Chapter.4 Hunter Brothers

The two hunters helped me off the ground, and for the first time, I got a good look at them. They were a bit taller than me, both with brown hair and dark brown eyes. Their faces were young but hardened by experience. On their temples, they each had a fish-shaped tattoo made of rigid lines. The two looked strikingly alike—clearly related.

“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, we’d be dead,” the one with the rifle said, “I’m Wulfa, and this is my brother Walda. We’re both hunters.” He extended his hand, and I took it in mine.

“I’m Harry,” I replied, pausing for a moment before deciding to lie. “I don’t really know who I am. My memories were lost, and I woke up here in the forest.” It seemed wise not to tell them the full truth.

“We're sorry to hear that,” Wulfa said, slinging the rifle over his back. “Please, follow my brother back to camp. We'll cook up something for you.”

“Oh, just one thing,” I added, a bit embarrassed. “I might have stolen some of your clothes. I woke up naked... sorry about that.” I apologized, feeling the shame rise in my voice.

They exchanged glances and then burst into laughter. “Not a problem at all, you just saved our lives,if anything I'm glad they fit!” Wulfa said with a grin. Then, turning to his brother, he added, “I'm going to butcher the Tula. You help Harry.”

Walda nodded and led me back to the camp. He sat me down and handed me a metal can filled with water. I thanked him and drank it—it tasted clean and refreshing. Not long after, Wulfa returned, his bag full of meat and a roll of hide slung over his shoulder.

“What you killed, it was called a Tula,” Wulfa said as he put the hide down and pulled a few chunks of meat from his bag.

Walda, who had just knocked two pieces of rock together to start a fire, looked at me while tossing some twigs into the flames. “Its hide is valuable. Nobles like to use it to make floor cloths,” he explained.

The fire crackled to life, and the smell of cooking meat soon filled the air.

“Our guide, he didn’t make it,” Walda said in a solemn voice. “He was… relieving himself when the Tula got him. It attacked before he had a chance to run. We chased it into the forest, but it was too late. After that, it came for us.” He pointed toward a nearby tent. “You can use his tent tonight.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” I said quietly.

“It happens,” Wulfa replied, his tone calm though I could sense their sadness. “The forest is a dangerous place.”

Curious, I asked, “If you needed a guide, where did you two come from?”

They exchanged a glance, and Walda pointed to the fish-shaped tattoo on his temple. “You don’t recognize the tattoo?”

I shook my head.

“You really don’t remember anything, do you? This symbol represents the alliance between the three remaining kingdoms,” Walda explained.

Wulfa turned the meat over on the fire, the fat sizzling as it dripped into the flames. “We’re at war with what used to be the northern kingdom, now ruled by King Glen West.”

“Can you tell me more about this Glen West character?” I asked, the name sounding oddly out of place compared to the others in this world.

Wulfa nodded. “He claims to be the descendant of a god. Rumor has it that he killed a Tula when he was just 10 years old, joined the institution at 12, and graduated by 15. It’s also said he challenged the army general at 17 and overthrew the ruling king when he was only 19. Once he took control, he immediately started invading the Eastern Kingdom.”

The more Wulfa spoke, the less doubt I had about this Glen character. All of his accomplishments sounded like something a reincarnated person would do. From what Wulfa told me, Glen must possess extraordinary fighting skills. And his confidence and boldness to invade another country told me he thought little of the people in this world. In isekai fictions, protagonists are often more intelligent than those around them. With the knowledge from Earth, they can use it to their advantage, developing superior weaponry.

“Tell me, does this northern kingdom have better guns than everyone else?” I asked, my suspicion growing.

"Yes," Wulfa said, handing his rifle to me.

I took the rifle and inspected it closely. It had a rugged, straightforward design, not too different from the weapons used during World War One back on Earth. The rifle had a wooden stock with a dark, metal barrel, and a bolt-action mechanism. It reminded me a lot of the British Lee-Enfield rifle, with its long barrel and simple iron sights. I handed it back to Wulfa.

“It’s well maintained. You clearly take good care of your weapon,” I said, handing the rifle back to Wulfa.

“Thank you,” Wulfa replied. “This is the standard weapon used across the alliance military. By our standards, this rifle is considered advanced. However, it’s nothing compared to the weaponry used in the northern kingdom. They have guns that can fire repeatedly without reloading and can outrange our rifles.”

Walda chimed in, handing me a piece of meat, "There are also rumors they've developed some kind of mobile gun carriage, heavily armored and able to move on its own."

"So, they likely developed automatic weapons and armored vehicles," I thought to myself. There was no doubt in my mind now—this Glen West was my target.

Wulfa continued, "The Northern Kingdom lies in the snowy mountains, where heating has always been a problem for the country. But Glen cut back on heat for his people while living in comfort and luxury himself, promising them that the only way to improve their situation was through invasion. The people of the Northern Kingdom were living just fine before his rule, but those who opposed him were exiled into the mountains to freeze to death."

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"Sounds like a bully," I said to them.

"A bully with power," Walda replied. "Right now, his army has already broken through the defenses of the Eastern Kingdom and crossed the border. The reports are horrifying, to say the least. They kill all prisoners of war—they don’t accept surrender."

"And they force civilians out of their homes unless they join his army," Wulfa added grimly.

"So what's the alliance doing to fight back?" I asked.

Wulfa sighed. "The most efficient way would be to cut off trade with the Northern Kingdom. Despite its power, the extreme climate there makes it hard for them to produce much food on their own. Cutting off their supplies would be like starving a fire of oxygen. However, the innocent citizens would suffer the most—they'd starve to death long before the military does. Because of this, the plan has faced significant backlash and, for now, remains just an idea on paper."

"The East is doing their best to fight back, but it's not looking good," Walda said. "Their borders have just been breached, and if they lose the mountains, the North will have a direct path to their capital. The West is planning a counterattack, but they've had the worst harvest this year and won't be able to supply their army if they go through with it."

"Where are we right now?" I asked, still having no clue about our exact location.

"I can show you on a map once we get back," Wulfa said. "Roughly, we're at the border between the South and the East. The South is sending supplies to both neighboring kingdoms. For now, we're the only ones who haven't suffered from this war."

Thinking about all the wars that had happened on Earth, I added, "The price of everything will start to rise. The longer this war lasts, the more people will suffer."

They both nodded. Then we all ate in silence. The mood was heavy, but the meat was incredible. Once the talking stopped, I dug in. The tender meat literally squirted juice as I bit into it—sorry about the choice of words, but that’s exactly how it was. The quality of the cut rivaled any steak I'd ever had on Earth. I’ve had Japanese wagyu before, and that felt like a $5 value cut compared to this. I couldn't believe how good it tasted, and without any seasoning like salt or pepper. It wasn't gamey at all.

After we finished eating and cleaned ourselves up, I returned to the tent and lay down. Killing the Tula had drained me, both physically and mentally. Unlike someone reincarnated with overpowered abilities, I had to risk my life to survive. For the people of this world, they had to put in the same, if not more effort to achieve what we did. Maybe that’s why God didn’t grant me some overpowered skill—He wanted me to understand that these people are the equals of humans on Earth. They’re not just NPCs handing out quests and to be toyed with.

If I had been reincarnated with powers beyond everyone else, would I still feel the same way? Would I respect Wulfa and Walda, or empathize with the people of this world?

Fatigue hit me, and soon, I fell asleep.

That made me wonder if the Tula were the result of radiation. "Shit, did I just eat radioactive meat?" I thought. I could almost feel my body tingling. If I had a status menu, it was probably flashing "Rad+1, Rad+1, Rad+1..."

It was midday when we finally arrived at a small fishing village. Wulfa and Walda introduced me to the elder as a fellow hunter. The elder eyed my temple but didn’t say anything; apparently, the words of the two hunters were trustworthy enough. We settled into an empty house. Walda and Wulfa went to the river to clean the Tula hide, and I decided to wander around the village.

The village was small, with no more than ten buildings, and aside from the one the Elder occupied, none had a second floor. There was a small dock and a water mill, and from what I could tell this this village doesn't have electricity. However, the village did have a defensive wall made of tree logs, likely to protect against monsters like the Tula. My presence didn’t seem to concern the adults, but it certainly piqued the curiosity of the children. We played a couple games of hide and seek, with me as the seeker. Needless to say, with the ability to see in the dark, I found all of them.

After playing with the kids, I went to find Wulfa and Walda. They were hanging the Tula hide to dry, and a few fishermen stood nearby, admiring the hide while waiting for their lines to catch something. I noticed one of the rods twitch and hurried over to pick it up. As soon as I felt the fish bite, I set the hook. The rod bent under the weight, and my muscles tensed as I struggled to hold on.

The fish was strong, and it fought hard, pulling the line with surprising force. I let the fish run a bit, allowing it to tire itself out while keeping the line taut. I carefully played with the tension, reeling it in slowly whenever the fish paused and giving it slack when it made a dash. My arms strained as the fish continued to fight, but I kept steady, working the reel with patience and determination. The fishermen watched closely, murmuring to each other as I battled the fish.

After what felt like a long struggle, the fish finally started to slow down, its movements weakening as it tired. I reeled it inch by inch, the weight of it still pulling heavily on the rod. One of the fishermen stepped forward with a net, ready to help. When the fish was close enough, another fisherman assisted, and together we scooped the large fish out of the water.

The crowd of fishermen cheered and clapped, impressed by the catch. The fish was huge, glistening in the sunlight as it thrashed in the net. I stood there panting, my arms burning from the effort, but a smile crept onto my face.

God had gifted me with three powers: the ability to speak all languages, the ability to see in the dark, and the ability to learn with ease. At first, I thought these gifts were meant to allow me to master skills effortlessly, but I was wrong. While I could understand the mechanics of fishing, having no prior experience, I still had to physically apply the knowledge. I figured out how the fish moved and the technique needed to counter it, but the effort was real.

That’s why I let the fish run the line, slowly tiring it out. With each attempt, I practiced, bringing the fish closer and closer until I finally caught it. The learning came quickly, but the work still had to be done through practicing.

Soon the sky darkened, the fishing boats returned, and people gathered in the elder's house for dinner. The first floor of the house resembled a canteen for the village, with two long tables set in the middle of the hall. Villagers helped set up the tables and brought out food. I noticed most of the dishes were made with fish and mushrooms from the mountains. Small children had mashed potatoes with fish nuggets, while the adults were served fish stew with bread. The elder invited us to sit down.

He cleared his throat and addressed the room, "Before we say our prayers, I would like to thank the hunters for killing the Tula that tormented the village. With their help, we can finally scavenge the mountains again."

Cheers erupted from the villagers. A few small children, not fully understanding what had happened, waved their hands in second-hand excitement.

After dinner, the three of us returned to our stay.

"Wulfa, Walda, I want to thank you both. Without your help, I’d still be wandering in the forest alone," I said gratefully.

"No need, Harry. We should be thanking you for killing the Tula. We never intended to hunt it at night," Wulfa replied.

Walda nodded and added, "We're planning to cross the border tomorrow morning. Aside from selling the Tula hide, we also carry a message from the Southern Kingdom. Our king wants to send troops into the Eastern Kingdom in case the situation worsens. Do you wish to come with us? It might be dangerous."

I thought for a moment and then nodded. "I think it's best for me to stay with you two. I already trust you, and it would be unwise for me to wander around before regaining my memories." Besides, if they were heading north, it meant I was one step closer to getting to Glen.

"Then it's decided, welcome to the team." Wulfa said and shook my hand, so did Walda.