The log flew apart. Barely controllable rage boiled up inside of him as he set wood back in place. He swung the ax down as the memories of the past flashed inside his head.
The sacrifices and suffering his mother had been forced to go through.
It was downright cruel.
Adrin didn’t recall seeing his mother smiling after each visit, all he could remember was the look of shame and regret. Her eyes were apologizing to him, he could recognize them now.
He had no idea what was going on at the time, or why he had been told to leave the shack whenever the men came, not until now. Blood oozed out of his hand as his grip tightened.
The more he recalled, the angrier he got. Without the guidance of the wise spirit, he would have long tried to hack each face who had ‘visited’ his mother.
The village was rotten to the core. The men led by the old man were taking advantage of his dear mother, and probably other women too.
The handle was scraping his flesh but the pain was nothing compared to the one inside. What kind of sick monster would take advantage of a woman but refused to help when she fell terribly ill? Had they had no heart?
Only one person was kind enough to help and comfort his mother. At least, to the best of her abilities. He remembered mother had cried less after talking to the woman. Adrin swore he would someday repay his debt to her in any way he could.
He grunted as he swung the ax down for the hundredth of time. The ax slipped and flew off his hand, slippery from all the blood.
Adrin gritted his teeth until it hurt. He wanted to scream his lungs out, but he couldn’t, not until he was ready to take action. The men might get suspicious if he acted out, and he was too weak to take his revenge. The spirit was wise to stop him.
He wrapped his hand with rags and began stacking and hacking once again. Every split wood somewhat calmed his temper down. It helped when every swing he took he had imagined the wood to be the faces who had sniggered at him as they entered the shack.
Adrin hacked until he lost track of time. His eyes turned red as he hacked more firewood. His body was screaming in pain but it helped to silence the real pain inside, the pain of losing his mother. One last hack had triggered the promised reward.
Hack skill acquired.
Hack [level 1], increase melee accuracy by 10%.
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Melee weapons ability obtained.
Melee weapons level 1, +1 Strength.
Strength: 4
Adrin chuckled as his muscles miraculously developed. It felt very good.
This refreshing feeling of suddenly becoming stronger was addictive as the spirit had told him. He was already itching for more.
He was ready for more hacking but the awakened spirit stopped him. The voice whispered more wise words, and he understood that collecting skills were better than leveling them up. It was more efficient for him to try another activity after gaining a skill.
His stomach rumbled. At times like this, he would have gone around begging for food, but not today. It was time for spearfishing, the favorite pastime of his lone awakened spirit.
The Wilds were filled with creatures too dangerous to hunt, but like all other villages, this village was also built along a river. The lands surrounding the dungeon were always more generous and plentiful. The river also benefited from this mysterious blessing.
He was able to find a quiet place to spearfish while still inside the safety of the tall wooden walls. A boulder sat between the raging river and the land. Adrin had brought a wooden spear with him, and with the spirit’s guidance, he was able to improve it.
The tip of the spear was divided into four prongs and secured with a set of ropes and sticks. The end of the spear was tied to a rope so he didn’t need to jump into the river.
Adrin had never seen anyone done something like this before. To his amazement, the spirit even knew a lot of tricks on how to secure food. The fish in the spirit’s memory was a lot smaller than what he used to see, but it was for the better. He wouldn’t need to catch many of them to fill his ravaging appetite.
‘Aim where the fish will go,” whispered the spirit.
The first try failed and so did his second try. The spear flew too slow to hit anything.
‘Use your whole body,’ the spirit said while showing the movements in slow motion.
The old spirit movement started from his feet to his knees before his waist moved. His torso moved next before his arm flung forward as the wrist snapped forward. It felt like he was looking at the long clothes being blown by the wind, snapping in the air.
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A few more tries had failed, but he never gave up, and he tried over and over again. He was getting better as he kept his body movement in check every time he threw.
Rather than trying to catch a fish, Adrin was obsessed with getting his form right.
It was almost dark when he felt the snap.
The spear disappeared from his view before it struck the fish below. Adrin grabbed the rope in a hurry and secured it. He waited for the fish to get weak before he pulled the rope.
Spearfishing ability obtained.
Spearfishing [level 1], +1 Agility.
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Agility observed, base Agility: 1
Agility: 2
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Throw skill acquired.
Throw [level 1], increase ranged accuracy by 10%
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Stamina bar unlocked
Stamina: 8/30
Another bar appeared below his life bar. This time it was yellow in color.
Adrin wasn’t that surprised when it happened. What he heard from the adults could be all lies for all he knew. They would do anything to make sure their own children and family members were ahead of everyone else.
After looking back into what little things he remembered, he could see the kind of smile they had on their faces. Their smiles didn’t reach their eyes.
He gutted the fish and offered its contents to the river as gratitude. He might have caught the fish with his effort, but he knew it wasn’t the only reason he succeeded. Adrin would never forget what his mother had always told him.
'You'll find peace for being grateful,' and he understood it now, even a little.
Adrin slung the fish over his shoulder. The huge fish head dangled on his shoulder while its tail slapped his thigh as he marched home.
He was also glad that no one would notice him as the dark was already creeping in. It took him only a short time to get back because his shack was the closest to the river.
Not many had dared to build their home too close as even the river had monsters lurking beneath its water. It rarely happened but sometimes the river monster would leap off the water to grab anyone in range.
Adrin was surprised when someone was waiting for him by the door. After her awakening, the lovely figure always made his heart race every time he saw her. It got worse when recalled the times which she became curious with something.
Emi was holding a hard bread in her hands as her eyes opened wide and her mouth agape. The pretty brown eyes were looking at the fish he was carrying on his shoulder. Her father might be a bastard, but he couldn’t hate her, even if it was just pity that motivated her.
He wasn't the same boy anymore. After almost a day, Adrin still couldn’t muster a smile as he usually did whenever he saw her. He nodded to her when their eyes met, and he entered the shack while her eyes were still blinking in surprise. Emi hurried and slipped inside before he could close the door.
Adrin swallowed a sigh. He threw a few more logs into the dying ember and blew it to relight the flame. He had enough split logs for weeks now. Adrin placed his feet onto the warm stones as he waited for the fire to become hot enough.
“You should leave, Emi,” he said to the girl. “I’m an adult too now. Your father-”
“He is never home to notice anything,” she cut him off before sitting down stubbornly beside him. “You know how it is.”
Adrin couldn’t say anything back.
He knew all too well and had some insights now after gaining some intelligence. Her father visited a few other houses other than his shack. The houses of young mothers who lost their husbands in one way or the other. It was called the hunter’s favor.
This was a privilege to the village hunters who brought back prey or meat to the village. That’s why every young man in the village was eager to join the hunting team despite the risk. These hot-blooded youth usually forget that hunters often did not return from a hunt. The world beyond the tall log walls were filled with monsters and anything could happen at anytime.
This was why no one, not even the husbands, would say anything if they had provided and the women had agreed. Some of the women were glad to have the attention, but others didn’t really have a choice. His mother was one of those who couldn't have said no.
It was probably what had happened to his mother. She needed the meat to make sure her beloved son grew up strong. He could see it now after his rage abated. Adrin would be too weak to take the awakening ceremony without regular meat in his diet.
The fact hit him hard in the gut.
He would be shunned by the whole village if he tried to seek any sort of retribution. It might even be the end of him. His anger and understanding twisted around in his gut as he knew that there was nothing he could do about it.
He was about to put the fish on the flat stone over the fire when Emi stopped him.
“Let me,” she said with her enchanting smile. “We need to cut it so it cooks evenly.”
The girl got to work and she was practically salivating while she placed the cut fish on the hot flat stone. She handled it easily probably because her [Strength] was already high enough.
He hated to share the only fish he was able to catch, but somehow her excitement brought joy to his heart. The girl was looking at him a few times with a big smile on her pretty face before her intention was back on to the fish.
“Oh, I almost forgot, here, I brought you this,” Emi handed a small shiny blue rock.
“What is this for?” he asked as held the thumb-sized stone up in front of him.
“It's supposed to teach you how to use mana,” she shrugged. “I’ve tried for a year but no result but maybe you can figure it out.”
That was right, Emi was a year older than him, and like her late mother, her figure had developed quickly after her awakening. The girl no longer was willing to play in the mud when her chest began to grow bigger by the day.
They would bump him or slap his face whenever they wrestled. She would make a weird sound every time it happened. She also make the same odd sounds when they tried kissing and only now he got a clue why.
They both knew it was time for dinner when the fish started to smell very nice. They ate the fish together with the hard bread until only the fish’s head bone remained. It was his trophy among the many that would come. Adrin could feel it in his bones.
“This is only the first meal,” she whispered at the door. “After the third meal, not even father could say anything,” she added before biting her lips.
The girl stepped closer and Adrin pulled her for a kiss. She left him with her cheeks red.
The girl had reminded him of the hunter’s favor. He too could play the same game.