The forest became deadly silent apart from the distant flapping wings. Gale clung to the branch, shaking at what the hell he even just saw. The moon, the blue moon, it blinked and glanced at him. How was that even possible that something that big can exist as one big eye looking thing that didn't even seem biologically correct or anything if at all.

  There was no way. No way.

  Even if he was saved from the winged thing that flew by, there had to be something even more terrifying than it. A moon looking around and just killing what it looks at.

  It's fine, Gale. Just keep moving. Don't make any sound. Don't do anything that'll attract the attention from above or the other monsters that lurk around. Just keep quiet, keep your head down in this dark forest.

  Slowly climbing down the tree, not making a sound, today's goal was foraging. At least it seemed easier at first. Breath of the Void allowed him to check his surroundings without needing to look around physically. Danger would be detected just before they got to him. Foragers in the ancient times relied on peripheral vision. He didn't need to do that.

  As he reached the bottom of the tree, the bottom half of the winged thing was gone. Something had probably already taken it. Maybe the beast that tried to climb up earlier.

  Gale walked around his base tree. Found bulbous fruits hanging from the vine. It had veins, pulsing with a rhythm of a heartbeat. When he pressed his finger against the vein, the beating sped up.

  He came closer, taking a sniff at the fruit. Sweet and salty. Temping, but he's never eaten a fleshy looking fruit before. None of what mom said would work in this world on how to identify whether fruits are going to kill you or not.

  That settles it. Foraging was out of the figure if he couldn't identify which one was edible. Beast meat is the only thing he can eat.

  Dad's grumpy voice echoed in his head. When in doubt, make a whole lot of traps. That's probably what he said anyways.

  Gale gathered a bunch of branches, looking for the sturdiest looking ones. He tested them against his knee, bending them and testing their rigidity. The bigger, the better. He searched for sharp stones near the creek, pocketing the sharp pointy ones.

  One stick and a flat stone would make a shovel. The shovel can dig up pitfalls. The rest of the sticks and stones would be set as stakes.

  A mighty perfect plan. The pitfalls would be named: pitfalls of the doomed ones. The beasts were the doomed ones that were to fall into his stomach later.

  Sweat beaded on his brow as he dug the pit. The earth was damp, making the digging even dirtier than it should be as the damp earth clung to his sides. Four pits took shape, each one far enough from the others and deep enough to engulf a full beast. The size of the traps needed to adapt to the size of the beasts.

  Next was working on the stakes. Using a sharp piece of rock, he carved the end of the branches he found. The wood was tough, tougher than even most of the wood he worked with back home. Each shaving off of the wood made the stone sharp while the stone he used dug in to his skin. Painful, but no way was he going to let them eat him.

  He arranged them in the pits, angling them upwards. Camouflage came next. He gathered nearby leaves on the ground and some twigs from low hanging branches. Gale stood back, surveying his handiwork. Numerous pitfall of the doomed ones waited for unsuspecting doomed ones.

  A smile formed on his face. It faded as quickly as it set in. There was no guarantee these would work. No certainty that anything here followed Earth's rules.

  He carved up one last spear, longer and sturdier than the others. He hefted it, feeling its weight. It wasn't much, but it beat swinging a book at monsters.

  Wait. He hasn't tested the skill 'Alter' yet. He nearly forgot about it from having to just focus on surviving. First things first, check the essence.

  [Essence: 21/100]

  He willed the skill to activate, but nothing happened. Did the essence drop after he activated it?

  [Essence: 16/100]

  Yes it did. It dropped by 5 points. However, there was no effect, or at least there didn't seem to be one. The clue on the skill said it distorts reality. It didn't help that there was another skill called Distort as well. However, it could mean "transform" or "change." Then it should at least change something… such as size.

  The spear immediately shortened in size the moment the thought hit him. As the spear dropped and touched the ground, it returned to its original length. If it could lengthen in size, then can the energy of releasing it be used on something?

  Gale picked up the spear and placed himself near a tree. He willed the spear to shorten in his hands. Its weight remained the same. He pointed the shortened spear at the tree. He released the skill, and the spear returned to its original length in an instant with it still in his hands. When the spear hit the tree, it launched him backwards from the recoil.

  Picking himself back up, he looked at the spear, broken in half. There was a fist-sized hole in the tree where the spear had hit.

  Lips formed into a grin. It was the only usable skill out of the 3. Now he had a way to defend himself. He just had to wait for his essence to regenerate as normal. Grabbing another sturdy stick, he carved up another spear, this time slightly longer which hopefully would translate to more lethality.

  A rustle in the underbrush made him snap his spear at where the sound came from. He strained his ears, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. It was getting closer.

  Leaves parted. A forest beast emerged. Its eyes glared at him. From its size, it was the one that had tried to climb the tree earlier.

  "Still hungry after you ate that bird, huh?" Gale said. Unfortunately, the creature didn't understand human language. He turned and sprinted towards his first trap.

  The beast lunged, jaws snapping at air. Gale dove forward, rolling past the camouflaged pit. A satisfying crunch followed, followed by an ear-splitting roar.

  He spun around. The beast thrashed, three crude spears jutting from its leathery hide. Black gooey blood dripped from its wounds, but the trap had only enraged it further. Gale scrambled to his feet, already running to where the next trap lay.

  The forest beast tore free, splintering wood. It charged, leaving a trail of blood and broken stakes. Gale ran, Breath of the Void guiding him through the undergrowth.

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  He heard the laboured breath of the creature, the shaking of the earth on each thunderous step. One of the stakes must've punctured its lungs.

  His second trap lay just ahead. Gale pushed himself harder, muscles burning. He leaped over the hidden pit, tucking into a roll. The beast ploughed straight in.

  More stakes found their mark. The roar that followed shook leaves from the towering trees.

  Gale smiled, catching his breath. It was working. This time, he was the one setting the pace, not these fugly monsters. It was him that controlled his life.

  The forest beast struggled to its feet, now resembling a porcupine. Its movements became sluggish, each step accompanied by a pained grunt. It growled louder.

  Gale gripped his makeshift spear. The creature was wounded, slowed. Now was his chance to end this.

  He stood his ground, spear raised. The beast charged, building what speed it could. Gale focused, channelling essence into the "Alter" skill. The spear shortened in his grasp.

  The beast came closer. The stench of its breath pushed at him.

  Now.

  Gale released the skill. The spear snapped back to its full length, rocketing the tip forward. It struck true, punching through the creature's skull.

  The forest beast's momentum carried it forward, lifeless body crashing onto Gale's body. He fell backwards, panting heavily. Its black gooey blood dripped onto his clothes.

  "I... I did it," Gale whispered. He'd faced a monster and emerged victorious. A hysterical laugh bubbled up from his chest.

  A familiar ding interrupted his moment of triumph. The system popped up again:

  [Awakened Elder Forest Beast felled.]

  [Extracting Origin from prey…]

  Gale watched as grains of light rose from the creature's corpse. They orbited around him, then seeped into his chest.

  Warmth spread through his body originating from his chest where the grains entered. Flexing his hands, he felt stronger and the soreness from the first kill eased up. His essence also replenished by 5, enough for one skill.

  [The body becomes more resilient when the Core Density increases.]

  Again, the system didn't give him anything to work with, though that was expected by now.

  Now he had proof. The origin or system or origin system, whatever it was, it made him stronger. It was a good thing. Don’t need to think too much about whether it had malicious intent or not.

  For now, step 2 was more concerning. Food.

  He pushed and rolled away the beast's body on top of him. Dusted off his clothes and wiped away some of the blood as if it did anything.

  Looking around and taking two rocks from the forest floor that was bigger than his hands, he bashed two of them together. One broke off cleanly in half, giving him the edge he was looking for.

  Butchering a beast would be tough. It was full of tough muscle, lean. He set to work, using the sharp stone to butcher it. He started slicing off the front legs first. He worked around the base of the joint. He deboned them methodically, slicing against the bone as the stone glided on the hard surface.

  Surprised, it was easier than it should have been. It didn't even seem to be as heavy as he thought. The newfound strength from this Dainv OS helped out a lot more than it did.

  Continuing on, he went onto the rear legs and then on the middle part of the carcass of the ribs. All of the meat was carefully set down on large leaves to prevent them from touching the dirt. After setting the head down on the large leaf, he was finally finished.

  "Thanks, Mom," he murmured, blinking back tears. "Those boring afternoons paid off after all."

  A distant rustle above snapped him out of his thoughts. Something was circling high above, barely visible through the dense canopy. Gale sped up his pace.

  Taking multiple large leaves from the brushes, he wrapped and gathered the meat into sections. He tied all of them in a rope made of vines, then hoisted them onto his shoulders.

  He rushed back to base. The shelter he made needed more defense. The current branch wasn't enough. It was out in the open to the sky monsters above.

  A massive fallen tree caught his eye as he was going back to the branch. Its roots formed a natural barricade, and the trunk itself was hollowed out by age. It wasn't perfect, but it would do for now.

  Gale pushed his bounty into the trunk of the tree. He'd claimed one victory, but he knew better than to let his guard down.

  His muscles tensed as he hid in the hollow of the tree. Covering his mouth with one hand, he slowed his breathing down.

  The winged thing circled overhead. Its feathers scraped against itself like metal on metal and somehow still sounded like the blades of a helicopter.

  He stayed in that log for what seemed like hours that stretched into eternity as he waited for whatever that thing was to give up.

  Only when the cloud seemed to part and make way for the light of the blue moon, the thing's flaps faded into the distance. Gale took a long deep breath, allowing himself to relax for a minute. He turned his attention to the packaged meat beside him.

  Mom did say Preservation is key. Never know when the next meal will come.

  A smoker. That's what he needed. Gale's eyes scanned the surrounding forest. He needed wood, branches with leaves still attached, and a way to contain the smoke.

  Cautiously, he emerged from his shelter. Every snapped twig and rustling leaf set him on the edge, but Gale pressed on. He gathered dry branches and leafy boughs, piling them near his makeshift camp.

  The forest beasts he killed were all loners, that much was clear. The first one he encountered also fought with its own kind. Territorial animals are usually solitary and wouldn't hesitate to kill one another. Or it could just be a coincidence as the animals in this world didn't seem to follow the rules of the jungle or biology.

  He shook his head. No point in thinking about it now when nothing can be done about it. Focus on the task at hand. One problem at a time.

  Gale began the construction of his smoker. He dug a pit for the fire, then built a frame around it using the branches he found around his camp. Leafy boughs formed the walls, creating a chamber to trap the smoke.

  Inside, he framed racks from smaller branches, weaving them together to create platforms for the meat. It wasn't as good as mom made them, but good enough, I guess.

  He stepped back, wiping sweat. A smile formed on his lips.

  "Not bad for an orphan, eh, Mom?" Well, at least he was one after they had left him.

  The pride was short-lived as reality crashed back in. He still had to cut up the meat into thin slices and get it smoking before scavengers caught the scent.

  He opened the first packaged leaf. The ribs could go in directly, but the legs were too big. These ones needed to be cut into slices.

  He set out to get to work. Slicing the meat off the bones was far easier. It was cruder and didn't need too much precision. Slicing the meat into slices was much harder. Each time he sliced, the stone would slip and cut elsewhere or the leaf under. But he persevered. His life literally depended on it.

  Finally, with aching hands and arms splattered with blood, Gale finished preparing the meat. He carefully hung the strips inside his crude smoker, then set about gathering tinder for the fire.

  When the smoke started to rise from the pit, Gale allowed hims to relax his thighs and calves. The smell wafted through the air, and the pungent smell of the beast meat covered the vicinity.

  He'd done it. Mission success. Food secured for the next few days.

  He settled back against the fallen tree, makeshift spear just beside him. His eyes turned to the forest, searching for the slightest signs of movement.

  Time crawled by. The rustle of the leaves broke the silence every now and then. A branch snapped far away to his left, making his head snap at it and pointing his spear at the direction.

  "Come at me, you goddamn beasts," he whispered.

  Hours passed, the smoke from his smoker curled up above the canopy. If another one came at him, he'd be ready. As long as it wasn't as big as the first beast he encountered, he could probably take it on.

  The rust of leaves at his right, this time near, caused Gale to spin that direction. He tightened his spear as much as possible, coiling all joints of his body.

  A smaller forest beast stepped through the brush. Its nostrils flared, probably smelling the smoke. Its eyes locked on to him, and a low growl vibrated from its throat.

  "Alright, fugly," he said. "Become my food!"