Episode 15

I glanced over the quest content and then grabbed the window again.

[Quest: Get the black bear and its cubs safely away.]

[Reward: Some experience points.]

It was a quest that was triggered without warning, but fortunately it didn't ask you to hunt a black bear. Relief was fleeting, but even as I retreated, leaving a wide open path, the stupid mother bear kept coming towards me.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Is it because it's a stone window? Even though the spear was jabbed threateningly, the mother bear showed no sign of backing down.

Instead, he lunged at me in a scary manner, as if he found me ridiculous.

Kwaaaaah! Kwaaaaah!

Besides, the cubs have escaped from the retreat route and escaped to a safe place.

'This is driving me crazy.'

Sharp claws the size of a human face kept flying at me, trying to cut my body in two.

Shaaaaah! Shaaaaah!

Each time, I avoided the mother bear's fearsome attacks with amazing reflexes. Of course, it was very risky and close to the edge.

And before I knew it, I was alone in the middle of a wide-open retreat, fighting fiercely with the mother bear. No, I mostly just stepped back or avoided it.

'What are you all doing? Just staring blankly like you've lost your mind.'

I felt indignant at the sight of the warriors standing afar and looking at me with surprised expressions. Even the chieftain, the 'Forest Hunter', was looking at me with a very puzzled look.

'how?'

At that moment, the mother bear, who had been fighting with me without any gain, stopped and began to back away little by little, then suddenly turned around and started to run away towards her cub.

'What? Are you tired?'

I watched quietly as the mother bear and her cub ran away, breathing heavily.

[Tiring!]

[Quest completed.]

[You will receive 120 experience points as a reward.]

At that moment, warriors gathered around me and exclamations of admiration erupted from all sides.

Wow!

"Wow! That's a huge two thousand days!"

"You're a bear, fighting one-on-one!"

"As expected, he is a great warrior!"

"It's so fast you can't keep up with it!"

None of their awe-inspiring praise reached my ears. Rather, I was angry. These guys aren't messing with me. The moment I was about to say something in anger, the 'Forest Hunter' gave a firm order.

"The hunt is not over yet. Warriors, hunt the remaining animals."

"Yes, Chief!"

The warriors, who had not yet broken the siege but were loose, quickly began to hunt the animals that had been driven to the riverbank.

Swish! Swish swish! Swish!

Swish! Swish!

As I was frowning and complaining about the absurd situation, the 'Forest Hunter' in front of me apologized politely.

"A very big two thousand days! I'm sorry. I was distracted for a moment and couldn't make a cool-headed judgment as the chief. I'm sorry again."

"······.."

Sealook!

The anger that was bubbling inside me did not subside all at once. However, seeing the chief admit his mistake and apologize politely, he suppressed his anger as much as possible and spoke bluntly.

"Apology. Accepted."

"Thank you for accepting my apology."

After a while, a notification sound was heard indicating that the quest was completed, and the animals that had been hunted were gathered in one place.

Turkey, porcupine, mink, deer, etc. 'Forest hunters' and warriors stood in a circle around animals impaled on arrows and spears.

Still angry, I took a step back and quietly watched what they were doing.

'What are you trying to do again?'

Representing the warriors, the 'Forest Hunter' opened both hands, closed his eyes, and muttered as if singing.

"······Thank you, Ke Tanu Tuwit, the Creator who made us human beings. Thank you, Mother Earth, who gives us what we need. Thank you, the spirits of the forest and the spirits of animals. Thank you, their sacrifices, so that we can live without starving."

The atmosphere was very solemn, as if a sacred ritual was being performed. Since I understood everything the chief was saying, I too was soon caught up in the solemn atmosphere and stood there somewhat bashfully.

And when the ritual was over, the 'Forest Hunter' gave instructions to the warriors.

"I will not let anything go to waste so that the sacrifices of these animals will not be in vain. From now on, I will return to the village with my game."

"Understood, Chief!"

A moment later, I slung the turkey that had attacked me over my shoulder. And he followed the 'Forest Hunter' and the warriors, walking side by side with the 'Swift Deer', holding two dead minks in each hand with their tongues out.

I couldn't contain my curiosity and asked the 'fast-footed deer' a question.

"Just now. Chief. Ceremony. What is it?"

The 'fast-footed deer', who understood what I said right away, asked back with a puzzled look.

"Don't your people perform ceremonies of gratitude? We are just a part of this world, not a great being. And yet, to satisfy our hunger, we hunt and kill the descendants of the 'Earth Mother.' Of course, we should be grateful for their sacrifice. Don't you think so?"

"······."

I couldn't answer the look in the eyes of the 'fast-footed deer' that seemed to be scolding me. I understood everything he said, but it just took me a while to grasp the spirit behind it.

'Do they hold a ceremony to thank the animals that sacrificed themselves for them?'

I was shocked by their unique culture. No, I was really shocked. Are you tired of the harsh and hectic modern life? It caused a small stir in my thinking, which usually involves eating chicken or meat.

For a while I sat in deep thought, not saying anything.

* * *

Upon returning to the village, the women welcomed the men of the tribe who had returned safely from the hunt.

"The spirit protected us!"

"Everyone worked hard!"

After a small welcoming ceremony, the men of the tribe immediately began butchering the animals they had hunted.

[Quest: Observe how the tribesmen butcher the animals they hunt.]

I watched their dismantling work from a distance. Of course, the quest was a big reason. To be honest, the work of dismembering the animals was so gruesome and disgusting that it made me vomit.

Blood flowed so much that the ground was damp. The skin was removed and the intestines were removed. He skillfully split the bones, cut the meat into appropriate sizes, and placed them in a basket.

The useless entrails and parts were thrown to the dogs that guarded the village. There was nothing to throw away. Bones, skin, and internal organs.

Even the tendons. After the long and arduous dismantling process was over, a notification sound was heard that the quest had been completed safely along with the experience reward.

And then, before long, the women of the tribe began to flock in. Hunting and butchering were done by men, but the rest was the women's job.

[Tiring!]

[Quest has been activated.]

[Quest: Observe what the women of the tribe do with leather and meat.]

[Reward: A small amount of experience points.]

There are eight quests that were activated today alone. All sorts of completely unexpected quests appeared. And today, for some reason, I felt more mentally tired than happy about gaining experience.

'Whew!'

Letting out a small sigh, I quietly followed along to see what the women were doing with the dismembered hide and meat.

The women of the tribe glanced at me as I followed them, then whispered and laughed among themselves. I said with an awkward expression, scratching the back of my head.

"Don't disturb me. Be quiet. Just watch."

"Yeah. Just watch quietly."

After a while, women were moving busily around the corner of the village. Freshly skinned animals and entrails washed clean with water were hung on wooden poles to dry in the sun.

The rope and laundry were hung on wooden poles installed in various places. Large chunks of meat were distributed to each hut and smoked over a campfire to prevent them from rotting.

Well-washed bones and porcupine quills were spread out on a wide mat-like area on the floor. The girls giggled as they watched me work with curious eyes, unlike the other men in the tribe.

Was that laughter unpleasant? "The Moon Rises," said a sharp voice as he worked with the women of the tribe.

"A very big two thousand days! What is there here that you keep looking at? Make hunting tools and weapons like other men."

"that is···"

The quest wasn't completed yet, and I was momentarily speechless as to how to respond. Did he just notice her ominous mood?

A welcome notification sounded in my head.

'Wow! The quest was completed at an incredible timing.'

[Tiring!]

[Quest completed.]

[You will receive 50 experience points as a reward.]

And then the alarm sounded again.

[Tiring!]

[You have leveled up.]

[You are given a random +1 ability and +2 ability points.]

[Your Wisdom stat increases by 1 based on the random ability increase.]

I roughly skimmed through the contents of the message, but it only leveled up, and there was no 'Heavenly Library' or any other noticeable rewards.

"What is that?

"Okay. I'll go."

I spoke to 'The Moon Rises' with an awkward expression, then immediately turned around and shook my head.

'You've got a secret temper.'

* * *

It's night. After eating a big dinner, I felt full. I lay down in bed and rested for a while.

Knock knock!

A bonfire in the middle was burning slowly, warming the inside of the hut. Today felt pretty long. Hunting, turkeys, black bears, sacred rites, dismemberment, etc.

And today, there are a lot of quests that have been activated.

"It feels like it's going to be long."

Phew!

I forced myself to close my eyes and fall asleep without checking the level-up status window, smiling self-deprecatingly.

However, I couldn't fall asleep easily. I tossed and turned for a while trying to close my eyes, but instead, all that came to mind were random thoughts.

And then suddenly a feeling of anxiety came over me. Where am I now? Where is this place? Why do people here remain in the Neolithic civilization?

Isn't this just the game world, without any evidence? Is this really America? Will I ever be able to return to Korea?

.

.

Sighs continued to flow from my mouth.

"Could it be that I really came back to the past like I saw in movies and dramas?"

The more I thought about it, the more confused and jumbled my mind became, as if I was lost in a maze. I felt like I would die of chest pain if I didn't get some fresh air.

"Let's go out."

I got up from my seat, opened the leather door, and went outside.

* * *

We circled the village around the fence.

Thud thud!

Light was streaming in through the bark-covered huts. As I walked slowly and calmly collected my thoughts, my stuffy mind felt much lighter.

"There is no evidence to suggest that it is the past. Well, let's not jump to conclusions."

I nodded my head repeatedly, trying to straighten out my wavering mentality.

"I definitely feel better after getting some fresh air."

As I was walking towards my hut with a relaxed expression, unlike before, someone appeared before my eyes.

"Can't sleep?"

I wasn't flustered at all because I knew who she was, watching me through the map all along.

"you?"

"me too."

Did it bother you that you were yelling at me in an irritated voice during the day? 'The Moon Rises' looked extremely tired, as if he hadn't slept a wink.

She hesitated for a moment, trying not to disturb my thoughts. And then I took courage and said,

"I'm sorry I got annoyed with you during the day."

"afternoon?"

"huh."

Phew!

'You lost sleep over just that?'

If she hadn't told me, I would have completely forgotten about it.

"It's okay. It is. It can be."

"Thank you so much for accepting my apology."

"It's okay. I accept the apology."

At that moment, a red dot appeared on the map that was always on for a split second and then quickly disappeared. Red dot? He is an intruder. I approached 'Moon Rising' with a stern expression and covered her mouth with my hand.

"Shhh!"