Patrol

By the time the issue of the thieving Trolls was resolved, more than half the morning had passed. Chen Jinyang, covered in filth and stench, washed himself once more with icy well water, grabbed a hasty bite to eat, and prepared to head out for a hunt.

His original portable pack had long since been shredded beyond repair, so Chen Jinyang fashioned a crude replacement out of a burlap sack. He packed some hard bread and cold, cooked venison as rations, and ensured his hunting gear—hemp rope, javelins, and an iron sword—was all properly equipped.

Chen Jinyang instructed Phinia, "Phinia! Help me look after Alos and Mishaer. Don't let them out of your sight."

"I will protect this place!" Phinia flashed a smile that looked far more natural than before. A month of living together had changed her significantly, and the expressions on her face had become much more varied.

Chen Jinyang casually ruffled Mishaer's curly hair and admonished them, "You two stay home and behave. Stick with Phinia and don't run off, you hear? Don't cause any trouble!"

Today's Troll incident had stirred a sense of crisis in Chen Jinyang's heart. It had been over three months since he arrived in this world, and he had encountered and fought various monsters several times. While most monsters relied solely on brute force, there were always those with bizarre abilities—like that Winter Wolf, which could think, speak, and scheme like a human. The Troll today was the same. Even during the three years he spent being hunted in his past life, facing death countless times, Chen Jinyang had never felt as desperate as he did today. The Troll's terrifying regenerative ability had nearly shattered his confidence, even though he knew that once its weakness was exposed, killing such a monster was as easy as flicking a finger. However, the shadow the Troll left on him was too deep; his martial heart had suffered a heavy, irreparable blow.

Who could guarantee he wouldn't encounter even stronger monsters in the future, with more bizarre traits and unknown weaknesses? This was why, even though Alos and Mishaer were incredibly sensible and had never caused him trouble, Chen Jinyang remained deeply anxious about their safety, repeating his instructions over and over.

Chen Jinyang had always wondered how the original William siblings had survived until now; this world was simply too dangerous. He hadn't yet realized that the weak have their own unique ways of surviving, and most of the dangers he had faced were actually drawn to him by his own actions.

In winters past, the entire Gnome Village would practice a scorched-earth policy, clearing away anything monsters might use to survive the cold. The Winter Keeper would hide deep in the cellar, relying on pre-stored food to endure the long nights. Monsters knew there was nothing to be gained here, so generally, only a few starving Goblins would occasionally come to scavenge—a level of intrusion even the original, foolish William could easily handle. Even if a powerful monster appeared, they only needed to hide in the depths of the cellar; finding no spoils, the monster would leave on its own within a few days.

For someone like Chen Jinyang to go hunting in the wild with such fanfare, while also keeping a herd of livestock in the village, it would be a miracle if he didn't attract the attention of large groups of monsters during a season of such scarcity and cold. Furthermore, Chen Jinyang had personally beaten the local Goblins and Ogres one by one. The monsters knew he wasn't to be trifled with, which was why several different tribes had united to attack. A warband composed of six Ogres and over a hundred Goblins was a force strong enough to wipe out villages in this region. It was precisely because Chen Jinyang killed so ruthlessly and simply tossed the monster corpses into the forest that he finally drew the attention of even stronger predators like Winter Wolves and Trolls.

After the morning's events, Chen Jinyang did not let Alos follow him out. He planned to patrol the area around the village over the next few days to scout for monsters and eliminate any significant threats. When Chen Jinyang prepared to depart, Mishaer pouted, looking dejected. He chuckled and crouched down, asking:

"My lovely little princess, why aren't you happy that your brother is heading out? Come on, give me a smile!" Chen Jinyang felt his own smile was a bit lecherous.

The little girl didn't give him the satisfaction: "William promised me something yesterday, but didn't do it today!"

"Did I promise something yesterday?" Chen Jinyang rubbed his head in confusion. Ever since he was reincarnated as William, he had developed a habit of rubbing heads—whether it was someone else's or his own.

"Brother is so lame! You just promised me yesterday and already forgot." The words "I am very disappointed" were clearly written on the little girl's face.

Alos chimed in to remind him: "You promised to teach Mishaer 'pow-pow' or something yesterday." It seemed the little girl hadn't stopped pestering him about it.

Chen Jinyang finally realized: "Oh! I remember now. I kept it in mind last night, but the commotion with the Troll this morning made me forget. I'm truly sorry, Mishaer. How about tomorrow? I'll teach both you and Alos tomorrow."

Mishaer's little face instantly cleared, and she beamed: "You have to teach us tomorrow! Don't forget again!" Alos was equally excited; having watched Chen Jinyang's various flashy ways of torturing and crushing the Troll that morning, he held his brother's strength in absolute awe.

"I definitely won't forget tomorrow. Alright! Stay home and behave. Alos, look after your sister. I'm off." Chen Jinyang turned and walked out of the village, heading south along the long road in front of the village.

The location of Gnome Village belonged to the northwestern outer reaches of the Hidden Forest, backed by the easternmost hills of Cliff Ridge. There were no particularly ferocious monsters in the immediate vicinity, though occasionally a powerful creature would wander out from the depths of the forest for a stroll before moving on elsewhere. Because the environment here wasn't exceptional and the mineral deposits were useless to monsters, combined with the fact that adventurers frequently patrolled the long road, it wasn't suitable for large gatherings of magical beasts.

Chen Jinyang walked over ten miles south along the road. The snow on the ground was nearly knee-deep, and even with his homemade snowshoes, the going was extremely difficult. Along the way, aside from the tracks of a few small wild animals, he didn't discover any large monsters.

By now, the sun had passed its zenith. He found a sheltered spot to sit and eat a piece of venison, resting against a large tree for a while. The snow was too hard to traverse; it had taken him over three hours to cover ten miles. Chen Jinyang estimated he wouldn't have any major harvest today.

Chen Jinyang entered the forest and headed east. The forest after the snow held a desolate silence. The bare branches of the deciduous trees were hung with crystalline icicles like ice sculptures, and the tall conifers were bowed under the weight of white, arched snow caps. A few squirrel-like creatures scurried past, sending down puffs of snow with a soft thud-thud-thud. The occasional bird call only made the entire world feel a cold, bone-deep loneliness.

Chen Jinyang exhaled a long cloud of white mist, tightened his deerskin robe, and trudged forward. He carefully searched the surrounding snow for tracks, checking to see if any large groups or massive creatures had been active nearby.

A few jackals followed Chen Jinyang for a while, but he paid them no mind. Before long, his pursuers were distracted by a flock of Snow Pearl Chickens they encountered on the path. Snow Pearl Chickens were absolutely the most active creatures in the northern winter, bar none. Chen Jinyang encountered no fewer than four flocks along the way. These wild birds, which couldn't fly very high or very far, provided a massive food source for many non-hibernating predators during the winter. As birds that fed primarily on berries, grass seeds, nuts, and insects, the Snow Pearl Chickens were at their fattest and most tender after a whole autumn of frantic feeding. They weren't easy to catch, however, and Chen Jinyang only managed to hit a few unlucky ones with random javelin throws. He strung them up with thin hemp rope and hung them from his body, intending to use them as a side dish for tonight and tomorrow.

After walking about four or five miles, Chen Jinyang turned north. On the way, he discovered two Goblin gathering spots, but they had long been abandoned, leaving behind only piles of waste and the lingering, foul stench common to wild Goblins.

A wolverine with deep gray fur, half the height of a man, set its sights on Chen Jinyang. When it finally couldn't resist attacking, Chen Jinyang pinned it to the snow and gave it a sound beating. The wolverine, having suffered a great loss, fled in a panic, howling. Chen Jinyang, who had also coveted the wolverine's thick, long fur, hadn't been paying attention and let it get away.

In the past, when Chen Jinyang entered the forest, he was either busy training or hunting. This time, as he calmed his mind to patrol and explore, he discovered quite a few good things. He found large dried wood ears, straw mushrooms, nuts, and even a purple-red, two-leafed fungus the size of a hand fan, similar to the red reishi of his past life. He even followed a squirrel's tracks to raid half a bag of pine nuts, causing the little beast to jump up and down in the trees, squeaking in protest. In the end, the "robber" felt a twinge of conscience and left the poor little thing with a small portion of its winter reserves, stopping short of a total "three-all" pillage.

By evening, Chen Jinyang circled back to the place where he had previously discarded the Goblin and Ogre corpses. In just over a month, the hill-like pile of nearly a hundred monster corpses had vanished, leaving only a few scattered bone fragments that silently accused the tragedy that had once occurred there.

Although there was nothing left, many hungry scavenger monsters still lingered, reluctant to leave. A portion of them became Chen Jinyang's spoils of war. Draped in a string of Snow Pearl Chickens, carrying a Black Wolf carcass in his hand, and having kicked away a Brown Bear and sent six Forest Wolves flying along the way, Chen Jinyang was like a little tyrant of the forest, smashing through anyone he encountered.

As night fell, Chen Jinyang returned to his warm home. He displayed his spoils one by one to his family. With straw mushrooms and wood ears stewing with fat chicken in the iron pot, and surrounded by the cozy warmth of the fireplace, he recounted the day's adventures to the little ones.