Opposite me, in an attack ready stance, was a wolf. And no, it wasn't a mutated beast or a giant monster, but an ordinary wolf.

That's where the good news ended.

I gripped the axe handle tighter, preparing for the inevitable.

The beast growled and lunged at me.

I reacted instinctively, moving forward and closing the distance between us.

The wolf seemed surprised but did not slow down, and we clashed in the middle of the clearing. At that moment he jumped to bite my throat, I stepped out of his trajectory, turning my body and giving my axe a deadly speed.

How I knew that the target was my neck was as irrelevant at that moment as why I was able to react to the sudden attack.

I had never practiced martial arts, yet my body moved as if I had been performing similar attacks my entire life.

With deadly precision.

The axe struck the beast's neck, and I felt an almost unnoticeable resistance before blood gushed forth and the severed head fell near the still-twitching carcass.

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Only now did I realize the adrenaline coursing through my veins. And the feeling of euphoria that accompanied our clash.

Yes, it was dangerous.

Yes, I could have died.

But at that moment, I felt light.

Energetic.

I felt alive.

And against all odds, a growing, untamed, madman's smile appeared on my face. I lingered in that wonderful moment, but everything good must come to an end. And it usually ends with a brutal return to the gray reality. In my case, it was an unpleasant thought that suddenly interrupted my blissful self-satisfaction.

Evidently, something was wrong.

I shouldn't be so fast, so strong, and definitely shouldn't be so well coordinated. Apparently, the new reality required a revision of what is possible for an ordinary person.

Wait a moment.

Was I an ordinary person?

Could anyone have done what I just did?

And did it matter at all since the bodies of my fellow travelers lay around?

Who were those who brought them death, and what were they capable of?

And if I was right and this world was filled with monsters, what could they do?

Yeah.

I definitely needed to become stronger.

Not only to survive but also to be able to make decisions about myself and my surroundings. I couldn't afford to be passive. I must seize every opportunity for progress with both hands. Even if it means pain, wounds, and the risk of death.

After all, if I had to choose between living in the cage of my own fears and weaknesses, and being free, I knew perfectly well where the only right path lay.

Even if it was a path full of blood and death.

A smile returned to my face, the smile of a man determined to challenge this new world and everything that stands in my way.

I cleaned the axe of blood, slung the bag over my shoulder, and casting one last glance at the dead wolf's body, I set off on the path taken by the caravan.

To the east.

Always into the east.