I made my way back to the boulder with the [Alpha]’s corpse in tow.

  The other ones were left in the forest because I couldn’t carry them all.

  Leaving the corpse aside, I started lighting up a fire for the third time.

  It took me a good 10 minutes before it started burning, which was an improvement to my almost nonexistent survival skills.

  The only things that kept me alive right now were [Spearman] and [Mason], without them I wouldn't have been able to catch the fish or fight the iguanas.

  Grabbing a new stone, I placed it in the flat stone I had used to make my [Stone Spear Head].

  I quickly chipped it into a knife shape thanks to [Mason], and altered its edge with [Geomancer].

  Trying to skin the [Alpha] with my new [Stone Knife], I quickly realized I didn’t know how to.

  Giving up, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before breaking down.

  I’m tired. I don’t want this.

  Why? Why am I here? I didn’t choose this.

  “Defender of the Lands” my ass.

  The only things I have done since coming here have been killing the wildlife.

  And why am I the one to “defend” them? What do I have to defend them from?

  I want to go back.

  I want a bed.

  I want real food.

  My hands hurt, my feet hurt, my back hurts, everything hurts.

  And to top it all off, I’m naked.

  I want clothes, I want buggspray…

  …

  Seriously?

  Is this how the System tells me to “man-up”?

  “Discard it!”

  Encouraged and angry, I grabbed my [Stone Knife] and started skinning the damn reptile.

  I ended up doing a terrible job, but I got a good meal out of it. The iguana tasted a lot like chicken, but it was bland and boring because I had no spices.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Really, I need to get some of those.

  A new System notification popped up as I burped.

  “[Hunter]”

  Shouldn’t that be a Class Perk?

  Whatever, this place makes no sense either way.

  Suddenly, I vaguely knew what I did wrong when skinning the [Alpha].

  I also knew how to start a fire faster and more efficiently.

  [Survival Skills] might prove really useful both now and in the future.

  I silently ate the bland meat for dinner after thinking about my situation for hours.

  After a while, I came to accept it.

  Did I want this? No.

  Do I like it? No.

  Can I go back? No.

  Can I live with it without being a bitch about it? … Maybe.

  It is frustrating, but this is my life now.

  All of the commodities I was used to were now gone, and I would probably never see them again.

  I’ll miss my bed as much as I’ll miss my friends and family.

  Killing stuff was gross, too. Blood and innards got everywhere.

  But these were all things that I would have to get used to.

  And so, after washing my hands and face at the river, I climbed the now familiar boulder and went to sleep.

  Current Stats: