Romos, known to many as the village's hunter, gazed at the empty wine bottle in his hand, reflecting on the years that had passed. His wife, sons, and even his daughter, who had married a wandering soul from a neighboring town, were no longer with him.

Approaching his sixties, Romos felt the weight of his age and the emptiness that encompassed his existence. His life had been dedicated to the art of hunting, offering prayers to the Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis. Yet, where had all his efforts led him? Here, alone and forgotten. Each passing day felt like a wasteful erosion of his being.

Recently, his interactions were limited to a young farmer's child—his new pupil, Idas. The thought of his student brought a smile to the old man's face. While there were many regrets in his life, guiding and training Idas was not one of them. A sense of contentment washed over him, hopeful that the young man might achieve the heights he himself never reached. Despite his dedicated work, Romos remained an average hunter, never bagging anything truly remarkable.

Suddenly, a peculiar, rhythmic pounding against his door shattered his drunken haze. Instantly, his instincts kicked in, overriding his alcohol-induced stupor. He swiftly armed himself with his bow, arrows, and a small hunting knife fastened to his belt. Clearing his mind with a deep breath, he notched an arrow.

With a resounding crash, the door gave way, and a wolf the size of a pony burst into the room. Without a moment's hesitation, the old man released his arrow, piercing the beast's skull between its eyes and exiting through its ears, instantly ending its life.

He wasn't a novice hunter, taking pride in a measly kill. He swiftly knocked back another arrow, as another wolf leapt over the corpse of the first one. This time, the old man released the arrow before the wolf even touched the ground. The projectile pierced the beast's throat, causing it to whine as it fell and slammed into the ground, its momentum carrying it close to Romos' feet.

The fight wasn't over yet. Romos refused to be distracted as two wolves prowled in. These ones didn't charge at him; instead, one attacked from the right and the other from the left. Romos let go of his arrow, and one of the wolves jumped back, causing the projectile to hit the floor. Meanwhile, the other wolf charged at him from behind. Reacting swiftly, he drew his knife and threw it at the charging wolf, the beast's momentum driving the blade deep into its eye.

"Heh, do you think these feeble creatures' instinctual tactics and low cunning can best me?" Romos smiled, reminiscing about the day Idas had approached him seeking guidance in the art of hunting. It was the day his wretched life had finally begun to see some light. "Come on, beasts. I must make an example out of you, to show my disciple what a true hunter is capable of, and that he still has much to learn."

***

As soon as we heard the wolves' howls, Myrina and I got up, and she retrieved her metal spear. Billy the goat crawled out from under my bed, and I picked him up and placed him on the bed.

"Go back to sleep, little guy. There's nothing to worry about," I reassured him, covering him with sheets. He made a goat sound, and his eyes closed as soon as his head hit the pillow.

I went to my parents' bedroom and nudged my father awake. "Dad, wake up. You need to lock the reinforced door."

Fortunately, we had been attacked by a wolf before. This led my father to have a carpenter install a reinforced door, something that no ordinary wolf should be able to break through.

Should I wake up my mother? No, she would worry and try to stop me from what I was about to do next. But if I didn’t deal with this now, reinforced door or no reinforced door, we would be in danger. I was scared too, but I had to take the initiative and there was still the monstrous Amazon by my side.

My dad got ready to move tables and chairs against the front door while ensuring the sturdiness of the stone around the small windows in our hut. Meanwhile, I grabbed my bow and arrow quiver and retrieved my own spear from under my bed.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Unlike Myrina's spear, mine had a wooden shaft with only a metallic tip. I wasn't like her, capable of effortlessly wielding a metal spear without it impeding my movements. For now, I belonged to the realm of normal people.

Myrina and I were about to leave when my father grasped my arm and said, "Son, be careful out there."

Using his only usable arm, he pulled me closer and whispered in my ear, "Also, if you want to earn the respect of a woman like Myrina, you must prove yourself among men!"

With a thumbs up and a smile, he let us go as Myrina and I walked out.

He seemed to have the wrong idea about the relationship between Myrina and me. There was nothing romantic between us, and even calling ourselves friends was dubious at times.

While walking out, Myrina frowned, her haunting purple eyes glistening under the moonlight. "This is weird," she said.

"What?" I asked.

Did she hear what my father said to me? That was kind of embarrassing. I better clear this up before it leads to some kind of cliché misunderstanding. I have read enough isekai to know about these developments.

"While the weather is a bit chilly as summer is ending soon, there should still be plenty of prey to hunt in the forest. It's nowhere close to winter yet. Attacking human settlements is dangerous, even animals know that," she muttered under her breath, her gaze sharpening. "Something doesn't make sense. Is this really a coincidence?"

Okay, so I was just assuming things before. Thankfully I didn't say anything about it. "That's true. We better keep an eye out for anything weird and stay on guard."

She nodded, and we focused on the task at hand. As we approached the village, we noticed dozens of wolves prowling about. Myrina charged ahead, leaving me behind despite her partially healed leg wounds.

However, as soon as she reached the midst of the battle between the villagers and the beasts, all concerns about her injuries vanished. With a powerful swing of the butt of her spear, she struck a wolf that had knocked a man down. The creature was sent flying as if made of cotton, crashing against a wall and leaving web-like cracks in the stone. Blood seeped from its mouth, its rib cage crushed by a single blow.

Moments like this made me question whether I was still in the same world. Even in modern times, with diets, steroids, and all that, it would be impossible for a human to accomplish what Myrina had just done.

I didn't have time to dwell on those thoughts as some of the wolves realized the devastation Myrina was causing. She hurled her spear, impaling two wolves—one in the neck and the other through its thick fur—pinning them against the wall.

As the wolves approached, I hesitated to engage them in close combat, considering their superior strength. Instead, I opted to shoot arrows at them, relying on either some innate archery talent or the fortunate influence of my Luck stat. Surprisingly, I eliminated thirteen wolves out of the pack of twenty with precise shots to their throats, eyes, lungs, and hearts – all critical hits.

With Myrina close, I felt a moment of relief and took the opportunity to open my status page.

Class: N/A

Traits: [Transmigrator]

Level: 3 → 4

Strength: 0.9 [+]

Agility: 0.8 [+]

Constitution: 1 [+]

Spirit: 2 [+]

Luck: 3 [+]

Skills Page ≫

Considering the situation, I pondered which physical attribute to enhance. Strengthening my strength seemed futile, given that the wolves could easily overpower me and force me to the ground. Similarly, a constitution of 2 would likely offer little resistance against their jaws. Agility appeared to be the most viable option, aiding both my ability to flee and potentially improving my marksmanship. However, even with increased agility, I doubted I could outrun a wolf.

The alternative was to bolster my spirit stat, although I remained uncertain about its effects. Currently, a stat that would enhance my shooting skills seemed most beneficial, and my previous experience had demonstrated the significant impact of Luck in that regard.

Another motive for increasing my Luck was the proximity of old man Romos' hut, located on the outskirts of the village and dangerously close to the forest. Would my luck help me be fortunate enough to not let those I care about die?