was frugal enough, with only three total carcasses used, though the old man said it was quite the lavish feast.

Michael didn't bother counting, but there should've been at least 60 to 70 people in this small camp.

A wolf should weigh about 80 to 60 kg (depending on whether it's a male or a female) back on Earth. Here in the Sanctuary, they seem much heavier, but their bones, fur, and entrails are not edible.

'So, even if the remaining meat is about 20 to 30 kg per carcass, split between this many people... it's not even half a kilogram of meat. And these people need all the protein they can get. *Sigh* I'll do what I can, but I am finally starting to relate to all those novels I've read. If I do too much, I'll become the thing that destroys their ecosystem. Because once I leave, they won't know how to fend for themselves anymore...'

It might be hubris to say that people who survived on their own for decades before he showed up would be that heavily impacted by his departure, but he was confident of one thing: human nature.

And it's in the nature of humans to seek the easy way out. Our flawed way of being and endless greed can often become our undoing.

Shaking his head tiredly, he dragged his still-wounded body back to the Batcave. He had one HP potion left but decided against using it for the lighter wounds he sported, especially since old man Al mentioned that only cities have spots where you can refill, for a cost, obviously.

"I never thought I'd be this glad to see a bed made out of stone..."

[Haha! It's good that you've returned safe, child. You have no idea how much you helped us. Thank you for helping us tide through this winter.](Al)

"Old man... It's the tenth time you've thanked me since we returned. I've already said that it's alright. Go to bed! I heard you've been staying at the gates ever since we left. You're not young anymore; this camp still needs you around."

[*Sigh* These old bones of mine still have enough life left in them, so I don't think I'll go anywhere anytime soon. Are you sure you won't take the reward though?](Al)

"Old man... I can hunt on my own, and I have an inventory space. I can make those five gold coins just with the meat and pelts in a few days. I don't want to take the funds that you villagers scrounged up through Heaven knows how many years of tightening the belt. I'm just paying back what it's owed for nursing me back to health, and that's all we'll talk about on this subject."

[Fine, fine! You're more stubborn than my kid. I'll write you a letter to bring with you to Kyovashad. When you get there, you hand it to my son, who'll give you a discount on his wares. Also, he can provide you with more information about the city than I can.](Al)

"Mhm! I'll take that."

The system marked the Quest as completed with the matter solved and the letter reward promised.

Immediately after, a system prompt appeared before his eyes as he lay on the bed.

[ Quest completed!

Analyzing performance...

Unlocking access...

Calculating rewards... ]

'It's finally here. Don't let me down, system! My future is riding on this!'