"We've made enemies of them."
Penny said softly beside him, her words bitter. She felt it too, but there was nothing she could do.
"How did two more wolves show up?"
Phila ran over as well. Her face had gone pale, and she seemed close to breaking down. Four wolves—how were they supposed to make any progress now?
She was probably regretting it terribly.
Fortunately, the four wolves couldn't charge into the camp because of the wall. But they refused to leave, prowling around the camp for a long time as if looking for a weak spot.
Thankfully, even the two fields outside the camp wall had been enclosed by fences Li Wei had put up. The Black Wolf looked clever, but it wasn't clever enough to think of destroying the fields.
"Penny, how exactly did Sam die? That poor child."
Phila suddenly asked.
"He shot a gray wolf in the forest with the Hunting Bow I made for him. He was very brave, but that Black Wolf ambushed him. I was terrified and turned to run..."
Penny began to cry softly. She even shed a couple of tears before looking up at Li Wei. "George, I'm injured now, Sam is dead, and Mom is old. Everything at home will have to depend on you."
Li Wei said nothing. No message appeared, and no new plotline started. There was no point thinking about the family's development until they dealt with the Wolf Menace Task. But Penny really was ruthless, and Sam really was stupid.
He didn't believe Sam had deliberately wanted to shake him off. They'd discussed the details the night before, after all, yet first thing this morning Penny had managed to talk him around. Ha!
"I'll stand watch tonight. Penny, George, go back and sleep. Get some rest and recover," Phila said. Then she lit several bonfires in the yard, not only to scare off the wolves but also to smoke the wolf meat.
"George, tomorrow I'll find a way to make you a Hunting Bow. It's a shame—if we'd built a blast furnace, I'd even be confident I could forge a crossbow... George, the wolves won't be the only danger in the future. We'll need to find a way to protect ourselves."
In the evening glow, Penny spoke with great seriousness, and Li Wei listened just as intently. One learned from past mistakes to avoid making them again. Phila had tried to seize the position of head of the household and chosen the wrong development path. They had to learn from that.
That was a strategic error.
Penny and Sam, meanwhile, had underestimated the danger and rushed ahead, leaving Li Wei behind because they thought they could handle things on their own. That was a tactical error.
"Fine! I'll find a way to gather Iron Ore for you!" Li Wei nodded. Given their current situation, they had to put their differences aside and work together.
The facts were right in front of them. The family needed handicrafts now. Whether they were clearing fields or chopping wood and hunting, the principle that good tools made good work was obvious. How many more times did they need to hear it before they understood?
Without a head-of-the-household task to trigger, they could only coordinate and take action themselves.
"I also need more wood, because we'll have to make charcoal too. George, I need you." Penny's eyes flickered, her words sincere.
Li Wei simply nodded. Until the Wolf Menace Task was over, all new family output belonged to the family, not to any individual.
So there was no need to worry that the charcoal Penny made, the pig iron she smelted, or the Blacksmith Shop she built would belong to her alone.
Well, seen that way, the Wolf Menace Task was pretty good.
Phila couldn't keep throwing her weight around, and Penny had to compromise too.
Li Wei had actually become the biggest winner.
He didn't even need to worry about a Plot Kill anymore.
After dinner, Li Wei returned to his room to rest. As he lay on the pitiful blanket, a thought struck him, and his equally meager status panel appeared before his eyes.
He had bound a One-Star Hunter Card this time and gained five Free Attribute Points. That was excellent, but how should he spend them?
After pondering for a long while, Li Wei first spent two Free Attribute Points to raise his Strength Attribute to 10. Unfortunately, it didn't trigger Level One Awakening.
"With 10 Strength, I should be able to catch up to Penny. No, I mean catch up to an average adult man."
Li Wei considered it. Before, his body had been very weak because of his terminal cancer, and he'd lacked strength. That was why Penny had beaten him in every way. Ten Strength should be the passing mark for an average adult man.
Then, in theory, he would need at least 20 Strength to trigger Level One Awakening.
Even if he spent all three remaining Free Attribute Points now, could he gain an overwhelming advantage over the wolves?
Could he turn the tide and sweep through them all?
Probably not.
"So I need a body that's more coordinated, stable, and balanced. Especially now that I've activated a second profession. A Hunter isn't a Warrior; I can't just rely on brute force."
With that thought, Li Wei immediately spent two more Free Attribute Points to raise his Agility to 6. Flexibility was important.
As for the final Free Attribute Point, after thinking it over again and again, he chose to put it into Agility too, bringing it to 7. Facing a pack of wolves, strength alone wouldn't be enough. His reaction speed had to keep up, and he had to make good use of his Professional Talent: +30% accuracy with ranged weapons.
After that, he slept soundly. The wolves howled throughout the night, but it didn't disturb him.
When Li Wei woke early the next morning, he felt refreshed and energetic, his whole body brimming with healthy vitality. He felt so full of life that he could have been a towering pagoda!
That was rare!
He hurriedly got up and did dozens of push-ups in one go.
When he came out looking unfazed, he saw that Phila and Penny seemed not to have slept all night. Both of them looked exhausted, with dark circles under their eyes.
"Those beasts have even learned how to harass us. You sure slept soundly, though!"
Penny glanced at Li Wei, her remark seeming pointed.
"Is your arm all right?" Li Wei asked. He was learning to act concerned about his family.
Penny forced a small smile. "It's not too bad now, but it'll still be a while before I can go out and kill wolves. So don't be impatient. Once I've recovered, we'll go out and kill them together."
"Those beasts howled outside the camp all night. They even tried to claw at the wall and climb over it, but they were gone when we got up this morning. They're cunning. George, don't do anything reckless."
"I know."
Li Wei nodded again. He went to the side of the house to take care of his personal needs. When he came back, he saw Phila and Penny each holding a corner of the tarp and carefully pouring the dew into a water jar. There was quite a lot.
They had three tarps and collected nearly three liters of dew.
Li Wei had only ever heard of this method; he'd never seen it before. It seemed the two women were full of hidden talents and had meticulous minds. They knew it would be difficult to get water today, so they had prepared in advance.
Next, Phila divided the dew into four portions, about three hundred milliliters per person. They used what was left to make porridge for breakfast.
It was worth mentioning that Phila had used firewood to smoke all the wolf meat until it was half-dry the night before. It still needed more smoking today, though, which would consume a huge amount of firewood.
Li Wei walked around the yard, and the thought of how they would get through the winter filled him with worry.
The house still needed to be reinforced and insulated. They had to stock up on enough firewood and food. If possible, the camp wall needed further strengthening too. They also needed weapons, and everyone needed a set of warm clothes.
Even though he could theoretically live to ninety now, he could still die in a snowstorm or bitter cold.
Failing to handle any one crucial detail could be fatal. This wasn't a game, after all.
Before you continue