(Walson)

Melon told me a bit more about the situation, but since it was already night, making it unsafe to venture outside at this time, we decided to shelf this issue until tomorrow.

We’ve been doing lots of work, making preparations and other labors to ensure our success. And after all these days, we can finally rest easy now.

The following morning, I headed towards the east of the forest, the place where Melon said that the unknown presence would be.

It wasn’t difficult to find our new neighbor, as there was a small but noticeable cave. Plus, with the help of the [Mini-map], I managed to gain more information.

The [Mini-map] shows it to be green, which indicates that it is a neutral entity. Seems like it’s not an intruder like one of those crazy and corrupted monsters. Probably a magical beast?

I stepped into the small cave and was greeted by the sight of a grievously injured wolf.

Its furry body was the color of gray, with tones of brown. A very common and nonexotic color variation for wolves.

This one is probably one among the thousand followers of the [Mountaing King]. But why is there just one?

Taking a look at its status managed to confirm that it was a lone wolf. I suppose it couldn’t be anything but a lone wolf?

[Nakula Wolf_LV9_HP:37/91_Status: Infected Wounds, Hunger, Weak_Title: None]

As I have mentioned before, there are two types of lone wolves. If one of their brethren were too old or were crippled, they would choose to leave the pack since they do not wish to burden their family. They would quietly find a place to embrace their death.

The other type of lone wolf is usually rebels or wolves who think they’ve grown strong enough to survive on their own.

In this case, the wolf in front of me with a broken leg is counted as the former.

When the wolf saw me, it did not bare its teeth, or growl, or show any signs of hostility at me. It simply continues to stare at me, quietly.

Its eyes are clear and hold no noticeable emotion, and it gives a look that is something like… ‘I accept my fate’.

It shifted its silent gaze towards the machete – something I use to cut open paths in the forests – in my hand.

“Grrro…” It gave me a huff and then bared its neck at me by turning its head to the side.

Is… is this guy serious? Does it want me to finish them off?

I admit that I have killed quite a lot of wolves after building my secret base in the mountains. Their meat tastes like beef, and I have eaten plenty of wolf steak.

But this is the first time I’ve ever seen it behave this way.

I actually hold an immense amount of respect for the magical wolves in this world.

The willingness to sacrifice themselves for the betterment of their pack, it resonates with something deep in my heart – something as a warrior, that pride.

“Haa… so it was just a lost and lonely wolf.” I let out a sigh and sat down to observe the wolf closer.

Its size is about 120cm, just about the same size as the large dogs that inhabited Earth.

Due to the famine caused by the [Wither Skull], everyone and everything is all short on food, and the wolves are no exception. This wolf, in particular, looks like it has been starved and is thinner than usual. Wolves normally are very lean and lithe creatures, the bulky and gigantic [Mountain King] is irregular when it comes to size and stature.

Judging from the muscular definition and healthy sheen of its fur, it must have been a young and magnificent hunter. Has it offered most of its food to the pack?

Or perhaps, it’s because he has been lying here, waiting for death for a whole week that has caused him to be thin?

I took notice of his empty right forefoot – there is a black ugly wound there, and it looks like the limb was wrenched off.

And then I saw a broken paw on the ground in front of him, making me gasp in shock.

‘Eh!? Did he bite off his own paw!?’

Speaking of ‘he’, is this wolf a male or a female? Well, Whatever.

The scene filled me with a feeling of nostalgia as I was reminded of the large dog our family had raised in my previous life on Earth.

With that thought in mind, I took out a bottle of [MPOH(β)] and a bottle of [Milk].

I started to approach the wolf, but it did not shy away even when I hacked off the black rotten forefoot with a swift swing.

Blood flowed from the new injury like a fountain.

“Guh!” He let out an indignant and angry growl, turning its baleful gaze onto me. Its eyes glowed in anger, despair, and discontent as if accusing me of not giving it a merciful death by finishing it quickly.

Chill, dude. I am not trying to prolong your torment on purpose, don’t give me that look.

I immediately poured the potions onto the wound.

____________________________

Ten minutes later, I returned to the secret base.

Melon walked towards me and gave me a shallow bow to show her respect. (She used to fall to her knees instead… thankfully I broke that habit of hers)

“Good morning, Master.” There is a bit of dampness on Melon’s body, she must have been training, or just got out of the bath after training.

She must have sensed me as I approached since I did not tell her to meet me here.

… Speaking of which, I managed to confirm that Melon has gained three new skills by using a [Stone Tablet of Identification] on her.

They are [Airflow sensitivity], [Vibration sensitivity], and [Enhanced Hearing].

Was it due to practicing with ten spinning iron dummies for six months in a row? She has become extremely sensitive to all kinds of small changes in her surroundings.

… I remember her saying that she always treated those practices as if they were real combat. Holding the thought of “Being hit once equals being dead” all the time as she underwent rigorous training.

I am unsure of how high the level of those skills are since a regular [Tablet of Appraisal] doesn’t show such information. Maybe I will find out when I get an upgrade for that.

“Oh, Good morning! Have you eaten breakfast?”

“Master, have you?” Melon directly answered by nailing me with a question.

Melon knows me so well, it’s kind of amazing.

“Ah, right. I am about to. Melon, can you prepare an extra portion for Rifle?” I took a step to the sides, and let the creature that was hiding behind my legs to show itself to Melon.

“Auauruuu~” The wolf howled genially as if it was a greeting.

After healing him, he followed me out of the cave of its own accord.

As he continued to walk right by my heels, I was continuously barraged by nostalgia and the desire to adopt a doggy. In the end, I decided to follow my heart and brought him here.

I named him “Rifle”, since that was the name of the large dog my family had on Earth.

“Yes, Master.” Melon responded, and turned to walk into the secret base.

“… Ah, you’re not going to question this?” I brought Rifle along as we kept on walking, slightly bewildered by Melon’s lack of reaction.

I already had a long script to explain my actions in mind! Are you really going to rob me of the chance to go on a monologue?

“Do you wish for me to question your actions or your reasons?” Melon opened the various storage chests and rummaged for ingredients silently. After another pregnant pause, she murmured. “To lose a limb, to lose the will and hope to live, then to suddenly be saved while experiencing despair… by you…”

“We are similar, he and I. We were both taken in by you. And… I apologize. I already knew that it was an injured wolf when I told you about him.”

“Oh? So you already investigated before I did?”

“I did. But, I really wanted to see how Master would react and respond.” She turned around with a plate of sandwich and placed it in front of me. “I suppose I shouldn’t have expected anything different. Master will always be Master.”

I was completely speechless… I mean, is this the moment where someone is supposed to say ‘You’re Welcome’?

… Oh my…

I am starting to feel just a tad bit embarrassed.

“We’ll be in your care, Rifle.” Melon knelt and placed a plate full of meat cut into cubes in front of the wolf.

Rifle responded with a happy growl and started to eat with abandon.

Melon stood back up and shot me a smile.

“Well then Master. Since you’ve tamed a beast, do you wish to draw a beast contract rune?”

Oh! Right! I completely forgot about that!

This world has practiced the arts of taming monsters and beasts for a very long time. My mind was completely stuffed with the thought of owning a dog again that I totally forgot about that.

… Correction, I’m owning a wolf this time around.

Beast contract runes are special magic marks that are drawn on the body of a tamed beast or monster.

Despite the rune requiring magic to draw, it is extremely easy, to the point that even an average [Villager] could do it on their own without assistance so long as they possess the knowledge on how to do it.

With that said, you must wonder how come the streets aren’t filled with [Tamers], people who can tame monsters and beasts? As for the reason, it would be because to draw the special magic mark requires several conditions.

As the words suggest, it is a “Contract”, and much like the slavery contract between master and slave, there are conditions that need to be fulfilled in order to create a contract between master and beast.

You don’t simply snatch a beast off the wilds and expect it to follow you around. The beast (or monster) in question must willingly follow you of their own free will. Otherwise, it is impossible to draw a beast contract rune.

Once the contract is done, the master and the beast are bound together almost like they are in the same “party”, as in, they are counted as allied entities, but not exactly occupy a position in a party.

Also, once the contract is drawn, the natural growth of the beast or monster is halted. They only grow when the master grows. Which is why you can’t get a dragon egg, then expect to get a super strong dragon a few years later if you’re not super strong yourself.

I remembered coming across a book that wrote about this topic in the Orphanage.

The title of the book was “Easy Guide for First-Time Beast Tamers”. It’s a dusty old tome that no one ever bothered to touch or read since beast taming is definitely not as easy as it sounds.

If I were to make a comparison, it’s like finding a “How to be a successful president on your very first try” kind of book in a bookstore. Would any regular person really pay attention to such a book?

I swallowed the last bite of my breakfast and stood to leave the secret base.

“Take care of things for a bit, Melon.” With that said, I sprinted out in a blinding run, already out of the room in a blink.

Aaaah. I am so happy with my speed now. I am incredibly fast.

It’s all thanks to the [Blessing of the Ancient Tree] that was given to me by the Dryad. It’s a very great thing.

When the Dryad took note that I was nothing but a lowly [Villager], she bestowed the blessing on me.

And then, my racial status was changed.

I used to be [Human], but now I am an [Ancient Tree – Human]. Whatever that might mean.

It sounds really silly, but the bonuses I gained are really great. Not only have my stats increased, I have also gained the extra potential to grow stronger now – as in, my stats have a higher cap than before.

Also, I heard that it was possible for me to learn actual skills in the future.

I CAN FINALLY LEARN SKILLS OF MY OWN NOW AHAHAHAHAHA!

… It was a long time later in the future that I realized that the last person that was given such a blessing was a hero of old, from ages past.

This is a powerful blessing that can only be given once per millennium, and to be given such a blessing also means that I was given with a burden of equal value.

But all of that was in the future. For now, I basked in the bliss of ignorance.