Day 6

While Mr. Kelby was recovering from the bear’s attack, I took it upon myself to handle his work. Hunting and selling meat was the least I could do. I owed him for saving my life. However, I couldn’t let that bear roam free. No... not after what it did. I wanted to get my revenge.

Two days ago, I visited the local blacksmith and requested custom-made bear traps, spending nearly all the coins I’d earned. When the traps were ready, I returned to the forest to set up my plan. I carefully placed the traps deep in the woods in a clearing, hiding them beneath leaves and dirt.

I used fresh carcasses from my earlier hunt as bait. When I was satisfied with my setup, I climbed a tree and sat on one of its branches. I waited as the canopy concealed me. When dusk came, the massive bear emerged from the chaparrals with an arrow still lodged in its eye. The beast sniffed and growled low as it approached the bait.

Then, with a snap, one of my traps caught its paw. The bear roared in pain and thrashed wildly as the metal teeth held it in place. That was my chance! I pulled the bowstring back as far as possible while aiming for the creature’s head.

Then, I released the string. The arrow went *Whoosh* and struck the bear’s skull with a *Thud*, piercing straight through to its brain. The beast let out one final roar before collapsing. I had done it. I avenged Mr. Kelby! Climbing down from the tree, I approached the bear’s massive corpse. Its size is almost unreal up close.

With my hunting knife, I began dismantling the body, skinning its thick hide and cutting through its heavy muscles.

Day 7

Mr. Kelby was almost back to his old self. Although the scars from the bear attack still marked his body, his strength and grumpy demeanor had returned. Seeing him on the mend sparked an idea in me. Early in the morning, just as the sunlight crept through the windows, I slipped into his house wearing the bear's head I had skinned.

As quietly as I could, I crept beside his bed and stood there. I waited as Mr. Kelby's eyelids fluttered open. The moment he saw the bear mask, his body immediately reacted in instinct. "Agh!" he yelled, throwing a punch straight at me.

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"Whoa!" I screamed and ducked his fist. Despite his injuries, I stumbled back as Mr. Kelby leaped out of bed, ready to defend himself. "Mr. Kelby, it's me!" I shouted. I immediately took off the bear mask and held up my hands in surrender. For a moment, he just stared. Then recognition dawned, and he let out a breath, dropping his fists.

"Savvy, what in the hell are you doing? You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Right after he said that I burst out laughing. "It's just a prank, Mr. Kelby! I thought it'd be funny to mess with you using the bear I killed." Mr. Kelby's expression shifted from exasperation to disbelief. "Bear? You mean the one that attacked us?"

"Yup!" I said proudly with a smile. "I took it down, and you're welcome. Now we're even." Mr. Kelby stared at me before finally reaching out and placing a hand on my head. "Kid… what you did was impressive. Thank you," he said quietly.

His words caught me off guard, but before I could savor the moment, his hand shifted—and he smacked the top of my head. "Ow! What was that for?" I yelped. "Don't ever pull that kind of prank on me again," he said flatly. I sighed. "Fine…" I muttered, "But you gotta admit, that was funny."

Mr. Kelby just shook his head and walked past me while muttering something about "damn kids." Though, I caught the faintest hint of a smile on his face. Maybe I've gotten through his tough exterior after all.

Day 9

At this point, I've started skipping over days in my journal because, honestly, not every day is worth writing about. Life here in Murkwell has its routine. It's gritty and challenging. Not every moment feels like an adventure. That said, something new did happen recently: I landed another job.

A local lumberjack named Germaine hired me as his assistant. Of course, it wasn't glamorous, but it paid decently. I still needed to save up as much cash as possible if I ever wanted to travel the world. I figured juggling multiple jobs would speed things up. Hard work, sure, but nothing I couldn't handle. On the first day, I was hauling logs from the forest to the lumber yard.

The lumberjack doesn't have horses because they're expensive, so dragging the logs through the streets of town with a cart was the only option. As I worked, I noticed something strange. These logs were massive, heavier than those carcasses I had hauled before. Yet, I was moving them with ease.

I stopped for a moment to take a breath before wiping off the sweat from my forehead. I look down at my hands. They were calloused and dirt-streaked from the work I'd been doing for the past nine days. I also noticed that my strength had changed. Back on Earth, I'd never been the athletic type. Yet here I was, dragging logs that would've been impossible for the old me.

That thought made me pause. I had a theory that my strength was growing day by day—like a stockpiling power. Could this be the wish I made for that strange god to finally manifest?

However, this theory of mine might be wrong, and I might change it in the future. There are always a lot of different factors when it comes to fantasy powers and abilities. As these thoughts swirled in my head, I finally dropped off the last load at the lumberyard.

"You're a tough one, kid. Keep it up, and you might just make a name for yourself," Germain jokingly said. I smiled but didn't say anything. I was hoping that I'd get my paycheck sooner or later.