Chapter 4

  I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a truck, then run over by the same truck a few more times for good measure. Every muscle in my body was screaming, my neck had a crick in it that felt like someone had tried to twist my head off, and there was a rock or root or something jabbing into my ribs that had probably left a permanent indent.

  "Jesus fucking Christ," I groaned, trying to sit up in my makeshift shelter. The fern bedding I'd been so proud of last night had turned into a lumpy, uncomfortable mess that provided about as much cushioning as concrete. "How the hell did people live like this before beds were invented?"

  Nox was already awake, sitting at the entrance of our little root cave like some kind of furry sentinel. His eyes flicked toward me when I started moving, and I swear I could see amusement in them. Easy for him to be amused - he'd probably slept just fine on the hard ground. Lucky bastard.

  But as much as my body felt like garbage, I had to admit - we'd made it through the night. No monsters had tried to eat us and I was still breathing. In a sense, that counted as a major victory.

  "First night in another world, officially survived," I muttered, stretching my arms and wincing at the protests from my back.

  Though I'm pretty sure I lost at least ten years off my life from sleeping on rocks

  The thing was, I'd never really appreciated how soft my shitty mattress back home had been. Sure, it was old and probably full of dust mites and God knows what else, but at least it was actually designed for sleeping on. This wilderness survival bullshit was way harder than it looked in movies.

  My stomach chose that moment to remind me that a single apple wasn't exactly a hearty meal. The hunger pangs were getting pretty insistent. I needed real food, and I needed it soon.

  As I stood up, something else caught my attention. There was this weird feeling in my chest. Like that warm ball of energy I'd felt yesterday when I was creating Nox had somehow gotten bigger overnight.

  The wild power.

  My wild power had refilled itself while I slept. Made sense, I guess - the description had said I gained a certain amount each day, and I'd definitely been asleep long enough for a full day to pass.

  Looks like I'm back in business.

  Nox was great for protection and combat, but that wasn't my biggest problem right now. My stomach was practically eating itself and that wasn't gonna cut it for long-term survival. I needed food - lots of it - and I needed a reliable way to get it.

  Speaking of which, I mentally kicked myself for being such an idiot yesterday. That boar Nox had killed? I'd just left its corpse lying there like some kind of moron. Fresh meat, probably enough to last me days, and I'd walked away without taking a single piece. What the hell had I been thinking?

  By now, that carcass was probably picked clean by other monsters or rotting away. All that perfectly good protein, wasted because I was too shocked and excited about leveling up to think straight.

  For a split second, a really dark thought crossed my mind. What if I just... created a pig-like monster or something specifically for food? It would solve my meat problem pretty quickly, and it's not like I hadn't eaten pork before.

  But the moment I seriously considered it, my stomach lurched in a way that had nothing to do with hunger. The idea felt wrong, like... like eating my own children or something. These weren't just animals I was creating - they were mine. Born from my power, shaped by my will. The thought of making something just to slaughter it made me feel physically sick.

  "Jesus Christ," I whispered, disturbed by how viscerally I'd reacted to that idea. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Was this some side effect of the Monster Maker ability? Did creating these creatures somehow change how I thought about them? I'd never given a shit about animals back home - sure, I didn't want to hurt them, but I'd eaten plenty of meat without thinking twice about it.

  But these felt different. Personal. Like they were actually part of me somehow.

  Did my power change me? The thought was unsettling as hell, but I couldn't deny that something was definitely different about how I viewed the monsters I created versus regular animals.

  But before I could get too carried away with that idea, my stomach let out another loud growl, interrupting my existential crisis with a very practical reminder.

  "Fuck," I muttered, pressing a hand to my gut. "Okay, okay, food first, philosophy later."

  The more I thought about it, the more I realized what I really needed was another hunter. Yeah, Nox could hunt, but what if I sent him out to get food and something attacked me while he was gone? I'd be just as screwed as yesterday with that boar.

  I decided on creating another wolf.

  Look, I knew there were probably other great choices for hunting monsters.. But what can I say? I'm a sucker for wolves. Something about them just felt cool, they are loyal, intelligent and badass as hell.

  Anyways, I can send the new guy out hunting while Nox stays with me as protection.

  Plus, wolves worked in packs naturally. Having two of them would probably make both more effective, and I could rotate who was on guard duty and who was out getting dinner.

  I focused on that warm feeling in my chest as I closed my eyes feeling the familiar pull as the void surrounded me again. The interface screens appeared, and I went straight for the wolf template I'd used before.

  This time, I decided to make some different choices. Where Nox was built for pure power and intimidation, I'd make this one leaner, faster - more of a scout and hunter than a tank. Same midnight-black fur to match Nox, but with a more streamlined build for chasing down prey.

  I spent about the same amount of power as I had on Nox, making sure to include the loyalty upgrade because I wasn't taking any chances. By the time I was done, I'd used up most of my accumulated power again.

  The familiar white flash filled my vision, and when it faded, I was back in the forest with Nox sitting beside me. But now there was another wolf standing a few feet away.

  Where Nox was built like a tank, this new wolf was sleeker, more athletic. Still massive, still clearly dangerous, but with longer legs and a leaner build that screamed speed and agility. His midnight-black fur was identical to Nox's, but everything about his posture suggested a hunter rather than a guardian.

  Nox had gotten to his feet the moment the new wolf appeared, and for a tense second, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. Two apex predators meeting for the first time could go badly real quick.

  But then the new wolf lowered his head slightly, a gesture of respect toward Nox that was so clearly pack behavior it made me grin. Nox responded with a brief sniff and a short tail wag - apparently giving his approval to the new addition.

  Well, that's a relief. Looks like these guys are gonna get along just fine.

  "You need a name too," I said, reaching out to scratch behind his ears. His fur was just as soft as Nox's.

  I thought for a moment, looking at those bright eyes and that athletic build. "Orion,"

  The wolf's ears perked up immediately, and his tail started wagging with enthusiasm. Even Nox made an approving rumble from where he sat watching us.

  I grinned. "Welcome to the pack, buddy."

  Now it was time to put them to work. I turned to Orion, who was practically vibrating with eagerness to do something.

  “Alright, I need you to hunt down some food for us.” I said, pointing deeper into the forest.

  Orion's eyes lit up, and he gave an excited yip as he bounded toward the tree line, then paused and looked back at me, waiting for final permission.

  "Go on," I said, making a shooing motion. "Just... try not to go too far, alright? And if you run into anything seriously dangerous, you run back here.”

  With that, Orion took off into the forest, moving with a fluid grace that was honestly beautiful to watch. One second he was there, the next he was just a black shadow weaving between the massive trees.

  Now I had other things to take care of. Fire was priority number one.

  "Come on, Nox," I said, starting to gather fallen branches from around our shelter. "Think you can help me collect firewood?"

  The big wolf tilted his head, then began nosing around the base of nearby trees, pushing larger branches toward me with his snout.

  I started sorting through the wood, looking for the right stuff. Dry kindling, medium branches for keeping the fire going, and some bigger logs for the long burn.

  Thank god, I'd watched enough survival shows to know the basics of fire-making.