Survival Begins
Cats hiss when they're in a bad mood or on high alert. It's almost instinctual—even kittens can do it. But Hoya was hissing. Toward the forest.
That meant only one thing.
"Monster?"
Hiss!
Hoya kept hissing at the forest, staying vigilant. I carefully raised my bow. Seon-woo had given it to me with a grin, saying you never know what life might throw at you. I nocked an arrow and aimed straight at the trees.
That's when something emerged from the forest.
"A wolf?"
It was a wolf. At first glance, it looked like a large dog, but there was a clear difference. It growled at me and started advancing, as if threatening me.
"Hoya-hyung, save me."
I made the request to Hoya quietly but firmly. As politely as possible.
"Hoya?"
But when I called so politely, Hoya was nowhere to be seen.
"Haah, life."
It hadn't been a bad one. No major hardships, and I'd always worried about Hoya, but reuniting with him made it all worthwhile. I'd even shared island boar meat with my parents and Si-yeon to boost their stamina—a pretty decent life... my ass.
I had to survive. No matter what, I would survive.
"This shot decides everything."
Sounded cool. But in stories, characters who said lines like that usually ended up in one of two ways: killing or dying. From what I'd read, the latter was way more common. This felt just like that—a death flag. The kind where you mutter, 'Is he dead?' and the enemy survives 99% of the time. Nowadays, villains were the ones spouting those lines.
And here I was, lost in thought while aiming.
Grrr!
Did it sense my distraction? The wolf suddenly lunged at me. I fired straight at its forehead.
With strength, agility, intelligence, mental fortitude, and dexterity beyond an ordinary person, poured into that shot.
Observation
Ping!
The arrow flew true toward the wolf's forehead, precise as a Korean archer hitting an X-ring. For a split second, pride in my heritage flashed through my mind.
The problem? Its skull was armored like steel. The arrow pinged off and ricocheted away. Maybe it wasn't strong enough to pierce the bone.
Even in this moment, about to be mauled, my mind wandered like this. The Calmness skill was terrifying.
I closed my eyes.
Yelp!
No pain. I thought it was a clean kill at first, but no. Only one thing here yelped like that—and it wasn't me or Hoya. It was the wolf.
I opened my eyes. Hoya was bashing the wolf's head.
"Hahaha."
It was hilarious. Hoya—smaller than the wolf's head, tinier than even a Saint Bernard—was pummeling it like a toy. It looked playful, but Hoya's paws were faster than the eye. At least, faster than mine.
Watching that, I realized something.
"So Hoya's right-pawed, huh?"
You've probably seen it on YouTube—the nyang-nyang punch. Cats use both paws sometimes, but often just one. Hoya was the one-paw type. He was relentlessly right-pawing the downed wolf.
Soon, the wolf went limp.
I examined the wolf closely.
Observation skill used.
A wolf native to the island. Born and raised in a confined space, it lives solitarily without a pack. Tough meat, tastes bad. First consumption: +5 Strength. Subsequent consistent intake: +1 Strength per set amount.
Level equivalent to island boar.
Only three levels this time. I pondered, then allocated 5 points each to Strength, Agility, and Stamina.
In novels, hoarding stats for later was the meta, but that was crazy for someone like me with only lifestyle skills. Better to survive now. I might regret it later, but regrets require being alive.
"Hoya! Where'd you go? Leaving Dad behind."
Nyaang!
Hoya gave me a look like as if, meowing in exasperation. As if saying he'd figured I'd handle it myself.
Thinking back, Hoya had hidden, then one-shot the wolf. I was the bait, sure.
"Hey, at your level, you could've just stood in front of me and smacked it, right?"
Hoya's eyes widened in surprise.
Nyaang?
"Whoa, you really didn't know? Or is ambushing just your habit?"
I started to press, but imagining how Hoya survived alone in this gate brought tears to my eyes. A normal cat surviving here? Lower odds than hitting the lottery multiple times. Even low-level mobs like boars and wolves were tough for human me—how had Hoya managed?
"Sorry, Dad messed up. I'll get super strong and protect you from now on."
Nyang!
Pfft. Did he just scoff?
"Hey, you!"
Nyang! Hoya bolted to the base camp tent and dove inside.
"What do I even expect. But this... do I really have to eat it?"
It even warned about being tough and tasteless. Still, +5 Strength on first bite was consolation enough. I cut a portion and headed back to base camp, grilling it right away. Most things are edible if cooked right.
"Want some?"
Hoya lay belly-up, staring at me pitifully. Yesterday's tearful reunion felt distant—cats gonna cat, Hoya gonna Hoya.
"Fine, Dad'll eat alone."
I filled a small bowl with his favorite treats. He purred happily, munching away. I chewed the wolf meat.
"Smells decent... but why does rubber taste like meat?"
No way I'd feed this to family. Even with Calmness, it was mind-breaking. But I forced it down, and the +5 Strength message appeared. My level 2 Cooking couldn't salvage it.
"Nice knowing you—let's never meet again."
Unless I found better strength-boosting critters, I'd have to farm these.
After eating, everything felt exhausting.
"Hoya, Dad's sleeping. Keep watch."
Nyaang. Hoya flopped against my arm, then licked my nose vigorously. He loved my nose; I loved his rough tongue. Lulled by it, I drifted off.
Night fell. My first night here. I'd entered and exited during the day before.
Night carried its own dread. And it applied to me.
To conquer the fear, I decided.
"Hoya, let's go home."
Nyaang!
Head home for now. No reason to stay in the dark. Better to face nights after growing stronger.
Back on Earth, it was still daytime. The 1:5 time ratio hit home again. A couple hours here, re-enter for another bright day.
I called Seon-woo. Had to ask something.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Hey, this bow you gave me."
"Oh, looks real, right? That stuff?"
"You had me betting my life on an imitation?!"
"Dude!"
"Did you think it was real? It's super weak. Obvious at a glance."
"First bow I've ever seen—how would I know?"
"Fair. But asking means you shot it? At some stray dog?"
"You psycho. I'd do that?"
"True, you love animals. So much two ended up in your gut."
Thinking of wolf meat made my stomach churn.
"So why'd you need to shoot it?"
His sharp question stumped me. But no panic—Calmness had my back.
"Don't you test your wares? Shot a wooden board, bounced right off. Called in shock."
"Can't help that. Weapons aren't easy to sell. But tweak it a bit, and it's real."
"How?"
"Want me to?"
"Yeah."
"Why though?"
"Return it?"
"Of course, customer service! Bring it tomorrow—I'll fix it perfect."
"Deal."
Seon-woo might be first to learn about gates. But no big deal.
"Hoya, dinner time."
I filled his favorite bowl with clean kibble. Fed him, ate simply myself, grabbed seeds from parents' place, and crossed back.
Bright morning on the other side. The crisp air, impossible in Seoul, invigorated me.
"Hoya, plant these today, then home. Dad works tomorrow."
Nyaang.
Hoya rolled nearby; I tilled and seeded, watered from my prep. Fresh water must exist—Hoya survived, boars and wolves too.
"Dew maybe?"
Quick thought, but I stayed positive. Checked base camp, headed home. One Earth day = five here. Hoping for sprouts, I slept.
Next day, a baffling call came.